Peace on the Porch

Here it is - the last day of July. I was awakened this morning to rumbling thunder which seems to be traveling around to the west - Greenwood and over towards Ninety Six. It is gray, but lighter toward the east and all the dark skies are in the west. The bullfrog has spoken a couple of times and a strange bird sound that sounds like a rasping noise. I know none of the bird songs, but this one is certainly distinctive - maybe he has a sore throat? The Pond surface is quiet and there seems to be no color anywhere that is not green - the surface of the Pond and all the surrounding trees and grass that has come up along the edge of the Pond since the water has receded. Gray and green everywhere. What a soothing surrounding this is. I couldn't wait to tell you about it. Some mornings the peacefulness is so profound it is almost as if Ican physically feel it. A fish jumps now and then, the thunder rumbles in the distance, the laptop keys are clicking, a few birds are singing, not really, more like talking. It's easy to feel safe, secure, content, at ease, and just listen. Oh, a soft flash of lightning now - and a bit louder thunder rumble. Maybe it's coming this way! What a wonderful anticipation - rainy day on the screen porch - actually no doubt it will get hot again and I'll have to move into the air conditioned cottage. But, for now, it's tea time (green tea time) on the porch. Love - Peace - Joy to you.

Golden Bees and My Failures

Last night as I was sleeping/ I dreamt--marvelous error!--/ that I had a beehive/ here inside my heart./ And the golden bees/ were making white combs/ and sweet honey/ from my old failures.... by Antonio Machado, version by Robert Bly. This verse from the poem "Last night as I was sleeping" struck me deeply yesterday. After reading it, I couldn't get it out of my mind, and still this morning - I hope it speaks to you also. Oh, the Great Blue Heron is back! I've missed him the last couple of mornings. I've added a new activity to my morning hour of meditation - walking the labyrinth between sitting and studying. It seems inaccurate to say, reading, when it's much more like studying. The lectio divina practice we Pod Sisters did this weekend is creeping into my reading which makes it much more like study. Perhaps it's my age, but reading a profound bit once isn't enough for me. At times I read again because Ididn't grasp the concept. At times I read again because it spoke deeply to me and I want it engraved in my heart. At times I read again because of the lovely sounds of the words. (This happens so often with the poets!) Machado's verse of the bees and my failures set me up to reread for all of these reasons.

Hearing Heart

A new week begins. Somehow or another my weeks always start with Monday. I like it that way - ending my week with Sunday, the rest day. Yesterday was especially pleasant. Sara and I had a sacred time together with the second day of meditations from "Learning to Hear with the Heart" then later, Nancy and I did. (Did you know that the literal translation of the Hebrew words of Solomon's request is for a "hearing heart" - one with which he could discern between good and evil?) Sara left early to get back to Wilmington and Nancy later to go home to Atlanta. We three Pod Sisters had a beautiful weekend together, as we always do. We certainly were listening to each other all weekend with our hearts wide open! As we always do. What a different world we would live in if everyone listened with their heart. Now my challenge is to continue listening with my heart. For two years or so now my big goal has been to shut my mouth and listen with my ears and my mind, and I still haven't achieved that - maybe it will come more easily if I shift to my heart? I'm quite sure I won't be able to hear with my heart if my mouth is running. That much I have learned. Silence has become my friend. That is to say, silence no longer irritates me, but brings me joy. The day ended with a meeting of my Spiritual Sisters studying Lovingkindness for an hour and a half and then a yoga session. Perhaps I'll write about that tomorrow.

Just checking in

I can't believe I haven't written since Sunday - and here it is Wednesday evening. Life surely gets busy sometimes. I am still a bit tired - puppy sitting is fun but also tiring - and just now getting everything put away after being gone pretty much for four weeks. It is nice to be home and getting back into the swing of things here. Pod Sisters arrive tomorrow night and Friday so house cleaning has moved to the top of my list. Thank goodness they come several times a year or I'd never clean my cottage - except for Thanksgiving when the family comes here. The flowers are dead and weeds have taken over my little plot with basil and lavender the only surviving plants. I knew better than to plant spring or early summer flowers. The heat makes it impossible to have flowers without lots of watering and somehow as the Pond level recedes I'm inclined to save water. Enough. I'll see if the day tomorrow allows for a post.

Uniqueness

Things are going well here. Gus is beginning to know the house and the people and it is a bit easier to predict when he knows to go outside. We've had a few mistakes, but we are training ourselves pretty well. The boys are learning - but still play too much and too loudly with him - so he bites their shirts or pants and hangs on for dear life. Of course, Gus thinks this is a game and loves this tug of war. The boys, of course, just jump right into the fray pulling away, which makes Gus even more insistent on hanging on. With his sharp little baby teeth he has made quite a few holes in clothes to date. This extended period of time with the grandchildren and son Luke has been a truly enjoyable one. So many memories have been recalled, so many connections made through little incidents that will be remembered. I will no doubt remember different ones from what they will, but so be it. I'm often surprised at memories Luke has that I have no clue about. Even though he says I was there when they happened. But, then that shouldn't surprise me anymore. It's been happening for years. Strange how certain aspects of events stick with one person and different ones with another. Why is that? Uniqueness. As hard as we try sometimes to fit in and be just like others, especially as teenagers, it doesn't work! Maybe that's why I gave up on it so long ago. And, imagine how terribly boring the world would be if we were all alike! If we were, or could be, who would you pick as the model?

