Monday Musings - My Angel

My Angel

On windy days, my angel visits me
Blowing a breeze through the silver wind chimes
Reminding me to live my life freely
And not hide away from the rest of the world

On windy days, my angel visits me
Bringing me serenity with each gentle sway
Reminding to live in the present
And keep the past in the past

On windy days, my angel visits me
Whispering secrets with each little chime
Reminding me she is always near
Even though far from my sight she'll be

One-sided Conversation

ONE-SIDED CONVERSATION

“Uh, huh, yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“No, I haven’t seen it yet – really? Oh, I can’t wait!”

“No, uh, uh! No way I’m going if that heifer’s going to be there.”

“Because …”

“No, because she drives me crazy.”

“It’s not funny, Linda. No, I think that red dye job has soaked into her brain and rotted the gray matter!”

“It’s true – no, I think she’s very intelligent.”

“Yes, she is – she has to be smart to be able to down that job at the law office.

“Well, let me finish – I said she’s smart, but she just doesn’t have any common sense.”

“Haha – no, seriously, I don’t think she has enough sense to come in out of the rain.”

“Well, true … she probably would melt in the rain.”

“Oh, you are so bad! No, you are, you’re evil!”

“Yeah, I know – but how could someone smart enough to be a paralegal actually think it’s okay to be dating 3 different guys at the same time?”

“Well, she’s got more energy than me, that’s for sure.”

“Well, what’s going to happen when she goes into the Old Bull Tavern with Bill and she finds Joe Bob at the bar?”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean – the fur will fly!”

“Or, maybe she’ll be eating with Kenny at the Food Affair and Bill walks in with his buddies.”

“No, I don’t care who she dates, I just think it’s wrong for her to sneak behind their backs. Those guys need to know they’re in competition with each other.”

“Oh, I know, that’s why I don’t want to go if she’s there. I can’t stand to her complaining about her love triangle – or I guess it would be a love square since there are four of them.”

“No, I can’t stand to hear one more story. No, I’ll go with you, but if she’s there I’m leaving. Oh, Linda, I’ve gotta go – that hubby on the other line. Talk at ya later. Bye!”

Mrs. Greenhands - Unusual gardening ideas

During this time of year, especially this year with its mild temperatures, many thoughts turn to garden. Now is the time to start planning what your garden will be for the coming growing season. 

You are probably receiving all types ofgardening and seed catalogs in the meal and your visions are full of all the gardening possibilities.

This year, maybe think more about container gardening. Container gardening gives you some advantages over regular gardening:

1. Contains warm sooner than the ground soil, so you are able to plant some crops sooner.
2. You can place containers where you like them in the garden.
3. Containers are easier to water and maintain than regular garden bed.

There are many things that can be used as a container for gardening: wheelbarrows, old buckets, and old cooking pots, anything that will hold soil can potentially be used to garden with.

One of my favorite items to use in gardening is used tires – either car or tractor tires. They can be used for all types of gardening, or as compost heaps. Place them in the garden, fill with good garden soil and presto, you have an instant garden.

This year I found the pictured flower garden and I have plans to make this for my coming gardens. It is basically several car tires painted different colors and stacked in varying order. When the tires are in the shape you want them, fill with garden soil and plant. Instant beauty and an easy way to have color all through the growing season.

Monday Musings - My life according to Heart

(Drawing by my daughter, Marie Huffman)

This is a meme I did on Facebook a while back, but I never posted it here. It was so much fun to do, you may want to pass it on to your friends.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can’t use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It’s a lot harder than you think! Repost as “my life according to (band name).”

My Life According to HEART

Pick your Artist:
HEART (Ann and Nancy Wilson)

Are you a male or female:
"There's the Girl"

Describe yourself:
"My Crazy Head"

How do you feel:
"Crazy On You"

Describe where you currently live:
"Up On Cherry Blossom Road"

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
"Back to Avalon"

Your favorite form of transportation:
"Silver Wheels"

Your best friend is:
"Wild Child"

You and your best friends are:
"Bad Animals"

What’s the weather like:
"I Need the Rain"

Favorite time of day:
"Strange Night"

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
"Kick It Out"

What is life to you:
"The Oldest Story in the World"

Your last relationship:
"Heartless" or "If Looks Could Kill"

Current Relationship:
"This Man is Mine"

Your fear:
"Voodoo Doll"

What is the best advice you have to give:
"Tell It Like It Is"

Thought for the Day:
"I Want Your World to Turn" (just for me)

How I would like to die:
"Rockin' Heaven Down"

My soul’s present condition:
"I've Got the Music in Me"

My motto:
"All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You"

Monday Musings - Cimmerian Shade

Cimmerian Shade
By Bobbi Rightmyer

At night ghosts of the past haunt my dreams calling for requital;
in the morning -
although they can't be seen -
they are always there, waiting ...

