Oh how I wish that I had some rhubarb in my garden. I love the stuff. When we were children our mother would give us each a small stick of rhubarb as a treat along with a tiny little bowl of sugar, maybe only a tablespoon of sugar in the bowl. It might not even have been that much. (sounds a lot to my aging ears!) We would sit for ages, dipping the stick of rhubarb into the sugar and crunching on the ends, sucking the rhubarb juice with the sugar coating. Oh boy but it made the cheeks ache! It was some good however.
I loved rhubarb as a child, and I love it now. I just wish that it did not take so much sugar to make it palatable! That part is not so good for my diabetes. It is much better to enjoy a few tart bits stuffed into a muffin or a cake. But . . . sigh . . . some stewed rhubarb spooned over vanilla ice cream. What a treat that would be!
We had a good amount of rain yesterday which was more than welcome. Everything has been so parched, and it was not just a drizzle rain either. It was full on rain. Today is to be mostly cloudy with strong gusty winds this afternoon. It is nice to be tucked up indoors when the winds are blowing. It will be fairly warm, temperature-wise, but still . . . I like to be indoors when the winds are blowing.
It will be good book-reading weather.
Cindy and I are going to go to Angie's for supper tonight, just us two. Dad and Hazel are going to the Chinese restaurant in Greenwood as dad's favorite waitress is now working there having moved there from our usual Wednesday haunt. He would love for us to go as well, but to be honest we were not impressed the last time we were there. Dirty table clothes, covered with a plastic top but still, who knows when they were last washed. The kicker was when Cindy's spring roll was on the wrong plate and rolled off onto the dirty table. Cindy asked for a new one and they brought back the same one re-fried. You knew from looking at it, that that is what they did.
I really do not have a lot of confidence in their hygiene practices.
Oh what I wouldn't give to have an armful of lilacs in the house right now, spreading their scent throughout. All of the lilacs on this street belong to other people and I do not think they would appreciate me cutting any to bring home. In any case, I am too shy to ask.
I buried my nose in a few when I was at Cindy's for supper on Sunday. They smelled so lovely. What a wonderful world we live in where we can be blessed with such beautiful things seasonally.
I feel so blessed to live in a place with seasons . . . where my year is marked by the gradual changes of nature, each one bringing another bowl full of beauty to my table. I am grateful also to be a person who embraces change and can see and appreciate the value of it all. I very much am attuned to my senses and the change of the seasons tickles them to no end.
It is hard to believe that I have been in my little home for over three years now. I moved in at the beginning of May. I had a bed, a dresser, a night table and a folding chair. I remember sitting here in the dark at night, watching television on my laptop. This was the first time in my life I had ever been on my own. Only a few months before I had arrived back in Canada, broken . . . I did not know that I would ever feel joy again, but I hoped that I would.
And here I am, living my best life. I could not have done it without all of the angels God put around me and the well of faith and strength that somehow managed to well up within me. What did not break me did indeed make me stronger.
for I will go before your face.
I will be on your right hand and on your left,
and my Spirit shall be in your hearts,
and mine angels round about you,
to bear you up.
~D & C 84:88
I carried those words, and words just like them . . . in my heart, every hour of every day. And even now, when I have a low moment, and trust me when I say there are many, I cling to them. I remind myself of where I have been and how far I have come, and of the joy that is to be found in even our worst and most painful moments, if we but allow ourselves to find it. And I am very much a seeker of joy. I am grateful for that.
This is an old, old photograph of me, taken in one of those photo-booths. I think I might have been 17 years old. No make up. I was the girl who never thought she was pretty. Always felt a step out of beat with the world. Always felt fat, or somehow lacking. I had no confidence in myself or my abilities. I hated my hair because it was not straight. I did not really have any goals. Oh, I wanted to get married and be a wife and a mother, but that was about it. A secret part of me longed to be a writer or an artist some day.
I can say that I achieved all my goals, even the secret ones. I was never destined to be Monet or Charlotte Bronte, but I have managed to achieve even those goals in small ways. I have experienced a lot of pain and sorrow since that photo was taken, but I have experienced way more joy than I could ever have imagined. I have learned that I am very capable and that I was not fat then. (BOY would I like to be that fat now! lol) I think I had a very passable face. I was never going to be "cute" or have a face that aged with beauty, but I have seen far worse. I still often feel a step out of beat with the world around me, but then again, maybe that is what makes me the special creature that I am. And really, do I want to be the same as everyone else? No, I would not want to be the same as everyone else. I am still not fond of my hair, but for different reasons now. Now I would just like to have the full, thick head of hair that I had then, curly or not.
I think what would I tell that young girl now? What kind of advice could I give her. Is there anything I would change? I think not . . . I am who I am because of where I have been. I am honestly quite happy of who I have become and who I am, and that is largely due to all of the things I have experienced in life. So no, I would not change a thing.
And now I best leave you with a thought for the day. I am going to be talking to my oldest son in a little bit as its his birthday. Number 49! However did I get old enough to have a son that old?
A thought to carry with you . . .
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★ *.˛.Friendship is the only cement
that will hold the world together.
~Woodrow Wilson •。★★ 。* 。
Cooking in
The English Kitchen today, a delicious sauce for cooking pork chops in the oven. It is tangy and sticky and delicious. Your chops end up really tender and juicy.
I hope that you have a lovely Wednesday. Be happy and at peace. Don't forget!
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And I do too!
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