A Cup of Kindness

Long time no see...

2007-06-19T15:24:00.000-06:00

Nope... I haven't been lost, just very busy. I have my garden in now, all except a few herb plants I bought yesterday on sale. I'll have pictures of what's happening in my yard soon.

The above picture is from Silver Creek, near Sun Valley, Idaho. I helped lead a nature walk there a couple of weekends ago. What a beautiful place! The blue flowers are flax. One of the plants I got yesterday was a flax plant, just a little different shade of blue than this. I'm hoping I can recreate the right microclimate for this, because it's become one of my favorite flowers.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer - I know I am... :)

Time to catch up...

2007-04-29T14:28:00.000-06:00

How time flies...

I hadn't realized it was before Easter since I've written last. Lots going on around here - both inside and outside... Not quite time to plant all the seedlings I'm growing in my greenhouse, but yesterday I put 34 tomato plants in bigger pots, in anticipation of getting them outside in a few weeks.

In the meantime, here's what's been happening around here...

I went on a bird watching expedition last week - it's a place called Centennial Marsh about 80 miles north of here. Lots of birds and lots of pretty scenery...

An abandoned egg...

Avocet...

Yellow-headed blackbirds...

So pretty there - I didn't want to leave...

Next evening, (April 18th), we had a freak snow storm, with 45 mph winds. Yikes!

Hoover was NOT happy!

Lately my other dog, Hoops, has been jumping up on the picnic table and barking at something on the roof. I thought it was a squirrel. It wasn't.

It was this...

This is a chukar. Chukars are not supposed to live in urban back yards - even back yards next door to parks. According to my field guide, they live in "rocky, arid, mountainous areas of the west."

I don't know... he looks like he feels at home here...

Easter reflection...

2007-04-07T08:22:00.000-06:00

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised…” Matthew 28:5-6

Imagine being confronted with a miracle… Here Mary Magdalene and the other women who followed Christ had come to see that their Teacher had been laid to rest properly, and to say a final goodbye. They thought everything was lost – until the angel appeared to them and told them the good news.

The Good News – that Jesus lives. He died for us and He rose again to give us hope of eternity. When all seems to be lost, we can remember this promise and be comforted, whatever comes.

When Mary Magdalene and the others heard that their Messiah lived, they ran to tell the other disciples, never doubting that what the angel said was true. What great joy must have been theirs that morning! What great joy is ours in sharing this miracle now!

Jesus, I dance for the joy of Your resurrection!

Have a blessed Easter!

picture taken at Pantasaph, Wales

More signs of spring...

2007-03-31T13:47:00.000-06:00

Seeds to plant...

Finches at the feeder...

Forsythia in Bloom!

Canyon Walk...

2007-03-27T13:21:00.000-06:00

Come with me on one of my favorite walks…

This is the beginning of the trail – down below is the Snake River…

A view of the river from the other direction…

A bridge that doesn’t quite make it all the way across the river…

The trail twists and turns…

Some flowers in bloom along the trail…

Approaching a fork in the river…

The river fork, closer up…

End of the trail… there’s a gate across the road at this point, so you can’t go any farther… :(

It’s a lo-o-o-o-ng walk back up to the top…

Spring!

2007-03-22T12:33:00.000-06:00

every day brings something new
to delight in:
the budding trees,
new life bursting through the earth,
birdsong from returning migrants...
even the sky seems a different blue,
and the gentle air is filled
with soft fragrance of green.
I am constantly distracted with the urge
to stop, and taste Spring as it rises…

Wearin' of the Green (Tag)

2007-03-16T17:05:00.000-06:00

Since St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, I thought I'd share a picture I took on the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin last summer....

...but the real reason for this post is I've been tagged by Marion to tell some reasons why I enjoy blogging. So here goes...

1. It's an outlet for some writing practice. I love to write, but I don't get a change to do it as much as I'd like. This blog gives a purpose, however small, for my writing.

2. Since I think blogging is just as much about reading other blogs as writing my own, another reason I enjoy it is the learning I've acquired from it. I've gotten some great recipes and gardening tips, as well as decorating ideas, from reading the information on other people's blogs.

