Booming Banter

You all know the saying “it was the cherry on the cake”. Well for the past three days I’ve encountered lots of cherries!

For our Lily Circle meeting on Thursday one of our group Mickey had baked some absolutely delicious little cherry morsels. Everyone was so taken with them we all asked for the recipe.

They’re of Amish origin and involve a lot of fine work to make but man are they good. Might give them a try some day when I’m working on building patience.

Yesterday Laura and her daughter arrived bearing armfuls of gifts as always and along with this a box of pastries that were huge! None of these were cherry but they were washed down with a nice bottle of what else but Cherry Blossom Pinot Noir!

Today it was the second team meeting for our next Kairos weekend and once more a baker extraordinaire hit the jackpot with what else but a Cherry Pie. Perfect pastry, tart yet sweet and not at all gummy or sticky!

Funny how good things always come in threes! Don’t you just love it when you couldn’t make it up!

Blessing # 615 – Casual Connection

Yesterday was National Love Your Pet Day so social media was coming down with cute and funny pics of critters.

Most posts, like the Obama’s, were beautiful yet quite conventional.

Others had little video showing just how clever their pets are. The one I like most was the best beggar.

Those entering pet parenting often start with a goldfish, as I did at aged three, and then progress to birds before hitting the heady  heights with a cat or a dog or if you were excessively lucky a pony!

In days gone by if you lived on a farm or small holding like my Mom you may have had a pet goose or a lamb. Alas the lifespan of such lovelies was limited!

Today though it’s not unheard of to have a pig as a pet. Most are pretty small and potbellied but not all. Take Esther The Wonder Pig as an example. She is adorable and someone to follow to see what love is all about.

She absolutely adores her Dads and you gotta see all the love they give her in return. She works so hard on changing the world for good and on napping. Check her out for some feel good vibes when you have a chance. I love her so!

If there was one pet I’d love to have though just to hang around with it’s a sloth. They are so odd yet so engaging.

Maybe that’s why I just can’t get enough of our Scooby. There is a slight resemblance don’t you think?

Blessing # 614 – Funny Faces

When I woke up at four thirty this morning the only thing on my mind was taxes. We had a call with the accountant scheduled for nine and even though the person is lovely and helpful the thought of what lies ahead with all those piles of papers drives me nuts.

Activity is the best way to get rid of imminent frustration so after Aaron left for school and Scooby had his walk I took to cleaning.

Our friend Laura and her daughter are coming to spend the night with us tomorrow. Fortunately they are not the sort of people who expect to find the place pristine otherwise they’d never come but just in case they venture into the basement it was attacked first. Aaron spends a lot of time there so it has a definite Eau Sauvage! That’s the dead sock  buried perfume not the Dior!

After the nine o’clock call there was no stopping me. Cleaning doesn’t grab me often but when it does I’m on a roll and you better get out of the way.

It was the first time Scooby encountered this mania. It’s not that I have done absolutely nothing since he arrived in September but he hasn’t seen any fine detailing before today. His little look of curiosity with the head tilted to one side then the other was precious.

He spurred me on so much that the skirting boards got a going over and even those nasty little bits between the spindles on the banisters got a squirt of Kaboom!

Nothing will ever make me love this cleaning business but what I really LOVED very much today was my little helper. He followed me everywhere and by the time I got really sweaty and was on my knees doing the fiddly bits he got down beside be and started licking my back. It must have been nice and salty because he kept up the good work till I was done.

No picture of that to prove it just one very sleepy boy who is out for the count on the couch.

Now if we could only train him to put that tail of his to use and do some of the jobs himself he’d get more than a chewy we’d have to get him a really big bone!

Blessing # 613 – Puppy Pupil

This morning my sister in law Hema sent me a kind little message as is her way. This got me thinking how extra special she is.

You could not meet a more loving person and in many ways she is very like her own dear mother.

We first met in 1987 when Krishna and I had come to the USA for work and we immediately clicked.

We got very close when we lived in Connecticut. Hema and her late husband Deena and their daughters lived just three hours drive from us in Massachusetts so we saw each other often. When there was a holiday weekend they’d all come and stay with us as we had the big dogs at that time. What laughs we had with those puppies and what fun going to yard sales and cooking together. Often we’d laugh so much we would be in tears.

We took to calling each other every Sunday evening just for a check in and this continues today.

Hema now lives with her eldest daughter and her husband in New Jersey and her youngest daughter is close by too. This means we only get to see each other once or twice a year as it’s a nine hour drive from here. Still it feels so good to know we are all in the same country within reachable distance.

Hema is so good to her two girls and her son in law and they to her. The four of them do lots of fun things together like annual camping trips. She loves plants and nature so very much appreciates going out to parks and gardens too.

What I love most about Hema is her patience. When she cooks she’ll chop the veggies so tiny and meticulously whereas I can’t be bothered and just hack them up. She’s a great vegetarian cook and blends spices so perfectly. Each dish is so well balanced and to my delight often really hot!

When she comes here or we go there she’ll have taken the time to make all our favorite things. Desserts for her brother and spicy snacks for me. The love showered on us simply adorable and comes to us straight from her heart!

Blessing # 612 – Sweet Sis

It’s such a good feeling when you go out hunting for something and find exactly what you need. It must be the caveman instinct that generates all those endorphins!

One of the shelves at my booth had a previous life as a baby’s changing table. It was discovered sitting out one day at the side of the road. Someone had obviously no further use of it so much to my dear husband’s embarrassment it was rescued from the pavement for alternative purposes.

After a lick of paint it didn’t look too bad but it’s not the most stable merchandiser and it takes up quite some space. It was replaced briefly by a little pine table that was picked up at a yard sale. That didn’t last long though as the table sold very quickly. So it was back to square one and the wobbly rack!

