an entertaining outing

Today we drove the 7 mile or so into town, despite the accumulation of another few inches of snow on top of the foot that had already fallen. We’re kinda crazy that way…at times, especially Coop who loves to drive in the snow.

After taking care of errands, we definitely needed to put some petrol into the old car before heading back to the country. We were fortunate to find that one station had it for $2.89 a gallon. Everyone else was priced at $3.05 or above. So, despite the line, we pulled in and were able to zip into an open bay because our gas tank was on the appropriate side. (Thank you universe!) As I waited in the car, I watched in amusement, as we citizens came and went, feeding that great machine created by the oil industry and capitalism. Two isles over a woman sat in her car, waiting, waiting, waiting to pull forward just one space to the pump. However, everyone else lined up at that pump was facing her. After the third car pulled up, with her (woman A) still waiting her turn, she stepped out of her car and confronted woman B who was at the pump. I heard woman A explain to woman B that she had been waiting a very long time and it certainly was her turn. Woman B explained she had been waiting a long time, also, then add sarcastically, “I’m here, what can I do about it now?” Woman A replied, “I was waiting when you pulled in, you could back up”, to which woman B replied, ‘it’s too late. I already slid my card.” Woman A got back into her car and turned as she did, saying, “you’re a bitch’, to which woman B said very defensively, “I am NOT a bitch.”

I’m thinking to myself that this may progress further, but can’t help but chuckle inside at the ridiculousness of the situation. Luckily it didn’t progress. I was left thinking that if everyone weren’t in such a hurry or so self centered, they might be a little more considerate of the next person. What a fine example of our values!

So…of we go with one more stop before getting home. We needed to pick up milk, butter and eggs from Sam and Fanny’s house, providing we could get in their driveway. It had been cleared enough to allow safe passage, so we were able to get in. As we came up the drive, we saw Sam out with his team of two horses with a sled rigged up, trying to herd four half grown calves back to the barn. Coop offered a hand of course, but Sam said he had it taken care of, so Coop proceeded into the milk house to get our jugs filled. I watched Sam take his team around in circles a few times to head the cows around in the right direction. All the while Sam was shouting in German and making a weird sound and throwing snow balls at the cows when they veered off in the wrong direction. It was terribly entertaining and quite funny to see.

Suffice it to say, the necessary brief trip out today made for some unexpected entertainment in the least expected places. I have to say, also, that I just love how Sam and Fanny deal with things. Sam could have gotten all p***** off over the cows, but he didn’t. He jut did what needed done to get them back to the barn. When he was done, he went on with other things. He took it all in stride as just part of the day.

I often see the difference between the behavior of these simple people and mainstream society. If you’re exposed to both, you can’t miss it. The Amish I’ve met are not pretentious at all, but very humble, polite people, lacking the over inflated egos seen so often in society. We could learn a lot from them in so very many ways.

for your consideration

My daughter and I have a grocery exchange thingy going on. Because she has to make the 80 mile trip up every other weekend for my granddaughter’s scheduled visitation with her dad, we manage to make the trip more functional. Since she has a Whole Foods Market close by and I don’t and since I have Amish nearby and she doesn’t, we both are able to have access to the items we want and normally wouldn’t be able to get. I provide her with homemade butter, raw milk and free range eggs for instance, from the Amish. She brings me fair trade coffee, nuts, and necessary bulk items. It’s all good!

I think it wound be a wise practice for all of us to consider our neighbors and friends when we are making a trip somewhere. You know, just a quick call to a person to see if they need anything while you are out. Say I’m going to town for whatever reason. How hard would it be for me to call my neighbor and say, “Hey, can I pick up anything for you while I’m out?”

If we all did this, not only would it lessen the carbon footprint, but it would be doing a simple, thoughtful act for another...rippling out a little positive energy into the universe. It’s win-win any way you look at it. Now I imagine there are those who might not want to bother with this because they think they don’t have the time. Truth is, we need to stop all that hustle and bustle BS and just slow ourselves down a bit anyhow, so consider that just one more reason to start practicing this little act. It’s good for the planet, good for connecting with our neighbors, good practice for thinking outside our selves and just plain good for the soul, no matter how you slice it. :)

garden talk-the growing challenge

Fresh, ripe, juicy tomatoes are just about my favorite thing from the garden. For big, luscious slicing tomatoes to eat fresh I love Brandywine the best. Who doesn’t? They have the old fashioned flavor I remember from childhood. Rarely a summer meal is served without a plate full of Brandywine slices or wedges being set on the table.

