Stone Puddles

I went to the Peters Valley Craft fair last weekend.
There were some beautiful displays.
Leather and jewelry and art and clothing and pottery
and this beautiful birdbath.
It is handmade in Vermont by Frank Sprague.
He creates bathtubs for birds! His company is Stone Puddles.
I loved his work.

I'm sure the birds love him too!
Stonepuddles.com


Happy cool down!
With love and hugs.
xo

Single, Red, and Beautiful

I love
the backs
of flowers.
The stems,
the brackets,
the petals,
the colors.
The contrast.

With love and hugs.
xo

The Book or The Movie

Early morning is my favorite time of day,
and it's my favorite time to read.
It's quiet and calm with out distraction.
It's then that my travels with books are uninterrupted.
Once the sun starts to rise and the sky turns to pink,
I start to prepare for the day ahead.

I finished The Help  early one morning.
It stopped me dead in my tracks.

The pain and the sadness made me cry.
The stupidity of the slave owners made me angry.
The thought of women
loving, and caring, and giving,
day in and day out,
sometimes for as along as forty years;
to go home in the evening
to drunken cotton pickers
only to get themselves beat up.
And then, to put on those starched uniforms
and start it all over again
the next day. And the next night.

It made me shiver.

To all of the women who stand up
and to all of those who are still afraid,
remember always:

"You are smart.
 You are kind.
 You are important."

~Kathryn Stockett

We went to see the movie this past Friday evening.
And, not to be critical of anyone or anything;
the personal and gut wrenching emotions of the author
were lacking on the screen.
The parting shot, however, was magical.

I tip my hat to Kathryn Stockett and "The Help".
Thank You, Kathryn, for wondering
what it was like to be a black woman
in Mississippi in the 1960's.


With my love and hugs.
xo

Frost At Midnight

"....Therefore all seasons be sweet to thee,
whether Summer clothe the general earth
with greenness,
or the redbreast
set and sing
betwixt the tufts of snow
on the bare branch
of mossy apple tree,
while the night hatch
smokes in the sun thaw;
whether the eave-drops fall
heard only in the trances of the blast,
or the sweet ministry of frost
shall hang them in quiet icicles,
quietly shining to the quiet moon."

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

May the Autumn season be sweet to thee.
With love and hugs.
xo

Just Sayin'

There is nothing like the smile on my 'sonny-boy's' face when the New York Yankees clinch a playoff!

Thank you, New York Yankees! Rock on!


With love and hugs and game balls.
xo

September

"The breezes taste
 like apple peel,
 the air is full of smells:
 ripe fruit,
 old footballs,
 burning brush,
 new books, erasers,
 chalk and such."

~John Updike

Happy Tuesday!
With love and hugs.
xo

Try It!

"It's impossible" said pride.
"It's risky" said experience.
"It's pointless" said reason.
"Give it a try" whispered the heart.


Happy Weekend!
With my love and hugs.
xo

A Change In the Weather

Chilly wind.
Windows closed.
Good bye, Summer.

Hello, leather!
With love and hugs.
xo

Stillness

"All landscapes ask the same question
 in the same whisper.
 'I am watching you-
 are you watching yourself in me?'
 To tune in, without reverence, idly
 but with real inward attention...
 you can extract the essence of a place
 once you know how.
 If you just get
 as still as a needle,
 you'll be there."
~Lawrence Durvell, Spirit of Place: Letters and Essays on Travel

Until the next time,
With love and hugs.
xo

Towers of Light

"Bloodplanes break the silence of clouds-
strangely lonesome-
as we, the living, pierce ourselves with the hooks
of memory, digging, digging without rest,
digging night and day, throwing ourselves into
the holes of grief in search of ourselves changed forever- looking up, seeing nothing, in disbelief
looking up again."
~ Jim Cohn
2001.
While driving to Englewood last night I saw the twin beams of light that memorialize the location of the twin towers in NYC. The rays created a second moon in the sky. A quiet moon. Unreachable and untouchable. Just like those who's lives were lost.

Where there is light, there is hope.
With love and hugs.
xo

Sunflowers

There seems to be a gigantic burst of wild sunflowers through the rolling hills of Northwestern New Jersey this year.
I discovered some blazing in wide open fields
that used to be exclusively home to corn fields.
Now, they're sunflowers as soldiers.
Some were mixed neatly with corn patches.
Some were randomly planted on cornfield edges.
This shot above is from a local dairy farm.
It looked beautiful.
I'm curious as to why so many sunflowers?
They don't seem to be harvested, now, most of them are simply dwindling away.
Is it for the cultivation of their oil? Crop rotation? Is it just for the seeds?I know black-oil sunflower seeds are in demand through the fall and winter months for bird feeders.
Or, maybe cut flowers for retailers?
And then I wonder, is it simply because the farmers want us to stop in our tracks and take notice of the beauty in a field of sunflowers? Ahh,... those tricky farmers.
If so,... it worked!

I loved the sunflower farms.

And now, I'm hoping the sun comes out from hiding.
She's been away for way too long!
With love and hugs and sunshine to come.
xo

Water Everywhere

It's been one wet week. Or two. Maybe even three!
I wish we could send some of the wetness to Texas.
Or wherever it's needed more.
I've learned over the past few days
and nights the secret power of running water,
or should I mention the lack there of.
Now we're soaked.
Everything here is soggy.
And green. Brooks and streams are ferocious.
Ponds have become lakes.
Streets have become canals.
I hope Mother Nature is kindhearted
to us this Winter!
Aye karumba! Where's the sunshine?
Happy Rain!
With love and hugs.
xo

PS...No, not my photo!