For some weeks now the goal of finding a more robust solution was on my mind so today between two appointments a little bit of Goodwill hunting proved fruitful and a solid little shelf was source.

So solid is it that it took ever muscle that could be mustered to get through the shop and into the car. Fortunately the lad isn’t working tonight so he helped me get it to our store.

It looks really good don’t you think and slightly more in keeping with my delightful collection!

Old faithful is now back in the garage serving its purpose of sorting platform for future stock. Now just wait and see you can be sure the new shelf will sell faster than you can say diaper change!

Blessing # 611 – Perfect Fit

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln we’re both born in February. George on the 22nd and Abe on the 12th. We celebrate their birthdays on the Monday that falls between their births dates which, like today, is very close to my own.

It’s the last holiday before spring and often is very cold. This year it seems spring is coming early. The grass didn’t loose its green this winter and already the birds are going crazy. The Canada geese are strutting their stuff like it’s May.

The deer too are feelingly frisky galloping around the yards. We had a dozen of them yesterday driving Scooby crazy.

The signs of spring are also popping up from the ground way ahead of their usual schedule. This, as my Dad was fond of saying “would do your heart good”

Lets just hope that the groundhog got it right and this early spring will fulfill its promises. No deep freeze please!

Blessing # 610 – Virtually Vernal

What a lovely birthday. Started a few days ago with gifts and greetings arriving from the besties in Belfast.

This morning brought many good wishes on Facebook and cards and pressies from my men folk. I will be merry and bright after all this!

On our walk Scooby and I had snow on the grass to make it sparkle and saw two blue birds nesting that made me think my Mom and Dad were sending their good wishes too.

At Church more pressies from my friend Lori and a very special service.

It was one I’d never experienced before a Healing Service including anointing with holy oil. Very special for a big birthday ending with one of a favorite Hymn of Promise. Felt like God was also sending best wishes.

Back home a big Turkey was roasting away and along side it the works without work. Isn’t there a song that says I wish it could be Christmas everyday? Well it was today! It was all the quick and easy way to do it but it was yummy.

Now with a nice glass or two of red I’m settling in to watch the epic Gandhi for the upteenth time. If you snooze for a while you can always rewind! After all you’re given grace when you’re no longer a spring chicken!

Blessing # 609 – Happy Heart

Today my friend Alison is on my mind. We were born hours apart but didn’t meet until we were sixteen. Surprisingly even though we lived just a few miles apart we had to wait until we went to Italy for a summer vacation for our first encounter.

Immediately we became firm friends and had many fun times together as young women celebrating our BIG 18th and 21st birthdays with joint parties.

Alison had a very bad car accident but fought a long and courageous battle back to health and went on to become a wonderful wife, mother and in the past few years a grandma too.

Alas this year she lost her life to cancer and is deeply missed by many especially her beautiful family.

She left a lasting impression on my life and I will be eternally grateful to have known her. She was beautiful inside and out with a wonderful smile. Alison was very gentle, softly spoken, funny, very kind, very thankful for everything and also very content.

I loved her and I know she loved me too so we will always have that very precious gift that never dies.

Blessing # 608 – Gracious Soul

Hope you and your loved ones enjoyed Saint Valentines Day. We decided our little love knots were going to CORD this year.

You may never have heard of CORD. We hadn’t either until, we made friends on Facebook with our nephew Krishna, his wife Meera, their daughter Jyotsna and son in law Hari. Now we are in touch with them almost daily rather than once every few years!

Both Krishna and Meera are medics and Jyotsna and Hari are horticulturalist running a garden design business. Some years ago Dr Meera started the Siruvani branch of CORD in Coimbatore India. With help and support from her family she heads out into the villages to provide medical checks. Here’s just some of the things she did last quarter. There are so many you’ll have to zoom in for the details.

A certain Dr Krishna may well have run a few of those lab tests!

It’s vital and it’s impressive but her work doesn’t stop there. CORD has a great focus on women. There are classes on basic life skills, nutrition and hygiene. Better still there’s organic cottage gardening that you’d suspect a daughter and son in law may well be helping with!

There are also classes on establishing business ventures giving ladies the chance to learn new skills. That’s Dr Meera teaching in the blue sari. You can see her better in the main picture.

They transform the produce they grown into dishes and spice mixes and best of all beauty products!

It’s all so full of LOVE nothing could be better to share and support on a day like today. CORD!

Blessing # 607 – Saints Among Us

We, or if truth be told I, have been looking for a house to flip for some time. We have made some offers but haven’t been successful so far!

That’s about to change! Today we went to view a mid century ranch on the outskirts of Delaware the city where the antique mall is located. It’s good to concentrate on one area don’t they say. There again they also say you shouldn’t put all the eggs in one basket.

When we viewed the house the interior looked sound enough. There is a lovely brick fireplace and the handles on the original kitchen cabinets are keepers even if the cabinets are goners.

Apart from some bulging of the wall in the basement that will need serious work the rest seemed cosmetic.

Of course the roof and yard were covered in snow. Taking a closer look at the photos of the house it would seem this was hiding a bit of history. Or is that horror!

Anyway the deed is done and the offer is made and so now I am half demented looking at home decor trends and home repair costs. There is nothing to beat dreaming about how beautiful something might look.

At times like these I become in my own head at least a design guru. We haven’t even lifted a pen to sign a check and I’m already seeing the for sale sign on this totally restored and renovated retreat!

HGTV will be inviting me to make a new series. Chip and Joanna Gains will have nothing on this. That’s just before a little voice enters my head and tells me “He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts! “

Doesn’t stop me loving the idea though that this will be a winner!

Blessing # 606 – Dreaming On