Good Quote for Us Talkers!

My Mom forwarded a list of 'intelligent' insults, they reminded me of this quote:

"Small minds discuss people,

Average minds discuss events,

Great minds discuss ideas."

Eleanor Roosevelt

A Poem for Liz

Liz has been promoted to a full time, permanent position at the PD where she works in the Records Department. We are so proud of her, she's had a lot of procedures and codes to learn, and several tests to take. She now has benefits like vacation time and insurance, and other than the one year probation she has, she really loves her job. Congratulations! New car, new job, - wow!

Aside from that happy news, I found a Shel Silverstein poem ( her favorite poet) that perfectly describes one aspect of her childhood. Here it is:

The band-aids on the left are empty wrappers - no band-aids in the boxes either. 

Band-Aids

I have a Band-Aid on my finger,

One on my knee, and one on my nose,

One on my heel, and two on my shoulder,

Three on my elbow, and nine on my toes.

Two on my wrist, and one on my ankle,

One on my chin, and one on my thighs

Four on my belly, and five on my bottom,

One on my forehead, and one on my eye.

One on my neck, and in case I might need 'em

I have a box full of thirty-five more.

But oh! I do think it's sort of a pity

I don't have a cut or a sore!

---

For years, we would stock up on band-aids, three and four boxes at one time, only to see them completely gone -way too fast, and wrappers left in their stead,  when we really needed them. The band-aid bandit has has slowed down,  but not really stopped!

---

Winter Poem

Live in each season as it passes;
Breath the air,
Drink the drink,
Taste the fruit,
& resign yourself to the
Influences of each.
- Henry David Thoreau

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

The little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely and dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

I love this Poem. Such a good picture! I have been using the same poetry book, a reprint from 1957, popular with homeschoolers titled,  Favorite Poems Old and New, Selected for Boys and girls by Helen Ferris.

Poetry is a great imagination builder, and really fun to read with young children.  This anthology at around 600 pages, and full of classic poems from all over the world, is kind of expensive, but it's proven to be worth it! Most of this blog's poems come from this book.

xox

Come Little Leaves

My friend put some poetry up on her blog, and that reminded me that I taught this early 1900's poem as a skit and memorization project to my kids when they were small. They each took turns saying every other stanza while they both acted out the poem. Frank gets embarrassed when I remind him of it. It's my favorite. And, I found a Prairie Schooler cross stitch pattern with some of the words on it and a cute Fall design too:

It has been very windy, rainy, and cold here the past week. Fall has come! Now we're worried about winter...

Come, Little Leaves

by George Cooper

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day.

"Come over the meadows with me and play;

Put on your dresses of red and gold,

For summer is gone and the days grow cold

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,

Down they came fluttering, one and all;

Over the brown fields they danced and flew,

Singing the sweet little song they knew.

"Cricket, good-bye, we've been friends so long,

Little brook, sing us your farewell song;

Say you're sorry to see us go;

Ah! you will miss us, right well we know.

"Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold,

Mother will keep you from harm and cold;

Fondly we've watched you in vale and glade,

Say, will you dream of our loving shade?"

Dancing and whirling the little leaves went,

Winter had called them, and they were content,

Soon fast asleep in their earthy beds,

The snow laid a soft mantle over their heads."

X O X

Work....Work...Work

Dishwasher's Grace

Thank God for dirty dishes,

They have a tale to tell.

While other folks go hungry,

We're eating very well.

With home and health and happiness,

We shouldn't want to fuss,

For by this stack of evidence,

God's very good to us.

---

I've had this prayer over my sink to help me remember to count my blessings, and not complain - just wash the dishes!  This prayer was  cutout from a cooking magazine many years ago. 

I've been asked for a copy of this several times so here it is - just highlight the poem and click copy.

X O X

Charlie's Toys and Gardening

My brother Charlie is very creative, and he's always into a fun creative project - or several! When we were in Alameda in 2011 he had several nice succulent wall hangings - live!, and numerous welding projects.  He welded our brand that night for us (will post soon). BUT what are these toys? I'm guessing these have to do with his kite sailing videos - chime in!

He also makes these screen doors and gates special order. The spider and the fly move - see Comments at end of post. Bob loves this:

For a few years, he also made glass jewelry and other items. I wonder where we get it? Please send pix of what's happening in your life for all of us to see!

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Finally - finally I'm in the yard as much as I can handle - about an hour a day (99% of garden work is back work!)

My fledgling herb garden and THE GREEN GARDEN CHAIR...

I picked out a cute poem called Window Boxes, and I liked it and more than that it matched this picture of my volunteer pansies and Mom's old window boxes. Then Bob read the poem out loud. That was the end of the sweet poem for me, now I just laugh when I read it, but you decide.

Window Boxes
Eleanor Farjeon

A window box of pansies
Is such a happy thing.
A window box of wallflowers
Is a garden for a king.
A window box of roses
Makes everyone stand still
Who sees a garden growing
On a window sill.

We had these for dinner the other night - they're bolting early because it's been so hot! Below is Bob's lettuce and his strawberries.

Alpine (or wild or woodland) strawberries - smaller and not marketable, but so sweet!

Every year I grow these Bleeding Hearts - they're the first flowers "up" in the patio and every years it's so refreshing to see them.

xox

An Old Woman of the Roads

Thinking still of how wonderful a first house is, and how much Alison and AJ's new home reminds me of those good feelings, and the hard but satisfying work that they must have endured. 

This is one of my favorite poems and I keep thinking of it since I got Alison's pictures, so I'll share it.

An Old Woman of the Roads
by Padraic Colum

Oh, to have a little house,
To own the hearth and stool and all-
The heaped-up sods upon the fire,
The pile of turf against the wall!

To have a clock with weights and chains,
And pendulum swinging up and down!
A dresser filled with shining delph,
Specked and white and blue and brown!

I could be busy all the day
Clearing and sweeping hearth and floor,
And fixing on their shelf again
My white and blue speckled store.

I could be quiet there at night
Beside the fire and by myself,
Sure of a bed, and loth to leave
The ticking clock and shining delph.

Och! but I'm weary of the mist and dark,
And roads where there's never a house or bush,
And I'm tired of bog and road,
And the crying wind and the lonesome hush.

And I am praying to God on high,
And I am praying Him night and day,
For a little house - a house of my own -
Out of the wind's and the rain's way.