life itself is grace

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Shanda

(violets for thia) my friend

“Real love creates a generous openness. Have you ever been so caught up in something that you just had to share it? When you are walking alone in the woods, something takes your breath away–a sunset, a waterfall, the simple song of a bird–and you think, ‘If only my beloved were here’. The best things in life were meant to be shared.”
The Sacred Romance, by John Eldredge

I do so love to share life with you here. We had a full and happy weekend and I know you did, too. Isn’t it grand? Air to breath, faces to smile, good food to enjoy, family, friends, sports, hometown plays, children, grown ups, secrets?

beautiful things don’t ask for attention

open your eyes and notice (be on the look out!)

often life brings me to tears

lovely things are silent

Lovely things are silent….
Rosebuds waxing bloom,
Shadows stealing softly
In a darkened room;
Dragonflies on rushes,
Stars in dark blue skies;
Hatching, fuzzy birdlets,
Love in sweethearts’ eyes.

Lovely things are silent. . .
Rainbows in the sky,
Violets shedding fragrance,
A soft breeze waltzing by;
An apple tree in blossom,
Sunsets all aglow;
Moonlight on the water,
Falling soft white snow.

Lovely things are silent. . .
Foam clouds in the sky,
Hummingbirds at flowers,
Butterflies gliding by,
A spider’s dainty spinning,
Wild flowers on a hill.
I bow my head in silence
And in my heart I’m still.
~Betty Fox Solberg

It’s 44 degrees at our place this morning and there is a cheerful fire going in our wood pellet stove. I’m still in my comfortable clothes, with thick socks and slippers on, too. Jacob is getting ready for college and work, our chocolate lab is snoring at my feet. Cat snoozing on the windowsill behind me. The house is quiet and peaceful.

Outside purple and white violets are still in bloom. Some of our town has lilacs open, but mine are not flowered yet. I worry about the trees because last year’s gypsy moth eggs have hatched, there are tiny baby caterpillars everywhere. Baby turtles were found on the bank of the pond this weekend, a miracle in miniature.

‘Tis the season of shivering as we watch our boys play little league baseball.

My husband preached yesterday in church. The whole service did something to my heart; softened it. Love was in the air.

Our daughter Grace is a senior in High school. There is nervousness in the family because we know “last times” are happening and happening fast. In the fall, our three oldest children will be going away to college.

This weekend was “the last school drama production”. I cried and so did she. Oh how she has loved being part of it all. . . .

Grandma and Grandpa came to watch her. We had time for a ramble in the woods and a trip to town, too. Ice cream cones, laughter, games of catch for the boys.

* * * *

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory.”

“. . . .this happened (life itself?) so that the work of God might be displayed.”

girls visiting before getting ready for the play on Saturday; Brittany and Grace

our family pianist

Grandma’s here!

my mom, my friend

we enjoy the same things; home decorating, kitchen life, family, and nature, birding. . .

I ran the baby turtle back to the house to show the children. A wonder and a marvel.

thick grapevine growing up and into a tree

marsh marigold, ferns growing

crossing the stream with a handful of apple blossoms

garden flowers

granddaughter and her grandma

the brothers were practicing baseball and grandpa couldn’t resist joining in

I think ofttimes as the night draws nigh
Of an old house on the hill,
Of a yard all wide and blossom-starred
Where children played at will. ~Author Unknown

coffeeshop

street bench

little lady with her grandpa, eating chocolate

ice cream

Grace’s last high school drama production: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

dancing in the middle of the stage with the boy in white shirt

“Old bamboo” number

scene at the beach song and dance

very old inventors “The Roses of Success” song and dance (Grace is in the middle)

teamwork song (second to end, next to her friend Jenna)

“The Bombie Samba”

final bows

finale

a touching tribute to their beloved director, as this was her last musical

after the show on Saturday night

lots of hugs

with her proud Grandpa and Dad

after the show on Sunday

many tears were shed

Dad with his precious daughter; we are so proud of you, Grace.

Happy Monday friends!

thankful for:

friendship
love notes on the counter from an older brother
little hands touching my hair
questions from curious minds
my husband’s embrace
my husband going to the gas station to get me cream for my coffee this morning
a caring school nurse calling to tell me Sarah has a sore throat
purring cats
warmth inside when outside is shivery
guitar clips via text from Ethan, who is coming home this week
the start of a fresh new week; may God bless us everyone!

