along the way

keeping up appearances . . . or not . . .

 We live in a city where appearance seems to be very important.

People show their money by how they live. Moving "up" happens

a lot, and updating or remodeling homes, upgrading furniture,

and the latest decor designs seem to have high value.

 It's easy to fall into that mindset. Our house does not have an "open plan."

(I rather like all the separate areas.) So should we tear down a wall to

make the house more sellable? (no, we won't, but those thoughts do come.)

 Comfort, coziness and family heirlooms/history are high on my house values.

We stay with the old, the things we love, but the update question tempts us
because of the "brainwashing" we get from things like home
improvement shows, blogs, or magazines filled with sparkling homes ...

 I have to admit, I feel a sense of relief and comfort when I see homes of my peers that 

aren't updated, that are filled with furniture from when they began "housekeeping," 

or beloved antiques or consignment purchases that are sturdy and speak 

of being loved and used. They may cook on an old but perfectly functioning
stove, turn on, not tap on, their kitchen faucet, and seem happy and content
to be what they are.
 It's something I ponder on occasion.

And then Eldest Son brings along a scrap piece of gorgeous granite.
What can we say? What can we do? In the artful act of balance,
a little updating comes our way.

the day the music played

Our nieces always favor us with their current piano recital pieces when they visit. They both are doing well; the oldest now ending her 5th year, and the younger more at the beginner level. As S. played, I found myself so familiar with the music, even though I may not have heard it for many, many years.

When she was finished I jumped up, "S, I think maybe I played that piece!"

I ran over to examine her music. The book looked familiar. I dug through the piano bench filled with sheet music and sure enough found my book. We compared. Exactly the same book, except, mine was yellow with age, and cost so, so much less. Like exactly a dollar and 25 cents for the whole book.

Sure enough, there were Miss Hamner's pencil markings. I can just hear

 her saying "One and two and three and four and …"

So  . . . I sat down and tried to play it. Not so great. 

The fingers don't work like they used to on the runs. 

But, I guess I love a challenge, and rose to it. Now I practice it each day.

My fingers are starting to behave, and it's coming back to me.

nap time

At the end, the ice-cream filled cone squished in her little hand, oozing it down her arm.
Messy, messy. But this littlest  one didn't miss a beat at her big brother and sister's
birthday party, trying her best to keep up with the big kids.

Upstairs for a mini bath we went. She loved the novelty of the sink bath 

as she screeched "Ba! Ba!" (bath) As she lay on the changing table while I diapered her, 

the towel touched the side of her face. Her fingers popped into her mouth and her eyes 

got heavy, starting to close. Time for a nap, all fresh and clean. 

A tuckered out little party girl.

tea for vee

 It's time for Vee's notecard party, which means that another month has flown by.
But it appears that I haven't read well, and Vee's cardshop is closed for the summer.
So we'll just call these framed photos rather than "notecards," on a tea theme.
And it looks like I've had some milk and sugar in my tea.

 I'm thinking back to a trip to the Kenya highlands and a walk among the tea fields.
Tea as far as the eye can see.

 After an inspiring walk, it's time for a cup of locally grown tea.

Let's have a seat and a cuppa. The weather here in the highlands is
pleasant so a hot drink is welcoming even on a warm afternoon.

Kati's Photo Challenge Week 2

childhood

macro

upside down

jewelry

flower

shadow

red, white and blue.

Happy Flag Day! (thank you Betsey Ross)

Please visit Kati's blog to see others who have joined in

Kati's June photo challenge!

stormy weather

I just happened to take photos of a big storm we had last week,

though I had forgotten the subject of Donna's next photo challenge.

Here's my two views of the rain, captured as dusk began to fall.

Then we had another afternoon storm … actually we have one nearly every day now.
This was taken during torrential rain, though you would hardly know!

I especially love looking at the rapidly changing sky as the storm advances.

Please go visit Donna's Monthly Photo Challenge.

You might like to join in!

the gift of giving

A firm knock sounded at the office door where I worked in a hospital baby nursery. A well-dressed, good looking young man of 10 stood at the door grasping a huge basket filled with gifts.

His mom and siblings stood at a distance as he announced to us that he had been born in this hospital that day, in the morning, 10 years before. He was on the way to his birthday party and would be getting presents, but first he wanted to give somebody else a gift. Could we find a baby boy who had been born between 8 am and noon and please give the basket to him?

We had just the right baby, one whose family could really be helped by such a gift––a basket filled with baby supplies, a soft blanket and a baby boy outfit. I wish I could have told the birthday boy of the delight on the faces of that baby's parents when I walked into their room with the overflowing basket, and the gratitude they expressed to an unknown friend.

If I could find him, I'd also thank his mom for teaching him the joy of giving. He's probably 20 by now, and my guess is he still has the gift of giving. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old[er]  he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

week 1 photo a day challenge

Kati's photo challenge for this week:

(in order:) leaf, favorite color (green and pink), weather, 

on the wall, sunglasses, dot, and water.

