Weekend

Had a good few days with Scott, who helped me with the most useful task of job hunting: getting out of the house from time to time! In between outings, we also managed to clean and reorganize a lot of the house. After hanging some new pictures, moving furniture around, and setting up a new entryway, it feels like a revived home.

One of our outdoor trips was back to the river above Blackwater Dam. Here are a few shots. It was quite beautiful (and peaceful) there.





Hope you had a restorative weekend too.
~Ally

Oy...can you say YUMMMM?

[Photos by Marie from A Year From Oak Cottage.]

I have got to get me some of this. Ohhh, I can just taste it for looking at it. {Note it is 1:29 a.m. and we are coming upon the appointed time for another meal.}

To follow Marie's recipe for Blueberry Soured Cream Cake, go to this post. If you're in the States like me, you will also want to look under "What's On The Menu" in the right column, and click on "Measurement Conversion List," where Marie explains the correct conversion from metric to US measurements. Could you just sink your teeth into this? I know I could. Thanks, Marie!



~Allison

A Year From Oak Cottage: The Simple Life

A Year From Oak Cottage: The Simple Life
Check out this insightful post from Marie (who manages to blog even from vacation!).

Late Night

You know you are up too late on a regular basis when you know the TV schedule by heart. I have been up so many nights until 3 or 4 lately. This is how it goes:

11:00 Sex in the City (or Channel 9 news)
11:30 Everybody Loves Raymond
12:00 Friends (which has only become tolerable in the last week)
12:30 Everybody Loves Raymond (still?)
1:00 get sucked into blogging or read book
...
2:00 need another meal (grr)
...
2:30 attempt bed? no luck.
3:00 or 4:00 try again. experiment with other beds like the guest room or the couch. if on the couch, must disconnect annoying ticking clock. if you find it on the counter, dismantled, in the morning, you'll know why.

argh.

that's why my blog posting dates never match when I wrote them. yes, it was technically "the next day" (depends on who you ask), but to me, it was last night.

time has become a flowing river of confusion and memory loss, not to mention some enjoyable side effects of dizziness. time schmime. as i said before, "sleep is for the weak." oh to be weak...
~Al

You really must see the Sony Bravia video

Saw a very interesting post on Creative Think Juice today. Eamon has noted what he thinks are the best 100 ad campaigns ever. And he's come up with some real winners that I know you'll love too.

Particularly interesting...

Click on the video above #50.

And for a great way to spend 2:29 minutes of your life, soaking in some beauty, click on the video above #2 (for Sony Bravia - Balls).

Feel free to comment - Eamon loves a good conversation (right?). 

[edit: Oops, I'm full of crap. There's no comments button.]

~Allison

Nightly joke

from Shoeboxblog.com

Least Favorite Items to Find in Your Sack Lunch

* cabbage core

* bag of dirt

* creamed corn

* anything breathing

* meat cake

* Twinkie with filling licked out

* a note from mom, about how you disappoint her

* juice from 1994

* finger

* recalled tomato

* packet of freeze-dried gravy

* edible underwear

----------------

ha ha ha ha ha - I put my favorites in red. ~Al

Just when you think you're toughened up

Crap! Another good one from Hip to Code. Cynics, beware. You better bring your Kleenex.

~A

Oneword

Swiped this one word fun from Hip to Code, who has also posted this insanely intriguing video of animal love (and no, not in the dirty sense).

one word:

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket
2. Your significant other? sleeps
3. Your hair? graying
4. Your mother? traveling
5. Your father? chatted
6. Your favorite thing? Scott
7. Your dream last night? forgotten!!!! (unprecedented)
8 Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? farm
10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your hobby? writing
12. Your fear? bedbugs
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? farmhouse
14. What are you not? shy
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? Amazon.com
17. Where you grew up? Brookfield
18. The last thing you did? reading
19. What are you wearing? green
20. Favorite gadget? celly
21. Your pets? clean
22. Your computer? secured
23. Your mood? depressed
24. Missing someone? Grandma (and Lauren)
25. Your car? dirty
26. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
27. Favorite store? Borders
28. Like someone? hubby
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When was the last time you laughed? today

Grandma Dorothy

In midst of unemployment stress and waves of panic, I took some time this afternoon to work on Grandma's book, which Mom is taking to her in MN tomorrow. Grandma Dorothy is my mom's mother and she lives in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. She's one of the loveliest people I've ever known, and reading the memoirs/life history Lauren and I wrote about her in January reminded me just how special she is.

