Life in the Bristolwood

I guess it is a bit of a tradition that we get together with my family for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  Mark’s mom spent the day nursing her knee after hurting it the other day and she said we needn’t visit.  So, we made plans to go to the home of my parents for the day.  The only catch was that Michelle wanted to study for a few hours in the morning. Mark and I agreed to let her have some time,  then we left the house shortly after noon.

We arrived in my hometown shortly after 3 pm and met my parents and Randy at the Rod and Gun Club where we had dinner.  My, oh my! What a meal!  My parents, Mark, and I  all ordered a turkey dinner.  This came with turkey breast…there had to have been nearly a pound of meat mounded onto each plate.  I have never seen so much turkey served.  My mother and I chose baked potatoes, which were also huge.  The meal  included a generous amount of stuffing and a small cup of cranberry sauce, along with a big serving of peas and carrots.  The kids and Randy got chicken fingers.  I think every one of us took a box for the leftovers!  What a delicious meal this was!  And, the price of the entire meal for our family was probably about half of what it would have cost at a restaurant.

After dinner, we went to Mom and Dad’s and spent some time just enjoying the company and the day!  We left my parents’ home around 8:30 pm and got home at about 11:30. 

As usual, I do have photos, so I will explain a little….

 Our weekend began with some very strange…for this time of the year…weather.  On Saturday, we had wind like I don’t remember since moving here almost 18 years ago.  The trees were swaying like crazy and beautiful green leaves were flying all about.  The winds didn’t come in gusts, but remained sustained the entire day.  I couldn’t believe that we didn’t lose any power or cable because it was just that wild!

If we had “winds” on Saturday,  I guess one would have to say Sunday, Mother’s Day,  was “breezy”.  The severe winds had diminished a great deal,  but there was definitely wind blowing on Sunday as well.  The temperature never really climbed a great deal from the freezing point, and we received a little “surprise”…

Yes, in the form of S-N-O-W!

By the time we left for our visit, much of the snow had melted a bit.  I don’t think it was so much through warmth as sublimation!!! 

I wanted to find a nice little gift for my mother.  She loves flowers…but, outside.  As long as I can remember, Mom always told me that flowers indoors remind her of a funeral home! Argh!  I love flowers in the house, but I can understand Mom’s point of view! Since we would pass through Naples, I knew that the vegetable, fruit, and flower market there would have just the right thing!

We stopped on our way and I looked and looked through the flowers.  They had hanging pots….mostly petunias and I just wasn’t so sure about those.  I found a few hanging pots with New Guinea Impatiens,  but the bushiest, best-looking ones were pink and I know Mom loves the deep reddish-orange ones the best.  I decided maybe I could buy some flats of Pansies,  but I didn’t really want to make work for Dad. 

I’m not sure if growing up on a farm was what formed my dad into quite the horticulturist, but he certainly has a way with flowers and plants!  Mom loves to pick out flowers every year to be planted in the flower beds, along with the perennials,  but it is my father who does the planting and tending.  Since he recently had the shoulder replacement surgery,  I didn’t want to buy anything that would require work on his behalf!  My father is a non-stop worker,  but he really does need to rest and take it easy for that shoulder to heal! And, by the way, he is doing fantastic with the shoulder! The only thing that is problematic for him is the sling he must wear.

So….I did find some pretty Pansy Pots.  We bought Mark’s mom a pot of Pansies last year and they grew so beautifully. When I saw these pots, I knew they were for Mom!  I knew she would like the deep reddish-brown pansies, interespersed with the other brightly-colored ones! Best of all, these Pansies can remain in their pots and Mom can enjoy them on the back deck if she wants.

As we sat talking at the table last evening,  Cardinals came by to visit. I couldn’t help but smile as a female Cardinal landed on the feeder behind the house, accompanied by a little Wren. 

The Cardinal and Wren were seen out back for a long time together.   They even fed on the ground next to one another! Male Cardinals appeared as well, but they were so flighty….it was nearly impossible to photograph them.

I went outside this morning and took a few photos of the “wild winds” aftermath.  All along the driveway, between the gravel and grass, there is like a gutter full of leaf debris!

The Explorer was parked on the west side of the driveway and after the snow had melted off,  it looked like someone sprayed tiny pieces of leaf all over it!

The lawn is full of small branches with brightly-colored green leaves that were ripped from the trees by the brutal winds.

The deck out back certainly needs a good sweeping!

Okay, so enough with crazed weather!

I love Mother’s Day, and I am so disappointed that I don’t get to spend time with my mother like I used to.  It is hard living three hours away, as to visit for a day means we must spend six hours of drive time.  But, I am so thankful that I am able to go and visit my mother!  I know many people my age have lost their moms and I am the fortunate one who still has a mom who I can call on the phone and chat with whenever I want!  That in itself is a blessing.

