The Barn Collective

 Last fall my friend Deb and I took a ride into the countryside. I'm not sure why I didn't bother to get a whole barn shot of this structure in Ovid, NY. Perhaps I was too enthralled with the close-up details.

The Barn Collective with Tom

Grandma's Room and Chicken Dust

The chicks have moved out of the house and into the barn. We've had them "cooped up" in Grandma's room for the past three weeks and boy do they ever create some dust! It took me hours to wipe down and clean that stuff out of there. Next time we get chicks they're staying in the barn.

Anyway, I didn't spend a ton of time outside in the sunshine, but I did open the window to let some fresh air in while I cleaned, and I feel so much better now that it's done, except that I'm exhausted. Ha!

Guess I'd better run out and feed and water the girls before it gets dark.

Taking A Walk

Hauling oneself off the couch and out of the house can be a challenge even on the best of days. I was tired this morning and didn't feel much like walking, however my walking buddy (sister) and my cute little step-counter bracelet (Fitbit Flex) called me out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful morning.

I met Rachel (and Koty) at North Ponds Park in Webster. After walking our three miles Koty was looking for the car. (Did you know dogs can recognize their owner's vehicle in a parking lot?) When our walk was over I took my blistered feet over to Wegmans and picked up a few groceries.

While traversing the canned foods my cell phone rang and I found my darling daughter on the other end of the line. She was looking for small, handheld garden tools so I bought her a trowel, a cultivator (little rake like thingy), and a transplanter (looked like a skinny trowel to me), and took them over to her house where she was cleaning out the front garden. She did a nice job and the garden looks great, even if gardening never was her favorite thing. You never know, maybe she'll decide she loves it.

I took a walk in the back yard, checked out Dad's wood and tool sheds, and peeked inside the Garden House. I found little bits of Dad tucked in dark corners, perched on shelves, and hanging along walls. But the bits and pieces didn't all stay hidden away. Some spilled out and into the sunshine reminding me that Dad isn't really so very far away.

In the garage, on the cabinets that Dad build almost 50 years ago for the kitchen, was a message from Mom. The cupboard, carried out by the Cabinet Maker when he remodeled the house, still bears a small scrap of paper with a portion of scripture written in Mom's handwriting. Today it made me smile.
:0)

3X Thursday

While a bit of Thursday remains...

1. Disney or Looney Toons? Which characters are your favorite?

2. Ever climbed a mountain? Driven up? Taken a tram?

3. Sports. Watch or play? Which one?

What's Happening

This morning I spent what seemed an exorbitant amount of time attempting to fill out an online job application. I didn't know applying for a job had become so terribly complicated. I am applying for a position as an "teacher's assistant" in a daycare center, which is really a fancy title for babysitter.

I am down to working two days a week in the facility as a companion caregiver. One day for eight hours and the following for five. I don't make much and, although I don't hate it, neither do I find it fulfilling. I'm ready to find a job more in line with what I love, and that is working with children.

In other news I am learning and hopefully growing in new and good ways. Life sometimes takes us down unfamiliar and scary backroads, but it seldom intends to leave us deserted and alone. Jesus promised He would never leave me nor forsake me and I am holding on to that promise. He will see us safely to the other side of the woods.

Finally, I am looking forward to a vacation in May. I will miss Williamson's recent claim to fame when Jenna Renae, of American Idol fame, is honored in the parade. Ah, well... The Cabinet Maker has a trip planned to her parent's house in NC at the end of April. Maybe he can seek her forgivness. Ha ha! I am flying to California to see Wanda.   :0)

Birthdays and Special Occasions

Large families come with lots of birthdays and when they're sandwiched between and around holidays, that can make for some busy times.

The Grandfather had a birthday and his daughters, tired of other family members unavailability, took it upon themselves to make sure he was not forgotten. 

They showed up on Sunday afternoon bearing cake and ice cream. A whiskered child was among them.

The Barn Collective

I've still not ventured out into the wide, wide world in search of bold new barn photos, but lucky for you (or maybe me) I still have some to share.

A couple Christmases ago my youngest daughter and her dad took on a project. They decided to build a graham cracker farm together. (photos here) The farm was too pretty to eat and by spring too dusty as well. Ha ha! I couldn't bear to toss it in the trash can without having a little bit of fun so I took it out to my garden and gave it a new home.

It looked so cute surrounded by snowdrop trees.

The cowboys came out to ride their horses around the farmyard.

The little yellow farmhouse came out into the sunshine too.

An unexpected downpour left the house looking bedraggled.

 The barn fared better, although it's Life cereal roof swelled in the rain.

(Maybe I'll have some area barn photos next week.)

