Readying One's Self To Be, "On The Road Again"--

Planets orbit, as we orbit...

& in the orbit, the season of the pumpkin, is again upon us....
Will be taking to the road, for an errand or two...

Today is filled with a small list of out of out of town errands, including stopping at a Post Office along the way. Pumpkins & mums will be the roadside view, so traveling on this autumn day will have it's beauty.

So, as the present Governor of sunny California would say--- "I'll be back".

Here's wishing everyone-- A good day, no matter which corner of the globe you are on. And of course as always, thoughts & prayers of peace, in your hearts & in the world, no matter how hard, the challenge.

Thoughts From A Country Bike Ride

I'm going to take my chances, & add a bit of organic nutrients to the garden. Nothing in the artificial chemical realm, just a purely simple natural source. For decades ago there were numerous toxins, & to this very day, at times, they may still emit. I live out amongst a most precious landscape, of what some might call, "God's Country", because of it's pure & simple beauty. Most is natural beauty of course, the rolling hills, the fields of wildflowers, when in season. For my view today it is also the season of the orchard, my reason for thoughts of change.

What we grow, for production purposes that is, often needs to be cared for & managed. Certainly nutrients of what is known to grow wild can also sustain us, if we know "what's what". In my life it is predominately produce that has been farmed & harvested by the farming community, who literally are the backbone of my nutritional well being.

By the time many of us migrated from our cities of origin, the dye that infiltrated our psyches, for the most part, had been cast. If by the age of seven, anyone along the way, if they had been raised under the domination of even one abusive parent or caretaker, my observations, & conclusions have arrived from these thoughts-- Some have been able to hurdle with great skill I must add, over the barbs, & what ever else had been laid out or aimed at the cast members, due to whatever Mad Hatter, Gestalt, the universe had orbited their way. For that was all they knew. Throw some Judaic-Christian teachings into the mix, stir it up occasionally, & wa-la, what have you here. Well in most instances you have a rather large population dependent on the psychiatrist community. This community of mostly well intended professionals have been known to help former cast members who transversed the various mine fields, face episodes for what they were. Each & every cast member comes out of that former domain with as much potential for positive growth, as the individual is willing to put into it. But also, add to that the fact that the person as in Aristotle's time would say-- "Give me a child till the age of seven & I give you a man." What that means of course is that the first seven years of a person's existence is the most formidable time, in that person's life. Throw into that an original environmental mix, as mentioned earlier-- "the Judaic-Christian teachings", of all the "shalls" & "shalt nots", & what have we here-- Well here we are again, at the very beginning of this essay, for life is a circle. How to deal with, a difficult & abusive individual, who may happen to be a parent, is one of the most challenging of life's acts & chapters.

My husband kindly reminds me that the way of the Buddha, is truly the way with this. Often times, it becomes most challenging. The key for me is to work better on meditating, & being actively involved in disconnecting those buttons, which only a certain person in my life is able to activate. I need to try in a much more focused way, knowing that though the past & distant garden from way back then, may have contained, some of, but not all of, a rather potent batch of pollutants, every new moment of encountering, can be brought to a point, where aspects that were once painful, hold purely nothing. It is true that we do in many respects, create our own suffering. In the garden I described above I am still learning, "non attachment", fore, for me, it holds, a very important key. For inner peace, of all individuals, is an essential in the goal, of true world peace.

Yes, today this garden needed an organic source of nutritional input, & some weeding too.

At Long Last "The MIKADO"

As a child the interesting world of the theatre filled our home. Our parents were into Broadway & being the native New Yorkers that they were, they loved various venues of music-- from high classical, show tunes & opera. It was from this mix, which came the various household tunes of the day.

I loved the show tunes, & couldn't get enough of those Broadway musicals. One of my favorite records that they would play was, Gilbert & Sullivan's-- "The MIKADO". It is described as a comic opera in two parts, but it is much more than that. The rhymes & rhythms are amongst the most catchiest of songs ever to be sang. Once you hear them, they're forever yours!

This afternoon, my husband & I traveled, truly to the center of our state, to the town of Middletown, for our very first live performance of the most famous & favorite of the Gilbert & Sullivan creations. The stage set was delicate, & stunning. The costumes were colorful, & the music so right on, that it brought me back to those childhood days of listening to my parents old record collection.

This performance & production was presented by the -- Connecticut Gilbert & Sullivan Society, thus stating, "CG&SS is dedicated to the preservation & enjoyment of the rich heritage of satire & melody that emerged from the unique partnership of William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan."

The performance was everything I had imaged & more. There's nothing quite like live theatre, it's transformational, lifting the heart, & taking one on a fantastic journey, back to one's being one of-- "three little maids from school".

