Lady Rain

Sweet smelling is the summer day
When honest Lady Rain does fly
Draped in a lissome cloth of grey
She breaks into shifting skies

Like God’s own mercy does she fall
Interjecting on summer’s heat
Slow sweltering days that seem to crawl
Floutingly she seems to beat

What language does the thunder speak
As such that the lady can command
How her dulcet tones drum the beat
Reverence respect she demands

To which self doth the mulish lady go
From that which tarn did she derive
What path or road will she accept to flow
Unwillingly does she drive

Those who listen and that which hear
She oft speaks with a wit that’s wry
For who is there that does not fear
When the Lady utters a siren sigh

Mortal Eyes

“There’s a Divinity which shapes our ends."

John Adams before the signing of the Declaration of Independence

Though mortal eyes and minds cannot fathom the end from the beginning, God does.

“Barney the Blister-a Gardening Tale”

When the weather turns warm and the air sweet I find myself drawn to the outdoors.   Gardening has always been one of my favorite spring pass times, and having my own garden makes it even better…However redoing a very established garden is more of a challenge than I anticipated.

These last few weekends have been filled with dirt, worms, blisters, some blood, sore muscles and sunburns.  Sounds like fun huh? 

But the fruits - or more accurately- flowers of these labors are, I think, pleasing and attractive. I am delighted with my little garden.  I wish that I had more funds, and time, to make it really “my garden”, but alas flowers are surprisingly costly and it’s unexpectedly easy to exceed the preset limits when shopping at the nursery.  At least the plants I have chosen are all perennials and I can add to it over the months/years to come.

The other day I took pictures of all of the flora now planted in my garden so that in the future when I am wondering if that purple plant in the corner is the Siberian Bugloss or if it is the Lavender White or Lavender spliced Columbine, I’ll be able to look back at my labeled pictures and discover that it is really dandelions or grape hyacinths. 

I thought it only fitting to post said documentarial pictures on the blog…this way the charming flowers may be viewed by all.  This action also provides a fail safe for when my computer crashes (which will inevitably happen knowing my laptop) then I will still have record of my amazing green thumb (let’s just hope that the plants survive now that I have claimed that).

Now since we don’t have internet at the house yet I put these pictures on my thumb drive to take to work with me so that I could put them up on my lunch hour. Sadly I forgot to grab the pictures of all of the flower labels.  You’d think I’d be able to remember their names considering the quality time I have spent with them, but alas I cannot.  I will try my best to put the right name with the right flower

First off, the Columbines

pictured above "Swan red and white Columbine"

Lavender spliced Columbine

Jack Frost Siberian Bugloss (Adam’s favorite)

Jacobs Ladder

Lavender

Lavender Silvia

Dwarf Corianthis

 

Carnations

I can’t remember the names of these next few, but will update with their names soon

Here are our window boxes filled with Geraniums, Snap Dragons, and Petunias.

Now for the Vegetable Garden

Tomatoes (before planting)

We have planted Green peppers, yellow peepers, “Chocolate” peppers, corn, peas, beans, cucumber, watermelon, strawberries, and some cantaloupe.

We also have a herb garden left from the previous owners…All I can say for sure is that there are chives in there, the rest is unknown. 

If all goes well we will have quite the harvest.

Casa

Alright Liz, here is the requested photos...We haven’t really had a chance to photograph the inside yet...That is for another day and another post. Maybe I’ll withhold the innards of our house until Liz and Company come to visit in August...Maybe the curiosity will drive you crazy enough to make a trip up to our house! Mwahahaha! (If you can’t tell that is Maniacal laughter)

Our home – A quaint little bungalow built in 1948.

Here is a picture of the house with our corner garden (a work in progress), Adam, our car, and the flag…If you were wondering it was Memorial Day when I took this picture and the boy scouts do the whole flag-holiday-fund-raiser-thing.

The next few pictures are just for fun. The night I was taking the pictures of the house there was an amazing sunset. I thought I would share because I thought it was a beautiful site. These were taken from our yard.

The west facing window.

I was getting a little artsy in this one. It ended up being a little blurry because the auto focus was focusing on the image in the window… After this picture I switched to manual but the best of the colors were gone…So please forgive the blurry and focus on the pretty.I’ll probably fix it up and republish it when my Photoshop is up and running.

