Bucket List................

I have never really thought of a bucket list, then Evie started one. She being 15 it seemed a tad pointless but on the other hand hers was what one would think typical for a teen. What would mine be? 1/.........Has to be to live long enough to raise Tristen and set him on a straight path to adulthood. That's a given. My first and foremost obligation and desire is to be there for him. 2/.........I think that I would like to travel more. Going home was an experience and having done that I really want to go back. I want to see my home land again while people I love are still healthy, and while I am too. I could write a list of places I would really like to see. Paris and Marseilles and maybe Provence. Rome and some of the Mediterranean countries/cities like Venice and Athens. I would like to see Russia and Africa or at least some of it. There is still a lot of travel in the USA and Canada that I would like to do 3/ ...........Maybe take a cruise. 4/............Get our debt under control so that we can leave something for Tristen. 5/............Get a home in the U.P of Michigan. Either a camper or a small home in the woods. 6/............write a book of poems illustrated by me. 7/............Take some more classes. Photography and painting. Then do some good work. 8/............ I am sure that there are more things I can add in time but that's what comes to mind. What would your bucket list be?

Dreamin........

Dreamin, I'm always dreamin.....hoping .....and all that. I always dream. I usually remember them, some are really not memorable but I know what I dreamed when I wake up and soon forget them. I seem to dream a lot about work. Last night for example I had gone back to work after some sort of emergency (thanks to those movies that show what the world would be like for example without electricity)........well I was called back somewhere to key punch cards the old fashioned way, to service the computers. The old Hollerith hand punched cards. My companion in my dream was Dolly (now deceased and was too young to have known how to use them) but we had a dark office and had to get the work done...............that brings me to the people who populate most of my dreams. Dolly and Lynn, two friends who have died. I dream of them probably at least once a week or every other week, sometimes more. Why? Maybe because of the shock of their early demise? Until recently I never dreamed of my parents. Now I do. I seem to dream of my mum more often than I ever did my entire life. Maybe unresolved issues? I don't know. Then there are houses. I know I form attachments to houses I always have, but the ones that come in my dreams I can remember always, and I dream of them often. I can bring them to mind now. They are like real places to me.............The house with antiques in an inaccessible attic that I manage to find my way too but can not move anything out........my Grandmother's house (but its not) that I find her in on occasion. The house that we build and never finished, so that I forget that there is another part to the house, and in my dreams when I am in need of space I remember it and plan to decorate. I could draw a plan of that one. I frequently fly home to my parents house but usually only my mum is there. Then there is a man who I meet on occasion, I do not know him in real life but he is the same person always in my dreams. My deceased pets visit me. I have had my horse sitting cross legged in the front of my car talking to me like a person. My poodle pals come to visit, some seem to be lost. I just love that I can see them if only in dreams. Some dreams are the product of a vivid imagination, alien attacks and so on......or where I say "I'm not playing anymore I want to wake up" just about when I am to get killed. Or when I can fly and swirl around in the air, or under the water........ I do have bad dreams, and when I do they are a doozie but I don't often have them. Then there is the "I have to go to the bathroom dreams". I hate those because I spend the whole dream looking for a clean bathroom. The ones I find are so dirty and ugh!! sickening that I wake up and of course I have to pee. Just as well I wake up because so far I have yet to find that pristine bathroom in my dreams. We do not really know what dreams are, but I do know that I love that part of my life and enjoy it immensely. It's almost like participating in a movie every night. I don't know if we are resolving our problems, or working out relationships or what they are but for me its something to look forwards to.

Conquest..........October 14th 1066.

