PREFERENCES

Each of us has different preferences that dictate our lives.
 Some of us prefer summer over winter.
In the summer, some prefer to linger in gardens on a hot day and others choose to enjoy air conditioning.

Sometimes, our preferences mean making tough choices.


If we choose to linger in a garden we might have to wander in some else's yard or walk down to a local park.

We may choose to be uncomfortable and sweat a bit in order to admire nearly transparent roses.

We may have to compromise with the natural elements like the hot sun and don a hat and sunglasses and slather sunscreen on our exposed skin.

 Sometimes we choose where to live according to our preferences.

For instance, I love summer all year long but my husband now barely tolerates summer and relishes long, cold winter days.
His 'outside' time is my 'inside' time.
 He breathes deep and seems to come alive on crispy-cold days.

 I burrow into a warm corner of the house and prefer to park myself there until Spring.
Because I love my hubby and he loves me, we have compromised over the years.
 We met in Seattle, where it is not too cold in the winter and is nicely cool most of each Summer.
  We moved to Northern Virginia, quite warm in the summer with no cool breeze, and crispy-cold only a few months a year.
Both places offered enough for us to compromise our preferences quite well.







Then we moved to Florida.
I began to love the heat and my hubby tolerated it quite well for several years.
The very hot summers brought with it soft sea breezes.
Winter was cool enough for him and just right for me.
 I most certainly benefited the most from living there.

After several years it was his turn to name his preference.
He chose a Pennsylvania mountain range that not only offers cool breezes in the summer but sweeps cold gusts that rattle our home almost constantly for eight months a year.
Yes, this summer is hot . . .  too hot for hubby.
This year is unusual.
It has been like Florida with never ending humidity.

Yet, a cool summer breeze gently frolics through our little screened porch where I park myself for hours each day when I am not in the garden.
My precious hubby parks himself in the coolest part of the basement when he can and, if given the option, would linger there until the first sign of frost.

As the days become shorter and nights grow colder I linger outside a a little less each day.
Hubby, in anticipation of the months ahead, seems to awaken from his sleepy daze in dark corners and begins to jog more frequently.

We will soon exchange a single sheet of bed covering for a down comforter with a coverlet on top of that.
As days grow dark and north winds howl, I get double the covers as he tosses them my way.
Because we create options we manage well.

Neither of us declares a 'mandate' by telling the other to accept that which is intolerable.
We adjust, knowing that we live in an imperfect world.
We work with each other instead of against each other.

I have yet to hear, "You cannot have more blankets on a cold winter day."
I have yet to tell my precious partner in life, "You must be covered in as many blankets as I use."
In the same way, I cannot demand that hubby keep the heat up high on a blistering cold day.

This is uncomfortable for him as well as poor economics.
 In fact, we both choose to keep the house at 68 in the winter.
We have high ceilings and his office is in an open loft at the top of the stairs.  What little heat we enjoy (68 does not seem that warm) goes right up to him.  It's really about 72 for him, which he thinks is just right.

 My best option is to wear wool socks and a thick wool sweater with heavy sweatpants.
 I also opt to go to a sweetly decorated, cozy corner of the basement where I can turn the heat up without much extra cost.
 We simply switch places between summer and winter.
 It works.

Preferences.
Who is winning now?
Because I choose to remain with my forever partner in marriage, I am willing to compromise in the winter as he does in the summer.
Because I mention ideas and do not mandate alternatives, we came up with a nifty plan to help each other through the toughest months.

There are many other preferences we lay aside because we have invested in each other.
We have a "vested interest" in compromise and, over the years, have gained a great return on our investment in each other.
Mandates are out of the question.
Patronizing is not acceptable.
Demanding that one come over to the other side is inappropriate.
Compromise is the only way we continue to thrive as a devoted couple.

I wonder if our nation is dealing as well with its commitment to fellow citizens.
As citizens, we are all 'bonded together' under the rules of the same constitution.
The United States of America, the government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people, is just that.
We are called upon to govern ourselves.
We state our preferences by voting.

We often have to compromise if the 'vote' for our preference is outnumbered by another's vote for a different preference.
Together, we are called upon to maintain the unity of one nation as a governing body.
Mandates are out of the question.
Patronizing is not acceptable.
Demanding that those who disagree come totally over to the other side is inappropriate.
We must all work together to compromise, to work with each other's preferences as best we can.

