Random

 These days...

we lean in to the old and comfortable

we participate in the new and brain challenging

we let our hands speak and our hearts listen

we learn and remember

we cherish...

These days we certainly cherish the people, activities, places important to us

we cherish what we've had and what we continue to have and our ability to travel on

we cherish the natural world around us

These days we appreciate the big, the small, the in between

we appreciate our movement and our resting...

we dwell in it all, in it all

~~~~~~⌛~~~~~~

Thursday, October 14, 2021 - Late Evening

We are big fans of Huell Howser over here, but y'all know that! Tonight's two episodes were about the Skunk Train, which looks like great fun if we are ever up North. It's pretty funny how many places we've been because of this man, Huell or how many times in our travels we've announced "Huell's been here!".

Tonight I even discovered, for the first time, that the Chapman University, which archives his videos, has a map of places he's visited! Now, that will give us something to do someday.

The second episode was about this farm near Fresno. It was such a beautiful, peaceful episode about a family peach farm. Just listening to David Mas Masumoto and his family reminded me of my last post, of so many of you and your posts too. He was so eloquent (as was his daughter), philosophical (in an easy to digest way!)...so kind. When I discovered he is also a writer, I went looking (of course) and spent time looking over his page at Amazon and reading more about their farm online. Here is the episode, perhaps you will enjoy too:

Masumoto Family Farm

~~~~~~⌛~~~~~~

Last night, a rather sleepless night. Awoke remembering a job of long ago. 

I was 20 and newly married...got a job at a family owned pharmacy right next to my apartment. In fact, all I had to do was go through a hole in the fence and I was there! I don't remember much about the job. I only lasted 2-4 weeks, can't recall. It was a mutual decision - not a good fit. My main job duties were to manage the Hallmark Card Department. I had already worked in a Brand New Department store setting up the Hallmark Department from scratch, so no problem I thought. Ha. The husband/father owner was the pharmacist and the wife/mother owner spent time telling me How to keep up the cards and do the other tasks. "You have to put the envelope behind the card and make sure they are all in their correct spots". Really?! She watched me like a hawk as I did this simple task. When everything was in order, I was instructed to clean up the cigarette cartons. This meant I was to very neatly rip off the ragged edges of the opened boxes on the shelf behind the counter. I was not to ever be idle, between cards and cartons and dusting shelves of breakable knick-knacks. Their son who worked the register, was quite idle...he was mostly idle and he ripped open the cartons without a care in the world. He was a wonderful creator of ragged edges. He sat around behind the counter doing nothing and directing me. I did not care for him, nor he me. 

Who would have guessed that 40 some odd years later I would so enjoy sewing ragged edges.

~~~~~~⌛~~~~~~

I also awoke with a word.

PRIDE

According to Dictionary.com, it is defined as such:

noun

1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

2. the state or feeling of being proud. 

3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem. 

4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.

5. celebration of a specific minority group and affirmation of equal rights for members of that community: Black pride;Puerto Rican pride.See also Pride1. 

verb (used with object), prid·ed, prid·ing.

to indulge or plume (oneself) in a feeling of pride (usually followed by on or upon): She prides herself on her tennis.

I find it interesting how pride can be both positive and negative.

This led me to thoughts of a favorite book: Life is So Good