That’s all I have for now…Join me later for

“Innards- the Grand Tour” and

“Barney the Blister-a Gardening Tale”

Cuddly pup

This past Sunday we had family dinner at my parent’s house. We of course brought Aussie along so that we could avoid

A) questioning from my father as to why we hadn’t brought his grand-dog for a visit (“She wanted to see Grandpa!” He would have advocated thoroughly making us feel guilty), and

 B) adventures wear her out and that in and of istself is the makings of a quiet evening and a good night sleep.

Later Sunday evening on returning home, Aussie went for her bone and her pillow and started chewing away happily…not much later this is what we found (FYI all we had was our cell phone at that moment so the pictures aren’t high quality)

Sleepy puppy.

If you can’t tell she is cuddling her bone between her paws.

After we took some picture with our phone (because we knew if we moved Aussie would probably stir) Adam got up to get the real camera, which, as we predicted woke Aussie with a start…

If you can’t tell she is still not fully conscious.

In fact it only took a few seconds for her to fall asleep again

She isn't much of a morning person dog

Speaking of mornigs...Here is another picture I took a few weeks ago. This is a typical morning look for both Aussie and Adam…All hail bed head!

(again, cell phone picture)

She is a cute dog…Stubborn, but cute none the less. Thanks to my family for wearing her out.

Mommas (I love you 5)

There is a Jewish Proverb that says “God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.”

I am no expert on motherhood, seeing as I have yet to become one (at least to a human child), but I have as of late been observing mother’s. My job offers me a rare view into the soul of motherhood. My awareness of mother’s love and of her sacrifices has extended far beyond the straightforward experience of childhood.

Motherhood brings the greatest joys and the greatest heartaches of life. As a mother you are never really alone in your thought. Mothers always think twice, once for herself and once (or more) for her child. In my opinion adoption has to be the greatest example of this. Mother’s that come in our doors often, if not always, articulate two viewpoints-that of herself, and that of her unborn child. I have found that the essence of adoption is “What will be best for my child?” After all it is not a mother’s job to speak for her voiceless child? Who would be better than a mother? I believe Mother’s are the comprehenders of the things their children (even 24 year old children) do not or cannot say.

I know that I am always saying that my job is the most difficult yet rewarding work I have ever had. It is so full of emotional ups and downs that sometimes I wonder why I am putting myself through this…then I think of what the girls I work with must be going through. I hear things like “I can be a good mom!” “My baby should know her mother!” and “I can make this work!” But those are always mixed with expressions like “My baby wouldn’t have a father.” “I would have to work all of the time and I wouldn’t be able to give my baby the time she requires.” and “financially…and/or spiritually I just can’t provide everything my baby needs.” My emotional ups and downs are diminutive compared to theirs.

When a mother places her child in the arms of a couple there is a surfeit of emotions running through her. There is happiness at the prospect of the bright future she is giving to her child. She feels joy for the couple. There is also bitterness and jealousy. But the most overwhelming is sorrow. A greater sorrow I have yet to see.

As much as some people think that adoption is a selfish act, and that these mothers “give up” their children because they didn’t want them is sadly mistaken. These women…These mothers place their children because their thoughts of themselves, their wants, and their desires have been put aside and their thoughts are solely of the wellbeing and happiness of their child. I have come to believe that the sacrifice of mothers is more akin to Godly sacrifice than any this mortal existence can allow.

As I said before my experience is limited. Adoption has been the most prevalent and commanding motherly occurrences I have seen in the last year. Please do not think that I deem the sacrifice of mothers to be the providence of adoption. I look back at the sacrifices my mother made, and still makes for her children. She desires nothing more than the wellbeing and happiness of her kids. I would not be where I am without my mother.

I am positive that I won’t fully understand motherly heartache until I am a mother myself, but I am just as positive that it is a pious and hallowed type of hurt.

All I can do is hope that I have caused more joy than heartache to my mother. I know that it kills a mother to watch her kids grow up…but then again, knowing my mother’s kids, it may have killed her quicker if they didn’t.

I love you 5 Momma

Hot Crossed buns

As a child I learned the nursery rhyme "Hot Cross Buns." I always wondered: What is a hot cross bun? How come sons only get them if there aren't any daughters? And why are they priced one 'ah penny, and two 'ah penny? Who would just buy one when you can have two?!

Hot cross buns are spiced, slightly sweet yeast rolls studded with currants and sometimes candied citron. What makes Hot crossed buns Hot Crossed Buns is the cross on the top of the bun made with frosting, white pastry dough, or cuts in the dough. The dessert acts as a reminder of the crucifixion and is a traditional treat on Good Friday on the Christian calendar. Its origins date back to the Saxons who marked buns with a cross to honor the goddess Eostre, the goddess of light, whose name eventually morphed to Easter.