Please visit Kati's blog to see other photos for this fun challenge.

powered down

I guess the older we get, the more there is around us to trigger memories.
Such as the other night when we had an intense summer storm. A big one.
The power went off. Our years living in Africa where that
 happened almost daily has made that not too big a deal for us.

I went into the dining room and lit the oil lamp. I thought I might write a
few notes. The soft glow of the lamp, one we actually had taken to
 and brought home again from Africa many years ago, reminded 

me of a photo we have of me writing by the light of that very lamp.

Memories flowing, I sat down to play the piano. Something I rarely take the
time to do in spite of good intentions. Time slowed down. I wondered about reading
a book on my iPad.  But really this should be a technology free evening.
I looked at the rain pounding against the windows. I looked around at the
warm light from candles and the oil lamp softly reflecting shadows.  

I felt my brain clearing, slowing down. I started to reflect, as in to "think deeply." 

Just as I was about to get my pen and paper, the lights flickered on,
the sound of the AC started up, and suddenly the stillness was gone.  

The tyranny of the urgent sauntered back into the house.

I sometimes regret how quickly life continues to change. So much of our lives has to be
done online now. Going "paperless." Automated phone calls. Emailed invitations.
Efficient . . . possibly. But I feel like we lose some good things in all that efficiency. 

I would have enjoyed a whole evening without electricity. 

But probably not much more …

photos of the past

I recently found this photo of my maternal grandparents. Check out how big the 

front of this vehicle is. And how they both point their toes out as they pose for the

photographer. My grandpa seems to have his hat at a jaunty angle.

Old photos fascinate me. I like to scan them and look at them on the computer. 

When I then enlarge them I see all kind of details I would not have noticed otherwise.

That often brings questions. Like in this photo, I wonder where their four daughters are.

As time passes, there are fewer and fewer who can answer my questions.

But it's still fun to guess.

May Days

" . . . His mercies never come to an end . . . they are new every morning . . . "

May is always a favorite month of mine. It feels like a "pretty" month to me. 

Maybe because it's spring, Mother's Day, activities signaling the finish of something for

 the year. Life begins to slow down. It's only when I look back that I realize how

 full a month can be. This month included: three friend birthdays celebrated in two 

occasions; two difficult but uplifting funerals; on-on-one boy time; an after school 

milkshake date at the soda counter; Little Miss began to walk in earnest; 

a bathroom "re-do;" a first ballet recital; a book club; and the icing on the cake:

 a reunion with dear friends from high school days. That's a long friendship. 

Time went back, stood still, swirled around, reached 

into the future … as we sat and talked for hours. 

May was filled with good things.

Joining Cheryl's Gathering the Moments.

gravel roads

I simply love the sound of gravel. I'm not sure if it gives a feeling of expectation (someone is arriving) or it is a comfort feeling, but there it is. My love for it. One of my favorite things about staying at a certain friend's cabin is that it sits alongside a gravel road. There's no secret when neighbors come and go.

I thought this was unique with me (well I know one of my sister's shares the feelings) until my DIL was describing a large home one of their colleagues was building and she mentioned the work they put into making a gravel driveway. This is probably not a cheap home and they could have afforded a quieter drive way. That's when I learned I'm not alone in this love of mine.

And you?

after the show

'Tis the season for end of year recitals. We were entertained by great music and 

sweet little ballerinas bopping to the music. Some were downright 

tiny and trying hard to figure out what to do next. 

Cellphone pics while trying to hold motion-filled children in a dark

 theater are fuzzy at best. You understand.

 After the show patient siblings sprang to life and got rid of their wiggles. 

Run like the wind, they did, mesmerized by stepping "stones" and a mosaic mirror.

Joining Mosaic Monday.

Water's Scent

 Reading Elizabeth's Goudge's The Scent of Water, slowed 

me down and made my mind go back 

to the cool scent of water from a well, a stream, a garden hose, a rainstorm. . .  

It took me to my childhood on several levels, among them, the outdoors I played in 

where I explored at my leisure, and took the 

time . . . to sense the "scent of water." 

As adults I don't think we experience it all quite like when we were children.

E. Goudge is a master of description; her books are treasures. 

You hop right into the story. If you haven't tried one, I would 

recommend it. This story is about an older woman who shifts to a totally 

new home and gets to know the aunt who willed her the home,

 through reading her journals. 

There are many wonderful characters to meet.

We gathered at the home of fellow blogger, Rhondi. She and I met years 

back through blogging. Somehow we discovered that we lived just 

a couple of miles apart, and she invited me over for tea. I remember 

the feeling when I entered her house, that I had been there before. 

Rhondi's blog is fun and filled with her creativity, as is her home! 

I always learn a few new ideas when I'm there, or when I read her blog.

What a nice gathering we had around Rhondi's lovely table. This time our 

friend in Germany led our discussion via Skype and it went amazingly well.

"The scent of water, of the rain and of the dew. It was difficult to separate 

it from the grateful fragrance of the life it renewed, but it had its scent: 

the faint exhalation of its goodness . . ."