"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside
from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is
dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he
won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty
and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day,
then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with
your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see
is what you get." ~Anne Dillard
A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.
Took a drive to the cemetary to visit mom's grave yesterday afternoon. Cindy left some roses. I left a stone I had from Scotland. You can almost see it there next to the roses. To celebrate our Scottish heritage and mom's ancestors. A small piece of what resides in us all. It was quite emotional for me. I kept myself pretty much in check. Just some outward sniffling, although inside . . .
My sister and I looked at a few more headstones from the family, going way way back. Some it is getting very hard to read the writing. I think I may go back sometime with paper and graphite pencil and do some tracings. It might be the only way to read them.
The cemetary is in a lovely spot, right at the base of the mountain, looking down into the Valley. It was very cold and windy yesterday, despite the sunshine so we didn't stay outside for long.
We drove up to visit my Great Grandparents house afterwards. This is further up the mountain in Inglesville and only a ghost of what it once was. It hasn't been maintained in years. The view down into the valley is phenomenal. That front porch is the one my mother and her sister Thelma used to sit on and look down on the valley with a piece of turnip and a spoon, scraping and eating the turnip. It was hard to imagine mom as a child playing in the yard, etc. So many years have passed and it is largely run down now. Oh to win the lottery and be able to make the family member who owns it now an offer they couldn't refuse . . .
Putting up the Christmas Tree and dancing to Grandma Got Run over by a reindeer. He makes me smile. He is Mr Personality Plus. Jake, Jake, Jake . . .
There were more than one tree. Here he is adding the finishing touch to one. Angel on top, being put on by an angelic cherub. Getting to hear three words "I love you," unsolicited and knowing that he meant what he said. That made my heart smile in a special way. It really did.
Finally a good photograph of Jazzy. (My sister took this.) You can see her side hairs. She is such a cutie pie and so gentle when she plays. She is slowly warming up to me. But Cindy is her favourite, as she is all of the cats' favourite. Even my dad's cat Princess. She is not called the Cat Whisperer for nothing. Cats love her. All animals love her. Animals know who good people are.
The Beaver Moon rising. Not a great photograph admittedly. Native Americans called it the Beaver moon because they associated it with the time that beavers traditionally finished building their lodges in preparation for winter. It was supposed to be a moon eclipse last night also, but I missed it. It occurred sometime during the night when I was asleep in my puffy marshmallow mattress. (I love it!)
Dan put some outdoor Christmas lights up. He loved holidays and decorating for holidays. He says he needs to get more. A little bit of festivity going on here.
Making Yorkshire Puds for my dad and all for with the Sunday Roast Beef. They didn't turn out as good as they usually do. But nobody said anything, and they almost all got eaten up. I am going to miss my trusty old Canon range. That's for sure. Its all an adjustment.
Getting to enjoy church twice on Sunday. I watched the UK service at 6 am when I was still in bed. (Yay, woke up in time this week!) and then the NS one later in the morning. Twice fed!
Its hard to believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away. I have not gotten any cards bought or written. I think I will have to forgo that this year. No gifts bought either. Its been a hard year for us all. Here's to 2021, which is sure to be better.
A thought to carry with you . . .
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*The darkness may not
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*The darkness may not
dissipate all at once, but
as surely as dawn turns to day,
the light will come.
~Dieter F Uchtdorf •。★★ 。* 。
In The English Kitchen today. The best Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes ever! These turned out amazing! Light and fluffy, and they stayed that way!
I hope your week ahead is filled with a multitude of small and wonderful things! Don't forget!
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And I do too!
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