Happy Halloween - Part II

A great place for Trick or Treating...

"My way out.."

The Horseman

Happy Halloween

Grave diggers

I love that the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse is front and center. It all started with that Mouse.

Room for one more

Boo To You!

And you, and you, and you, and you, and you!

Happy Halloween!

October 30

Happy 20th Birthday Maria!
I love you more than life itself.
Mom

Sandy welcome to New England

The storms hundreds of miles away and already her presence is being announced. State of emergency declared. Schools and businesses closed. Friends and family networking. We have natural gas. Come and eat with us if you lose power. We have a generator. Come to our house if you lose power. We have ... Come and share with us.

Stay safe.

From Facebook

Social media can give you excellent insight.

One Herd - One Name

Meet Chickpea! Believe me or not every cow does not look like the other, but I'm hard pressed to tell them apart. I call each and every one of them chickpea. And now, for once when I call them by name, I'll be correct. This is the new baby, born two days ago, now named Chickpea.

A lovie.

God Wastes Nothing

"We don't always get what we want," thank you Mick J. God gives us what we need and more.

Out on a medical leave my days are fuller than ever. Visiting older friends, meditating, walking, cleaning my own home, for a change, chipping away at the to do list. Each day is full of opportunities, gifts, blessings. And in the photograph, a brand new life, moments old.

When a door closes, God opens a window. We just have to feel for the breeze.

Tammy's Pumpkin Granola recipe

From Tammy up on Happenings on the Hill. A true taste of Fall. Thank you Tammy.

"... adapted from Eatingwell….living thin:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plus 2T maple syrup
1 egg yolk
2 t. pumpkin pie spice or a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg as you would use for pie totaling 2 teaspoons)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
3 cups old fashioned oats — Tammy used Bob’s Red Mill Steel cut but as long as you don’t use Quick cooking oats you should be fine
***1 cup slivered almonds (you can use your nut of preference)
Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Use parchment paper that you spray with cooking spray in a baking pan. Mine is 11 x 17.
Combine everything but the oats and nuts. Mix well. Then add oats and nuts, coating completely with the mixture.
Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and place in the oven. Stir every 15 minutes (honestly I forgot about this for the first 1/2 hour or so) and cook for about 1 hour.  The granola should be brown when you take it out of the oven. Let it cool completely in the pan and then place in your favorite air-tight granola container."

***I didn't have the sliced almonds so I used a cup of a dried fruit and nut mixture we had in the house.

Having A Leg To Stand On

The sweet thing about a knee that locks up without warning, is it unlocks the same way.

Pain free we returned to the farm. Where if I braced my knee into the side of the calves, the calf washing recommenced. That way the immovable force that could knock me over was actually really a support.

Life can be like that. What we often think will knock us down, truly can support us.

Share Sweetness

A dear friend dropped by to ask about my knee and to share a meditation by Gurumayi on being a sage of steady wisdom. She shared her sweetness and I in turn shared with her some of Tammy's honey. After we tasted it, of course. Lovely, spicy and peppery.

"If amber had a flavor this would be it."

Thank you dear one.

Closure

It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit this morning when I poked my head out of my sleeping bag. Last morning up at the Shack until Spring.

Forty five degrees: An opportunity for hot chocolate along with Tammy's farm fresh eggs and beans for breakfast. Yum.

The kingfisher was perched on the dock. It was nice to observe his visit. See you next year.

Sweetness Comes

Sometimes blessing are a bit hidden. This is hardly that case in point. Thank you Tammy for sharing your wonderful honey and eggs. Seeing you today, listening to Tim proclaim the readings at Mass, and receiving your delicious bounty made my day.

Thank you and hopefully our paths will cross again around New Years. Blessings to you and yours.

Day 2 - The Knee

For two days I've hobbled about. Flexing the joint. Trying to shift the flap of cartilage out from between the bones. And for a few minutes each day I was successful. But it doesn't hold. Oh we'll...

But is this knee a gift? A blessing? YES without a doubt. Because of this knee I've been able to visit twice this week with my friend, Flo, at the nursing home. Her birthday was Thursday. She is 95. I had a long breakfast with my friend, John. Where we discussed his apprehension about spending 6 weeks with his son and daughter in law in Florida. We agreed he should gently tell them at 87 he is not a cripple. That he can still do for himself.

Because of this knee I had plenty of time to prepare for this weekend's religious ed classes. Now all I need is to pray, which I had plenty of time for -- because of this knee.

This knee afforded me the time to work on our summer scrapbook. A project I recently complained about. Stating I'd better finish it or pack it up. One or the other, for I need my bedroom floor back.

And lastly this knee blessed me with a wonderful Fall birthday celebration. It was great to have my folks over while Maria was home from college.

Gift wrapping minus the bow?

This is a picture of my left knee. Right now it's wonky. Does this look like a gift? A little crazy, a fair amount of pain... And my work and volunteer calendar is pretty much cleared until after a doctor's appointment.

So is this a gift? Yes, every opportunity is a gift and a blessing. Be open when circumstances change. Good things come.

Do you know it, see it, do it?

At Lowe's, I was second in line to a man buying lag bolts, 1/4 by 3. Twenty of them. The clerk asked, "Do you know the price?" The customer answered, "Yes, 26 cents a piece."

It took a very longtime to find the correct barcode to scan. It turns out EDDDIE, as his name tag read, is new. The price came up, 38 cents a piece.

The customer said, "That's not what the sign said."

Smiling, EDDDIE replied, "That is not a problem sir."

-------

My turn at the register, I had but one comment, "So do you spell your name with three DDDs?"

His answer, "I don't. But somebody does."

