Roses

...I am distracted by beauty. Parked right in front of me is a teal vase containing a garden bouquet of twenty roses, a bright spectrum of colors: fuchsia, blue-red, talcy pink, peach, yellow-white (the Swan), purple-and-white stripe (Purple Tiger), orangey-cream tinged with pink (Abraham Darby), and a hot pink that verges on red (Leonardo da Vinci). They all have names, of course, such as Intrigue, Autumn Sunset, Lasting Peace, and Fame. Some open simply, others are densely ruffled. Some roses seem to be tumbling from the squat round vase, tumbling yet stopped in midair. Others are braced by the lip of the vase, chins resting. Most are fanned out at different angles. But for the green foliage giving them a context and weave, they would seem to be floating on clouds or a rose iceberg of different hues. The whole effect is beautiful enough to make one cry out, not in pain but in beauty. Wow!

         -  from "Cultivating Delight, A Natural History of My Garden" by Diane Ackerman 

The language of roses: 

love, grace, purity, charm, simplicity.

Rose Petal Tea

2 teaspoonfuls of fine black tea

1 teaspoonful dried, organic rose petals

2 cups boiling water

Pour the water over the tea and flowers, steep 5 minutes.

Strain and enjoy with honey and cream.

Wandering through gardens in books,
Mrs. K

           

Questions

I found this at featherinthenest.blogspot.com - Jennifer says she doesn't tag so just grab it if you feel like participating. So… if you feel like answering these questions and posting on your blog, leave me a comment so I can read your answers!

1. Would you rather live in Svalbard or Papua New Guinea?

Neither, forget it, not happening. My idea of camping is the Holiday Inn.

2. What is your favorite regional cuisine?

Italian

3. If a genie granted you the requisite education and experience for one career change, what career would you choose?

Archeologist

4. What is your favorite book?

Persuasion by Jane Austen

5. If tomorrow you had to choose the last cross stitch pattern you could ever stitch, which one would you choose?

The Loara Standish Sampler - which, by the way, I have the chart and all materials sitting, waiting patiently, nudging now and then.

6. What is your favorite season?

Autumn

7. What is your favorite finishing technique?

Hand sewing, it is so satisfying.

8. What is your favorite band/musician?

This is difficult, my music interests are so eclectic - opera, classical, folk, bluegrass, new age. However, if I have to choose one, I'll choose a composer, Debussy. His music has always moved me, taken me to other realms.

9. Describe your dream holiday.

A tour of Italy - a long tour, at least a year. Of course, I get homesick so maybe my favorite holiday is my life, being home in my little condo with my darling other half and the Doodlebee.

10. If you could instantly solve one problem that is plaguing the world today, which one would it be?

Intolerance.

11. Name two simple things that bring joy to your life.

My needlework and art pursuits. There are so many things that bring joy to my life. I am very lucky, those things are actually too numerous to list, it would go on and on...

Deliciously yours,
Mrs. K

Memories

I was reading today's post over at the Blind Pig and Acorn blog, all about life in Appalachia, (www.blindpigandtheacorn.com). Tipper's post was a list of remembrances by one of her readers about growing up in Western North Carolina. I have loved Western North Carolina and Appalachia since my very first visit some years ago. It seems something just draws me there and I keep going back, hoping to move there someday.

I grew up in upstate New York, near the Catskills, and lived in a small town, an area much like Western NC. That's probably the reason I love NC so much - nostalgia. I have always felt I was born in the wrong time because I love to do things the old fashioned way, love old crafts. I prefer cooking right from scratch, canning, weaving and embroidery, etc. There is so much of that back home and in NC. I know I won't get Mr. K. back to New York, but I keep hoping for at least halfway back!

The list Tipper posted by one of her readers reminded me of my favorite spring and summer pursuits as a child in the country. Inspired by that list, I thought I'd share some of them here.

