Saturday Nice . . .

 

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Goin' home . . . what lovelier word

Ever . . . ever could be heard,

Home to warmth and firelight,

Little rooms that shine at night,

Back to the comfort of old things,

A kitchen where the kettle sings.

Going home . . . to supper spread

Fried potatoes and homemade bread,

Slippers warm beside the hearth,

loveliest spot in all the earth,

A new book and an easy chair,

Someone precious waiting there.

Goin' home . . . to the place you've made

With your own hands that you wouldn't trade,

For a palace on a golden hill;

Where you've sweated and planned until

Every tree in the rooted soil

Is yours by dint of patient toil.

Goin' home . . . with heart a-glow,

Down the old road, white with snow,

There a highlighted window gleams,

Sending out its golden beams,

Like a lighthouse tall and white,

Shining out against the night.

Goin' home . . . what lovelier word

Ever . . . ever . . . has been heard?

~Edna Jaques, Goin' Home

The Hills of Home, 1952

My first husband's grandfather lived in a little tar paper covered shack situated at the corner of one of their apple orchards.  It was a single room, but it was such a welcoming little place, in all of its simplicity.  He didn't have much in it.  A bed to sleep in, a comfy chair to sit in, a rocking chair.  A television to watch and a radio to listen to.  A pot bellied wood stove to keep it warm and to heat up a kettle on. A hot plate to warm up a bowl of soup.  I remember the walls were lined with layers of newspaper to keep out the cold, but it was a very comfortable little place. He was not a poor man. He owned four working farms, and he still worked every day.  My mother in law made his meals for him so he had no real reason to cook.  He was very happy there in his little shack. It was home to him. It was his castle. 

We all have our castles . . .  our places we call home and hopefully they shine out a welcome to all who enter into our walls.  We all need a place to call our own.

 

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I will be taking Eileen back to her place later this morning.  Her father has been working in their this week. Clearing out any clutter, organizing.   He is good at that.  I had a friend once come to tea and while she was there, he was in the front hall, noticed her coat hanging in the closet and thought to himself, I haven't seen anyone wearing that in a while, and promptly threw it out. What a surprise when she went to leave and could not find her coat. He had to go and dig it out of the bin.  I remember one time he cleared out the children's toy boxes and threw a lot of them into the metal bin at the corner of where we were living.  The children were most distressed when they saw the other kids in the neighborhood pulling their treasures out of the bin and leaving with them.  My  oldest son has mentioned to me a few times how traumatic that was. 

My ex has never been one to let the grass grow beneath his feet. I hope he did not get rid of too many of my daughter's treasures! 

 

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I see in the states where they are getting ready to go back to school in the next week or two.  It hardly seems possible, but we will be following in a few weeks after that and summer will be gone.  I noticed in Dollarama, the other day when was there with my daughter, all of the autumn decorations are out.  Scarecrows, pumpkins, autumn leaves  . . .  all there.  There was even some Halloween Candy.  

The Retailers are always in a rush to push the seasons on us.  Wanting us to think of Christmas before the frost is even on the pumpkin and showing us Easter Eggs  before we have even enjoyed Christmas. It seems to get earlier every year.  Before we know it, these things will be available all year round, and will have lost any special and unique about them.

 

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As for me, I just want to enjoy the month of August, with its hot days and cooler nights.  The hum of the cicadas, the sound of growing corn . . .  watching the apples turn red on the trees. The sounds of the harvesters in the fields.  The sight of big round bales of hay.  The hummingbird battles . . . such fun to watch.

I have had to fill my feeder twice this week and I have some nectar sitting on the counter now, waiting to go into the feeder. I made a double lot this time as they are emptying it so quickly.

I have put a bit of seed into the other feeder, and for once the chipmunk did not empty it. That makes a change.  He usually empties it as soon as I put it up.

 

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This has been a very exciting few weeks, filled with lots of activity and people coming and going. Things will settle down now. I want to make some time for myself to do a few things like sewing and to get back to my crocheting.  I want to perhaps do a bit of preserving, to get myself back into my routine, which has been happily disrupted.   Disruption is nice, but normal is too, and I am looking forward to a bit of normal.  Allowing the dust to settle.  

I think the cats will be as well.  We like our routines.  There is a great comfort to be found in the simple routine of daily pleasures.  I am a simple person. It doesn't take much to make me happy. I find great joy in simple things.

 

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 I will probably drop Eileen off at her place around noon. I think Tim is due home by 2.  She took me out for lunch yesterday. We went to Angie's which is just around the corner from me. I had fish and chips and she had a bacon cheese-burger with sweet potato fries. We both had a slice of blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert. It was sweet for her to want to do this for me.  I could not believe the cost of her burger and fries. The burger did not come with fries.  Believe it or not the sweet potato fries were more costly than the burger. $8.99  They did look good and they did come with a garlic aioli, but still . . . I thought it was a bit expensive.

My fish was beautifully cooked. The special yesterday was Fish Tacos. I had been tempted, but I wasn't sure how large the dish was and I didn't want to waste a lot of food.  I did see them going out to the patio to another diner and each plate looked like it had two fish tacos on it, filled to overflowing, and fries besides.  I could not eat that much. But they did look very tasty.

As it is I thought we overdid it with the pie. I am not normally a person who has dessert as well as a main.  I was stuffed to the eyeballs afterwards. I don't really like feeling stuffed.  It was nice to do a mother daughter thing together though. That was the best part!

 

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Not sure what I will do after I drop off Eileen. I need to go pick up my prescriptions and then I will need to wash bedding, etc. Get my house back into ship shape and settled.

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

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

 *.˛.Happiness makes up in height

for what it lacks in length.

~Robert Frost •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today . . .  Oven Poached Eggs. Easy and delicious. Perfectly cooked with next to no effort. You can make as many or as few as you need or want!

I hope that you have a lovely Saturday!  Stay safe and be happy. Don't forget!

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And I do too!