Quote of the Week

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.  

- John Muir

Nature and it's wonder is all around us.  From the forests and valleys to the highest peaks, from the deserts to the oceans, we experience one continuous cycle of life.

Last week we celebrated Earth Day with our focus on preserving our natural resources.  Let's make every day, Earth Day!

Easter Delights

Happy Easter everyone!  This year Easter falls on April 24, or one day earlier than the latest possible date.  Because of the changing dates, Easter could nearly be considered a "floating holiday".  I mean think about it, Christmas is always December 25 no matter what day of the week it happens to be, and Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November, no matter what the date.  But Easter can be as early as March 22 and as late as April 25.  Why is that?

The calculations are a bit complex, and I confess I find it too confusing to read, absorb and spew it back for you, so here is the way one source explains it:

Easter Sunday is the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon (PFM) date for the year. In June 325 A.D. astronomers approximated astronomical full moon dates for the Christian church, calling them Ecclesiastical Full Moon (EFM) dates. From 326 A.D. the PFM date has always been the EFM date after March 20 (which was the equinox date in 325 A.D.).*

Aside from the date-related confusion, Easter brings many traditions, some religious, some cultural and some just for kids.  Here are some of the things you see around Easter.


Easter Eggs.  The egg, the pagan symbol of rebirth, was adopted by Christians as the symbol of Jesus' resurrection.  Today, a popular Easter activity is an Easter Egg hunt. Here's a tip for boiling all those eggs.

As with most holidays, there is one or more foods associated with it.  First is a tasty treat called Hot Cross Buns, which were allegedly small wheat cakes baked to honor Eostre, goddess of Spring.  Later, Christians substituted sweetbreads blessed by the church.

The roast lamb found on many Easter dinner tables dates back to the first Passover of the Jewish people.  People would eat the roast lamb, hoping that God's angels would pass them over, thus the term Passover.

Ham is another popular Easter entree.  In the early days before refrigeration, any fresh pork that wasn't consumed during the winter before Lent was cured, and since this process takes a while, the hams were ready just in time for Easter making them the perfect choice for Easter dinner.  

What are some of your favorite Easter traditions?

Source: http://www.gmarts.org/index.php?go=412 
Artwork from the Open Clip Art Library

Then and Now

Won't you join on a trip down memory lane?  My parents built this house over 50 years ago.  This first picture was taken prior to 1963.

Early 1960s

Note that there are two front doors.  This put some puzzled looks on the faces of people going door to door.  They would go to the first door, ring the bell and Daddy would answer, politely decline whatever they were offering and they would leave.  A couple moments later the door bell would ring again.  Imagine their surprise when Daddy opened the other door.  I guess they thought it was two separate residences, like a duplex.

The reason for the two front doors was because there was supposed to be a carport on the left, but they told the builder they wanted that as a room instead.

The tree in the front yard is a pecan and has been there well over 50 years.  Part of the neighborhood used to be a pecan orchard, and there are five trees in the yard.  The one you see here was struck by lightning, and survived.

April 2011

This bush can be seen in the first picture to the left of the front door.  It's kind of small, but it's been there ever since I can remember.  I don't know what it is, but it never loses its leaves and has white flowers and small blue berries.

50-year old bush

So how long do azaleas live?  I don't know, but these are over 50 years old.  You get the theme here.  A lot of plants and trees have come and gone over the years, and some have survived and are as beautiful as ever.  These surround another of the pecan trees.

Azaleas

One of my favorite plants in the yard is what Mom always called an old fashion snowball.  It is showing its age a bit, but still has beautiful snowballs.

Old Fashion Snowball

While my friends, Ashley and Kevin were living here, Kevin worked some of his gardening magic shown in the picture below.  This area was always grass and somewhat of a mowing challenge.

Some things have changed!

Thanks for joining me on a tour of some of the things that made home special.  Are there some special memories of your home place that you'd like to share?

Quote of the Week

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

If you want to write, write.

- Epictetus

So often self-doubt stands in our way.  If we believe ourselves not capable of a task and turn away, we will never know what we could have done.  If you want to write, paint, build a go-cart, whatever, try. 

