V is for Visibility

V is for Visibility.

We're in the midst of a nor'easter and visibility is limited. According to the weather channel visibility is about.08 miles. I'm not completely sure what it is under normal conditions, but I do know that blowing snow makes traveling treacherous. Afternoon school activities have been cancelled along with many evening activities as well. Looks like we'll be staying in tonight. Maybe we'll pour ourselves a cup of hot chocolate and roast a few marshmallows in the wood stove.

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U is for Unique

U is for Unique.
unique- adj. being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

It's a funny word if you stop and think about it...

Years ago a friend gave me a little plaque. It said, "Always remember that you are absolutely unique just like everyone else," and that, of course, gives every one of us something in common, which in turn makes us not so unique after all...

The whole thing is rather peculiar, wouldn't you say?


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T is for Tombstone

Picking up where I left off in May...

T is for tombstone. (Not quite the Thanksgiving week word you were expecting, eh?)

It's getting cold outside, too cold to walk through the cemetery, but a couple weeks ago we had some beautiful weather for cemetery walks, and so we did. One of my favorite things to do on these walks is to read epitaphs and today this one reminds me of Thanksgiving (even if it does look like the engraver made a typo...okay, not exactly a typo. Maybe more like a mistake in letter placement.) . I am thankful for that day of promise.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you are thankful too.

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S is for Sunrise/Sunset

 S is for Sunrise and Sunset. (Reminds me a little of a song...)

I have a friend/acquaintance nearby who takes sunrise photos at Lake Ontario almost every morning. I am amazed at the variety of shapes and colors that one location can produce. Ours is an ever changing world and I often like to imagine God wielding a giant paintbrush, each morning splashing the sky with different hues.

From the little marina nestled in the cove to the expanse of open water stretching north east across the lake to where the sun rises, all is beauty. We have much to be grateful for.

The last few days have produced some magnificent sunset photos as well. There is nothing quite like a large body of water to create sunsets full of wonder. I really should be spending more time at the lake. My camera isn't equipped, nor do I have the knowledge, to take pictures like these, but my eyes can drink it in and that is a pretty special gift too.

Photos courtesy Susan Denagel.

I totally missed the letter R last week. Must have been distracted or something. So my post for last week went up yesterday. It's here.

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It Has a Nice Ring

A few weeks ago my favorite husband and I went to look at new wedding bands. His was mangled and misshapen from work and he hadn't actually worn it in a very long time. We sat and looked at rings. We tried them on. We dreamed a little bit, and then we walked out without making a purchase. I laughed a little while admitting that the only ring that really caught my eye was the pricey one. Lacy rose gold with diamond chips. We took a catalog home with us, just to look at, in case we decided to buy something.

I was unaware when My Darling decided to go back to the jewelry store a few days later. He took his old ring to be reshaped and resized and ordered the pretty rose gold ring for me. I have to admit, it's a little out of character for us to buy expensive jewelry and we were so young when we got married that diamonds weren't even a possibility. My hands aren't young and pretty anymore, but I'm blessed to know I am loved. And you know, his ring looks pretty good on his hand too.
:0)

P's and Q's

P is for P's and Q is for Q's, but no one is really sure what P or Q stands for. I think it makes a great way to catch up on two weeks worth of ABC Wednesdays.

Whenever I have heard the expression, "Mind your P's and Q's" it's always appeared to be a reference to having good behavior, kind of like saying, "Mind your manners." At any rate, it's a warning to pay attention to what you're supposed to be doing and whether or not it has anything to do with a P or Q is anybody's guess.

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O is for Ouch

O is for ouch. (That's what you say when something hurts. It's safe to say. Unlike some other words...)

When my sister and I went out to visit our non- verbal autistic brother yesterday, she brought along a few old photographs. One was of my brothers and a cousin with our maternal grandfather. Grandpa Chambery died when I was just a year and a half old. My sisters never met him.

I glanced at the picture, taking in the smiling faces of  my brothers and cousin and set it back in her car's console. A few minutes later she said, "Hey, what happened to Grandpa Chambery's left index finger?"

I laughed. I hadn't realized she didn't know the story. "He got it smashed in an elevator of some kind on the hill by their house," I told her. "It was crushed so bad that they cut his finger open, removed all the broken bones, and rolled the skin up." (Kind of gives you shivers, doesn't it?) I knew the story from Mom, but I'd never noticed his hand in old photos. In fact, I'd have forgotten about it altogether if Rachel hadn't mentioned it.

On our ride with Tim, Rachel showed him the picture. She asked if he knew Grandpa was missing an index finger. (Apparently there is another photo where Tim is holding his left hand.) I reiterated the story and said, "He probably remembers it better than I do." You should have seen the smile on his face. Maybe that's why I got the kiss on the cheek when we dropped him off again. (Then again, maybe he really does think I'm cuter than Rachel.)

