Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Hello June! You've graced us with a beautiful day. My garden is coming to life, with lettuce, spinach, peas and herbs coming in nicely. I still need to get some flowers in, like cosmos and zinnias. It seems so late at this point, but I'm going to get some seeds planted and let nature take its course. I've always started seeds in the greenhouse in March, but this year that didn't happen. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see how the flowers do without the headstart. The herniated disc seems to be healing, slowly but surely. At this point, the only part of my leg that is still not back to normal is the area right below the knee. It's just a small spot. It's numb and at times feels like sandpaper is scraping across it. Other times there are pin prick sensations. It's all very strange. Yesterday my knee was very sore and twinging with pain most of the day. Today, the soreness and pain are gone. I'm wondering if this is happening as the herniation ...

My summer is well underway, and so far I'm enjoying each and every minute. I really am very fortunate. Not many can say they get their summers off to pursue all kinds of fun things, so I am very thankful I am one of the lucky few who can.  Speaking of being thankful . . . I've fallen into the habit of saying thank you nearly every day to whatever it is that's out there watching over all of us. And I've noticed when I utter the words Thank you, a warm sense of wellbeing just washes through me. I was told recently that my living out here in this house has brought out the happy in me, that the happy is quite evident in the way I look, the way I talk, the way I am.  Yes, I am very happy. Along with the happy is being content. I'm incredibly content. I don't think I've ever really known what this feels like, what this means, until being out here in this wonderful little house. Speaking of wonderful little house . . . the painting is moving along. The base color ...

One year ago this past week, I signed on the dotted line and took possession of my little house. The day after I received the key to the back door, we were ordered to stay home. Needing to move my belongings out of the rental Angel Baby and I were living in, I spent the next three days loading boxes filled with stuff into the Jeep and made as many trips as I could each day.  My landlord let me borrow his truck to haul the large pieces of furniture, and with the help of Lovely Beautiful Daughter and Angel Baby, we managed to get everything moved in those three days. It was my fourth time moving in as many years, and I truly hope it will be my final move for the rest of my life. I have not regretted the decision to buy even one nano-second through the last 12 months. If anything, each day I fall deeper and deeper in love with this house that has stood on this plot of land for the last 103 years.  The moment I stepped through the door the day the realtor was hosting an open house...

We went straight from cool and rainy to hot, muggy, and sunny. Although, there have been a few days in between of perfect: low 70's and sunny. I'm finding that if I leave the front door closed from mid morning to late afternoon, and close off the back two bedrooms all afternoon, the house stays cooler. So far, the high inside the house without the air conditioner on has been 80, and that was just the other day when it was 90 degrees outside. That's not too bad, at least in my mind. I know others cringe when they hear I live in a house that I allow to get up to 80 degrees. The nice thing about this? It's my house. I can do what I want. Funny Delightful Son came for a visit last week. We had a great week together, and I surprised myself -- when he pulled out to go back to his place, the tears came. I'm so proud of him and what he has accomplished. He finished up his four-year degree in May, and now he's planning to enter into the Master's program in the fall...

My bum has been planted in this darn chair all day. And I wonder why my clothes are getting tighter! But, I'm nearly finished with putting my entire summer online classes in place, and once class begins on Monday, all I'll have to do is read the papers and blog posts once they start coming in. Fingers crossed the classes I've created are easy to navigate and clear about what is expected (who am I trying to kid? There'll be students who'll have issues -- there always is). Good news: one of my haiku was accepted by Haiku Journal . If you go to the journal online, Issue 58, you'll see my name listed with the other authors. Then just scroll down until you find my haiku. This particular haiku is my favorite of the group I created to submit to the contest sponsored at the site where I post my work for critique. This was also the favorite for my writer friend who offered feedback when my haiku went days without a critique on the very site that is designed to offer...

When I signed off back in April, I knew I would be back sooner or later. At the time, I just needed a breather. I turned off a lot of the background noise for the last month and some days, and focused on a few things pulling at me, like gardening and creating. The joy that I've felt completing a few of these projects got me through the end of the semester, to the end of the school year for my boys, and ready for the beginning of summer. Bicycle Birdbath The bicycle wheel birdbath is by far my favorite project to date. During a meeting at work the last week of the semester, I drifted off into JK Land and thought, "I really need a birdbath." Then I started doodling on the pad of paper I always carry with me, thinking about the couple of old wheels hanging on the side of my workbench. I knew I still had the fork from the pawn shop bike, too, so I figured I could combine the wheels and the fork to make my birdbath. As soon as I got home that day, I went to the garage an...