Our founding Fathers left ample room for individual preferences as we live together as "ONE nation, under GOD, INDIVISABLE, with liberty and justice for ALL."
We have fought many wars and too many have died to maintain our freedom.
We must work together, every day, to maintain our freedom.

 We can do this with compromises in compliance with our Constitution.
Our job, as a nation, is to read and digest the actual words of our Constitution.
Our nation has twisted the words and intent over the years.  Transcript of the Constitution of the United States - Official Text
Our preferences do not mean . . . 'all or nothing'. . . 'my way or no way.'
It is OUR way.
The bond of Marriage would not last a minute if preferences were ignored, mandates were dictated, and compromise was out of the question.

As a nation we are called to bond with each other as we live side by side, knowing that FREEDOM means working at compromise as we seek our own preferences,

FASHION STATEMENT

Along with a slew of other activities this week, I decided to create a birthday THANK YOU card for my 100 year old aunt. 

Her birthday is September 15 so I needed to at least begin this great work.  Nine pages and one hundred 'thank you' moments enabled me to linger a little longer with very old memories.

My earliest recollection was when my sister and I visited my "Auntie Helen" for a whole week when I was about ten years old.  

She lived in a small farm town . . . so small that our visit was front page news in the town paper.

If we were that famous I most certainly wanted to look my best whenever we walked about town.  

 The first thing that comes to mind is SPOOLIES! 

When my aunt washed my hair she put these soft pink things in my hair.

These are still sold today!

Then she wanted me to join her as we visited a neighbor . . . clear across the street and down a block . . .  with my hair in Spoolies!

You can now purchase Spoolies in
three colors!

Someone might see me!

At this young age I was well aware that this was not the best 'fashion statement.'

I insisted I wear a head scarf but three pink spoolies still stuck out in front.

Absolutely no one made a comment, positive or negative.

This was the beginning of many memorable adventures with my aunt.  

She sewed everything including a few items for my sister and me.

I loved fashion but it's all relative at the age of ten.

I was totally in love with Katy Keen Fashion but I could never afford the very thick  books that were published.   My allowance of $.10 per week was little help for this pricy item at $1.25.  My aunt bought me one which I cherished for years. 

This is still sold today!

Perhaps the Katy Keen purchase sparked my auntie Helen's imagination.
The next year she created a 'fashion doll' with the most glamorous wardrobe I'd ever seen.
She used her old sewing scraps.  Can you see the gold on white organza dress in the box below?  She pasted fabric on paper so the essence of see-through fabric was a bit muted.
 I loved each 'fashion'.

I was dishwater blond so this 'hair' was perfect.
The coat with real fur was the most current
Fashion Statement of the day!

Here she is unclothed. See how
the old tape held the wire on the back so the
clothes could stay on.  Aren't they gorgeous?!

Black velvet, lace, wool, silk.
Glorious to the touch.

The doll and clothes came in this box.
20 Cards for $.60!
We are talking for than 50 years old!

I fell in love with fabric. 

 So began my love for sewing.  

I never came near having a fashion statement of my own but I did make a 'fabric statement' in each place I lived. 

 I learned how to sew on a treadle machine my mom bought for me because she thought it was slower and safer.  

I loved it but needed something more portable to take away to college with me.  

So I bought a $12 Singer machine from a friend that I still have.  

I loved to created wardrobes from designer patterns and used unique fabrics.  I continue to make pillows, curtains, slip covers and anything 'fabric' that we enjoy in each home we have inhabited.  

I may not have the 'zing and bling' to BE a fashion statement but our home shows my love of fabric. 

Mine still works and is best on very
heavy fabrics.  LOVE IT!
I saw one the other day for $130

 I now have a modern sewing machine with a few bells and whistles but I still love my little Singer. 

 Like my precious aunt, I love to sew and will continue to do so as long as I am able to make my own 'fashion statement'.  

I may not last 100 years but I can keep sewing fabric for a few more years.

And I refuse to wear spoolies out in public.

For that matter I don't even own any spoolies!

FRESH PRODUCE

It's that time of year.
 Every morning I go out to my little garden by the side of the garage.
Tiny tomatoes are ripe and ready to pick.
 Summer squash is growing profusely.
Chives, thyme, basil, curry, cilantro, sweet peppers and all sorts of lavender grow in my little herb garden.
Oh JOY!

I cut or pick a little something each day.
So fun.  If I let the green sweet peppers
remain for awhile, they will turn red.
Fresh Produce for my Italian husband.