“And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.” Isaiah 35:7

{this moment} catnap

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Shanda

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

birds and blooms

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Shanda

American Goldfinch; in the trees at the dam by the stream

Eastern Phoebe; wire fence by stream

Black and White Warbler; high in treetops

Ovenbird; in the woods (next pic shows the stripes on the top):

Tufted Titmouse; tree by my house

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher; bushes by the driveway (first sighting) It’s a small and very pretty bird.

Sparrow; very common, however I loved him because he threw and stiffened his whole body into his singing.

It takes a powerful amount of energy to be a song bird.

This bird was in the woods this morning, I identified it as a Veery using the Merlin ID app on my phone.

Chipmunk frozen in fear in the woods because he saw me.

Warbling Vireo; bushes on the edge of the field

(not positive about the identification)

Catbird; I love the way they sing

This unidentified hawk (?) made several passes over us all (myself and the little birds) which put a damper on things because he (I’m sure) likes eating little birds. But maybe he was looking for mice?

Common Yellowthroat; isn’t it’s black mask and yellow bib pretty?

I think this is a Female Eastern Towhee but it was difficult to get a photo. It was on the ground the whole time, scratching into the leaves finding food. As soon as I found it in the camera frame it would hop out of it again. The bird book shows a female looking like this with a white breast (which this one may have but I couldn’t see it). A male Towhee was singing up in the branches which also led me to believe it was it’s mate.

Male Eastern Towhee

Mallard Duck; I sat on a boulder with him in the distance but close enough that I could still hear him quacking now and then. Very companionable.

Cardinal; isn’t it pretty with all the gray background and spots of red buds?

Apple blossoms

and Marsh Marigolds

The gypsy moth egg casings are hatching out which means that there are tiny caterpillars EVERYWHERE, it’s rather like a plague. It’s a nature phenomena that I have never seen before in the 10 years we’ve lived here. WAY too many. So I’m hoping that all the birds (and chipmunk) photographed in this blog post like to eat them.

I brought home a branch of apple blossoms and put them in a blue vase by the sink. I picked some white and purple violets, too.

frosty sunday morning

Posted on May 2, 2017 by Shanda

Time to be, time to dream, time to do nothing but wander in outside, free, in nature.

It’s invaluable for young and old.

Doesn’t the red winged black bird remind you of an English Guard?

There is beauty abundant in each ordinary day……and it often stops me in my tracks.

Tom the Turkey.

We wanted to see a Tom with his feathers all fluffed out but it didn’t happen during my visit at Mom and Dad’s until I was on the highway leaving Albany and I saw one on the side of the road with a hen.

*****

“Then there were long, lazy summer afternoons when there was nothing to do but read. And dream. And watch the town go by to supper. I think that is why our great men and women so often have sprung from small towns, or villages. They have had time to dream in their adolescence. No cars to catch, no matinees, no city streets, none of the teeming, empty, energy-consuming occupations of the city child. Little that is competitive, much that is unconsciously absorbed at the most impressionable period, long evenings for reading, long afternoons in the fields or woods.” Edna Ferber

46 photos if I’m not mistaken

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Shanda

HAPPY MAY 1ST

Today is a “catch up day” on the ol’ blog of all the photos I want to share from the last week and a half. I have 46 photos in this post. Life is good, full, beautiful, cherished.

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 1:9

Mom, as she always does, made homemade meals when I was visiting; soup on Friday.

pumpkin bread on Friday evening; I grated the nutmeg and ground the cloves.

pizza on Saturday night

with homemade sauce preserved last fall from her own garden tomatoes

It was so good I was almost crying as I ate it. Tears of joy and of sadness because I can’t make pizza like she does and I have been trying for years. Mostly joy though, I ate three pieces.

She showed me how to make breadsticks using leftover pizza dough. She divided it into pieces and we rolled it out thin (like a snake), drizzled lightly with olive oil, and then twisted it and pressed it through a sprinkling of spice mix of mom’s own choosing on the counter. I remember smoked paprika, fennel, sesame seeds, pepper, poppy seeds. We put them on a cookie sheet to bake and they ended up delicious and fragrant. The next day Mom and I each took one and used it as croutons on salad by crumbling it on top of the greens.

Salad fixings on Sunday afternoon; asparagus, seasoned chicken, tomatoes, cheese, homemade salad dressing.

I went with Dad to his drumming lessons with Kubla the dog.

And for several walks with my parents.

And a nice long walk by myself on a sunny Sunday.

