Thinking of Alexandra..............

So many little things every day make me think of you. I suppose that's inevitable having your son with me.
Tristen is 3 1/2 now. Oh boy, I have forgotten what a three year old is like. He is sooooo much like you Alex. I remember you as a small child, your defiance, you were just so naughty and so darn cute. Yup that's Tristen. He tries my patience to the limit. Then we have snuggle time and I forget it all.




He is asserting his independence. Raising him will not be easy. He knows he is loved so much though. When he has been especially naughty he will say "You love me Nanny?" and even when I want to wring his neck I say "Yes Tristen, I love you so much" And I do.
It was two years in February that you left us. I miss you, it still does not seem real that you can be gone. I still feel I am watching Tristen till you come home, I can't wrap my head around the fact that he is mine now........I am 67 and raising a three year old. He is so loved though and always will be. Your Dad is living with us for now. He is getting a divorce from Debbie and we are trying to make things easy for everyone including her. Its good for Tristen to have males around (smile) we were a bit worried for awhile. Gabby was living here and he was surrounded by females. He would want his nails done and would put on your mums high heels. Well having Granddad and now Grandpa living with us might help him a bit. We must keep a balance.



Alex as a little girl above and grown up below



I love this picture of Alex and its so much like Tristen is now.


I love this picture of Alex and Tristen

She will never grow old, always be beautiful and Tristen will grow up knowing that she loved him very much.



Tristen is a big boy now.........she will never see him grow up and that brings tears to my eyes. Some times it is just so hard. I wonder how she would have handled the days that he is a little pistol just like she was? She had spirit, she was so alive. This is Tristen now, being calm (smile)and snuggling with Bodi


..........and this is him recently playing out in the snow.



So anyway Alex, we love you always and miss you every day but I will love your son and take the best care of him that I possibly can, and love him even when he is naughty (smile) it will just make me think of you all the more.

I Vow to Thee My Country

I Vow To Thee My Country Hymn

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.



The music alone is moving, in fact brought tears to my eyes, but sometimes the visual explains why it brings emotions to the surface for ex pats.



I am sharing this with Inspire Me MondayCreate with joy. With thanks.
Also with A dedicated House, make it pretty Monday

Train rides.............

When I was about 4 apparently I ran away with our dog Jerry. He was a Sheep dog blend. The kind who herd sheep that is. He was very smart. Well I remember when we got him because I was sitting on the floor at my grandparents house (Dad's folks) and Jerry ate a balloon and threw up under the chair. He was very small at the time. Mum thought there was something wrong with him because he had a bump on the top of his head. I guess she was not too familiar with dogs because the vet said it was just the shape of his head. I digress...........Jerry and I were firm friends in no time at all. The house we lived in had a huge back yard where Granddad grew vegetables and kept rabbits (for food...I did not know that at the time) I could talk forever about that house, St Omere. My grandparents rented it and at some point the owner wanted to sell it. During the war my nan had soldiers billeted there and I was told they lay like cord wood on the living room floor. Soon a German POW was assigned to them. He stayed after the war and when the house was up for sale Granddad could not buy it. My Dad didn't want to go into debt so.......Max the German POW bought it and my Granddad had to leave.............again, I digress.
One day Jerry and I went on an adventure. I don't remember this at all, only fleeting pictures in my mind. Apparently my mum found me. I can see her now standing talking, mum wearing a turban on her hair and her pini on, her arms folded over her chest wtching as one of the men climbed down to get me off the railway tracks. Jerry would not let anyone near me. I think my dad eventually caught up having gone looking elsewhere and got Jerry by the collar. I can see that in my minds eye too. Mum was going to smack me for running off but Jerry went for her hand. I was not punished. He was a good dog.


In later years we would walk past that spot on the way to Dunstable. We walked most places when I lived in England. My friends and I would stand on the railway bridge and watch the steam trains go under and stand in the steam. I often thought of my old dog and wondered what would have happened if I was not found when I was.
When I was older we would take the train up to London to go shopping after work. It was 30 minute on the fast train, it only stopped a couple of times. London shops stayed open late on Thursdays.
when I worked in London I caught the train every day from Putney to Vauxhall. Train travel was something we did all the time.
I have yet to ride a train in the USA.
One of my favourite shows as a child was The Railway Children it was a BBC TV series on childrens television.