I am in love with fresh produce.  What we don't grow we purchase from our local farm.
 Fresh picked peaches, plums and nectarines, celery, cucumbers, beans, lettuce and so much more is there for the taking.
 Any price is worth fresh, healthy produce this time of year.

It has been years since we were able to purchase so much from farmers.
 We've lived in large cities most of our life.
We have always had access to some produce that came from local farmers but I never saw so much as we have here.

I took this shot a week ago.  The corn looks
ready to me. Picking may begin in another
week or two.  It's still pretty rainy.

Corn is coming in soon.
 It's still growing and truly is as high as an elephant's eye ( I love that song from Oklahoma).
Potatoes too.
 Although we did learn to purchase potatoes in small amounts.
Some farmers seem to douse their fields in so much manure that it really does affect the taste of the produce.
 One farmer's potatoes were so bitter that we gave the huge bag away after tasting one.

Oh yes, that wonderful smell seems to grab the early morning dew and hang on until the sun burns it off at about 11 each morning.
I'm getting use to the stinky mornings because I so love to sit on my porch and watch the birds eat their breakfast while I eat mine.


  Mornings are the best time of summer.
  It's still a bit cool.
  Fresh produce 'speaks' to me and seems to say, "pick me, pick me."
  Garden work comes before my time on the porch.
   I work before I linger awhile.

I have the same breakfast every morning.

I then linger with my special breakfast tray and read or simply sit and ponder God's blessings.  Something always speaks to me so I write it in my journal.
God gives me 'fresh produce' every day.

Another favorite form of 'fresh produce' is my summer clothing.  Fresh Produce [ http://freshproduceclothes.com/clothes/just-arrived ] is a small company that makes all of it's clothing out of pure cotton.
 No spandex.
Just Cotton.
 It breathes!
They make the cutest T-shirts, skirts, shorts and pants and throw-on dresses.

They were the only clothes I could wear when we lived in the Florida tropics ... way south.

I just grab and go.  Easy to wear, easy to wash.

These clothes are all I wear up here, especially in the garden.
 I wear my 'Fresh Produce' while collecting the same.
I have found nothing else as  fabulously cute and cool.

So, one might say that I wear it, pick it, and meditate on it daily.
Fresh Produce.

This is almost my entire wardrobe
for summer so it's not too hard
to pick and choose.

One can't beat it.

This is my best pick of the day.

Today's pick!
It seems endless.

What kind of fresh produce do you have?

GOLD MEDAL

Olympics, summer or winter, are my time to linger a little longer in front of the television.

Our schedules do not allow us to watch during the day, unless I choose to wake up at 5:30am to watch horses jump hurdles.
 I did make that choice one morning and it was great.  But the day seemed a little long.

That said, at night, when the highlights of the best athletes are shown, I am all eyes.
 I am glued.
 I am working at winning the  Gold Medal for the Couch Potato category.

My sister took this shot of a sand
sculpter at the beach.  This is
truly worth Olympic Gold.
(Click on Cynthia's Botanicals on
the sidebar for more.)

 I am focused on these athletes who have given their lives for this moment.

A swimmer looks like a winner and then loses by 1/100 of a second!
I cannot imagine spending my entire life in water to loose by such a tiny margin.

For that matter, what about the world class gymnast who fumbles in floor exercises just a tad bit more than her team mates and is not qualified to join her team for the next exercise because each country can only have so many winners?
That means another country can have fewer points and move to the next exercise?

 This is not the Olympics I have ever known.
 I'm off the couch.
 I'm standing in the middle of the living room ranting at such a stupid rule ... so everyone can have a fair chance?

This could be me, ready
to challenge the judges.

What about the person who earns the highest points!
If one country wins all the top spaces, so be it.
I just lost any hope for the Couch Potato Medal!
I'm still off the couch.
I scream at the judges.
I think I also lost the 'Good Sportsmanship' medal too.
I cannot even think of how these young athletes feel with rules that have never before been part of the Olympics.
I may have this all wrong but my adrenaline soared.
The athletes have to dry their tears and move on.
That's far more than I could do at this point.

Now I am a wreck over the men's swimming competition because some races are way too close for comfort.
Some are breaking their own records.
These 'kids' are beyond amazing: Discipline, Drive, Fortitude, Grace, Patience, Perseverance ... and so much more.

A ribbon with a piece of metal.
Reward of a lifetime.

These athletes have so much to teach all of us.
The highest expectations have been drilled into them:
 Do your best.
Take what is given with grace.
Endure under pressure.
Keep moving forward.