3. I like the sense of community among bloggers. There is a great support system here - we share our lives and share ideas and become a sort of family.

4. Blogging makes me smile, and sometimes laugh out loud.

I'll think of other things later, and maybe I'll add them. For now, I'd like to share the fun by tagging Judy and Carol to tell what they enjoy most about blogging.

Have a festive St. Patrick's Day! Don't drink too much green beer... :)

Another sunrise...

2007-03-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Taken at 6:47 AM, 6 miles east of Jerome, ID

A gift from Germany...

2007-03-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ever since Marion posted on her blog saying her package from Carol had arrived, I've been watching my own mail with keen anticipation. Marion and I were the lucky winners of a Valentine's Day drawing at Carol's Boxwood Cottage blog. I told myself to be patient - it takes a lot longer for mail to get from Germany to Idaho than to Wales.

A LOT longer...

But today, my patience was rewarded - Carol's package finally came!

I opened it, and there was a postcard with a nice message from her.

And then the gift-wrapped little present - almost too pretty to open!

And then, my beautiful heart!

Here's one side...

And here's the other...

Thank you, Carol! I've hung it on the wall above my desk. It makes me smile every time I look at it!

Winter revisited...

2007-03-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

I found this hanging off my front porch this morning...

Blooming...

2007-02-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Like many places in the US, it's been snowing here in southern Idaho the past few days. Not a lot - but enough to be discouraging when one is itching to get out in the garden. I just got a big seed order from Territorial Seed on Monday, and I was looking forward to getting some seeds going in my indoor greenhouse.

I have a new lighting system for the greenhouse, too, so this morning I was fooling with it, trying to see where each fixture would hang to the best advantage. In winter, the greenhouse is home to all but my biggest houseplants. They seem to do very well in front of the patio window facing south - it's become quite the jungle in the past few months...

So anyway, I'm fiddling with this light fixture, when a flash of white caught my eye. I have a Christmas cactus on one of the shelves, a gift from a student several years ago. It was blooming when I got it, but it hasn't bloomed since. It had put on some new growth lately, which pleased me. I never expected blooming from it - but blooming is what I have!

A nice surprise on a wintry day...

Sunrise...

2007-02-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

I went on a retreat this weekend at a monastery not far from where I live. I stepped outside on Saturday morning and saw this sunrise...

Namaste'

Patchwork...

2007-02-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

I’ve always loved quilts. They are warm, and homely (in a good way), and colorful – and the fabrics in them can evoke such special memories…

This is my baby quilt. Right now it’s hanging over a rocking chair in my office. I can actually remember being covered by this quilt when I was a wee one.

These are patches from a “Sunbonnet Girls” quilt. My mother had one that was always on the spare bed in our house. It eventually wore out – but a few years ago, she made another one for me. The patches are made from old clothes I used to have, which she embroidered onto the backing.

This is a lap quilt made by my friend, Dee. It hangs on the back of my desk chair, and sometimes and wear it around me to keep me warm while I’m working.

This isn’t really a quilt picture, although there is a quilt in it. This is Hoover, my lab, in her favorite place to sit during the day. The quilt in the background isn’t old, but it covers a doll bed my grandfather made.

I like to think of patchwork quilts as a metaphor for life – colorful, sometimes worn, bits and pieces from all over, that together, make a beautiful whole…

These two...

2007-02-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

I share my house with three critters: Hoover, a sweet lab/retriever cross; Hoops, a rather hyper, but equally sweet Brittany spaniel, and Hope, a young cat that was given to me by a student on the last day of school a couple of years ago. I feed them, and they let me live here.

Hoover is 12 years old, and mostly sits and looks regal, but the other two tease and chase each other all day long. I used to yell at Hoops because she’s bigger, and I thought she was just tormenting the cat to intimidate her. Lately, I’ve realized that the torment goes both ways. I was sitting on the couch reading, and Hope was perched on the coffee table in front of me. Hoops walked by and stood by the table, right next to the cat. Neither of them moved for a moment – in fact, Hoops was showing a great deal of restraint, I thought.

