Friday, December 30, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Just some great music for the New Year weekend.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all.....

Friday, December 23, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....



No matter where your travels may take you this Yuletide Season, I wish you joy, happiness, love, and peace.

Happy Christmas!

Have a Peaceful Christmas, y'all.....

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Peaceful Pillows....







Every year for the holidays I try to make something special to give.
Sometimes it's jams or herbs I've grown and canned myself, or small wall quilts, but, whatever it is, it's made by my hands. 
This year I was at a loss and was grateful when a little light went off in my head to do something with lavender.
I was able to get a pound of locally grown organic lavender buds and some quilters batik fabric.  I hadn't a plan, but, the photo's are the end result.

I made the tags on the computer, tied them in bundles of three with ribbon, and viola - handmade gifts.
I love when the universe lets things fall into place.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Music is a part of my being. 
In times of soul searching, it has saved me, healed me.
It connects me, grounds me.

Sometimes I feel myself become part of the vibrations from wood and wire.
My fingers play the emotions that my lips will not speak.

Unspoken energy sent out to all who will listen.
What a joy to share.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all....


Friday, December 9, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


May there always be a light in the window
to welcome you home.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all......

*enjoy the full moon this weekend.  I'll be walking a labyrinth under all it's light.  It's a light that will always welcome you home.*

Friday, December 2, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Now is the season of turning inward and reflecting, but, sometimes, we still need to go out and embrace the beauty of season by getting our paws dirty.

A good nap after all that fun helps rejuvenate body and soul.....

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all........

Friday, November 25, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Relax and embrace all the love and thanks shared yesterday.

Let it hold your heart .

Now smile.

Have a peaceful weekend y'all..........

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful.....


to awake each morning to start new,
to see with eyes the ones I love,
to hear with ears sounds that bring me joy.

May I have the grace to be thankful everyday for all the wonderful things that surround me.



Friday, November 18, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Finding balance....

Centered
or
teetering on the edge?

Have a peaceful, balanced weekend, y'all.......

Friday, November 11, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Dare to reach over the edge to find yourself a little piece of quiet and reflection this weekend.
You may surprise yourself in the stillness.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all.........

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Remember when.... Irish style....

IRELAND - HOME SWEET HOME...

The only place where... • When you were young, you went to bed when Glenroe was over, • 'Fuck off' means 'Are you serious?', • The person that you insult most is probably your best friend, • Saying 'I will yea' means that you definitely won't, • "Fuck it, its grand' means that you couldn't be bothered to finish it properly, • 'Hes fond of a drink' means he suffers from severe life-threatening alcoholism, • Saying you're going for a drink means you might not be seen again for 3 days, • Crisps are called 'crips' and fizzy drinks are called 'minerals', • 'For the craic' is the best reason for doing anything, • The best cure for a hangover is more drink, • Nobody can go a day without saying 'Jaysus', • 'Meeting' has a double meaning, • Tea is the solution to every problem, • And water is the solution to every GAA injury, • "I got stuck behind a tractor' is a perfectly valid reason for being late, • We eat Tayto sambos for lunch, and ham sandwiches on the way to Croke Park, • You can insert the name of a gardening tool into any sentence and it still makes sense, e.g. 'I had a rake of drink last night' or "I'll be out in a minute, I'm just shoveling down the dinner', • GAA is considered religion, • Black lads with Irish accents are considered fucking legends, • Its perfectly acceptable to call your mother 'ma' • Saying 'Now we're sucking diesel' means that you are happy with the outcome of the situation, • Drinking 'tae' is everyone's favourite past time, • You're scared of the wooden spoon, • The word 'like' goes in every sentence, • You can say "Any craic' to a garda and you won't get arrested, • 'The dogs' bollocks' means something brilliant.


Just a grin for your morning, like......

Friday, September 16, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Huzzah!

Time for the Maryland Renn Faire!
We'll be gearing up to play lively tunes and sing bawdy songs this weekend.

How about the old favorites "Me Husbands Got No Courage in Him"  or  "Cuckoo's Nest?"