Great customer service, it makes the world of difference not just to the person receiving it, but to everyone else in line.

Be the sweetness in life

In her talks the Gurumayi is always mentioning the sweetness of life; the blessings. Can you bestow blessings, or do they only come from God? Or by bestowing sweetness on others, are we an active member of God's army here on Earth?

Maple syrup is pure sweetness from the earth. Concentrated 40:1, if you are a lucky maple sugarmaker, but generally closer to 50:1. (Fifty gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.) Imagine if prayers and blessings were handled the same way.

Be sweet to those around you.

I'm New! Thanks to You!

This calf, Jupiter, is moments old in this photo. He's brand new and still wet behind the ears. Yesterday was his fresh and new start in this world.

A few days ago when I was pondering blogging for seven years I said that I'm the same person I was seven years ago. But really that's true in name only. For each and every day brings different and new interactions, conversations, discoveries and learning, that make subtle and sometimes not so subtle changes in who I am.

Each and every day, each and every moment are available for a fresh start. Take advantage of them.

The aunts come over to say welcome lil guy.

Happy 7th Blogiversary!

Seven years today...when I started this experiment I was writing essays for submission to the Boston Globe and other local papers. This electronic notebook was my scratch pad. An idea would pop into my head and I'd flesh it out here before sharing it for critique with the Nobscot Niblets writing group. Not too may photos were included in the beginning. Now I go for one a day.

Life has taken some twists and turns since then. Girls growing. Job changes. The blog entries got shorter, fleshing out religious Ed class themes rather than essays. We are caring for calves these days. They are truly loving animals. It's all life. Happy Anniversary!

Happy Birthday

To my Space Mountain rocketeer partner!

What lies ahead?

In three days this blog will be seven years old. Amazing; a writing experiment that just keep recording dictation. But seven years; what's next?

As always around this time of year I read over the older posts. I'm still the same struggling, but seven years old, over weight adult female. Promoting that Christ's divinity is in each and everyone of us. Delighted with my children. Proud of their accomplishments. A maple sugarmaker who enjoys spreading life's sweetness. Reminding people that even in the darkest of days, sweetness exists. You can't deny this when eating pancakes drowned in real maple syrup.

And this time, as in the past, I'll take these few days up to blog anniversary to figure out just what is next for this blog and for me.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Unpaid? Internship

Cash isn't always king when fun and excitement hold trump. We've been paid in full and then some.

Really though, is money the only motivator? Or the attitude of what's in it for me?

Remember it is in giving that we truly receive.

It's in the Disney details.

Imagine living in a treehouse where this is the bathroom faucet. A large box store run of the mill unit would have worked just fine. Recognizable and functional, it would have been turned off and on, during hand washing and teeth brushing, without a second thought.

But Disney is all about the customer, all about the details, all about demonstrating in service, in business and in life, it's the little things that matter.

Life: Make It An Adventure

No park required.

In your lifetime safari, what are you searching for?

Good question.

I am so glad to meet you.

Kids are amazing. They get up close. They make encounters very personal. There is no guess work.

So when and why do adults forget these talents? To the point we enjoy life via the experiences of our children?

The lesson can be relearned. It's never too late.

My Pal Mickey

We are a Disney family. Many of our daily use items tag us so. But as I contemplate the lessons for Religious Ed., ninth graders, I'm going to ask the students to look deeper than the superficial labels. To examine the invisible labels of our morality that we display for all the world to see, share and experience.

What we do matters.

Death Is...

A watchdog reminding us to love.

Don't take this life for granted.

Patty do you still have your day job?

Take a look at this photo. It reminds me of the quote about God setting a table before us. That we are all invited to the feast. These cows understand that concept. They gladly go with the flow.

But to the questions at hand, am I still working? Do I still love my job? The answer to both is, "Oh yeah. I love love love my clients." Lately we've been all about music and dance. Big band and Italian Love Songs every morning all morning; the twist, jitterbug, and Charlestown. The latest Italian phrase is Te volio tante bene, (spelling). Meaning something along the lines of I love you and For you I wish everything good. That pretty much describes the paying gig, but the farm. The farm and the work there feeds a desire to touch, care for, and love animals that has been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember.

How blessed I am to be called to the table.

Don't Judge A Book Or A Bull

That's a full sized adult heifer standing next to Big Jack, weighing in at 2400 pounds. That is a lot of bull! But this big guy would only hurt a fly. For a human the worst is when while scratching his face he falls asleep; resting his massive head on your shoulder.

There is more to us all than meets the eye.

How do you measure success?

For over a month the barn chatter has focused on cow pie consistency. Where watery was the most common term used to describe the bovine waste product. Yesterday the chatter turned a corner.

Soon, very soon, these lovelies, with their nice round bellies and their shiny soft coats, who we have been bottle feeding, washing, and cleaning up after will be back outside with their buddies.

And as I was nudged for a rub and a hug by Tess, the producer of this marker of success, I asked her if she will remember me? The lady who just had to give all the girls and Ollie a rub and some lovin'. Her answer was a resounding mooooooooooo.

Feeding A Calf

Signs of Fall

Red leaves, plump wooly bears
Crisp nights, dried Indian maize
September haiku

Ops it's October!
How quickly the cool days pass.
Where did the time go?

One End Or The Other

The finish line at yesterday's Autism Speaks Walk at Suffolks Downs, Boston, MA

 We walked one mile in the rain and mud. For people with Autism, their everyday might feel mired in mud.

Yesterday is finished. It's end marks a new beginning. September led us to October just as elementary school feeds in middle school and then high school. One door closes; another opens.

A new day, a new month, a new moment before us. What will you do with this one chance?