Peace Love & Cookies

We had quite the storm last night, with toroid winds & rain. Our monthly Conservation Commission meeting had come to an end, & as leaving our Historic Old Town House, the rain was just beginning to come down, ever so lightly then, but it was still early, just a little past eight. I asked one of my friends on the commission if she thought I could make it back & forth to the store before the big storm came, she said she thought so, "I don't think it's supposed to get really bad out until much later." I needed to get the items on my grandmother's ruggula list. Ruggula is of course an eastern european Jewish pastry. A very simple recipe of-- flour, eggs, milk, margarine, sugar, cinnamon, raisins & nuts. There you have it the basics for my family's version of what is an intensive labor of-- love, fun &, a special treat.

Now that I've shared thoughts on obtaining the items on "my list", I must add this--

The end of May of this year I had left a job of where I had been employed for ten years. I am now at a place in time, where I could of course return to a profession of which I have worked intermediately for forty years. Working in the field of nursing certainly suited me back in the day, but I am a different person now. Life does that to people. If one doesn't fall asleep at the wheel, one can see "what's what" for them, & when the handwriting appears on the wall, it is best to take it to heart. My heart tells me, it is time to write down & share the stories that have been living inside of me, since my time has begun. My grandmother Anna of whom I learned the way of making ruggula, was a storyteller of generous heart. Now so many generations later, we all have benefited from her deep commitment to love of family. When our own children reach their goals & successes in life, for my part, from my contribution as a mother, the love of my father Samuel who continues to this day, to guide me, comes through, his mother, my grandmother Anna is a big part of the story from generations past.

From generation to generation-- "love is the soul".

{This essay & prayer for our generations, also includes a prayer of thanks for what our son shared, as a most special day for him, of his having reached one of his important life goals.}

*Amen*

Confessions Of A Sweet Tooth Addict Or What's In Your Pocket--

Do you remember your first encounter with candy? I can recall mine, as far back as preschool probably. The lollipops-- giant & small, the fluffy & pretty spun sugar of cotton candy, the button candy on the strips of very white paper with their colorful pretty dots, tootsie rolls, squirrel nuts, fire balls, jelly beans, bubble gum- bazooka & double bubble, just to name a few. & Wow I remember even more-- those very pretty, stick to your teeth juicy fruits, ju ju beads, gum drops, & we haven't even touched upon the family of candy bars-- hershey's with & without almonds, snickers, nestle crunch bars, & frozen three musketeers which I discovered when I worked behind the candy counter at our local movie theatre when I was a teen. Oh & even more of the paper packs of candy-- m&m's plain & peanut, good & plenty, boston baked beans, to name a few.

& here we are with the ultra candy season building, & just upon us. Do I ever slip, do I return to a crutch that is known to relieve my inner tensions, & takes me high like a cloud of cotton candy. What do you think? Have I ever stood a chance? Come on, diabetes runs rampart in my family-- my great grandmother, two grandmothers, my mother & two aunts. I do try though, but must admit, to gouging goring & slipping at times. Basically I too am an addict, where is my insurance covered admit to Betty Ford, or another known quality treatment program? Where's my, "Oh wow, she's been off the substance since-- , & you know she's been clean for such a long time..." accolade's.

So ultimately I do try, & try again. Last night I had a relapse in the early evening. I was at one of our local "everything" department stores. The first thing I did was put the 11. + ounces of mini peanut butter cups in my basket, plus a few other healthy items in my shopping cart. Went through the line, paid for everything & walked over to the in-store Starbucks. So there I sat, most pathetically, knocking off half a bag of these wonderful yet toxic peanut butter cups, that with a coffee, when at last I needed to stop. I again returned to my shopping & got a few other items. There I was standing in line for a second time, the young couple in front of me, in the other line were purchasing mini peanut butter cups. "Here take mine." I said to them, "They're already paid for. I have this problem with sweets, & I was about to throw them out.", I said, [as I was really disgusted with myself]. The young man's eyes lit up, & he thanked me & took them. & There again as I was departing from the store, he came up to me, insisted on taking my hand, "Thank you so very much.", he said, as he was all glee. I looked at him, my thoughts were solemn, & said, "Be good." He replied, "Oh you know how it is with us young people, you know how it is." It was, as if he was walking on air.

Oh yes, I certainly do know how it is for young people, for we do at times get ourselves "hooked" on the most deadly & toxic of substances, from as far back, or even earlier than our preschool years. So many addictions, some not even consciously chosen. I guess I too need a twelve step program. No Betty Ford available for me. "So help me God."

More Pumpkin People

These two, "P P", were made by our grandchildren yesterday. Just a few minutes ago I was able to hot glue the colorful straw arms, & mini pumpkin heads.

Do you think "Peter Piper" would like these for his business, or is it only "pickled peppers" that he's willing to invest$ in these days?

These Pumpkin People, So Engaged Our Imagination....

Here's two individuals, perhaps in the midst of an interesting conversation....

Our grandson, & his first ever experience of kite flying. He was determined, & it all paid off....


This is the kite our granddaughter flew....
& here they all are, my husband & grandchildren all with their thoughts to the wind....
It was a beautiful day, an outdoor picnic, kites flying high, all at the height of pumpkin season too!