Celebrating Summer

Peaches.

Peach ice cream.

Pies in jars.  Kids and grandkids.  Holidays to celebrate.  What's better than that?

Oh June

"How did it get so late so soon?"

Dr. Seuss

Where have you gone sweet June?  Can it be nearly over?  I had much to do.  Got some of it done, but not nearly enough.  July will be too hot to do anything outside, but I'll spend much of it canning and freezing the garden's bounty.

"It was June, and the world smelled of roses.  The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside."

Maud Hart Lovelace

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."

Gertrude Jekyll

Twee

Writer's write for the love of language.  Well, I did anyway.  I keep seeing a word popping up I was unfamiliar with.  You know, one of those au courant words, like bespoke - overused and a little tiresome.  Anyway, I looked up twee.  I was even shocked it was in my tattered 1970's version of Webster's, (notice the twee little flowers I found pressed in my dictionary).

Twee, an adjective, means childish, clever, dainty, elegant, cute or sweet. Yet, I am seeing it used not only as an adjective, but as a proper noun and even plural.  

Twees, it seems, like thrift store cardigans, cats, Ira Glass of NPR fame.  Portlandia is uber twee, and how about the greatest post war existentialist, Charlie Brown of Peanuts fame.  

Twees are diarists and tend to form attachments to their beloved records, books and even movies.  An iconic band, Neutral Milk Hotel is twee and Zooey Deschanel is supposedly the Oprah of Twee.  So, I surmise Twees are the new nerds.  Guess we are all a little Twee.

It all leaves me scratching my head. Twee - tweeer - tweeest? Twee - twang - twung? 

My summation - huh?

Never Say Never

Never again!  I swear if I ever even think about stripping a piece of furniture, I'm going to remember this chair and ottoman.   I've stripped furniture before and each time I tell myself I'll never do it again.  

This chair is large and so comfortable.  It was painted with layers of silver, gold and bronze with some kind of horrible faux finish.  The material was a white chenille kind of fabric.  I thought I'd just paint it a different color, but couldn't think of one.  Sooooooooo, I decided it wouldn't take that much to strip.  I did not count on all the different surfaces, but two and a half weeks later, I found a light maple underneath the paint. 

I should have just painted it a lacquered finish, but it turned out fine, though I am already wishing I had used a different fabric. I did my best, but never again!

Crafting With Cat Hair

My husband told my children the time has come to put me in a home.  He thinks I am certifiable; was aghast at this purchase.  I didn't write it.  I told him rabbit fur, llama, sheep and on an on...  Now, I don't agree with him and thought this was a splendid idea when I ordered this book.  What could be sweeter than having a tangible memory of your beloved pet? 

A felting needle and felting block were all I had to buy.  There are the cutest crafts in this book.  I just wish my weenies hair was longer than an eyelash.

And, just because, I smile every time I pass this large bag filled with middle daughter's birthday gifts.  I wish I had a monkey.

Merry May

How has the merry month of May passed so quickly?  Perhaps it was all the chores outside preparing the garden beds, planting and cleaning up.  So much to do that there is little time to enjoy anything else.  Don't know the answer for that or maybe I do.  Hire a couple of gardeners or let it grow wild.  I know that answer to that.  I'll be crawling about the gardens before it's over.

"I found a strawberry blossom in a rock.  I uprooted it rashly and felt as if I had been committing an outrage, so I planted it again."   Dorothy Wordsworth

So me.

My New Bike

Got a new bike for Mother's Day.  Hope it will tear across the fields as I fear the main road at the end of the driveway may prove the death of me.  With cars whizzing by at 50 plus miles an hour, I dare not.

I am going to have my husband shoot a video of me trying some tricks on it to text to the kids and grandkids.  It ought to be funny - or not.  As long as I don't hit my head I'll be good to go.

Buddha's Hand

Well, I am tickled pink. This year is my first crop of Buddha's Hand.  

The oldest known citrus, (3000 years old) Buddha's Hand, has hardly any pulp and is mostly used candied.  Oh, does this plant smell wonderful.  Won't you please help me with tips on how to use candied citron?  Don't like fruitcake and hard pressed to come up with anything with candied fruit. Guess I could just eat it candied from the jar.

Paper Wallet

Isn't it funny how some things stay with you?  Around 20 plus years ago, I saw this young boy of about 10-12 years old.  He was standing in front of those coin machines that send a plastic ball with a toy inside for a quarter or so.  He pulled out a school lined paper wallet that he'd obviously made himself.  I found that so touching.