And KEEP SMILING when your heart is breaking ... and reporters ask ..."How do you feel?"
I wish some athlete would ask the reporter, "How do you feel when your whole world falls apart after giving up life for ten years or more?"
But these young women and men simply smile and give the best answer they can.
They have ALL won the Gold Medal for grace under pressure in a kazillion different categories.
They are the BEST!
Whether they win or loose, they have much to teach the rest of us ... spoiled, less disciplined, unwilling to persevere for more than thirty seconds.

I believe those who simply qualify for the Olympics deserve a Gold Medal for the exemplary lives they lead ... whether they win or lose.

 

From the 2000 Olympics

   I have much to learn from them.
   I might as well keep working on my 'Couch Potato'
        status.
     I may not win the medal but the 'lingering' might
         teach me something.

PUZZLES

Life is sometimes a puzzle to me.
I can't seem to leave it alone . . . my life.
Why can't I simply wander through each day and linger whenever I choose?
Why do I have to plan something or fix something or try to figure out my life?
Its impossible, you know.
One doesn't figure out one's life.
I should simply live it!

When life gets too intense and deadlines loom boldly in my face I simply step back and play with puzzles.
I try to fix things or find the missing piece when I have the least time for such trivia.
I remember learning to play bridge for the first time during college exam week.  That was eons ago but I still tend to digress from my schedule at the weirdest times.

For instance, remember the bricks I laid? (Previous Blog)
Here it is again.
The young guy who cuts our lawn told me of a 'close out' sale and offered to bring me as many bricks as I desired.
Sounded like a grand opportunity to create a 'little' path around my herb garden.

I think I simply laid down blocks and had no idea
what it looked like up close.  When I took this
picture I realized that it was 'legos gone wild.'

  Little path?
 I got a bit carried away.
 LOL.
It's OK. . . especially at the concave side on the left.
 I just followed the grass.

Some puzzles are best left alone but this one was too much of an eye sore to allow.
I HAD to fix it. . .  and fix it . . .  and . . .
Three very long days taking almost every brick out and creating a bit of order was back breaking . . . actually knee breaking.
 Oh, I had the knee pads and another little pad but I kept moving out of them.
 I'd lift several bricks at a time and move stones and whatever one does when solving puzzles.

This 'one-day' puzzle ended up taking
about two weeks, off and on.
I don't care how it looks.  I'm done.
I love lingering on the little bench and
watching my herbs grow.

Does this look better?
At least I no longer have a concave left side of the circle.
What seemed like a quick path around a bland garden has turned into a puzzle that I will forever be tweaking.
There always seems to be a missing piece.

Life is like that, isn't it.
Life seems like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Some people can accept empty spaces and simply enjoy the big picture.
 I am one of those people who chooses to forever look for the empty piece. . . that tiny, unfilled space.

I do pat myself on the back once in a while for attempting the project.  But I don't give myself enough credit for "completing it to the best of my ability."

And so I continue solving puzzles that take precious time from my work.
 I must say, the satisfaction does energize me and I seem to  meet the immovable deadlines.
 I'm also learning flexibility.
 Why not digress from my 'list' once in a while.
Why not breathe deep and accept imperfection.

Can you see the missing piece?

That reminds me.
 I purchased a puzzle for $4 at the chocolate store.
 I thought my 97 year old father would like it when I visit next winter (south . . . in the sun . . . warm . . . where I thaw out for a few days).
Only 500 pieces.
 How hard could that be?
 I'd never put a puzzle of more than 20 pieces together before.
 I wanted to make sure all the pieces were there.

Talk about digressing from life.
I was addicted!
 I'd linger after my morning workout to put a 'few' pieces together and . . . three hours later . . .
Needless to say, I get up very early and the basement is a perfect place to hide with a puzzle.
 I think it only took a few days to put it together but it was absolutely the wrong time.
 I had so many commitments that could not be ignored. . . and then . . .

Close up shot.  One piece missing and the puzzle
seems incomplete.  Yet, why not simply look at this
as an incredible accomplishment . . .  especially
when putting together the chocolate pieces.

. . .  I could not believe it.

A missing piece!
How dare they!
No wonder it was $4!

Life is full of missing pieces.
No matter how long and hard we work at living life, there are always holes.

As I age I am learning to linger with those holes.  Digression makes a 'hole' in my schedule. Yet it helps me to enjoy empty space.