Me Husband is a song about a poor lass who's been married for seven long years and woefully she still has her maiden head.  In the end she wishes her husband was dead and that she could find another one.  This song is a real crowd pleaser with the ladies.

Cuckoo's Nest finds a young lad strolling about the fields and meets a young lass with whom he is immediately taken with and then makes his intentions quite known.  The maiden holds true to her values and makes the young man wait until they are wed.  But, the funny line with this song is what he tells her - "oh, some like a girl who is pretty in the face and some like a girl who is slender in the waist, but, give me a girl who will wiggle and will twist - at the bottom of the belly lies the cuckoo's nest."  The gents tend to like this song.  I guess it's quite plain why.

We love to sing a bawdy song then follow it up with a lively tune.  Gets folks moving.

So, what will move you this weekend?  Hmmmm.....

Have a peaceful, moving (wiggling) weekend, y'all..........

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

What it is like....

to go out in the early evening after the rains have abated,
stand in the middle of your yard in green, green grass
while a dozen or more dragon flies twirl, dip, and flutter
all around you - celebrating the sun and displaying their sheer joy of just being?

It's a little piece of heaven here on earth.
A priveledge that nature decided to share.

Thanks.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....



'Nuff said.....

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all...........

*image from Google*

Thursday, September 8, 2011

What a wild ride its been.....

Wow!

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely nuts - weather wise. 

It all started with a 5.9 earthquake on August 23rd.  Sure, we've had little rumbles here and there over my lifetime, but , nothing that could be felt like that!  I was down in the city not too far from DC working at the office I contract with when Mother Nature's tummy started to rumble.  Quite honestly, I didn't know what it was at first.  I thought the HVAC unit on top of the building which sits directly over the office I use was having some type of hissy-fit until I could start feeling the entire building starting to shake.  I still wasn't thinking earthquake, but, perhaps one of the service techs was bringing in a large piece of equipment into the shop downstairs.  I ran down the steps to the shop to find it empty and the large bay doors rattling and swaying quite wildly.  It was then that I realized it was an earthquake!  I made my way outside and noticed that others from neighboring buildings were all standing outside with looks of dis-belief on their faces.

It was over in 20-30 seconds, but, felt like it was an eternity.  I freely admit I was a bit freaked out by it all.  I'm sure folks on the West coast were having a grand laugh at our little ground shake  :-)

Meanwhile, Old Irene was out there in the Atlantic churning away and appeared to be heading right our way.  Now, I live far enough inland that I really don't consider hurricanes a dangerous threat.  Actually, we tend to have hurricane parties and we did this also with Irene.  Well, not quite a party this time, just two friends of ours came over to have some libation, conversation, and wait for the storm to blow in.  It also happened to be the hubsters birthday, too, Saturday the 27th, when Irene made her presence known.

Our friends left a little before Midnight to head home and the hubsters and I were up and about for a bit longer before we decided to hit the hay.  Up until this time, it was raining, but, we weren't getting any winds stronger than about 35mph.  About one thirty Sunday morning, Irene really started to blow.  It was then she blew out our power and continued to belt out her fury into most of Sunday. 

We prepare for power outages when bad weather is predicted and this time wasn't any different.  We have 2-3 days of water available for consumption and for flushing toilets. (no power, no well pump)  We've never been any longer than two and a half days without power, so, we weren't overly concerned.  Later on Sunday morning we called the power company's automated line to get the designated time they expected our power to be back and was quite surprised when they told us Friday, September 2nd by 11:30pm.  Oops....
Surely it wouldn't be that long.  Ha!
Tuesday morning found us throwing the contents of the fridge into the trash and desperately looking for a generator so we could try and keep a freezer filled with meat and frozen summer bounty from having the same outcome as the fridge.  We got lucky and found one to the tune of $800.00, but, it could run the freezer and our work computers.  Score!
When Friday evening rolled around, the power company updated the repair time to Saturday.  When Saturday rolled around, they updated it to 3am Sunday morning.  When 3am Sunday morning rolled around, they updated it to 11am.  When 11am rolled around, we were told a crew was on site and it shouldn't be any later than 1pm. 
At 2:53pm Sunday, our power was finally restored.  There were two things I wanted to do most - flush the toilets and take a shower.  Now, not to sound totally gross here, we were flushing the toilets with buckets of water.  First with the water we saved in the tub, which lasts two and a half days.  The remainder of the time we used water from the hot tub, which of course, was no longer hot.  But, it did the job and kept the house from smelling entirely like a latrine :-)  That hot tub water also wound up being our saving grace for taking "bucket" showers.  But, let me tell you, that got old really fast.  It goes to show how much one really takes for granted unless you lose it!  We've also learned that we can rough it for a week and a day without killing each other.  However, we did come close. Just kidding.  It does fray ones nerves a bit, though...

