It is 2025. This garden picture was taken by me in my garden in 2010. It looks nothing like this today. Now I have family priorities that take most of my time.
I look back and I am thankful that at one time I had the luxury of playing in my garden for hours upon hours. I am thankful that I took enough pictures to look back at and be grateful for that time. I am grateful that my family allowed me this time.
This coming Tuesday 12/02/2025 is Giving Tuesday. Some of you, including myself, have already given to organizations or missions that speak to the heart. Though it is nice to have a day set aside to make sure in this season of giving that you remember others, especially those organizations that serve people who need help.
Count your blessings, and be grateful by giving to others that need your help.
This morning as I was drinking my coffee and looking out onto our deck, I saw a trail of bright yellow cucumber flowers. They looked so pretty in the sunlight shining onto the deck. Through all my neglect and amateur skills at vegetable gardening, this cucumber plant has been a star performer bordering on miracle plant.
I looked away and then my subconscious told me to take another look. I looked again and right above these flowers hung a new cucumber, which I had not noticed the day before. This has happened a few times with this plant. I notice nothing, and then the next day I see a fully developed cucumber. I have wondered is my vision so selective that I miss things. I don't know the answer here. I feel I must have a guardian angel watching over me to keep my spirits up. It also makes me think I should not give up on future plans of growing vegetables. I will show proof of produce that has been recently picked. I won't show the ugly mess of pots and yellowed leaves.
This picture was taken by me today on my deck, including my most recent ‘miracle’ cucumber.
A spiral shell within a sea of sound.
Waves crash within the shell, bouncing off
the hard smooth walls.
Sound flows within this spiral, and mimics the motion of the ocean, and
brings the symphony of the sea to any waiting ear
that holds it to their ear.
This symphony is written by the surrounding sound waves that fill our air.
We can become the prisoners when we hold this resonance too close.
Stand back and away from the shell for awhile.
Let your heart and mind contemplate with reason.
Above is a link to an old post of mine dated 12/07/2019, and titled The Spin is all that Matters. Thinking about the wooden bus mounted on top of a Ford metal frame shown in my most recent post from yesterday, reminded me of this old post of mine about wooden spools and how they can be made into something new. I talked about God in this post. It is most likely considered a radical idea. However, I thought it appropriate to revisit it this Sunday.
I definitely believe in God. He has proven time and time again that he exists in my mind. The problem arises when trying to visualize him, and maybe this is why some religions believe God transcends our ability to visualize him.
("Many monotheistic faiths, like Islam and some interpretations of Christianity and Judaism, emphasize God's transcendence, making direct visual representation impossible..." This is an AI quote.)
My difficulty with visualizing God must stem from the fact that I was raised in the Christian faith. So, in my attempts to visualize him, I make him so large he controls Earth and continually remakes the female earth to advance with technology, and with him (since they are entangled.)
There is no way to be sure of any of my visualizations, so I am content with keeping him in my thoughts and my heart, and trying to live by his doctrine of good will towards all. He does transcend us all, and is larger than life on Earth.
My daughter likes to watch the Anne of Green Gables collection of movies based on the books by L. M. Montgomery. The picture I have featured here is from a Canadian government website. This house is a National Historic house based on the book. We visited this house on Prince Edward Island when my daughter was young. Her love of this story is still strong today.
Recently I overheard Anne ask Mirella if she can imagine being in the depths of despair. Mirella responded, "No I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God." Hearing this got me to thinking about whether I agree with this.
Curiosity got me to thinking about other famous fictional characters' ideas about faith and belief in God. The Charles M. Schulz comic strip titled Peanuts came into my mind. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole gang are so famous that they have their own museum. https://schulzmuseum.org/ It is well documented that Charles M. Schulz, the creator of this iconic comic strip, did not shy away from including faith, spirituality, and theology in his comics. Here is one that I think is appropriate when thinking about Mirella Cuthbert's quote that is mentioned above.
I admire his open-mindedness and willingness to discuss religious beliefs. I think many people want to be considered “good” religious people. The trouble arises when we all have differing opinions about how “good” should be defined.
My personal opinion is that there are many roads that can lead you to God and salvation. Religions set-up their own system of beliefs and theories to point us in the direction they think we should follow. Reflection is all about considering your beliefs compared to other beliefs. This opens the door to modification if necessary and it can help foster a peaceful co-existence among us all.
(Today 8/09/25) I found the picture of my daughter in the carriage and my mom standing beside her. You can see the Green Gables house behind them. This picture was taken around 1995-1997.
I have several thoughts on my mind this Sunday. I think I posted about the cardinal flower yesterday because Pope Francis has been in the news. My thoughts and prayers are with him.
Last week I received my Virginia Real ID. This is my birthday month, and it was time to renew my driver's license, so since the law has changed regarding this, I upgraded to a real ID. I am good now for eight years before the need will arise again.