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N is for Newlyweds

N is for Newlyweds, in this case my parents.

I can't even remember where they went but I don't think it was far from home, at least not outside of New York state. Maybe the Adirondack Mountains... maybe the Thousand Islands... They were young, happy, and looking forward to starting a life together. Their marriage would last for fifty-six years, bring them five children and thirteen grandchildren. The picture doesn't seem so very long ago...

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M is for Manatea

M is for Manatea. (I know, you think I spelled manatee wrong, but this is a very special manatee and that is why we spell it "manatea".)

I'm not a big loose-leaf tea drinker, but I do have some on hand and some of it is pretty tasty. Yesterday I decided to try out the Manatea my sis in law sent me a while back. You fill him up with loose-leaf tea, hang him on the side of your tea cup, and then he "leaks" into your cup. :0)

Apparently, according to the box, this guy's name is "Fred" (or at least I'd like to think so...). Fred the Manatea didn't seem to mind his boiling water bath yesterday afternoon and brewed me a very nice cup of tea. Now if only I had a cup that looked like a hot tub or swimming pool.

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L is for Look!

L is for Look!

Look what I have in my garden!!! In spite of the snowstorm that dropped five or six inches of wet, heavy snow on us between Saturday night and Sunday morning, we have flowers. I came home from a day out to find my snowdrops had miraculously popped out of the ground. My friend says, "their circadian rhythm was humming under the snow." She says it's "magic". I had to look it up.


Circadian rhythms occur as a plant entrains to synchronize with the light cycle of its surrounding environment. Wikipedia

Sounds cool to me. I'm just happy to see that spring is actually beginning to show its pretty face.


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K is for caKe

K is for caKe, chocolate caKe.

I may be bending the rules this weeK, but you can't have caKe without the K and so this is my picK for this weeK. I had a birthday and thought perhaps I had missed out on chocolate caKe, but my daughter showed up with one at an impromptu birthday party on Sunday afternoon. How did she know chocolate was my favorite caKe?

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I is for Indian Village

I is for Indian Village.

It might be politically incorrect today, but that is what we called the little tract of houses where I grew up. There were four streets and they all had local Native American names; Pontiac, Seneca, Iroquois, and Mohawk. When someone asked me where I lived, I said, "In Indian Village," and they knew what I meant.

My parents bought their prefab war home on Mohawk Street in the summer of 1958. The houses were often referred to as "starter homes" because families were expected to eventually move on to something more grand and glorious, but I know of several neighbors who made the little houses their permanent dwellings. My parents were one of them. They stayed in their little house for over 50 years, turning it from a "cardboard box" into a home.

Much has changed over the years. I'm not sure if the little housing tract is still referred to as Indian Village or not. It's official name was the "Wilmorite Tract" but few ever called it that. In my heart, it will always be Indian Village and it will always bring back happy memories.

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H is for Hope

H is for Hope (and G is for Grandma).

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

Last year at this time I wrote a post on hands and hearts. The hands in the photo were my mom's. I am grateful for each and every picture I took of my mom. Although I miss her, and will for the rest of my life, I wouldn't wish her back. She's free and happy now with Jesus. It's where she wanted to be, and she left us the gift of shadows on the wall when heaven's door cracked open to let out a bit of light on Monday. She talked of going home, and saw relatives who had gone on before her. It was a little confusing at the time, and even a bit disconcerting, but on Thursday morning it all made sense. Today it gives us hope.

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F is for Felting

F is for felting, needle felting.

I needed a creative outlet. I love pottery, but the reality is I don't have the time, space, or money to become a potter. I'll have to stick to classes here and there if I want to play in the mud. However, I have discovered something called needle felting. It caught my eye a few months back and I just recently decided to order a kit and give it a whirl.

Needle felting isn't messy, doesn't require expensive equip- ment, and can be done a little here and a little there as I keep my eyes on my mom or small children. One does have to pay attention though because those felting needles are sharp and pierce the skin rather nicely. Ask me how I know...

I've found needle felting to be fun and think I will be looking a little bit more into techniques and supplies (which don't appear to be readily available or easy to find in most craft stores). Maybe this web site will be a good place for me to start.My brain is already running away with possibilities.

I made two mice from the kit I ordered online. Not too bad for a first try and enough to possibly get me hooked. I'll let you know how it goes.

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E is for Eliminate

E is for Eliminate.

Coffee has been eliminated from my daily routine. Don't get me wrong, I love coffee. I love it especially much sweetened with French Vanilla Creamer and that is precisely the problem. I love it too much. Coffee has, in essence and over time, eliminated my sense of thirst. I never (or very rarely) feel thirsty. My lips were often chapped, my skin dry. I could go an entire day drinking nothing but a few cups of coffee. That is a bad way to live.

