With all the turmoil in the world, it feels like a post like this could go up every day sending prayers and loving thoughts to all those affected by tragedy.
Today, though, the thoughts and prayers are for everyone in the Oklahoma City area impacted by the day's tornado. May the survivors be found and pulled from the rubble quickly, may the healing begin for the injured, and may the hearts of those who lost loved ones and homes start to mend.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Spring
It's been long awaited. And it's finally arrived.
The signs are all around. Today is the first day that I stepped outside and didn't feel at least a bit of coolness in the air. It's actually warm -- 72 degrees right now.
Gotta wonder how that can be so when right below the current temp on Yahoo's weather app it says the high today will be 66 degrees.
With the exception of a couple of days that have been a bit cloudy here and there, we've had just about two straight weeks of sunshine. All the sun and lack of rain hasn't been good for the area's water level, but I'm sure it's brightened many a Mainer's mood after such a long winter.
In just about 10 days, the hardy hostas have already progressed nicely in their growth cycle.
All that leafy goodness will eventually serve as a salad bar of sorts for the deer with whom we share these woods. The hostas grow and cover all the ground area of the small rotary in front of the house, making a lush munching spot for our white-tailed friends.
The woodsy trees are sporting more and more green as the leaves bud and unfurl, and the flowering trees are getting more colorful.
I've been enjoying the signs as they present themselves. And now I'm off to enjoy this glorious day. Hope you get to do the same.
The signs are all around. Today is the first day that I stepped outside and didn't feel at least a bit of coolness in the air. It's actually warm -- 72 degrees right now.
Gotta wonder how that can be so when right below the current temp on Yahoo's weather app it says the high today will be 66 degrees.
With the exception of a couple of days that have been a bit cloudy here and there, we've had just about two straight weeks of sunshine. All the sun and lack of rain hasn't been good for the area's water level, but I'm sure it's brightened many a Mainer's mood after such a long winter.
In just about 10 days, the hardy hostas have already progressed nicely in their growth cycle.
 |
| From daring shoots ... |
 |
| ... to beauteous leafy blooming |
All that leafy goodness will eventually serve as a salad bar of sorts for the deer with whom we share these woods. The hostas grow and cover all the ground area of the small rotary in front of the house, making a lush munching spot for our white-tailed friends.
The woodsy trees are sporting more and more green as the leaves bud and unfurl, and the flowering trees are getting more colorful.
 |
| Part of spring's sunny palette |
I've been enjoying the signs as they present themselves. And now I'm off to enjoy this glorious day. Hope you get to do the same.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Reunion
I got a postcard in the mail today reminding me that my college class will have its 20th reunion this year.
How on earth has it been two decades since I graduated from college?
I know I'm not the first person to feel the unrelentingly quick passage of time, and I certainly won't be the last. But gersh dernit. It seems nearly impossible.
It's one of those double-edged sword things, really. I certainly have done a lot of living in the intervening years. Lived in various regions of the country. Moved a whole lot. Worked for a bunch of different companies. Met some great people. Made some enduring connections. Got married. Got divorced. Bought and released a couple of homes. Started to find my way back to my Self. Began living more authentically. Let go of a whole lot of baggage.
And much more.
So, while it's hard to believe that much time has gone by, almost in a blink or two, there is a tremendous feeling of lightness and freedom setting in now.
Anyway, as you may have noticed, I did not make it through the alphabet with blog posts during April. But I will make it through the alphabet, by golly.
This post marks one more down. Eight more to go.
How on earth has it been two decades since I graduated from college?
I know I'm not the first person to feel the unrelentingly quick passage of time, and I certainly won't be the last. But gersh dernit. It seems nearly impossible.
It's one of those double-edged sword things, really. I certainly have done a lot of living in the intervening years. Lived in various regions of the country. Moved a whole lot. Worked for a bunch of different companies. Met some great people. Made some enduring connections. Got married. Got divorced. Bought and released a couple of homes. Started to find my way back to my Self. Began living more authentically. Let go of a whole lot of baggage.
And much more.
So, while it's hard to believe that much time has gone by, almost in a blink or two, there is a tremendous feeling of lightness and freedom setting in now.
Anyway, as you may have noticed, I did not make it through the alphabet with blog posts during April. But I will make it through the alphabet, by golly.
This post marks one more down. Eight more to go.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Quiet
The peepers have gone quiet.
I guess those little male frogs have all found their mates. They were looking for them quite vociferously, judging by the racket they were making last week.
When Cliff and I were walking up the driveway one day, the boy peepers were really vocal. When we got to the marshy area a little ways away from the house, all noise stopped. They certainly knew we were there alongside them and went into stealth mode.
Now they are just quiet altogether. I don't hear them from inside the house anymore, or while we are out walking.
Best of luck to all the new frog couples and the tadpoles they are creating.
I guess those little male frogs have all found their mates. They were looking for them quite vociferously, judging by the racket they were making last week.
When Cliff and I were walking up the driveway one day, the boy peepers were really vocal. When we got to the marshy area a little ways away from the house, all noise stopped. They certainly knew we were there alongside them and went into stealth mode.
Now they are just quiet altogether. I don't hear them from inside the house anymore, or while we are out walking.
Best of luck to all the new frog couples and the tadpoles they are creating.
People and Places
After my last blog post, I realized I would need to make a correction.