I have been reading "Conquest" by Stewart Binns. I bought it while in England at the gift shop at Battle. I have long been an admirer of King Harold. I had never been to that area before and as we wanted Jason to see some of the highlights of English history, and places I had not seen, this was high on our list. Battle Abbey is a haunting place. It is set by the field that the battle was fought. A sad place Senlac Ridge and in the Abbey grounds stand a memorial on the spot that Harold fell in battle. The book is about Hereward the Wake. Another hero of mine. When I was in school, against all odds I formed a love of history. A few people caught at my imagination and Hereward was one of them. Probably because not a whole lot is know about him, or so I thought. There are a few of these hero's in my list, Caractacus is another one. Anyway, this book is probably not the best as far as a historical novel goes but it did tweak my curiosity. I found myself time and again looking up to see what was a fact. I read all about Saxon warfare and learned how involved our history is with Denmark and the Danish Kings. After all the Vikings did raid, frequently and with some success. They were different though. Once they got a hold on the land, they settled, they farmed and they integrated with the locals. The Danes and Saxons and Jutes and Celts are so intertwined in our history and yet they are all different. All invaded and stayed to some extent. I remember in school we had to make a little paper Viking ship and learn all about Hengist and Horsa the Germanic Princes who came saw and mingled. One son of Hengist being the founder of Kent. I digress..............and so, Harold Godwinson was crowned King as Harold 11 when King Edward the Confessor died. Edward had at one point promised the crown to William Duke of Normandy (he had been exiled to Normandy for a time) but the English people did not want that. Harold's reign was short, but he had proven a very good and valuable leader. Crowned in January 1066 he was killed at what became known as The Battle of Hastings in October that year. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis wrote of Harold that he "was very tall and handsome, remarkable for his physical strength, his courage and eloquence, his ready jests and acts of valour. But what were these gifts to him without honour, which is the root of all good?" During his short reign he was kept very busy as he planned and fought the battle against the Invaders at Stamford Bridge before turning back to the south to meet William at what is now Battle. William was a very cruel man, as Edward was warned that he was by Hereward. When he landed on the south shore he showed no mercy and killed men women and chidren, he wanted to put terror into the population. So it was that Harold with his already tried army fell to battle with williams fresh, and heavily armed men and cavalry. Harold almost won too ........but it was not to be. There were fresh men coming to engage the battle but arrived about an hour too late. Harold was killed and hacked to pieces. William would not give his body to his mother but did allow Harold's love Edith Swan neck to identify his body. No one else was able to but she did by a tattoo on his body that no one else knew of. They took his body and buried it in the sand near the sea,where it was supposed to remain in an unmarked grave. She was able to find it again when they went back later in the dark.They recovered and buried it in a secret location. There are a couple of different accounts of this. Harold's son Ulf, along with Morcar and two others, were released from prison by King William as he lay dying in 1087. Ulf threw his lot in with Robert Curthose, who knighted him, and then disappeared from history. Two of Harold's other sons, Godwine and Edmund, invaded England in 1068 and 1069 with the aid of Diarmait mac Mail They raided Cornwall as late as 1082, but died in obscurity in Ireland. Back to the book...........it is really the story of Hereward the Wake and he being a great part of Harold's story brought me back to that. I read up on the fighting tactics and learned more about the weapons of the era. I could not believe that Hereward traveled as far as he did in the book, but I guess he really did. As far as I can tell what I read so far is true. I have got to where Harold has died and William is establishing his castles around the land. I have yet to read about the Isle of Ely and the battle for the Fens where Hereward is famously going to settle. We all know the outcome. William was never dislodged. The Saxon/Danish people who are now Englishmen fought for a couple of generations not accepting the Norman rule. We know of Robin Hood who came much later, we know the Norman Kings were harsh and even Richard 1st, The Lion Heart was not good for England. He drained the treasury and hardly set foot in England if he could avoid it. Robin was loyal to his King but had to contend with King John. The Barons came together then and made him sign the Magna Carter and after that things began to settle even though a couple of hundred years had passed. The Normans gave us French to add to our language that was yet a mix of German, Celtic, Norse and Saxon and Latin...........no wonder our language is so complicated. I have rambled a bit but its such a fascinating time in English history, to me.........that if anyone is interested in that time you may enjoy this book. As I said its not so much the literature itself but what it invoked in me as far as wanting to know more.

Angels................

