Home Again

I have been trying to convince myself that we still have a good week's worth of summer left and that I might as well not be sad until the time actually comes for school to start and our carefree existence to end. I can no longer fool myself, however. The time has come to prepare.

I have laundry and clothes, new shoes and haircuts, pencils and paper, organization stations, clean rooms and fresh starts, sack lunches and oatmeal breakfasts running through my mind. Honestly, this year, my heart is aching. I needed more summer.

This photo is a representation of my life.

Do you notice how it appears that one clock is off. Well, in truth, both clocks have stopped. They are totally uncoordinated and not working. One stands for the summer that has passed in such a queer and quick way, this year, and the other is me. sigh.

sniff.

On the other hand, I have very happy homey thoughts running through my mind.

This is not my home but, the other day, when the clouds were dark and I was driving by, there were warm lights shining through the dark windows. It was so welcoming and cozy and sheltering. Maybe it's not so bad to be settled back in to a routine and tied to home. Anyway, there are always still some little Autumn jaunts that are full of adventure. Hmm, I guess that our lives aren't over.

Also, I gather from your comments that September is many of your favorite time of year. I know that it is mine. It's so quiet and reflective. The kids are back in school and the tourists have gone home and the weather is splendidly mild.


It will be just me and the crickets in a couple of weeks.

Also, our nights are getting chillier and I love the warm kitchen and the smell of Tom's coffee in the morning.

Well, this lovely home made me remember and feel all of this. It, also, snapped me into Faure, Ravel and Debussy mode and made me think of the poetry to one of my favorite "chansons".

Au bord de l'eau

S'asseoir tous deux au bord du glot qui passe,
Le voir passer;
Tous deux s'il glisse un nuage en l'espace,
Le voir glisser;
A l'horizon s'il fume un toit de chaume,
Le voir fumer;
Aux alentours, si quelque fleur embaume,
S'en embaumer;
Entendre au pied du saule ou l'eau murmure,
L'eau murmurer,
Ne pas sentir tant que ce reve dure
Le temps durer,
Mais n'apportant de passion profonde
Qu'a s'adorer,
Sans nul souci des querelles du monde,
Les ignorer,
Et seuls tous deux devant tout ce qui lasse,
Sans se lasser;
Sentir l'amour devant tout ce qui passe,
Ne point passer!

~Sully Prudhomme

Beside the waters

To sit together on the bank of the stream that passes,
To see it pass;
Together, when a cloud floats in space,
To see it float;
When a cottage chimney is smoking on the horizon,
To see it smoke;
If nearby a flower spreads its fragrance,
To absorb its scent;
To hear at the foot of the willow, where water murmurs,
The water murmur,
Not to notice, while this dream lasts,
The passage of time,
But to feel deep passion
Only to adore each other;
Not to care at all about the world's quarrels,
To ignore them,
And alone, together, facing all that grows weary,
Not to grow weary;
To be in love while all passes away,
Never to change!

~ Sully Prudhomme

I am soothed and feel much better, now!

Also, I have noticed something lovely. I am over 100 followers.

This calls for a celebration and, when everyone is back (in September), I will have a little party. It will be hobbit fashion and I will give a gift. Please, make sure that you don't miss it!

In the meantime, I would like to thank you all so very sincerely for your comments and responses to my posts. They, truly, mean an awful lot to me!

Yes, home is wonderful! I will be content.

Love,

Katy Noelle xo

April Showers

 I knew that one of these days, I would have to apprise you of how things stood with my garden. I thought that, after a while, it would be conspicuously obvious that I wasn't really taking pictures of or discussing how the season was progressing in my own little plot.

I'm just sure you would have noticed.

Finally, on the day that I composed my last post, inspiration hit.

It had been pantingly, summery warm the day before but ....

.... that morning, I awoke to gently pattering rain and my radio playing "The Lark Ascending" by Vaughn Williams. All morning long, in fact, Vermont Public Radio was playing classical music that featured trilling flutes and soaring violins. Everything from, "Summer" from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, to a modern piano piece about children playing in the garden.

My thoughts followed suit.

Finally, I heard the radio announcer confess!

He said that they were playing music in anticipation of summer.

It was what followed next that gave me the inspiration for this post.

The weather report!

After our warmth basking day before and our morning rain, it was going to turn mild in the afternoon. That night would be clearing skies, followed by a pleasant day but, becoming increasingly, very windy. It all ended with fog last evening and a good freeze last night.

It must be April! 

It looks like April!

It made me think of a song.

No! Not Sting singing, "That's my baby! She can be all four seasons in one day!"

A similar song, though.

A lovely spring song that is sung by the Cambridge Singers.

It's a poem really.

(taken from a Welsh poem, in fact.)

 

My Sweetheart's like Venus

My sweetheart's like Venus, she's lovely and light.

She's fairer than blackthorn, she's slim and she's white.

There's no one is like her, from far or from near,

It's truth I am telling for all men to hear.

Her form has the splendour of straight growing trees;

her hair like the corn that is stirred in the breeze,

her eyebrows like gossamer that hangs by the door;

If only she'd love me, I'd ask nothing more.