Then very slowly, Hope reached out and put her paw on Hoops’ head. Touch. No response. Then she did it again. Touch, touch… I could see Hoops trembling, but she still didn’t rise to the bait. Touch, tou…. And the race was on – back and forth down the hallway and around and over all the furniture, under the dining room table… Hope finally jumped up on the kitchen counter and then onto the fridge, and Hoops did a little tap dance down below.

They like to do this when I have company over, so everyone can see that I live with circus animals.

these two –
they chase and bite
and tease each other
all day long
my own personal
circus – start up
the music
the show
is starting
again…

Yesterday morning I walked out in the kitchen and they were both lying in front of the patio door, almost on top of each other. They stayed that way for about an hour, until the sun moved beyond the door. Sort of like the lion lying down with the lamb, I thought…

Pets – you gotta love ‘em…

poem for a cat...

2007-02-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

kitten that became a cat...

cat in repose

sphinx-like, she reclines,

eyes closed - soft, rumbling purr

emanates from within

now she rises, stretches,

and walks across the table

to watch me write this poem

about her...

This journey...

2007-01-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

"...miles to go before I sleep..."

This is my jubilee -
the beginning of the second,
better half of my life.
Let what small wisdom
I have gained to this point
guide my path.
Let me love more,
want less,
live NOW
giving thanks
for all the beauty there is
in my world...

One happy cow...

2007-01-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, this cow is smiling… Let me tell you the story…

A couple of weeks after I came back from Ireland, I was talking with my brother about my trip. I told him one of the things that surprised me was how good all the dairy products were there. Cheese, yogurt, ice cream… I loved them all! I speculated that it all tasted so good because the cows there were so happy.

He scoffed at me, and I showed him one of the many pictures I’d taken of cows while I was there. Around here, most cows are penned up in feedlots in mass quantities, and do NOT look happy at all, so I was fascinated by all the contented bovines I saw in pastures all over the Emerald Isle. Looking at my pictures didn’t even convince him – he said, “Nope... I want to see TEETH on those cows before I’ll believe they’re happy!”

Later, I was showing some friends my Ireland scrapbook, and telling them what my brother had said. One friend offered to doctor the picture for me, and you can see the results. He did a good job, didn’t he?

I emailed this to my brother last night, but I haven’t heard back from him to find out what he thinks. Oh, by the way, here is the original picture:

Does this not look like the picture of contentment?

A bad case of cabin fever...

2007-01-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

In the midst of winter, I dream of green...

Last week at this time, it got to be almost 50 degrees outside. I spent the afternoon on a lovely walk in the canyon along the Snake River. Next day, the weather started changing, and now we are in the 6th day running of cold and wind…

After reading about what others around the country are enduring, weather-wise, I realize that my whining about a little cold and wind is pretty self-absorbed. It’s barely half-way through January, for heaven’s sake! What should I expect?

There was a time when the weather outside wouldn’t have affected me much at all. Those were the days when I worked indoors all day, for someone else, and it was my occupation, and not the wind, that held me hostage within four walls. I didn’t have time to revel in the changing seasons at close range – just watched them pass through a window, or while driving to get from point A to point B.

Now I work for myself, and my time is (mostly) my own. I guess what I have is a bad case of cabin fever. I want to ride my bike somewhere! I want to get my hands in the dirt and plant something! But it’s currently 14 degrees with a 20 MPH wind – so I’ll set those longings aside and be happy with what is. I have a free afternoon with all sorts of possibilities at hand, and I don’t want to waste it…

On a cold winter morning...

2007-01-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

frost tips every branch
and blade of grass
above, the sun shines
in a cloudless blue sky
in the cold, two squirrels
frolic and forage
in the tree just outside
my window – bright-eyed,
they face the day –
and I shall do the same…

Surprise!

2007-01-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

My friends got together on Sunday night and threw me a surprise birthday party! First one, then another friend or family member arrived, until there were 18 of us gathered together. It was truly a surprise, because my birthday was on December 23rd - over two weeks ago!

