a spirit of simplicity

  His love for his mother came first but his love for his baby sister runs a pretty close second. Joe and I walked to a restaurant around the corner on Friday night. The set up for outdoor dining was so beautiful I had to take a picture of it. My daughter and son-in-law have 4 or 5 old apple trees on their property which produce a fairly large number of apples of a few different varieties.  Abby was inviting me to join them on the bench under under one of the trees. Which, of course, I did. Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me, anyone else but me, anyone else but me... They also have this old and stately weeping pine tree. It’s absolutely beautiful.  I don’t know the name proper name of it but I am absolutely in love with that tree.  One evening Joe and I walked for a bit just at dusk and on the way home we noticed the moon shining in the night sky over the harbour and just beyond the boat yard. You can see the sailboat in for the season on the left, the building on t

  Verne jumps into fall. Our world Tuesday    Pictorial Tuesday .  Image-in-ing   Nature notes Community Global   Wordless Wednesday .  My corner of the world

  The good My daughter, Bonnie, lives next door to 3 horses!  They really are beautiful. The fun Swinging! It doesn’t get much more fun than that. The random I glanced down at my butter and honey slathered cornbread yesterday morning... And it looked as if someone was looking back at me.  The good, the fun, the random

Pie apples Bonnie has 4 old apple trees in the side yard. Two red and one green. She sent me home with a bagful  So I made pie. Joe likes apple crisp... But I was longing for pie. Here is the Apple Crisp recipe that we have used since I was a little girl. It was published in a New York Times cookbook many, many years ago. 6 tart apples  1 cup of sugar 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp lemon juice 3/4 cup sifted flour 1/8 tsp salt 6 TBSP butter 1/4 cup chopped nuts Whipped cream or ice cream 1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2). Peel, core and slice apples into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the spices, and the lemon juice. Mix lightly and pour into a buttered casserole. 3). Blend the remaining sugar, flour, salt and butter to a crumbly consistency. Add the nuts and sprinkle over the top of the apples. Bake 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender sun the crust is nicely browned. Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream. Now....here are the changes that I make. I always use macInto

      t A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. A glad heart makes a cheerful face. Proverbs 15:13 ~ I’ve always loved this verse in Proverbs.  It says almost the same thing in 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. ~ God isn’t really giving us much instruction here is he? He’s just giving us some useful information and leaving the choice to us. He doesn’t say that there won’t be times when we are sorrowful, dried up, or crushed. He simply gives us a comparison and the free will to make our own choices. I choose a glad heart, a joyful heart, a merry heart.  I acknowledge the sorrows in my life but I choose not to dwell on them. Rather, to hand them over to God who knows how to deal with them better than I ever could.  And when I do that, when I realize and remember that God loves me enough To take care of my troubles... My heart is so full of joy that there is not room for anything else.  I d

  My mum and I stayed at my sister’s house on Friday night. My brother-in-law put this friendly skeleton in the bed I would be sleeping in!  I went to pull the covers down and he was all laid out on the pillow! I transferred him to a chair in the dining room before I went to sleep. ~ My favourite season is here again. I love the Autumn.  I picked up an apple, cinnamon, cider scented candle the other day. We’ve had it lit all week and the house smells so cozy. ~ Joe brings home bags of apples from the market and wonders if I might like to make an apple crisp. Later in the afternoon he asks if I would like him to cut up some apples. So, of course, I make another apple crisp which we eat right up and limp along until  Joe brings home another bag of apples.  ~ I went to the funeral Mass for my uncle Jack over the weekend. It was nice to see all of my cousins and to celebrate the life of such a fine man. He had the Desiderata on his desk his entire life.  And, he lived it. We the fairies bl

  Last weekend I went to the funeral services of my Uncle Jack. We don’t get together as an extended family very often anymore...even more so because of COVID. The older generation has passed away already and those that are left just can’t drive like they used to. So when we have occasion to be together it reminds me of how very thankful I am to have been able to grow up with such a kind and loving family.  My Uncle Jack was first generation Irish American. He went to Mass every single day but would never have mentioned it to anyone.  The only way you would have known that he was a deeply spiritual man was by the way he lived his life. My cousin told me that he once asked his dad why he went to church so much and my Uncle replied, “for all of you. I go to pray for you.” The Desiderata was one of his favourite writings and was on his desk his whole life.  ~ ~ ~ Little things Thursday Thankful Thursday

  1. It's fall y'all. What's something you love about this season and also something you don't?  I love the coziness that Fall brings. I love all the cooking and the earlier evenings when everyone is gathered in. I don’t love getting out of the shower in the mornings...brrrrr. 2. When you think of the colors of fall, which one is your favorite? Is there somewhere you could easily day trip to see the leaves in all their glory? Will you?  Here in New England the colours are amazing! It’s hard to think of just one fall colour. I suppose it would be the blazing orange that the maple leaves turn. We live in Massachusetts and there are plenty of places that will be particularly beautiful. We have to drive to the Berkshires next week so even though it’s an errand we will make the best of it and notice the beauty all around us.  3. What's one thing you've let 'fall' by the wayside during this season of staying home and staying away?  Healthy eating and staying i

