Learning to Be in the Moment

There's a change in the view from the porch. The woods are full of color. From my perch in the loft, I look out at the treetops and they are thinning. There is much more sky peeking through the branches. The sourwoods' crimson has faded, the oaks are beginning their costume change from green to red or gold, and the Asian Pear (always the first to bloom and the last to shed its leaves) are still hanging on to their summer green.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year. This may come as a surprise to those of you who know my feelings about summer! I enjoy summer so much, that while everyone else is sweating through August and looking forward to September, I'm very careful not to think those thoughts. Summer will end, Fall will arrive, and then presto... it's winter...my not so favorite time of year.

Once fall arrives, however, I savor it. This fall has been wonderful. Summer gave up its grip, reluctantly, and we are still having warmer than normal weather. I am enjoying the best of both worlds; warm days, cool nights, and the mosquitoes have finally disappeared. This past summer was very hot and humid. For the first time in years, we never ate dinner on the porch. Between the heat and the mosquitoes, it just wasn't pleasant.

The leaf change is the part of the season that I savor the most. Even if the days were cold, they would still be pretty. Last fall was excessively wet, but the golds and the reds brightened up the gray days. There really is no way to do fall badly. We are in the midst of a severe drought this year, the opposite of last year. Everyone expected the colors to be dull, but against the cloudless blue sky nothing is dull.

Fall in Georgia is a season that lingers. Everyday, something has changed. One week it's the dogwoods, the next it's the sourwoods. As one group of trees lose their leaves, another group has begun the change from green to gold.

There is one downside to fall and I've had to learn how to deal with it. The more vibrant the colors, the clearer the unfortunate truth. What is most beautiful today will be gone next week.

Marigolds Present

Marigolds Past

There is a lot of talk these days about staying in the present. It is so easy for us to look ahead, or behind, either worrying about what is to come or thinking about what is past. Fall teaches me to just Be. I enjoy the cooler temperatures, the changes in color and the woods as it moves through this season in time. Good advice for every day. Now if I can only remember that lesson in Winter.

A Gradual Awakening

When March and April roll around I eagerly begin searching for the first signs of spring. When I walk, I check the trees to see if the branch tips have begun to turn red. I search peoples' flower beds for signs of a crocus. I'm always in a hurry, and Spring always seems to drag its feet. This has been a very snowy winter and people everywhere are just ready for Spring! Me included!

March 20, The First Day of Spring came. It was cold, gray and there were snow flurries in the air.

This is the time when robins appear looking for worms, and make all of us think '"It won't be long now!" Then you wake up one morning to several inches of snow on the ground and you hear a loud healthy scream coming from somewhere. It turns out it's you, trying to vent some of that frustration.

One day as I was driving through the snow flurries I remembered the promise I made myself at the beginning of the year. "In all things, give thanks.", the Bible verse I was going to try to live out. OK, I can be thankful it's just flurries, and not a blizzard. Fair enough. I can be thankful it's..... hmmm....think some more.....it was warmer yesterday and it will be warmer tomorrow. It's a thought, but truthfully, I was still not feeling all that grateful.

And then I really started to think about what Spring is all about. Plant life has been dormant all winter, and March is its time to slowly wake up. Thinking back I remembered winter a year ago. We had a mild December. My daffodils were 4 inches high before Christmas, only to be crushed again and again by the late freezing temperatures and snow. They couldn't figure out when it was safe to come up.

This winter all of my bulbs have stayed tucked deep in the ground until now, when they are hesitantly peeking their heads out to see if it's safe. The trees are beginning to test the air as well and are slowly turning red. How much better is that gradual awakening than the mild spring, followed by a late snow that kills off the new blossoms.

I thought a little more about gradual awakenings and realized that's how we all are. There is the image of a dad, sound asleep on the couch, and his 4 year-old son comes in and yells in his ear. Dad jumps, sits up, his heart pounding in his chest. How much nicer, and better, is it to lie in bed in the morning and gradually come-to as you wake up at your own pace.

Even patients, who have been put in a sleep-induced coma for their healing, are brought out of it gradually.

