All Things Nice . . .

 

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Tomorrow may bring me a hundred ills,

But oh today is sweet,

With a small wind coming from God knows where

And travelling up the street,

Teasing the doors and the window sills,

Then travelling back to the quiet hills.

Tomorrow may bring me a grief to bear

But today is bright as dawn,

With a sky decked out in an azure cloak,

And a hill with a new dress on,

Crisp and green as a lettuce leaf,

With dandelion buttons in gold relief.

Tomorrow may rob me of all I own,

But today I will have my joy,

A table set with a yellow cloth,

And the fun of a year-old boy,

Playing around on polished floors,

Coaxing his mother to come out of doors.

Tomorrow is part of the great unknown,

But this morning is mine to hold,

And I'll cherish each moment with jealous care,

Like a miser hoarding his gold,

Savor its goodness and sip its wine

Making its moments forever mine.

~Edna Jacques, A Day At A Time

The Golden Road, 1953

As I am fond of saying, every day may not be a good day, but there is something good in every day.  I make it my goal every day to find it, and no surprise there . . .  I do. I think that is the secret to having a good and happy life. I really do.  Seeking out the blessings and the positive in every day. 

That's not to say that bad things don't happen.  As you well know, they do and often. Such is life.  I just try to rise above the negative as best as I can and to dwell on the goodness which is found in each day that is mine to hold. For me, each day is a gift that I try not to take for granted.

 

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Autumn weeks are ticking by, and the days are slowly creeping shorter. Samhain (Sah-wane) is the third and final festival in the Celtic calendar, the final harvest festival and the beginning of Winter.  Gradually at first, and then seemingly suddenly we find ourselves embraced by the darkness.

This weekend, here in North America at least, the clocks move back an hour in an attempt to grab hold of more of the light during the day. I know they went back an hour last weekend in Europe. I often wish that this changing of the clocks would not occur twice a year like it does, but I am not the one who makes such decisions. I just go with the flow, even if it does mess with my internal clock.

Too often, darkness is associated with negativity.  It is true that the limited hours of daylight and the lack of sunshine can take their toll, but a simple shift in mindset can help to allay the negativity, to reclaim the time and to savor the darkness in whichever way that we can.  There is much magic to be found in a winter's day, and it is all a matter of perspective and the way we look at it.  

When I was a child, I was able to find the magic and awe in Autumn and then Winter and by remembering those childlike pleasures I still am able to take it in with awe.  The pure unadulterated magic of the changing trees, first frosts with their crystal-like beauty, fairy tale mushrooms and toadstools, bare branches and red berries.

There is something about the progressive autumn that invites us to slow down and to look around, drinking in its many pleasures.  Perhaps it is because of its fleeting beauty which changes and evolves with each day that passes, or maybe it is our inner clocks, reacting to the waning light.  There is something about this time of year which encourages us to slow down and to take stock before we hunker down for the coming Winter. We begin to crave comfort.  Warm blankets. Log fires. Candlelight. Soups, stews . . . wooly cardigans and socks.

 

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Time in the kitchen soothes the soul.  I do miss having a window in my kitchen that I can stand in front of and look out as I go about my chores, but it is what it is, and I still find much pleasure within its walls.  A bubbling pot of jam, squash or pumpkin roasting in the oven, warming stews and soups, hot pots, risottos, pasta bakes, pies . . . an endless list of comfort foods to feed the soul, tantalize the tastebuds and warm the tummy as the wind whistles down the chimney. Autumn feasts.

I like to make my evenings special, even though I am very much on my own, with just myself and the cats. I light candles and turn on the fairy lights.  Put on some quiet and comforting music and curl up on the sofa with a good book to read. One cat nestled into my side and the other one guarding the sofa behind my head.  I am surrounded by the quiet chirps and purrs of blessed contentment. How can I not do likewise.

Corners of contentment. I surround myself with corners of contentment. Small things which bring me joy.  Fairy lights, candles, treasured gifts from friends. Sparks of color in the darkness, which light my heart and my home.  It's a simple thing . . . 

I got the gift of a small pouch in the post yesterday, all the way from my dear friend Tatiana in Greece.  Several small hand bound notebooks, some stationary, an envelope filled with stickers and other treasures and most beautiful of all a luscious letter, handwritten in her most beautiful script.  What a surprise and a treasure. I will be writing her a nice long letter in return. 