This pre-teen child was so cute.  He was morbidly obese for his age and his striped tee shirt rolled up over his tummy, but he didn't seem to mind; wasn't tugging at it or trying to pull it down.  He was very intent on counting his money to see how 'much' that little toy would cost him.  

I hope he grew up happy.  I hope he had enough money to afford a good life.  I hope he wasn't teased too much.  I hope he found love and is loved.

A Mother's Hands

I have this little tableau in the guest bedroom.  Little homemade dresses, costumes and such, made by  mothers of long ago.  The pink plaid flannel dress was one of several from the same material, but in different sizes.  It is the oldest.  The white cotton tissue thin dress with embroidered roses was going to go on my scarecrow but I just couldn't.  The little fringed velvet dance costume would probably fit a two year old.  It is precious.  I can't sew a straight line, but appreciate the time and love that went into them.  

Happiest day to all mothers out there.

Keep Out

I hesitate to show you my signage, but what the heck. I admit I'm eccentric; don't suffer fools gladly.  

At the entrance to our driveway (a quarter mile long that ends at our house) there is a POSTED, KEEP OUT sign.  A little farther, a no trespassing, hunting nor fishing sign. Most of our driveway is lined with trees and you can't see the house from the main road.  Even so, can you believe, all kinds of people (mostly the unsavory kind) drive up our driveway.  What?  Would you do that out in the country?

Here is what I did with the Halloween skeleton.

Still they come.  And, my little ankle biter, Sister, really does bite sometimes.

So down the fence row I made these signs, like a roadside attraction.

And still they come.  Not the kindly hard working farmers of olden days, but meth heads, hillbillies, those of the criminal ilk who've never worked a day in their life. If you've seen the movie, Winter's Bone, it could have been filmed around here. 

My Peaceable Hill Farm is my paradise.  It is my haven, my sanctuary from a cold, hard world.  I am very selective/protective of my farm and home and don't abide the uninvited.

It was meant to be tongue in cheek.

(But, I really kind of mean it).

Gardeneer

Found this Gardeneer at the flea market this weekend.  At only $20.00, I figured I would get at least that much enjoyment from it.  Must be from the 30's or 40's.  Doesn't take much to make me happy.

Through the Wormhole- Tracking Souls to the Afterlife

I thought this video might be more succinct and shorter than the one on the previous post.  Morgan Freeman narrates and Dr. Hameroff discusses the soul and what happens after near-death experiences or dying.

TEDx Brussels 2010 - Stuart Hameroff - Do we have a quantum Soul?

My soul to take redux.  Okay.  I find this infinitely fascinating. But, bear with me yet again.  

Dr. Stuart Hameroff is an anesthesiologist who has studied and watched thousands of patients drift off somewhere when put to sleep during surgery.  He saw death and near-death experiences frequently.

Dr. S posits a theory he derived, the Orch-OR theory of consciousness, by which he contends could solve the mystery of what happens to our souls in near-death experiences or at death. This is absolutely incredible.

Many moons ago, I came up with a theory of Donnativity.  My kids thought it hysterical.  It was my theory of interconnectedness/ akin to a spider web.  Problem is, now I can't remember it.  Poor aging brain of mine.

My Soul To Take

21 grams.  That is what our soul weighs.  I kid you not.  But, doubters, don't take my word for it.

  I'll try to condense this down as I like to write my blog in the form of a short story instead 

of a novel.  Bear with me as this is about the things we can't see or quantify.  Until 1901, that is.

Dr. Duncan MacDougall sought to measure mass lost by a human body at death.  In his quest to prove his hypothesis that the soul had mass when it departed the body, he took into account body fluids, weights, air, etc. He measured patients he knew were dying on an industrial scale, which was reported to be sensitive to 2 tenths of an ounce.  On nearly all of the patients, when they took their last breath,  the weight loss was the same.  21 grams.  

Be that as it may, his colleagues said they couldn't replicate his studies, and therefore, found his experiments unscientific.  Now, that might have been the end of the story, until a modern day anesthetist used quantum physics to study what happens with consciousness, proto-consciousness and the rest of the story will come in the next post.

Home

I wrote down the piece at the bottom of the post years ago and found it in a stack of yet more paper.  