Waking up slow. It has a nice feel to it. As much as I would love to wake up tomorrow and see a forest full of leaf covered trees, it would be hard to appreciate the daffodils if they were surrounded by roses and petunias. It's the fact that the daffodils and tulips are the only show, that allows us to see them as the star of the show. And speaking of the Only star in the show? I love Forsythia. Not everyone likes this shrub that can grow wild and bushy. It's not all that pretty in the summer when it's covered in little green leaves. It doesn't have much character then. But in late March or early April it is the only bush blooming and that gorgeous, bright, sunny yellow calls to you from hillsides and roadsides. It heralds Spring.

In Florida, winter is a muted season. It can get cold--below freezing in fact, but it doesn't last long. In February, spring arrives quick and vibrant. Azaleas bloom along with flowering cherry and a few dogwoods. In 3 weeks it's over and summer is knocking on the door. When I lived there I liked it that way. But I missed daffodils. When I moved back north, the Pear, Eastern Redbud and dogwood in Spring reminded me of all I had missed.

Ok. I still wish Spring would move a little faster, but when I compare it to places where it does, I can appreciate a gradual awakening that comes with Spring. While I'm waiting, you'll excuse me if I roll over in the morning and snuggle back into my pillow. If the trees can take their time waking up, then so can I!

Just Call Me Frederick

One of my favorite children's books was Frederick by Lio Lionni. It was a story told like a fable of a field mouse who spent his days absorbing the colors, the feel of the sun, the words that would remind him of sunny days when he and the other mice were holed up underground in the cold, dark winter.

The other mice are annoyed with Frederick because while he is enjoying the present, they are preparing for the future. Of course, when winter comes, Frederick has little food stored up for himself. As the winter drags on, the other mice get bored and restless. That's when Frederick comes through. Frederick starts talking. With words he paints pictures of flowers, sunshine, and warmer days for his friends. The moral of the story is a wise one. There is a need for the gifts each of us provide.

Lately I feel like Frederick. Not the wisdom part...the wistful part. When I walk I can't take my eyes off of the trees along the sidewalk. I seem to stop and photograph everything. One tree will be all green, the next is a shade of red so bright it almost hurts the eyes. The hillsides are a myriad of colors; gold, red, orange, and green. The pear trees haven't begun to change, but the eastern redbud has turned bright yellow and is dropping its leaves.

As I walk I breathe in the air, soak up the sun, drink in the colors and try to embed them all in my brain so that on a cold, gray day in February I will be able to pull them from my memory bank.

Part of me is still the 'worker mouse'. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about gathering nuts for the winter months. Giant Eagle will make sure there is plenty of stuff to make my own comforting soups and stews. But there is still a little work to be done. Monday I mowed the grass while soaking up the blue sky and rust colored hills.

Maggie wandered the yard sniffing the air and the grass for the many smells left by deer, rabbits, and other unseen visitors.

Yesterday I pulled frost-wilted plants from the beds and thinned out the herb garden, breathing in the sun-warmed sage and thyme. Maggie laid beside me in the grass soaking up the sun.

Any excuse to be outside, I thought. Just call us "Frederick".

Gradual Transitions

Years ago my family spent the end of summer in Connecticut at family cabins. The end always came too soon, and I, who relished vacations, never relished the idea of going back to work.

At the time we were living in Florida, which was a minimum 3 day drive for us. I would pack up the kids and the dog and head south. Larry was never able to allot that much time for a vacation, so the pattern was for me to drive the family north, visiting friends on the way. I would pick him up at the Hartford Airport so he could spend a week or 10 days with us, and take him back to the airport so he could fly home. Then we would begin our southern trek, visiting more family and friends.

The first day started out full of wistfulness. The first night and next day was spent at Nanny's catching up. Phase 2 was through Virginia. The kids traveled well, and I sang along on the radio, while they did their best to read or pretend they didn't know me. Day 3 was through the flats of the Carolina's and into Georgia. It was here I started to plan my fall school activities. Book clubs, incentives, bulletin boards, and story programs all came into focus on this particularly flat stretch of the road.

By the time I got home, (after 3 days on the road????) I was ready, not just to be home, but to get back to work!

Fall is like that. Summer fades reluctantly, but slowly. The warm days slow down and turn into gorgeous days. The humidity clears. Afternoon walks become more pleasant as the heat relaxes.
One day you are in shorts, the next in jeans. A hoodie is added in the evenings. The cold front moves through. A sweatshirt is donned for a mid-day walk. The air is brisk and refreshing on your face.