For a fun family show, watch on Netflix.

I do intend to ride a train here some day...........I want to take the train to Agawa Canyon in Ontario.



....and next time I go home to England I think I will take the train from London to Edinborough Scotland.

Linking with Adorned from Above blog hop.


PJH designs at transformed Tuesdays

And as this post does have a lot of blue I will share with
Also linking up with Brambleberry Woods, Time Travel Thursday.

Times gone by.................

This afternoon I went to lunch with my friends Nancy and Edna. It's so good to get out, especially during the week. My husband is at home this week so he can watch Tristen. We went to LaSenorita and I had a wet beef burrito. Well we got to talking (of course we did) and we talked about times past. Today's kids are always on their phones, they have Ipads, computers (as do I)and have never experienced what we have. I am 67 my friends about the same give or take a year.
Edna was a farm girl, raised here in Michigan. Nancy maybe a small town girl. I was raised in a small village in England. My experiences are most like Edna's.
If the world was to "end" as we know it......youv'e seen the TV shows and disaster movies. How would you cope? I think it depends on your age and experience. My generation would cope with the hardships except for our age and health at the time, we might even enjoy it.

Would you manage now with no electricity?......there were times living in England when the electric company would go on strike. So ..... no lights, no TV and in todays world no internet (smile) can you imagine the kids. At that time I thought it was romantic. Now not so much but I would cope. That means that should the worst happen we would have to learn to make candles and get oil for lamps. Know how to care for them, more than that fire. Matches.I suppose we could just stockpile stuff like that for awhile but ultimately we would have to resort to what our ancestors did.

Then once the lights came on the gas company would go on strike leaving us with no stove to cook on. That meant adapting and cooking on the coal fire.

It's surprising what you can cook over a fire. Now most houses don't have a working fire place so that would have to be overcome. Maybe in a not so bad situation the BBQ would work for a time but if it were a real disaster situation then we would have to find a way of making a fireplace and I am sure that can be done.
Have you ever thought about how you would cope????????
Edna was talking about growing up on the farm, how they would save the scraps of fabric and recycle then into quilts or clothes. No one cares to sew much any more. Its not taught......oh like with most things there are those who naturally love the crafts but it's not taught like it used to be. We are a wasteful society.

After WW2 people naturally reused things, saved things, scraps of string and anything that may be useful. I think thats what made me a pack rat. I have a hard time getting rid of anything. I collect stuff that may be useful some day. I have an aversion to waste. When did that change in people? I know it was not always that way here in America because that's how Edna was raised. In England it was a necessity for many years after the war. When did we become a disposable society?
When I left school my Dad bought Mum and me a sewing machine. I learned to make my own clothes. I was only just 15 when I left school and had learned the basics in sewing classes in school. SO I was set up already to learn to make dresses and things. Lucky that the fashions in the 1960s were easy to make. My friend and I would get fabric and make a new dress or skirt to wear at the weekend. Shift dresses. Remember those.


There is something satisfying about making your own clothes. I have lost the knack now as its been so long. I used to make clothes for my next door neighbour all the time, and made her daughters wedding dress. I would not want to do that anymore. Still I can sew when I want to and these days its cheaper to buy things...............if it were a necessity though, I know I could do it. I can knit and crochet and make baskets and turn my hand at most things.
If the world changed backwards.........I am ready. In fact I could be quite content, a challenge to be sure, but well........I like a challenge.
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Stone Henges............

my cousin Mark took some lovely pictures of Stone Hendge. I may have shared them before but they are so good I want to show them again.

He was there at sun up.


So what is it? What is Stone Henge? The word henge refers to a particular type of earthwork of the Neolithic period, typically consisting of a roughly circular or oval-shaped bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area. Inside this area could be standing stones or wooden structures. Those of course we no longer have only the odd post hole may be found.
The Standing stones though, well those can be found all over Great Britain.
My favourite is Avebury circle with its steep outer banks. Nothing subtle about that one.