Nursery Rhyme Redo: Little Bo Peep

 Little Bo Peep had too many sheep
And the sheriff came to impound them
He locked them away for a year and a day
And dared Bo Peep to find them

Late night produces some strange thoughts, and so this is the first installment of my rewritten nursery rhymes. 

A Green Giant

Have you ever seen

A pepper big as me

I think I must have fallen

From a giant pepper tree

I was such a handsome fellow

My picture she did take

She sat me on the scale

My weight she didn't fake

When she sliced me open
My secrets to reveal
What she saw I thought
Would surely make her squeal

Posted for One Shot Wednesday

Quote of the Week

No matter how dark the moment, 

love and hope are always possible.

- George Chakiris

Love and hope is the light that breaks through the darkness, and gives us a reason to get up each morning.

Tommy's Treat

Photo credit: Pietroizzo

Black, white and tan, it wriggles and whimpers.  Where's mama?  Mounds of squirming legs, small wet noses sniffing out breakfast.  Mama rolls over and breakfast is served.  Day after day,the furry bundles grow, skittering around, chewing everything in sight.  

Little Tommy points to the one with a black patch over one eye.  He's mine!

This was posted for Friday Flash 55.

Little Tommy finally got his puppy.

Uncivil Conflict

Photo Credit:  Jshyun

Black and white

Blue and gray

A house divided

Falls into the fray

Red and white

Stripes of freedom

Pride of many

Rejected by some

Blue and gray

Many fall

A price to high

For one and all

Light turns to dark

Death and fear

Day upon day

Year after year

Blue and gray

Black and white

All remembered

Dark turns to light

Posted for One Shot Wednesday poetry

Quote of the Week

This was taken at the Museum at the Monticello Visitor's Center

...the precept...is wise which directs us to try all things & hold fast that which is good.  - Thomas Jefferson

Do not be afraid to try new things; you never know what you may miss out on when you pass up an opportunity.  Many good things emerge through experimentation.

April Fool's Day

Recycle the cat?  You wouldn't?

Today is April Fool's day, a traditional day of jokes and pranks, ranging from simple jokes to elaborate and convoluted stories.   As a fan of NPR's "All Things Considered" my husband related this story to me back in 2005.  I think it even had him going for a minute because this is usually a serious news show.  The story that day was on the danger of exploding maple trees and they reported that the decrease in the consumption of maple syrup was a contributing factor in the increase in exploding maple trees.  Since less syrup was being made and fewer trees were being tapped for their sap, the pressure of the rising sap would build to the point the tree could no longer support it and would explode.

The story goes on to tell about a rival company in Samoa that was cutting up used maple furniture, and boiling it down to make a cheap knock-off called "table syrup".   

You can hear the live broadcast here.

I guess this just goes to show that if you hear an incredible story today, remember it's April Fool's day and take it with a grain of salt.

Wine Tasting in Charlottesville, VA

Last weekend was filled with fun, friendship, and wine tasting.  It was a nice, albeit cold, weekend in Charlottesville, VA where our group of 13 tasted our way through some really good Virginia wines.  Please join us on our journey.

We kicked off the weekend on Friday night with dinner at the Aberdeen Barn.  The food and service were excellent, and it was conveniently located near our hotel.  We were all given consecutive rooms on the same floor so our enthusiasm wouldn't disturb the other guests.  After dinner we commandeered the breakfast room to meet and discuss our plans for Saturday.  The wine and conversation flowed freely around the tables we had pushed together, and we nailed down the wineries we wanted to visit.  This was our first visit to the area, so we were fine with whatever was decided upon.

We met in the parking lot after breakfast the next morning and sorted out riding arrangements.  It was cold but sunny, and a good day to be out and about.

The first stop of the day was First Colony Winery.  The tasting room was in a beautiful setting with gorgeous trees in full bloom, and daffodils and grape hyacinth dotting the walkway.  We tasted an array of wines including an interesting Tannat which is seldom used as a stand alone, and petted the resident cat as he dozed in his chair in the sun.  We walked out of there with several bottles of their more interesting varieties.