And you realize you have just made the transition from summer to 'almost' winter.

And just like that I realize it is still lovely out. The heat I enjoy is gone, but my pace is quickened when I walk. My coat keeps me warm. Winter will be here soon, but before it gets here there will be more gradual transitions. And when it arrives, I will be ready.

Hey Mother Nature! Who's Fooling Who?

Long, long ago there was a popular commercial that ended with the words "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature!" The purpose of the commercial is irrelevant, but it came to mind yesterday. I was out working in the gardens, cleaning out the last of the leaf debris that had built up under the bushes. We've been here 5 years already, but this is the first fall we've had to rake. I told Larry last year we didn't need to plant anymore trees! Right now it seems just about right. In a few years the trees will be big enough to really add character to the yard. They will be beautiful in the spring, add shade in the summer and be gorgeous in the fall and then..... I'll be huffing and puffing, sweating and groaning, as I rake up the clutter and trying to capture it all in the leaf bins our recycling center has given us.

Oh well, that's projecting into the future. Back to yesterday. As I pulled back the matted piles of dead leaves in the garden I was surprised to see tips of green shoots poking through the soil. There were unmistakable signs of bulbs popping up! Even the chrysanthemums were sending out new shoots! What is this? It's December! What's up with my plants?

We had snow in October, but November was warmer than usual. It has actually been in the high 50's, lately. How optomistic of these plants to think that spring must be on the way!

I decided I want to be like my plants; ever optomistic that spring is right around the corner. The temperature will plummet to freezing tonight and will stay there for several days. It may rebound later and give me a taste of spring or I may be stuck with subzero temps. I know something my plants don't. It's ONLY December! The snows are coming. But when they do, I'm gonna look out from the comfort of my house and say....

Hey, Spring is just around the corner! The tulips told me so!

#1 Wild and Woolly

Fall is winding down. As I headed out today, I noticed the last of the pear trees, the final hold out around here, have shed almost all of their leaves. The pear tree has become my favorite since we moved here. Covered in white blossoms it is the one of the most showy trees in spring. In fall it holds on to its green leaves until the end, finally turning a bright burnished gold before letting them go.

This isn't a pear tree, but it has also become one of my favorites. I watch it outside my window for its signs. It is the first to get green in the spring, and the last to change in the fall. Often the gold leaves turn red, but this year they stayed gold. I took this picture about 5 days ago. Today the leaves are gone.
The chrysanthemums are hanging on, but most of the other flowers have withered in the first frost. The fields are wild and woolly. They aren't what one would normally describe as pretty, but to me they are.

It took me awhile to notice it, but last year I really did. The fields had grown up. The grasses had dried. The wildflowers had lost their colors and now wore hats of feathery white seed pods. The bloom of youth was gone. They had aged.

Just as a photographer can take a picture of an aged and wrinkled old person and you see the beauty within, the life that was lived, so the fields in late fall look beautiful to me. It does mean the fall season is nearing an end, but Thanksgiving is at hand! We'll be putting up Christmas decorations next weekend. It's time for change. Time to embrace the next season. And Seasons are one of the blessings of living north of the temperate zone.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

# 3 Crisp Air

Don't you love waking up in the morning to that crisp clear air? Or looking up at night to see thousands of stars glittering in the dark? I have yet to meet someone who doesn't appreciate a crisp, cool Fall day. Even those summer fanatics can't help but succomb when the mugginess clears. The forecast of a "Cold Front" might chill the heart of a summer lover, but when the morning dawns cloudless and clear even they (and I) find their step is lighter and quicker.

I am one of those people. I am a walker and so is Maggie. Maggie has gotten too old for those hot summer walks, but I am still up to the challenge. Maggie waits at home while I go out each morning and she greets me when I walk back in dripping with sweat, face mottled from the heat. Summer heat has been gone for awhile now, but we both are enjoying the cooler days. Her step is perkier and at the end of our walk my body is warm, but the glow on my face isn't threatening heat exhaustion.
Not everyday is crisp. Later this week itwill be cold and chilly. But right now we are having some gorgeous days and I want to be sure to enjoy them! Fall has more crisp, clear days than any other season and it is one of the things I really love about Fall.