My inside joke is that I will be blessed next week since adding one year to my age will make my age 'code' for blessed. I see this word written on clothes, garden stones, garden fairies, etc. Making it a joke is one way to lessen the thought of 'older age' or 'old age'. I don't feel old.
This hypertufa planter I made 14 years ago is still standing strong. The inside needs to be redesigned with new plant material and fun features. I found the recipe online at gardeners.com. Here is a picture.
You can find directions at the above mentioned website. I did not follow these exact directions when I made mine years ago. If I remember correctly I found the directions in a book or magazine. They were not complete directions, so I had to improvise with how to make the form. I used a big old picnic basket that I lined with a super-sized, plastic, heavy duty garden refuse bag. I used gloves to slap the mixture on the sides. It was much harder to make than I expected. Once you start the process, you have to finish it. I was very blessed that it turned out as well as it did. The only reason I made one is because I kept seeing them at an upscale garden center, and I really wanted one, though their price was more than I could justify or felt comfortable paying.
Since I will be blessed this year (ha!), I should redesign the planter with some new mini or dwarf plantings. It currently holds a dwarf azalea, and some dwarf hostas named "Mouse Ears." These are drought tolerant. I still have the faded fairy with the word "Bless" on it. I will look for more garden decor with the words: bless, blessed, or blessing. Also I need to look for an automatic way to water it.
Looking ahead with plans to improve some things is a good way to feel positive right now.
The other day when I was looking for monastery pictures, I found this picture buried in my files.
This allium bulb shot upward in the spring, and then an insect or worm intervened. The resulting curl made it stand out in its warped appearance. Another type of beauty came alive. Its development continued. Its flower came out the best that it could under these circumstances. A very unique looking flower stood proud. It did not fold.
The flower's story is an inspiration. Disruptors exist all around us. We can continue to bloom to the best of our ability, or we can give up. In the end the Earth always takes us back and prepares for the future. Continue to pray for all of us. God is with us when we pray. The rain outside gives me hope. Life is possible.
On this Sunday, the second day of February, 2025, my heart is feeling the tragedy of the recent plane collision. It is reported that sixty-seven people were killed. Only forty-one sets of remains have been found, and that leaves twenty-six bodies still unrecovered. This has to be agony for the families and friends of those that were killed.
I did not know any of the victims of this tragic accident. However, I do know what it feels like to lose loved ones, so my mind knows a little of what the families and friends of these victims must be feeling at this time.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who might be mourning the loss of a loved one. I can tell you that in my experience everyone grieves differently, and this is okay. Some take a long time to get over it, while others find a mission to occupy themselves to lessen the grief, while others see it as a inevitable part of life, and move forward stoically. When the victims are young it is hard not to dwell in the "what could have been", if not for this tragedy.
My hope is that the families affected by this tragedy can find emotional support, peace, and resolution in some way.
Old brass bells found in box of books. Now they hang from the doorknob of a new door.
The holiday decorations in our house are getting sparser as I age, especially since it has always been only me that puts them up and takes them down. The bells help celebrate the “reason for the season”. I put the new keys to the new door on a guardian bell key fob. Keeping with the bell theme, I decided to hang the bells pictured above from the door lever. They make a strong and clear clanging that is musical to my ear.
This new door was one of the upgrades that was researched this summer. Planning ahead is always a good idea. This door is fully accessible and opens out to our deck, patio, and back garden. It replaced an old sliding glass door that was too narrow to be fully accessible.
As I went through the old Christmas decorations picking and choosing a few reminders of the season, I found a garland of tiny gold bells. Hanging them over the new door was my private celebration. The 3 brass bells were found this summer in old box of inherited books. They seem appropriate for Christmas, and I can imagine them being attached to a gift box of books. Giving books for Christmas was something my great aunt Bess liked to do. You cannot take the teacher out of an older retired teacher.
This Thanksgiving season I am grateful for many things. My father’s favorite poem, Desiderata, comes into my mind. He used to have it on a poster in his home office. My favorite lines from this poem are: “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”
My hope during this time of year is that love and faith continues to guide me. And to anyone that might read this post, I hope that you can find peace and joy during this season of Thanksgiving.
First day of fall surprise– Two blooming “Going Bananas” day-lilies.
Last night desire was running with the undercurrents in the room.
My senses were on high alert. That sensual feeling that seeks me out now and then was reaching through the invisible walls around me.
And then I fell asleep.
I woke to the first day of fall which can also be called autumn.
Out my window I was surprised to see two bright yellow day-lilies blooming once more.
It does not look like a change of seasons from the past.
The rain last night brought renewal in its wake.
I also spotted a little chick-a-Dee and a tufted Titmouse.
I have not seen either in quite a while. It is a joy to watch these birds in flight.They look like they are jumping through air.
Katherine Phlox back from the mid-summer browning.
Another surprise this morning was the blooming Katherine Phlox. It had dried out in our summer heat. I had cut it down and watered it well, and then it was forgotten. Today it is blooming again.
I have a feeling that this fall will be full of renewal. Happy Sunday!
movingforwardslowly 