Lost in Transition

While getting rid of some of the spam comments on my blog this past week, I realized that lots of comments are getting hung up in the system somehow.  I noticed comments I had never received, nor responded to, which had been posted on my blog that I was completely unaware of.

These were not spam comments, but thoughtful comments left by kind people and I never even thought to check each post to see the comments, because the comments are supposed to show up in my email.  Yet another thing about blogging that makes me sigh.

Although I don't respond to each and every comment that comes my way, I hate thinking that I've missed some and never would have known about them had I not gotten rid of spam, which seems to be well equipped at getting through.  So to those of you who I've missed, please know that it wasn't intentional, it was simply absentmindedness on my part!

We have been plugging along with the massive garage clean up...yup it was that messy that it's taken this long to remedy, and it's still not perfect, but much closer to perfection than it has been in 7 years...and that makes me very happy!

The time consuming part is that we couldn't just throw stuff out en masse, but we had to open each box and container to see what treasures they held, then decide if they were still "our" treasures, or if we should turn them into someone else's treasures.

It's funny how something can seem so important to you at one point in your life, yet just a few years later you are ready to part with it because it no longer holds the same meaning for you that it once did.  I guess as we transition through life our priorities change right along with our tastes and sentimentality.

What we found was that we were way more sentimental about our children's books, games, and toys than they were.  When I asked our daughter if she wanted us to keep her Go Go The Walking Pup dog...a must have one Christmas when she was little as it had a leash and could walk on its own thanks to the magic of batteries...she responded with a text that read "I have no idea what Go Go The Walking Pup even is, so yes donate it!"

We got a similar reaction from our son regarding his childhood toys, except that he went online to see if they were worth anything first...ahhh to be young and in the phase where a few bucks supersedes the "remember when" factor...but his sentimental transition will come, one day.

 (Orchard Oriole)

I feel like lately I'm a little lost in transition rather than lost in translation.  My sentimentality has shifted, and I now treasure moments, not things, much more than I once did.  I've never been one to value possessions over people and memories, but sometimes parting with items that represent a certain stage or point in our lives can be difficult, especially when those items were gifts from people who are no longer here, or those items belonged to, and were treasured by those who have passed on.  Or worse yet, they magically transport you back to when your children were little.

When you get rid of those items it can be both freeing and a bit daunting.  And what is meaningful differs from person to person.  As we stood dripping with sweat in the garage sorting through childhood memories, I could see that what brought back memories of our children when they were young for Mr. Tide was often different than what I found difficult to let go of.

In the end, we were able to let go of the stuff and focus on the here and now, and the gift that we are able to make new memories, with the bonus of having a clean garage!

I can hardly believe that it is July already, back during our long winter it seemed like such a distant time, this wonderful season of summer which I love so much.  Like the toys our children once loved, the seasons are fleeting and we need to focus on the present and not long for the past or wish for the future.

I think I'm going to like being lost in transition for as long as it lasts, for we know that this too shall pass, and everything really is just one phase leading us into another throughout our lives.

I plan to keep getting rid of things which tie me down, force me to worry about them, or cause me stress over where to put them.  And I also plan to enjoy every single day in a way that I thought I had in the past, but now realize that I really wasn't.  

That means less time on the computer, which I've been enjoying SO much, more time spent with friends and family, less time worrying about having a perfect house before having everyone over for a big dinner, more walks in the evening, more time in the kayaks, and less time doing the things I don't really feel passionate about...like weeding for instance! ;)

I know many of you are in a transitional phase yourselves, and I hope you let yourself get lost a little, because knowing where you're headed all of the time can be so boring!  Happy July!

Ode to Summer

Oh Summer, I love you so!

With your warm breezes, beautiful sunsets, and billowy blue blossoms.

I am giddy with the scent of freshly mown grass, honeysuckle, and sweet magnolia.

You bathe me in warm sunlight, let me run barefooted, tease me with the flickering of lightning bugs, and replenish me with sweet watermelon.

If only you could last a little longer...

Happy Summer!!!

Don't Let The Sun

Don't let the sun, go down on me...

That Time of Year

It's that time of year again.

When branches are weighed down with barely ripe berries.

When the hazy days of summer are in full force and nature tends to show off.

When Queen Anne's Lace fills fields and ditches, and suddenly a weed becomes a thing of beauty.

When patient puppies sit in an air conditioned truck while humans suffer 102 degree heat...

Hoping for a few of these...or maybe a lot of these!

And when even the ants are happy to be hanging out in their newly decorated abode.

Yup, it's that time of year, when a whole bowl of these seems like the perfect summertime dinner!

What does this time of year mean to you?

Baby It's Cold Outside

Remember just a few months ago when we were all saying how cold it was and how we couldn't wait for summer?! *raises hand*

Well, unlike my post title, it's anything but cold outside in most of the US right now.  In fact, it's downright steamy.

My mom used to call this kind of weather hot and sticky.  And I would have to say that that's a pretty fair assessment of the way it is outside right now.

