september 22

Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.

~Elizabeth Lawrence ~

Hoping your days are blessed by the changes of fall.

welcome september

It is with open arms I welcome September. I am looking forward to the turning of leaves and all the changes that occur. There are already a sweeping's worth of leaves that gather at the door nearly every day. There is much anticipation, contemplation, and wonder about the days ahead.

Our home has seemingly had a revolving door for my daughter as she has tested her wings last summer and now flown away this summer, only to be back home AGAIN! An empty nest is not meant to be just yet. Last Wednesday night both girls experienced what electricity feels like when it goes through your body and a phone call home urged them to call the landlord right away. This began a series of questions and left the girls with no place to stay because the house was uninhabitable due to substandard wiring. Who wants to be electrocuted? Long story, short...the girls terminated their lease and we did a quick move to be out by last night. Now we wait for the landlord to "cool off" and hope she doesn't press the lease issue in court. A little common sense should tell her safety comes first. The girls can commute to school until their semester is over in December...a little inconvenient, but better than the alternative.

summer fresh

My little patch of garden is growing so fast. Today I picked the first cucumber and it was delicious.
From garden to table...





















Fettuccine Alfredo, green salad and french bread (with wine butter) out on the patio. I'm loving this weather we have been having. I've been able to keep the windows open letting the breeze whisper in. I am totally captivated by these fresh June days, wish they would stay a while...

welcome june

Welcome June ~

welcome the sweet fragrance of summer's bloom,

and the soft baby's breath underfoot-

the peach tea,

the late night movies,

the coffee house chats,

cool cotton sheets,

freshly picked watermelon, peaches, and nectarines...

welcome-

late night walks,

and early morning sprinklers,

tea cakes

and sundresses,

books galore,

and hopefully

at least

one day

to wiggle

my

toes

in

the

sand.

spring has sprung

Let the song begin

Did you think

spring would

never come?

Did you think

rain could

overpower the sun?

Did you think

suffocating snows

would deny

The earth

bursting forth,

could the crocus die?

Would grey

always mask

the dawn?

Could silence

always quiet

the song

Of a songbird

alone

on a limb

One bud

bursts forth

let the song

begin.

s.k.lindeman

friday's update

It's cold outside. I keep reminding myself I live in California and just because I have to put on a sweater does not mean it is really that cold. Tonight I visited my downtown friends and since the shelter has opened I have had fewer people to feed. I think I fed about ten tonight and I gave out 3 sweatshirts I have managed to collect. I haven't seen Earl in two weeks, but we have been giving each other messages through the grapevine. I have provided one of the ladies who sees him daily with a list of names of people he may be related to. I am hoping to make some phone calls this week to a few leads that have surfaced. They say he is not communicating any better, but I might try to find him over the weekend myself to save some time and see for myself. Many people are very generous this time of year so they really have plenty to eat and they tell me they have dry places to sleep. From week to week not much changes for them. They share the latest events with me. One of them steals library books, reads them and returns them in the night depository. I told her she shouldn't steal them, but she pointed out she really was just borrowing them. I guess she is right and there are far worse things she could be stealing, and maybe she is, but she didn't share that part. It really makes no difference, I do not judge her, I only care if she is hungry or not and most often she is. Tomorrow is the first day of winter and I am just very grateful it does not snow here, I already have enough to worry about....but more than worrying, my heart is just bursting with appreciation for how God blesses my life....in the day to day happenings there are so many things that do not get shared here for one reason or another, but one thing I can say for certain, without reservation, is GOD IS GOOD.

welcome september

Today was my first day back to school. I guess no matter how old you get, there is always a degree of anxiety when the first day arrives. It's that acceptance thing. Will I be the oldest one in the class? Will I know anyone? Of course my concerns are always put to rest once I get situated at a desk. The students in the same major tend to migrate in a pack from course to course so I knew a few of the students today and I was relieved there were at least three others that were my age or older...that always makes me feel better somehow. So another school semester starts and by next week I'll be bogged down with an unreasonable amount of reading and writing, but I'll be that much closer to my goal...and quite honestly, some days I forget what that goal is. I feel like summer just zipped right by. When I stop to think about this summer I know in my heart it was a summer of change for me. Both of my kids moved away for college, one moved back (the grass isn't always greener on the other side), my parents have aged tremendously, leaving me to wonder how much time I have left to share with them. I actually took charge of my heart for the homeless...normally, my do-good ideas stay safely tucked inside my head waiting for....the right time? An excuse? Initiative? It's been a summer of personal growth for certain. I've learned I can fix window screens myself, I can monitor pool chemicals, I can take solo road trips, I can cook for up to 20 people at the drop of a hat and I can re-imagine me at this age exploring new avenues...fine tuning my tastes, or changing them altogether.
I like season changes...there is always something new to discover.

a beautiful day

a day defined by grace

understanding

a mother and daughter

breathing in the sweet scent of lavender

tasting lavender tea, lavender scones, lavender lemonade

a little girl all grown up

treasured moments marking change

the end of one season

is the beginning of another...

welcome JUNE

What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.

~Gertrude Jekyll

artwork by poet Sylvia Plath

winter's coat

These days of Winter wrap around me like a cocoon...it's cold and foggy this morning. My hands are warmed by my coffee cup and my heart is warmed through thoughts of the past. I've been writing in the kid's journals-something I have done since they were in the womb...one for each child...my thoughts on life, love, happiness. They will get a kick out of them someday, because they are filled with stories that mark their own lives...changes, relationships, accomplishments. They will be able to see things through my eyes, something I don't think they would appreciate right now, but someday they might. By mid-day I hope to wander out into the garden and begin pulling some of Winter's debris from the underbrush. The winds and rain have left everything coated in brown and I know once I peel back these layers there will be hardy little shoots of green, the promise of new beginnings. By working in the garden maybe this Winter cocoon won't feel as tight as it does right now. I am so ready for Spring in a multitude of ways.

more winter

Mr. Groundhog says there will be more winter in the next coming weeks. So I will hesitate to get out and uncover my plants and flowers, who I might add are stretching, reaching, bending from under their covers to see what is going on. I'm always excited about Spring. It makes me want to turn the music up a little louder and twirl about as I vacuum and dust. I must be catching a bit of the Spring bug, because yesterday I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and it felt so good. I've secretly always had this little "thing" in my head that beneath the refrigerator, washer, dryer, etc. should be sparkly clean in case I die in my sleep, it might be months before anyone else thinks to pull those things out. Crazy huh? ...or it could be because I helped a friend of a friend move once and I was so embarassed for her that I knew from that day on I would never be caught in that situation. So, yeah, my house might be a bit "messy", but rest assured there are no dust bunnies lurking around today.