~~~~~~⌛~~~~~~

Worried Man Blues

~~~~~~⌛~~~~~~

May your random thoughts be productive, in some way

May there always be music

May you lean in, reach out, hold up

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2021 

Satisfaction & Dread

This will mean nothing to anyone but me, perhaps.

However, I need to save it here after searching for so long!

I know I've written about this in the past...

that thing where I spontaneously recall a place from my past.

Usually this is a place where I've lived or traveled, that for whatever reason 

has become stuck in my mind & heart, a place to revisit at will.

The photo above in one of those places, well kind of.

For ages now, I've tried to remember what this place was.

We did not GO here, but merely drove past...

down past the long vine covered walls & around the

corner 

(Or roundabout I discover)...past the arch in the photo above.

We continued for a short bit stopping at a small Harley shop and art gallery space.

~Road Trip in Sedona, AZ in 2009~

I have wanted to go back to Sedona...and Flagstaff, for that matter, ever since that 2009 trip.

But, until that possible time, I am somewhat ridiculously relieved to finally have a name and actual location for the above memory!

 

↔   ↔  ↔  ↔  ↔  ↔ 

 

On a smaller scale, closer to home, I've been trouble-shooting my way through the first steps of Orlo's Christmas Stocking. There has been an awful lot of that problem solving, along with trial & error, doing & undoing and slow going. but, I'm not detoured. I just keep going.

    First thought was to use these old shorts from my High School days                                        and that handy removable cross stitch fabric. You know, the kind that after stitching, you get it damp and pull those threads out.

After several mistakes and trying again...I gave up on that idea. Can you see how those little threads are doubled? Way to wreck your dry eyes!

On to my next idea of using regular cross stitch cloth and layering it on top of the old corduroy shorts fabric, once the name was stitched on.  I was pleased with this mistake and change of plans because the green really didn't show up that well on the brown corduroy. But the new cross stitch fabric looked SO BRIGHT after staring at brown corduroy! So, into the tea dye it went!

 

I'm always fascinated with the lights and darks, nooks and crannies, shadowy images 

in a dye jar.

They remind me of the lesson on "subliminal messages" from a High School English class unit on advertising. We studied those old ads for Whiskey, where supposedly there were sexy women hidden in the ice cubed drink delight!

Anyway, the cross stitch fabric looks much better now 

and will fit in well with the old corduroy.

If my tired eyes could just get it done.

 

I wasn't too sure what all I had for the stocking liner. 

Then I remembered  I had some muslin, so into the dye jar it went too!

His stocking will smell like Ginger Tea!

↔   ↔  ↔  ↔  ↔  ↔

*Imagine this as the Presidential Race (I couldn't find a better pic!)

https://www.axios.com/how-msnbcs-steve-kornacki-preps-for-election-day-1541509344-ece36be9-4d9f-4559-9899-789ef026a5eb.html

 

I told J that children should Trick-or-Treat as Steve Kornacki!

Such an easy costume, right?

Tan pants, glasses, button down shirt and a tie....rolled up piece of paper in hand

and a poster board of the "Big Board" .

J said that it was a good joke in the house, but not to do for reals...because it isn't Scary Enough! I quickly retorted, Make the whole map red, that'll be scary! 

Ha 

 

As we wind down these last days to our future of our world election,

May you keep a sense of humor

May you embrace a patient nature

May you hold on to your sanity!

 

Be well all

xo

Photographs by NAE ©2020

trippin'

  

A little road trip from here to there.

We found this old video J made and posted on you tube back in 2010.

We'd forgotten all about it!

J's music, us, children, grandson.

Adventure!

I like his music and the way he edited the movie clips,

which gave it an old timey and fun feel.

Now it is here, so we can remember.

May find family treasures in the least likely places
May you find ways to hold the memories
xo 

Collage Prompt

These collage prompts of Acey's, my ideas for them and the postings of others 

have sure brought up so many thoughts and memories!

I've really enjoyed that aspect.

For instance I've been thinking of some of the oldest trees

after making a tree of my own.

And I've been thinking about this old phrase I said years ago

when told to make a creative scrapbook page about myself for a workplace.

"assigned creativity" 

⇌

A Phrase of Life

She moves with guarded honesty,

     through the choreographed chaos.

Embracing and ignoring shredded regrets.

Freedom absorbed seriously,

       like a claustrophobic bear.

Wickedly resisting pre-packaged values

     and assigned creativity.

Then, the moon pulls her home,

          into vertical dreams

Until the jasmine blooms.

 Nancy A. Erisman

December  16, 2005

⇹

The value of words has come up as others have placed words in their collage work.

Then I found this old draft below from 2011.

↙↘

There are some words
we
      use
            a lot
They roll off our tongues
         like chocolate in drool
we say them or write them so often

that we forget why we loved them in the  first place
     Still other words make us tingle and giggle as they dance on our eardrums, each and every time we use them.
Words like  -  serendipity...
                                            jambalaya...

                                                               and Rancho Cucamonga

⇲ ⇲

Words spoken hold even a different value. 

The audio component adds another whole dimension.

