Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

 MAY 15th, 2026

Estate Lane,

Nova Scotia

10*C/50*F

Mostly cloudy 

Dear Neighbor,

Its hard to believe that it is Friday already. Wasn't it just Monday yesterday? How can it be that the week has flown by so quickly, and yet it has.  I remember being told when I was a much younger woman that time sped by more quickly the older you got. It seems that this was a true statement. I don't seem able to pack near as much into my days now as I did when I was younger, and yet I now have more free time on my hands. The mathematics of that do not make sense.

I never was any good at math.

 

(source)

They mowed our grass for the first time this year the other day.  What a lovely smell that is  . . .  the smell of newly cut grass. It is a smell that I have always loved.  I love the sound as well that accompanies it. That drone of the lawn mower combined with that sweet, musky green smell, almost floral but not quite . . . is a heady combination to me. It evokes the memories of almost 71 summers . . .  and everything that goes with that.

Did you love to walk through the grass in your bare feet when you were a child? I loved it. The grass always felt so cool on my feet. It has been many years since I felt the cool green of grass against my feet.

Now, if I can help it,  I avoid walking on grass at all costs. There are too many tics.  That is why the Guinea Fowl are a welcome sight to see. They eat tics.

The last time our brother was home he got a tic on him just walking along the gravel verge of the road which runs past the end of my street. It either dropped from the leaves of the trees or was blown in the wind. He has had Lyme Disease already once, so was a bit freaked out by it, and I can't say that I blame him.

The tics have gotten much worse than they were when we were growing up. We used to regularly go wild blueberry picking out in the wilds around here. Never thought or worried about tics. Never had any on us. These days you need to check yourself after every time you go outside, just about. *shudder*

 

(source)

Our Eileen had a bit of a low day yesterday. She told me she was feeling low in the afternoon. That is to be expected. She didn't have any visits yesterday with her CSS workers and we did not go anywhere, so perhaps she had too much time to think. We talked a bit about it. It is a natural thing to feel a bit low or even afraid in the face of what she is experiencing at the moment.  When times like that happen, we need to lean even more on our faith.  Moving outside ourselves and doing something for someone else also can help.  

We put on some Tabernacle Choir music and talked about all the things that were going to happen once she is in her new apartment. It has two bedrooms. One quite large and one which sounds like a closet room. That is going to be her "Eileen Sparkles" room, where she is going to set up her Diamond Art station. It is fun to plan things like that.

We also talked about the upcoming weekend away she is going to have with the people's first. That is a week from Saturday. I seriously doubt she will have had her surgery by then. It is only one night and day away, but it will be like a mini holiday for her.  She has been waiting for it for a while now. They get a new t-shirt and they have a banquet supper. I think there is even a dance/get together. They have workshops and all sorts.  Special needs people from all over the province attend. It is something she always really enjoys.

Did you know that she once presented flowers to then "Prince" Charles and Camilla?  I had forgotten about that until we were watching something the other day and she reminded me. She really has led a fascinating life and experienced a lot of things most people never get to experience.

 

(source)

We were also talking about people and their various strengths, skills and weaknesses yesterday. We all have things that we are really good at and things we are really bad at. "Smart" isn't measured by our ability to do math or other intellectual subjects. You can be really good at math and still not be super smart at other things.  I always tell her that one of her gifts is her ability to encourage and lift others. She can do that simply by being in the same room and turning on her "smile." She has a smile that lights up wherever she is at, and she is the first person to tell you everything is going to be okay when the chips are down. 

Everywhere we go people know her and say hello and tell me how special she is.  She has a good heart and a kind nature.  That is "smart" enough for me.  She's also very capable, and always does her best and tried hard at everything she sets her mind to. I am very proud of her.

She has her last bible study this morning. They will not start up again until the autumn.  She says that she will be able to walk to it then as she will be just down the street. 

Oh I do so hope that this apartment thing works out for her. I know she will need a lot to set it up. At the moment she has her single bed, the television I bought for them, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, an electric skillet, a dresser I think. Cindy got a coffee table for her from the people across the way that sold their house, as well as a DVD player. She needs a sofa or a chair, a small table and a couple of chairs. I have a lamp she can have and I can spare some things dish wise, etc. I am going to give her a set of my pots and pans. It will all work out.