Pumpkins and Apples

I'm going to keep today's post short and simple. It's not my strong point, but today it is my purpose. This is the time of year for pumpkins and apples. What is my favorite part about it?

Apple pie...cinnamon smells...fresh, homemade applesauce, apple cobbler, bright red, crisp, crunchy, juicy...I love them cut up on my cereal in the morning instead of blueberries (also yummy!), a bushel of fresh apples keeping cold in the garage so I can grab a few to bake or one to eat...and, oh my gosh, the unbelievable apple dumplings with ice cream at local fall festivals!

Pumpkin Patches and all their fun; corn mazes, hayrides, children's games
Tiny tots in a pumpkin patch carrying their very own pumpkin.
The Pumpkin Patch at our church where every penny goes to help people in need locally as well as globally and not one cent is spent on administrative costs... (I'm very proud of that)

Pumpkin--pie, bread, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, Sorry. My stomach just growled.
Pumpkins decorating the garden, gourds in a table top arrangement, white pumpkins, green bumpy pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns...
Little ones hollowed out for flower arrangements,

Red and Orange...the color of the season and another of my favorite things.
What's not to love?

#5 October's Goldrush!

It is impossible to talk about Fall without talking about the changing leaves! I'm not going to say much here. (Are you relieved?) After all, everyone from pre-school and up knows that the leaf change is the most significant thing about Fall. Suffice it to say, that I agree. Instead I will let the pictures do the talking.

The view from my deck. It is tough I know, but someone has to look at it!

Ornamental grasses display their showy plumes as a salute to fall.

Fall is the time of year for driving, but it is hard to take in the sights and not wreck the car.

Fall takes its time in Pittsburgh. With the wide variety of trees, the leaf change comes in stages. It takes a beautiful season and stretches it out. And that is just fine with me!

#6 High Sky

Have you watched the Jimmy Dean commercials for their breakfast sandwiches? They feature Cloud, Rainbow, and Sun having a hard time waking up and getting going until they get a sandwich. They may seem to border on dumb or strange or odd, but that is the world of commercials, isn't it, and they do get their point across. There is one that has been on lately where Cloud is hanging low and gray until someone gives him a Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwich. Suddenly he perks up and floats up into the sky.

I think Pittsburgh needs a bunch of those sandwiches. We are home to the low-flying gray cloud. It hangs here most of the year. It can (and DOES) get depressing. I know one woman who's husband takes her on a trip to the water (any water) whenever she goes through 40 days of gray sky. That's a bunch of trips in the winter, let me tell you.

Well, Fall is our preparation for the winter doldrums. Summer days are much brighter than winter, but it is October when we have some of the best days. Blue sky, high white clouds, low humidity and perfect temperature are days to relish. Fall afternoons are spectacular. The late afternoon light on the hillsides are too magical to describe. Last Halloween, as neighbors gathered outside in prepartion for trick or treat a few of us were chatting when one pointed to the hillside. All conversation ceased as we stood transfixed at the glow on the trees from the setting sun.

The first weekend in October was miserable. A planned cookout and bonfire was moved inside as the rain poured for two days, matched only by the unseasonable cold. Last weekend was just the opposite. We climbed into the corvette, top down and drove north to the Franklin Apple Fest under a cloudless sky, and gorgeous scenery. Like a squirrel, it is these memories that I stockpile for the winter ahead and I pull them out frequently!

#8 Petunias Out, Pansies In

Today is a wet and gloomy day, but as I look out the window my neighbors garden glows with orange and yellow marigolds and my hillside still sports the tail end of goldenrod. The leaves haven't begun to change yet, but they are on the cusp of change. There are tinges and hints that soon the green will leave. Fall is a change of scenery in so many ways which is one reason I find it so refreshing. Even those well tended gardens of summer perk up with a Chrysanthemum makeover. Fall flowers tend to leave the red white and blue behind, and welcome gold, purple, orange and russet. I love fall colors! It was one of the things I missed when I lived in Florida.

Several years ago while I lived in that warmer climate I made a trip to PA in October. The poplars and maples were bright yellow. (You'll remember in a previous post that I love yellow.) When a breeze blew through the trees a shower of bright gold fluttered to the ground. The air shimmered yellow. It took my breath away.