I love words!

⇅

The ideas of the collage are inspiring, 
yet still I have been motionless.
I've been hiding out of sorts.

⇵

The Old Poets of China

By Mary Oliver

Wherever I am, the world comes after me.

It offers me its busyness. It does not believe 

that I do not want it. Now I understand 

why the old poets of China went so far and high 

into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.

 ⇡

Always keep a place to which you can retreat

~Chinese Proverb

⇥⇤

How big can your world be?

~Jude Hill 10/16/2012

⇜⇝⇜⇝

 All of these popped into view while I was looking for something else.

I thought that fitting.

I am finally doing this post on the "divide the page" prompt.
I had pulled out the materials for it.
Thought it.
And finally did it. 

⇉

"Prompt #5:  Divide a page in half on the diagonal.

Select two images that feel like the beginning of a conversation.

Add a few more pieces to each side of the dialogue."

~Acey 

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

These two images and the California map are what came to mind
when I read this prompt.
You could call this one finding True North.
North is my Morro Bay and Big Sur.
North is an old friend.
North is where my heart is.
South is where I am. The cube being the box of a daily life.
I've had that cube image for years and years,
as something always appealed to me about it.
I thought it would be amazing made of a variety of gorgeous woods.
I wanted to figure out how to make one of cloth (never did).
But here it is now, representing living in the box.
The diagonal was shaded in with pencil to represent
the cement I feel stuck in.
Then I added the crudely created burlap feet for the journey and
more flowers and greenery to represent growth and happiness.
I had to mess around with the map a bit, as it was too big for the page.
But. then I came up with the idea of the divide being a chunk of the state taken away,
for this page is really about the...
here and there
now and later
reality and dream

"...how parts of things can just run into another part..."
~Jude Hill
 2/2/?

⇪

In other news:
I finished The Stranger in the Woods.
I highly, highly recommend  this one! I've since loaned it to two people 
and they too, could not put it down! In fact both of them clutched it to their chest while telling me how much they liked it!
When I get it back, it will be off in the mail to a friend, 
but if anyone would like a turn after that, let me know.
I will add that also, it has two hand drawn maps in the beginning. 
I'm such a sucker for maps in books!
It also has that 'run away from it all' theme that speaks to me.
"Make me a bird and let me fly far, far away"
I once gathered a list of those kinds of books that I've read,
I like them that much.

Now I am reading another book bought on the November trip,
Hippie
I am enjoying this one as well (Not as much as the 'Stranger' book though).
After opening my mind and heart a bit more to the man in the wheelchair,
we've had some good talks. I'm going to loan him Hippie when I am done, but if anyone would like it after that, let me know.

On a recent trip to the local Barnes and Nobel to purchase new baby books,
I noticed this end-cap display.
I was in shock!
I took a peek around to see if their was an I Love T. one too,
but nope, just the Obamas!

Lastly, I finally messed around with that card a bit and made it work.
I almost gave up on it as cutting the gun out made it awkward.
Then I remembered this picture of my grandson from years ago.
It worked! Silly 9 year old off for a birthday row! 
I was going to use some white card stock I'd found to cover 
the patched work on the inside of the card, 
but then I walked past this old creation in my paper tub.
American Sign Language: "I love you"!

May you find and hold onto Love wherever you look, wherever you go.
May you find strength to cross great divides
and pack a good read as you travel!

Photographs by NAE ©2020

Goodbye and Arrival - After the Picnic

Elephant Trio sees the Gang off on their journey

After the day of the Picnic, it was really time for them to go.  last minute preparations  were made, which turned into a Going Away Party.

Elephant Trio raises their Red Orb in celebration of the Big Journey the Gang will be taking as they pose for one last group photo here at my place.

It was quite the party with everyone talking at once in excited voices and partaking in all of the delicious food that Mexican Lady served (she likes to do that, you know) and bustling about packing things up.

Elephant Trio had planned to join them, but at the last moment an Important Telegram came for them.  It read:

Don't go.  Needed elsewhere.  More soon.

Now, I wonder what that is all about?!

I guess we will just have to wait for further instructions.

Raising their Red Orb!

Mouse suggests a game of Hide-and-go-Seek as well as bit of a treat to eat!

Big Baby cuddles with Littlest Boy Baby in her traveling suitcase.  

She's been ready for 50 years!

Wild Turkey Feathers

Fly well my friends, you'll always be remembered with love.

*After-note: As Saskia noted on the previous post, they have arrived safely.  She plans to update their arrival when computer issues allow.  Until then, please know that all is well and they are all settling in and making many new acquaintances.  Their story shall continue.  I for one, can't wait!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2016

Go North Old Gal

I was lucky enough to head up North last Saturday 

to visit friends & former sibling students and their family.

These children I once care for as infants and young toddlers are now 10 and 12 and both amazing human beings.  I feel so blessed to have the relationships with them and their parents continue for all these years.

