Simple Things

 

Today has been a day of busyness. Do you have days of busyness? Days when there are so many have to's but in the midst of them simple things show up and fill your heart with joy? I had errands to run, but because I am not supposed to lift things, I have to take someone with me. For someone who has lived her life by not trying to bother people this is very hard for me. Today, I asked Peter to come with me. He is my youngest son and very patient with me.

 

I knew he had things he wanted to do, but never minded when we went to the farm store so I could look at baby chicks and baby ducks. I looked at seeds and bulbs. I looked at bare root trees and new gardening shovels. Then he helped me pick out birthday gifts for my youngest  grandsons birthday. He gave me his perspective because he knew what little boys like best.

 

  Of course today, in the stores, people were sad because it was a beautiful blue sky day full of giant puffy clouds, and not a day filled with lots of rain, thunder and lighting. We around here are pining for rain something fierce. After I got most of my work to a place I could go outside and sit in the sun and watch the puffy clouds float by like ships in the harbor.

 

On the very tip-top of one of our redwood trees sat a dark green hummingbird taking in the sights. I watched him while he watched me. The blue jays were racing around the yard like they were late for a train. Sasha was sitting in the sun watching me. I looked down at her and she smiled. It was so quiet with only the sound of the finches in the pine tree, when there was a tiny pop, and up out of the ground came a earth worm. His little pop took him out into the middle of the sidewalk. The earthworm seemed a little stunned by the force he was ejected from the earth, and me sitting there wondered if it had killed itself.

 

I watched as it came to its senses and started crawling off of the sidewalk back to the lawn. Once

he made it to the grass, I watched as he simply inched little by little back into the dirt. Then he was gone. I looked back up at Sasha and she smiled at me again with a look of , Yes I saw it too. I kept thinking of the pop that earthworm made. It was such a nice comforting kind of pop. It made me happy that something so tiny can launch itself like a little missile and make a tiny bit of noise.

 

 Now the clouds are beginning to come in and the promise of more rain. March is almost here. Some of the hardest trials of my life have paid me a visit in March, but I still love March because at every turn in March is promise, and hope and blue skies and all of the rainbows that show up in March. Besides, there is always time to fly kites.Sheep come down to the valley to graze in March, and the sound of the bells around the necks and the dogs waiting to be told what to do and the baby lambs gamboling in flocks. As they jump in the sunshine as only baby lambs can jump with joy.

I am glad that as I say good-bye to February, mine will be with a birthday of a little man who looks just like his Daddy did at two, and I will wonder how it is that days have raced away so fast. Yet, I am thankful for every one as I have been given such gifts of life. 

~Kim~

" So many things are possible just as long as you don't
know they are impossible."
---The Phantom Tollbooth--- (Norton Juster, 1961)

Wonderful Wednesday

 

I woke up this morning and my first thought was, " It is going to be a wonderful Wednesday, we have storms coming with rain. I could hear the wind chimes already blowing in the breeze. The sky was pink. The air has that lovely smell of rain. It is finally cooler. It will be a nice day to watch the weather.

Well it finally happened. As each passing day goes by I see better and better. I know I shouldn't have worked on Mrs. Rabbit until I could see like I can now. I stared at it now for a week. Last night, I threw it on the floor, and as I stood above it, I told Ron, " I just can't stand these colors!" He looked up and then at the rug and said, " Do you want me to help you rip it out?" I had tried to not go there because I had hooked so many hours on it, but I said, " Yep, let's do it!" So we sat and talked and reversed hooked (ripped out) all of the back ground I had done for that last week. I felt like a huge weight was off my chest. So I am back to square one. One of the things that I find remarkable is color. I guess I lived so long with out it I find I just want lots and lots of color.

 

One of the colors I watch is when I pour coffee into the cups, and the coffee is so black and then as I take the cream, and begin pouring so slowly, because I love watching the milk join the coffee in the cup and then as I pick up the shiny silver spoon and begin  to stir, and the milk and the coffee become that warm color of brown. The swirls and the mixing just makes me so happy.

Watching my chickens on the grass and all of the different colors and the warm sunshine and the diamonds in the grass. Every single thing I do now, I am shocked at what I see. Yesterday, I worked on a counted cross stitch. I had tried so hard to do it before I realized how bad my eyes were, I thought if I willed myself to see I could so I would try and try. You can't believe the mess I have on this design. I kept it though and started working at where I see now. Just as a reminder to me what a gift of sight is and how great to be able to do what I love. So yesterday, watching and seeing the material I was working with was just amazing to me. I can sit in the sun again and sew. I haven't been able to do that for years. The sunshine hurt. With the other eye not done yet, I am aware of the pain I must have lived with daily. No wonder I was a grouch. All of the time. Thank goodness Ron keeps vows. You know that one in sickness and health. I am sure it was like being married to a crazy woman.

