Place

 

More and more, she takes the slow, short drive that is the long way home. Her spirit calls for it. Up the road, towards the iron gate...a hill that skirts the open land beyond that gate. 

She is flooded with memories and questions that continue to remain unanswered.

Windows down she reaches for the places she's loved for so long. The little houses, not the grand ones...the trees dressed in their seasonal color. She looks for the wild turkeys and the hawks. She looks for any changes and finds comfort in the familiar.

She wonders: why has she loved the little places more, the house with a collection of old beat up 'vintage' trucks...not the giant wrap around porches, three car garages or swimming pools? She welcomes in the things that call just to her...just to unique her.

80 degrees and long shadows pull her eyes to familiar places...rows of trees, stands of oaks. It is not the big houses there - it is the trees. And it is the peeling paint on the porch posts of the little one bedroom and the placement of one golden-yellow preschool sized plastic chair, metal legs - waiting in the grass of the front yard, where never a child has been seen.

It's the low flat rock where she sat some 25 years ago, mourning her daddy and looking to the hills for conversations with him. It's the green covered hillside lot, behind a white fence...empty for the same 25 odd years. A small "for sale by owner" holding the the entirety of the heartbreaking tale of a couple with land purchased, ready to build a home...until the wife passes away and the lot sits empty...forever. The small rise of the land, oaks at the entrance, bigger hillside behind...someplace to build, to sit and look out - look out towards?

She wonders...

Where is your spirit place?

 

May you take some time to reflect

May you not get lost there

May you treasure your old stories as the golden gift that they are

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2025

Talk About Slow

AKA: All In Good Time

Well if you jump in my time machine and travel back a little more 

than two years down the trail to here

...you'll see at the very end of the post a little chap all packed and ready to go. 

You'll see Mr. PR.

Mr. PR

 Look at that face!  In true Nancy fashion, things around here move at a s-l-o-w pace.  But, I've got to tell you all that Mr. PR has not minded one bit.  He has spent his days packing and unpacking his suitcase, visiting "The Girls" (my neighbors chickens) in the back 40,  and listening the pleas, rants and ideas of The Gang.

It turns out many of them want to travel with him.

Dutch Boy has said repeatedly that he is tall and strong and could help carry his bag and help with the little ones.  He reminds Mr. PR about the time he held back all of the water in the dike!!!  He says that surely he could be put to good use on this trip and in this new community.  I smile when they have these conversations as Dutch Boy is usually so quiet and looks to be so shy.  Yet, he is a confident young man nonetheless and he speaks proudly of what he has done and what he feels he could contribute.  He reminds Mr. PR that when he held back the water, he was at first working all alone.  He worked alone until it was almost unbearable and he thought he would fail.  But, then others saw him and came to help too.  He insists it was his quiet steadfastness that drew the others in and in the end, saved the whole community as they all worked together.

It turns out that Mr. PR is a good listener.  He not only wallows in the dusty dirt out back, but he wallows in the feelings of others.  He heard Dutch Boy, reflected on what he said and decided he had presented a truthful case.  

Dutch Boy is now anxiously awaiting the journey.

Mr. PR and Dutch Boy fooling around.  Silly guys!

 Meanwhile, the Twins and their Big Baby Sister all listened to this conversation as they rested in their spots.  You see, all three have been very young for many years.  For a long while now, the three of them have not been feeling as well as one would think they would.

I mean, look at these girls (yes, you are right the are not identical twins, although sometimes they can fool people!)

The Twins

They are so adorable and look so healthy within their little bodies.

But, alas...sometimes looks can be deceiving.  All of these years later and wellness fades.

Over here, we love them and Big Baby Sister just the same.  They have shown us all that each one of us has something to contribute to the community.  The twins are our sweethearts.  They are the two who soothe the hurt feelings and settle the squabbles between the others.  Maybe being a twin has given them an extra edge on learning how to compromise and live together.  They've asked to travel on the journey because they heard the stories of the far-away place and think there may be healing properties there for them.