This spring I will be trying a couple new varieties from rareseeds. I thought it would be fun to grow some truly unique tomatoes. For instance White Tomesol and Green Sausage.

Another summer favorite of ours is squash. This spring’s newest addition to the garden in the summer squash realm will be Lemon Squash, a the shape, size and color of, you guessed, a lemon!

Last season we raised Swiss chard and beets. This year I’ve decided instead of taking up garden space planting chard I will add more rows of beets. Beets serve a duel purpose. Not only do we get to eat the root, (yum!) but the tops are just as tasty as chard. I really can’t tell much, if any difference, which makes sense as chard is a member of the beet family.

That’s my weekly post in relation to the growing challenge. More garden talk to come in the weeks ahead.

oh my goddess!

Meet the girls I have been working with. The two items in front, "Gaia in Repose" and the pendant were made a few years ago. I just recently decided to glaze them. The "Daughter of the Moon" plaque is a very recent creation, my first attempt at getting back into practice playing with the clay.

I used to make a lot of sculpted beings I called "metamorphs". They were figures that depicted aspects of the human spirit. I was often commissioned for special orders which were accomplished by using my intuitive abilities to tap into the customers spirit. It was a meditative process with very accurate results. Every commissioned piece was a no obligation, no money up front deal to reassure the customer and to protect me just in case my intuition was way off. The amazing thing is, it never was. Everyone was happy. Each metamorph would come with an exclusive poem I wrote to resonate with the spirit of the piece. Sometimes the poem came first, sometimes the sculpture. Each one was unique and significant. Many were done on a stone base and some had crystals or stones added for their significance. For a few years metamorphs were sent all over the country as well as places like Japan and England.

But then life changed, we moved and I was ill for some time after which my life got busy in the business of moving again and the...again. I just never got back to working with the clay much. In that time I got interested in jewelry making and proceeded with that. But every now and then the spirit of the metamorphs would whisper in my ear and I would think about getting back to them. Whether I dive back in completely or not is still in question, but for now I'm at least dabbling.

So, since I'm on the subject I thought I'd share a few pieces from the past.

Hide n Seek resides in Minnesota and was about how we often
are searching outside ourselves for meaning when we do wiser to look within.

Integration resides in Florida and is pretty self explanatory...about balance, peace,love.









to the left Peace Guy, who, as of now belongs to me.

Below is Sleeping Beauty, about self love and recognition and awakening that spirit within yourself. She resides in Maryland.




I would have liked to have shared a few more, but being they were taken with an old mavica, some just showed up far too choppy.

Anyhow, now you know what a metamorph is. :)

from my kitchen window

This is what we are privy to view on a regular basis here. As a habit it seems I’m often encumbered by Coop’s presence at my sink when I am trying to cook or clean up the kitchen. But then, I often find myself standing there alongside him, appreciating the view.

The Growing Challenge

I came across elements in time the other night and decided to take the growing challenge. The rules are simple; you must grow one additional type of fruit or vegetable than you did last year, and grow it from seed and you must blog about gardening once each week. I figure that's not much of an obligation as my seeds are ordered and I'll be planting all kinds of new things this year, and like last year I'm bound to talk about it here on a regular basis. The main thing is the benefit tome and my garden. I think it may encourage me to be more conscious of my garden...to take more notice in the day to day changes occurring there. I figure anything that encourages one to be more conscious and to prioritize what matters is a positive.

My seed purchase this year was entirely heirloom. The only old familiar standbys I ordered were Brandywine tomatoes and zucchini. I can't wait to get them and look through all the packets of potential. I am anxious for Spring...aren't we all who relish the thought of getting their hands in the earth? It won't be terribly long until I will be gathering my seed starting pots from the shed and setting my table and light up to begin the process.

Here's a look back at last years gardening efforts.

Old CDs and a string fence worked to help discourage the deer.

Can you say peppers?

a variety

give peace a chance ☺

Just some things I've been playing round with. The heart shaped pendant has red jasper and various wood beads. The earrings are tiny glass beads.


And here I had to try one made with some big wood beads. Not a great picture but you get the idea.