Thursday, December 31, 2020

Grammy's Last Gift

   I ran down the flight of creaky cellar steps behind my grandmother and  followed her to a stack of white totes. Six or eight in all, they held all of my great-grandparents' earthly possessions.  The lid to the first tote was pulled off--documents and papers filled it. The lid of another tote was opened--on top lay a purse. Grammy's purse. Once unzipped, fragments  of a life were unearthed--a tissue holder. A hairbrush, with strands of hair still in it. I kept the purse; that black purse with white daisies, which had been given to Grammy by a friend. Later, when I unzipped the outside pocket, I found some coffee sweetener, and beside it, a bag of hardened sugar.

  Another tote was opened--and inside of it, Grandma found a shopping bag. "Oh, Grammy wanted you to have this," she said. It was filled with various balls of yarn, some crocheting hooks, and a couple of unfinished projects. "I had forgotten all about it."

  Other things Grammy had made were in this tote--doilies and dresser scarves. I picked out a few for my sister and me to keep and treasure. One of those dresser scarves now graces the top of my own dresser.

There's not a doily that I use in my room right now that wasn't made by Grammy; how many hours of work she must've put into them! How her fingers, now so still, must have flown!

 


   I wish I had gotten to know the young Grammy--the cooking and crocheting Grammy. The Grammy who could drive instead of being driven. The Grammy who could walk unaided instead of using a walker or a wheelchair. The Grammy who bought us gifts instead of having to give what she had or what was bought for her to give to us.

  But I'm also thankful I got to know the older Grammy--the Grammy who gave me money, but not until I let her give me a kiss. The Grammy  who always said on the phone, "When are you coming to visit? I miss you!" The Grammy who always had a smile for me, who pronounced my name with three syllables instead of its usual two, the Grammy who loved me even when we moved hundreds of miles away.

  And as I finger that yarn, or that intricately-crafted doily, or carry her purse, I smile and remember.



Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Septober

   So, what have I been doing the past two months, besides pondering printing a magazine?

   I went to Massachusetts for a week to visit my grandparents; we had fun together.

   We went on hikes...

the Gertrude M. Boyden Wildlife Refuge
 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Massasoit State Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had my cousin over for supper, and visited my great-great aunt and uncle.

Grandma & Grandpa's table, set for company










We went shopping, including Target; Grandma was looking for a Boggle game here.

me with Target's mascot                                                                                                                                            



















I took two different buses home--this is one of them.








 

  My great-grandparents both died in May, so I wasn't able to see them like we usually do when we go down there...but my great-grandmother was still able to give me one last gift during my visit. Stay tuned!πŸ˜€

Sunday, October 25, 2020

What About a Magazine?

   Hello, after a long silence! I have updates to make, including about what I've been up to the past couple months, but until then...what do you think of me starting a magazine? It would be for single women, about topics pertinent to single women. Do you have any name suggestions? Topics you would like covered? Should it be a paper magazine or an e-zine? Don't be afraid to let me know in the comments!

  Stay tuned for more new posts! Thanks for reading!

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Sour Times at the Sweet Shop

   The Quiet Photographer (one of my many nicknames) was quietly strolling through a local candy shop when she decided to take some pictures. All the colors blended together were too tantalizing to resist, so she paused at the Lindor chocolates.

                All the colors of the taffy blended together well, and could also be used for backgrounds...




  All this camera clicking was making the owner of this dazzling array quite nervous. She asked me if I needed help, or "why was I taking pictures of the stuff she has for sale"? This, of course, hurt The Quiet Photographer's tender heart (if she may say so) and caused tears. Why was she asked such a question when she was so innocent?

  So, to compensate, she purchased a bag of Sour Rings, which were expensive, but good. And she left, wiser and better.


Sunday, July 26, 2020

July Jaunts

  This month, I've taken several excursions--both not far away. The first one was on my bike, beside the high-voltage power lines. Here's a picture of the male osprey I saw, landing on the nest:


  Yesterday, I took a walk at a nearby park; it was about a 3-mile jaunt. Here's the bridge I walked across to get there:

 

   I saw a female mallard duck swimming in the river:


    I noticed a brown creature hopping across the trail. Upon looking closer, I discovered this tiny frog:


  Later, I found a few more. I thought this would make an interesting picture...let me know what you think.😏

 
  
I also walked along the edge of a potato field--here are a few potato blossoms among the million others:


  What kinds of jaunts have you taken this month? Let me know in the comments; don't just read--respond!😊


Sunday, June 28, 2020

Fifty Shades of Brown

  I've been pondering this issue for weeks, even before the George Floyd incident. I know people are unhappy with what they think was racism; maybe it was. However, how will looting and toppling down statues solve anything?
  People would do well, when considering issues of skin color, to realize three things:

1. There is only one race.

  Since we all come from Adam and Eve, there is only one race of people. There wasn't a Hispanic Adam and Eve, a Caucasian Adam and Eve, or an Indian Adam and Eve...they were just how God made them to be! People moved to different parts of the world, but we all come from the same two people.