Even the dogs don't want to be outside...well unless the sprinkler is going that is!  Misty Belle loves the way the water gives her that awesome 80s crimped hair look!

I love this out of focus picture of Mr. Quinn chasing the water droplets as they zoom around the yard.  It's kind of how I picture Monet capturing his true essence! ;-)

We over seeded part of our yard so they are loving that we have the sprinkler set up for a little while each day.  And it is a great way to beat the heat, but I sure do spend a lot of time cleaning up wet paw prints when they come inside.  It's a small price to pay for happy, cool doggies though.

Last night we had some crazy weather.  There were storm clouds all around us, but the sun was like a ball of melon colored fire (ok I know it actually IS a ball of fire, but you get my drift) sinking below the horizon.

Then when I gazed up above me there was this...another wonderful heart shaped cloud, drifting amidst the dark storm clouds.  I'm sure it was a gift from a dear friend.

Later we ended up having quite a light show as the storms eventually reached us.  There was also lots of thunder and wind, and thankfully plenty of much needed rain!  Today it's back to the steam bath, but hey at least it's not the 1700s and I'm not wearing "summer weight" wool, and lots of undergarments, without the benefit of AC...so it's a good day I think! 

I hope you are managing to stay cool where you are...or warm, whichever you're in need of at the moment!

What Do Ya Think About That

Today has been spent outside working on the yard.

Since my father died almost 4 years ago, we've been helping to take care of 3 houses and 3 yards.  The task has been split mostly between my sister "M" and her family and us, and let's just say that when you are taking care of that much land, things tend to get neglected somewhere.  Last summer my sister did all of the mowing at the other properties, including the farm which has 20 acres, and she is the most weary of all of us when it comes to doing weekly lawn maintenance.

This summer, we've been way behind on getting flowers planted and our front porch and back patio ready to go for the season.  We've had bigger fish to fry with getting my parent's house on the market and trying to tackle the grape vine that had taken over one section of our yard.

Grapevine is some very nasty stuff my friends, and we really needed to tackle removing it because it was killing everything in its path, including the trees!  So we yanked and pulled and ripped it from the poor little trees that were barely hanging on with their branches reaching straight up in an effort to escape the clasp of the vines.  You could almost hear them breath a sigh of relief as we removed the suffocating vines from their branches.  Once the vines were gone we could set about over seeding that part of the yard...just in time for the drought, our timing is always impeccable when it comes to this sort of thing!

This weekend we should be at the farm mowing and also tending to the yard up at my parent's house, but the big tractor is broke 'd broke, so that meant we could focus on our yard and our house for the entire weekend!  The mower part will arrive on Monday from a dealership about 2 hours north of us.  We were going to drive up to pick it up, but with the price of gas, the $12 shipping fee sounded just fine to us, so we'll have to wait until Monday to get the mower deck fixed.

This morning, Mr. Tide and I lingered in bed for about a half hour, and then reality set in and we got going on everything that needed to be done around here.

When we go about doing yard work, I have my priorities and he has his, and most of the time they mesh up pretty well.  Today's chores included weeding, watering, potting, digging, and beautifying the porch and patio.  By now, we usually have all of my favorite garden items out and about, but this year they have been tucked in the dark recesses of the garage waiting patiently.

While we were out weeding, a few of our neighbors came walking down the road.  We live on a private lane with only 5 houses, so these neighbors live just up the road a bit, though we really all consider ourselves part of the same neighborhood...without the actual "hood" part!

As they were coming down the road Mr. Tide decided he needed something from the garage aka the he%# hole!  I looked at him and said, "really?!, did you HAVE to open the door right then?!"  He knows the rules...the door stays closed, because what people can't see, can't hurt them! ;-)

Our garage is our dirty little secret, the kind that only your closest friends can know about.  When we moved here, we left behind a 5 bedroom home with an oversized 2 car garage that had attic space over the entire garage.  We even installed a door in our bedroom for easy access to our attic, so our garage was always neat and clean (relatively speaking) and we parked both our cars in there.

Ahh, those were the days my friends, when scorching heat, rain, sleet, and snow didn't phase us, because we rested comfortably in the knowledge that our cars were safe and comfy in their little garage.

This house on the other hand has NO attic and 3 bedrooms, are you getting the picture?  Sure we got rid of a lot of stuff when we moved, but not quite enough, so our garage has become the black hole where everything that doesn't fit inside ends up being smashed, jammed, and dumped into it!

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not OCD and need my paint cans to all face the same way or anything like that, and our recent cleaning spree did put a bit of a dent into the mess that is the garage, but we are talking major undertaking, so a dent "ain't" gonna cut it if you know what I mean!