The bible tells us that Angels walk among us right here on earth. They will be in human form and so you won't know that they are Angels. At least that is how it seems. Angels are created beings, made by God for specific reasons. The bible has a lot to say about them. Satan, or Lucifer was the most beautiful of the angels. He became ambitious and wanted to be like God, he wanted mankind to worship him like they worship God. Some are Messengers. Sometimes they come to give a great message and come in the form of glory as they did to the Shepherds when Jesus was born. Mostly though they seem to come in the shape of another person. Many people have believed that they have been helped by one. My only personal experience that I can think of was when Jason was a baby. We were in a local park and playing. He was just a toddler, just learning to run. You know how they do, chest thrust out and legs pumping full of giggles........he ran away from me and so I ran after him, I was a little way off and he thought it was a game. He was running towards the road so I stopped hoping he would stop.........he didn't. He was about to run between two cars and a woman stepped out in front of him. I didn't see her before, no idea where she came from but she has always seemed heaven sent to me. She put her arms out and stopped him just before he got to the road. Was she his guardian angel? Some Angels seem to be entertainers for God. Heavenly choirs that is. We all love music and I can only imagine, no I really can't imagine angels singing. I know when the Shepherds saw them in the fields the poor men fell to the ground and hid their faces. Was it frightening? or just so beautiful they could not look because they knew it was Holy? I don't know. Anyway, God says that Angels were created beings. They were made specifically for the jobs they do and for God's pleasure and to glorify Him. We on the other hand were made to be companions to Him, friends with Him but God did not want robots and so He gave us free will. He wants us to Love Him, because we can not because we have to. I love this picture, although a child may find it scary if they didn't understand what an Angel will do for us. He will guard us when we are vulnerable. Yes, we all die.............but if we belong to God the Angel will keep the devil away, we must pray for that. Pray for God to protect us. Remember when children said prayers at night we must give our children the protection that God provides us. The Archangels, Michael a fierce protector. In the New Testament Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces in the Book of Revelation, where during the war in heaven he defeats Satan. Gabriel is a messenger between God and man. He announced the arrival of Jesus and told Mary she would be blessed. They are not removed from mankind these wonderful beings. They are in our lives now and forever and some day we may meet them, who knows. Raphael is a healer and these three Archangels are said to be among seven who stand before God. The old timers painted these beings as people like us, not as spirit beings. They are primarily spirits with the ability to put on human form. You are not about to see an angel with wings unless they come as a host as they have on a few occasions. I am not sure why I chose this topic for today and I must review and edit it, but I just want to get the point across that Angels are real. They are not little babies sitting on clouds. They are not our deceased relations who are watching over us, they are real beings created for the purpose. As real as we are. There is a whole other world out there that we can not yet see. Some day we will. I look forwards to that.

Bambi, About Death .............

This is a story of a conversation between two autumn leaves that comes from the book Bambi, the story of a young deer and the forest life around him. The leaves were falling from the great oak at the meadow's edge. They were falling from all the trees. One branch of the oak reached high above the others and stretched far out over the meadow. Two leaves clung to it's very tip. "It isn't the way it used to be." said one leaf to the other. "No,"the other leaf answered. "So many of us have fallen off tonight we're almost the only ones left on the branch." "You never know who's going to go next, "said the first leaf. "Even when it was warm and the sun shone, a storm or a cloudburst would come sometimes, and many leaves were torn off, though they were still very young. You never know who's going to go next." "The sun hardly shines now," sighed the second leaf, "and when it does, it gives no warmth. We must have warmth again." "Can it be true," said the first leaf, "can it really be true, that others come to take our places when we're gone and after them still others, and more and more?" "It really is true," whispered the second leaf. "We can't even begin to imagine it, it's beyond our powers." "It makes me very sad," added the first leaf. They were very silent a while. Then the first leaf said quietly to itself, "Why must we fall?" The second leaf asked, "What happens to us when we have fallen?" "We sink down......." "What is under us?" The first leaf answered, "I don't know. Some say one thing, some another, but nobody knows." The second leaf asked, "Do we feel anything, do we know anything about ourselves when we're down there?" The first leaf answered, "Who knows? Not one of all those down there has ever come back to tell us about it." They were silent again. Then the first leaf said tenderly to the other, "Don't worry so much about it. You're trembling." "That's nothing," the second leaf answered, I tremble at the least thing now. I don't feel so sure of my hold as I used to." "Let's not talk any more about such things," said the first leaf. The other replied, "No, we'll let it be. But-what else shall we talk about?" It was silent, but went on after a little while, "Which of us will go first?" "There's still plenty of time to worry about that," the other leaf said reassuringly. "Lets remember how beautiful it was, how wonderful, when the sun came out and shone so warmly that we thought we'd burst with life. Do you remember? And the morning dew and the mild and splendid nights.........? "Now the nights are dreadful," the second leaf complained, "and there is no end to them." "We shouldn't complain," said the first leaf gently. "We've outlived many, many others." "Have I changed much?" asked the second leaf shyly. "Not in the least," the first leaf said. "You think so only because I've gotten to be so yellow and ugly. But it's different in your case." "You're fooling me," the second leaf said. "No, really," the first leaf answered eagerly, "believe me, you're as lovely as the day you were born. Here and there may be a little yellow spot. But it's hardly noticeable and makes you only more beautiful, believe me." "Thanks," whispered the second leaf, quite touched. I don't believe you, not altogether, but I thank you because you're so kind. You've always been so kind to me. I'm just beginning to understand how kind you are." "Hush," said the other leaf, and kept silent itself, for it was too troubled to talk any more. Then they were both silent. Hours passed. A moist wind blew, cold and hostile, through the treetops. "Ah, now," said the second leaf, "I...." Then it's voice broke off. It was torn from it's place and spun down. Winter had come. Passages from Bambi... by Felix Salten written in 1928