 

(source)

O the cuckoo she's a pretty bird,

She singeth as she flies,

She bringeth good tidings,

She telleth no lies.

She sucketh white flowers,

For to keep her voice clear,

And the more she singeth cuckoo,

The summer draweth near.

~Traditional, The Cuckoo

I can still remember the first time I recall hearing the cuckoo's call. It was in Germany in the Spring and we were there on Holiday. I remember hearing it echoing through the forest. "Cuckoo"  I marveled at how very much it sounded like the clock.  Or should I say how much the clock sounded like the cuckoo! Anyways, it was a wonder to hear and I have never forgotten it.

That sound and the sight of Mistletoe hanging from the trees. I remember walking up the side of the mountain one day on a path and seeing Edelweiss growing wild on the path we were walking. There were still small patches of snow under the trees, but the sun was hot and the air fresh. From the path we were on we could look down on the little German village we were staying in. We were in the Black Forest.  

I lived in Germany as a very young child. My sister was born there. I didn't have much in the way of recollection from those days, so it was really lovely to be able to go back as an adult and take it all in. The small quaint villages, the architecture, the stunning and ornate onion dome churches. So beautiful. 

I had a hot chocolate there one day after a walk. I was asked did I want some whipped cream on it.  When it came, the whipped cream towered above the mug at least by six inches. It was amazing. I had never seen anything like it. 

I so loved those trips to Europe that I was able to take when I lived in England. What a great blessing that was.

I no longer have the yearning for travel. I am quite content to stay where I am and watch travel shows from the comfort of my chair. ha ha

 

(source)

"On some very specially divine days, like today, I have actually longed for some one else to be here to enjoy the beauty with me. There has been rain in the night, and the whole garden seems to be singing -- not the untiring birds only, but the vigorous plants, the happy grass and trees, the lilac bushes -- oh those lilac bushes! They are all out today, and the garden is drenched with the scent. I have brought in armfuls, the picking is such a delight, and every pot and bowl and tub in the house is filled with purple glory . . . and I long more and more for a kindred spirit -- it seems so greedy to have so much loveliness to oneself -- but kindred spirits are so very, very rare; I might almost as well cry for the moon. It is true that my garden is full of friends, only they are -- dumb."

~Elizabeth von Arnim, Elizabeth and Her German Garden, 1898

I was enjoying that until the very last word. And then it kind of spoiled the pretty picture I was painting in my head. Oh well.  

It won't be long now before the lilacs are in bloom. Such a heady scent. My mother used to love to sit in her rocking chair and gaze out the window at the lilac bush that sat at the edge of her front deck. She so enjoyed the smell and the sight.  There are quite a few lilac bushes on that property. 

The apartment that we lived in when I was married the first time had a drive, the length of which was bordered by lilac bushes. So beautiful in the month of May. We were lucky enough to have a small porch right outside our apartment. On a fine day you could sit out there and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.  It was a relatively small apartment in a fine older Victorian house. Only two rooms, a kitchen/combined living area with big wooden French doors leading into the bedroom and then the bath. The ceilings were really high. The apartment house was situated at the top of a hill in a University town. There was a Co-op store at the bottom of the hill. I can remember going there and buying 10 boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for a dollar.

I saw a box holding 10 boxes of Kraft dinner at the shops last week on special offer for over $20. Talk about inflation. It doesn't taste the same as it used to either.  It has probably been new and improved.

 

(source)

I have about exhausted my topics of conversation now so I will close this off. Eileen has just gotten up and it will be a flurry of activity until I get her out the door to drive her to her Bible Study in a bit. She has a very full day today, as do I really. I will be taking my usual trip with Cindy to take Dad and his friend to the mall for their Friday afternoon adventure. I hope to get to Dollarama today. I want to pick up a few bits and bobs.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*If you pray for rain

be prepared to deal with

some mud.

~unknown

In The English Kitchen today, Easy Creamy Corn & Mac Casserole.  I made this the other day and we both really enjoyed it. Eileen said it reminded her very much of the Corn and Scalloped Potato Casserole that I make.  Both are very good.  This makes a great side dish but we enjoyed it as a main with some salad, bread and butter and some pickles on the side. Very tasty!  Simple to make and economical as well.

I hope that you have a great Friday. Whatever you get up to, I hope it brings you joy on this beautiful Friday in May. Don't forget!

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════  

And I do too!