The Barn Collective with Tom

3X Thursday

1. What is your favorite breakfast? (Oh, shoot! Give me your top three.)

2. Are there flowers in your world? What kind?

3. Are you a colorer? Painter? Creator of art?

Snow and an Italian Breakfast

Last weekend's early spring snowstorm was "tolerable," but I have to admit, I was severely disappointed to discover a wintry landscape outside  my window this morning. It's time for long orchard walks, daffodils, and sunshine.

The Cabinet Maker celebrated a birthday this week. I decided to do something different and made a stop at Leo's Bakery on the way home from work. I bought six chocolate chip cannolis, had them put five in a box, and the remaining one in a bag. I took the boxed treats home to share with the birthday boy and the rest of the household, and the remaining one I took across the street from Leo's to one of the collision shops on Despatch Dr.

Our youngest son is the parts manager at Bob Hasting's Collision. I taped the bakery bag shut and wrote a note on the outside, "Ben, Because you're my favorite," and took it to the lady at the front desk. She smiled and called my boy to the front office over the loud speaker. He seemed genuinely pleased and surprised, and I am a firm believer that every one of us should know we mean the world to someone, even if it is our mom.

Joe and Sabrina split a cannoli the other night which left one in the refrigerator this morning. It made a perfect breakfast with my cup of coffee. And I shared the remaining half with my favorite Sabrina.

Birds Outside My Window

I remembered to set out some seeds for the furred and feathered friends this week and was rewarded with some very nice cardinal opportunities along with a few of his friends. The sun was in just the right spot to catch the brilliance of his plumage against the yellow of the bare willow branches and blue sky.

Mr. Blue jay was out too, gazing at me from the maple tree. He always has such a suspicious look in his eye like he thinks I'm up to some kind of shady trick.

Just as I was about to click another frame, he pulled a trick of his own and dove off the branch and out of the tree. Lucky for me I caught him on the way down. (Clipped him out of the corner of my photo.) I think it's a pretty cool capture even if he was trying to get away.

 The robins have had a struggle this week. There are tons of them and they gather along the sides of the road, perhaps for a drink or the possibility of a frozen worm making it's way out into the sunshine. The are startled into fight as cars and trucks drive by and fly so low that it's a wonder there aren't more of them bruised and broken in the middle of the road.

Tuesday's Treasure

It's not Tuesday anymore (I worked all day Tuesday) and my treasure isn't rusty, but it is getting old.

I dragged my box of old slides downstairs the other day, set up the ancient projector, and looked at a few old pictures. I was hoping to find a good picture of Uncle Joe's barn... In my quest, I came across an almost 40 year shot of my sister Priscilla and me. A rare candid photo taken by one of our parents on a family camping trip.

I found myself wondering what we were looking at. A book maybe? Whatever it was, there we sat side by side, our heads together, and I'm guessing, deep in thought and conversation. A precious moment captured in time. The kind of moment so many parents long to see between their children.

Visit Tuesday's Treasures with Tom for more old and rusty treasures.

Learning Life Lessons

Life is a learning experience and some of the lessons are really hard. Really hard lessons mean really hard work, and really hard work can make one really tired. Really.

I was looking through old slides yesterday and attempted to take pictures of a few. The southern tier of NY state has always been beautiful. In years long gone, my dad would sneak off in his car before his mom came home, shot gun and dog at his side, and drive south to Angelica for a weekend hunting trip with one of his uncles. Dad loved those rolling, farm covered hills so much that as a child I couldn't help but catch the love myself. All these years later memories of childhood trips to Uncle Joe's farm or Great Grandma and Uncle Leo's house bring a bit of sunshine to my heart.

Life lessons...

The Barn Collective

Welcome back to winter. Last Sunday my grandchildren were running about the yard shirtless and barefoot. Today we have ice, snow, and a bitter wind. Don't find the weather to your liking? Well, you know what they say? "Just wait a minute."

Today's barns may or may not exist out there in the real world. One of my previous pastimes is decorative painting and barns are a favorite subject. I found an artist I loved, bought a few of her pattern books, and commenced painting. This is something I'd really love to get back into and I really should. I find painting both productive and relaxing, if not exactly "profitable."

I think, perhaps, I should collect up a few of my own barn photos and preserve the old structures in liquid acrylic.

The Barn Collective with Tom.

On Staying Home for Once

I did something highly unusual today. I stayed home, and I cleaned my upstairs bathroom from top to bottom. It's fresh. It's sparkling. You could eat off the floor! (Okay, maybe that would be a bad idea.) But it does look nice, even with my glasses on.

I thought I might be super energetic and wash the kitchen floor while I was up and at 'em, so I grabbed the broom to give it a good sweep. I hadn't given it more than a couple of swipes when a pain shot through the base of my right thumb. The tendons felt like they wanted to pop and the pain was almost crippling. A recurring assault of a previous injury, likely aggravated by the hundreds of times I wrung out my cleaning cloths in the bathroom endeavor and one of the reasons I am hesitant to apply for a job as a full time CNA. (I sound like a baby...)