I never felt like wearing a lot of rust, or orange in September when I lived in Tampa, but I had loved that aspect of the season growing up in eastern PA. That trip home was a reminder why Fall clothes work so well here, but not as well in the tropics. Here oranges, russets, golds blend in with the scenery.
And so do the purple and yellow pansies. The tired, leggy petunias are over. It's time for a Fall Makeover and the pansies, zinnias, marigolds and mums are just the thing to do the trick.

#9 Open Windows!

I talk a lot about liking summer, even the heat, but if I'm perfectly honest, I love any day that allows me to open the windows. Unfortunately, I'm a bit like Baby Bear. If it is too hot, I want air conditioning. If it is too cold I want heat. But when it is just right....I love having the windows open!

I like hearing the outside sounds, whether it is cars on the highway or the birds singing. It is the sound of life going on around me and it is all good.

I like the smell of the air, although 'smoky' from someone burning leaves can get annoying when it gets in the house, so maybe I'm not that crazy about it inside...but outside...it can be ok.

I love open windows at night even if it means an extra blanket, but I don't like breezes blowing on me. I'm not sure why, but I really don't, especially on my neck. I will wrap myself up in a hoodie, or pull the covers around my head.

Today is an 'open window' day and I'm loving it. (No breezes) I heard the school bus drop the kids off, their chatter as they filled parents in on what happened. I heard someone mowing his lawn, reminding me I should be doing that instead of this.

Maggie likes it too. She sits at the window to see what's going on. So today, this is my next favorite thing about fall!

10 Things I Like About Fall #10

As much as I love Summer I also love Fall. Over the next few weeks I will share the things I love about this time of year. My favorite things are in no partictular order. The truth is, it depends on the mood I'm in or the day itself.

Goldenrod tops my list because it is one of the early signs and because it is so pretty. In early to mid September the goldenrod blooms and this year it seems to be particularly abundant. Why do I love goldenrod? Well, obviously, I don't get hayfever from it! I love it because of it's color. Even on a gray day that gold plume glows on the hill. The day I took these pictures it was overcast, but the goldenrod makes its own sunshine.

Yellow is my very favorite color. It is the color of sunshine, of happiness and cheer. In September when the fields are losing their green, the goldenrod takes over and brightens my day. 

What happened to Summer?

September just amazes me! One weekend we are celebrating the end of the 'vacation months' with a holiday that celebrates the American worker and within days the summer weather comes crashing down and we are thrown into the full sense of fall. Does the sun watch me turn the page on the calendar?

I know I really enjoyed myself this summer. I made a point of soaking it in as much as possible. Yet, when I look back I wonder why I didn't eat lunch on the deck more. Why didn't I eat more salads? (I love salads in summer.) Why didn't I swim more? How come Maggie and I never made it to the dog park with the pond? Or to McConnell's Mill for a hike? What was I doing all this time?

Oh yeah, I:
Went to see Jersey Boys in Cleveland with the Corvette Club
Spent 1 week in Connecticut, one of my favorite places
Ate Lobster in Kittery, Maine at my sister's 50th Wedding Anniversary
Spent 2 weeks in Iowa at my grandson's 4th birthday and my grandaughter's 1st birthday
Had picnics with the neighbors
Mowed the grass all June, but not at all in July, (and then I left town in August)

Ok. Now I feel better. I guess if I want to eat salad for lunch on my deck, I have to be here.

I really did enjoy my summer. Goodbye, August! I'll be waiting for you June, when you're ready to roll around again.

Fall's Bluff

It almost happened.  I was having such a good time enjoying summer, I nearly missed it. But my eagle eyes and keen senses suddenly tuned in to the fact that Fall just might be trying to sneak into my life.

When I left Iowa I actually looked for signs, but with the exception of 2 little fields in Ohio everywhere I turned the fields were green and full. There was no hint that before long they would turn to the dusty tan necessary before harvest can begin. Actually a soybean field in the height of change is one of the prettiest you’ll find. Those bright golden leaves fluttering in the breeze reminds me of a giant pot of gold coins at the end of the rainbow.