2. We're all related.

  You may be from Switzerland, England, or Australia; but since we all come from the same two people, we're all related. Even if we're sixteenth cousins four times removed, we're still kin.

3. Nobody is black or white.

  If you don't believe me, then take a black piece of paper and hold it up to your "black" skin. Is your skin the same color? No, it's brown. And if I were to hold a piece of white paper next to my skin, I wouldn't be white either--I'd be brown, too. I'm just a lighter shade of brown than Martin Luther King Jr. and the Ethiopian eunuch.

  So, shall we change the song to "Shades of brown from dark to light/They are precious in His sight"?😊

                                P.S. Hope, our cat, is both black, white, AND brown!!

Monday, June 22, 2020

The Creativity of God

I'm sure you've all seen tulips...
                                           ...BUT HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED INSIDE?
Or the inside of a jack-in-the-pulpit?
                                             Ever knelt to see ground ivy growing in the grass?
Or seen a lady's slipper blooming as you pass?

And if you don't like flowers, how about birds?
From the "blue" indigo bunting...(did you know they're really black?)
...to the pileated woodpecker, for whom wood will be no lack...
The evasive spotted wood thrush, who sings the sweetest song...
...to the black-throated blue warbler, that hides the whole day long...

Okay, you're still not satisfied? You can't see God's creativity because you aren't a bird-watcher or looking for flowers?
Well, here are some animals, then!
From the pesky little groundhog, (or a woodchuck, if from the South,)
...to the jumpy little frogs, with their frowny little mouth (which one do you like better?)

Maybe you'd rather see a chipmunk, who's just peeking from the sod?
Now have I proven to you
THE CREATIVITY OF GOD?!

Sunday, May 17, 2020

When I Took a Bike Ride, I Saw...

                                                    Two moose, including this one.
                                      A pair of ospreys; this is the female landing on the nest.
                                           Here's Mr. Osprey, keeping an eye on me!
                A butterfly, which I've identified before but can't exactly remember the name of.
                                                   Deep-fried fiddleheads, anyone?
             Here's a Northern Flicker, keeping a sharp lookout from his home in the birch tree.



            This squirrel picture wasn't taken today, but I thought it was too cute not to post!😊

Sunday, May 3, 2020

The Bird Nerd Reports

Thought I'd show you some of the birds I've seen this year:

This is a hooded merganser. I had seen them before, but never gotten a good picture.

Here's an agitated female mallard, taken the same day.

This bird is a white-winged crossbill.

These are wood ducks, the first time I'd ever seen any.

Here's an European Starling, in a snowy tree.

This yellow-rumped warbler (or myrtle warbler,) was outside my window just this morning.

We've been hearing a pair of birds for a while, just up the road, but we could never figure out exactly what they were. Now, according to this picture I took on our walk this afternoon, we think it's a red-shouldered hawk.

Have you been seeing any interesting birds lately?







Sunday, April 5, 2020

Meet Corona

  I hadn't heard of Corona until last month, when she visited Washington and stealthily made her way to the East Coast. Every day we ask, "How many people have entertained her now?" or "How many have succumbed to her deadly grip?"
  She's caused a lot of panic in the world. People, in fear of her, rush to stock up on flour. Toilet paper. Bread. Molasses. Canned food. (Why not ice cream? That's an essential in my mind.πŸ˜‰)
  Two people have recently had Corona who live/were in our county, so now Corona has control of our local library. She's closed down the thrift shop, the gift store, the restaurant, only deeming grocery shopping as essential. She's even taken control of what we WEAR. Now people have been seen with face masks and disposable gloves on! And most everyone has that bottle of hand sanitizer in their pocket, or wipes in their car.
  Worst of all, she's canceled church services all across the globe. Birthday parties. Writers' conferences. She's allowed for bike rides, though, or for walking the dog (at least in Maine.)
  A few good things about Corona? Well...those are few and far between...but she's actually encouraging families to stay home and spend time together. And she's helping me save my money, instead of buying those tempting stickers.😏 And--may I say it?--she's also encouraging old ladies to have white hair (instead of going to the hair salon) and discouraging movies and drinking. Isn't that great!?