They KNOW there will be fun and lots of new folks to meet, which really excites them!  They've convinced Mr. PR (and Dutch Boy agrees) that they have something to offer and something to gain from this trip.  Isn't that how life should be? they ask in their diplomatic voices.  Big Baby Sister listened.  She then said, in no uncertain terms (putting down her bigger baby foot, if you will) that if The Twins are going, then she she shall be going too.  She asked Dutch Boy to help her gather her things.  I hope the days of travel are not too hard on her she is almost 50 years young-old.

The others overheard the plans of the Three Babies...more of The Gang began to speak up!

Oy!

_____________________________________________________

So, as all of this conversation and chatter and convincing and...well...there has been no compromising really...has been going on...I've been busy trying to make their trip come together.

I thought it was close.

I really did.

Letters were written.

Odds and Ends collected.

Yarn Fibers had long, long ago spoken. 

Scraps of fabric lay in wait.

All of The Gang, who had asked, pleaded, demanded or begged to go...were ready.

AND THEN...

Cloth spoke.

sigh

________________________

Now we all know there is a grand difference between fabric and cloth. 

Cloth Speaks

This cloth said "NANCY...what are you thinking???  You always send something with at least a stitch or two on it...some sort of Story Starter.  Why have you allowed so many of The Gang to go and gathered the other Goodies...and not considered sending a stitch?  Especially when you look everyday at the beautiful stitches of hers, of Saskia's 

~ which hang on the wall within easy view.

Well, what could I do, but listen to Vintage Cloth Chick?!

Vintage Cloth Chick

So, in between her sips of The Bubbly, I'm putting some stitches into her neighborhood.

I'm trying real hard not to spill as I stitch!

OK, OK Vintage Cloth Chick, I heard ya!

______________________________________

I better get back to work before someone else around here speaks up!

I sure hope Saskia is ready for the influx of those hearing about her beautiful promised land!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

Moments

Besides all the stitching I've been doing...

besides that, these are the moments that sustain me.

I look for them.

I embrace them.

I hold them gently.

Or I gasp in awe and delight or amazement.

Then I let them go.

These are the moments that make up my days.

Fantastic or mundane.

A treasure, every one.

Take a tour of past moments from the summer of 2015...

(as always click on photos to enlarge)

Morning sky from my shower

Morning oranges from my shower

July 4th fly by...it was so low!  Right on top of us!

Peace and Love ~ J. goes to Ringo's Birthday celebration, I get the bracelet!

Remember the children's books "Where's Waldo?" ~ On my lunch walk it was "Where's Mickey?"

Peace

 This drop sat here all day.  Curious.

Sunflower to the sky

Possibilities

Saying goodbye

 In my cleaning out, I passed this activity set on to a teacher I know.  Don't you just love that little Pickle Woman?  Her cape has a "P" on it :) That's her pals Pretzel and Frog with her.

Another lunch time walk.  This one had me thinking of Saskia.  Amazing how intact it is.

Rusty, found by J. The guy knows a good gift when he sees it!

Whirly-gig made by J.

Lunch walk ~ I love skies like this!

Birds over the back 40

There were 5-6, but I couldn't get them all in the picture at the same time.  Loved the nice cool sky, for a change.

We even got a bit of rain...YAY!!!

Hello there!

The mess

 I'm getting to where I just dislike this room and want to throw everything out!

At least some floor shows, and even more since I took this picture.  I keep getting rid of stuff and it keeps looking like this.  Grrr...

I've spent days looking for something in there that I wanted to use for a current project.

No luck.

I guess the universe had other plans for me and this project.  It did prompt me to clean more parts up (read that as move piles around!)  The ironing board is down and fabric is together in a giant pile to be looked at later.  What a disaster!

How can I poetically embrace this moment?  Mmmm?

A little (big) first aide for thin skin, which doesn't like adhesive.  Another way to bring cloth into your life!

Smile!  Bringing some sunshine in a blue sky into the workplace for a special celebration.  Cloth saves the day when a yellow shirt is nowhere to be found!

Gathered on the needle, warmth

I hope you've been enjoying the many moments that make up your days, as I have.

Now, if someone would just turn off the darn heat!

 Take Care, Be Kind

Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015