Here is how to make a special Easter treat.

Hot Crossed Buns Recipe
(The easy way)
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (1 Tbs.)
• 2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115 F)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 3/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup currant
• 1/4 cup chopped citron
• quick icing (recipe below)

QUICK ICING
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1-2 teaspoon water

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl. Add egg, sugar and 1 12 cups of the baking mix.

2. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 2 minutes medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally.

3. Stir in remaining baking mix, the cinnamon, nutmeg, currants and citron; beat vigorously 1/2 minute.

4. Spoon dough into 12 greased medium muffin cups. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour.

5. Heat oven to 375°F Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Make a cross on each bun with Quick icing. 12 buns.

6. Quick Icing, blend 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar ad 1 to 2 teaspoon water.

Or you can always do it the cheater’s way (and by far my favorite and what I deem as the tastiest way)!

Make cinnamon or orange rolls and frost them with a big’ol X.

ENJOY!

One Nation

'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' - Ronald Reagan

HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY!!!

On the last day of this countdown I thought a little history about the day and currant traditions would be fitting

In the past, Saint Patrick's Day was celebrated as a religious holiday. It became a public holiday in 1903. The first St. Patrick's Day parade held was held in Dublin in 1931. Although secular celebrations now exist, the holiday remains a religious observance in Ireland, for both the Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church.

It was only in the mid-1990s that the Irish government began a campaign to use Saint Patrick's Day to showcase Ireland and its culture. The government set up a group called St. Patrick's Festival.

The first Saint Patrick's Festival was held on 17 March 1996. In 1997, it became a three-day event, and by 2000 it was a four-day event. By 2006, the festival was extended to a five day event.

However in recent years Christian leaders in Ireland have expressed concern about the secularization of St Patrick's Day. March 2007 in The Word magazine's, Fr. Vincent Twomey stated that, "it is time to reclaim St Patrick's Day as a church festival". He questioned the need for "mindless alcohol-fuelled revelry" and concluded that, "it is time to bring the piety and the fun together".

"Wearing of green"

Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. The phrase "the wearing of the green" (a popular Irish folk song), means to wear a shamrock on one's clothing

In the US of A

Irish Society of Boston organized what was the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the colonies on March 17, 1737. The first celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1766, the parades were held as political and social statements because the Irish immigrants were being treated unfairly. New York's first Saint Patrick's Day Parade was held on March 17, 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army. In 1780, General George Washington, who commanded soldiers of Irish descent in the Continental Army, allowed his troops a holiday on March 17, 1780 as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence." This event became known as The St. Patrick's Day Encampment of 1780.

TODAY

In the Northeastern United States, peas are traditionally planted on Saint Patrick's Day. Random? Yes. Interesting? Definatly.

Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1961 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and got the idea to turn the river green for St. Patrick's Day (the dye only lasts a few hours). Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade. In Jamestown, New York, the Chadakoin River (a small tributary that connects Conewango Creek with its source at Chautauqua Lake) is dyed green each year.

Even the Capital gets involved on St. Patrick’s Day. Last year was the first year to dye the fountain green

Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1961 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and got the idea to turn the river green for St. Patrick's Day

 (the dye only lasts a few hours).

The Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois on Saint Patrick's Day.

In Savannah, Georgia a parade travels through Savannah's Historic District. One tradition that has developed has been the official "dyeing of the fountains" which happens several days before the parade.

In Hot Springs, Arkansas, perhaps the smallest notable parade is the World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade. St. Patrick’s day parade is held annually on historic Bridge Street which became famous in the 1940s when Ripley’s Believe It or Not designated it “The Shortest Street in the World.”

Indianapolis dyes their river green too

In Syracuse, New York celebrations begin with the delivery of green beer to Coleman's Irish Pub on the first Sunday of March. Coleman's is located in the Tipperary Hill section of the city. Tipperary Hill is home to the World famous "Green-on-Top" Traffic Light and is historically the Irish section in Syracuse. Saint Patrick's Day is rung in at midnight with the painting of a Shamrock under the Green-Over-Red traffic light. Syracuse has the largest St. Patrick's Day celebration per-capita in the United States. Their annual parade typically draws in an estimated crowd of more than 100,000 visitors to downtown Syracuse, as well as 5,000 to 6,000 marchers.

The New York City parade has become the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade in the world. In a typical year, 150,000 marchers with a couple of million spectators.