My Mom died when she was 40; our family died that day too as did our 'home'.  My youngest brother, 3 at the time and 13 years younger than me, hasn't contacted us in 3 or 4 years.  Todd had a terrible life after Mom died.  Last I heard he was in jail for meth.  My sister and I finally gave up on him - didn't stop loving him.  If you've gone down that road you'll understand.

Very sad.  But, this piece (not of my own writing) is for all the lost; not only like Todd, but those who have lost lives and/or loved ones, those whom long for home...  I don't even know why I'm telling this as I am usually very private about my life. The following is really beautiful.   

"Home is not simply a mark upon a map any more than a river is just water.

It is the place at the center of the compass 

from which every arrow radiates and where the heart is fixed.

It is a force that forever draws us back; shores us up.

For where the home is, there lies hope, and the future waits

and everything is possible."

Tattoo You

"The times they are a changin'".  Think that was from Bob Dylan, but can't remember.  Hmm, wonder why... Anyway, this is one of my middle daughters' back tatts.  One.  

When I was growing up, tattoos were bad - only worn by soldiers returning from war; usually of naked women, and also by thugs (my kids say, "what's a thug").  

In my day, no one would have even considered a tattoo nor bankruptcy and I only knew of two friends whose parents got divorced.  If a girl got pregnant, she was spirited away to a home for unwed mothers. 

My dad wouldn't speak to me after I got my ears pierced so I can't imagine if I'd have pierced an eyebrow, nose, nipple or tongue.  I draw the line at piercings, so kids you better hide them well or run.  I might just have to yank it off if I see one.  

It is amazing how much things have changed.  Our culture seemed so much more civilized back then. Maybe it was just naivete or innocence.  No one would dream of talking back to a teacher, nor be disrespectful to their elders. We wore hats and gloves to church!  Some things better left in the past.

Societal mores aside, all three of my children have tattoos.  They won't listen when I tell them they'll get Hep C or HIV.  I tell them, no more tatts, but they continue.  I think it must be addictive as I see no end in sight. Oh well.  At least they are good kids, never been arrested, college educated and have good jobs.  I'd like to find someone to paint faux tatts all over me to give them a real shock.  Maybe even a teardrop by my eye.  I'll show them thug.

Dog Fishing

My dogs have decided that the most fun thing in their world is to go fishing.  Sister, the red weenie, wouldn't dream of touching her toe outside if there is a raindrop on the ground.  Yet, the lure of fishing makes her abandon all of her inhibitions.  The girls go crazy; howling and barking; they really flip out.

From the time the lure or worm is cast, they fly into the pond; try to swim out to catch the cork monster.  And, they have been hooked too.

Sister is coming back with her fish while Emmy...

guards her catch.

Finally, Sister has a good roll in fish stink.

I love my weenies so.  They are like my children.  I cannot imagine life without them.  My middle daughter once posted a pic of Emmy on facebook and said, "This is my sister.  Mom loves her more."

Here is a poem from Edna St.Vincent Millay that I love.

"Parrots, tortoises and redwoods live a longer life than men do;

Men, a longer life than dogs do;

Dogs, a longer life than love does."

What might the future hold? Predictions at TED, 1984-2014

If you haven't already, go visit the TED website.  It is the best thing about the internet.  Top minds in all fields demonstrate and speak on such profound topics.  

While growing up, what things did you hope to see come to fruition one day?  I wanted to see people's faces displayed on phones.  Check.  Flying cars like the Jetson's.  Not yet affordable for me, but for some of you perhaps. Check.  Lastly, I want to see the discovery of extraterrestrials amongst us. 

Watch this short film about past and future discoveries, but go to TED for the rest of the story.  So thought provoking and wonderful.

Just Thinking

"As I grow older,

I pay less attention

to what men say.

I just watch what

they do."

Andrew Carnegie


Photo taken by me from the rear of the Rodin Museum in Paris

Spring Sprang Sprung

Spring is coming along nicely at the farm.  Things are greening up; I love the chartreuse.

Little Red is about to fly up on my shoulder.  She likes me, but really just wants me to feed her. The way she looks into my glasses always makes me think she wants to peck that little black dot out of my eye.  She must see her reflection or she really does want to peck that speck out of my eye.  Baby chicks do that.

Babies are hatching around here.  I did buy some new baby Turkens and Auracanas, but hens are sneaky and hide eggs that later hatch.  At least Mom can take care of them instead of me.  The turkeys are laying.  I almost hope they don't hatch.  Two are more than enough. 

