The hills of home are little hills,
But oh I love them so;
The purple tinted sweep of them
Against the evening's glow,
The way a tall tree bows its head
Like an old man when prayers are said.
The stony pastures climbing up
Against the mountain's base,
Whose dear familiar lines are known
Like a beloved face;
An old rail fence whose corners hold
Wild asters bright as guinea gold.
For elm and ask and stunted oak
Grow on these hills of mine,
Butternut trees and hickory
And clumps of knotty pine;
Wild apples in an old ravine,
A white birch like a virgin queen.
O silent hills I lift my eyes
To drink deep of your strength,
The comfort of enduring things,
Peace for the journey's length,
From petty cares and daily ills,
I lift mine eyes unto the hills.
Finding in them a sweet release,
A zone of comfort, joy and peace.
~Edna Jacques, The Hills of Home
Hills of Home, 1952
The above is a photograph taken several years ago by a friend on Facebook of a spot on the 101 just past Avonport here in the Annapolis Valley. This is the exact point that anyone who has lived in this beautiful valley I am from feels like they are finally home after having been away for a time. You hit this particular spot and all of a sudden . . . you are home. Your heart just fills with joy. It is hard to put into words. The beauty of this place we come from just hits like a hammer. It almost takes your breath away. I can think of many times that this view of the hills of home and the valley has brought a tear to my eye. I may be an hour and some from my final destination but I am home. At last.
When this photo was first posted on Facebook, it garnered all sorts of comments from people who felt exactly the same way when they come to this particular spot on the highway. It has been touching hearts forever it seems and probably always will. It doesn't matter how far away we've roamed, this is the point where we Valley people all feel Home . . . Sweet . . . Home.
I was talking to Sheila on the telephone yesterday. She is down in Digby at rehab. She seemed to be in very high spirits and it sounds like she is doing very well. She is walking daily to the dining room for her meals, etc. It all sounds very promising so that is good news. She is anxious to get home to her little Bailey. She worries that he will have forgotten her, but I assured her that doggies never forget their owners and he will be as happy as punch to see her when he does.
I noticed earlier this week that they put her old easy chair that she sat in every day out for garbage pickup. I suspect they are buying her a new chair in anticipation of her return home, but I cannot say for sure.
Eileen is looking forward to coming over later today for her sleepover. She had her hearing test, etc. yesterday. The Doctor told her that her earaches are because of a condition called Temporomandibular Disorder or TMD and that it goes along with anxiety.
"Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) refers to a group of conditions affecting the jaw muscles, temporomandibular joints (TMJ), and associated nerves, often resulting in pain and dysfunction."
Its associated with jaw clenching, teeth grinding, etc. Also injury or osteo arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
I have had this condition for years and years and years. I cannot remember not having it. I cannot open my mouth very far without the joint clicking out of place. It got worse after the last procedure I had for my kidney stones. I think that was caused from the intubation. Anyways, it is just something I have learned to live with. Nobody ever offered me any alternative.
She also needs hearing aids. Hopefully the program that she belongs to will pay for them as I am sure that she doesn't have the finances to do so, and neither do I.
I know they are paying for her Sleep Apnea machine which she should be receiving soon.
Anyways, she is looking forward to coming over this afternoon. I am going to cook that recipe I shared the other day for Chuckwagon Beef & Pasta. I think she will really like that. I will give her the leftovers to bring home with her when I take her back on Sunday. I am not sure what movie we will watch tonight. I was thinking she might enjoy the Three Lives of Thomasina. That was a movie that I loved as a child, and it's nice and has a happy ending. I like happy endings.
I enjoyed my time out with Cindy yesterday afternoon. I am so grateful to have this sister of mine. We need to have an art day to play soon I think. We have not done one of those in a while.
The traffic was crazy busy in Greenwood. It's the weekend of the annual RibFest.
"The Valley Wide Ribfest in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, is a popular summer event that will take place from July 25 to July 27, 2025. The festival features mouthwatering ribs, live music, craft beer, and family-friendly activities. Attendees can enjoy professional rib competitions, a craft beer tent, and a fun kids' zone. Admission is free, making it a great opportunity to enjoy the festivities with friends and family."