Violent clouds are not a stranger
where the wind howls in anguish and mourn for departed souls,
seeming to ask why are they dead.

Musty corridors in the manse of my mind,
lead me on a journey,
taking me to the dead world of the past.

Darkness perches all around
in seeming isolation from the world
as long shadows of fear reach out and try to touch.

Cimmerian shade has come,
forcing the hidden secrets of the past into the light.
Towers of darkness -
the symbols of mystery -
cloud the answers in adumbration.

The caliginosity stands as a dead reminder of the past
casting out eclipses into the night.
They will not die
when they reach out for another.

But the past has intruded
the darkness has filled my heart,
and icy fingers reaches out to other hearts
with a glow I cannot dispel.

Late is relative

Late is Relative
 

It is never too late to fall in love

Better late than never

A day late and a dollar short

You're only late if you have somewhere to go

It's never too late to start over

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date - Alice in Wonderland

Better never than late - George Bernard Shaw

You never know how soon will be too late - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everything comes late for those who only wait - Elbert Hubbard

People never understand until it's too late - Thomas Merton

We get old too soon and wise too late - Benjamin Franklin

It is never to late to be what you might have been - George Eliot

How did it get so late so soon - Dr. Seuss

Tis not too late to seek a newer world - Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Stay out late, work is for people with jobs - Tom Petty

Tomorrow is nothing, today is too late - Marcus Aurelius

Life is like arriving late for a movie - Joseph Campbell

Was Jesus born on Christmas Eve

Was Jesus Born on Christmas Eve
The star in the East
As my Granny used to say
Will lead to the baby
Asleep in the hay

Though steadfast and true
This story is alive
Through the magical month
Of the Christmas hour

He was sent to earth
To save us all
Tiny and pink
And swaddled in clothes

Supposedly on a cold winter's night
But was it really Christmas Eve
When the babe was born
Or springtime when the dogwoods bloom

The story's been told
All of my life
But my aging heart wonders
Is this really right

Wayback Wednesday - Dark Shadows episode 10-15

Although I love the Dark Shadows episodes with Barnabas Collins, these first 210 episodes that began the gothic soap opera are well written and have a great story line that should not be missed:

Episode 10 Original Air Date 07/08/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline:  1966

Roger puts pressure on Elizabeth to send David away to boarding school, a conversation the boy overhears. Burke gives Carolyn false information on the reason for his return. David sneaks in through the front doors and peeks into the drawing room, but when the telephone rings, he hides behind a chair. Elizabeth answers the telephone, speaking to Roger, who wants Elizabeth to somehow subdue Victoria. She tells him she will not and hangs up, then addressed David, who she knew was there all along. David tells Elizabeth he didn't break the teacup; he implicates ghosts before zipping up the steps.

Episode 11 Original Air Date: 07/11/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Burke Devlin pays the residents of Collinwood a visit, apparently hoping to reassure Elizabeth that he has no vendetta to pursue against her family. He does, however, ask if Collinwood is for sale. Elizabeth is very cold to Burke, and wants to know what he is after. Burke tells her that all he has done is drive her daughter home and stopped in to say hello. Elizabeth invites him into the drawing room, and asks Carolyn to wait in the foyer. But Carolyn says she wouldn't miss this for the world, and goes into the drawing room with Elizabeth and Burke.

Episode 12   Original Air Date:  07/12/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Roger encountes Victoria on Widows' Hill and tells her the story of its legend and history of the wailing of the Widows. Roger tells Victoria that sailing Widows used to watch from Widows' Hill for the ships of their lost husbands, but once Jeremiah constructed Collinwood they were no longer permitted there. But if you listen carefully to the wind, you can still hear the widows. He asks Victoria if she had met anyone there, someone looking for him. Victoria tells him about meeting a man named Sam.  Meanwhile, Maggie Evans tries to learn what is troubling her father, Sam. Sam wants to skip town with Maggie, but won’t tell her why. He denies that it has anything to do with Roger Collins.

Episode 13  Original Air Date:  07/13/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Roger enters the drawing room and finds Burke with his sister. Roger is cold to Burke, but on Elizabeth's request, decides to listen to what Burke has to say. Elizabeth and Roger continue to harbor suspicions about Burke, in spite of him offering the hand of friendship. As Victoria walks to Matthew's cottage, she notices Burke examining Roger's car.