Now we're in the throws of the remnants of TS Lee and it's been raining non-stop since Monday.  I mean roads, towns, etc. are flooding big time.  Inches at a time, lingering and lingering, and not wanting to move too far on. I woke at 4:45 this morning and realized, once again, we were dark.  I found my penlight, made a familiar phone call then went back to bed since we were told no power until 7:30.  It did come back, but, a bit later than we were told.  Ha!  We're pros at this no power stuff!

 It's almost unbelievable, the weather and its sense of humor.
If you recall, we had a tornado here at the homestead earlier this year.  No damages or losses, just two people (and two dogs) scared out of their wits as it ripped through.

I'm should be bracing myself for what's to come.  After all, it's only September.  We still have the beginning of Winter and his sense of humor.

I'm starting to wonder if Gaia is pissed-off....

BTW - thanks for all the words of congratulations on our granddaughter and thinking of us during this time of being inconvenienced. 
My thoughts are for those in the Northeast who have lost so much and are still enduring this deluge of water and for those in Texas who haven't any precipitation and the efforts of the fire fighter's trying to protect everyone.  May you all get the relief you need soon.

Peace






Friday, September 2, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....

The Hills of Connemara.

Wishing I was there with the wind gently blowing on my face and my soul wrapped in amongst its dewy mist.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all....

*on a side note, we are still without power.  It really makes you appreciate the conveniences of life.*



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

After the storm....

Just a very quick howdy do since I'm on borrowed time for electricity.

We weathered the earthquake and Irene, however, we'll be without power until Saturday.

Hope everyone made it through the storm without too much damage.

Hope to catch up with everyone once we get juice back again.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....

Welcome to Claire Ellen.
Our first grandchild who decided to join this crazy family this morning.

It is indeed a peaceful Friday....

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fuzzy headed babes......

 Here's one of the green heron babes, sitting up high taking in a view of his or her world.  Well, my backyard, at least.  I love it's downy little head!

It was just sitting quietly in the pine bough watching the dogs and I.  It has two siblings hiding deeper in the pine tree.  Three babes, all told.

The last two shots were taken with the zoom lens whereas this one will give you a little more perspective for their size.

How lucky are we to have these wee ones starting to learn what the world is all about right in our backyard!

Enjoy the rest of you Sunday everyone.....

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Discoveries that make you smile.....


For the past couple of years we have had a breeding pair of Green Herons put their doormat out and call our little plot home.  They are fun to watch, curious about us, and very talkative, though somewhat elusive at the same time.

The year we built the chicken coop, they sat up high in the pines and watched our construction, voicing their opinions when they felt like it.  If one of us would trot back to the house to get a tool or other supply, it was not unusual for one of them to fly to a pine closer to the house where they could continue to watch you.

This morning I was sitting quietly on the back porch when I noticed movement of pine boughs out of the corner of my eye.  Lo' and behold, three juvenile green herons were peeking out over the yard!  I don't know if they have fledged yet, but, they were hopping on the pine boughs like a game of hide and seek.
I stood there for a moment, smiling.  Even though our busy lives continue, nature's cycles go on to create and be part of the circle of life whether we observe them or not.  I cannot believe our good fortune in witnessing these young birds.

It's a discovery that make you smile.....

(Hubsters took a couple of pics.  I'll try to post them later)

Oh, and by the way, have a peaceful weekend, y'all........