Isn't this just adorable? I love spring.

 

On the far left is a normal hen egg. The middle egg is a bantam egg, and the teeny tiny one is a new egg from a bantam who is going to start laying. I knew I had a couple that were younger than the other chickens I had. It makes me so happy to see little bitty eggs.

I hope your Wednesday is lovely. I will be watching the storm come in today as I go from window to window. There is just something wonderful about rain. You know we only get about 6 inches a year. Yes, a year. When you go into stores and it is raining, everyone talks about how wonderful the rain is so it kind of nice be so happy about any kind of weather.

~Kim~

" Don't worry that your children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you."
---Robert Fulghum---
" Childhood is like a mirror, which reflects in after life the images first presented to it."
---Samuel Smiles--- 

Just Normal

I am enjoying normal. Though I seem to be bouncing around from project to project. We had a beautiful weekend that it was so hard to be inside. Ron planted five trees in the front yard. Two Chinese Pitache,  two Jacaranda trees and a Cork Oak
He took out a dead Sycamore and replaced it with a pine tree in the back. He has grown all of these trees from seeds. So that makes it fun to plant them here.

We might get rain. Lots of  rain. I am pretty excited about it. Snow in the mountains too. It would be so nice to get lots of rain.

This weekend I baked some lovely brownies. You know I don't share recipes very much, because there are so many food blogs that do a better job than me taking pictures but this is a keeper kind of recipe so I thought I would share it today.

These are called Buckeye Brownies. I got the recipe from Gooseberry Patch Our Best Desserts.

19 1/2 ounce brownie mix. ( I baked mine from scratch.)
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup plus 6 T. butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare and bake brownie mix in a greased 13x9 baking pan according to package directions.
let cool.
Mix together powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and peanut butter, spread over cooled brownies. Chill one hour.
Melt together chocolate chips remaining six tablespoons of butter, ( I just used a whole cube) over low heat, stirring occasionally  spread over brownies. ( I also zapped the butter and chocolate chips in the microwave in one minute intervals stirring well until it was all melted.) I just poured that on top.  Let cool and cut into squares.
Easy Peasy.

I hope you had a lovely weekend as well. I hope this will be a lovely week for you. Did I mention rain? I am pretty excited.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~

"Safety is all well and good: I prefer freedom.
---The Trumpet of the Swan--- E.B. White, 1970

Simple Beauty

 

I think I have said this but I am so very thankful that I get to see spring. As I walked around yesterday. I saw things that I have taken for granted. The dew in the grass reflecting thousands of colors in the sunlight. The way the light from the rising sun turns every thing to a warm glow. Watching the birds fly over my head, and being able to tell which one is what. How the iridescent blues and blacks on the bluejays and the crows make me stare.

 

 To see how each petal on a blossom, with tiny little bits of pollen. To see the tiny little green leaves and the little green stem and each one is a different kind of green. I went  to get my hair cut yesterday, and driving was so much fun. Again. I have always enjoyed driving. Looking down to the end of the street and not being terrified was so incredible. I really did feel like the first time I drove from my parents house when I was sixteen. I put on music and cranked it and sang all the way down to the hair cut place.

 

As I walked through the parking lot, I wasn't afraid I was going to get ran over because I didn't see a car. There at the sidewalk. were three grackles. The sprinkler had made a puddle. The grackle was taking a very splashy bath. Water was flying in the sunlight, as it came down on the black of the grackle in the sunlight it looked like diamonds bouncing off of his back, and the blue, and purple and greens in the grackle were in the drops too. If a bird can smile, that grackle was laughing his birdy head off. The other two grackles watched with amusement. I stood back and watched smiling too, and then realized, I was standing in the middle of a parking lot and people could see me. I walked on. Though laughing to myself.

 

My hens are just beautiful this time of year. As I looked at them I could see how healthy they are since they moved in to the new coop. As I looked at their faces, I could see all of the small feathers on their faces. The faces are so pretty and I love how red the combs and wattles are this time of year.

 

Here is little Miss Bossy. For some reason she is the head of the chicken coop now. She wanted to get in my lap as I was trying to get pictures of the other hens. When she is cold she likes to hop in my lap and settle herself down and get warm. I am having chicky fever right now. I can't wait to get some chicks soon. Something about the spring just seems like chicks are the thing to have.