Episode 14  Original Air Date:  07/14/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

Victoria learns about David's relationship with Roger. Burke arranges to meet with Roger at the Blue Whale, and spends time talking with Joe and Carolyn, at her request. David Collins is in his room, holding a small metal object. He sneaks over to Victoria's room, and is looking for a place to hide it, when Victoria walks in. She sees that David is holding something in his closed hand, but can't see what, and thinks that David has taken something. David runs out and back to his room.

Episode 15  Original Air Date:  07/15/66

Writer Art Wallace / Director Lela Swift

Opening Voiceover: Alexandra Moltke

Timeline 1966

David is sitting in the dark in the drawing room when his father enters looking for his car keys. David asks him if he still wants to send him away. Roger says he's only interested in finding his keys. David says, "I won't let you do it." David is now convinced that his father hates him. Roger leaves the estate in his car to meet with Burke. On the way, he loses control of the car and crashes.

Monday Musings - Eye Spy

Eye Spy

Eye spy with my little eye,
a branch upon a tree,
and on this branch the multi colored lights
burning brightly for me.

Eye spy with my little eye,
a star up on a tree,
a special star to signal all,
so everyone can see.

Eye spy with my pale blue eyes,
an excitement all around,
from stores to homes with smiles and hugs
and special holiday sounds.

Eye spy with my grown up eyes
a hope for the next generation,
with freedom and hope and liberty galore
to bolster our fragile nation.

Christmas is green

Christmas Is Green

Cold, damp, dreary. Why did she love these types of days so much? Everyone else hated these days, but she relished them. Maybe it’s because they reminded her of the holidays.

The holiday season was fast approaching. Just today a Christmas commercial came across the television screen. It’s amazing how those types of commercials could make her tear p. She wanted her girls to have the same kind of feeling for the holidays that she had. Sure things were different now. Kids were different, environments were different, and demands were different.

When she was younger, she simply lived for the holidays. She would start drawing pictures of Christmas trees way before Halloween. She loved to read any books that dealt with the holidays. She loved to pretend she was Snowbound with Betsy, or fantasize of a Christmas in the Big Woods. Reading only served as the fuel source for her imagination.

Christmas music; beautiful gospels, traditional tunes, and children’s classics - you could hear them everywhere during this season. Her favorite song used to be “March of the Wooden Soldiers.” Even though it was an instrumental song, she would always make up dances to match the movements of the music. Even today, at the age of 35, this song makes her well up with tears.

Christmas lights – oh, how she loved Christmas lights. Sparkling red, yellow, blue, and green … especially green. She would dig in the basement until she found the worn box of Christmas decorations. Then she would plug the lights in just to watch them glow.

At Christmas time, she used to lie under the tree just to look at the lights. Beautiful, dancing. She would always sneak out of the bed at night, turn on the tree lights and fall asleep on the couch, dreaming of sugarplums and the anticipation of the season.

Green was always her favorite color. Back when she was a child, Christmas tree lights were the large, screw-in types. She and her two siblings each had a particular side of the Christmas tree that they called their own. Mother was always complaining because the children would change the colors on the tree. One side would be all red, another blue and yellow, and of course, the green side.

It gave her great pleasure to have one side of the family Christmas tree to call her own. She would place her handmade ornaments upon the branches, as well as the traditional ones. Santa always left her presents beneath her side of the tree. Always …

Snowflakes, the Christ child, Granny Devine’s home cooking, and the color green ...these always reminded her of the Christmas season. She now wants the same for her children. Christmas Eve Church services, a birthday cake for Baby Jesus, supper at Nana’s and MaMaw’s, and the color green … no, not green. Her three girls are all passionate about the color blue. Blue for Christmas? Oh well, times are changing.

Poinsettia

The Poinsettia is the one flower that always signals the beginning of the holiday season, especially in the Bluegrass Region. Right after Thanksgiving, these beautiful flowers beginning showing up in nurseries and florists, grocery stores and discount stores. Here are a few tips to help you pick a healthy plant:

First, choose Poinsettias with stiff stems, good bract retention (the flowering parts) and no signs of wilting, breaking or drooping. Try to avoid Poinsettias that are displayed in plastic or mesh sleeves, or plants that are crowded together on a display shelf. Poinsettias need space and air circulation, so the longer a plant is in a contained sleeve, the faster the quality will deteriorate.
Make sure the plant's soil is not waterlogged because this could mean the plant has irreversible root rot.