Friday, August 5, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


You never know what you may find on "the other side" unless you are willing to try.

Cross the road this weekend and enjoy whatever you may find.

Have a peaceful weekend y'all.........

*Cartoon from Internet*

Friday, July 29, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Oy!  It's gonna be another hot one this weekend!

This is how I felt this morning after mucking out the coop and doing a little bit of weeding.

With that said, I think I'll stick to indoor activities like this:


and then some of this:

But, in reality it'll probably be something like this:


Can't blame a woman for dreaming now, can you?

Have a peaceful, cool, fantasy filled weekend y'all............


*all images from Google*

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Where's the ham?.......


Our pullets are laying!  Yippie!!

Our first green eggs and a couple of wee brown ones.

I'm happy they are being so accommodating because the three current hens have been on strike and we are only getting the occasional egg from them.  We were down to four eggs when the young-in's must of heard us talking about having to go buy eggs.

All I can say is "thank you, girls" and where's the ham?

Friday, July 22, 2011

Peaceful Fridays and CG wrap up.....

Is it really Friday already??

Just a wee update from the past week or so from one truly tuckered-out Irishlas...

My week at Common Ground on the Hill was spectacular, way too short, and passed way too quickly.  I played and sang more than I have in ages and the best part of doing all this mad playing was being able to do it with others I hadn't played with before!

Sadly, I haven't any photo's or video.  I was too busy being immersed in learning during the day and concerts and sessions late into the night.  We didn't roll in on Friday until almost 4:30 am.... and I've been paying the price for these late nights ever since!  And you know what?  I'd do it all over again!




The video above features one of the songs we learned in the song class which was taught by the guitar player who is singing it in this video.  Jim Rainey is one of the members of Craobh Rua, from Belfast, who was over to teach.  The banjo player in this video was also here teaching.  There was third member of the band here teaching who is not in this video, but, if you Youtube the band, you'll find some video's of him playing the uilleann pipes.  His name is Aaron O'Hagan and at 25, he is an amazing piper!

Along with learning the songs and playing tunes we were told stories from some of the band members about what it was like growing up in Northern Ireland during the "troubles".   I can only remember what was televised during those times, and, let me tell you, it was quite enlightening to hear an inside perspective.  We were all quite touched by their willingness to share such intimate stories with us.

So, Friday night was the last of the week and we were invited back to a private party and session at one of the teachers dorms.  Many tunes were played and many a glass passed over lips time and time again.  Jokes and travel stories were told with everyone laughing and enjoying the company of one another.  Folks from all parts of the world, in one small dorm sharing common ground - love of music.  Old friends were catching up and new friends were being made.  Some will cross paths again and others never will.

The night ended and I think everyone in that room had a smiling heart.


Jim Rainey of Craobh Rua (pronounced crave roo-a) and myself at the dorm session
My friend Dorothy took this pic as the night was ending of myself with my song teacher (who was in the video above).  A small visual memento of a great week and a great teacher.  The memories stored within my heart of this week are numerous and soon I hope to be passing along some of the traditions the lads from Belfast shared with us.
 
Oh, and have a peaceful Friday, y'all............

Monday, July 11, 2011

Diddely, diddely, di....

At music camp all week immersing myself in Irish fiddle, Irish song, and the Celtic jam.
Back to the regularly scheduled program next week.

In the meantime, you can lilt a fun diddy while y'all weed the garden.

See you soon!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Back to work blues.....

A grin for us schmuck's who are reluctantly going back to work (or just starting a new job - Good luck, Paula) after a long weekend.  I have to admit, this would be my kind of parade


Friday, July 1, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....

 "I smell berries!  I wonder if I can sneak a few?"

 " you gotta know just how to pick the ripe ones.  Sometimes you have to stretch real far to get the good ones."

 " Oh, boy, more here.  Num, num, num.  I could eat these all day."

 "Uh, oh - I think I've been spotted."
"I'll just look indifferent.  Yeah, that's what I'll do.  Maybe then she'll look away and I can eat more berries."

" I don't think it worked.  Drats...  Mom says to leave some berries for the humans, but, I can help sniff out all the ripe ones for her to pick."

