Otherwise...Another Poem...

This photo may not have much to do

with this poem,

except that is exemplifies

the exuberant colors of living,

and the starker images of loss.

I hold these words dear

because they help to remind me

that everyday I have something,

many things,

to be grateful for.

Otherwise

I got out of bed

on two strong legs.

It might have been

otherwise. I ate

cereal, sweet

milk, ripe flawless

peach. It might

have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill

to the birch wood.

All morning I did

the work I love.

At noon I lay down

with my mate. It might

have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together

at a table with silver

candlesticks. It might

have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed

in a room with paintings

on the walls, and

planned another day

just like this day.

But one day, I know,

it will be otherwise.

The incredible Jane Kenyon again.
It is for me, everyone who visits,
and  a dear new friend who knows
about Otherwise.
 best to all, e. 

Which Door Should I Choose?

I have a day all to myself.

Can you hear my squeal of joy?

Freedom comes with making hard choices.

Which door should I choose?

Door #1

Doesn't every well-appointed home

have an artful display of riding helmets

and gloves perched on an unfinished window seat?

And one which is framed by dirty glass?

How about Door #2?

The infamous laundry room.

Perhaps. It's doable, but I could just close the door.

Then there is Door #3, my sanctum,

which is far from peaceful.

One must accept the fact

that when one cleans and purges,

one creates a Hell of a mess in the process.

Nah. Why not put off today

what I can do tomorrow?

Door #4, however, looks promising

and easily done while alone.

Definitely. A Done Deal.

It's Door #4.

I can spice it up

with a little bit of this...

Sometimes you just have to get tough

and bite the bullet.

best to all, ellen

Sweet Clementine Comes to Dinner...

...I began to set the table.

The light, the lovely loved light

of high summer is leaving.

I watched.
I know that Mother Nature is slowly packing
her Light, her Flowers and her Bounty.
She is nothing if not proper.
No light colors and
no white after Labor Day.
Slowly, minute by minute, 
breath by breath,
she is zippering summer to a close.

So, we set the table, Mother Nature and I.
She whispered in my ear.
Invite Clementine, sweet Clementine
to share the table with you.
After all,
she is one of my spring/summer creations.
So I did and it was grand.

With each passing shadow,
with the dimming of the light,
Miss Clementine's beauty blossomed.

Miss C. was good company
and offered comfort when saying goodbye
is hard.
Her warm glow and spicy scent
let me know that good things
are to come.

Mother Nature will unzip another bag.

I believe that she never takes away

without another offering of goodness.

It will be filled with a different beauty:
rich, warm colors, chilly mornings and nights,
sparkly heavens, harvest moons, and the scent of woodsmoke.
It will come slowly, but it
will come.
best to all, e.

I saw the clementine candle on the Internet, but I can't remember where! You can Google it and there are directions. It's easy, it's fun and it's genius in it's simplicity.

Preserving, Putting By...

...Natures bounty.

I am blessed each year

with the beauty that Mother Nature provides.

Because we have thousands

of beautiful Japanese Maples in our nursery,

I am gifted with abandoned nests.

These are brought in to me

posthaste, when the weeks, even months 

of pruning ensue.

Here is my recipe for preserving such beauty.

Start with a clean jar.

Lay out your materials...

Some other nests may need a little pruning.

Add some weeds, moss and dried leaves.

Place them in your jar.

Fingers crossed that you like the arrangement

because, once you get them in,

you probably won't be able

to get them out.

Such is the case here.

I would have liked to have one nest

higher than the other.

Alas and alack. No such luck.

Here is the final picture.

It went to a dear friend today.

 We have many loves in common.

Nests, oak leaves, acorns..

acorns forever.

Wishing I knew how to photograph glass.

This is a dark house and no matter

where I took the jar,

there was light reflecting on that glass.

Hoping all of you are safe from this frightening weather.

best to all, e.  

Let Evening Come...

Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.
Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.
Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in the long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.
Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.
To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.
Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.
Thank you, Jane Kenyon. 
Best to all, e. 

All Over the Map

Yesterday I wrote a post.

I hit the button to publish.

Swoosh, down the plug hole it went.

I can't even remember what I wrote.

I'm sure it must have been fascinating.

I am feeling very unfocused today.

I am missing this person.

My grand daughter, AKA

The Vet,

spent the last week with us.

Fortunately for me,

she abandoned her animal hospital

and spent the days outside

in her cardboard fort in the woods.

I say fortunately for me,

because I had run out of medical emergencies,

names for dreaded diseases,

and illnesses.

Her stuffed puppies had the week off too.
Right now, I can hear one of the hens...
This afternoon I will look out of the window
and watch with pleasure as all of my feathered
ladies take their ritual dust bath...
I can smell the cantaloupe ripening on
the kitchen counter...
I wonder if there is such a thing as
Eau de Cantaloupe...
I would certainly splash some on...
It is going to be very warm today,
close to 90,
and I am grateful that it always cools off at night...
I want to go out and pick more of these...

but I need to unearth

the laundry room floor.

Happy weekend.

Best to all, e.

As Some Say...

...down the rabbit hole,

...abducted by aliens,

...she came undone,

...ran off to find herself,

or, just plain vanished into thin air..

Really, I just have been buried in a summer

that I didn't plan.

All is good even if the garden didn't happen.

Other important matters have

been attended to.

Matters such as purging the closets, 

attempts to bring order to the pantry,

laundry room..on and on.

We do have enough fire wood

to keep us warm should there be

An Epic Blizzard of 

monumental proportions.
Speaking of monumental proportions,
I just had a peek at my new
header/banner/whatchamacallit.
I think "she went a little overboard".
I'll not post any more pictures today.
I shall practice restraint
and attempt to be a bit less
ostentatious.
Moderation, Ellen,
is the key word here.
For now, farewell.
It is good to be back in this spot.

best to all, e.