The cake is homemade - a delightful concoction of white cake and cream cheese frosting, with apricot brandy filling. Yum! I'm not sure of the significance of the 7 candles on the cake - I am neither 7 nor 70, but somewhere in between... :)

There was also homemade soup, and wonderful bread, and lots of wine and good cheer all around. It's been two days, but I am still basking in the glow of such a lovely gift - the gift of loving friends...

Waiting for the Wise Men...

2007-01-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

As I write this, a few lazy snowflakes are falling. Five minutes ago, I could barely see across the street – five minutes from now, it could be the same. Just now, though, the sun is trying to shine…

That’s Idaho in winter (or any other time of year) for you – if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.

I was reading a reflection this morning on a website I visit regularly, written by a priest in County Cork, Ireland. In it, he lamented the fact that just as everyone is putting all their Christmas decorations away, the feast of Epiphany is upon us – the time the Christian church celebrates the coming of the Magi to the Christ Child. Sort of like showing up at a big party just as everyone’s leaving…

I haven’t put away my Christmas things yet. I got a late start on decorating this holiday season, because the first half of the month I spent every spare moment I wasn’t working studying for a big Latin exam. I took the test on December 12th, and it was only after that I started preparing for the season in earnest.

Then, too, I have had many things to celebrate lately – and the festive air around me here reflects my mood: the lights, the candles, the spangles I don’t have up any other time of year.

So for a couple more days, it will still be the Christmas season here for me. I will wait, and journey with the Wise Men – rejoicing all the way…

Brrr....

2007-01-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's windy and cold and miserable outside today -hard to imagine that next month, I'll be starting seeds again. The seed catalogs have been coming for a month now, so I think I'll warm myself by looking through a few of them and thinking thoughts of Spring...

in the midst of winter,

wind moaning through barren trees,

dry desiccated remains

of last year's garden stand, shivering

in this early-January desolation

there blooms inside me

Spring - tender, green shoots

just beneath the surface

waiting for time to blossom...

picture of Johnny-jump-ups from my garden a couple of summers ago

Sea verse...

2007-01-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Whitby

the sea goes on forever
gray sky and dark water
meet on the horizon
gulls turn and cry
overhead – adding their music
to the waves crashing below
I watch, and listen,
and feel I've been here before,
if only in dreams – standing
on the shore of forever
there is only the sky
and the infinite sea

Starting the year right...

2007-01-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

Picture of Caedmon's Cross - taken at Whitby, England

I've heard it said that whatever you spend New Year's Day doing, you're likely to continue doing all through the coming year. Since I spent the day visiting with several friends, I hope it means that my year will be filled with lots of camaraderie and good conversation! I also managed to eat an inordinate amount of pie... so I'll have to take care that future pie encounters don't cause me to lose all self-control!

Caedmon was the first Christian poet to write in English (although it was Old English, so difficult to read). He lived during the last part of the 7th century in Whitby, England. Caedmon loved to hear stories told, but he was terrified of being in the spotlight himself - until a miracle occurred, and he began to write beautiful poetry in praise of God. Someday I'll write his complete story...

I've always felt an affinity with him, because I'm not fond of getting in front of people and talking, either...

Like Caedmon, I stand back
and let the light fall
on others – myself,
I’d rather retreat into the shadows
to rest with mute beasts.
No glory,
but no expectations, either.
Will an angel come down
and tell me my place?
What shall I say
if he tells me I must speak?

This Is My Song...

2007-01-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

We sang this song at Mass this morning:

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Words - Lloyd Stone ** Music - Jean Sibelius

Whatever skies you're under, I hope you have a peaceful New Year!

Picture taken at Silver Creek, near Sun Valley, Idaho

Crimson...

2006-12-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

My first memory is red;
a dress my mother wore
as she kissed me good-night
in crimson twilight

Red tulips danced in our garden
that spring, swaying
on spindly stems in the breeze
I danced, too
for the mindless joy
a child has
when the world is new

The world is old now;
I have seen too much
Still, I take joy when I can
Singular moments in the evening
when the light slants just so
I dance
in crimson twilight

Happy New Year's Eve! Play nice tonight!