  One of the wonderful things about working with toddlers is their attention to detail.  We took a walk out to the garden on the school campus and one of the children noticed this egg sac while searching for red tomatoes. I pointed out the webbing that the spider had spun to hold the sac onto the back of a small tomato leaf.  I suppose that was a bit over the head of your average 2 year old. They probably won’t remember much about it. But...they will remember the beauty and wonder to be found in the natural world all around them. Nature notes Our world Tuesday Pictorial Tuesday Image-in-ing My corner of the world Community Global Wordless Wednesday Wonderful Wednesday Saying yes to the hodgepodge

  Tucker likes to take his first nap of the day on our freshly made bed. He follows the sun around the house choosing his napping spots and times accordingly. His other favourite napping spot is on the top of the sofa. Sunday morning he curled up there while I was laying down reading a book. I had a fire in the wood stove, an apple scented candle burning, and a pork roast in the oven. We both ended up napping for a bit...Tucker even shared a bit of the quilt with me.  Sunday: roast pork with apples and onions Apple crisp Monday: lentil soup, fresh bread, salad Tuesday: Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, peas Wednesday: scalloped pork and sweet potatoes (leftover pork), spinach Thursday: whole cooker chicken, egg noodles, carrots Friday: braised apple cider chicken Saturday: leftovers Pumpkin pie All about home The hearth and soul Little cottage link party Vintage charm Charming homes and gardens Menu plan Monday Meal plan Monday Celebrate your story Grace at home You are invited to t

  t Do you not know that you are God’s temple  And that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, And you are that temple.  1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ~ ~ ~ Did you know that the word “you” in this instance is plural. That means that I am incredibly blessed to be God’s temple. And so are you.  And so is everyone else.  It means that each one of us has a responsibility toward our fellow man...toward God’s temple.  We must do our parts to make sure that our individual part of God’s temple is strong, and clean,  and following God’s way. But...we must also do our part to be sure that all of God’s temple is safe, and loved and cared for. My job here is to be continually looking inward and outward at my fellow man. I must also be open to reproach. Because I will slip. Perhaps I will call out for help or Perhaps I will try to hide my sins in the corner hoping they will go away...or no one will notice. Then, I hope, that someone wil

My brother and his wife drove my sister half-way home on Saturday. Her daughter, who lives close by her, met them and drove her the rest of the way home. I wish I could have joined them but I had a class all day on Saturday. I planted a few pumpkin seeds at the beginning of spring. There have been plenty of flowers but only a few little yellow pumpkins which the neighborhood rabbits have quickly gobbled up. This is the last pumpkin. It’s just a little larger than a softball and I’m going to pick it before the bunnies can get to it. I didn’t realize when I bought the seed packet that the pumpkins would be yellow.  I won’t buy that kind again. I like the orange kind the best. Call me a purist.  It’s hard to believe that it will be Autumn in just a few days!  I put the summer books away and took out a few that I leave out in the Autumn every year.  I love old books.  On Monday evening my mum hosted an end of the summer neighborhood gathering in the back yard. 

  Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10 ~ ~ ~ If each person did only these things...what a world we would live in.  We live in such a “me” society.  I hear people say things like, you cannot take care of anyone else until you take care of yourself and I disagree.  It is my belief that you cannot truly love, or honor, or care for yourself unless you have love,  honor and care for another human being. COVID has me thinking a lot about these things as we all scurry away from one another. I think COVID has made us all acutely aware of how important our connections with each other are.  Being separated from our loved ones hurts us in more ways than we can imagine.  And, I believe, absents truly does make the heart grow fonder.  What we once thought was a trait we couldn’t put up with...a deal-breaker... Suddenly becomes something we can look beyond, an eccentricity that has a quirky charm. My mum and I differ politically. A lot. I am devoted

  The squirrels have been into the sunflowers.  This beautiful mess was left on the bottom step one morning. I didn’t have the heart to sweep it away It’s so pretty It speaks to me of the cycle of life and the wonderful colours of Autumn.  Maybe it’s enough some days to get as far as your bottom step And see what the natural world has created.  ~ ~ ~ Pictorial Tuesday Image-in-ing Our world Tuesday Nature notes Community Global Wonderful Wednesday Saying yes to the hodgepodge Wordless Wednesday

