Happy New Year 2013!

This is Kate.  She cared for my mother when my mother was a child.  She was the rock my mom leaned into.  I can't seem to remember her last name right now.  But I recall a few simple facts.  She was of German ancestry and was strong, stable and caring.  She's here tonight because the story I best remember about her is how she would wake my mom and my aunt at midnight on New Years eve and fix them hot chocolate to drink 

as they rang in the New Year!  

What a treat for a young child, to be allowed to get up after bedtime and drink a tasty treat!  

I wish I would have heard this story when my children were young, as I would have loved to carry on the tradition.
I think this story of hers should live on!

Happy New Year to all of my friends and family...may 2013 bring much goodness to all!

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

Beach Dream

Yesterday I spent a few hours with family and friends visiting
at a house, which sits on the edge of the beach.
We went to share the dream of an old friend.
A large patio filled with tiki trinkets and ocean life yard art 
and comfortable wicker & 
bamboo seats for relaxing.
So we did that.
We sat.
We chatted and lunched and enjoyed the much cooler ocean air.  And we watched.
The sailboats drift by, the bicycles move down the boardwalk, the volleyball players leap and dive ~ arms outstretched in anticipation.
We watched across the wide sands to see the the sun dance upon the water.
And strolled down to feel it's warmth tickle our toes.
And the queen of the house, the elderly friend
now eighty-eight
well sometimes she heard our words and sometimes she didn't.
I heard her though, each time she quietly repeated, 
in total contentment
how the air was 'so soft'...
the breeze, the air...
so soft.

I think everyone needs to bask in soft air now and then
It can be a hard world
Sometimes one needs
to sit at the edge
of the sands and be rocked by
the soft air.

NAE
©2012

You Can't Always Get What You Want ...

                          

As the Stones sing so well..."You can't always get what you want!"

Here is some music to read by, to think by, to ponder by...

This is how I am feeling this week.  Do you ever feel this way?  Not necessarily in the dating, finding another human being way.  But in the the general way?

This line from the the song, the title itself was always a running joke growing up.  Ya know, if something didn't work out, this line popped into your head.  You or a friend didn't ace a test, get the guy, make the cheerleading squad (this was not me!!! Just an example of a High School activity!  Haha), weren't allowed to go somewhere, etc, etc, etc.  Whatever!

This was the line to sing!  And sing it we did!  To ourselves, to each other...You can't always get what you want!!!

And the rest of it too...

"But if you try sometime, you might just find-you get what you need!"

One of those life lessons that began to make sense to us as we hit the teen years.

This still pops into my head in certain moments.

But, now I embrace both lines together.

I look for the positive, the creative, challenging problem-solving solution.

I've moved on to feeling that it is OK to not always 'get' what you think you want.

I contemplate what one truly needs.

Today it hit me that there are some things I think I've wanted...

but I've done just fine without them.

Doing fine with less is a theme around here.

Finding alternate ways is an engaging pastime, that's kinda fun!

Creative thinking has become a welcome choice instead of a forced demand of circumstance.

How cool is that?!

Here are some of the things I have been planning.  This post will have to suffice.

But, really, better than that...

this post is another choice ~ that is absolutely fine!

~Like how I'd love to write all the posts that are in my head & actually post them!

Last night, I tried to upload some photos and it seems that my converter drives (I have 2) are not working, or the iphoto has a glich, or ???

I'd like to post the photo of my pin cushion, which is the arm of my couch, which is always covered in pins, needles, and bits of threads.

But, it doesn't look like that's happening right now.

~Neither can I post the beautiful photos of spiderwebs in unusual places (we have an abundance of end-of-summer spiders).  On the neighbor's roof - between various metal roof apparatus.  Between shrub and tree and so on.

~Or the beautiful nubby green yarn I've untangled and rolled into a bigger than a tennis ball size ball, which absolutely glows in the sunset.

~Or the photos which demonstrate what happens to my roses in this ridiculous heat we've had lately (Yep, we're back up to 100+ degrees this week).  My poor roses are small, almost colorless and withered in place.

~Or the amazing humming birds who have finally learned to sit together in a group of 4 and drink to their little hearts content.  One day I even glanced up to see 5 sitting on the feeder.  Two birds together - on one perch, alternating back and forth, rapidly drinking.  I got very excited to see this after watching them chase each other off the feeder for months.

Could it be that they have really learned to "take turns" and "share"???  

This excites the teacher in me!

~Or the cloth of current working: a surprise gift in yellow and blue (so far).

You can't always get what you want...

So instead I give you this post.

And soon maybe I'll figure out the camera thing. 

Because my head is full, but my blog has been empty.

So all the posts written in my head, in the shower, in the car, while shopping, in the midst of doing something else...and then forgotten.  Will just have to be.  Let go of them.  Let them float.

To bad too.  They were really well written! 

I'm really clever in my own head.

And I do love to write!

I will try to keep Joe's and Dee's posts on not over-thinking things in mind.

It applies not only to art, but to blog writing...and to life.

Here's to hoping you get some of what you want...

but all of what you need!

And thanks for reading a long photo-less post!!