Moments of Joy

I awoke this morning in-between.

In between a large furry man and a large furry cat; both had cuddled next to me during the night, both giving off warmth and both snoring!  I awoke sweating and feeling loved, with a bit of cat hair stuck in my eyelashes.  On my!

It started me thinking about in-between places in my life and in the lives of others.  You know those liminal places where one is neither here nor there, but in a doorway of sorts, or perhaps at a plateau.  Finished with one place but not quite ready to go to the next, or not quite knowing where one is going.

Mum is in a plateau place now.  She and her furniture have moved out of her old apartment.  Her furniture has moved into the new one, but she cannot, not just yet. 

The apartment is not ready, though my niece and her partner are steadily working to make it so, and working hard to make it welcoming for her.  The plumber came yesterday and the finish carpenter comes today, or tomorrow?  There is no fridge yet; no place to put it until some of the other work is done.  Painting and fans/light fixtures need to be repaired.  The stove needs to be cleaned and hooked up. There is a list.

Mum is at a liminal place in her life, currently staying with my sister and her husband, as she waits for her new home to be complete.  Though she enjoys being at my sister's home, it’s hard on her not being in her own.  She’s used to being in charge of her life and doing what she wants when she decides to do it.

She’s a good sport!  Mum occupies herself with gardening at my sister’s and with brief errand runs for items such as door stops and a mirror, new towels and a “Welcome Mat” and a carpet for beside her bed.  This place of neither here nor there is hard on her, but she is coping.

She knows she must wait and enjoy what she can out of each juicy day.

We all have those times, the in-betweens, the neither here nor there; it is part of our journey.

All will be well in the end, if we enjoy our moments of joy, like waking up warmly loved, or a new bedside rug, colourful, cheery and cozy!

Prom Dress

This is my niece’s prom dress.

Today I am altering it to better fit her slender body.

It is shimmering chiffon in blue, green, yellow, pink, white and black, water-washes of colour layered over slinky white, silky fabric.  Her dress is simple and beautiful but it needs to be altered.

Because of the myriad colours, I need to find multiple spools of thread, depending upon where I am stitching in the palette and on the dress.

Because she wants to sell the dress after she is finished wearing it, (ever the frugal young woman), I cannot cut the fabric.  It has to be hand stitched, so that the stitches themselves can be removed, carefully picked out later, returning the dress to its original self.

Because she is slender some of the folds and gathers at the mid-section are too voluminous for her.  I must sew tiny, nearly invisible stitches to hold the chiffon in place, closer to her body.

The dress is lovely; my niece is lovely.

I hope she and her dress make magic at the prom!

Robin in the Birdbath

Robin in the birdbath and partner watching
from the crab apple tree.

Oh yeah, Baby!

What Kitties Know

What Kitties Know

(continued  #13 - #15)

13.            Kitties know that it is wise to be patient.

14.            Kitties know how to ask for love.

15.            Kitties know that some days are just meant
                 for hanging out with friends.

Kitties are good people.

Life and Death in our Yard

The recent heavy winds have shorn the yard; tearing rose-pink blossoms from the crab apple tree, ripping the splash of yellow from the forsythia, scattering the bright tangerine petals of quince and pummelling the fuchsia of the bleeding hearts.

Blooms are fading and disappearing in the cycle of bud, bloom, die, bud…

Though the service berry and chokecherry trees have lost their talcum of frothy pink-white flowers, the rowan trees still show clusters of tiny cream buds and flowers.  At the front of the house, rhododendrons bloom in butter yellow.

 

The purples and mauves of lilacs scent the sunny air promising summer.

Tiny golden pansies and tipped-cup lily of the valley peek from dark green leaves.

 

The yard is dying and birthing and always evolving in this constant cycle of life that is the natural world.

Treasures from the Past

After many busy days, a quiet stay-at-home day; what luxury!

My mother is in the process of moving and has gifted me with numerous old books and bits of paper from my grandmother’s kitchen…memorabilia from my childhood and beyond.

Today I went through one small packet of Grammy’s papers. Intriguing information, all of it!  There was everything from food splotched, yellow pages of well-loved recipes to aged newspaper clippings.

I found:

Grammy’s Doughnut Recipe

A list of my younger sister’s allergies

Instructions for knitting a tea cosy

Gaskin’s Chocolate Cake Recipe

The ABC’S of how atomic and hydrogen bombs work

How to get rid of Plantar’s Warts

A recipe for Cinnamon Rolls

Directions to my cousin’s home in Nova Scotia

Homemade Mincemeat Recipe

How to control a “husband’s irritating eyebrow dandruff”

A French Omelette Guide

An article on the chemical composition of the human body

A Human Being

Is Made up of the Following

Water enough to fill a small keg,

Fat enough for seven bars of soap,

Iron enough for a medium sized nail,

Sugar enough to fill a shaker,

Lime enough to whitewash a chicken coop,

Phosphorus enough to make 2,000 match tips,

Magnesium enough for a dose of magnesia,

Potassium enough to explode a toy cannon,

Sulphur enough to rid a dog of fleas.

Even at today’s prices the whole combination

would sell for about 98 cents.

I wonder where this gem came from as there is no indication on the disintegrating bit of paper about the source, author or date.

How old do you think it might be?

Wasn't That a Party

Now Wasn’t That a Party?

Last evening we attended a birthday party for a dear friend.  She turns 50 today and she wanted to celebrate her self.  What a great idea!

Her husband sent out email invitations weeks ago, including helpful suggestions about her birthday-gift wishes and wants.  How helpful!  No worrying and guessing about what to give as a birthday remembrance.

We arrived at the Centre at 7 pm; there she was at the door to greet each guest and to receive hugs, cards and gifts. 

“This is a healthy attitude about a birthday,” I realized, easier and more direct than the usual self-effacing, “Please, don’t make a fuss about me for my big day.”

She made the rounds of the tables several times and spoke to each individual, chatting vibrantly.  She was full of life and happy, clearly enjoying herself at her own party.   It was energizing to be around the enthusiasm and merriment.

Her birthday gave me an opportunity to visit with people that I’ve not seen recently.  We talked, caught up and enjoyed the scrumptious food buffets, sang some songs, listened to live guitar and fiddle music, drank some wine and watched videos prepared by her step-children.  Enjoyment and entertainment!

I’m impressed that my friend celebrated her 50^th birthday with such generosity and thoughtfulness, providing the opportunity to celebrate what she means in our lives. 

I learned a lesson.  Sometimes, telling folks what I don’t want for my birthday, then not telling them what I do want, makes life challenging for those who love me.

Aren’t birthdays meant to be celebratory milestones in our lives? Birthdays are the acknowledgement of the years that have made us who and what we are, as well as the forward-looking hopefulness and new beginnings of the year yet to come.

A Happy Birthday!