When taking a Poinsettia home from the store, protect it was chilling winds and temperatures below 50° F. Cover the plant with a shopping bag to help give added protection.
Once you have your Poinsettia home, here are a few tips to keep it blooming all through the holiday season:

Keep the Poinsettia in indirect sunlight for at least 6 hours daily. Direct sun can not only "burn the leaves" but will also lead to wilting. Try to keep the room temperature constant at about 70° F. Remember, temperatures below 50° F can mean disaster to the plant. One rule of thumb, if you are comfortable in the room, then your Poinsettia will be comfortable.

Do not place Poinsettias near doors or heating systems because they cannot tolerate cold drafts or excessive heat. Water your plant when the soil feels dry to the touch. Don't overwater or allow to sit in standing water. Do not fertilize your Poinsettia when it is in bloom. However, immediately after blooming season, fertilize with an all-purpose fertilizer.

After the New Year, I will give you some tips on keeping your Poinsettia for re-blooming next year.

Monday Musings - Mary and the Manger

Mary and the Manger
By Bobbi Rightmyer


The day’s been long and I’m so very tired,
but there is nowhere for us to sleep.
My burden is heavy with the blessed one,
so I’ll carry on the best I can.

I’m sorry, little mother, vessel of the Holy one,
but my comfort is crudely made of wood and hay;
And although I nourish the lowly beasts,
I promise to provide warmth to the child.

An inn should be the proper place
for the birth of this precious son;
But with no room to find, no place to spare,
I’ll settle for your cozy little shelter.

O Holy night, O precious night,
my hay is clean and dry.
O blessed one, O special child,
lay down your head, don’t cry.
O God above, O Father and Spirit,
I will cradle and protect this babe.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
the prophesized child is born;
But God above took away my fears, my pain
and guided me through the night.
Now my precious child is here
and the world has one last hope.

O, what a beautiful boy, this glorious child of God;
And thou my accommodations are not grand or spacious,
they hold all the love and hope of kings.
I’ll keep him safe, I’ll keep him warm
in this stable in Bethlehem.

Christmas cactus

The Christmas cactus has been a favorite houseplant and in the Bluegrass Region it is not unusual for a single plant to be passed down from generation to generation because they're long-lived, rather easy plants to grow. But if you want to get them in bloom for the upcoming holiday season, they will need a little special care during the coming weeks.

In September and October, Christmas cactus plants should be kept in a cool room where temperatures will remain around 50 degrees, give or take a few degrees. Be sure not to expose them to freezing temperatures. It's also very important they be kept in a room where no artificial light will be turned on at night.

The proper light exposure, correct temperatures and limited watering are the key to getting Christmas cactus to flower during the holiday season. During the fall months, the Christmas cactus should be placed in a spot where it receives indoor indirect bright light during the daylight hours but total darkness at night. (Much the same exposure you would give a poinsettia except a Christmas poinsettia requires warm temperatures whereas the Christmas cactus needs a spot where the temperatures are cool during the fall months.)

Since the Christmas cactus is a tropical plant it will require watering on much the same basis as any other type of tropical plant. A good procedure to follow is to water the plants thoroughly and then allow about the top inch of soil to dry before watering again. However, during the fall and winter months, the plants should be watered less frequently in order to get them to bloom.

Christmas cactus require about 50 to 60 percent humidity. So it's a good practice to place a glass, vase or tray of water near the plant. As the water evaporates it will provide the humidity the cactus needs. A humidity tray is another method of providing the humidity the Christmas cactus requires. This is done by filling a waterproof saucer with gravel, then adding water halfway up the gravel. Place the pot on the gravel surface.

In late October or early November, make an application of a 0-10-10 type liquid fertilizer. A second application of this fertilizer can be made in February. During the growing season from April through September, fertilize the plants with an all purpose liquid houseplant type fertilizer. The fertilizer you use should have a nitrogen ratio of no higher than 10 percent. Of the three numbers on a fertilizer container, the first number is nitrogen.

After The Christmas holiday season, the Christmas cactus should be given about a 30 day rest. Again place it in a cool room and provide limited water. Don't worry if it loses a few leaves or joints and appears weak during this rest period.