So in an effort to be hopeful (and Grandma Dorothy is all about hope), I will jot down a few lessons she has taught me:

1) Always look on the bright side. In the nursing home, she is known for answering the "How are you, Dorothy" question with, "I'm a little better than I was yesterday."

2) There is always someone near you who needs a little love. I will never forget seeing her in the nursing home, early on. She was in a sea of her own dementia, starting to have trouble walking down the halls alone (she liked to have you guide her by the elbow), and trying to adjust to her new life. But she would stop and pat the shoulder or head of each wheelchair-bound, drooling or muttering person in the hallways as she walked by. She always had a kind word for the ones worse off.

3) There's always time for a visit. Grandma Dorothy always has her loved ones in the forefront of her mind. She likes to recount the stories of her life to anyone who will listen. And she's always ready for a visit. She couldn't wait for us to get there, each and every time we visited. One thing I noticed as I read the brief synopsis of her life today was that she never ever seemed too busy to be with us kids. She never brushed us off or said she didn't have time.

4) If your faith changes along the way, God can take it. She has always held onto her faith, though it shifts and changes with time. Grandma prays continually, often now out loud here and there, as if a rolling conversation is going on between her and God.

5) A shoulder rub and a little song will help. Many a bad mood, ache and pain, loneliness, and sorrow were healed by a few minutes with someone rubbing your shoulders and singing a favorite old song. Grandma Dorothy is willing to be cheered, and I love her for that.

So here's a little song you love, Grandma:

I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air
They fly so high
That they touch the sky

Then they burst-- into-- the air

Oh, I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles in the air
I'm forever blowing bubbles
Pretty bubbles, everywhere!


I do feel better.
~Ally

Funnies (and it's not even 4 a.m.)

Today's offerings from Shoeboxblog, via Allison:


Quote of the Day

"I tried to simplify my life, but I got tired after I narrowed the
salad dressings in my refrigerator down to like 6."
-Mark

[and on Tip's behalf...ha ha ha]

[and last but not least...]
[my sentiments exactly.]
~A

Sunday at the Pine Barrens

Scott and I had a lovely evening walk in the Concord Pine Barrens. We were looking for the Karner Blue Butterfly again - they just released several hundred into the barrens - but we didn't see them. Instead, we saw these beauties.







And readers, don't forget to sign in on the ol' virtual guest book!

Happy Sunday.
~Al

Just before bed...

10 things I'm grateful for:

1) Some interesting job leads.

2) Time to visit with friends.

3) Robin and the Englishman are going to England again - I will miss them but they will be happy there. So I'm grateful on their behalf.

4) Tip is getting his appetite back (and not puking on the rug).

5) Scott's back is getting much better.

6) My two chiropractors (and thank God for them) got married - to each other! What fun.

7) Baby A is growing and happy and the new family is doing quite well.

8) Robin gave me an enormous begonia plant, in a brightly colored pot that will remind me always of her.

9) Mom and I posted an ad for our editing services - so we are in business!

10) I finally realized (and told Scott) why I have become a leisurely country driver in New Hampshire: I am finally content. Even when I get anxious or stressed in my mind, in my heart here, I am content. Blissful.

Thankful. And off to bed.
~Allison

Let's revisit this image.

I think it's time.

Good Times

From Shoeboxblog.com



Unpopular Party Games

* Let’s check for head lice!

* Who weighs the most?

* Hokey Pokey Colonoscopy

* 20,000 questions.

* catch the birthday cake.

* drinking sudoku

* guess whose chest hair you’re feeling

* pin the tail on the real live pitbull

* two minutes in the closet, alone

* spin the toddler

AND....MP3PO --



~Ahhh, love Shoeboxblog.

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

OK readers, it's time.

