Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

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Happy May Day!  How can it be that we are already on the first day of May. It has rolled around rather quickly in my opinion, not that I am complaining. It is one of my favorite months of the year! It is the month of apple blossoms, lilacs and the month in which I get to celebrate becoming a mother for the first time. My oldest son was born on Apple Blossom weekend. The Apple Blossom Festival is a big deal here in the Annapolis Valley and he came into the world right in the middle of it!

 

The word May comes from the Latin Maius, probably referring to the goddess Maia. She embodied the concept of growth, both in nature and in business. Others connect Maius with Maiores, the ancestors or “the greater ones.” In May, the ancient Romans celebrated Floralia, a festival for fertility.

In North America we celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday of the month. People born in May 

get to share a birthday month with Mom's special month, and are also known for having great physical and mental health. In fact, research from the University of Columbia shows people born in May have the lowest disease risk compared to those born in any other month.

If you are a May baby, you have an edge on others!

 

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Its early yet, but there is much to be looked forward to this month. I always think of the film Camelot and Guinevere and all of her ladies cavorting through the wild flowers beneath blossoming trees singing about the "lusty" month of May!  

In school we made little paper baskets to fill with flowers to gift to special friends.  We were supposed to hang them anonymously on someone's doorknob.  I always just gave mine to my mother and the flowers were usually dandelions.

Ahh dandelion bouquets. Did you know that all parts of a dandelion plant are edible, from the top of the yellow flower down to the roots?? You may be shocked to learn that those yellow flowers you thought were weeds your whole life are actually a superfood! The green leaves of the dandelion can make a healthy addition to salads, sandwiches, omelets, and more. Last year I made Dandelion Honey from the blooms. Its really quite delicious!

 

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I didn't get up to too much yesterday. My toenail lady came in the morning. She is usually here for two hours. She is a great conversationalist. I am sure there must be some Irish in her. They have the gift of the gab.  She does a lot of elderly people's toenails in their home and I am sure that they really appreciate her gift of gab.  She used to do my mother's toenails as well.  Mom always looked forward to her visits, mostly because she was such a good conversationalist and was well kept up with what was going on. Mom loved that.  Mom loved to talk also. They were a perfect match as far as conversation went!  

I am a good listener, but I guess I like to talk also, especially with people I am familiar with. Not so much with strangers or in group situations.  Then I am quite shy when it comes to conversation. I am NOT a mingler.  That is probably why I am not fond of parties and such.  I am not a party animal.

I inked my beetle yesterday. Now all I have to do is add color washes, to the body and the wings, which at the moment look more like crazy tentacles coming out the sides than they do wings.  Hopefully they will look more like wings by the time they are done. Fingers crossed!

Susan Branch and her husband are selling their place in Martha's Vineyard and moving back to California. Her latest newsletter came out yesterday and that was her latest news. I can understand totally the desire to downsize and move into a more manageable house as you are getting older, and wanting to move to a climate where you won't have to be dealing with snow, etc.  One of my friends and her husband moved to Mexico when they retired from teaching several years back.  They had been living in Edmonton, so that was quite a drastic change.  But, they love it there!  Their money goes a lot further and the weather is a lot nicer.  They live in a whole community of Canadians who have done the same.  I am not sure how the healthcare works, but they seem to be quite happy there.

I will miss seeing the scenes from Martha's Vineyard in Susan's posts. I always really enjoyed them, but I know she will still continue to share such things on this new adventure of theirs, it will just be from a different venue. I have been a huge fan of hers since the early 1980's when she used to paint those lovely illustrations in the Country Living Magazine.

 

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I used to buy the Country Living magazine every month when I was a young woman, and did so for many, many years. I used to dream of one day having a home that I could decorate in such a way as the lovely homes that were represented on it's pages.  Alas, I never have had the money to do so and I don't now. Maybe when I get to heaven . . .  people who live in such places are very blessed indeed.

When I was first setting up my home here in Nova Scotia, I had wanted to get all white furniture, but it was not so easy to do. I couldn't find white furniture anywhere that I could shop. And to buy furniture online required it arriving flat packed and then needing to be put together.  I could only prevail upon Dan so much. I did not want to overburden him.  So my furniture is all dark for the most part. But that's okay. It will do. My days of wanting to decorate my home all fancy are finished now.  I just want my home to be comfortable, and it is.  That's what matters most.

 

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The birds are all nesting now. What a lovely sound the birds all make in the springtime when they are nesting. Oh how I miss my sparrows in the U.K. Their little heads popping up out of the hedgerow in the back garden every morning at the crack of dawn.  It was a time of sweetness.  

But there are sweet things here as well, like the chipmunk who visits every day.  He drives the cats mad as they watch him from the window. He sits on the railing grooming himself right in full view.  Cinnamon chatters at him. I dare not think what his chances would be should she ever have the opportunity to get out. I take great care always that that will not happen.   God forbid my cats ever get out as I would never be able to catch them.   I hope and pray that never happens.

I got up to go to the bathroom at 3 a.m. this morning and Nutmeg immediately began serenading me outside the bathroom door.  I ignored and went back to bed (there is a door right into my bedroom from the bath). When I finally awoke to get up at 6, he as still serenading me. I hope that he was not singing for the entirety of those three hours. 

He is usually singing every morning when I wake up. It is so interesting that the cats seem to know when I am getting up, no matter how quiet I am in doing so. I suppose they know my habits well.  They come and sit and stare at me when it is close to feeding time.  As soon as I go into the bedroom after breakfast Cinnamon runs in ahead of me. She wants to help me make my bed. She knows that is when I do it.  And she purrs the whole time.  Animals certainly add a wonderful measure of companionship to an older person's life. 

 

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I have been studying a lot lately. My Scripture study of course for the church Sunday School (Book of Mormon, this year.)  Also I have been doing a study on the Religions of the World called Holy Envy, which I am enjoying.  As well I have been doing a study on Mindful Living from the Good News Brand. Practicing Stillness Through the Lens of the Gospel.  I enjoy keeping my brain active in ways like this.  Drawing closer to God through a variety of means. It brings peace and joy into my life that is more meaningful than anything else.  With the Holy Envy course I am enjoying discovering common ground between all of the World's religions.  And Mindful Living . . .  it is just a better way to live your life . . .  this mindful practice of becoming conscious, aware and awake. Finding a place of peace, stillness and rest within the confines of your own consciousness.  Its a good thing as Martha would say!

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

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

 *.˛.It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,

What is essential is invisible to the eyes.

~Antoine De Saint-Exupery  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

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In The English Kitchen today, Crispy Air Fryer Chips.  So delicious and such a simple make. On the table in less than 20 minutes with no frying, soaking, etc.  Quick, easy and perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy inside.

I hope that you have a lovely day.  It is my night to have dinner out with my father. I hope my sister goes also.  It is nicer when we are all there.  Whatever you get up to today, be blessed. Don't forget!

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And I do too!