So why worry about a few neighbors seeing our "dirty" laundry so to speak?!  Well these weren't just any neighbors.  Oh they are really nice people, and I'm guessing they could really care less, but they just happen to be the people in the neighborhood that have gorgeous homes and immaculate yards...and I'm betting garage floors that you can eat off of...yikes!  One of them even owns a local nursery, so maybe their lawn implements are all neatly lined up and color coded...I don't know, but I do know that that garage door of ours came down in a mighty big hurry...get my drift?!

Mr. Tide found all of this quite amusing, except for the dirty look I threw his way when he opened the door at a most inopportune time, according to moi!  He looked at me and said, "this is real life," and then asked, "are you not ready for real life?"...and I had to stop a moment and take that comment in to my heat seared brain.

I wondered if the Osprey and Eagles get freaked out when a neighbor bird flies over and sees that their nest is a complete mess?!  Or how about the spiders, do they talk about another spider's web if it's not perfectly symmetrical?  The truth is, we are all imperfect, whether it be a garage or whatever, but that's what makes us perfect!

Oh, and I love this quote!  "No one is perfect, that's why pencils have erasers!"

Below is my new anthem...and I'm betting this is how some of my neighbors would think about us if they could only see inside our garage!! ;-)

A Little Bit of This...

In honor of Father's Day, Mr. Tide will be doing a little bit of this...lounging in the hammock.

And if the weather improves, he'll be doing a little bit of that...spending time on the water.

It's our way of showing him how very much we love and appreciate the wonderful father that he is!

To all of the Fathers out there, I wish you a very relaxing Father's Day!   And to those no longer with us, you'll be in our thoughts and hearts today!

Ahh Summertime

Isn't it funny how certain months of the year hold such a special place in our hearts?  I'm not sure why summertime is the time of year I feel most content, but it always has been my favorite season.

With the first warm days, I can almost feel the breeze blowing in my hair as I race down hills on my banana bike, or smell the delicious scent as I would run inside my grandmother's kitchen to see what type of cake or pie she had made that day.


Joy, over at Savvy City Farmer just did a post on the way she grew up and those precious memories she clings to, and I could relate to many aspects of her upbringing.

It's funny, if you were to ask me about certain months each year growing up, there is little I could tell you about them.  Maybe because we didn't have any birthdays in those months, or there weren't any big holiday celebrations that hit home, but ask me about the time from May until September each year and I can reminisce all day long.

Even as an adult, summer was always my favorite time of year because it meant my kids would be with me all day everyday, I treasure that time we had together now that they are both grown.

If you asked me about summertime growing up, I could regale you with tales of playing baseball in the field across the street, running barefooted on hot blue chip asphalt to catch the ice cream truck, and about playing freeze tag and green light red light until daylight gave way to twilight when the hunt for lightning bugs would begin.  I would tell you about my mom marching us into the tub each night to scrub our feet and the dirt and grime from a day of playing hard, and how she stroked our hair each night checking us for ticks.

As I grew up, summer became the time when we didn't talk about school, or need to take notes, we could just be and hang out with our friends acting silly and talking about everything and nothing at the same time.  Working minimum wage jobs and spending time crabbing or water-skiing on our days off.  We thought those days would never end, and sometimes we wished they would.  We wanted to be grown ups and live in our own homes and not have to come home by 2 am after dancing all night or sailing all day.


 

Once, when I was in college, my sister and I went sailing with some friends late in the afternoon.  We ventured pretty far out in the Chesapeake Bay, and as we turned to head back to the marina the motor suddenly quit on the boat.  This was the mid 1980s so there were no cell phones, and the radio on board decided to quit working too, along with the wind which is why we were using the motor to begin with.

For hours, we were adrift trying to make our way back to shore, and the hours went by so that when we finally did dock it was almost 3 am.  I can still remember the look on my mom's face when we got back home and how frightened and worried she was.  But what we saw was how angry she was, because we were young, invincible, and we knew we could handle it and that we were ok, so why should she be worried?!  Now that I'm a mom, I understand. 

She knew something we didn't, that life is short, and more importantly it's very fragile and can be gone in a second.  Where we saw invulnerability when we looked in the mirror, she saw naivety and a lack of life knowledge.

 

Just like my mother, I will always worry, but I have to also let go the same way she did.  I've learned to let my kids have their own summer memories, ones that I hope will be as moving as my own.

Ones where even the smell and taste of ripe blackberry will transport them back in time.  My only hope is that like the berries which seem so plentiful this time of year they will realize that they are only ripe and full of flavor for a very short time.   I hope they memorize that sweetness and drink it in and that they will savor each phase of their lives.  That they will find their own time of year that says "ahh" to every fiber of their being the way summertime does to mine.

Embracing who you are and where you come from is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.  We can't turn back the clock, and getting stuck trying to cling tight to the little and big hands is futile and will only leave you stuck in time instead of continuing on your journey.  Just as we can't speed up the clock in hopes of erasing the bad times, each bit of time is what makes us who we are and takes us to the next place we need to go to in life.  People, things, pets, and places will change, and you will miss them all, but if you have your memories, then you have it all.

What season speaks to your heart and takes you back?