Cornbread, butterbeans, and you across the table...

Just lyrics to one of my favorite songs by the Carolina Chocolate drops. This trio is AWESOME. If you've never heard of them, check 'em out : http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/   They have recently added a fourth member it looks like.  We saw them at the St Louis Art Museum last year and have 2 of their cds.

  Just having a lazy Sunday morning at home, alone. I made some chicken and dumplings and baked a couple of biscuits and had some biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Artery hardening, fattening, lovely comfort food. Ahhhh.....chicken and dumplings for supper.  Perfect.

  To let you know about the balance in my life though (snicker)  I did have a lovely vegan lentil soup yesterday for 2 meals, with homemade flax seed bread.  Just sayin'....

  The weather has been absolutely gorgeous and we're putting much of the garden to bed for the winter.  I ate 3 edible pea pods today, and saw a few green beans. I still have the odd tomato ripening here and there and quite a few green ones on the vines as well. The turnips are flourishing and the kale as well. Autumn. A nice time to garden (for some things).

  The boyo came by a few days ago and cleaned out the gutters for me.  The roofing endeavor has been put on hold.  We have a lot of things that need doing and spending several thousand dollars on a roof is maybe not the highest priority right now. Boyo went up and looked and said there were a few places that needed shoring up and some flashing that needs replaced.  Himself agreed that it could probably do for now with patching it. They have to get up there and tear off some shingles and see.

  I pulled the big muscle, lattisimus dorsi, I think it's called, in my back last Tuesday, I think I said. On Thursday morning I twisted again, moving the water bath canner to the sink and nearly screamed in agony. Pulled it even worse and could barely breathe. I stopped in at our little clinic, and the good doc gave me a shot of Torodol for the pain and a scrip for anti-inflammatories and a muscle relaxer. It was really painful and today it is better. Been sleeping a lot and taking it easy. I only take the muscle relaxer at night, as it knocks me out. lol I'm such a wuss....

  It was a lovely weekend, all in all. The Irishman and I went to see Real Steel, the new Hugh Jackman movie. It was really good.  I did some laundry (in 2 days) and hung it on the line to dry and just took it down today.  Carefully. Doing things very carefully. lol

  I might go have a short nap before leaving for MissB's house today.  I'm really tired a lot, and have started taking my B complex again.  I don't know if part of it might be the residual effects of the muscle relaxer?  The doc wrote m,e an order for an MRI of the darn knee, and says I should go to a pain management place. I may have to...he also asked if I'd had a flu shot yet, and I replied "Not since 1978..." He looked at me skeptically and said we can do it here. I said No thanks, and he muttered "Chicken" at me as he walked out the door.  I'll have to remember NOT to go see him if I get the flu again this year.  lmao

  Hope everyone has a grand and peaceful Sunday. Our St. Louis Cardinals have shown their stuff and are playing again tonight. Might just be on their way to the world series...got a wild card opportunity or something and have been doing great.

Namaste.

Whataweekend!

 "Spirits of the Sea"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  We had a wonderful evening at the Museum.  The exhibits were breathtaking...African Cloths, Medieval Exhibit, Chinese Buddhism and American painters were the ones we managed to look at before the concert. The place itself is gorgeous and was built for the World's Fair in 1903 and then given to the city of St Louis. They are doing a lot of work out there right now and expanding the building as well as some repairs and remodeling.  The venue for the concert was small...only about 150 seats, and the acoustics were terrible. But the band just threw out the mics and sat down on the floor and went crazy. They were magnificent.  The music was wonderful. There were so many people there, they decided to do 2 sets of about an hour each, and we got in to the first one because we stood at the door for an hour (upon the advice of the information desk woman). She was spot on--when the first set was done, they asked us to please exit and if there were any seats left after they seated everyone, they would open it up again.  Naturally, there were no seats. In fact, there were people who couldn't get in at all.  They played violins, resonator guitars, some kind of clacky things that played like castanets, but looked like tongue depressors, kazoos, a jug, and an African banjo instrument made from a gourd and hides with a long long neck,called an ekontone. Rhiannon clogged in the aisles and they all were hootin' and hollerin' and there was lots of audience participation. It was an absolutely delicious night, altogether.

  And then this morning we had to get up early and go to a funeral.  It was a large and solemn affair punctuated with  laughter and reminiscing. In the longest ever funeral procession of my life, we travelled about 20 miles to the cemetery. It was crazy. We were there to support MissT  and she held up pretty well, all things considered.  It was her aunt who finally succumbed to her fight against pancreatic cancer and her mothers younger sister. So there were lots of tears and fears and all the things that go with funerals and people who tragically die too young.

  We came home after stopping at a new Mexican place for a little lunch. It was quite good and then we were home and I vacuumed and started laundry.  Now it is after 11 and I am ready for bed.  

  Music and funerals and love and grief. Friendship and food and  art and laundry. All the things that an authentic life is composed of, with all the ups and downs and plateaus that come along.  I never thought my life would be like this, for years, when I lived in a twisted surrealism of my own design.  Now I long for the times when I can stay on my little piece of dirt and just breathe...simple things like folding stacks of laundry bring a new serenity to me.  I am blessed by an extravagant God, to get to live the life that is mine.

  I live in an abundant Universe.

  Namaste.

Sunday musings...

 Here are a few things I absolutely LOVE...

• Old fashioned flowers, like hollyhocks and rose of sharon, and lilacs.
• The smell of coffee brewing, first thing in the morning.
• Embroidered dish towels.
• Vanilla anything...ice cream,. lattes, hand cream--you name it!
• The feel of a baby in my arms.
• Puppy breath.
• Vintage clothing.
• Vinyl record albums.
• Journaling-in pretty journals.
• Laughter.
• Bird song.
• Hand made rag rugs.
• The feel of silk against my skin.
• Poetry.

• Being at one with God and nature.

 And it's been a long day and I am ready to sleep...perchance to dream...of spring??  In a week or so, I can start the process of starting seedlings for transplant into my gardens.  I'm going to try a 2 stage transplanting method I've been reading up on.  We will sit down next weekend with journals and paper and start planning the bounty.

  On Friday we are going to the St. Louis Art Museum and spend the afternoon there, and wind it up with a free concert being given by a group called  the Carolina Chocolate Drops.  A 3 person group , accomplished musicians who play primitive instruments and jug band type stuff...they are remarkable.  The woman, Rhiannon is a trained opera singer. The 2 male members of the band are classically trained musicians as well. Their music is wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to the day. A great date with my best friend...

  I have a dear friend who is moving to St. Croix the first of the month.  I'm so excited for her, and everything is just falling into place like magic.  I am amazed...there are people in her life who are beating her up about her decision to make this change in her life. ..what is it with people? Jealousy? Fear?  Most are people who have never had any adventures in their life, and/or are living in the same town doing the same thing they have all their lives.  I am her biggest cheerleader.  I have always believed that God gives us opportunities to spread our wings and soar...all we have to do is find the courage to make the leap.  I will sure miss her...who knows? Maybe this is how I get to go visit the Islands??  lol

    I am feeling so grateful and so blessed to have the life I have today.  There is more love surrounding me than I have ever had the honor of experiencing all the days of my life.  I have a small and modest home in the country, with lots of trees and flowers and beauty.  This morning I awakened and reached over to feel the Irishman beside me.  "Listen", I said..."do you hear that??" He smiled.  Through the rain falling outside, you could hear the song and voices of many birds, for the first time in months.

  Spring is coming.

Namaste.