Stone Henge is not so obvious, from what I recall the outer bank is not visible. Maybe it is but I didn't notice. It was a very long time ago when I was there, before it was enclosed. The next time I went it had the fence, that spoiled it for me. They say that there will soon be a visitor center, maybe that will help.
Standing stones are all over the British ISles.....This is Carnac


The stone circle at Castlerigg is situated near Keswick in Cumbria, North West England. One of around 1,300 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany, it was constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition that lasted from 3,300 to 900 BCE, during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages.
Various archaeologists have commented positively on the beauty and romance of the Castlerigg ring and its natural environment.
The plateau forms the raised centre of a natural amphitheatre created by the surrounding fells and from within the circle it is possible to see some of the highest peaks in Cumbria another place I must visit someday.


The standing stones I have seen, touched seem to have a life of their own. I would love to be able to walk among them alone. I don't know why they are so fascinating but they are. There seems to be a connection, a thread that connects one to the past. To those who erected them. Fantasy for sure, I am a Christian but I still feel it. What did these long ago people do here, what were their ideals, their intentions? Legends as you know, they fascinate me. I love ancient history. Maybe because there will never be an answer.

I am sharing this post with Adorned From Above with thanks for the opportunity to meet new people and blogs.

St Michaels Mount.................

St Michael's Mount (Cornish: Karrek Loos yn Koos, meaning "grey rock in the woods") is a tidal island 400 yards off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, England. It is united with the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water.
Its Cornish language name — literally, "the grey rock in the wood" — may represent a folk memory of a time before Mount's Bay was flooded. Certainly, the Cornish name would be an accurate description of the Mount set in woodland. Remains of trees have been seen at low tides following storms on the beach at Perranuthnoe, but radiocarbon dating established the submerging of the hazel wood at about 1700 BC.The chronicler John of Worcester relates under the year 1099 that St. Michael's Mount was located five or six miles from the sea, enclosed in a thick wood, but that on the third day of the nones of November the sea overflowed the land, destroying many towns and drowning many people as well as innumerable oxen and sheep; the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records under the date 11 November 1099, "The sea-flood sprung up to such a height, and did so much harm, as no man remembered that it ever did before". The Cornish legend of Lyonesse, an ancient kingdom said to have extended from Penwith toward the Isles of Scilly, also talks of land being inundated by the sea.
In prehistoric times, St Michael's Mount may have been a port for the tin trade, and Gavin de Beer made a case for it to be identified with the "tin port" Ictis/Ictin mentioned by Posidonius.
Historically, St Michael's Mount was a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (which shares the same tidal island characteristics and the same conical shape), when it was given to the Benedictines, religious order of Mont Saint-Michel, by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century.

The vision of St. Michael the Archangel at this site in Cornwall was one of many that were reported across southern Britain and northern France in the 4th and 5th centuries.



As a great heavenly warrior, St. Michael is often seen on high places and many of his legends involve slaying dragons. Some theorize that St. Michael's strength and victory over dragons is an expression of the struggle of the newly-arrived Christian faith against native paganism in this area.





St. Michael's Mount is also a prominent site on the major ley line known as St. Michael's Line. Ley lines are hypothetical straight lines between ancient sites that are believed to carry special energy and power. St. Michael's Line runs northeast across Britain from St. Michael's Mount, through sites such as Glastonbury Tor (with its St. Michael's Tower), Avebury, and Bury St. Edmunds.

You can read more here......St Michaels Mount


When we were in England we did go to Cornwall and we saw this magnificent sight. We were not able to go over to the Island at that time so it is one of my things to do. I am fascinated by legends. To know that this was all on the main land at one point and the sea came in makes me wonder why. What happened that drowned out this area as well as Lyonesse? the Island where Genevieve came from in the story of King Arthur. What made the sea rise, and earthquake, a tsunami? something happened thats for sure. So I am trying to read about this. I began the fascination long ago, it was piqued again while at Tintagel last August.
Apart from anything else this is a beautiful and ancient land.....Cornwall.

Good Friday...........

Hot Cross buns........


Our local store has a bakery and they make awesome Hot cross buns.