My Aunts came to visit one day last week. They are the sweetest ladies ever and almost always bring a gift or two for some lucky recipient. This time they brought a beautiful old rocking chair for my grandchildren. I’ll keep it at my home for the time being and Verne and Abigail can use it when the visit. They both really like to sit in their own small chairs.  My aunts picked it up at an outdoor market. The woman told them that no one wanted this kind of stuff anymore. No one appreciates it. She overheard some one saying they would paint it silver.  YUCK! My aunts were just as happy to save the chair from that fate as I am!  I’m not sure when my love affair with old things old began.  Old books have been laying around on the tables for as long as I have had a home.  This one, The Friendly Road, was published circa 1913. It’s plot line loosely follows the seasons around an old house and the fields which surround it on a friendly road in the country. Nothing of much significance happens

t If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, And seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, And will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 ~ ~ ~ Sunday scripture blessings Scripture and a snapshot You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Beech nuts begin to drop from the giant Beech tree. One, two, three, four Can I have a little more Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten... I love you. ~ ~ ~

  Squirrels have been climbing the sunflowers in the front of the house to get to the seeds.  This one sunflower fell to the ground and Verne was so impressed with its beauty that he decided at once to bring it home to his mum.  Abigail enjoyed her piece of cake at the family celebration last weekend.  She just walked about the yard grabbing cake from various plates... And who could say no to those chocolate pudding eyes.  Abigail brought her book over for my mum to read.  I will always be grateful for this time.  Last summer my mum sold her home and moved into a first floor apartment.  The second floor became available at the same time and Joe and I moved in. My mum is 85 and my sister is fighting stage 4 colon cancer so these times are very special to us.  On Labour day my Aunts came over for a get together. We hadn’t seen them since Christmas time.  It was a wonderful treat for us all to be together and we had lots of laughs! My brother and his fiancé were planning to have a very sm

  My mum and my granddaughter.  I’m so grateful for these times together.  ~ ~ ~ Little things Thursday

 t For this very reason make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.  2 Peter 1:5-9 Even though the Bible is a very large and daunting book I often think of how succinct the verses are.  Just those five lines from 2 Peter pack quite a wallop!  One could be busy for a lifetime just trying to follow these five lines.  I find myself thinking about how these qualities seem scarce in the world today and I think about folks that do not even try to possess them.  And then my thoughts turn inward and I remember that though

  There’s something about a boy in blue-jeans bringing a flower home to his mum.  Just a bit of a partly cloudy sky which the sunflowers  have spent all summer reaching toward. Now, in early September they are bent over, heavy from their labor, and happy to allow gravity to help them drop their seed onto the ground beneath them, bounty for the little neighborhood wild life.  ~ ~ ~ Our world Tuesday Pictorial Tuesday Nature notes Image-in-ing My corner of the world Community global wonderful Wendesday Say yes to the hodgepodge Wordless Wednesday Sky watch Friday

Chrysanthemums grace Mrs. Parker’s old trunk in the living room. Crisp red apples fill an earthenware bowl in the kitchen.  Pears are ripening on the neighbor’s tree. Evenings and mornings find us reaching for lamps and sweaters.  Oh September You allow us the grace to let go of summer slowly. Beach towels drying over the backyard fence are washed and packed away. Flip-flops are tossed to the back of the closet Hoodies are zipped up and socks Once again take their place at the front of the top drawer. The sunflower field has closed for the season. Flaming orange branches on the Maples here and there Foreshadowing what the end of the month will bring us.  Hello Autumn my old best friend.  ~ ~ ~ All about home Inspire me Monday The hearth and soul Little cottage link party Vintage charm Charming homes and gardens Grace at home Celebrate your story You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

t And over all these virtues put on love, Which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:14 My brother and his fiancé were married over the weekend.  They chose to go to their very favourite spot in Vermont and have a very small ceremony. We will have a celebration for them here on Saturday.  Sunday scripture blessings Scripture and a snapshot You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Chrysanthemum are beginning to show all over town. I have a vase of them on the table in the living room. Beech nut seeds. Something about a big old Beech tree makes me want to live in a tree house. Pears are blooming as well.  It’s not quite Autumn yet but harvest season is here.  ~ ~ ~ Our world Tuesday Pictorial Tuesday Image-in-ing Nature notes My corner of the world Community global Wordless Wednesday You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  My brother married his beautiful fiancée over the weekend! They went to their favourite spot in Vermont and had a very quiet ceremony with just their good friend officiating as a Justice of the Peace.  We will have a family celebration this weekend! I am so happy for them. The weather is finally cool enough for roasting a chicken in the oven! I sliced lemon and onion and laid it down in a roasting pan. I put chunks of onion, garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs into the cavity. I sprinkled some fresh thyme and sage, some sea salt and a bit of olive oil over the top and popped it into the oven for 20 minutes per pound. Delicious! This week was prep week at the school where I work. The summer program is over and the school year hasn’t begun yet so the teachers have a week to prepare for the academic year. We’ve been busy. We’ve weeded the gardens on campus, put a dent into cleaning up the basement where we have storage, cleaned and organized the kitchen and the library among other things. We