Going Barefoot and Other Things

 

One of the summer things, I thought I might try was going barefoot. I realized that when we moved here, I never went barefoot anymore, but always kept my shoes on, when I got out of bed to when I got back in bed at night.  But I decided I would...Go barefoot.
 I have walked through wet grass, and wiggled my toes in our sandy soil. I have sat outside and propped my feet on the railings and stared at my toes. I have ran and jumped and put them in the water of the pool. It has felt nice to go barefoot this summer. It reminds me that I can slow down, I can put my feet up, I can reflect on deep things like " Why haven't I painted my toenails yet." 

 

Today I picked up my copy of Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. He has wrote other deep insightful books. Since I am in summer mode, I put it back on the shelf. I think this summer, I am going to clean off a whole shelf and put books that I am going to read starting in September. I think I will put that one there along with The Closing of the American Mind by Alan Bloom and Slouching Toward Gomorrah by Robert Bork. They have been on my book shelf for years, books I have wanted to read, but never took the time. My brain needs some challenging. I think I will put Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis and Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton.  I think I will take notes. I ran across a list I made 10 years ago of what I wanted to do with my life.

Six on that list was a Theology degree from Wheaton College. Four was  I wanted to study Philosophy.
I was teaching still and I wanted to be a better wife, a better mother and a better teacher. I also wanted grand children. That one I pondered. I still had young kids at home. Peter was nine.

 

What I found missing from that list was much more interesting. No place was blogging nor gardening.
Hooking rugs wasn't there nor was sewing. I was working on 20,000 steps a day, every day. I felt like a slacker when I only made it to 12,000 a day.
I just sat there and looked over my life now. How those things then that I thought were so important aren't now. I don't need a Theology degree, nor do I need to study philosophy. I am thankful I am a grand mother. I am thankful that what I thought I needed to be happy is so different from what I am now.

 

 Being a blogger has been the nicest surprise. Learning how to take photos. Writing out loud.
Making friends from all over the world. Having friends and sharing lives has expanded my life and changed my goals. For that I am thankful, I am thankful to be invited in to share your lives too.

I haven't said thank you in awhile. Thank you for sharing my life, for watching my struggles, and my joys. Thank you for laughing at my stories and for always leaving me such nice notes. You have blessed me and when my life was growing darker, you gave me something to look forward to every day. You have given to me far more than I could ever return to you.
So Thank you so much for coming into my life and for just being yourselves. You have given me the world. 

~Kim~

 

" You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
---Oh, the Places You'll go!, Dr. Seuss, 1990

Ten Things I Love Today

With all of the lovely days of summer racing by, I thought I would show you some of the things I love today.

1.

Zinnias.

2.

Summer bouquets, blue jars and dog who like them.

3.

Canning jars filled with good things to eat.

4.

My pantry filling up.

5.

A new rug to hook on the frame.

6.

My basket of goodies to stitch.

7.

Blue Skies, the heat broke and the humidity gone. I feel human.

8.

The swimming pool that is getting to be used, even by me. 

9.

More precious than gold, paper patterns to draw out and hook.

10.

My lovely chickens.

I feel so thankful for small things today. Spending the night sitting up in bed because of a migraine makes me appreciate all of the good things when it is finally morning. I am thankful that it is the first one in nine months. I am thankful that when a bucket fell on Mr. Munchie and it cut him, he didn't have to have stitches and that Megan had three big helpers who helped her. It is the little things that make all the big things seem not so big.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

The second desert rose blooming, 

" It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable."
---Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery, 1908

In This Life

 

In this life there are days when I feel about as interesting as a wet blanket. I have an old book and in it there is this selection that I try really, really hard to follow.

" If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:
1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even the weather. ( I am working really hard to not complain about the weather right now.)

2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou are not. ( Like being at the beach, or playing in the snow or foggy days, or goodness, a rainy day.)

 

3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another. ( Like wishing I was getting some of that polar vortex this week.)

4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been or were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more wisely than though dost thyself. ( Sitting here thinking of fall leaves, or ripe pumpkins or hooking a rug without sweat dripping down my back.)

5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's not thine. The heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. " The Lord will provide."  ( Things never turn out like I imagine anyway, the what-ifs just exhaust me anyway."

 

Every morning before the sun comes up. Ron goes to the garden to turn on the water. Because it is drip line and the water runs so slowly, we leave it on about an hour. I turn it off after he leaves for work. I have watched him every morning, as he goes out the gate, he looks around to make sure it is safe. This morning I wasn't watching so I missed this. I am sad about it too, I know I would have been laughing. He told me later, he opened the gate looked out and right there was the skunk. He said, he jumped back in the yard, and slammed the gate. Then he opened it to see where the skunk was, and it seems as the skunk was just as scared of him and was high-tailing over to the neighbors next door. To think, I missed it too.

I am so glad that we are at the middle of the week. This week is just flying on by. I hope your days are nice and cool and pleasant.

Happy Wednesday,
~Kim~

 

"It does not do good to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that..."
---Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling, 1997

A Cloudy Monday

Moonglow pumpkin

We have clouds today. It even sprinkled on me. We get really excited around here for a tiny bit of weather.
Even though, the weather man said it might get to 107 today. It is still nice to have some change from sunshine. :)

Look at all of the lovely green beans I picked this morning.

I will sit and snap these pretty quick. I just love sitting and snapping green beans.  These will be dinner
tonight.

Along with Eggplant Parmesan

. When I first started making it, I had no clue how in the world and I found this little tutorial. Now after fixing it a few times, it still remains my favorite way to make eggplant. We love this stuff and I never dreamed in a thousand years it would become such a favorite.

I am thinking some cantaloupe will go good with this and maybe a nice crusty loaf of french bread with butter and garlic. Whatcha think? Sound good?

I hope you have a wonderful Monday. I am having a hard time getting my motor in first gear.

~Kim~

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps
not so much to be resting yourself, as to see
all the other fellows busy working.
---The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame, 1907