Sunday morning we woke up to frost and a pileated woodpecker! God knew what would get us outdoors in that kind of weather…Mom and I quickly pulled on our coats and boots and had a lovely walk before church, birdwatching. In fact, come to think of it, I do have more photos of that morning but they are on another memory card so I’ll have to share those maybe tomorrow, if ever.

It was a thrill to see the pileated woodpecker; they are the largest woodpeckers in our area and so pretty with the red hat on top.

Mom and Dad’s cat Asian.

Mom’s vegetables started at the window. She uses cut down milk cartons to transplant the tomato seedlings into as they grow bigger.

Dad keeps busy doing wood and keeping the fire going. Even this is picturesque with the wood sheds and rock path, wood smoke, forest in the background, and Dad in his pop of orange.

Sunday afternoon was fun. The frost had melted and the temperature had risen enough to make being outdoors the very best place to be. We worked in the flower bed by the driveway. Mom has a “Rusty Garden” with a collection of old rusty things that she uses as decoration. It’s a fun theme. We took everything out and threw it behind us on the grass.

You can see the different objects she has, most of which came from her Dad’s farm and land years ago before they sold the property.

We cleaned up the edge of the bed and thoughtfully replaced everything in new spots. By the end of summer the plants will fill in among the decorations and be so pretty.

Back at my own home; last week was The Week of the New Lens. The first day it came it was raining outside. (sobs) But then the weather cooperated and I was able to try it out. (cheers)

I was quite far away from these birds and I am thrilled with the photos.

Baltimore Oriole! I stood and listened to it’s beautiful voice before I finally saw it. It was hard to take a photo through all the tree branches–my camera didn’t know what to focus on.

It’s too bad that the roof of the car was in the way but nonetheless, I was so happy to get this photo of a female cardinal and her mate. In my peach tree.

And then on Friday there were four ducks on the pond! I sat on the bench and snapped bout 50 pictures with perfect ease. 🙂

I texted Rich “this lens is awesome!”

He texted back, “I love you, too.”

It’s so funny when they go “bottoms up”.

quacking!

Rich was on a business trip and sent me this selfie! 🙂

Thursday was “take your child to work day” and Seth was the chosen child this year. He went to work wearing clothes just like his Dad wears and with his hair slicked back all handsome. By bedtime he was asking/begging me (and not Dad) to tuck him in and I understood he had had a huge dose of Dad that day. His little love tank was full to overflowing.

Which leaves us with photos from Saturday; Little League Opening Day! It was hot and bright all day long. I went to Home Depot before the game and to my sister’s house. I picked up Naomi and Weston so they could watch the games, too.

The photo of Seth is from the National Anthem. Rich took it with my new lens.

Caleb at bat.

I was sitting on the bleachers!!! So happy with my camera!

After making a double play!

This boy is very verbal and keeps his attention on EVERYTHING, encouraging his teammates and getting them ready and watching for the next plays. He gets VERY into the game, even at home it’s all about baseball with this boy now.

(By the way, he’s a Yankees fan) LOL

I’m going to get him that black stuff that you smudge on your cheeks.

POOR SETH!!!!!!!! He gets TERRIBLE allergic reaction to the dust; his eyes were so red and swollen by the end of the day. Bless his heart. I’m giving him allergy medicine and eye drops now. He’s a good ball player, too, and got to pitch for a few innings.

And that dumb string was dangling all day long. I never did get close enough to tell him to put in inside his pants where it belonged. 🙂

Isn’t he so cute!?!?!

Last, but not least; DAVE! He is 14 and on Juniors this year. He’s known for his speed around the bases, he runs around them just as fast as his dad did when he played. He’s like the Flash (his favorite show on TV).

LOOK at that face of intensity!

I’m so proud of my baseball players. There is practice and/or a game every evening but it’s all worth it. We get outdoors, talk to friends, and watch our boys do great things. In every game there are impressive catches, scores, etc. The moms laugh and try to keep track of everything. Even when the team loses it’s fun simply because they are working together and learning so much. Pastor says baseball is a spiritual sport because “you’re trying to get home”.

ALSO: in pond news: the toads came and mated and then left again (leaving their long strings of eggs behind to hatch and grow on their own)

I had a moment of peace on Saturday evening down by the pond with the toads.

*****

It’s May 1st so try to include flowers in your day or better yet surprise someone else with them. That’s my advice for the day.

