Bits and Pieces

* This past weekend was rough. Both my women's groups were cancelled the two weeks prior and spent way too many evenings home alone. By Friday evening I was emotionally drained. I should have followed through with my original evening plan to visit the pottery studio, but there were no parking places left on the side street and Monroe Avenue is torn up due to construction.

* I had no Saturday plans, but it was a gorgeous autumn day. My sister Rachel agreed to go out with me for a couple hours even though it was her anniversary. We drove out Lake Rd toward Sodus and along the way I felt the need to drive through the orchard. She asked if we were trespassing and I said, "Yes." She said, "Will we get in trouble?" and I answered, "I never have before." I soaked it in and let it heal a little piece of my heart.

* At Beechwood State Park we ran into some friends of mine and I wasn't even surprised to see them there. They were coming out and we were going in. As we trudged toward the lake, I think Rachel wondered where in the world I was taking her, how far we would walk, and how long it would be until we turned around and headed home.

* I zigzagged down country roads coming home and passed a familiar looking fellow along the way. I rolled down the window to say hello and found that it was not my friend keyRandy from the nursing home, but his partner Dan. He suggested stopping by the house, but Rachel was ready to go home. Maybe I'll stop by next time.

* Sunday was church and Sunday school, a visit to our brother Tim, and a ghost birthday party for Number Nine who just turned three.

* Today I was careful to keep track of my car keys, but even so they were not in my pocket when I walked into the chiropractor's office. I didn't notice until I was on my way back to the room. After I was hooked up to the tens unit, he ran outside to see if he could find them. He found in the ignition with the car doors unlocked. I am totally and hopelessly blond.

* The doctor asked what I was doing this evening and I had no plans. At his suggestion, I stopped on the way home for a few pumpkins to carve into Jack O'Lanterns. It would have been a splendid activity this evening, but Hannah was working. Maybe we can do it tomorrow.

And That's That

* It was my last day of sitting with G. Staff at the facility is asking if I am going to be replaced. I don't have an answer. I think they're worried. The day was uneventful. I didn't talk to her about me leaving. I'm afraid it would only confuse her and send her into another outburst. Perhaps she'll miss me, but more than likely she won't. And that's okay. I'm not doing a happy dance over being finished, but I'm not sad either.

* Spring is in full bloom. The apple orchards and lilacs are blooming and everything is fresh and new. Too bad I don't have time to traipse about the countryside with my camera. I do, however, have a few minutes to catch some of the miracle in my own backyard. Those apple blossoms never get old. They are beautiful each and every year.

* When Friday afternoon arrives I will have worked 11 days in a row. I think I'll be ready for the weekend, although it's sure to be busy. Rachel and I will be visiting Tim on weekends now and since Sunday is Mother's Day, that means Saturday is the day this time around. Maybe Priscilla will be free to go with us.

* Life is full of changes and one of the things I'm working on is learning to love myself. I haven't always treated myself kindly so I'm trying to do better. I recently started logging my food intake and counting calories. I'm trying to keep up with walking, I walked over 10,000 steps 9 days in a row, but this past week and a half has left me lacking in the step department. I grabbed the opportunity this morning to take a last Wednesday morning walk with my sister. We'll have to walk evenings or weekends now.

* My new work schedule will require me to rearrange all my usual daytime activities and rethink my evening ones. I will need to find a new prayer group or a prayer partner, and I think I'd like to take another ceramic class, maybe hand building instead of the wheel. But first I have to get through this next weekend, take a deep breath, and exhale.

The Barn Collective

It was a short walk because I couldn't shake the sleepy feeling that had descended upon me the past couple of days. (This was yesterday.) Just across the road, down the orchard lane, and around back on the closest road and out again. That's as far as we went, and it was enough.

Perhaps there is a new kind of pollen floating through the air this week. I haven't felt so sleepy since the last pollen explosion, and just as I drastically reduced my coffee consumption too. *sigh* The temptation toward an afternoon iced cappuccino is almost unbearable. Almost. So far I'm still holding out. Mostly in hope of sleeping better at night. Maybe it's working. So far I want to sleep all day too. Of course, staying away from weeds and grass has never been my practice... Especially at evening with a camera in hand.