My Sweetheart she loves like a shower of rain;

now clouded, now weeping, now smiling again.

But she who loves many is left without one.

A faithful true lover has one love alone. 

 

 I love the changeability of April.

 

  April ~ Spring ~ England ~ Gardens ~ and Love!

 

These are all fully tumbled together inextricably and inexplicably  in my mind.

 

 Now, for the ironic twist.

As I was trying to think of how to illustrate these thoughts and the freshness and lightness of my world lately, I settled on these lovely objects.

They represent exactly how I feel nowadays.

They, too, were wedding gifts from dear friends who knew how to read me like a book.

In fact, the plate was from a very gracious lady who had a beautiful clothing store next door to Rose Arbour. (Rose Arbour is the tea room that I moved to Vermont to open and manage and which moved me in right next door to Tom - my [now] husband.) This lady was the one I whispered the latest news of our budding relationship too.

The pretty set of Kate Greenaway pictures were a gift from her associate and the third co-conspirator of the time. This gift was another case of make do and mend. She bought this damaged antique children's book and salvaged the prints and had them framed.

Ahh! You should have seen us in September, trying to figure out how I could give Tom the "just good friends" talk when he hadn't even made any advances yet! You should have heard us in November, figuring out how to get him to hold my hand! You should have heard us in January, discussing if he was THE ONE for me. You should have heard us in February trying to figure out how to let Tom know that I was quite open to a proposal. YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD US TALKING ABOUT RINGS and DRESSES and FLOWERS and MUSIC and GUESTS and FOOD and NEW HOMES! 

The point is,

all of these things and thoughts came together separately.

They're connection didn't dawn on me until they - the plate, the poem, the spring and the pretty pictures - were being photographed.

SO

I am compelled to say,

(at the risk of extreme soppiness-

it is spring, after all)

For all of it's charm,

I surely hope that I am not as fickle of a lover as April is to us!

I, for my part, know that I am married to the Rock of Gibralter,

Who (speaking of very large rocks) is, at this very moment, outside working on our stone steps and wall.

Funny how everything works together.

Ah, Spring!

Happy Birthday, Hun, a wee bit late!

Love, 

Katy Noelle

Daffodils, Palms and a Poem

Palm Sunday was very pleasant and moving at our church this past Sunday.

 

Pastor Tom gave the children's message.

His message was about the freedom God has given us through Jesus.

He had all of the "grown ups" close their eyes and he asked all of the kids who thought that adults sometimes do strange things to raise their hands.

I couldn't see but my hand was raised.

On the first Palm Sunday, everyone (the adults) thought that Jesus had come to lead a revolt. That's why they were waving the symbol of Jewish independance - a palm branch. They thought that he should kick the Romans out.

He did give us freedom!

Freedom from the penalties of sin.

Total forgiveness!

That wonderful clean slate!

No more burden or death from the law that we can never ever live up to!

for generation after generation after generation after generation .... 

He just completely did not do what they expected.

 

Pastor Tom gave the children bundles of "palm branches" and they passed them out to everyone in the sanctuary (us adults).

"Now, the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom."

2 Corinthians 3:17

 

 When everyone had a branch, my husband asked everyone to raise them up and to wave them.

I didn't take a picture because I was waving my branch.

The whole sanctuary turned into a veritable jungle rustling in the wind.

It was quite moving!

 

  

Vermont is starting to thaw out.

 

 With the open water on the pond came...

 

... Our family of Canada Geese.

We're just sure that they're ours from last year.

Immediately, though, two of them chased everyone else away.

(my camera is perfectly level, by the way; so, you can see that we really do live at the bottom of a hill.)

  

 

It is hard to express how beautiful the brown is to me.

Every day it tinges green a little more.

In mud season, after the snow is gone but before anything is visibly growing, the world seems to be laid bare. You can see everything that has been hidden under green or snow or drooping fallen foliage during the rest of the year. 

 

 The colors are very neutral and texture really rules the day.

 

 

 The brown is so beautiful and refreshing and hopeful!

It feels like spring to me!

Who cares about green formalities?

Anyway,

we have a tiny oasis of daffodils next to our house!

 

 They are like a deposited down payment of things promised and yet to come.

A little "beacon" of hope.

(so sorry! Couldn't resist!)

 

Outside 

King winter sat in his Hall one day,

And he said to himself, said he,

"I must admit I've had some fun,

I've chilled the Earth and cooled the Sun,

And not a flower or tree

But wishes that my reign were done,

And as long as Time and Tide shall run,

I'll go on making everyone

As cold as cold can be.

 

 There came a knock at the outer door:

"Who's there?" King Winter cried;

"Open your Palace Gate," said Spring

"For you can reign no more as King,

Nor longer here abide;

This message from the Sun I bring,

'The trees are green, the birds do sing;

The hills with joy are echoing':

So pray, Sir - step outside!"

Hugh Chesterman 19th Century

 

 Hooray!

A weeks worth of rain is good enough for me!

It brings the spring!

Love,

Katy Noelle xo