May Meditation

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.

John Muir

April Poetry

"Let me arise and open the gate,
to breathe the wild warm air of the heath,
And to let in Love, and to let out Hate,
And anger at living and scorn of Fate,
To let in Life, and to let out Death."-  Violet Fane  

Goals for the Week May 1 - May 7, 2016

   

Spiritual 
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading
     Old Favorites Sing Along

Physical 
     2 Fruits Daily
     Water 36 oz.
     Exercise DVD

Quilting
     Finish scrap 9-Patch
     Layer and baste Starz

Reading
     SPQR by Mary Beard
     The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
     Becoming Queen by Kate Williams

Cooking
     Pancakes and Sausage
     Baked Fish, Carrots/Thyme, Cabbage
     Chicken-Rice Bake
     Cutlets, GMP, GB      

Home
     BLPOA Annual Meeting

Personal
     Visit to Hermann Park Gardens
     Make Reservations for autumn trip to Montpelier, Monticello, & Mt. Vernon. 
     

Around OakMeadows

It is 195 days until the election is over. Can we stand it that long?

Last night I got up at 10:45pm and put the Slow Cooker Beef Stew into individual containers and finally got them in the refrigerator.  Next time, Florence, make sure the Slow Cooker is plugged in as well as turned on.  All is well that ends well because dinner is now cooked, ready to heat and serve, and all the cleaning up is done.  But still, next time, check the plug.  

The Rainpocalypse was back this morning but fortunately it didn't hang around like last week.  Wind, Rain, Boom/Crash, and gone. Yes.  And the good thing is that it is blessedly cooler and less humid!

I found a Citizen Scientist website for a Nest Watch program sponsored by Cornell's Ornithology Lab and the Audubon Society.  I will look into it today and maybe sign up.  It would be easy to do with our barn swallows.  We shall see.  

I am watching my way through the last season of Downton Abbey.  Most of the story lines are repeats, although Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes did manage to get married in the episode that I watched last night.  I mostly watch it to see the gorgeous clothes.  I realize that only the gentry dressed like that but I do think people in general put more care into their dress than we do today.  Which of course has its good and not so good sides.  

JMM is still borderline sick. Congestion and fatigue and irritability.  TSM went back to the doctor and got antibiotics for an ear and throat infection.  I think at least part of her being sick is due to stress.

I have 16 of the 25 blocks that I need for my scrap 9-patch quilt done.  Next I need to cut out more squares for the remaining 9 blocks. So 81 squares to cut.  What an improvement rotary cutters are over scissors! 

We are planning a trip to Montpelier, Monticello, and Mount Vernon the first week in October.  What got me to thinking about this was the biography of James Madison that I read recently.  I gained so much respect and admiration for him that I wanted to see his home.  Madison and Jefferson were close friends and neighbors and since I've never been to Monticello, I added that on.  And while we are so close to Mount Vernon, I'd like to go back there too.  

April Meditation

"Here is calm so deep, grasses cease waving... wonderful how completely everything in wild nature fits into us, as if truly part and parent of us. The sun shines not on us, but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us..." ~ John Muir

April Poetry

"May you listen to your longing to be free.
May the frames of your belonging be large enough for the dreams of your soul.
May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart ...something good is going to happen to you.
May you find harmony between your soul and your life.
May the mansion of your soul never become a haunted place.
May you know the eternal longing that lies at the heart of time.
May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.
May you never place walls between the light and yourself.
May you be set free from the prisons of guilt, fear, disappointment and despair.
May you allow the wild beauty of the invisible world to gather you,
mind you, and embrace you in belonging.    -  John O'Donahoe  

April Goals

Spiritual 
     ABF/Church
     Daily Bible Reading

Physical 
     Water 32 oz. daily
     Exercise DVD daily 

Quilting
     Layer and baste Starz quilt
     Finish piecing blocks for scrap 9-patch

Reading
      SPQR by Mary Beard
     The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
     Miller's Valley by Anna Quindlen

Cooking
     Saturday-- CB Hash, CS Corn

     Sunday -- Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Stew p.59. 

     Monday -- Shrimp Jambalaya 

     Tuesday -- Pan Roasted Chicken, Onions, & Mushrooms Cauliflower 

     Wednesday -- Spaghetti & Meatballs 

     Thursday -- Leftovers

     Friday -- Out

Home
     Clean front porch
     Trim hedges along brick walkway

Personal
      Monday--Manicure/Pedicure
      Friday--Haircut