But did I ever mention that my mom is so thoughtful and considerate, as well as helpful?  She is!  Yesterday, I was so amazed at one of the sweet things she did. When I was a little girl, living in an apartment on Spring Street, there was an area beside our house where what seemed like millions of Lilies of the Valley grew.  Oh, how I loved those plants when the tiny little bell-shaped flowers appeared every spring.   I remember picking them and just sitting and sniffing their wonderful aroma! When we moved, my father planted Lilies of the Valley at our “new” house.  And, now that my parents live in a newer house,  rest assured that there is a rather large bed of Lilies of the Valley.

I did confide that my mom doesn’t really care to have flowers in the house, so when I asked about the glass container filled with Lilies of the Valley,  my mom said she remembered that I love them.  She explained she picked them so I could enjoy them….

Is there anyhing so sweet as a mother’s love?

In being thankful,  one of the most awesome benefits we all share is freedom!  We are free to visit places we have never been,  speak our minds on what we think,  do what we would like, pursue interests, and even to eat pretty much what we would like!

We live in such an amazing period of time.  We can “travel” worldwide, via the internet and speak to people all the world over!  Just a few short years ago, the cost of calling a foreign country by telephone was quite prohibitive.  Now, people can speak with one another with services such as Skype,  using their computers and webcams!  We not only get to “speak”, but to “see” one another.  A small freedom?  Perhaps, but how exciting for families and friends separated by distance!

In many countries, we are free to worship as we would like.  There are a few countries that persecute people for their religious beliefs,  but this is certainly not the majority of the world.  We have heard of secret underground churches and even executions of those who stand steadfast in their faith.  Those who are Christians are called to pray for people in these nations on a regular basis.

And speaking of religious freedom,  I managed to capture a few photos of the Amish when I went for my ride in the country the other day!

I admire the Amish folks living in their very simple ways.  They have “come around” in many areas….most homes now have running water (although I am unsure how the water gets into their lines….perhaps gas-powered motors?) and many have propane refrigerators so they are able to keep food safely.  I still am awestruck by their means of transportation, though.  It is such a contrast to see horse and buggy traveling alongside modern cars…..

Most Amish (and many Mennonite) homes have a clothline that runs from their home to a barn or other tall building. I love seeing the laundry flapping in the breezes on washday!

Even those living under oppression still have some very basic freedoms.  We have heard stories of those who survived the Halocaust and those who have escaped from countries where freedoms were being denied.  Many of the testimonies given by these survivors would indicate something welled up inside of them, causing them to be free in some manner that might have been their saving grace. 

Every day, we choose to be happy. Or sad.  To do the right thing. Or wrong.  We choose to serve others.  Or take advantage.  We choose to move ahead.  Or freeze in looking behind. 

Freedom.  It is awesome and comes with some awesome responsibilty!

Isaiah 55:12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Every spring, as all the Bristolwood awakens from winter’s slumber,  this verse from Isaiah comes to mind. Seeing the brilliant green leaves unfolding,  looking so similar to fingers and open hands reaching for the sky,  I can easily envision the branches “clapping their hands”.  This is such a joyful verse!

This afternoon,  I sat bedside,  looking out the window and admiring the blue skies and sunshine.  It was then that my wonderful Christmas Cactus once again caught my attention.  Christmas Cacti have those pretty flowers with the pink “spike” in the center…forgive me for long ago forgetting my science lessons in botany in which plant part names were fleeting at best!

I love Christmas Cactus plants so much just because they are so colorful!  Their flowers seem quite abundant with little care or fuss.  The flowers always appear,  the weight of the flower pulling the branch downward, giving the plant a “fountainlike” appearance.

But today, as I looked at the plant,  I smiled as I noted one flower; instead of looking down,  this glorious flower had its little face pointed heavenward!

If you have read here for any length of time,  you realize that my imagination causes me to ponder many times,  leading me into some abstract areas!  As I looked more closely at the flower,  I couldn’t help but be fascinated at the sparkly white flower with its pink “rim”.  The white brought to mind being “clothed in righteousness”…. Seeing the flower standing so boldly, looking heavenward, it seemed to not care what the other flowers thought about it.  Very profound.

And so,  I end this post being thankful for the beauty that surrounds us.  Beauty can be found everywhere…we need only spot it!

My friend Terri offered a challenge to her Facebook friends.  Here in the US, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day on  the fourth Thursday in the month of November.  This year,  it will be on the 26th. Terri suggested each day until Thanksgiving,  we write something for which we are thankful.

I love Terri’s suggestion, and thought I would try to write a blog post each day,  naming something for which I am thankful.  We are all so blessed in more ways than we can even imagine, and I thought it might be fun to add a photo as well! 

Today,  I am thankful for each day I am given.  This daywas an exceptionally beautiful day, even with quite a chill in the air!  When I took the Scotties out this morning, we were greeted by a world shrouded in a heavy frost.  In looking up into the sky,  the stars were magical!  Each was so pronounced and  just almost took my breath away!

This evening, as the sun set over the hills to the west,  the pastel watercolors splashed against the canvas were nothing less than incredible!

Thank you, Lord, for this day and each day we are given!

Psalm 118:26   This is the day that the Lord has made; we shall rejoice and be glad in it.