It's a good thing we live on a country road with lots of country noise because my friend Bubba is making a racket out there in the hen house. My son and husband are looking up capon recipes.... Ha ha. Not really... Well, at least not yet...

I missed the link earlier so I'm linking up now. (Thanks, Tom.)
The Barn Collective

Heavy Loads and an Orchard Walk

On very sleepy mornings it is good to have a cup of coffee... Ha ha! It's always good to have a cup of coffee in the morning.

The impending arrival three small children drew me from my slumber this morning. I hopped in and out of the shower just in time. Children don't like to sit around, even if grandmothers do, so well before noon we pulled on our shoes and headed out into the orchard for a walk.

We didn't take a shortcut this time. We walked from the back yard through the Fox's orchard and into Mr. Orbaker's. We looked for treasure along the way; rocks, beer bottles, and dandelions. I chose to collect photographs.

There was plenty of com- petition along the way, a bit of swash- buckling and a little yelling for me to "wait up!" I reminded them several times to stay out of the puddles, although a piece of me wanted to let them forge each one...

Two children collected dandelions on the way along with an empty bottle to carry them in. This was a rare sweet moment between 3 and 4 (grandchild numbers) who are typically in constant battle.

At the beginning of our walk number 2 picked up a big stone. He planned to paint an alligator on it and toted it along for a ways. I suggested he leave it along the road and pick it up on the way back, but he insisted on taking it along. About halfway into our walk he finally gave up and dropped it. He picked it up when we circled back but since he had already lugged it a long distance on our way out, he had a long way to carry it back again.

We weren't too far from home when this child said to me, "This has been a frustrating and heavy walk."

"No wonder," I thought to myself, "You've been carrying a heavy and unnecessary load."

And isn't that just the way? Thankfully, he gave up on the piece of wood and lightened his load just a little bit before continuing on.

Orchard Walk

I thought today was to be dark and dreary, but the sun peeked through here and there, and the air was warm. Well, it was warm some of the time. The wind played games and changed direction, randomly casting a cold lake breeze across the yard sending us looking for jackets, and then settling down again causing us to take them off again. An orchard walk was in order when my sister Rachel came over. We walked a small loop across the street with Sabrina and Spence, who decided to be carried, and then a big loop through the orchards behind the house.

One orchard melds into another with hardly a noticeable difference. We walked from the Fox's orchard into Orbaker's hardly telling one from another. In summer one can tell one orchard from another by the length of the grass growing beneath the apple trees, but all the grass short today.

The old apple trees are slowly disappearing, making way for younger, newer varieties. I still find the older trees most fascinating. I love them best, the uniformity in the way they're placed and how they grow. I find them enchanting.

A strip of woods separates one orchard property from another. We walked into almost unknown (to me) territory where remain some old and gnarly apple trees. Tall and reaching upward, once plentiful, they are now rare and endangered. I need to walk back again when the blossoms cover the spreading branches. All too soon this beauty may be gone...

Just Keep Walking

Wednesday morning, before heading into work for the afternoon, my sister and I went for a walk. The sun was bright, the air warm, and the roads dry. We walked about 2 miles through her neighborhood and I found sitting through the afternoon at work easier just knowing I'd gotten a bit of fresh air and exercise.

A cloud of rain descended upon us Wednesday evening rendering yesterday not the ideal day for a walk. However, by mid afternoon the Cabinet Maker looked out the window and asked, "What do you think about putting on some boots and going for a walk?" Off we traipsed into a slight drizzle, across the back lawn, and into the rain soaked orchard. On our way to the orchard road we chanced upon our runaway Christmas tree resting beneath the branches of a bedraggled old apple tree.