Thistle Bud

"All my life
I have tried
to pluck a Thistle
and plant a flower
wherever the flower
would grow
in thought and mind."
~Abraham Lincoln

Happy Labor Day and Thank You!
With love and hugs.
xo

The Week that Was

I'm back! Ha!
It was a week ago that a vicious little lady by the name of 'Irene' decided that she was going to reek a bit of havoc on our lives. I remember going to sleep last Saturday night with the wind howling and the rain pounding against the windows.
A severe storm was in the forecast for extreme southern NJ, and eastern Long Island with the possibility of some damage to NYC. No mention what so ever of the skylands territory of Northwestern, NJ. Ha! Little did we know.
She was planning a surprise, and it seems nobody was prepared.
We've been without electricity for seven long days. It's been pretty rough. I guess.
No water, no lights, no computer, no television, no stereo, no vacuum, no refrigerator, no ceiling fan, no air conditioners, no internet, no telephone, no shower, and imagine...no toilets.
But we've laughed and we've learned.
We've marveled at the fact that we are safe. Completely, 100%... AOK.
With no damage. At all.
No trees on our roof.
No trees on our cars.
No water in our basement.
No trees on us in our cars.
But I write this cautiously. Because. There are huge trees all over. I love trees. Now, I fear them like the ocean. In her mad rage. And the rivers and the bridges,.... they too break.
The heavy rains combined with power of the wind forever changed the landscape of the little town we call home.
I had the pleasure of visiting the local laundromat twice this week! It was the most happening place in town. Rumors and predictions. Tears and fears. Hope. Anger. Frustration. Quarters were flowing like waterfalls. I met little children who were scared, awww...may their bad dreams be gone forever.
I met big children who were mad, may they know this is but a brief life moment. It too, shall pass.
To the many people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time with no shelter from the storm, may your hearts be filled with peace, and your love live on forever.
I bid the darkness farewell, and I look foward to a beautiful sunrise on the horizon!
With my love and hugs.

PS...Ya' know my little "rolling stone",? I mean "diamond girl"?...well,... ya' know what?!!...she passed the bar exam! Talk about a light at the end of the tunnel.

Storms

"

There's a lot of chatter today
about hurricane Irene.
I don't live near the ocean,
but days like this I wish I did!
I've always loved experiencing the rough surf.
The strength and power of the ocean amazes me,
as there is no stopping it.
I love a windy, desolate beach.
in a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses.
And bare feet.
Loud, thunderous waves.
Riptides.
Like a bad temper.
Splashes of saltwater on sunburned legs.
Dogs running free and chasing their dreams.
Shells and shark eggs washing ashore.
Seaweed and tangled fishing lines.
And horseshoe crabs.

And then, the calm.

Happy Friday!
With love and hugs.
xo

Time and Love

I don't know about you,
but I am feeling the whoosh of days flying by; it seems like yesterday was Memorial Day and with the fervent winds of time we have Labor Day just minutes away. Then it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and before you know it, year's end. Another 12 months about to be over.
The next twelve months ahead are going to present a whole new experience for me, and my family. Because...We're planning a wedding!
I wake up excited and happy. Then; I'm scared.
My little 'rolling stone'....(I need to give her a new name today)...something more feminine and lovely and appropriate, I think I'll call her "Diamond Girl"...is dreaming and planning and dreaming some more of her and Matthew's special day.
Together they are as busy as little beavers scouting locations, meeting with planners, creating budgets, imagining menus, and flowers and people, and colors and the oh so many logisitics.
So, today I am dedicating my Petals and Boots to Tiffany and Matthew. Your countdown officially begins!
Your love for each other has proved itself, your commitment to each other is documented, and your dream of sharing your love with the world is just 365 days away!
May your days be exciting, your manners be cool, your fears be few, your respect for each other paramount, and, I hope your love for each other continues to grow as the days roll into nights, the weeks into months and the dreams into reality.
Congratulations once more!

With love and hugs and dreams come true...
xo

People amaze me.
Sweet dreams!

Bethel Woods

Yesterday I was clever,
that is why I wanted
to change the world.
Today, I am wise,
that is why I am changing myself.
~Sri Chinmoy

Have a beautiful day!
With love and hugs.xo

How Lucky We Are

Photo courtesy of "The Big Picture".
Take a peek,
It will take your breath away.

Blessings.
And love and hugs.
xo

Beauty

"Beauty is not caused;
it is."
~Emily Dickinson

Have a beautiful day!
With love and hugs.
xo

Will. I. Am.

Shakespeare, that is.

"And this, our life,
exempt
from public haunt,
finds
tongues in trees, books
in running brooks,
sermons in stones,
and
good in everything."

Have a beautiful day!
With love and hugs.
xo

Buckets of Rain

The little birds are singing their hearts out today.
They are enjoying a cool, gentle rain and little tidbits from the gardens.
The best part of a summer rain is a porch on which to enjoy it!

Happy Sunday!
With love and hugs
xo

On Tap Tonight

It's the Blue Tip Band
at Sylvio's Restaurant in Warwick, NY
and they're in sync
with the Green Corn Moon!

Happy Weekend!
Get Your Rock On!

With love and hugs.
xo

Mid-August

There's a beautiful, crisp air this morning.
All of the humidity has blown away.
A new, quiet energy takes hold.
And, it reminds me
that Summer won't last forever.

Have a beautiful day!
And take good care.
With love and hugs.
xo

What Does One Need?

"Just living
is not enough...
one must have sunshine, freedom,
and a little flower."
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Here's to all the little flowers.
With love and hugs.
xo