The cross signifies the Crucifixion and you only get these wonderful treats at Easter.
Good Friday............the day He died. The day He gave His life for us to save us from the results of our "sin". Can we even begin to understand what this meant for Him. To volunteer to suffer that way for people who do not deserve it. To have stepped down from Glory, to humble Himself and become a man, and to suffer as a Man, to die. He had one advantage, He knew where He would go back to, knew what it was like there..........and He opened the way for us to go too. We just have to believe this and ask Him to accept us, very simply put, to ask for forgiveness. We have all, every one of us fallen short of perfection. I can not believe people have a problem admitting that. Wishing it were otherwise, asking to be born again simply means that at some point, when our life here is done we can be reborn into eternity and wont have to deal with our human frailty any more.
Jesus, the Christ, the Redeemer........our Saviour. He was not killed by the Jews, or the Romans............they did not have that power over Him. He voluntarily allowed it to happen that way, as it was predicted, as it was ordained. He GAVE His human life, His blood for ME!!!! and for you. I know I do not deserve His sacrifice but He loves me. Me, who is so unworthy.
At any time there were 10,000 Angels who could have sent every one of Pilates men, the soldiers and everyone involved into oblivion. They were at His command. Waiting for the Word..........instead, as a human being He felt fear, betrayal, agony.......He did not hate Judas, Jesus loved him. Judas was an instrument in the plan, he started the ball rolling so to speak. He did not do it because He hated Jesus, he only misunderstood. Judas was not a bad man, he didn't betray Jesus for any other reason than to try to make Him show Himself and set up His Kingdom. Poor Judas missed the point, he thought that by forcing His hand Jesus would free them from Roman rule. He did not see the big picture until it was too late. He really believed that those angels would come down and start the new Kingdom that Christ talked about, he missed the part where Jesus said "it is not of this world"........and so when Judas saw what he had done he was heartbroken because he loved Jesus. He killed himself. Will Judas be with Jesus? Only our lord knows that but I hope he asked for forgiveness because he would have received it.
It is Finished............nothing else needs to be done. We only have to ask God for forgiveness and accept His gift of eternal life. Because of this one man, the son of God, died for you in your stead.




Good Friday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.
Based on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday (John 19:42).The estimated year of the Crucifixion is AD 33, by two different groups, and originally as AD 34 by Isaac Newton via the differences between the Biblical and Julian calendars and the crescent of the moon. A third method, using a completely different astronomical approach based on a lunar Crucifixion darkness and eclipse model (consistent with Apostle Peter's reference to a "moon of blood" in Acts 2:20), points to Friday, 3 April AD 33.

It really did happen folks. No Easter bunny, or Easter eggs just a terrible terrible death............that He did not in any way deserve. He volunteered. So when bigots try to blame the Jews, or the Romans or anyone else for the death of Christ they entirely miss the point. It was them, it was you, it was me.......

Thank you Lord...........and some day I too will be with you forever because you are my King, My Lord and my saviour. Amen

Welcome Cooper.....

A warm welcome to my new Great Grandson Cooper Daniel. He was born Friday and weighed 8lb 14oz. My granddaughter Gabrielle is the new mother. She was living with me up until a couple of days before he was born. Now she is living with her boyfriend Tony who is Coopers Daddy.
It's tiring work being born.

Gabby ended up having a C section as she was not able to dilate quick enough for Cooper who wanted out of there. He is a lovely baby, not squished and bruised. One good thing about a C section baby.



He has peachy gold hair. When Gabrielle was born she did too. In fact we said we now had a blond (Danielle)a brunette (Alexandra) and a red head (Gabrielle) .....well her hair did not stay that colour but its so pretty while it lasts.


Here I am holding Cooper. My 2nd Great grandson. As you know I am raising number one, Tristen who is 3. They will be quite close I think, as a good closeness in age. Reina and Tristen are 4 years apart and they are great together so I am hoping that the 3 of them will be close all their lives.


So a new little family begins. God bless them please.

Winter Poems............

First Day of Spring

First day of Spring!!!!.....in the grip of Winter still.
Looking out my window, the birds still feel the chill.
Huddled by the feeders their feathers are all fluffed.
They stay in my grapevines until they are all stuffed.
It's time for building nests, time to raise some young,
but they really can not do that until the Spring has come.
Come on old man Winter, it's time for you to go.
Wev'e had enough of Winter and sick to death of snow.

