If we were having coffee

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.

~ Tenneva Jordan

Leaving the Eastern Shore.  (On the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, heading towards Annapolis.)

If we were having coffee, I would be excited to see you here again.  I know it hasn’t been that long, but it seems like forever.  How are you?  What have you been up to for the past week or so?  Let’s skip the books and movies.  Just tell me about YOU.

I’ve read a few books and seen a few movies, but I don’t want to natter on about those things today.  There are other things to tell you about.  First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms.  I hope you’ve been enjoying your day.

Westbound span of the bridge. This was taken on April 30th. It was closed yesterday. I’ll tell you about that another day.

If we were having coffee, I would warn you that I might be extra chatty today.  I’ve been traveling and had a few adventures.  I’ve crossed mountains and rivers, visited with family and friends, walked through woods, neighborhoods, and a zoo, ate a lot of good food, and had an all-around good time.

Watching spring while on the road.

If we were having coffee, I might not know where to start.  They say the beginning is the best place so let’s start there.  We’ll have a seat on the porch first so we can enjoy the view while we get caught up with each other.  I’m sorry it’s so warm and humid, but I’ll turn on the ceiling fan and it won’t be as bad.  Our air conditioning isn’t working.  Again!!  I am getting fed up with our local heating and cooling folks.  We had the heat pump replaced shortly after we moved in (May 2013) during a serious heatwave, and it has never worked the way it should.  We have had someone here from the company that installed every few months to fix something or another, including adjusting the refrigerant.  A few weeks ago we called another company to have someone come look at it (time to get a second opinion), and Second Opinion Guy said everything should work just fine.  Well, it doesn’t.

Enough about that.  It’s too hot for a rant.  It’s easy to slip into a rant during these sticky days, but being a hot head will not make things any cooler.

Crabapples and redbuds.

If we were  having coffee, I would tell you that M and I left the Eastern Shore on April 30th and traveled through eastern, central, and western Maryland, part of West Virginia, and Pennsylvania on our way to Ohio.  The reason for the trip to Ohio was to see family, including our granddaughters.  We watched the oldest, Emma, dance in a charity recital (a ballet/lyrical dance show), and the youngest, Maddy, play soccer.  We had a whole long weekend with them (and their parents, of course), and it was wonderful.

I saw a lot of redbuds throughout western Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

We went to the Columbus Zoo to admire all the beautiful animals.  I have plenty of pictures to show you, and I was able to use my Canon Rebel because the good folks at Camtronics in Columbus were able to clean the dust off the sensor.  They had it fixed and ready for me an hour or so after I dropped it off (maybe not even that long as I was at lunch with a friend when I missed the call and didn’t check my phone until later).  Great service, and the price was, I thought, reasonable especially given how fast I was able to get the camera back which meant I could use it at the recital, the soccer game, and the zoo.  I haven’t uploaded the photos from the Canon yet.  Everything on this post was taken with the old Kodak (and most were taken from the car as we were driving out to Ohio).

Looks like the Green Man lives here.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I went back to Breezy Acres, our old homestead where M the Younger and his lovely wife are now living.  I am always grateful that they decided to live there because it gives me the excuse and opportunity to go back and visit.

Somewhere in the mountains of western Maryland, spring had not yet arrived in full force.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that we took care of some landlord type duties while we were there, but also spent plenty of time with M the Younger, Mere, and their crew of pets (Bo and Jake, the dogs, and Denver and Rocky, the cats).  We celebrated M the Younger’s 30th birthday with him.  It was nice to be able to do that.

Hillside.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I took a few walks around the pond.  Those of you who followed me back at the old blog, Life in the Bogs, probably remember the pond.  One early morning while I was out walking, I thought about how Breezy Acres is such a magical place, and how much I still love it.  I feel grounded, safe, and at home when I’m there.

There was rain, hail, lightning, thunder, and plenty of wind along the way.

I got to wondering why it is such a special place to me, and why I’m not sure I’ll ever feel that way about the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.  What makes Breezy Acres more beautiful in my eyes and heart and mind?  I love the way the paths and lawns are lined with flowers in the spring.  Brilliant yellow dandelions, purple violets, coltsfoot, wild/woodland strawberries, and ground ivy peek out from the green of the grasses on the lawns and in the woods.  Clumps of azure bluets (or Quaker ladies) light up the woods, the path at the back of the pond, and the edges of the pond.  When I walk around the pond and through the woods of Breezy Acres, I half expect to see fairies flitting around or elves peering around the corners of the trees.  There is a lushness there that is missing (for me) in Maryland.  Not that the Eastern Shore is lacking in lush.  It’s different in some way I can’t put my finger on.

Through a rain washed windshield.

Apropos of nothing in particular:  Did you know ground ivy is also known as run-away-robin?  It used to be used medicinally for all sorts of ailments including congestion, coughs, headaches, and ringing in the ears.  Before hops were introduced, the Saxons used it to clarify their beers.

It’s wild and wonderful when they’re not removing mountaintops.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I’m not sure, but I think the Great Outdoor Challenge is partially responsible for how I feel about Breezy Acres.  Stepping outside every single day for a year, no matter what, allowed me to explore and find the everyday, ordinary magic.  I learned, deeply, about the seasons, even the one I am least fond of (yes, that would be you, Summer).  Committing to a daily 30 minute walk, and committing to blogging about it every day, forced me to pay attention, to become more aware of how things change day after day even when you are walking the same paths.

I still walk every day, and keep hoping that I’ll feel that same sort of magic at the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.  Maybe it will come with time.  Or at least something akin to it.  I am, I think, open to the possibility.  They say to root where you’re planted, and I am trying.

Where did all the greens of spring disappear to?

If we were having coffee, I suspect it would be time for you to go.  I’ve chatted enough for one day.  There is more to show and tell, and hopefully I’ll find some time over the course of the next few weeks to bring some of that to you.  I have a lot to do around the ranch right now so we’ll have to wait and see.  You wouldn’t believe how long the grass got!  Or maybe you would.  Grass has a way of growing quickly when there is no one around watching it.

Spring is returning. (I’m not sure, but think I took this just before we entered Pennsylvania to stop for the night.)

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope to see you again soon!

This might be western Maryland, somewhere near the middle of the trip west.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

This post is in response to Part Time Monster’s #WeekendCoffeeShare.  Grab a cuppa of whatever your preference is and join us.  I’d love to hear all about what you were up to this week.

Redbud close up.