When I moved to Maine three years ago, I went on a walking tour of Freeport hosted by the Freeport Historical Society. It wasn't a ghost tour per se, but we did end up learning about some of the more famous ghost stories involving the structures along and near Main Street.
That's the correction, which probably is more of a clarification.
Anyhoo, there's quite a story about the spot where I dined outside this past weekend with the canine munchkin in tow. As I recall it, in Maine's early days, a family of settlers was attacked by Native Americans. The father was killed, along with some of the family's children. One of the children who died was a toddler who was in his mother's arms when they were shot. The mother survived but lived the rest of her life with a bullet in her chest.
Many years later, as the story goes, one of the Native Americans was at a tavern in Freeport boasting about his role in the attack. Little did he know that the owner of the tavern was a descendant of that family of settlers. The tavern owner got the Native American to go with him up into the monitor -- an enclosed lookout area on the top of buildings and homes that enabled folks to see ships coming in from sea.
Needless to say, the Native American was never seen alive again. But apparently his ghost was frequently seen in the monitor, and the only way the ghost could be purged was to remove the monitor from the building.
That tavern sat on the corner of Main Street and Bow Street. The original building is no longer there. The spot is now occupied by Linda Bean's Maine Lobster, where Cliff and I sat by the fire from my last post.
This is how it all looks today.
I fully understand the benefit of living in the present moment. Yet history has always intrigued me.
You?
When I moved to Maine three years ago, I went on a walking tour of Freeport hosted by the Freeport Historical Society. It wasn't a ghost tour per se, but we did end up learning about some of the more famous ghost stories involving the structures along and near Main Street.
That's the correction, which probably is more of a clarification.
Anyhoo, there's quite a story about the spot where I dined outside this past weekend with the canine munchkin in tow. As I recall it, in Maine's early days, a family of settlers was attacked by Native Americans. The father was killed, along with some of the family's children. One of the children who died was a toddler who was in his mother's arms when they were shot. The mother survived but lived the rest of her life with a bullet in her chest.
Many years later, as the story goes, one of the Native Americans was at a tavern in Freeport boasting about his role in the attack. Little did he know that the owner of the tavern was a descendant of that family of settlers. The tavern owner got the Native American to go with him up into the monitor -- an enclosed lookout area on the top of buildings and homes that enabled folks to see ships coming in from sea.
Needless to say, the Native American was never seen alive again. But apparently his ghost was frequently seen in the monitor, and the only way the ghost could be purged was to remove the monitor from the building.
That tavern sat on the corner of Main Street and Bow Street. The original building is no longer there. The spot is now occupied by Linda Bean's Maine Lobster, where Cliff and I sat by the fire from my last post.
This is how it all looks today.
 |
| Linda Bean's Maine Kitchen is the brick building on the right |
I fully understand the benefit of living in the present moment. Yet history has always intrigued me.
You?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Out and About
I've needed a little break from blogging, but I'm back now. Clearly I have some catching up to do to get through the rest of the alphabet with post titles by the end of April -- so several days coming up will require double posts.
That should make up for any slacking on my part, perceived or real.
This past weekend, Clifford and I went to dinner in Freeport, Maine. We sat at an outdoor table at the restaurant, right on a street corner with a nice fire.
The corner we were on claims interesting history indeed. It's right across from the L.L. Bean flagship store, as you can see, where Main Street and Bow Street meet. The corner is actually curved and much larger than usual. Apparently, back in the 1700s, the British navy coveted Maine's stately white pines for its ships' masts. Horses would pull the lengthy trees down Bow Street to Mast Landing for shipping, and the ample rounding of the corner was necessary for the horses and soon-to-be masts to clear the space.
The things you learn on a ghost tour of an old New England town.
More on that next time.
That should make up for any slacking on my part, perceived or real.
This past weekend, Clifford and I went to dinner in Freeport, Maine. We sat at an outdoor table at the restaurant, right on a street corner with a nice fire.
 |
| The fire, though lovely, was not exactly for warmth -- particularly when the wind blew it away from us |
 |
| We both enjoyed our people-watching spot |
 |
| Interesting corner |
The corner we were on claims interesting history indeed. It's right across from the L.L. Bean flagship store, as you can see, where Main Street and Bow Street meet. The corner is actually curved and much larger than usual. Apparently, back in the 1700s, the British navy coveted Maine's stately white pines for its ships' masts. Horses would pull the lengthy trees down Bow Street to Mast Landing for shipping, and the ample rounding of the corner was necessary for the horses and soon-to-be masts to clear the space.
The things you learn on a ghost tour of an old New England town.
More on that next time.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Neat Things
The cool and unexpected thing at the RV show that I mentioned the other day is this.
That photo doesn't say much, unfortunately. Lots of folks were walking in and out, so I couldn't get a good shot of this beauty on its own.
It's a Hymer B-Class SL 778 -- a nearly 28-foot-long German-made motorhome that may make its way into the American market. Apparently, the manufacturer has been testing the brand in the U.S. market to see if we Yanks have any interest in it.
I certainly do. The interior is sleek, with clean lines and European elegance. Yet it's also quite functional. I really like how the bed area in the back is raised, and there's this roomy cargo area beneath.
Click here for a YouTube video (not mine) that'll give you a tour of the interior.
Who knows? Maybe some of this sleekness will be available by the time I'm ready to purchase my RV. It may make me rethink my thoughts about a 24-footer.
Or not. That best-laid plans thing and all ...
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