Gus and Mother Ellie

Here I am now with a few quiet moments with just Luke. The kids have a couple friends playing quietly upstairs. Gus is asleep at Luke's feet. I've just learned a bit more about using Facebook from Luke, which I will probably forget by the next time I want to send photos or anything else. I really don't know why I'm so intimidated by FB. It's really quite user-friendly. I've now posted a bunch of Gus photos on FB so I won't do a whole bunch here, but one more anyway. This one has Ellie, Gus's mother in the photo. Enough now, action has resumed here.

Gus has arrived

Today I'm still at Luke's but trying to get back to blogging. First things first - a photo of the new baby, Gus. This photo was taken just hours after we picked him up in St. Louis on Tuesday morning. Now, Friday, he's fully acclimated to Luke and Susan's home - well maybe not fully - but he's getting there. Truly fun watching him and seeing similarities to Quincy - who left this world last July. What fun to be grandma to him! I'm staying here for a few more days till the new baby gets all the attention he needs to be happy in his new home! Gus is a miniature bull terrier and will never be as big as Quincy, but he will certainly get just as much love - probably more since Jack and Sam are living with him! Both the boys are being super good at caring for him. For now, he's the center of everyone's attention, so I'll just leave this post right here and publish it.

Prepping for St. Louis

The second phase of my vacation has begun. I came to Suwanee, Luke's home, yesterday and today we will drive to St. Louis. Tomorrow morning we get Gus, the new puppy, and bring him home. Then, the fun will really begin! I'm so very fortunate to be a part of this family. This morning I've been perusing the trip-tik and maps and guidebook, found a motel for tonight and now will take a rest break in preparation for the 9-hour drive with Luke. Another blessing - to have an overnight together without others around - a very rare opportunity - perhaps a first in 15 years! And, who knows when it may occur again - likely another 15 years. My healthy eating plan for the past 7 weeks has truly paid off. I am back to my pre-children weight for the first time in 46 years!!! No, that's not true - I did it 14 years ago for Luke's wedding - but it only lasted a couple days past the wedding! The strange thing about it - I am finding no real desire for sweets - and that's the major change I made - stopped the candy, cookies, ice cream, etc. that I was bingeing on almost nightly. Could this mean I've conquered that demon? I do know my interest in yoga has escalated and I'm back to studying it daily - going through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras again with a very different understanding. I'm beginning to understand yoga as a total lifestyle opportunity that has given me a much more comfortable, peaceful approach to life. Somehow, things that seemed to be worrisome, frightening, upsetting, disturbing, etc. are not so much so. Events that previously upset me somehow don't seem important enough to respond to. And, things that seemed less than important now do! Like satisfying kookie desires - like the child's watch I bought at HH. It has a rubber band with turtles all around it and even one on the face of the watch that is the seconds indicator! What fun it is to glance at him as he makes his (HER?) trip around the face. And, there are numerals on the face as well as bigger ones on the case around the face of the clock. And, there is a real clock face - not digital stuff. So I can tell at a glance how many minutes are left till whatever time I'm waiting for. What a find! Enough trivia for one morning! Have a HAPPY day!

The Cabin

Good morning! I'm back at my window. But, just for this morning. This afternoon I go to Suwanee, to St. Louis on Monday, back to Suwanee on Tuesday, and there I'll stay till the following Tuesday. I DO LOVE to TRAVEL! It was fun getting back home even for just one night. Donna and Steve are here - have been spending lots of time here the last couple of weeks. Steve made fig preserves and gave me a jar - which I'll save for Pod Sisters visit in a couple weeks. The fig trees Jim planted up at the cabin are loaded with fruit now. The Great Blue Heron is skirting the Pond this morning fishing as he goes. What a wonderful example of patience and persistence he is! It must have been very dry the last two weeks. The yard is not green, mostly brown, but the dandelions persist. The sweet potato I transferred from the kitchen window to a pot in the yard is the greenest thing around! No, I also have three beautiful basil plants - all from one I planted last year. The little garden plot I covered with pine straw is now full of weeds! Still, I think they'll come out pretty easily. But, they will have to wait another ten days. Today I first have to finish emptying the car from the beach trip - a trip to a car wash to vacuum out all the sand - then I can repack. But, I will work in a yoga session with Donna, and maybe Steve too, if he's not busy painting the window frames on the back porch at the cabin. That, of course, must be done early in the mornings since it's on the west side and by noon it's too hot to paint there. Have I published a photo of the cabin? Don't remember doing so, so I will now.