It's a way of saying to myself, b-r-e-a-t-h-e.
It took a lop-sided path and a puzzle without a piece to help me see that holes in life are not so bad.

My life-verse reminds me of this. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him (and the holes in my life) and He will make those holes of life acceptable [actually, 'He will make your paths straight']."

I continue to learn to look at the big picture of my life, holes and all.

SOUL REFRESHMENT

It's too hot to think, much less keep up with chores
Do I work or do I linger?
Do I feel a sense of accomplishment by DOING . . . or . . .
    is lingering more beneficial to my soul?
The dust piles up.
The to-do list gets longer.
I opt for soul-refreshment.

The words, 'soul-refreshment' seem to sound as cool as that stream of water I can only imagine running through my back yard.
Yes, we had a thunderstorm the other day that drenched deep.
Now we are parched again.
At least we had SOME rain.
We are doing better than most parts of this scorched earth.

Golden wheat was ready for harvest in early July.

The empty field is left to dry out for a season

I took a picture of the'Tea in a Garden' basket I created for a fund raiser.

The winner gave this to two Amish girls.
After enjoying their "Tea in a Garden," they
re-planted the flowers in their own little garden.

I look at the blooms that show off their vibrant color in the stinging sun.

The colors POP

I ponder over a path that I created around a benign herb garden.

It all looked so bland that I opted to create a "little"
brick path around each of the four quarters.
After all, the bricks were half price!
I should have left it alone but it IS much easier to get around.

Now it looks like 'legos-gone-wild.'  Oh My!

I'll re-work some of the bricks ... some day.
Right now I simply stare at it from an upstairs view.
Can you see the water hose at the bottom of the page?
That leads to a concrete stoop and entry into our shed.

 And so I sit.
Our annual drought dims the grass to parched tan.
Roses hold back their blooms.
Russian Sage loves every minute of scorching heat.

If grass can hibernate so can I.
I take my queues from God's creation.

 And so I sit as I write to whomever in the world reads this.
My soul refreshes in sharing my moments on the porch with you.
Sit down.
Join me for a spell?
Linger in this quiet moment.
Ahhhhh,
 . . . feel refreshed?

This is my most favorite 'summer spot.'  It's upstairs so I can
see the whole backyard garden from here.
 My morning reading is in the basket.
The curtain by the chair blocks the morning sun.
Just tie it in the middle and I still see the garden.

A simple breakfast sits ready.
Fun herbs and plants offer quick clips for salads.
My most favorite chair in summer.

I think I will browse a bit and find interesting thoughts to ponder on other blogs.
This lingering can become a habit.
Ahhhhh, soul refreshment.

JULY 4TH

We say, "July 4th" and every citizen of the United States of America knows exactly what this means.

We celebrate with flags and parades and fireworks and picnics.

Day Lilies bursting like fireworks!
Notice the 'flag' look of the shaded shingles.

We linger in the wonder of it all.

Our independence has been and continues to be hard fought.

Daily we pray for our troops and those protecting us in our towns, cities, within this country and abroad.

We are so blessed with dedicated people who work hard in varied capacities to allow us the luxury of taking this day off to celebrate our freedom.

Yet, freedom is never free, is it.

My flag wall

I am so in love with this country and what it has offered me and those I love that I celebrate all year long.  In fact, when I went to my file to find a picture of a flag, I could only find what reminds me of flags.

I have the 'flag-look' all over the house and garden.

Some shots you have seen before.

No high flying flags . . .  but you get the idea.

I'm proud to be an American and to live in this land of the free.

Address card holder.  Although we have everything
on the computer, I still enjoy my 'paper trail.'

My girlfriend made this pot holder that sits on
my counter, ready for hot things . . . like my
morning tea.

Fun flag in the garden.

A flower arrangement that is over twenty years
old sits on a table at my dad's home.  His wife
loved red, white and blue too.

My neighbor made this flag.

My worn out chair that
I so love.

Stars and Stripes

My summer arrangement for the front door.

I saw this design at a museum and tried to
re-created it.  Look closely.
WELCOME! lingers within the stars and stripes.

Uncle Sam 'nods' back and forth
when I give him a slight push.

Gussy up a plain white chair with a little flag.
Why not!
The slip of canvas easily comes off
when I choose.

My sister gave this to me years ago.
I move it around to fill an empty spot.

Just enough room on top of tall book cases
for a patriotic theme.

Stars and Uncle Sam linger on top of another book case.

My all time favorite print . . .  Jasper Johns

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!