Gracie wonders what in the heck I'm doing, but really just wants an apple or a carrot. 

It is time to trim all the avian boxwoods.  There is so much to do I really don't know where to start, but it's SPRING!

Game of Thrones

Still having withdrawals from the best show ever - BREAKING BAD.  I am not going to get over that it is over for some time.  Be that as it may, another show that I like is returning this Sunday - GAME OF THRONES.  I do hope it helps me get over the fact that Breaking Bad is no more.  

I haven't read the books, but my favorite character so far is Brienne of Tarth.  She is noble, tough and I am not sure why she is my favorite character.  Just hope they don't kill her off like everyone else.

Here she is last season fighting a bear bare handed. Her tormentors put her in this dress as she's usually in a full suit of armor; would never be clothed thusly. 

CALL THE MIDWIFE is back too, along with some of my other shows.  For someone who used to never watch television except for PBS, I sure am watching a lot these days; my kids know not to call during Mom's programs.

Quotes

"Do not wish to be anything

but what you are, 

and try to be

that perfectly."

St. Francis De Sales

My kids heard me repeat quotations over and over as they grew, sometimes for inspiration, sometimes to motivate and once in a while to admonish.  At times they would even question these tidbits and I would tell them that I didn't write them nor make them up.  As they got older, I even used some more timely phrases like, "Uh oh, there's big trouble in little China," or "don't cry for me Argentina," when it was appropriate.  

I've heard them repeat some of them as grown-ups, and it makes me smile.

Fossils

This is the worst job I have to do every spring - dread cleaning out the goldfish pond.  While still too cold to climb into the foulest, stinkiest water you've ever seen, I am trying to clean it out with a swimming pool net and pole.  I will have to get in soon though, before the snakes come out of hibernation. Be that as it may, it doesn't take long before my mind begins to wander to the fossils I have placed around the pond. 

Oklahoma used to be covered by an ocean, which mildly disturbs me, but because of said ocean, I find many fossils in limestone around here.  I've said give me a fossil over diamonds and watches, jewelry that I do not wear (though I do love a Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra necklace in turquoise).   Above is a fern leaf and shell creature encased in limestone.

A tree trunk millions of years old.  Guess it grew when the ocean receded or inundation. 

Don't know what the heck this is, but perhaps a tubeworm of some kind.

My favorite though is this fish or sea serpent.  The head is on the right and the rest of the fossil curves up to the top of the rock.  Notice all the bones and plant life scattered around.  

Well, I better get back to the pond scum.  At least I found something to break up the chore.

It's Spring

It's spring alright.  How do I know?  I'm digging through cabinets and drawers.  Thirty years of detritus and all sorts of things.  Rubber bands, receipts and files from too long ago have filtered down to the bottom of cubbies and piles of paper are being purged.  As I dig I wonder, why did I save these old rubber bands, clips, ink pens that no longer work and stacks of papers?  

To tell the truth, I am somewhat of a magpie by nature, but much of this is ridiculous.  Saving things on the chance that they might be needed someday only adds to clutter.  

Like a slip of paper I have saved for years.  It has Phi 1.618 written on it.  Below is the sign for Phi.

Phi, pronounced like fly, was discovered by Fibonacci and is the solution to a quadratic equation (math was my worst subject in school so I know I didn't save this for the math).  Phi is also known as the Divine Proportion, The Golden Mean, or the Divine Ratio.  So, how does it effect us?  Well, Phi is the proportions of the human body as well as animals, plants, DNA, the solar system, art and architecture, music and even theology. Phi unwinds the chambers of a nautilus and the spiral of a galaxy, arranges seeds in the head of a sunflower. So how does Phi 'figure' into my spring cleaning?  Well, I guess it seemed interesting at the time, but out it goes.  

UPDATE ~ I found another slip of paper from a magazine article which is why I copied Phi down in the first place.  Susan Dell (yes, that Dell) started a clothing company in the 1990's (that's how long I have held on to these scraps of paper) and she named it Phi, after the divine proportion.  So, nothing profound or life changing.  Just a bit of minutia that interested me at the time.  Finally throwing them out.  But, oh no.  Wait, here is a third scrap.  I must have really been impressed.  Seems that Phi is the principle on what Leonardo da Vinci based his illustration of The Vitruvian Man. I could go on but I think I've probably lost most of you by now.  So, nuff said about Phi, but isn't it beautiful ~ like spring?