Puddles were abundant and mud sometimes thick and slippery. I realized how long it's been since I actually stepped into the gooey stuff on purpose and how often I intentionally step around it. How funny that it actually felt good to feel my foot slide just a tad underneath me. For a minute I tried to decide what I might do if I actually went down and from then on stepped a bit more carefully, albeit still through the mud. By the time we arrived back home and came into the house a fog was settling over the land. The warm air temperature combined with the near freezing temperatures of Lake Ontario was creating a thick white blanket as we had headed home and a gaggle of geese squawked overhead as I settled onto the couch and wished for an afternoon cup of decaf which I never made.

I is for Imagine

I happened this morning upon an old blog post that fits the letter "I" perfectly, and so I am cheating today. A little post from this day in 2010...

Spring is making a valiant attempt at arrival. The skies have been sunny and clear for several days, the temperatures mild. The snow is melting and it was a wonderful day for a walk.

Since I was unable to take two sleeping, bootless girls out for a mud walk, I decided to go on an imaginary walk by myself. (Bear with me here. I don't get out much...) I pulled on my boots and jacket, and trudged through the thick, slushy snow in the back yard and made my way to the orchard road. The trees were naked and cold looking, and I could see all the way to the lake from the top of the hill.

The Canada geese had left web-footed footprints in the soggy ground near the snow-covered pond. Though I had previously heard loud honking, the flock was nowhere to be found, only scattered feathers and goose droppings in the mud and snow.

Down a row of apple trees I met a stranger. I know better than to walk in the orchard alone, so I asked if he would accompany me but he just stared and waved me on without saying a word. A rather cold fellow I decided.

Though the sun shone bright, there was still a bitter, cold wind blowing off Lake Ontario. My ears were starting to ache deep inside and I put my mittened hands over them to warm them up and turned for home.

I was glad to get back inside and sit by the wood stove with a cup of hot tea. The girls were just starting to stir. One of them opened her eyes and said, "Martha, I'm hungry."

More "I" at ABC Wednesday.

The Barn Collective

Frigid temperatures discourage orchard walks. No leisurely stroll through the apple trees today, but things were different last Sunday when Cabinet Maker and I decided to take a walk between morning church and the Superbowl. We walked across the street and back through the trees, skipping over mud puddles and following the road that skirts a ramshackle barn where the farmer stores his apple crates. We met a shy dog along the way and on the way back stopped to talk to the farmer's wife who was out counting trees.

Couldn't resist posting the forklift parked in front of the stack of apple crates. Life in the orchard is interesting.

Come join Tom in The Barn Collective.

Christmas Eve Orchard Walk

It's Christmas Eve. There is no snow. There is not even any cold. Rochester, NY reached a high of 68 degrees today. We broke another record and I decided to wash my windows since it felt like spring. No sense waiting until it gets cold out.

Without cold and snow, and having worked every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this month, I do not feel very Christmassy. I know Christmas is not about cold and snow, but December usually is, at least where I live. I gave up on making cookies this afternoon and decided an orchard walk was in order.

I've missed so many beautiful days. Sometimes taking a bit of time out to walk  is more productive than hours spent at work (or int he kitchen). My house might not be spotless when the family arrives tomorrow, there might not be the vast array of cookies and desserts, and there might not be as many decorations, but there will be Christmas carols, a few gifts, and love and laughter, and family.


My walk was relaxing. I didn't hurry and no one rushed me on when I stopped to take photos.

The orchard was full of apples, hanging like ornaments on naked Christmas trees, and laying on the ground beneath as if The Naughties had been along and knocked them off. I didn't go far, just down to the pond and back in search of color, which  consisted of mostly rotten apples.

It was an absolutely splendid day!

Around Home

I stayed home for once and actually did something. Mom's room had turned into a catch-all the past few months and today I decided to do take action. Fixing Mom's room necessitated changing things up in our "empty" upstairs bedroom, and so things were kind of upside down. for a little while I wasn't sure quite how to get things back together again. Thankfully, Hannah was here to help me out a little (and add in some mess of her own as she cleaned out her closet). The job isn't totally done, I still have lots of stuff to go through and sort out, but it has been started and that is something.