JKS March 21st 2013.


Not much has changed since I wrote this poem. Although the sky is not blue today.

Winter Sky

Winter sky so blue today.
A few dead leaves in tree tops play.
Left over from the days of Fall
Should not have lingered there at all.
No normal winter this time round
Barely enough snow to cover the ground.

The north wind came and brought more snow,
covered bulbs that try to grow.
The sky turns grey and the wind does blow,
Covers up the ground with snow.
Winters back with an icy blast,
I just can't wait till winters past.

JKS 2013



Then I can go back to a poem I wrote in November and say we have celebrated way too long.

November days

Rain and snow in wintry blast
here we go, it's winter at last.
Cold cold days November brings
very soon the sleigh bell rings
Horses breath hangs in the air.
Under foot.....it's ice...beware.
Children skate on frozen pond,
while adults roast chestnuts in fires beyond.
The bandstand waits to host the band
people gather in a wonderland.
The band strikes up a gay refrain
Time to celebrate winter again.

JKS 2012





Sharing with Adorned from above. With thanks

Soon.....soon, please soon........

As the snow is falling yet again.....




I think ahead to what it was like last Spring. First off here is a map.......it shows Traverse City, where I live, between the two Bays in Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. The red trail is showing Leelanau County.

The area around Traverse City, in Leelanau County is where we go the most. Although there is not a wrong direction to take when looking for beauty. It abounds. For today though I will show Springtime around the Leelanau Peninsula.
Its supposed to be Spring this week. Actually my wedding anniversary is the first day of Spring. From what it looks like out there today, I am not hopeful. So a few pictures from a local web site that has photographers who take wonderful pictures. Glen Arbor web site you can find on Facebook...........

Wild flowers on the Dunes....above are so pretty but the Trillium is my favourite and is found in the woods.

Walking in the woods is one of the first things we do. Its calming, its fresh and no hunters to be concerned about. The wildflowers are beautiful. Pink or yellow Lady slippers, granny bonnets, violets, Dutch Mans Britches, Iris. So many lovely flowers. The woods full of bird song and deer. If I am lucky I see a fawn nestled in the grass waiting for mum to come back. Never touch these little ones, they are not abandoned and have no scent for predators to catch.....leave them be she is watching you.




The Dunes and Bluffs are beautiful and to walk there before the summer tourists arrive is the best. Solitude. Its quiet and you seldom see anyone. That's what I enjoy. I don't care if there is still a bite in the air, if we are lucky it may be warm at least. After the woodlands the beaches are my favourite places. We don't go often once the summer people come but even so, its possible then to find our secret places and enjoy them still.


The ghost forest up on the sleeping bear, shows how the drifting sands have taken out woodlands before and will again as it shifts and moves.



The arts and craft fairs begin as soon as Memorial day is over with, that's the official start to summer (May) so a way off yet but I sure look forwards to that as well.


Old logging trails and railroad beds scar the woodlands and make some great paths to walk on through the forest. We have Black Bear and they say Cougar and Wolf live here too these days. Rare... but they are here now. They are smart and stay away from tourists too. We have to take care though in the less traveled seasons. Common sense must rule, a mum with cubs........back off slowly and don't run. She doesn't want to hurt you and the big ol' pussy cat you wont even see. This lady was in our neighborhood before being escorted some 50 miles off to a nice home in the forest.

You may see deer though and you could see raccoon's, possum and skunks. Heck we see those in our back yard often enough. Not to worry, its their home as well as ours. So be careful and enjoy and let them live in peace.
This next picture is a pond at the bottom of the Dune climb we look for Heron there. The sand is not as high as it was when we first saw it in the 1970s when they still had sand buggies drive up there and across to lake Michigan. They stopped that back then and just in time. This is all National Park land now. The farms have been bought up and fixed up.


Wont be long till its Mushroom hunting season, then the woods are full of a different kind of hunter...........people do not share their secret places either.

One day I will do a post on the history of this area........but not today. I will leave this instead with Blossom Time taken from the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City


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and also with Create with Joy Inspire me Monday......with thanks to those who share their time with us by doing these parties.