- picking wild strawberries in fields and woods - those little tiny ones.
- going barefoot as soon as it was warm enough. We never wore shoes all summer and we would use our toes to pop tar bubbles on the tar and gravel road. Took a long time to get the tar off!
- building forts, with the trees that fell during winter storms, in the the woods.
- wandering the woods, alone or with friends, without any cares or fears.
- lightening bugs!
- watching bees on the flowers.
- barbecue every weekend - hot dogs, hamburgers, steak; especially my dad's Chinese hot dogs and hamburgers!
- sleeping out on the porch or in homemade tents out in the backyard.
- helping to plant our garden.
- stealing tomatos and cucumbers from the gardens to snack on, fresh and still warm from the sun.
- spraying each other with the garden hose to cool off until we got an "above-ground" swimming pool.
- my mom's potato salad with those hot dogs and hamburgers.
- watching the vegetables grow. I was born in the city and we moved to the country when I was eight. I was fascinated by all the flowers, gardens and trees.
- my mom's daffodils in the spring when it seemed too cold for flowers to be blooming.
- weeping willow trees.
- the row of lilac bushes in our backyard and the scent of them.
- neighborhood block parties.
- my first taste of venison.
- sitting on the patio on a Saturday night with everyone, roasting marshmallows, listening to the adults talk.
- falling asleep with the windows open, listening to the sounds of nature, trying to figure out what each sound was.

When we moved from the city to the country, my first experience was getting stung by a yellow jacket. We had some Lombardi trees along the driveway and I was sitting playing with the dirt around the trees when all of a sudden I felt the most awful stinging on my finger. I let out a wail and my parents and relatives, who were helping with the move, came running out. A neighbor came over and diagnosed the problem. A little ice and love from mom made all well. After that, stepping on bees and getting a sting in the foot was no big deal, we'd just rub our feet on the grass and went on our way. I guess the rubbing pulled the stinger out! Funny, everyone got stung now and then, bees, yellow jackets, wasps, but I never knew of anyone who was allergic.

No one would mind when we kids would steal a few vegetables to snack on. Those were the best, still warm and just so good. Sometimes we'd even make a salad. Everyone had gardens, some bigger than others, and people shared the bounty.

Now, my dad loved to barbecue and we loved to eat it so we barbecued a lot. He came up with a very funny, but really good idea to top burgers and hot dogs - Chun King chow mein!!! It sounds weird, but honestly we loved it. He would take one of my mom's copper bottomed pots and heat the chow mein on the edge of the grill. We'd bring our plates over, rolls open and waiting. He'd give us a burger or dog and top it with a spoonful of the chow mein. Boy, they were good. When friends would join us, they'd hesitate, but eventually give in and try it. They never could believe how good it was.

Weeping willows are still my favorite trees. It was such an amazing thing for us, fresh from the city and even later, to put a branch in some water and watch the roots come out. Those branches grew into trees pretty fast too and made wonderful places to to play under. We would also just stick a branch in the ground and it would grow into a tree pretty much in no time at all.

And I still love the sounds of night time, frogs in the lake, the wind in the trees and hedges, all the other rustles and sounds I can't identify, that lovely stillness that comes on slowly as we turn on a few lamps. We settle down, me with my needlework or a good book, and Mr. K. in the den watching TV or sometimes joining me in the living room, sitting in the willow rocker, chatting.

Life is good and so are the memories.

Deliciously yours,
Mrs. K.

Thoughts For A New Year

In general I like to avoid New Year's resolutions. As most of us know, they just set us up for disappointment, even the most enthusiastic and positive-minded of us. Every day is a new day, every hour, every minute, we can start over, start new projects, leave off the old and whatever doesn't work... at anytime. That being said, a new year, there's just something that puts many in a place to begin again. I can understand that because I feel that way myself sometimes. Usually January 2nd was my start over point though, as I feel New Year's day is still part of the holiday and I wasn't ready to "begin again."

