Purple Mountains Majesty

Early this morning we walked to the top of our hill to look toward the lake as the sun rose. The clouds turned fire red. Over the lake was a deep pink with a grey brushed in with a light touch. D says, "I love it when the lake turns pink and the mountains are purple." "Purple mountains majesty", I said and started to cry. 

We live in such an amazing country -- and as exciting as this presidential race has been, I am tired of it and feel like we, Americans, stretching from "sea to shining sea" and beyond are being divided by those who claim they would lead us. I am tired of being told I am not a "real" American. 

I am a Real American - who chose to vote for Obama. I am a Real American - part of the heartland even though I live on the edge of a lake in California because America is my heart land. I am a Real American - who has believed for a long time that gender should not matter and if women were going to break the glass ceiling then we had to take our lumps as well as our successes. I am a Real American - with an MA and more who raised her children to judge by character and not by color, to value education, to work hard and to love this country as the greatest in the world -- where we can speak our minds, declare our differences, cheer our successes and help each other when catastrophe strikes. 

I am a Real American - who has friends of all races, genders, economics, religions and geographical location. I am a Real American - who believes that we all have the freedom to speak our minds and so I allow others to do that -- and allowing doesn't always mean liking what I hear -- and it does mean I have the freedom to speak too. And so I do - as a Real American. That calls for a cup of tea ~ and blessings

Middle of the night thoughts

I like sleep. Sleep is good. And I don't think I need as much of it as I did. Except of course last night I slept and slept and slept and it was wonderful. And tonight I am awake in the middle of the night ~ really awake. Writing in my blog - thinking - and even when my head is calm, I am awake. Guess I will pull another mystery from the shelf or do another crossword and drift . . .

We have a dog with heart problems and I have finally come to realize he has good days and bad days and for now the good days Far outnumber the bad ones. So - I have settled into his medical routine and am grateful for all the good ones. 

Looking forward to having grandkids around for Halloween. Am planning some fun decorations and cooking activities. Will have the camera handy of course. 

Maybe a cup of herbal tea to soothe and settle the soul ~ with blessings

Never too late to learn

So - this morning we got out the muffin batter so D could have his fresh bran muffins. He sprays the muffin cups and says "put them in the microwave for a minute and then in the oven." I threw up my hands and left him to it. 

Well, 1 minute in the microwave and 10 in the oven (11 minutes in all instead of the usual 20 - 30 in the oven) and they were Great. "Have you never done that?" he asks with wonder in his voice. No, dear one, I have never done that. *sigh* And I will from now on -- how nice to know I can still learn tricks in the kitchen. ~ blessings

Tradition

Years ago two of my cousins sent me a recipe for bran muffins - very simple, very easy, and the batter stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. Well, I can't prove that because as long as I have had the recipe, no family configuration has Ever let this batter stay in the fridge for longer than three. 

The point being - my young first family Loved the muffins. Now my second family love the muffins. I have them on hand when we have company or when D & I are facilitating an overnight meeting. I have begun to add more raisins, nuts, other fruits, seeds and whole wheat flour. Unless of course Daughter #2 is going to be partaking and then I go back to the basic recipe. Otherwise I get told off -- for a Very non-traditional woman, there are some things from one's childhood tradition that Must stay the same! 

This morning however the seedy, fruity muffin batter was stirred up in short order and D will have fresh hot bran muffins every morning for a while. Maybe that's why we have such trouble changing: traditions, like bran muffins, are comfortable and tasty. ~ blessings

Voted

Phew - it is done. I have voted. I have taken my vote by mail ballot, sat with it, studied the propositions some more just to be sure I remembered them -- and voted. Done. Over. 

I was surprised to find myself more fiscally conservative than I thought I was. Maybe that is a present moment, present economy thing. I am as socially liberal as I have always been. 

And I voted for history -- which we will all do regardless of which party we vote. 

And it is Done -- now I can relax and let other folks worry and fret for the next two weeks - done. 

~ time for a cup of tea with blessings ~ 

Mint jelly

I have "discovered" mint jelly. Now I have known and eaten mint jelly for years -- if someone was serving lamb. The other day I thought - mint jelly. I would like some even if we are not having lamb. And so I bought some. 

Well, I have eaten with almost every meal since. With chicken pot pie, chicken spaghetti and this morning on toast with tea and toast. Goodness. It is light, refreshing, gives just a hint of sweet to go with the savory of the meat or veggies. 

