Saturday Nice . . .

 

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If I should die these are the kind of things

That I have loved and been so thankful for,

The sheen of sun upon a distant hill,

A keening wind along a lonely shore.

I have been glad for music softly played,

For violins and white piano keys,

For muted tones and phrases crystal clear,

Love songs and lullabies and symphonies.

I have loved evenings when the after glow

Cast a warm spell on everything in sight,

When there was music in the very wind,

And magic in the darkness of the night.

I have loved little streets where people dwell,

And tiny yards where humble flowers grow, --

The lonely splendor or an Arctic moon,

The swish of Northern lights above the snow.

The smoky trail of planes across the sky,

A search light picking out an in-bound ship,

Red budded maples in a blue ravine,

A song of love upon a young girl's lip.

I have loved peace and quietness . . . the vast

Unbroken silence of a prairie night,

And when my heart is dust I shall remember

A tree with every blossom tipped with light.

~Edna Jacques, I Have Loved

Hills of Home, 1952

Yesterday I got to thinking that you who read here each day probably know more about me than even my own children do.  It's funny that, this online journal that I started so many years ago, which was started so that I could share bits of my life and my thoughts with my children became so much more than that.  They never read it. I doubt any of them really know or remember that this place exists, and they have never really been interested, I don't believe, of the innermost thoughts or missives of my soul. But I am grateful that I have had this place to jot them down and keep a record. And I am grateful for those of you who take note and who care. It has helped me through the years to know you are there.  My dear invisible friends.  I appreciate you. You have given my inner voice wings to fly. And you have cared.  And you have prayed with me, and for me, and in all things.  And yes, I do appreciate you and I just wanted you to know that. You are not unnoticed. You matter to me.

Christmas came to my home yesterday by way of a big box in the post.  I do not want to embarrass anyone, but I did want to share with you this beautiful pile of beautifully wrapped gifts that arrived from my dear friend Elaine. So much care put into the wrapping of each gift.  They were all so beautiful that I did not want to unwrap them to see what was inside. I wanted only to gaze at them for a while, but the cats eventually forced me to. They made me do it.  I wish I had such a skill as to be able to wrap things in such a beautiful way. Simply gorgeous. So much care. 

Nobody was forgotten, not Cinnamon, nor Nutmeg  . . . 

Not Diadamy nor Athalia.  They look so pretty in their new coats and jaunty berets.  So sweet.

Everything so beautiful and so much care and thoughtfulness put into every single article . . . now I can start a collection of glass toadstools for my tree again without feeling like I am being indulgent.  I will just  be finding friends for this sweet character.  

That figurine. So sweet. I do not deserve such things and yet here they are.  I am humbled.

 

So kind, so very, very, kind  . . . 

I went to bed last night with Enid Blyton. I am on chapter four.  I am a child again and falling in love with and wanting a KiKi and an adventure for myself.  

 

Have you ever seen such cuteness?  Measuring cups. Nesting measuring cups.  Adorable.  Totally adorable.  I was a child again.  Enjoying the magic of frivolous things.  

Thank you, my dear friend, for making my heart sing in a special way. You were too good to me.   And there are gifts for Cindy, Dan, dad, Eileen and Tim as well.  Christmas in January.  It's a good thing. I do not want to embarrass a dear friend, but I did want to share these lovely things which made my heart smile. She knows me well.

 

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Did you know that there is a fireplace that you can get on your television on Netflix, complete with the sound of crackling logs?  Snapping and flickering.  I only just discovered it a week or two ago and I have been enjoying it.  I like to think that it makes me feel warmer, the power of suggestion and all that.  No, it doesn't make the house warmer, but it makes my heart warmer.  I can sit and read and look up at the flickering flames, reading to the tune of the snap and crackle of the logs as they burn.  I love it.

This week I have been filling my home with light.  Fairy lights.  I bought a pack of them on amazon and they are so tiny, but they are perfect. I think there are about 10 strings of fairy lights in the pack. I put some among the plants on my front windowsill.  I thought they looked really pretty there. 

I nestled another string in my bowl of yarn balls.  I love it.   I love my bowl of yarn balls anyways.  I just took the ends of balls of yarn and wound it into balls and put them into this bowl which sits on my coffee table.  And now they are gently lit as well.  For me, this is totally charming, and it brings me joy.

Light to make the heart glow in the dark of winter.  It's a good thing.

 

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We had snow and sleet most of the day yesterday and I see out the window that it is snowing now.  I had thought I might go to the shops, but I don't like to drive in the snow. I know I am a big chicken when it comes to that.  I used to drive in snow before I moved to the U.K. but we are talking many years ago now and I was a much, much younger woman then, twenty-five years ago.  I was much braver then. I know I have snow tires on my car, but it makes me anxious, the thought of driving in the snow.  Looking at the weather forecast we look to be having snow all next week most days as well.  I may have to put my big girl pants on at some point and conjure up some courage.  I cannot stay at home forever. I don't know why I am such a baby when it comes to driving.  I just am.

I talked to my oldest boy for a short time yesterday. Gabe and his mother were still sleeping.  The only ones up were Anthony and Luke. Luke was getting ready to have a sleepover last night.  I expect they will all be back to school on Monday. I had messaged my son to say I would be sending the boy's Christmas money over this week.  They never managed to get over here as they had thought they might, and I had been saving it to give them in person.

I would never want them to think I had forgotten them.

This is going to be my mantra this year as I work to simplify my life. I love my little home. But I don't like clutter, and my spare room is driving me crazy. I am going to get in there next week I think, and I am going to be asking myself this question over and over again as I go through what's in there. Lots of yarn that I bought for things that never got used.  Two broken printers. At least two laptops which no longer work. I don't know what to do with the stuff.  I guess I need to just pile it all in the car and find a tip somewhere that I can take it.  

First, I have to summon up the energy.  I feel tired a lot of the time. I feel tired now, lol.  

Ohh, yesterday I used some of my leftover ham to make the BBQ ham mom used to make sometimes when we would go to her place for Sunday supper back in the 1980's.  The smell when it was baking in the oven took me back to then, It is hard to believe that was over 40 years ago now. So much time has passed, and yet the smell . . .  I was a young woman in my late 20's all over again.

Mom used to make this ham in a homemade BBQ sauce, using her leftover bits of ham.  She would serve it with rice.  Always minute rice.  But she would doctor up the minute rice with bits of onion and herbs.  Her favorite herb was oregano.  Once she discovered oregano, it went in everything.  

I enjoyed mine yesterday with brown rice and broccoli, and I thought of her, missing her as I always do.

I have always loved this poem. I am not sure what I will get up to today.  Hopefully I will get out, but we shall see what happens as the day transpires.  In any case I think I am finished here now and have bored you long enough.  I have prattled on about a whole lot of nothing and yet it is something.

I, too, have miles to go before I sleep and promises to keep.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.Where we love is home,
home that our feet may leave,
but not our hearts.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
~Oliver Wendell Holmes° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Cinamon Swirl Cake for two. Delicious. Simply delicious.

I hope that you have a lovely weekend. Right now I feel like going back to bed, but I won't of course. I will be back here on Monday morning, bright and early and hopefully with a word or two to share.  Be happy, be blessed. Don't forget!

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And I do too!