The weather at the Corvettes of Carlisle show started out as usual; hot and sunny. It is often the hottest car show for me with no air conditioning and little shade unless you have a tent to sit under. However, Irene blew up the East Coast and put a damper on the show, not only literally, but sending people skittering back to their homes to do whatever they thought they could do to protect the house. (I’m sorry, but if a wind is going to blow your house down, you stand little chance of stopping it! Better to stay where you have safe, dry shelter folks!)

Weather after a hurricane is usually gorgeous! The heavy heat and low clouds clear out. Even for those of us who weren't really under her shadow, the days following Irene were full of sunshine, light clouds, bright, clear blue sky and cooler temperatures. The little white clouds were miles away. It was so gorgeous in fact that I almost missed it; the telltale signs August was coming to a close.

I caught a flash of red in the dry grass on the hillsides. The sumac growing wild by the side of the road is often the first sign that the seasons are beginning to change. Its leaves turn a bright crimson while the goldenrod is just thinking of blooming.

The air had a fresh scent to it, but it was different from the lush scent of summer. I noticed for the first time the dried heads on the tops of field grasses.

As Maggie and I did our 1 mile walk through the neighborhood a flash of red caught my eye among the Maples lining the street. In the midst of all the green leaves were 3 bright red ones.

A couple of days later it was hot again. Saturday was SO hot it reminded me of mid-summer in Florida. It may seem as though Fall was calling Summer's bluff, but I think it will win out before too long. It's a good thing I love Fall. It is the only reason I'm willing to let go of Summer.

40 Years Revisited

I've had fun reminiscing over the last 40 years. Some of it boggles my mind like:

10 Houses, 3 States, 7 Communities.

I'd like to just say here, I hate to move! I would have made a terrible military wife. Even though we have lived in 10 houses, once we settled in a community we usually lived in one place for 8 years, and we even lived in our last house for 16 years!

I've worked as an Avon Lady, a pre-school teacher, but mostly as a Children's librarian in both the public library and the public school media center.
Larry has been a Prison Guard, a Cop, but mostly a great Sporting Goods Salesman.

We've always had a dog, but at one point we had 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 large tropical aquariums!
Then came kids. We had 2 of those as well!

When we married we had an oven that could be programmed to come on and go off at a certain time so my meatloaf and baked potatoes were ready when I got home from work. Our TV had 3 channels plus PBS and we had 2 phones in the house. Land lines of course.

Now we have a microwave, Flat screen TV with 400+channels and a DVR (I hope to never have to give that up!). Cell phones have replaced a need for land lines and we have 2 computers to keep us connected to the world.

Our favorite toys were the bass boat, swimming pool, and finally a corvette--when the girls were off our auto insurance!

Just a few of our Favorite Memories
Camping on our honeymoon
Water Skiing on the Alafia, Fishing every body of water in Florida,
Learning to live with Alligators, snakes, but never spiders!
Those annual 3 day drives to the Connecticut cabins and the blueberry farm, with picnics at Mt. Tom or Kent Falls
Watching the Space Shuttle every chance we had
Swimming with the manatees; a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
A Hot Air balloon ride
The Christmas Larry and I gave each other bath towels with similar, but different mallard duck patterns on them
And of course, family dinners ending with the chocolate giggles

So many trips: (How lucky we have been!)
My first view of the Colorado Rockies
Jamaica
Alaska
Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein
Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time
A House Boat trip on the St. Johns with 2 daughters and 2 friends
Larry's Wilderness Fishing Trip down the Rogue River
The Redwood Forest
My Trip to N.Y. with Jen after 9/11
My Trip to Canada with Jan for Canadian Thanksgiving

(I wonder what the kids will add to this list?)

Is it possible to wrap up the memories of 40 years in a blog?
No. That would be called a memoir and would be at least 200 pages!

All I can say here is that in 40 years we've had some good times and a few, but only a few, heartbreaks. There were ALE HOUSE nights on Thursday's when the week was long and the day had been longer and we were enticed by the $5.00 bucket of beer that awaited us. But more often were the nights we all sat down together for dinner, even if it meant waiting for daddy to come home, and then going to bed as soon as dinner was done.

In 40 years we have had dinners end in uncontrollable giggles only for someone to say "OMG, it's the chocolate!"

