Seasons Change

It was a welcome reprieve to be able to step outside today. These last few weeks have been a whirlwind and it was nice to have some time to see how things have changed since October turned to November.

A few of the trees have lost their leaves, but most of them are showing off their beautiful autumn colors.

While I was busy taking care of all of the details, the camellias were busy changing from buds to blooms.

It seems to me that the last time I glanced at the nandinas they were just starting to turn slightly orange. Today they were completely orange and looked so beautiful with the sun shining on them.

From the time I was a little girl I can remember following my mom around the yard as she gardened. From time to time she would share little gardening tidbits with me or let me plant a seed or flower. It instilled in me a lifelong love of digging in the dirt and getting immense pleasure from watching things grow.

So, as I continue to garden, I feel mom's presence.

And as I dig and plant I have fond memories. My husband still laughs at the time he had just met my mom and we were in the family room talking when all of the sudden she bolted out the back door. He wasn't sure what was happening until we looked outside and saw her chasing a rabbit out of her newly planted vegetable garden. Through the years he would tease her about that one.

So while the seasons change outside . . .

I find myself in a new season of life too.

But, I'm so glad that all of those years ago my mom took the time to spark an interest in gardening for me.

I'm finding it so therapeutic to lose myself in gardening time. Today I planted six pots of pink (her favorite color) tulips and blue (my favorite color) pansies. They will be at their prime next spring and I imagine it will bring a whole new set of memories.

Soon this holiday cactus will be in bloom after having spent the summer outside. It belonged to my mom and will be sure to bring back more fond memories when it is covered in pink blooms.

*****

Happy Halloween

~ Happy Halloween ~

Wishing you a fun and happy day filled with sweets & treats.

*****

A special thank you for your prayers, good thoughts and kind comments on my last post. It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I hope to be back to regular blogging next week.

A Very Special Birthday Card

Marge and Lorene were next door neighbors. They were homemakers raising their children side by side in the 1950s. A fence separated their tiny yards and each year Lorene planted morning glory seeds along the fence so by mid summer that chain link fence was covered in beautiful blue flowers. Heavenly blue to be exact. Through the years many neighborly conversations took place over that fence. Often as they hung their wash on the backyard clothesline these two women would chat with each other while holding babies on their hips and pinning clothes to the line. Once the clothes were in place and gently swaying to and fro in the warm summer sunshine the ladies would often retreat to one or the other of their kitchens to share a cup of coffee as they continued their conversation.

In February of 1956 Marge sent her friend Lorene a birthday card.

Lorene liked the card so well that come October she crossed off Marge's name and wrote her name and sent it back to Marge ~ just to be funny. They each got a little laugh out of that.

Apparently Marge liked the idea so the following February she did the same thing and sent the card back to Lorene.

It became a tradition that they kept up for many years. In fact so many that the card became full and they started a second card.

When Lorene moved away the card continued to travel across the states twice a year. Often after the signature a short sentence would follow. It might be a child's marriage, a new grandchild, a husband going to heaven and eventually a second husband joining the first husband. Year after year the card continued.

Many years later Lorene developed dementia and soon reached a point where many things were being misplaced or mysteriously disappearing, but somehow the card was never misplaced. The handwriting changed and the decline was becoming evident. Marge felt sad, but continued to send the card and also include a letter of care and concern to her dear friend.

Fifty three years later the card is in Lorene's possession. As her daughter I so wanted her to be able to return it to Marge on her October 17th birthday. Even though she had reached a point where she could no longer write very much, I thought I might be able to at least get her signature. Sadly, it wasn't to be. My dear mother began to decline rapidly in the last week and it was evident that there would be no signature this year. I signed it on her behalf and included a good old fashioned snail mail letter to our former neighbor, Marge explaining the situation.

I spent a good portion of the weekend at my mom's side as she became weaker. Yesterday the hospice nurse informed me that the end was near . Mom is now at peace. Life will never be the same without her, but I was able to be with her until the end. We all had a chance to pay our respects and tell her we love her one last time. For that I am grateful.

And now these three remain:

Faith, Hope and Love,

But the greatest of these is Love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Rainy Days & Mondays

Outside the skies were dark & gray.

The rain fell morning, noon & night.

The perfect day to create some warm & cozy spots inside.

Rainy days & Mondays don't have to get us down.

Feet?

What does this have to do with rainy days?

Not a single thing.

I just wanted to share my new shoes. I have been wanting some shoes to wear around the house. I was looking for lightweight, comfy with no shoelaces. I wanted some that were as comfortable as slippers, but made me feel ready to take on the day. I found them yesterday. Today I have happy feet. Just one more of the little things that can make an ordinary day a little better.

I hope your Monday was a good one & your week is even better

Oh yes... and your feet are happy :-)

~ A Question For You ~

Today I have an important question for you to ponder ;-)

Just for a moment pretend that you live in a house with a lot of these.

They show up here.

They show up there.

Heck, they show up just about everywhere.

Pretend, also, that your sister-in-law who just moved into a new house and needs new rugs asked you to come to HomeGoods with her.

Pretend that you were just going along to help select rugs because you didn't need anything.

You especially didn't need another mug because your mug cupboard is filled to capacity. You have even given some away recently.

But, since they had no rugs that would work, you were forced to look around the store. You really didn't want to, but since you made the drive you might as well have a look ;-)

Then, you spot this. But, remember you don't need another mug. On the other hand you do love your morning coffee... and wouldn't it taste even better in a mug that coordinated so well with your decor?? And look ~ there's even a cute little tray that comes with it. Oh, and remember you are at HomeGoods where the prices can't be beat. Could you pass it up?

I didn't think so.

Beauty in the Small Things

Isn't it interesting how a little thing like clean windows can make your whole outlook on life a lot brighter?

I knew we were long overdue for a window cleaning around here. Once the film was gone and the cobwebs were swept away, I wondered why we hadn't done this a while ago ... okay, more like a long time ago. What a huge difference. Who would have thought you could get a smile on your face just from looking at your windows? Well, I'm here to tell you that it worked for me this weekend. I suppose the beautiful weather and the Carolina blue skies may have helped too. If there's such a thing as a perfect fall day ~ we had it here on Saturday. I hope your weekend was filled with happy moments.

Sunshine For Your Day

Sunshine & blue skies greet us on this first day of October.

An early morning walk through the flower garden . . .

A favorite fall vase . . .

A bouquet of fall flowers & berries . . .

from me ~ to you.

Each sunny little flower reminding me of each of you and your sunny comments, positive thoughts and heartfelt prayers . . . each comment so individual, yet all coming together like a warm hug. The kind of hug that our blog community is exceedingly good at.

Thank you ~ so kindly.

I am happy to be able to tell you that my sister's surgery was successful. She will be in the hospital for a few more days and then will return to the rehabilitation facility to continue with her therapies.

Treasure this day ~ no matter how ordinary.

"Yesterday is history,

tomorrow is a mystery,

but today is a gift -

that is why it is called the Present."