inhale...exhale...relax your shoulders...repeat as often as needed

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

late october is a scary time...

one of four trees down on our road.
electrical wires, too.
this is our next door neighbor's house.
the trees in our yard had the good sense 
to fall into the woods behind us, instead of on us.

power is not expected to be restored for 7-11 days.

it is much worse south of us,
along the ct coast, in manhattan
and along the jersey shore.

this on top of irene 
and the snows of just one year ago.

no such thing as global climate change?
you decide. 

oh,
and
happy hallowe'en!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

waiting

we have done everything we can to get ready for the storm.
if (when) we lose power, 
i am looking forward to doing some old fashioned handwork.

inspired by these beauties...

expensive but lovely supplies, here.
"buttonhole" napkins, here.
this gorgeous vimeo, here, via mommycoddle.

sometimes mother nature takes control.
we have no choice but to let go of our own plans.

may all be safe.



Monday, October 22, 2012

returning

lately, the work i do on two different boards has converged, 
leaving me little time to breathe,
but it has invigorated me in such wonderful ways.
one, a pre K though 12 school.
the other, a college.
what a blessing to be thinking and learning and stewarding
 along such a spectrum of educational formation.
 one leg of my journey home was on a prop plane,
which flew lower than a jet.
for 45 minutes i watched the late afternoon light 
flood across the autumn landscape below me.

i have been thinking about the value of committee work,
when many different people gather with their own ideas
and through time and respectful listening and discernment,
new and better ideas emerge from the whole group.
i wish it happened more often in this world.

i have one more day with a long "to do" list.
tomorrow i am looking forward to a shift 
and hope to spend some time in my long abandoned
sewing studio.
and i'm hoping to take a walk, too.

(thanks to my guru, henry, who's wisdom helped me get this far).

i've missed you!
what have you been up to lately?

Monday, October 15, 2012

henry wisdom

i have so much to do this week and so many places to be,
i am not sure how i will manage it all.

henry has reminded me that sometimes it's a good idea
to just sit, breathe and take in the view.

i promise to try.
xo


Sunday, October 14, 2012

our october retreat

-brilliance in the blue of the sky, the leaves in the trees, the marigolds and pumpkins in the garden.
-coyotes singing along the ridge.
-flurries in the air.
-nasturtiums, picked before the first hard frost of the season, when their stems turned to a pungent mush.
-tarps and tarps full of fallen and raked leaves, dragged to the deep woods by the stone wall.
-a glass of cider, savored while sitting on the picnic table.
-the canoe, the rain barrel and the garden hoses, tucked away until next spring.
-closets cleaned and reorganized.
-muffins filled with local blueberries from the freezer.
-swapping out the screens for the storm door on the three season porch.
-howling wind at night, while snug under the pile of blankets and quilt, with Henry asleep in the mix.

-our old friend, oatmeal, sprinkled with pecans, dried cranberries and puddled with almond milk.
-the last of the carrots, forked out of the soil, and chard tucked into the produce drawer in the fridge.
-paper rolls of drawings and plans, spread out on the dining table, dreams in the making.
-candle light.
-mulching the peonies and the blueberry bushes, and wishing them a safe winter's rest.
-a drive up and over the Rochester Gap for lattes and comfortable and familiar conversation.
-always, a fire in the Home Comfort, to take away the chill.
-pulling over to the side of the road in the late afternoon, to cast a few on the White River. (The best way to be out of the office).
-blessings. so many blessings.


Friday, October 12, 2012

aflame

 mountain ash at our "bit of earth".

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

the ebony and ivory dominoes.
four pair of gloves.
sugar cube tongs.
a lovely knife.

treasures from his family and from mine.

it is hard to discern what shall be carried into the future,
even as we pare down in the present.

Monday, October 8, 2012

the momentum is building

Lindsey came down from Boston for the weekend, with her Carhartt overalls. Hannah came over too. We worked on retaining wall recovery, brush removal (two pickups full), trash hauling, painting, more power washing (the last of it, thank-you very much) and cedar closet prom dress sorting (!). The girls managed to squeeze in a night on the town, and last night there was cookie baking and movie watching in the house. A Subaru even had the city grime scrubbed off of her in the driveway.

Our sweat equity factor was re-energized by these two girls and we are ever so grateful for their support of our dreams

The Bank of Good Karma saw a sweet deposit this weekend. The interest on the balance is multi generational.

Do you use the Bank of Good Karma?

xo

Sunday, October 7, 2012

happy 80th birthday to my Mumsie!

Alan, Elaine and Karen, 1956

My Mumsie is still living on her own, 
volunteering at church
and the Audubon Society,
sketching with the Art Association
and keeping up with the computer age.

I had a fun visit with her this past week,
and I send her best wishes on her birthday today!

xo 

Friday, October 5, 2012

lessons

What Life Has Taught Me:
Resentment is poisonous;
Compassion is healing;
Love is creative.

-Ellen Sophia Bosanquet, 1960

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

this is giving me hope today. xo

"Strip away the fear and underneath it's all the same love."
Watch it here.

Monday, October 1, 2012

pausing


Making the time.
(In spite of the list of things to do).
Pouring the water and whisking the tea powder.
Warming my palms with the bowl.

Inhaling and then sipping and tasting and swallowing.

A lovely pause.

How do you create intentional pauses in your life?