Like most, I bounce around the internet reading, researching and wasting time too, ; ) but many times I come across good stuff. This morning is one of those times. I checked FaceBook, as usual, so I know what's going on with friends - generally more than I want to know, and came across a link to someone's blog (createyourgreatlife.wordpress.com) who had referenced another blog I occasionally look at (marcandangelhacklife.com) - and an article called 30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself. There is really good advice there - nothing that many of us haven't read elsewhere or know intuitively, but put together in a very handy little way that I am saving for my "Libby's Book of Wisdom" - a small notebook that I jot down various quotes, bits of advice and my own thoughts I think are really worth saving and carry in my handbag. However, it was a previous article (28 Dignified Ways To Impress Everyone Around You) and one particular point that really hit home and set me off. It's something I've thought about over the past few years a great deal in this time of texting, cell phones, iPads, social networking, etc. which, supposedly keeps us in touch with everyone all the time.

Really? Do these networks really do that? I don't think so. The point was number 24, Make Yourself Available and Approachable - "If people cannot get a hold of you, or have trouble approaching you, they will forget about you. They go on to suggest keeping an open line of communication to those around you. I certainly understand that folks can't take every phone call all the time, but there are people out there who never talk to anyone in person anymore - or perhaps it is just certain people they don't talk to?

OK, maybe I'm just old, but texting a brief reminder or hello is fine, but to carry on a conversation, it's ridiculous - never mind the auto-correct errors! Even a fast typist spends considerable time at this when, for goodness sake, you could pick up the phone and talk - it would take less time and just be so nice to actually hear the voice of someone I care about! I tend to call someone if they start a text conversation because I think it's just silly to keep typing. Sometimes they don't answer, but text me again - then I ignore them. I can't stitch and text at the same time. I can, however, talk and stitch at the same time.

Another thing, people who don't answer their phones and are rather proud of it. You have a phone with you all the time so you can be in touch, but let all your calls go to voice mail... all the time. What is it about that do you feel is so significant or important? Does it make you feel special? If you don't want to talk to anyone, why have a cell phone with you all the time? I won't even get started about the folks who you leave a message for and they don't call you back. If you don't want to talk to me anymore, please text me (this is what I call an appropriate text) and I'll remove you from my contact list.

These same people are the ones who post to their FaceBook or Twitter accounts, all day and night long, every little thing they are doing or thinking. Now this I just don't need. You have another headache? I'm sorry for you certainly, because I care about you, but do you need to post it every other day? Or the fact that you are at a certain restaurant or doing your exercise class or having tea, coffee, wine, whatever - you have time to post all this but not return a call to friends you claim to love so much? Should you really be posting that you're not home, where you can be found, etc. - not a good idea.

I post the occasional thought about what's happening. I share funny stuff or a photo. I never post what I am doing every hour on the hour, because I don't think it's important for everyone else. Certainly I think it's important to me, but to everyone else, no. However, in the spirit of everyone needs to know what I do, are you curious? OK, here's a rundown, basically, it's the same every day.

7:00 AM - Mrs. K. is drinking a large glass of water, as she does every day, to get her system going.
7:30 - 8:30 AM - Mrs. K. is having breakfast.
11:00 AM - Mrs. K. has straightened up the house and is having a cup of tea.
1:00 PM Lunchtime!
2:00 - 4:30 PM or so: talking on the phone to friends or relatives, reading, writing, stitching, painting, playing with the cat if he is awake, playing music, checking email, thinking, contemplating life. Some days I go to the grocery store, stitching shop, library, post office, etc.
5:00 PM - fixing dinner or thinking about what to fix if I haven't done this already.
6:30 PM - dinner with DH.
8:00 PM until bedtime: stitching, reading, drinking tea, talking to DH, phone call or three to friends and family, painting, gluing crap to other crap to make what I think could be art, playing with the cat, thinking, contemplating life, checking email, looking at my calendar for the next day in case there is something particular I have to do, sitting, staring into space wondering if I should go to bed since I just woke up, having fallen asleep over a book.
11:00 PM on - wash my face, brush my teeth, go to sleep... OR... stay awake until whenever, doing any and/or all of the above.

Are you bored? Do you really want to get a post or tweet (actually I don't tweet) about this repeatedly all day? Do you want to be involved in my life or really know what I am up to? If so, do me a favor, call me. I answer my phone.

Deliciously and sarcastically (at least today) yours,
Mrs. K.