Last week I began a new adventure. It involves a pretty pottery tea pot I found at an estate sale and tea. Each morning I fill my tea pot with four cups of green tea. When that pot is empty, I refill it with herbal tea. I may or may not drink something else (one day I drank a pitcher of water with cucumber slices in it) but the coffee has been eliminated.

It's very sad, I know, but I've already begun to see some positive results. I'm less stressed out, my skin is beginning to feel and look better, and I'm starting to gain a renewed sense of thirst. All great results! Rest assured though, eliminating my daily consumption of coffee doesn't mean I won't sit down with a friend to share an occasional cup, especially if there is a cookie involved.

(A special thanks to Marilyn from Canada and my cousin Ondra for your encouragement toward drinking tea. And to my favorite "Auntie" Linda, also from Canada for the suggestion that I slice cucumbers into my water. She is a genius!!!)

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D is for Decaffeinated

D is for Decaffeinated.

For many months I have been drinking coffee that is half decaffeinated, which basically means it isn't decaffeinated at all. It only means that rather than drink one cup, I drink two instead. (Well, two in the morning and two in the afternoon...) This habit is proving detrimental., especially since my water consumption has decreased while my coffee intake has surged.

I'm making a not-altogether-valiant-attempt to curb my coffee consumption. It doesn't help that a headache typically accompanies the effort and the snowstorm brewing outside only makes the desire for warm drinks all but irresistible. I had a friend once who enjoyed a rather bland cup of hot water. He even preferred it to tea or coffee. I tried it once but found myself less than impressed.

What kind of hot drinks do you like? Is there anything wonderfully simple to make that doesn't include chocolate (it sits funny in my tummy) or caffeine? Maybe something vanilla?


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C is for Cold

It's cold. It's really cold. It's really, really cold.

In spite of the cold, the sun is shining and it looks decep- tively pleasant outside. Although I knew there was really nothing unusual to photgraph out there today, I bundled up and ventured out into the frigid air, squinting into the sunlight as I went.

It wasn't until I was looking through my photos later that I noticed a row of sparrows lined up over the barn window. They decided to take a rest on the windy side of the barn today. Maybe it's because they can see the bird feeder from there. Or maybe there was more shelter from the wind along the side of the barn than I knew.


I walked into the orchard and found some frozen fruit still hanging from the trees.

On the way out I was looking away from the wind, but had to face it on the way back home. I pulled my hood farther onto my head and zipped my jacket up as far as it would go. The frozen zipper rested against my lip and I wished I'd worn a scarf. Walking backward was considered, but only briefly. The snow, blown about by a steady wind, was of varying depths and would surely have thrown me off balance had I dared to travel in reverse.

I did not venture far, just far enough to catch a glimpse of Lake Ontario from the top of the hill. It looked cold and icy and tempted me to get into my vehicle for drive down to the lake and a closer look. Instead I wandered back home and into the house where my cheeks felt aflame and my fingers burned bringing back childhood memories of frozen toes and fingers. We always stayed outside a little longer than we should have.

It'll be cold, cold again tomorrow morning. There is no hope for a day off school and I doubt the kids will even get the two hour delay that was granted this morning. At least they don't have to walk and the school bus is warmed up by the time they get on it.

And maybe next week I'll have something to post on besides the winter weather.

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B is for Brutal

B is for brutal, bitter, and blustery.

Two weeks ago, for the letter Z, I posted about zero. We're there again this week and it was below 0ºF this morning. (That's about -20ºC.) It's too cold to stand at the bus stop in my opinion, but then nobody asked me. It even looked cold out there this morning.Every time I took a breath my nose threatened to freeze shut. I call it Booger Freezing weather for a good reason.

The house, which usually stays warm and toasty in the winter, felt cold and drafty today. During the brutal, bitter, blustery days of midwinter, I am always reminded of my dad, his guitar, and the songs he'd sing when we were little girls. He was a country boy at heart. I don't know exactly where he learned the old folk songs he sang, I only know they're an unforgettable part of my childhood. I had to look this one up today. They don't sing it quite like Dad, but it'll do.



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A is for Acrobat

A is for Acrobat.

She wasn't swinging on a trapeze or partici- pating in a human pyramid, but she still looks like an acrobat to me. I'm not entirely comfortable with a seventy-five year old standing on one foot atop a step ladder, but then again, a ladder is supposed to be safer than standing on a chair... Thankfully she didn't dismount by doing a flip.

She can now reach the top shelves without standing tip-toe on a kitchen chair and maybe, just maybe, she'll get around to painting her kitchen ceiling. (It was her idea, not mine.)

Staying active appears to be the key to a long and productive life. It also helps with attitude and outlook. Maybe I should try standing on one foot atop my kitchen step stool... :0)

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