Snow is the word of the day. Little Red was out this morning. He didn't seem to mind the white stuff too much.

A Little More Color

Today was an "oh, so much better day" than yesterday. The achy joints and muscles are better and my eyes and neck don't hurt anymore.  I went for another long walk and rather than feeling like crawling into bed afterward, I was smiling. I even met my daily goal for steps walked. Colder air is settling in for the weekend. I'm hoping the wind isn't too wild because that makes a cold day downright frigid instead. If it's too cold to walk outside tomorrow, I might have to clean the house instead.

Or maybe I'll just sit and color. I bought myself some new colored pencils and a fancy grown up coloring book. Coloring books for big people require patience. Rarely does the entire picture get colored in one sitting. It's a process, sometimes a long one. I like it.

Down for the Count

I stopped at my sister's house on my way to work yesterday. We walked through the neighborhood, and although my legs were achy, I was sure I'd feel better after the exercise. I didn't. The dull headache and achy muscles persisted throughout the day. I shrugged it off and went to a meeting on the way home. When it came time to eat, I wasn't hungry.

I don't get sick much, but I crawled into bed just before 9 pm last evening hoping the ibuprofen and Benadryl I'd taken would enable me to sleep. It helped, a little. It was a night of achy joints and muscles complete with an unsettled, but not volcanic, stomach. I tossed and turned for a good portion of the night and came downstairs with my pillow and favorite afghan this morning.

I don't plan on being down for long. I don't have time for that.

Tuesday Treasures

They aren't rusty, hidden by overgrowth, or lost in the woods, but they are old and they are treasures to those of us who loved my dad. A small and treasured collection of journals and diaries giving us a glimpse into the boy he once was, the young man he became, and the father he grew to be.

The early editions were written in surplus army journals and tell of summer jobs for local farmers, a stay at an Adirondack Boy Scout Camp with his brother, their summer vacation, and his adventures on and around Irondequoit Bay. The first also tells the story of his fisherman pal grandfather and his battle and subsequent death of lung cancer. We were stunned to learn he and his grandpa both died of the same disease on identical date. September 28.

In later years my dad kept a diary. Little blips on his daily journey through life. Jobs. Girlfriends. A stint in the Naval Reserves. Family gatherings. Hunting trips. Talent shows. Meeting my mom for the first time... There was a time of quiet too. Nothing is recorded about his and Mom's wedding, the adoption of their first son, or the birth of the second, but he picked up writing again before I came along and the story of my arrival is there, along with my sisters a few years later.

Treasures. Sometimes I find myself curious about the years he chose not to record, and then I realize that some events in life leave us too tired and emotionally spent to write. I know some of the stories in spite of them not being journaled in a diary and I am blessed to have had a dad like him. The journals and diaries are great to have, but the real treasure was my dad.

Tuesday's Treasures with Tom

Sunny Sunday Afternoon

I am equally amused at and frightened by children. I love their silly ways and childish antics, appreciate their zest for life and sense of adventure, and am terrified at what kind of trouble they might conjure up while we aren't looking.

Yesterday afternoon these five kept me looking out the window to see where they were and what they were getting into. They'd found a sleepy toad and made him a home in an old flower pot and then put it inside the wash pot. They even made him a "bed" of cattail fluff. He probably wished he'd stayed in hibernation.

Poor Spencer is too little to go outside and run with the cousins. He had to settle for looking out the window and waiting for his mom and dad to go for a walk after dinner. He didn't seem to mind too very much.



I was naughty at dinner and played with my food. But I couldn't help it. The opportunity was too great to pass up. I mean, how often do we have mashed sweet potatoes? They made perfect hair for the cute little plate I bought at the thrift shop a couple months ago. (I have both the boy and girl faces.) My husband looked more embarrassed than amused which made it all the funnier. I was surrounded by family and I think most of them love me in spite of my regression back into childhood.

The bald princess came to play and kept us entertained with her smiles. I don't see enough of this little granddaughter but am happy to see she loves the little dolly I got for her back at her mommy's baby shower a little less than a year ago. I didn't even get to hold her. Either I was busy or she was enjoying the company of her aunts and uncles, or Grandpa. Ah, maybe I shall snatch her up before anyone else next time.

Apparently Easter clothes are overrated. The weather was warm enough that the boys threw clothing to the wind while running about the yard. They confiscated an empty tub by the back porch, discovered Grandpa's garden dirt pile, hoisted a white, Sunday shirt flag, and declared the newly discovered territory their own. It all looked like wonderful fun.

Now that the sun is shining, I guess I should go out, reclaim, and put away the casualties.