 

The blueberries continue to bloom. I stood and looked at all of the little bells. To me they do remind me of a bride. I could see them in a bridal bouquet.

 

So do orange blossoms. I walked out there to see if they were getting ready to bloom as well. I love the smell of orange blossoms.

 

This is the nectarine tree. I always love the way these blossoms look. Just the lovely pink. I love how blue the sky is and how the colors are so vivid now. Red is really red. I love all of the different shades of colors. Thank you so much for coming along for my journey. Of all of the trials I have experienced so far in my life. I can say, that this is one I am so very thankful for. It reminds me at every turn I take, that beauty surrounds me and to think I let it go and never even missed it.

Have a lovely weekend,
~Kim~

 

May all of your wishes come true.

Colors and Light

See that above picture? It is purple right? Well up until yesterday this wasn't purple to me. The doctor told me that I had a yellow cataract so think of putting a lens on your camera that was yellow. Every thing looks like that. Yesterday I kept asking Ron why was the swimming pool blue? It has been green for at least a year to me.

Today we walked around, I could see birds and I could see hummingbirds. I could see clouds racing across the sky. I can see my kids faces. Ron has the cutest little soul patch. I didn't notice it until yesterday.

The bad part is my freaking hair is gray!!!! I mean like I almost have a skunk white stripe. Oh and the wrinkles, I have been in denial I guess. I am old.  I am vain. Before the doctor today I put a tiny bit of eye liner on my good eye and lipstick and ear rings and a necklace. It didn't help. I look like my grand mother.

 

Do you remember in an earlier post when I talked about buying the quilt pattern to make? I picked it up last night and squinted at the directions and looked at the picture. What was I thinking?  Then it dawned on me, I was getting my eyes fixed, not having a brain transplant. I haven't got any smarter just because I can see. :)

 

I do go around mesmerized by all of the new things I see. I made dinner and put it in the crockpot. It was bliss to not have to read and read directions. The bad thing is my house is dirty. But the walls that I thought had become a ugly nicotine yellow color are back to being sunshine white. The wood in the house has a warm inviting color again. 

I still have a bubble on my lens to keep my cornea safe, but that should go away tonight then I can really see. It really is like high def. Ron had bought a new  computer monitor for me after Christmas and I know I wasn't as appreciative for it as I am now. It is so clear and I can see what I couldn't see before.

When we were driving this morning, it is like a new town. I kept oohing and asking has that always been there? It really is incredible. I didn't know that Sasha has a very fuzzy face.

Anyway, it is like being in a brand new world. I haven't been able to read in so long, I picked up a book today and I could see the words again. So many things.

Thank you so much for your comments and your prayers and your thoughts. I think waiting is the hardest thing to do. Without your thoughts and prayers I might have run screaming from the building. :)

Life is such an adventure,
~Kim~

1 Corinthians 13:12

^"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

Piece of Cake

I am home now. It was a great experience. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. I have a contact in and a clear lens over my eye but I can see, can I say that again. I CAN SEE!!! The rooms are not shrouded in darkness and the sky is bright and I feel so thankful. The first thing I saw as I was getting in the car, was a whole flock of roadrunners!! Baby ones and the parents. I was so happy to that my first sight was birds.

Such nice people and such a nice place. Once I got in the surgery room it was fast. Ron had barely sat down after they took me away, they came and got him and I was in recovery.

The phrase that kept going through my mind for two days has been, "I once was blind but now I see." "You have no idea how special those words are to me. I really have missed the brightness of the sun and the green of the trees.

The very nice verse I had this morning was this one: Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good shall come to thee." So all I can say, is good has come to me and I am so in awe of being able to see again.

Thank you so much,
~Kim~ 

Happy Monday

I hope you had a lovely Monday. It was nice here. Ron and the boys trimmed 20 trees and hauled limbs. There is a huge pile of them out in the pasture. The trees all look better for their haircuts.

Ron came in the door the other day with the mail. In it I had a very lovely package from Jacque. If you are not familiar / with Jacque you should be, she makes amazing quilts and is a good friend. Her blog is The Doodles of my Mind.

 The rooster bag is to put snippets of thread . I was thrilled to get that and lovely wool and red dot tracer and strawberries and she also sent me keys.

I do know that I have a hoarding problem with keys. So that Jacque understands this just make me giggle.
I love old keys. Or new keys. So thank you Jacque.