Time for me to get off my behind and get to work. Be blessed, my friends. 🙂

{this moment}

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Shanda

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waiting for warm ups to begin for the first game of the season

cleaning & shopping together

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Shanda

Well, part of the reason why I went to Mom and Dads was to help Mom out with some spring cleaning. We ate eggs and the homemade pumpkin bread that we had made the night before for breakfast and made a list of what our Saturday would entail. Could we do it all?

We cleaned for hours and hours and then when we decided we had done enough we headed out to visit some of our favorite places and one new place. Dad had plans with Uncle Brian so it was ::girl time::. (whenever Sarah and I end up alone we sing to each other “GIRL TIME” and give high fives.)

(“vintage” grocery store, LOL) Just like when I was a little, it was so small! Why are grocery stores so big these days is what I want to know.

Perry’s ice cream is the best because it’s what I grew up on.

Perfect way to end the day.

It was A-MAZE-ING how much we accomplished!

*****

Things I bought, in their new home:

Over the master bed I’ve been collecting flower prints that I love. The second one from the right is the one I purchased with mom for only 8 dollars. It’s an old framed print of Irises.

wire egg holder shaped like a pig! Perfect for me in many ways. 5 dollars

(filled with eggs from my flock)

Mom had told me once that her Grandma suggested brown glass bottles for rooting plants. So I bought this old one with the paper label charmingly almost gone for 6 dollars. She sent me home with a begonia stem to root. It’s on my kitchen windowsill and I can’t wait to see the roots start to grow.

Striped fiesta round platter (bigger than a dinner plate)

Fiesta salt and pepper shakers, and a small souvenir plate from the factory. I can’t remember the exact prices of the fiestaware but it was very good because it was half off.

Last but not least, all that cleaning inspired me to come home and clean my own house. I’ve been itching to deep clean the pantry (one of my favorite little rooms) and I tackled it this morning. I wiped down all the shelving with yummy smelling Method cleaner, pulled the freezer away from the wall and cleaned the filthy floor under it, washed the dusty windows, and rearranged the foods and other items on the shelves.

I wiped down the glass doors on the hutch and moved it away from the wall, too.

You know that feeling when you clean one room spotlessly and then realize how messy every other room in your house feels? That’s the feeling I have now, but Jacob told me to get over it because it’s not a very nice one. And the house is clean enough. 😉

flowers under cloudy skies

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Shanda

I hit the road Friday morning and drove to my parent’s house to spend a long weekend. Although I felt a little sad leaving all the children home with Rich, I knew that it was important for me to get away for a *body mind and soul* rest away from the endless rewarding yet sometimes quite stressful jobs of parent and housekeeper.

A retreat to Mom and Dad’s house was just the place of peace and relaxation for me.

***

We had a chilly but invigorating walk on Saturday morning. But before we went up the road, Mom and I put on our necessary rubber boots and meandered about the gardens to see what was coming up.

Mom has extensive flower beds; she absolutely LOVES gardening and has over 45 years of experience growing things. She knows where everything is and where everything came from and delights in the many surprises gardening holds, too. Volunteer plants show up all over the place. She knows when she weeds she has to be careful, but not too terribly careful, because then in one of those fun surprises, the flowers will transplant down the bank where she throws the weeds. And that’s a smile just waiting to happen.

pink and salmon hyacinths

The only one we saw.

(I have a small patch of them in my garden, too; does anyone know the name? I forgot.)

Daffodils

Aunt Rita started planting them here years and years ago and Mom continues. Daffodils are very obliging when it comes to multiplying each year.

“I hope to have them go all the way down the stone fence eventually!”

darling mini daffies

Mom planted Tasha Tudor foxgloves by the house but now they’re gone; they reappeared at the edge of the woods.

I gave her the seeds from Tasha Tudors website years ago when Tasha was still alive. She also has a signed print from “The Secret Garden”. We are fans.

There are things all over the place in the beds to make things interesting. For example, this roundish rock has been in the garden in various locations since I was a kid. Her brother Chris (they were less than one year apart in age) found it on the farm and asked her if she wanted it. We call it the Fred Flintstone bowling ball and mom believes that perhaps the groves were made so that Indians could crack Hickory nuts in them (you can see the tool marks on the rock).

Besides the flower gardens, Mom and Dad work on a big rustically fenced vegetable garden and maintain trails through the wild blueberry patch and into the woods. There is a crick, mature trees and forest, wildlife abundant, places for summertime campfires, benches, and healthy moist lawn perfect for barefeet. In my opinion, all of their well-tended 16 acres could be featured in any issue of Country Living magazine.