In Boston Massachusetts they dye the river green as well

Holyoke, Massachusetts was the site of massive Irish immigration in the 19th Century, and hosts a Parade its organizers claim is the second largest in the United States. It is heald on the Sunday following St. Patrick's Day each year. Attendance exceeds 300,000, with over 25,000 marchers, through a 2.3 mile route in this city of 40,000.

Even Rexburg Idaho is trying to instate an annual river dying

In Venice Italy they the canals seem a little greener on St. Patricks Day!

As you can see Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-colored clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched, usually affectionately.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world! Get into the green sprit!

(Celtic)Step Dance

I miss Irish dancing terribly. I have stepped it out for a lot of years. I miss teaching it as well. This will be the first year where I haven’t performed on St. Patricks day for at least 5 years.

So in honor of the Step here are a few facts

Irish dance is a traditional dance form originating in Ireland. Irish dance can be divided into social dance and performance dances. While Irish social dances can be divided further into céilí (said kay-lee) and set dancing. Irish set dances which are danced by 4 couples arranged in a square, while céilí dances are danced by varied formations of couples of 2 to 16 people. In addition to their formation, there are significant stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance. Irish social dance is a living tradition and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish dance community.

Irish performance dancing is traditionally referred to as stepdance. Irish stepdance, popularized the show "Riverdance," known for its rapid leg movements with the body and arms being kept largely stationary. The solo stepdance is generally characterized by a controlled but not rigid upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the feet. The solo dances can either be in "soft shoe" or hard shoe".

Soft shoe dances include the reel, slip jig, light jig and single jig . Reels have a 4/4 (or sometimes 2/4 or 2/2) time signature. Slip jigs are in 9/8 time. Light and single jigs are in 6/8 time, with different emphasis within the measure distinguishing the music. Hard shoe dances include the hornpipe in 2/4 time, the hard jig (also called the treble jig) in a slow 6/8, the treble reel and traditional sets, which are a group of 36 dances with set music and steps. Many traditional sets have irregular musical phrasing. There are also more advanced "non-traditional sets" done by advanced dancers. These have set music, but not steps.

The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew with Irish traditional music. Originating in Pre-Christian Ireland, Irish dance was later influenced by dance forms from the Continent, especially the Quadrille.

As Irish people emigrate all over the world, they took their cultural traditions with them. Many people think that Sean-nós dancing have influenced various other forms of traditional solo dance, especially those found in areas with strong Irish communities. Historically, it is likely that sean-nós dance influenced the development of many American and Canadian traditional percussive dance forms, such as buck dancing, flatfooting, clogging, and tap dancing.

Irish social, or céilí (pronounced kay-lee) dances vary widely throughout Ireland and the rest of the world. A céilí is a social gathering featuring Irish music and dance. Céilí dancing is a specific type of Irish dance. A céilí dance may be performed with as few as two people and as many as sixteen. Céilí dances may also be danced with an unlimited number of couples in a long line or proceeding around in a circle. Céilí dances are often fast and complex. In a social setting, a céilí dance may be "called" -- that is, the upcoming steps are announced during the dance for the benefit of newcomers. Sound familiar?

There are two types of shoes. The first is the soft shoe, otherwise known as ghillies (pronounced gill-ee), and Hard shoes for the heavy dances, such as horn pipe---- The hard shoe is similar to tap shoes, except that the tips and heels are made of fiberglass, instead of metal. The soft shoes, which are called ghillies, resembles a ballet shoe except there is no hard toe box, the ribbons are exchanged for laces, and the pink for black. Gillies are only worn by girls, while boys wear a black leather shoe called a reel shoe, which resembles a black jazz shoe with a hard heel. Boy's soft-shoe dancing features audible heel clicks.

Below is ballet vs. Irish

Guess Whos legs?

Several generations ago, the appropriate dress for a competition was simply your "Sunday Best”. In the 1970s and 1980s, ornately embroidered dresses became popular. Today even more ornamentation is used on girls' dresses, including lace, sequins, silk, extensive embroidery, feathers, faux fur and more. Irish Dancing schools have school dresses, which are worn by "Beginner" through "Novice" dancers. When dancers reach a level decided by their school, may get a solo dress of their own design and colors. Solo dresses can range from 500 to 3000 dollars. Today most women and girls curl their hair or wear a wig for a competition or feis (pronounced fesh), because traditionally in Ireland girls had nicely curled ringlets. Today most men wear a shirt, vest, and tie assigned by their school paired with black trousers or a kilt. But when they get into the higher levels, as the girls do, they get to pick their own vest, shirt and tie.