Last night James and I took a walk in the orchard behind the house. (Sometimes we walk across the street instead.) It's been a while since I've walked past the pond and into the farther trees, but it was a good night for walking.My legs don't walk quite as fast as his do and sometimes I fall behind. He takes that opportunity to hide in the trees and make me wonder where he disappeared to. He tried to sneak up on me from behind but was not very successful because I have eyes in the back of my head.

Staying Busy

My two days off are just about over. I've purposed to stay busy and not spend too much time sitting on my hind end. I was blessed to be with my friends at Ladies' Prayer this morning. Some of us had lunch together afterward, and a few of us stayed way too long talking before setting out for home or errands.

I deposited my first paycheck and then headed over to Target to spend some of it paying my bill. I was on my way across the parking lot, just about to cross the road directly in front of the door, when a little black car stopped, the window rolled down, and a guy in the front seat said, "Hey!" I was momentarily confused, but it was my son Nate in the passenger seat. Sabrina was driving and my chunky monkey grandson was there in the backseat.

As I chatted with Nate and Sabrina, Nate looked out across the parking lot and said, "Isn't that Bethany?" And there going down the next aisle toward her vehicle went my beautiful pregnant daughter pushing her little guy in a shopping cart. I called her name and we had a little family reunion right there in the Target parking lot! (Maybe I didn't stay too long at church after all.)




Sofie and I took another quick orchard walk late this afternoon. The blossoms can't be far off now. Gotta keep that camera handy.

A Long Post About My Day Off

I made it through my third 12-hour day yesterday and today I got to "rest." I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and met my friend Jo for lunch. I got home from my lunch date in time to take Sofie for a walk in the orchard. It was a gorgeous afternoon!

Sof was thrilled to be out in the sunshine. She thinks she was the leader but I really made the decisions.

We'd no sooner started our walk than I heard a tractor come into the orchard and turn on its sprayer. Blah. Those things can ruin a good walk.

We managed to stay away from the sprayer and met up with the tractor at the far corner of our yard where the driver was kind enough to stop his rounds of the trees until we were well up into the yard, halfway to the house.

Rachel arrived at my house a little after 2 pm and we went out to visit Tim. We found him sitting in a comfy chair. He didn't jump up like usual so I plopped down next to next to him and took a picture.

We had a nice ride, with Tim clicking along with Dad's music on the CD player. At some point, not too far into the ride, he started grinding his teeth, something he's never done with us before. Turns out he needs an extraction. :(

Partway through our ride I mentioned something about Rachel being his favorite sister. I wish I'd been ready to capture the way he looked at her. Sweet. We took one too many selfies when we got back and Tim was more than done with the attention. (A little acting out...) We got him back into the house and settled into his chair. Rachel kissed and told him that she loved him. I gave him a kiss, looked into his face, said "I love you," and I was blessed to hear him say it back to me.

It's been a good day. My feet are still tired and achy, but ibuprofen takes off the edge. Tomorrow I will deposit my first paycheck and buy myself a pair of TEDs. And, I'm going back to Ladies' Prayer for the first time in eight weeks.
:0)

Today

I liked today. It was another lazy morning with a leisurely cup of coffee and a leftover sweet roll. My Darling and I chatted and checked our emails. I tossed in a load of laundry and he washed the dishes. Although we haven't traded gifts with our children yet, the tension of getting ready has mostly melted away. This afternoon we wrapped our "white elephant" gifts for Sunday's gathering. I love this gift exchange. Probably because it comes with little to no expectations attached.

Hannah and I went out to pick up a few grocery items late this morning and I found there were no cinnamon rolls left in the grocery store. I'd planned to cook up a couple tubes for our Sunday morning brunch along with a quiche or two. It's been suggested I mix up my own sweet rolls. I suppose it could happen...

This afternoon, My Darling and I went for an orchard walk. The weather was mild (like April)  and the mud was minimal. We had just enough time to take our long walk, so long as we didn't linger. I snapped a few photos on our way down the orchard lane while the sun was still perfect. We walked at a brisk pace so as not to be found out in a darkened orchard surrounded by coyotes. I'm having a hard time believing this is late December.