In 40 years we have kept in touch over the phone when one parent or another was traveling and:  a child stayed out too late, a horse had to be put down, through broken legs (plural-we have 2 kids), or a computer crashed and "my whole report was on that disk!"

On Sunday we exchanged Anniversary cards. As we read them we realized that although the design of the card was different we had selected cards where the message was identical, word-for-word! It reminded us of the "Duck Towel Christmas" 22 years ago.

Yes, In 40 years we have grown, changed, but managed somehow to stay in tune with each other.
It's been a good 40 years.

Transition

Long Time, No Hear.

There is something about traveling that always interrupts my flow of thought. It seems to take me a week or so to make the full transition and get back to my normal routine. As a result I haven't made any entries in my blog for a couple of weeks. The laundry is up to date, the groceries bought, and the weather has made a vast improvement so I'm getting back to normal. As a result here I am, with my latest observations on life around me.

While I was in Florida Larry would give me the weather updates; "'It's going to be 16 degrees tonight. We had snow this morning." A neighbor sent me a photo of our snow covered neighborhood, taken just a few days before I was due to come home. Talk about a Spoiler Alert!! There I was enjoying the sun and temperatures in the 80's and all I could think of was I might be going back to THAT! Oh the gloom!

Over the years I have made many trips taking me from where I wanted to be, to a place I was willing to put off getting to. I've learned that a trip that takes a couple of days to make has always helped me in that transition. As I left Florida the sun was shining and the day was beautiful. Oh how I hated to leave. However, the drive was a beautiful one. All through that day as I headed north, I saw various levels of full blown spring. The sky was clear, and trees were green. The further north I went I witnessed earlier stages of spring. By the end of the day I was seeing less green on the trees, but more early spring flowers. It had been a beautiful day, ending with an equally beautiful sunset.

The next morning as I crossed into Virginia I noticed the grass was green but the leaves were gone. I had to chuckle when each time I crossed a state border I noticed a definite difference in the signs of spring, from leaves to no leaves, flowering trees to forsythia, the earliest of the blooming plants. It was as if the weather also recognized state borders.

By the time I arrived back in Pittsburgh I had mentally reconciled to the local climate. I unpacked my shorts and put my sweatshirt back on.

I've been home for 2 weeks now. God has been good to me. Spring is here. The weatherman still offers the threat of snow, but if we get any it turns out to be 15 minutes of flurries followed by rain. Oh yes. Lots of rain. But we have enjoyed some wonderful spring days as well. Last weekend the sun came out and warmed us up. By Monday the forsythia and daffodils had popped.

Spring is fickle. Two weeks ago we had snow. One week later I was mowing the yard. But it is spring. A time of transition. And I'm glad it is here.

Time-Elapsed Spring

I took a drive from Pennsylvania to Hilton Head, South Carolina yesterday. When I left home it was 35 degrees, barren trees, and only a hint of the coming spring. The sun rose to a clear day and as I drove through West Virgina the best news was that I didn't have to deal with snow on the highway, but there was still no sign of spring.

North Carolina brought improvements. The grass was green and I began to see the red tinge of buds appearing on the trees. It doesn't take much to get me excited at this time of year, and that was the beginning for me. The excitement rose in my veins the way sap rises in a maple tree.

I stopped for gas and took my jacket off. It was 60 outside. The breeze was mild, the sun warm. Yea!! The bright yellow of forsythia bloomed on the roadside. I started singing in the car. Maggie got up to see what I was so excited about. I don't think she got it. I continued on. Crossing Lake Norman I was enthralled by the flowering trees. It was a beautiful afternoon. If this is March in North Carolina I could live here!

At the South Carolina Welcome Center I got out for a bathroom break. Crossing the parking lot, I was almost dancing. Daffodils were in bloom!

It was 75 degrees. The sky was a deep blue above the pines. I was in heaven.

 Spring is such a beautiful time, but I would be happiest if I could skip the first 6 weeks when the world is still cold and it springs back to life in slow-motion. I love watching the time-lapsed version. Of course, when I return home, it will be early spring again, but then I get the real version....the one where I get to enjoy the daffodils and tulips for several days, the bloom of the trees as they go from gorgeous flower to pale green leaf.

Sometimes my impatience gets in the way.