Sunday, March 22, 2020

COVID-19 vs. Sin

  "Where's all the toilet paper? Where did all the baby wipes go? What will we do without enough sugar?" People (including usπŸ˜‰) are now walking around town with little bottles of hand sanitizer. Church services are being held live on Facebook. We can't go through a day without asking how many cases of the coronavirus are in Maine. How many cases are in the world. How many people have died from it.
  All this hoarding, too. People are CLEANING OUT the paper products, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. NO bread left (except for the expensive kind.) NO sugar or flour. And where are they keeping all these extras?
  This got me to thinking; if the whole world can go into a frenzy over something like a virus, then why aren't Christians going into a "frenzy" over sin? You know--why can't people be hoarding Bibles instead of toilet paper? Why aren't people asking how many people in the world today have died without knowing Christ? Maybe this virus will make some think about their souls. I hope so. It's hard for me, as an introvert, to mention Christianity to someone, but I could certainly get out from behind my comfort-zone respirator (that protects me, supposedly, from the sin virus) and tell them about God!
  Remember, that man with the cart-load of flour and bottled water needs to hear the Gospel! The woman who wears a face-mask and disposable gloves, who wipes down every nearby surface, and who stays 6 feet away from everyone needs to become a Christian! There are many dying from the coronavirus, but there are MANY more who die without Christ.


Sunday, February 16, 2020

Pets

  The first pet our family had was when I was fairly young. It was mostly my pet-a lop-eared rabbit I named Chet. We kept him in a rabbit hutch outside.

  Our next pet was Timothy, an orange tabby. He stayed in the house the first year or two we had him, then he moved to the outdoors, finding shelter in our storage tent. He was so tame he let me push him in my doll stroller. Unfortunately, he was too independent, and took off when Daddy tried to transport him from one of our houses to the next.
  We had an Australian Shepherd  named Dusky, a really loud dog who loved to jump up on people and was trained to shake hands.
  Also, during the time we had Timothy and Dusky, we got a kitten we named Josephine; we should have named him Joseph, it turns out.😏The two of them tolerated each other, but had tussles every once in a while. Josephine wasn't the smartest cat in the world, so when she disappeared one day, we weren't all that surprised. Here are the two of them-Josephine is the one in the rabbit hutch. (Don't worry, we had sold Chet, so he wasn't in there too.)


   After those two cats were gone, we were given a gray cat we named Martha, and another orange cat we named George. George was a pig, stuffing himself with whatever food he could find, whether it was meant for him or not!😊 Martha had four kittens, which we named Albert, Buddy, Polly, and Ginger Ale. (My brother named Ginger Ale, but he HAD wanted to name it King Darius, for some reason.) Martha hid her kittens just before we moved, so we didn't bring any of our cats with us. There were plenty of warm barns for them to find refuge in.
  Since we were Amish at the time, we had a horse named Abby. She was 16 years old when we bought her, retired from the racetrack. She knew how to go at a fast clip down the road! She had a habit of tossing her head from side to side, which is why she came with the name Flipper.
  After we moved, we got a free orange tabby at the local animal shelter. We named him Shuffles, since he would shuffle around at first, before he got used to us. We had him for about 8 years before he disappeared one day and never came back. He was probably around 9 or 10 years old, so perhaps he died of old age. Whenever there was an available lap, he'd jump right in, settle down, and go to sleep. And if a lap wasn't available, he'd jump on your back!

  Our current two pets are Leonard (a Lionhead rabbit, that we bought while we had Shuffles) and Hope, a black and white cat that's over a year old. Leonard has a mind of his own, and doesn't always like to be held or brushed.


  Hope is very friendly, and loves to be held and petted. She catches rodents, the occasional bird, and even eats earthworms and slugs! Here she's having fun with a mouse:


  She also enjoys the outdoors, unless it's too cold or wet, and climbs a lot of trees, as you can see:


  So that's an overview of our pet experiences! I wish I had pictures of all of them, but we either didn't bother taking pictures, or were Amish, and couldn't take pictures.