Playing outside...............

On one of those last beautiful days in early Fall, I stayed outside while Tristen played. I was inspired to write the poem that is on the blog bellow. The wind was blowing but it was so warm and just plain pretty. Still quite a few flowers blooming. Mainly the Asters and Pansies. The Mum's are not blooming yet, except for the two new ones I put in recently. It has taken awhile for my other Mum's to take off. I did learn to pinch them back in the Spring a couple of times. That seems to have been the secret. While musing on these things Tristen was busy undoing my work on the patio blocks. Sigh!!!!!!!....... He always wants to be right where I am instead of playing back in the play area. He has the playhouse and sand box but wants to be next to me. So he "borrowed" my shovel and got to work. I tried to encourage him to fill in the cracks not dig them out but......nope. I have given up for this year in trying to make everything look nice. Maybe next year? I was determined to just enjoy the sunshine. The day before we played football but he was just more into digging this day. Pretty soon the sun went behind some clouds and we went inside. I made Tristen some tea.......he loves his Earl Grey. So he had a snack of some caramel wafers and his tea and was a very happy little boy for awhile. He was feeling so good he gave Bodi his blankie for a nap. Bodi is not so sure. So that was our afternoon, my pictures are on my garden blog.

Suns Last Kiss............

Making the Bed............

I was making the bed this morning, as I do every morning and reflecting. I know a lot of folks don't bother with all that and I suppose I don't blame them. Me......well I have to. I could not stand walking through the rooms and seeing it all undone. I have a quilt and shams and decorative pillows all need to be in place to make me happy. Well, maybe not happy but not irritated. I wonder why? if you are not going to bother making the bed, why bother buying the pretty stuff that goes on the bed? Maybe some people don't and that's OK too. To each his own.............For me, I like order and a pretty room whenever possible. (That reminds me I have to vacuum the floor.I will be right on that as soon as this is done)...........anyway the point of this was that, while making the bed I was remembering when it was not such an easy task. Going back maybe 55 years (Good heavens)my mattress was not what we have today. Back then the bed consisted of springs with a mattress on top. That mattress was made of some sort of stuffing, an improvement on the horsehair we had prior to that. The trouble was we had to shake the mattress when we made the bed to redistribute the stuffing. The stuffing got really lumpy. Still if in my case I had made a nice indent in the middle like a nest it was most comfy and cozy. Stopped the drafts a bit on cold nights. I expect it was when she was Spring cleaning (excuse the pun) but I do remember mum cleaning the springs. She would take of the mattress and stand the base up and using a feather duster or some such thing on a stick she would clean each of those springs to clear out all the dust and cobwebs. It was much later that they got what we call Box Springs, where those spring were encased in fabric and did away with that horrible job. The mattress itself was cotton batting and got very lumpy after awhile. There were no fitted sheets either so it was hospital corners all the way around. I actually did learn how to do that in hospital when I had my appendix out. The nurses showed me how to make my own bed. Hmmmmm and yes wouldn't that go over well today. I remember it was fun and I could help them make the other beds. Such freedom haha. Our beds had what mum called a "Bolster" it was a pillow the width of the bed and the two top pillows would rest against it. You don't see those anymore. The sheets would be washed and ironed before going back on the bed. When I was pregnant for the first time, they had me sleep on a hard horsehair mattress that lay on top of planks of wood to keep my back in shape. I am sure that a lot of those old fashioned ideas actually did some good. Well anyway...........far cry from the pretty bedrooms we can have these days and the woman's work is certainly a lot easier. All I do is straighten the bottom sheets, pull the others up and make sure the bottom is still tucked in. Simple.