We have been friends now for many years, back to my Oak Cottage Days at the Manor.  I was blessed to have her come and spend time with me in Chester several times. She is hoping soon to open an Etsy shop and will soon be giving workshops at home, etc. in bookbinding and calligraphy to help support her income. I will be sure to share the details, at least of the Etsy shop, when it happens. 

She is caring now for her aging parents in their home. She's had to cut back on work hours and is now also working from home rather than in the office. What a gift to her parents.  Every elderly person should be so blessed.  I know it is a true labor of love and often a thankless job. It takes a special person to do such a labor, and I know from my heart that Tatiana is just such a special person.

And through it all, she still thinks of others. Thank you so much Tatiana for thinking of me.

 

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I was able to get my Winter tires put on my car yesterday. It took quite a bit longer than usual and cost a bit more than I had planned, but it is done now. Three of the tires were leaking air so they had to be completely broken apart and resealed, plus the valves were leaking so those needed replacing. Also, there was quite a bit of corrosion built up on the wheel mount surfaces and on the hubs that needed to be cleaned off. All this took time and labor.  But all is well now, and the tires are on for another season and I am grateful that I was able to pay for it. Whew!  (And that I did not need to buy new tires!)

There will be a service of Remembrance this afternoon for my friend Aileen who passed away a week ago. I will be driving to the chapel with Glenna and a few other ladies.  Aileen was very much beloved by all and there is expected to be quite a large number in attendance. It is always sad to say farewell to friends and family in this way.  They are not gone, not really. They have just gone on ahead. One day we will all catch up and what a glorious reunion that will be. That is my belief anyways. And a blessed hope it is.

So, no video this week.  That's okay. I will make up for it next week.  

Also please continue to hold my brother David up in your prayers and our friend Ginny (of the tea cozy fame) who is recovering from a recent operation. I hope she does not mind me sharing. Please keep them both in your happy thoughts and heart.

 

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I have not made my mind up yet about taking the blog to private or not.  I think perhaps the simplest thing would be to stop allowing anonymous commenting, which would mean that everyone would need to have a google account to comment. This is not a hard thing for people to do. It just means opening up a google mail account.  At least I think that is what it means.  If anyone knows any differently, please enlighten me?   At least then the perpetrator will not be able to hide behind the keyboard of anonymity. It is quite easy to bully people if you think they will never find out who you are. It is quite cowardly actually.  But our world is full of bullies in one way or another.  It is a simple part of life that we need to learn to ignore.

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

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

•。★★ 。* 。

° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚

˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛

˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*.˛.°There is always time

for gratitude and° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

new beginnings.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ 

New in the Kitchen today, White Texas Sheet Cake.  Flavored with almond and vanilla and covered with a lush vanilla/almond frosting and plenty of toasted flaked almonds, this is a very moist and delicious cake.

I hope that you have a beautiful weekend filled to overflowing with warmth, all things nice, a multitude of blessings, and the people that you love.  Don't forget to put your clocks back tonight! Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   

 

Dear Neighbor

 

 

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ESTATE LANE, NS
Unseasonably mild and mostly clear
for now

Dear online neighbors, I hope this morning finds you well and happy. It is hard to believe that we are sitting on the first day of November this morning and it is relatively mild out. I do believe that yesterday was one of the warmest, mildest Halloweens that I have experienced in many a year. I had quite a few trick-or-treaters. They started quite early with the first visitors arriving about 4:30. They were quite young however and wearing the most darling costumes.  My heart smiled when it saw them. The cats went barreling into the back bedroom at the sight, being quite afraid. That suited me just fine as I did not have to coax them in to lock them up. 

They really are scaredy cats. I know now where the name comes from.  They were truer than true scared. Poor things.

Dan really outdid himself in the pumpkin carving arena this year, having produced two very fabulous jack-o-lanterns!  He did a superb job on both of them. I was quite impressed with his artistic talents. I am sure it must have been the aid of the pumpkin carving kit that I gave him last year after Halloween that helped him in his efforts. haha  He and my brother David both got kitted out in costume.  My brothers was an old aviator's suit from the 1970's I believe he said that a friend had gifted him with, and Dan was quite fearsome.  I am quite sure he did not greet any trick or treaters with the bat.  This was purely theatrical for the photo.

David, on the other hand, sat there in his chair, with chocolate bars and packets of crisps waiting for the trick-or-treaters but they kept passing him by.  He supposed it must have been because he had no decorations up?  Who knows.  Trick-or-treating is a somewhat fickle animal.  I had some racing up my lawn to the door and others racing by. I did not have any decorations out either, so maybe there was something in David's theory.