Two Horses...

2006-12-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Marypat sent this to me yesterday:

Just up the road from my home is a field,

with two horses in it.

From a distance, each looks like every other horse.

But if you stop your car, or are walking by,

you will notice something quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will

disclose that he is blind.

His owner has chosen not to have him put down,

but has made a good home for him.

This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening,

you will hear the sound of a bell.

Looking around for the source of the sound,

you will see that it comes from the

smaller horse in the field.

Attached to her halter is a small bell.

It lets her blind friend know where she is,

so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends,

you'll see how she is always checking on him,

and that he will listen for her bell and then

slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she

will not lead him astray. When she returns to the

shelter of the barn each evening, she stops

occasionally and looks back, making sure her

friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses,

God does not throw us away just because

we are not perfect or because we have problems

or challenges. He watches over us and even brings

others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by

the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives.

Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this .

You don't always see them,

but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

"Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is

fighting some kind of battle".

Here's hoping you all have a least one friend like this...

Names...

2006-12-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wild Iris

a single wild iris among the sagebrush
soft lavender – its petals
flopped delicately outward,
revealing secrets within

resisting the urge to pluck it
from where it stood – to have
it for my own

I only stood and watched
this gentle jewel of the meadow
as it danced in a sunset breeze…

When I started putting together this blog, the first thing I was asked to do was give it a name. Couldn't go any farther in the process until I had a title. I hadn't given it that much thought, but I knew I wanted the name to reflect something of what the content of the blog would be.

I'm also the kind of person who gets a song lyric stuck in my head and it won't go away - which can drive one demented, depending on what song it is. Imagine going around all day with "The ants go marching one by one - hurrah... hurrah..." racketing around in your mind... Anyway, the song I had in my mind yesterday was "Auld Lang Syne." The last line in the first verse (did you know there was more than one verse to this song?) is "We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne..." Presto! The idea for my blog title was born - something somewhat catchy, that also reflects what I want to focus on here.

I write poetry, and sometimes I enter poetry contests. Many of them require that the poem have a title. I don't always name my poems, especially if it's evident from the content what the poem is about. The poem above didn't have a name in its first version, but now it does.

A couple of my friends were having a discussion the other day about whether it was OK to call me "Senorita" or not. One maintained that because I am unmarried and not a widow, it was appropriate. He is from the Basque country in Spain, and maybe that's the way it's done there. The other friend didn't agree - he said that even though I'm not married now, I'm still a "Senora." (I know there are supposed to be accent marks in these words - just don't know how to do this yet!) The discussion was getting a bit heated, and before the two of them came to blows, I told them to just call me Joanne. It's my name - married or unmarried.

I hope this day finds your cup full of peace and joyful things!

Welcome to my world...

2006-12-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hello! I don't do New Year's resolutions, but at the beginning of each year, I make a list of things I'd like to try to accomplish in the coming months. Last year my list included quitting smoking and going to Ireland, and I did both those things. I don't know if I'll be able to do anything as big and grand in 2007, but one thing I would like to do is write more than a few dashed lines of poetry early in the morning (the only time I've made time for writing up until now). Hence, this blog...

I'm not sure what direction this thing will take. There will be a little poetry, a little talk of gardening, and a lot of random blathering, I'm sure.

Here is a garden poem I wrote a few years ago:

Legacy

Maybe it’s a legacy from my grandfather,
this urge to work the soil
To nurture young seedlings through wind and heat
To stand in the sun and revel in life created -
or mourn its loss
To harvest, as days grow shorter,
the fruits of summer’s labor,
and share and preserve them
against long winter’s night
To await the warm breath of spring
and begin again, as he did,
this enterprise of hope.

The picture is one I took in Ireland when I was there in August. It's at Glendalough, where St. Kevin lived. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time there, and someday I'm going back...

Talk with you soon!