Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A Walk Around Town

Just a few of my favorite places from my new neighborhood in the City:

King Street


Vaso's

 

and nothing beats a Yarn Shop close enough to walk to



Monday, January 17, 2011

A Weekend of Joy



I took the train to Winston-Salem this past weekend to care for my Grandson while his parents were away at a Wedding.

Pure Joy

 
We played and played, inside and out





Grandpa came to pick me up... or maybe really to have some Grandson time of his own




All that made for one very tired little boy

                                                                                
And a very content set of Grandparents.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Preserving Children

What better thing to do whilst sitting inside a 12th floor condo in the city on a cold winter day than to dream and plan the large scale garden I plan to have in the country come spring. Which lead me to browse seed and farming catalogues and guides...which lead me to canning an preserving recipes...which lead me to this:

Preserved Children

Take one large field, a dozen children, 2-3 small dogs, a pinch of a brook, and add some pebbles. Mix together the children and dogs; sprinkle the field with flowers; spread over all a sky of deep  blue and bake in the sun. When brown, set away to cool in the bathtub
                                                      from the Encyclopedia of Country

I can't wait to get my Grandson to the Dream Farm and try this one out!

Monday, January 3, 2011

The New Year

During my Child Raising days, I never really paid too much attention to New Years Eve or the Change in Date (except for writing checks....which took until March to get right). For our family the 'New Year" started in late August when the kids returned to school from the summer vacation. New classes, new teachers, new uniforms, new shoes, new sports schedules, new routines...... I even always got in the mood to try new foods that time of year. It seemed like a good time to start everything fresh. I tended to do my 'Spring cleaning' the month of September, free of children to keep the things I was getting rid of and from messing up the uncluttered and freshly scrubbed areas of our home. I loved having New cookies and treats for the children when they came home from school. I loved going to the New games and practices with them and meeting New people. I loved the New adventure we were all on with that start of the 'New Year"
Then came 2010.
The start of the School year meant the end of Motherhood for me...or at least so I thought at the time. I viewed it as an End rather than the New Beginning I had been accustomed too.
 But....We spent most of September traveling instead of cleaning and for a change, I was the one who got new shoes instead of the kids. The dread of the Empty Nest was replaced a seemingly constant change in Lifestyle complete with a new place to Live.
And so I looked at New Years Day 2011 in a whole different light. There is an anticipation and an excitement of the unknown that is New feeling for me. Wonderment of what is to come has replaced the predictability of the old routines and schedules.
And I Like it.