Frosty Mornings.............

I was talking on my garden blog about the beauty of frosty mornings. I remember getting up to go to work when still living at my Mum's house. The window panes were always covered with patterns in ice. There was no heat in the house except for a coal fire in the living room. Dad had the job of getting up and stoking the fire. It was chilly at best. When I was first married we spent some time there at my parents home. They gave us their bedroom for the duration. Well my husband being American had not dealt with unheated houses. He would get undressed and dressed best he could under the covers. What a wimp. To put it delicately he chose to have a "poe" under the bed rather than go downstairs to the unheated bathroom. He thought it was quicker if somewhat cumbersome. I could not tell him how to use it, being a woman...... and he was not about to ask Dad. I would roll around laughing as he literally froze his arse off. It would have been quicker to go downstairs. I digress.............when I was young and going to work in the mornings, those lovely crisp days were a joy. Maybe not at the time, but I appreciate the experience now its over. It was beautiful though without a doubt. I have chosen a few pictures that I have found on the web as because I could never capture the scenes myself at the moment. The scene I recalled was me walking along the path to the road and seeing the cobwebs frozen on the hedges. It was so pretty and my breath was in the air, my nose tingling with cold already, a scarf wrapped around my face. I don't even bother with a coat anymore. I had to walk to the bus stop and pass the fields on my way. These pictures evoke such memories. They are not mine and I apologize if I have not given credit to the owners as none were listed I took a short cut to the bus stop down the "little lane" past cow pastures and fields. Often the frost was so thick on the trees it could have been snow. (by photontrappist) Standing waiting for a bus on a cold November day was as cold as I have ever been. I have never been so cold here in Michigan even in sub zero temps. Somehow the cold in England gets in the bones. When the morning was full of hoare frost then it was indeed magic. I seldom see frost like this here in Michigan and so it makes me think of home and those cold cold days before heated homes. Great memories and I really do not know why except that it was a more simple time. A more honest time somehow.

Harvest Moon..................

Northern summer changes to fall on Sept. 22nd at 11:09 pm EDT. At that precise moment, called the autumnal equinox, the Harvest Moon can be found soaring high overhead with the planet Jupiter right beside it. The two brightest objects in the night sky will be in spectacular conjunction to mark the change in seasons. The Harvest Moon gets its name from agriculture. In the days before electric lights, farmers depended on bright moonlight to extend the workday beyond sunset. It was the only way they could gather their ripening crops in time for market. The full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox became "the Harvest Moon," and it was always a welcome sight. The other thing about the harvest moon is that because of the spatial relationship between the elliptical orbit of the earth and the moon, the harvest moon seems to last longer at the full than a normal moon. The reason it seems so big is because of something called the ‘moon illusion’. This is a phenomenon not of the moon but of the human brain, which perceives objects that are low in the sky as being much larger than ones which are high in the sky. No one knows definitely why this is. These paintings capture what it had to have been like years ago before we had electricity. This by Samuel Palmer 1830-31 shows how hard people had to work to just get the harvest in. Also by Samuel Palmer around 1833. One can see how it would inspire the artist. The full golden moon has a medieval look to it and one can only imagine what it would be like to be out under the stars with the bright light of this moon. The farmers were at the mercy of the weather back then. Still today but not quite so much as then. Still its a wise man who pays heed to the seasons and what drives them. The moons effect life on earth in so many ways, the birds and beasts and although he has lost touch with nature, mankind too. The Harvest Moon by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ................................................................... It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes..... And roofs of villages, on woodland crests..... And their aerial neighborhoods of nests..... Deserted, on the curtained window-panes..... Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes..... And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!..... Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,..... With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!..... All things are symbols: the external shows..... Of Nature have their image in the mind,..... As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;..... The song-birds leave us at the summer's close,..... Only the empty nests are left behind,..... And pipings of the quail among the sheaves...... The moon should be full on the 29th of September.