Cars were parked all up and down along the road running past the location where it is being held. I was looking at some of the prices of the food on offer and it wasn't cheap. Smelled good though. This is a great activity for young folk and families, and is obviously very well attended. They did not have things like this when I was growing up here. There would be Armed Forces Day in July where the base would be open for people to go and visit everything, tour the planes, etc. along with an airshow but that was pretty much it as I can recall. Oh, the Kingston Steer BBQ and Heart of the Valley Days. It has been many years since I attended any of those things. I believe it was Heart of the Valley Days last weekend. (Here in town.) It was not very well promoted I have to say. I knew something was going on because of all the cars outside the McDonald Museum in town, but I had no idea of what it was.
They don't really seem to promote these things like they used to.
As you all know I am a lover of words. I collect them like some people collect buttons. I liked this one. I think it applies to me much of the time. I am not sure about the eccentric bit, but I could be quite eccentric had I the resources to be so. I would love to live in a house that took you back fifty years from the moment you walked inside the door. I would love to dress like they did in the 1930's and 40's. Women had such style then. I love the old ways. Old music. Vintage decor, etc. I admire anyone who has the time and money to devote themselves to such things. They are not really eccentric to me, they are "living the dream."
I am a bit scatty however, absent-minded, dreamy, distracted, whimsical and lost in my own thoughts. I just thought it was my adhd. Now I can say it is because I am "wifty." A much better word don't you think?
I used to have Teasle in the front garden of Oak Cottage when we lived there. The bees loved it when it was flowering and the birds loved it when it went to seed. Ours had pink flowers on it.
How wonderful it would be to have a cottage garden again. One needs to be able to care for it however and I am past that now.
I am already fretting a bit about how I am going to get rid of my plants out front come autumn when they are past it. Something will happen.
I should check with Zilla next door and ask her how they got their own compost bin. I think I would like to perhaps have one of my own as well.
It was quite misty out when I got up this morning. I took my usual walk down to the mail box to see if anything had been dropped off yesterday. The mist has all burnt off now and it is a beautiful sunny day. I think it is going to be quite warm as the day progresses. On warm sunny days you can smell BBQ in the wind. People like to cook out on their decks on the BBQ. If I had a shed to store it, I would have a BBQ. I don't however. I do so love the smell of BBQ. MY father used to cook on the BBQ occasionally when we were growing up. We also used to cook on the BBQ when my children were growing up. We started off with the old charcoal briquette one and then eventually we managed to be able to afford a gas one. There is something about cooking your food outdoors that makes it taste better don't you think? I had a beautiful gas BBQ over in the U.K. that I had been given for writing about it on my blog. We used it a fair bit in the warmer months. We used to have the Missionaries over for the 4th of July and cook on it for them as well. I never get to have them over these days. Not that we have any here in this area at the moment. They cannot go to a single sister's home without being accompanied. Its for their own safety and for the safety of the single sister.
I always really loved having the Missionaries over for supper. They always brought such a special spirit with them when they came.
I have a few things to be getting on with this morning before I pick up Eileen. I want to cook that casserole for one thing and I also want to clean the bathroom and vacuum. My cleaners are not coming this next week as they are on holiday. They are coming on the 3rd instead and quite early that morning. 8:45. But I do want to tidy a bit and clean a bit before then. When you have two hairy cats you need to vacuum regularly, and I do so like a clean bathroom. I had meant to get a big jug of handwash yesterday when I was at Walmart, but I forgot. Eileen uses a lot of handwash, which is a good thing when you think about it. She keeps her hands almost obsessively clean. I would go through one of those large refill bottles every month when she was staying here. When I am on my own I probably only go through one of the small ones every month. Not that I don't wash my hands, because I do. I just don't have the need to wash them every time I touch something. She is quite obsessive about it. She scrubs her hands after she touches anything.
She says she never had Covid, not even once and that is because she is always washing her hands. I can remember her having some really bad colds and bouts of Bronchitis so I am pretty sure that she did have it, she just never tested herself. And of course these days it is impossible to get a Covid test kit anywhere. You used to be able to pick them up at the local library, but they have not had them for over a year now. And the library will soon be closing it's doors for good.
Not that is a sad thing. Most small towns here in Nova Scotia are losing their libraries. A sad thing indeed. They say that people don't use them enough. That is probably true. A lot of people read their books on the kindle these days. I confess I am one of them. Sad but true.
And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . .
☾ ° ★° * 。
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★*Sometimes the only means
of transportation is
a leap of faith!
In The English Kitchen today . . .
Easy Canadian Maple Butter Tarts. Delicious and not as difficult to make as one might suppose, especially if you use frozen tart shells. This is a small batch recipe and makes six tarts.
Still praying for all the wildfires throughout the world.
I hope that you all have a lovely weekend. May it be filled with joy and light. Don't forget!
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And I do too!