I know that most of you are sick to death of snow. I finished the binding of my snowman rug, but I was so happy with how it turned out that I thought I would show you a totally finished rug.

This was a nice rug to make. Now I will roll it up and put it away. I am thinking after the long hot summer this year when people are not sick of snow, I will sell this one. I think it will be perfect for Christmas.

We were outside, yesterday as it was so beautiful and Ron was planting trees in the ground and looking at all of the grafts he did last year. It is amazing how many of his grafts took. He will have all kinds of new trees. Even though we didn't know each other when I was in fifth grade and he was in sixth. Our favorite encyclopedia was on grafting trees. So as we were looking at all his success. It was so nice to stand there and realize sometimes it takes many years for dreams to come true, but it is so nice when you realize they did. (In fifth grade I tried to graft rosebushes. it didn't take.) Ron uses medical tape for the graft and that stuff is just amazing to work with.

 

 We found this blooming yesterday so I brought it inside. The whole living room and kitchen smells like this. I think purple smells the sweetest and smells the longest.

 

I want to apologize  to you all, for not being able to get around to visit your blogs or to leave comments.
I had to start the eye drops yesterday and will be doing more today. I am not able to see at all once they go in so I go from blind to blinder.  So it is impossible for me to see the screen on my computer. I just wanted you to know that. I have to start the drops at 8:00 A.M. and they are every two hours so they start to wear off than I have to put a different kind in and start the not seeing at all again. This will soon be over I know it is just weird for me.

I just wanted you to know.

Have a lovely Monday today.

~Kim~

" And Patience was willing to wait." ---From Pilgrims Progress---
" It is the Lord; Let him do what seemth to Him good" (1 Samuel 3:18)

Happy Valentines Day and Giveaway Winner

 

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you have a perfect day. I had a Bumblewood giveaway and I said I would pick a winner today so the winner is...Debbie at It's All about Purple.  So Debbie could you give me your snail mail address and I will get that out to you. If you haven't ever met Debbie you are in for a treat. She has beautiful photography blog  and yummy recipes and lots of wonderful ideas for crafts and such and she is a good friend. I am so excited she won the lovely Bumblewood products. Here is what she won.

 

These are some of the new products and new flavors that Meg has been working on. Her house smells lovely with all of her soaps and it is so fun to get to go over there and to see what she has been working on not to mention lots of great little boys for Granny to see.

Last night my sweet hubby came in the door with a lovely purple Hydrangea. I was so thrilled. It really makes the place look pretty. I feel like a starving person for flowers right now.

I have worked on Mrs Rabbit this week. She really is so far my favorite. I kept dreaming last night of choosing a back ground. I haven't ever done that before.

I thought she needed a polka dot scarf and today I will try and get the flowers all finished in her basket.
I really can't wait to start the background.

One of my sons will leave for snow camp this morning. I hope they have a bit of snow at snow camp. I bet you who are buried in snow will just laugh about that, right? I know you would share.

Have a lovely day.

~Kim~

 

" To aim at loving instead of at being loved requires sacrifice. Love reaches out, willing to be turned down or inconvenienced,expecting no personal reward, wanting only to give."
---Elisabeth Elliot---
" My beloved is mine, and I am his."
---Song of Solomon 2:16---
" I have found the one my soul loves; I held onto him and would not let him go"
---Song of Solomon 3:4---

Spring is Here

 

This morning, while it was still dark, I took Sasha outside. As I stepped out in the early morning stillness. I heard the mockingbirds and the meadowlarks. As I smelled the air, I could smell spring. The feeling of the air warming up and the grass turning green. As much as I wished it would wait, I came back in the house filled with joy. The smell of springs arrival greets me and I just seem to loose what little mind I have. I long to be outside and watch everything. I keep praying silly prayers like, "Please Lord, don't let the Flickers leave until I can see them." As I walked with Sasha, I am looking forward to the days when branches on the ground aren't in my mind an animal. 

 

We planted these last year for the wedding and some of the seed got into one of Ron's tree containers and it has bloomed and bloomed all winter. The frosts didn't even seem to touch it. I wanted to get it's picture. It has given me such joy.

Today as Sasha and I walked the Phoebe's that live here and spends most of the time eating the bugs off the front porch and taking baths in the swimming pool decided to go for a walk with me too. He flew always one tree ahead of me. Making his call. I could only see his silhouette but it gave me such promise.