Karen's Visit - the last days of HH 2010

Look at these golfers!!! First time I've seen so many at the same spot! A tournament, you suppose? We're busy doing everything this last day starting with coffee/tea on the porch this morning - then to the beach at South Beach to walk and get wet in the salt water, then to the South Beach general store for souveniers, then home for a quick nap - next off to Roasted Fish and Cornbread for dinner. Last night we walked the beach at Shipyard - tonight after early dinner, probably more chatting and catching up on what's going on in our lives. How nice it is to have Karen here to end a wonderful two weeks with me!

Finally! I'm blogging again.

It's amazing! Karen is here and figured out how to get our computers connected to the 37 Kingston Cove wi-fi!!! And, it works so much better! Sorry I didn't call her the first day I was here! So, I'll try a few more photos. Here's Jack at the skateboard park.

Photos from HH

I'm not sure what is going on with my computer. Still trying but with little success. Once more I'll try to get some photos to appear.

Reconnecting, I hope!

Computer has been a problem. Disconnects often and so it's been frustrating trying to write. I just found a few posts that were never published - but let's try again this morning. Family left yesterday and I spent the entire day recuperating. Had no idea how tired I was until after they left. What a lovely place to recuperate! This morning I'm trying computer on the screened porch in hopes it will work better outside. What a lovely beginning to a day! Four bluebirds, a blue heron, a white egret, a crow, a woodpecker, and only two people have all crossed in front of me. The sun is breaking over the trees and lighting up the green and a couple of maintenance tractors have gone by on the golf course. The place is unbelievably quiet now. No leaf blowers or mowers or other maintenance trucks are in evidence. It will be a beautiful day everywhere - but HOT of course, except on the beach - there is always at least a breeze on the beaches. My favorite pastime here is sitting in a low beach chair with my feet in the water.

Last Day at Hilton Head with Family

Monday, today is our last day as a family vacation. We have a full one planned: Luke, Susan, Jack and Sam are off to a local donut shop, following a walk I took and discovered a small alligator near our house - so the boys and I made an excursion for them to see it and take an IPod photo. This is not the first - they've already seen a few more on their bike trips around Shipyard. I'm enjoying my first-thing-in-the-morning walks around this neighborhood. Next, off to the beach, later a parasail trip, a side trip to the skateboard park for Jack, and who knows what else!!! GREAT FUN for all. Last night we had hotdogs cooked on the gas grill very near our house and then off to the fireworks display on the eighteenth green at Harbor Town - actually just beside it. They shoot them from a barge and it is truly a magnificent display. Hundreds of people were there on the grass, on the lighthouse, on boats, everywhere! This has become a tradition for us. The beach was great yesterday after two days of too much wind. So, we're ending this family vacation with a bang - great weather, everything anyone can think of to do is getting done, so a big success. Already we're thinking of what we'll do next year!

The 4th at Hilton Head

Happy Fourth of July! Things are going great here at HH. We've all settled into a sort of routine that is good for each of us. Wind was high at the beach the last two days, but perhaps not so today. Jack especially enjoys his skim board, but not when the waves are so rough. This morning looks very calm, so should be a good one at the beach. Tonight we will go over to Harbor Town to watch the fireworks - a tradition now - we sit on the eighteenth green and fireworks are launched from a barge out in Calibogue Sound - a truly beautiful evening. We are lucky Jim has a parking space for us a very short distance away. So, we're beginning another day - yoga for the adults - then breakfast and off to the beach. Not much space for philosophizing but perhaps Tuesday or Wednesday after the kids go back to Atlanta. For now, just plain family fun! How blessed I am to have them!

At the Beach

The days are beginning to fall into a routine. Kids wake first, of course, adults do yoga while kids ride bikes, then breakfast (kids have already eaten once) and off to the beach. The parking is not so crowded but still most days I've dropped Susan off with all the paraphanalia (that many a's???) and returned home to quiet time, go back and pick her up and back to the condo. Luke and boys ride their bikes to and from the beach, shower and swim in the pool on return (pool is only a short walk from our condo) and then - all kinds of different things go on. We've discovered gas grills and picnic table just a few steps down from our place and will probably try some grilling tonight. Now, our fifth day is beginning and everyone has sort of settled into a routine. How grand it is that they will be with me until Tuesday. Gives us enough time for the settling in to happen. We've already had Frogmore Stew (low-country boil) shrimp sandwiches, and lots of other good food. Dinner out at Roast Fish and Cornbread was a highlight - absolutely spectacular food - conch and alligator appetizers, wild salmon, crab cakes, catfish, and the sweet potato cornbread!!!! and on and on - all VERY good! Thanks to Jim again for taking me there a few weeks ago or we wouldn't have known about it. A bit overcast this morning - so a bit of a wait for beach time perhaps. The real joy of all of this is the extended time together as a family. Living by myself means these "togetherness" times are especially precious. How fortunate I am to be welcome as a part of Susan and Luke's family! I've recalled a few people I've run across in the past who have no family and now know why it was important to me to have children! What a blessing!