I am sure this obsession will calm down and it will soon be used on a more ordinary basis and it will be long time before my breakfast toast goes bare again. Delicious. 

~ tea and blessings

Pleased as Punch

I used this well-worn phrase this morning and wondered from whence it came. So I googled it. 

Look what I found: http://www.worldwidewords.org

Check it out if you have any interest in words, language, their history, usage and origins. Delightful. ~ off for a morning cup of tea, with blessings ~ 

First tooth!

That cold blog has been there too long -- and even with no energy still and my brain not working, there is fun news that makes for much better reading . . . (Numbers are based on their placement in the age progression)

# 8 grandchild lost his first tooth yesterday! Actually the first call came as he and his mom were leaving the school where she works and he attends. I was the first to know that his tooth was loose. How exciting! Then they called again last night to say it had come out - not only come out but he had pulled it Himself!! That's a really big deal. 

My memory is that the first looseness and the actual pulling are separated by several days to a week or so. Not in the this case. 

His three-year old sister decided she had Two loose teeth and the Fairy would visit her as well with a frog purse and $200! Oh, my -- 

Homecoming Dance pictures arrived from two teenage grandkids (# 1 and 3) - and they are no longer a little boy and girl rather a young man and young woman between the last time we saw them and now. Amazing!  

They do grow up -- and it is So Exciting to share in their stories - blessings

Observations on The Cold

1) There is no "just" to a cold. Next time you are tempted to say, "it is just a cold" - remember there is no "just" to a cold. You are sick. Be gentle with yourself.

2) After a couple of rough days and nights, it is so nice to wake in the middle of the night and realize you have actually been asleep and breathing through Both nostrils!

3) Friends are amazing. I had to postpone lunch with two women this week - I didn't feel like going and they really didn't want me around. Both of them asked what they could do, did I need anything, please call if they could bring me anything or do anything for me. So Special. 

4) We have  a set of deck furniture that comes inside to a window nook in the den for winter. We were going to move it in this weekend before the snow. Yesterday I schlep into the living room and there it is - D has moved it inside by himself and when I thank him, says, "no problem." Bless him. Yes, it is still in the living room and will take two sets of hands to move down to the den. No matter. I will be up to doing that by this afternoon or tomorrow. The important thing is that it was inside when we woke to our first dusting of snow. 

That makes it time for hot tea - blessings ~ 

I am such a grandmother

This week I had an opportunity to peruse pictures of fifty gorgeous young men - one from each state - with an opportunity to vote for the one I thought the most gorgeous. Now I have always appreciated male beauty and have always been aware it has nothing to do with age - just hormones. I mean there Is Something about a man in a kilt even if he is the 15 year old bell hop at a lovely hotel in Canada. :) 

However, as I made my way through the pictures of these handsome young men I realized I was reacting to them in the same way I had just reacted to my grandson's senior pictures. They are so "grown up" -- yes, they are handsome. And they are So Young. I know I just said they were grown up and that phrase comes from knowing them as boys and seeing the man emerge. All of these lovely young males are emerging men ~ and this grandmother, while appreciative of how handsome they are ~ can still see them as little boys with skinned knees and string in their pockets. I will let the younger women do the voting. I will just grin at how grown up they are. ~ blessings

Aromas of childhood

We had rain over the weekend; lots of rain for the mountains. We live in the middle of a pine forest and for two days the aroma in the air has been of wet pine trees. When I was a little girl, my Texas family would spend summers at my grandmother's in the pines of North Carolina. 

And so today I walked out on my deck and was suddenly 5, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins; playing with my mother in the sandy yard of the cabin; racing down the dusty road; walking barefoot with my uncle to his garden; carefree and happy, surrounded by the love of an extraordinary family -- all because of the aroma of the wet pines and the memories that evokes. Delightful ~ blessings

Amazed and delighted

I wasn't even sure how to title this one. I am 65 years old and I do believe this is the First time in my life that Congress has been so determined to do something and then listened to the voice of the people and Not done it! They voted with and for us, folks! Amazing. (I know, they are all up for reelection.) That little aside is immaterial. They did it! Now they may come back today and vote differently -- and for just a little while, they did it! They have this moment to look back on with pride and say, we did what the large majority of our constituents asked us to do. Yay, Congress! 

My goodness -- how often have we said That since July 4th, 1776? 

~ big grins and blessings ~