 One of the things I love about gardening, is there is always something to surprise me and make me happy. This hyacinth is blooming in my barrel in the front. It smells heavenly. There are two crows that have taken up residence next door in the pecan tree. They have to be the most curious birds I have ever seen. I can't go outside at all without one flying around watching. When I am in the front one of them sits on the power pole cawing. If I am on the porch one will be in a tree, making that sound like two marbles in your hand rubbing together.

 

 Ron and I were walking together outside making plans of this years garden, and the crows were flying out above the pasture. They were doing all kinds of acrobatic stunts. As Ron watched, he saw them drop a rock out of their beak while the other one swooped and caught it. Then that one would fly up high and drop it and then the other one would catch it. As we stood there and watched we were mesmerized by their antics. They were playing catch.

I can't believe all of the snow storms that are coming and coming. I can only send you pictures of spring. I wish I could share with you our warmth.
Have a wonderful Thursday, thank you for stopping by today.

~Kim~

" God loves us with an everlasting love,
He is our Refuge when we are afraid,
Our Strength when we are weak;
Our Helper when we cannot cope."
(Elisabeth Elliot, (The Shaping of The Christian Family, p.118)

Happy Tuesday

Do you ever have one of those days when it started out rough but turned out to be just an incredible day? I was supposed to go pick up my lab work yesterday. When I got there they had lost it. I had to have the lab report for today when I go for my surgical  instructions. They wanted to do the whole thing all over again. As I sat in the office and prayed, I kept telling myself to find something good about waiting and praying they would find my paper work.

 

I had a book with me this time and I was reading Elizabeth's Elliot's book Secure in His Everlasting Arms.
There in the book was this prayer for me.
" Almighty God, give to Thy servant a meek and gentle spirit that may be slow to anger and easy to mercy and forgiveness. Give me a wise and constant heart, that I may never be moved to an intemperate anger for any injury that is done or offered. Lord, let me ever be courteous, and easy to be entreated; let me never fall into a peevish or contentious spirit, but follow peace with all men; offering forgiveness, inviting them by courtesies, ready to confess my own errors, apt to make amends, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness or cross accidents, no employment or weariness make me angry or ungentle and discontented or unthankful or uneasy to them that minister to me, but in all things  make me into the holy Jesus, Amen.
---Jeremy Taylor, 1613-1667---

 

Because I was not feeling that way at all. I over heard the doctor saying he was going to lunch. The poor girl came in and asked me had I left a yellow note on my paper work? I said yes, and she said she knew right where it was but the EKG was missing. I told her to do another one. Because I was nice, I think she went the extra mile and handled every thing even getting the doctors signature and faxing it to my eye appointment for today. Then she called me at home to tell me that every thing was done.
I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I was I sat there praying that prayer instead of making a complete ass of myself.

I got home and in the mail was some wonderful gifts.

First there was this lovely Valentine from my oldest Grandson in Arizona.

 

I held the envelope in my hands and I wanted to just sit and cry. I miss them so much. So it was so special for me to get it yesterday. His Mom said he did it all by himself.

Then a few weeks ago I won a giveaway from lovely Christine, across the pond. When I saw the envelope with the post mark I was just so happy that it came yesterday when I needed it at the perfect time.

 

She sent a wonderful letter that reminded me of why I love blogging and then a wonderful calendar that just reminds me of what I need to be thinking of each day.

 

The boys told me about their incredible day that they had. I was so thankful for that and then Ron came home and his day had been just as special. The house was full of young men because high school was out and my son mentors these young men so they had come here to play board games. I felt very thankful last night when I went to bed. I wrote down a whole page of gratefulness.

 

When I said my 2014 word was rejoice. I really do find that easier to do than get upset. It is work though to choose my attitude. To choose to see others as more important than myself. To choose to give over my rights and to not act the way my nature wants. To be kind and gentle is never something that comes easy.

I have so many things now on my list of things, I am going to do when I see again. For years now, I have been wanting to make this quilt.

 

 So I hopped over to Crabapple Hill Studio and the pattern was on sale. So I took the plunge.
 I was reading Sharon at Moosecraft She so encouraged me that I thought it was about time to quit whining and do it. I am not afraid of the hand embroidery, and I have stared at those blocks. Pinwheels aren't my favorite but I think I could do this. I really think my list of things I want to do it going to get longer than I have time to sleep.

Now one more doctor appointment. I dreamed about this one last night though, in my dream I was taking care of bunnies in rabbit hutches. Some how in my mixed up brain taking care of bunnies would make my eyes work.
Have a lovely Tuesday.

~Kim~

"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."
---Julian of Norwich---