We still share a bond.

We enjoyed a good meal and a nice walk.

Some of you may remember the beautiful butterfly post from years passed.

The butterflies had already traveled on, but the gardens, trees, smells and ocean views were as lovely as always.

The trip through one of my favorite valleys and up the coast was alive with spring green, bright sunlight and our sparkling blue-green ocean.  

Breathtaking!

I wish I could bring you along on such a glorious day.

Anyway, here is a short photo journey.

A tiny hummingbird nest rests on the lights under a an awning on my friend's patio.

Now, that's a tiny house!!

A neighbor's garden, already a riot of color.

Don't these look like stitches?!!

AKA a Kantha Succulent!

 See that short trail in the ocean?

Here is a closer view.  I loved the brightness of the green in the dimming light of day.

 Sunset on the water.  Sizzle.

This weekend it is supposed to be about 94 degrees!

It's only March, I'm not ready for summer.

That's what SoCal looks like!

All sunshine, all the time.

Monday at work, I got to watch these two doves smooching it up in the tree by my car.

So sweet.

May your coming days be filled with this much love, friendship and beauty!

~Nancy

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2015

8~ July Trip

Well in the last post...I quickly hit publish without telling you of the most excellent bookstore in Morro Bay (where some of the garden pictures were taken).  It is called Coalesce and is one of those independent bookstores with a coastal, hippie, liberal feel to it.  One you could stay in for hours!  The garden/chapel area was just wonderful!  Another reason to live in this town in my book!!  Haha no pun intended!! Really.

The other garden pictures were behind a fantastic bead store.  I kinda mixed them up, but no matter.  This was the music store: Central Coast Music.  I wouldn't feel right not linking them...giving them all their moment in the sun!  Such cool stores and folks up that way!
I just think it would be wonderful to live somewhere that has gardens behind their stores!


So, on our way home, we made some stops in Avila Beach, a beautiful Central Coast town.
We walked on the pier...

Lots of fish happenings and a cold breeze on this pier.

First pier I've been on that I've seen a fish cleaning station and men hard at work on that task.

The view to the right of the pier (above) and to the left of the pier (below).  I marveled at how different the water looked.  It really was green VS blue as shown in these photos!

The seals were loud and hysterical.  With this whole platform for them to sunbathe on...they all crowded on the corner together.  In fact, they not only crowded, but they fought over space there!  I had to chuckle as I felt the connection to my classroom!

Then we stopped at a farm...AND MORE stand.  There was tons of fruits and vegetables of every kind.  Super delicious white nectarines!! Plus, there was breads and specialty candies and honey...and more!

What a scene!

Right along side the edibles, there were all sorts of animals!
Horses, goats, chickens, rabbits...and more!  I of course thought of Grace when I saw the goats.  Their floppy ears looked so soft, I wanted to feel them!

Crazy Beatles haircut!!

This one was super tall

This place was jam packed with families with young children.  It was really nice to see so many out enjoying the beautiful day together.  It reminded me of something I would have done when my children were young.

Enjoying a tractor ride

For how many posts I made out of this short trip and for how long it has taken me to post them...one may get the idea that I really like looking back on this trip.  Well, they'd be right!  It was a wonderful trip that I'd do again in a heartbeat.  Like I said, I'd love to live on the Central Coast!
Next post: some animals and cloth...

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2014

7 ~ July Trip

Hi everyone!  Let's see...we left off admiring the many stones of Moonstone Beach.  I already gave one of them to my soon to be moving friend.  I put it into the medicine bag I wove for her.  Some of you may remember it...

One side

Other side

I gave her the one with a stripe around it (pictured in my previous trip post, #6), a Wishing Rock for those of you who remember my post about the book If You Find a Rock.  Anyway, the gift was well received and given with love.  I'll miss have her right over the hill from my house.

OK, so back to the July trip! After from Moonstone Beach,the guy and I walked a bit in town and checked out cool stores and more!

A lovely garden, behind a store.   Peaceful scenes like these left me wanting to live up there forever!

I've become so fond of words in a garden.  This garden was so beautiful and quiet.

There were little Fairy Gardens, with tiny things and succulents.  There were tons of succulents!  I'm a fool for anything miniature!

There was art on the fence and color standing out in the gray sky.  There were a wide variety of sculptures.  Of course, I photographed the turtle!  Metal art and glorious rocks rounded out the garden.

Everything was growing so well!  It was a pleasure to be there.

These were huge!

We also went into the music store, of course.  We shopped there the last time we were in Morro Bay.  This time there were quite a few unique guitars and a funny sculpture to look at.

We love this store because they are so down to earth and friendly, nothing like the big box store near home.

OK folks, that's it for this post.

I have only one more to do and I think I'll get that done this weekend too, so I can close out July in September!!!  lol

Stay tuned...

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2014