"Oh, boy!  I know this means I'll get more berries!
Did I mention that I love berries?  Did I mention that it's the weekend and a long one, too?  Go pick some berries with your human.  It will be scrumptious and fun!"

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all......


*Nuala (and Shane RIP) have always help me "pick" the berries.  She and Shane were experts at picking only the ripe ones ever so gently of f the vines. I love the fact that Shane taught her how.  It keeps his memory alive and going strong with every berry she eats.*

Monday, June 27, 2011

The block is here....

Blogger's block, that is.
I've been so busy with work and trying to keep up with things here on the homestead that I think I'm just too pooped to even think about writing or taking photo's.

I know I'm overwhelmed because I'm even losing my sense of humor!  And those who know me, know I have a right wicked one of those!

I'm sitting here typing trying to think of something witty or whimsical to prose about and I come up with nada.  It's a sad affair.  I can't even seem to wax lyrical about a cure for this cursed memory vacation.

My only hope is that it recovers quick - my brain, that is.
Until the gray cells begin to synapse again, I'll just have to be content to enjoy all of your non-memory failures.

See y'all soon!



photo courtesy of Google

Friday, June 24, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....


Indulge yourself this weekend.
Remember, wine and chocolate are a food group to some...

Have a peaceful, indulgent weekend, y'all......


*photo from Google*

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Food is beautiful.....






A true labor of sweat, dirt, and love.

Grow your own.
You'll be glad you have.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Nellie goes jingle-jangle.....

 This is Nervous Nellie, our last Barred Rock hen.  If you recall, I lost one Barred Rock last summer to heat and another to predation, so, that makes Nellie kinda special.
She's a chatty girl who constantly is giving something or someone lip.  She's the first one I hear in the morning and the last one to quiet down at night.  She patrols the coop and run like a sentry on guard duty.

Nellie is special for other reasons, too.

She has spurs.  Yep, a hen with spurs.

(click on the pic for a better view)

I don't know if this is a common occurrence with hens or not, but, this may explain her protectiveness and constant sentry duty. 
Thankfully she's a nice hen, though a little nervous, hence her name.

Maybe all the cackling is her just singing.  Maybe she's proud that she has spurs and wants to sing it to the world.  Maybe she's a Gene Autry or Tex Ritter fan and likes to belt this little diddy out all day and night:

I've got spurs that jingle jangle jingle, as I go riden merrily along,sing oh aintchya glad your single and that song aint so very far from wrong.

Who knows what Nellie has to say, but, I'm stickin' with my story of singing out loud.
We could all use a little Nellie in our lives.
Singing to the world ain't such a bad thing.....




I

Friday, June 10, 2011

Peaceful Fridays.....



Just a little uprising to lift your spirit for this weekend.
Make a difference in your life this weekend, but, with peace in mind.

Have a peaceful weekend, y'all......


*video from youtube*

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Unquestionable love....


comes from a dog who would wait until the end of time for you to return, would ask you no questions, and will wag itself in half to show you how happy they are to see you.

What a source of joy it is....





Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Hurry up.....

and ripen!

We have three blueberry bushes that are four years old and the harvest keeps getting better and better each year.  Three different varieties that will ripen at slightly different times.  This was sheer luck planting different varieties at the time because we hadn't a clue on growing blueberries.  Seems they like this multi-cultural setting to cross pollinate. 

We love blueberries so much that we planted seven more this year.  They're just wee little things, so, we don't expect any fruit for a couple of years.  Finger crossed we don't lose any.

How are your blueberries doing this year?
What varieties do you have growing?
Do you soil test for acidity or just plant and hope?

I'd love to hear all about your little "blueberry" babies.

Happy hump day!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Meditative raindrops.....

 A gentle Spring rain fell upon the homestead yesterday morning.
With it came a hush that made you take pause and drink in the moment.

 It quieted down the outside world albeit briefly.

 It made the gardener sigh with relief that the gardens and flowers were watered by Mother Nature.

It even made the irises talk about it's meditative value.

It's such a privilege to be able to grab moments like that.