After the garden tour we headed up the road together to take ourselves and the dog for a walk.

Uncle Brian and his dogs were out; we stopped for a chat. He had recently seen two big Tom turkeys both trying to impress a hen in all their feathered glory. We told him he should have had a camera and he said he had enough to keep his hands full with the dogs.

He and Dad do a lot together throughout the week working in the woodlot.

The land on both sides of the road used to belong to Mom’s parents. It’s old farmland. Much of it is still in the family; the parts than aren’t still feel like “ours” deep down inside. It’s quiet and peaceful here; hardly a car goes by and you can’t even hear the sounds of distant traffic, only nature and maybe some of the far away neighbors target practicing.

This day was cloudy and overcast but the sky made all the photos beautiful.

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When we arrived back home we had some visitors.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps;
Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps.
~A. Bronson Alcott, “The Garden,” Tablets, 1868

bringing it back {this moment}

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Shanda

I hope blogger soulemama doesn’t mind! She was the original mastermind behind these posts and a whole bunch of us were following along and had great fun. Alas, she discontinued her “this moment” Friday posts a while back now. However, I missed the opportunity and the fun it was to be on the look out for that “something sweet” to photograph and put on the blog~with no words. She intended it for sharing so I don’t think she’ll mind if I once again take advantage of her generosity, so without further ado;

{this moment} ~ A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

hobbies

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Shanda

“A hobby is an activity, interest, enthusiasm, or pastime that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one’s own time.” -wikipedia

Just a common red winged black bird but it was singing and making such pretty sounds that I had to share the photo of it. It stood on a slender branch and gracefully inched it’s way to the top of it. It flew a short distance to a fence and then down to the edge of the stream, drinking and fluffing up it’s blackest of black feathers…….

I sat on a dry little hill of land by the stream, surrounded by old last year’s grasses and springtime wetness from the swampy wide stream. I wore jeans, a tshirt, a flannel, and a vest with sunglasses in one pocket and my headphones and phone in the other.

I had my camera in my hands; a Nikon D3300 with a 55-200mm lens. A very nice camera!

I’m generally very content with my camera and lenses. How do you justify a hobby that uses costly equipment? A bigger zoom lens would cost quite a bit.

I was sitting probably about 60-100 feet from the birds I was trying to photograph. When I got home, I put them on the computer and cropped—and laughed at the horrible quality of images I took of this bird:

Yellow-Rumped Warbler (first sighting)

It’s so beautiful, but not in these pictures!

I was on FB this morning and someone from my town had posted photos of a pileated woodpecker—stunning crystal clear close ups that took my breath away. I asked what lens he used and found out that he had a much better zoom lens.

I have dreamed of a better zoom lens but now I REALLY want a better zoom lens!

But like I said, this is only a hobby. I don’t sell my photos or use them for anything but my own blog and photo collections. There is a little voice in my head that says “What is the POINT? This photography pastime is a money pit!”

Of what value is a hobby? To me, my hobbies (photography, reading, collecting Fiestaware) add priceless value to my daily life for a variety of reasons. But to what extent do I maintain and invest in my hobbies, especially in photography?

The hobby itself is not a “thing”– it’s not a material possession. However, regardless of the way it feeds my soul and gets me outside exploring nature, it can be costly as it takes money to purchase photography equipment and time to study the information so I can use it properly.

Part of these feelings about spending a “large” amount of money on a lens is due to my personal penny pinching ways. Although I have no ethical issues with shopping, I am a thrifty shopper and like the challenge of looking for ways to “save money”–coupons, clearance, thrifting, free stuff, library, etc.

But then again, almost every adult I know has a hobby that costs money so why can’t I?

sparrow

Eastern Phoebe

*****

While I was writing this post, I went ahead and researched and found a lens for a somewhat reasonable price and texted Rich all about it….his reply?

“GO AHEAD”

Stay tuned! This is going to be a great summer of bird/nature watching!

What do you think? Do you have a hobby? What is it? Is it easy for you to invest in or do you feel guilty? How do you justify spending money on an “extra” expense in your hobby? Do you have ways of off setting the cost? What are they? Do you have a business online? Do you use your hobby to give back to others? How does your hobby make you feel? Do your children have hobbies? Does your partner have a hobby? What are some of the values in a hobby?