Time to come out of the closet and tell us who you are. It's called delurking and it's easier than you thought. If you have been reading this blog, enjoying the photos, getting annoyed by my sick sense of humor, well, I want to know who you are! And invite you back immediately! ;)

1. Click at the bottom of the post where it says Comments.

2. Write your comment: maybe your name...and where you're from? I'm sure I don't know people in 50 countries yet.

3. When it asks for your identity, if you don't have a Blogger/Google account, simply choose Name/URL and tell us your name. Resist the temptation to choose Anonymous; after all, we are delurking here!

4. Click on Publish Your Comment and voila!

I look forward to e-meeting you!

And as always, thanks for reading. You, and your elusive country, make my day.

~Allison

Just when you thought you knew everything...

Very interesting post called "God's Pharmacy" on the body and foods that replenish it. Check it out if you're a fan of food and health. Thanks for the link, Kristin.

~Allison

Your Cheerios are My Cheerios

Good post (poem) on Cheerio Road today. Check it out, and read the insightful comments. Gratefulness and honesty - two wonderful companions.

Shaker Village: Mid-Summer Night's Dream

Scott and I went back to the Shaker Village gardens last weekend to check on the progress. Remember this? Well bear with me for the next several shots of all the beautiful wonders at Shaker Village now that it's July. You can see that the gardens have exploded with life and every color of the rainbow. There's a real feeling of abundance in this land.



Gorgeous poppies - and in pink!
There were notes that I think the main gardener must have left for the various volunteers who help out with the gardens, letting them know what needs to be done on which rows.
Everywhere we turned, there was a different beautiful scene.
This little fella was flitting about the raspberry bushes, dancing with a mate and calling out his tune.
This green bud was the smallest thing I saw growing in the gardens (compare with the end of my pinky finger). That was, until I saw the teeny tiny purple plant that showed up in this picture!



Compare this lush view from the front end of the medicinal herb gardens to the view earlier this summer.
Swingtown. (Those bugs are gettin' their groove on.)









Thanks for visiting! Which picture did you like? See some of Scott's stunning pictures at RWL.
~Ally

Thank You!

Thank you, Marie, at A Year From Oak Cottage for giving me my first (and second) award!

Marie is one of my favorite e-people and her blog is a wonderful mixture of poetry, beautiful photographs from her life in England, great foodee delights and recipes (she's a chef), and inspirational thoughts. There is something for everyone at A Year From Oak Cottage. Everyone is welcomed there.

She gave me this:

The Brilliante Weblog Award

The rules for this award are:
1. Put the Logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other bloggers.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I nominate:

*Kristin H. at Jilli Java and the Garden of Eden: she offers insightful, honest views on life that challenge you to think and develop compassion. And she's funny!
*Mama Zen at The Zen of Motherhood: she's a mom with all that who tells it like it is, and often has hysterical photos of her little girl.
*Bella at Beyond the Map: she writes really deep and poetic words about finding one's place in the world.
*Karen Maezen Miller at Cheerio Road: an interesting author and momblogger who can tell you all about living Zen.

The Arte y Pico Award

This award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity, and for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium.

Here are the rules for the Arte y Pico Award:

1) Award five blogs that contribute to the blogging community through creativity, design, and interesting material, regardless of language.
2) Name each of the five blog authors and provide a link to his or her blog.
3) Award recipients must show the Arte y Pico Award image and the name of the award-giving blog author, as well as the award-giving blog author’s blog link.
4) Award recipients must provide a link to the Arte y Pico blog.
5) Award recipients must show these rules.

I probably won't notify but am going to nominate because these are my favorite creativity-inspiring blogs (and people):

*Scott at Rock, Water and Light
*Allie Anne Photography
*Couture Cupcakes
*Homemade by Jill
*Jessica at How About Orange
*Steven at Virginia Journal
*Carolyn at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago
*and, of course, the geniuses at Shoeboxblog

As I'm working on this post, Scott is watching a segment on the National Geographic channel about birds on the Galapagos Islands. I had to stop to watch the ridiculous and endearing mating dance of the Albatross pair, who will become lifelong mates. V sweet.


Quote of the day (from the show "Galapagos" on NGEO):

"Frigate birds also have a flamboyant side."

heh heh
~Ally

Puffballs

How are you?
~A