If we were having coffee: If wishes were horses edition

Head on.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
If turnips were watches, I’d wear one by my side.
If Ifs and Ands were pots and pans
There’d be no work for tinkers’ hands.

~ English rhyme

Three for the road.

If we were having coffee, tea, or something else to drink, I would be delighted to see you again.  Come on in!  Big hugs if you’re amenable to hugs of any size.  Let’s have a seat in the kitchen today, close to the food and drink, and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the bay window.  Lots of things happen outside of the kitchen window.  Cedar waxwings and other birds stop by to eat the juniper berries, the great blue heron visits the pond, northern flickers comb the lawn, and scads of red-winged blackbirds land in the yard and front meadows on their way to wherever they are going.  Once — it was the day after we went on the eagle watch boat tour — M and I saw a bald eagle come swooping in, lift up over the pond, and then dive down to catch a fish.  I daresay that’s not a scene we’re likely to witness again, at least not so soon, but you never know.  We’ve seen wild turkeys (with their babies), deer, and a red fox or two, too.

X marks the spot.

How are you?  What have you been up to lately?  Where has life taken you?  Have you traveled anywhere or seen anything new?  Have you gone on any good walks or hikes?  Have you experienced any challenges and/or victories?  Made any discoveries or gone on any treasure hunts to appease your curiosity?  Have you read any good, bad, or mediocre books?  Seen any good, bad, or mediocre films?

Approaching.

I finally finished reading The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was an odd book with an odd premise and funny names (Jack Schitt and Braxton Hicks, to name two).  I love odd things, don’t you?  I haven’t decided what I’ll read next.  My bookshelf runneth over with choices, and I’ve been availing myself of the library’s interlibrary loans when I want to read something from my reading list without purchasing yet another book.  Our local branch of the library does not have a very good selection of books, especially new books, so I use the interlibrary loan system when I want to borrow a book.

Looking back.

M and I watched a couple of movies last weekend.  A Walk in the Woods, which is based on the book by Bill Bryson (which I read some years ago), and Whiplash, a film about a young man who wants to be a jazz musician.  Whiplash was mostly for M who plays percussion and loves jazz.  I thought he’d like some of the music, and I was correct on that score (no pun intended).  A Walk in the Woods was for both of us, but mostly for me because walking the Appalachian Trail has long been a fantasy of mine.  I was going to write “dream,” but honestly, I’m not sure it will ever be more than fantasy given my fear of heights.  I suspect there are some steep climbs on that trail.  I have no problem going up, but coming down a steep grade raises my heart rate and fear levels considerably.

Beautiful highlights.

If we were having coffee, tea, water, or some other beverage, I would tell you that it has been another quiet week.  I’ve been feeling a little down.  Not really sad, but blue (which might not make sense, but I don’t know how to explain it).  I attribute it to the time of year.  Winter is one of my favorite seasons, but February has always been my least favorite month.  It stretches on into forever and as a result, I become somewhat restless, fidgety, hopping from project to project, unable to finish what I start, and ready for winter to move on.  I’m in no hurry to reach summer, of course, because it’s my least favorite season, but I do like a good spring (and fall).

Resting his eyes.

The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd – The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.

~ Fernando Pessoa

Waiting.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I came across the above quote sometime during the week and the truth of it has been following me around as I stumble on to other things about longings.  Perhaps it appeals to me because of my mood and the late-winter blues.

I was listening to a talk the other day about Ayurveda, given by Durga Leela, and she asked that you close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and then ask, “What do I long for?”  A couple of words emerged from the depths of within, and I wondered if those, too, were a “longing for impossible things.”  The words were Love and Awaken.  It will be interesting to see where they lead, although I suspect they will lead me right back to where I am, into the present moment.

Grazing.

If we were having coffee, tea, or something else to drink, I would tell you that I’m planning to go out for a hike sometime this weekend.  I haven’t made up my mind as to where I’ll go.  There are several wildlife refuges within an hour’s drive, and I’d like to go see the tundra swans, snow geese, and other waterfowl that gather in this area for the winter.  They will probably be leaving soon.  I’ve heard that spring beauties are popping up in spots, and that’s a sure sign that spring is on the way.

Standing on the shore.

If we were having coffee, I would ask if you’d like to take a walk.  The temperature has been warming up since you arrived.  It’s in the 50’s now, the sun is shining, and we could head out to the scrounger’s garden to see the crocuses.  Please pardon the mess out there.  I never did get around to cleaning up at the end of last season.  That’s just as well.  The goldfinches are still enjoying the zinnia seeds.  I will have to get out there soon, though, and start getting it ready for this year.  I’ll be planting the usual zinnias since they attract so much attention from the butterflies, hummingbirds, and finches.  The lavender and rosemary wintered well, as did the butterfly bushes.  I hope the lupines survived and bloom this year.  As for what else I’ll put in there, I haven’t decided.  Now that the deer have discovered the garden, I’ll have to look for plants and flowers that they are not likely to eat.  There are bunnies to contend with, too, although they are easier to keep out.

A running start.

After we visit the crocuses, we can take a stroll through the woods and out to the dock.  It’s a lovely place to sit and relax, especially on a sunny day.  We can watch the tide come in or go out.  I’m not sure which way it’s going right now.  I could look it up, but we’ll find out when we get out there by watching the water to see which direction it is going.  There were wood ducks visiting the pond this morning, and we might see a variety of ducks on the creek.  There is usually a heron wading around in the marsh and at the edge of the creek, too.

One of many.

If we were having coffee, tea, or some other beverage, I would think it time to turn the conversation over to you or maybe it’s time for you to move on.  Thank you so much for visiting.  Our coffee chats are always a delight for me.  You are welcome to stay for a while, if you like, and take a walk around the ranch or simply sit on the dock and enjoy the breeze and sunshine.  You can also join me for the hike I mentioned.  I want to go near sunset which is the best time to catch the birds settling in for the evening.  If there’s time, we can go to the Point to watch the sunset show before coming back to the ranch for dinner.  I think we’re grilling scallops or some other seafood.  There will be some homegrown broccoli to go with it.

Most of today’s images, by the way, are from last week’s visit to Assateague Island.  I think the best time to visit Assateague is in the winter months.  We see more horses, especially in the wild parts.  I do have photos of the horse away from the roads which I hope to show you soon.

Pretty little flowers.

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

Crazy squirrel.

This post is in response to Part Time Monster’s #WeekendCoffeeShare.  Thank you to Diana for hosting it.  Put the kettle on, start the coffee maker, open a bottle of wine, or whatever your preference is, and join us.  I’d love to hear all about what you were up to this week.