In any case I still managed to hand out about 150 treats and finally shut my light off and closed my door at 7 pm, thinking the cats had suffered in the back room for long enough and the trick-or-treaters having petered off to almost nil.

 

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Like the wild geese flying South for the Winter, my car will be flying to the service center this morning to have its Winter tires put on.  A bi-annual rite of passage, which happens every Spring and every Autumn.  Dan came over yesterday and put the winter tires in the back of my car and will be back today to take the summer ones out and pop them into the garage.  He is such a great help to me. I am blessed. to have a Cindy in my life, but I am also blessed to have a Dan. 

I am just blessed, full stop.

 

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I do enjoy my little corner of the world, very much. Occasionally however there is something that disturbs it, and that I find somewhat perplexed by the insanity of others. So much so that I am considering making this blog private and open only to invited readers. I did consider taking the hateful messages left to the RCMP as well. Internet harassment and cyber bullying is very much against the law.  There is a certain someone who thinks it is funny to leave me messages that are nothing but the word "DIE" in capital letters, typed over and over again a bazillion times and with force. Well . . .  I am assuming they are doing it because they think it is funny.  I would hate to think that someone actually wishes for me to die.  Surely the world is not that nasty a place yet. 

In any case, it does cause me to rethink whether I wish to continue this blog in its present format.  I do like to think that my writing is there to be shared with the whole wide world, but then again, I am not sure if it might not be a better option for me to reduce that world to just the people I know and invite to share it with me. It is a matter for deep thought. I will let you all know so that you will have an opportunity to let me know if you wish to be invited to read or not.

At one time, I used to get thousands breezing through here nd reading on a daily basis. Now it is less than 200 and that is fine with me. Most are very good apples, but it only takes "one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch girl" as Donny used to sing. Let me know how you feel about it. I am interested. I want this to be a safe space, for everyone.

 

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So again, here we are in November and things will begin to change rather quickly now.  Almost all of the leaves have danced off of the trees and are carpeting the ground, brought to life with any errant breeze. I think it is now hunting season, so one needs to take care if they are walking in the woods and wear bright clothing.  My cousin has a bear that visits him regularly, which is quite a fearsome size. I do not think I would be encouraging this type of visitor.

My father used to like to hunt and fish in his younger years. I remember him getting a deer once and it hanging in the garage.  But only the once. I think most years he came up empty handed. Our cousins would get several deer most years and my mother always enjoyed them giving her a deer steak once they had been butchered.  It was not something I ever acquired a taste for myself. But mom did like deer and rabbit . . .  and moose for that matter. 

I have never enjoyed any of it. I would rather hunt other treasures such as vintage glassware and fabrics.  No blood or guns involved.

But yes . . . the days will become increasingly colder with each day that passes now.  I remember when I first returned to Canada four years ago, the ground being quite hard and frozen, and covered with a heavy frost each morning.  

When I think back to those first days in that motel room and how very broken I felt, I can see how far I have come in the ensuing years. My heart still swells when I think of the kind message of welcome home and vase of flowers that my sister left me in the room, the fire lit.  And when I remember Eileen's cheerful visits to and from work each day, Tim as well . . .  masked greetings through the window.  The daily messages of encouragement and the many prayers of others. It was the worst of times and yet in so many ways it was also the best of times. To be so loved. I will always be grateful for that.

 

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I have a few empty canning jars and I am thinking that I might like to make some pumpkin jam.  I used to make pumpkin pickles back in the day, using the cubed flesh of peeled pumpkin and they were very good. I am thinking that pumpkin jam might also be very good. I think I will search for a good recipe to try.  Pumpkin jam tarts, now those sound very good indeed.

And with that I will leave you with a thought to carry with you until the next time . . . 

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

 *.˛.°I think, at a child's birth,

if a mother could ask a fairy godmother

to endow it with the most useful gift,

that gift would be curiosity.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Eleanor Roosevelt° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚  

Cooking in the English Kitchen today . . . Sweet & Sour Cabbage & Tomato Soup. Delicious, heart and belly warming, comforting. That's a good thing. I enjoyed this for an early supper yesterday along with some hot buttered and toasted sour dough bread.

I hope you have a happy Friday and that November is a month that is kind to us all. Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!