Next it was on to Blenheim Vineyard & Winery.  They were having an event in the tasting room, so our tasting took place outside.  Yes, it was cold, but we did have a gas heater to warm our hands and/or glasses of wine.  Blenheim  has a lovely selection of wines, and we enjoyed them all thoroughly.  We picked up a couple of our favorites whites, Chardonnay and Painted White.

By this time we were beginning to feel the need for lunch, and there was a small deli just a few miles down the road.  The sandwiches were yummy, but I think we overwhelmed them, so lunch took a little longer than anticipated, and to stay on schedule, it was decided to forgo the next winery.

We soon arrived at the much-anticipated White Hall Vineyards, and it was everything it had been described to be and more.  There was a crowd around the tasting bar where the pourers were holding court.  The guy who was pouring for us was an absolute hoot, and had us all laughing.  We tasted a lot of excellent wines and made more purchases.  One of the group favorites was Edichi, a sweet dessert wine with flavors of plum, walnut, and raspberry with a rum raisin finish.

Just when you think it can't get any better, we made our way to Veritas Winery & Vineyard just before they closed.  This was our first seated tasting, and we were divided between two tables.  We tasted six wines, which were all excellent, and guess what?  Yep, we bought more wine.  My favorite here was a sparkling wine called Scintilla, made from Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay grapes.

That brought an end to our tasting adventures, and we headed back to the hotel to regroup for dinner.

Sunday morning we awoke to an inch of fresh snow, and thus there was a snowball fight in the parking lot as we loaded the cars.

It was a wonderful weekend.  We ate, we drank, we bonded in ways that simply meeting for a couple hours once a month can't accomplish.  I am looking forward to more such getaways.

Quote of the Week

When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice.  

- William James

When I hear someone say, "I had to do it, I had no choice", I think no, that's not true.  You made a decision based on what you felt strongly about one way or the other.

Even when you think there is only one choice, there are two.  To act or not to act.  You could have chosen not to act and deal with the consequences, but you just felt like to do otherwise wasn't an option.

So, if we are faced with a difficult decision, we make the best one we can based on what we know.  We may feel that it's our only choice, but in reality it's the only choice we feel we can reasonably make.

Now That's Red

With Spring comes all the yard cleanup from Winter, because quite frankly I don't go outside in cold weather to keep up with it.  That's not to say that I hibernate, I just don't go hang out in the yard.  Mother Nature's winds, rain and other foul weather managed to bring down more dead sticks than you could...well...shake a stick at.  Between that and last year's garden debris, and leaves that never made it to the street for collection, I've been busy.

Since we live in the city, we are provided with yard waste collection carts, and when I say provided I mean we pay for the carts, and pay for the city to empty them each week.  The yard waste used to be collected for free (after purchase of the cart) from Spring through Fall.  That was then... now they collect them every week for a yearly fee.

Anyway, we have a total of three carts, one at our place and two at my parents' house which I still have and maintain.  Over the last two weeks I have filled all three, emptied them twice and they are full again for next week.

We have another cleanup issue.  At the corner of our property, well technically it is on the lot next door, there is a Locust tree.  Now this Locust tree is stately and full of character...that is until it drops it's seed pods.  If these were edible, we'd be in tall cotton.  However, they have a sort of leathery texture, turn dark brown,  and are upwards of 12 inches long.  They don't rake well and you can't blow them.  There's not much to be done but pick them up.  This is a big tree and nature blesses it well in the area of  "go forth and bear fruit".  Little Locusts pop up everywhere all summer.  There is one bright spot in that it only bears the pods every other year.  Odd isn't it?

Anyway that is what I've been doing this week, and why the only thing I have to offer is this rambling and a pretty tulip I snapped a picture of this week.  

Ta ta, 'tis off to have fun this weekend!  Enjoy!