Bright Future

BRIGHT FUTURE

Out of the fallen dusk
night draws near,
and a stranger, who is not a stranger,
approaches with a soul shaped by remembrance and loneliness.
The persistent strain of moans and groans,
don't rule out the possibilities.
The shapes of the stories and descriptions
handed down from roots and blood and soul;
form their own destiny.
Indulging in fanciful attitudes
will only lead to sadness from the past.
So return to live the life you never got to live,
the uneasy days,
the invasion of privacy,
the great mystery is finally over.
The future awaits, and it is a bright future indeed.

Wake up and live

WAKE UP AND LIVE

I can't see my way around
the dark veil of depression
increasingly squeezing in on my life.
Even medications are not enough to control the suffocating blackness.
Occasionally, tiny specks of happiness are sprinkled through my life,
like bits of candy canes in peppermint ice cream -
sharp, but sweet, lessening the edge of torment.
I've live half my life, so why don't I feel better about myself?
Why does this torture continue,
causing nothing by hopelessness and pain?
Life is too short to live in misery and despair.
I've got to wake up and smell the fresh,
tantalizing fragrance of my family,
my life -
I must wake up and live.

Mysteries

(This photo is copyright of Dan Felstead. Although it doesn't exactly match the tone of the poem, the color are breathtaking. The "...great estate of an enormous heart..." could be the Church - use your own interpretation.)

MYSTERIES

Night clouds hang over the fast approaching dawn,
still holding the dark captive, under the light of the moon.
Twin evils revel a danger with the largest house,
the great estate of an enormous heart,
feeling trapped, a prisoner,
like a women from the dead, come to life,
but seeking the warmth and life from the living.
The light from the moon continues to gleam in the night mist
and it is here an imaginable paranoia intrudes;
time for the woman to follow a new destiny.
It is a strange and disturbing time,
trapped, chained,
unable to follow the different fates or
to what will happen from one life to the other.
Her secrets are now in danger,
no longer able to penetrate the disguise,
unaware of the dangers.
The night continues toward lighter hours,
ancient knowledge,
multiple mysteries,
warping the bands of time to cross the plain,
leaving behind the troubled curse weighing heavy on her mind.
The sun rises blood red at dawn
hanging almost frightful over the countryside.
And even as the dark passes, the mysteries remain
the web has been spun with terror and mystery
as the fissures continue to expand into ever-deepening whispers.

Time

TIME

I want time to blow the fluff from a dandelion.
I want time to blow a bubble that sparkles like a rainbow
as it bounces on the breeze.
I need the time to see how many licks it takes
to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
Give me time to smell the roses and lilacs, the herbs and wildflowers.
Give me time to taste a fresh, juicy peach, the perfect tomato from the vine -
Rocky Road ice cream.
Time to feel my lovers arms around me;
time to nuzzle with my precious Grandchildren;
time to tell my girls "I love you."
I want to hear the serenade of frogs on a hot summer night,
time to hear the red-tailed hawk calling to his mate.
I need time to see the beauty of nature,
be it God, Goddess or Spirit - thank you.
Thank you for the time you've given me on this earth;
and if it is in your power, allow me to remain just a little longer.

The Night Has Ended

(This is another poem inspired by a photo by Dan Felstead)

THE NIGHT HAS ENDED

Frightening sight, an apparition from the past,

even by day can be immensely dangerous place,

with many unsolved mysteries and grave danger.

Determined to seek out the truth,

a secret from the past

which can force things once thought long gone,

thus could make things happen even though we have

difficult decision to decide our path of existence.

Streaks of red, the color of blood, mix with rain the color of the sky

Chase away the sunset, bringing forth the dawn,

but it is like the day would end up with a horrible death

even though the shimmering reflection offers the peace of day,

the sunset usually offers

a raging night could end with a horrible death.

Dragonfly Ballet

DRAGONFLY BALLET

Dragonfly chasing a butterfly -
swooping above the scorching parking lot.
A delicate ballet - rapid fire of blue translucent wings
and the chunky, slowness of yellow ones.

Gusts of wind send a discarded bottle cap on a
jaunt across the black asphalt,
catching and dropping into each cervice and dip.

Hot, warm breeze on a mid-August day -
how sweet it is.

Old Memories

(Photo by Dan Felstead)


OLD MEMORIES

Ancient in years, but still holding onto

the special charm making it beautiful.

Windows need replacing and probably casings, too,

but the bricks and stone continue to hold

the mortar used to make this antique house

stand on firm ground.

And although most people do not like the green moss

making its home on the stone steps and up to the porch.

Number one, green is my favorite color, and two, the

moss is furry and soft

makes a natural pillow to give a decent night's sleep.

I've no idea who owns this home, but I can take it on

faith that no one lives here,

unless it is someone like me.