The Stockpile Advantage

Stockpiling...I guess it kind of runs in the family...remember the toilet paper in the bookcase?  A little organizational skill and a second refrigerator go a long way toward keeping up with the every day supply and demand.  

Here's part of my stash.

Last Friday Cardiogirl shared her intense feeling of gloaming (think gloom) over possibly running out of some of their morning staples.  Imagine her relief at finding her backups.

I know the panic of running out of something you depend on every day!  That is why I have my stash of everything from food items, to paper goods and laundry supplies.

Having a stash doesn't have to break the budget either.  I shop at both Costco and grocery store sales, and I use coupons at both.  Good money-saving strategies add even more value to your stockpile.

So, do you stockpile, and if so, what's in your stash?

Quote of the Week

Rosie, Sophie and Dood - working hard.

Good for the body is the work of the body, good for the soul the work of the soul, and good for either the work of the other.  - Henry David Thoreau

Physical work strengthens the body; work from within strengthens the soul, and work, whether of the body or soul, benefits both body and soul.

Friday Fun

It's time for Friday Flash 55
It makes the weekend come alive
And makes the G-man so proud
That he shouts out loud

So now we pull out all the stops
And whether it flies or it flops
Be it timid, outrageous or bold
Our story in 55 words we've told

Ready, set, GO!  It's your turn.

Written for Friday Flash 55.

Going Green?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, or St. Paddy's Day as many call it.  It is a day of celebration, drinking, feasting, and coloring things green...water, beer, etc.  Digging into the archives, here is a post I wrote last year to take a deeper look at St. Patrick's Day, who St. Patrick was, and why we celebrate his life.  

While it will be a day filled with festivities and celebration among those of Irish descent, and those who just like any excuse to party, for Japan it is a different story.  In the wake of the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami, many have lost loved ones, are homeless, cold, hungry and scared. 

So, while we celebrate with our friends and families, let's stop for a moment and consider the suffering of our fellow humans. 

On a lighter note, anyone having or going to a party?

If you wish to help, there are a number of ways to donate such as through the Red Cross, and Second Harvest Japan, a food bank.  However, if you choose to donate, please select your charitable organization carefully.  Tragedy not only brings out those willing to help, but the unscrupulous as well.

Quote of the Week

Photo Credit:  Jannie Funster

This picture was taken by my friend, Jannie Funster, a fellow blogger.  I thought it would be a perfect fit for my Quote of the Week, so I asked permission to use her photo.

In case it's hard to read in the picture, here is the text.

Peace.  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.  - unknown

Peace is not where you are or what is going on around you, and it isn't in your mind, peace is a state of the heart.  When you have achieved this, you can be at peace anywhere.

The Faces of Spring

This started out to be a post on Spring and the different faces it presents.  I was about to state that Spring arrives every year on March 20, but decided I should check my facts.  What I found out was that March 20 has not always the definitive beginning of Spring.  Traditionally March 21 was hailed as the first day of Spring, but in recent years that became the exception rather than the rule. 

The vernal equinox landed on March 21, only 36 out of 100 years. And from 1981 to 2102, Americans will celebrate the first day of spring no later than March 20.

In the years 2008 and 2012, those living in Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones will see spring begin even earlier: on March 19. And in 2016, it will start on March 19 for the entire United States.*

Crocus, one of Spring's pretty faces.

Simplified, some reasons for this include the fact that a year is not made up of an even number of days, nor are the seasons.  Also contributing is the fact that the earth's elliptical orbit is changing relative to the sun.

Spring's face can also be fierce.

Another interesting seasonal fact is that Spring and Summer total more days combined than Fall and Winter, but actually Summer and Fall are gaining ground each year.  Spring is losing one minute and Winter is losing one-half minute per year, respectively.  Summer is gaining the minute lost from Spring and Fall is gaining Winter's half minute.

In many parts of the world, Spring's faces are in evidence before the calendar date, and in addition to the pretty flowers and trees and milder temperatures, she is also unpredictable, unleashing drenching rains and violent storms. So go forth and experience all the faces of Spring.

*Reference:  http://www.space.com/881-date-changed-start-spring.html