Children

Anna, Addie and Britt enjoying chocolate milk at Grandma Howe's home in Tunbridge

I first read the following before we had children of our own. I had worked in schools and helped our friends with their children. I always believed in this statement, and have continued to try to live by it with our own children. The writer is unknown, but the author definitely knew about children... how they act, respond and absorb all that is about them in their world. We all should wish that every parent would follow this... think what a wonderful world we would have!

If a child lives with criticism,
He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility,
He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule,
He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with tolerance,
He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement,
He learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise,
He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness,
He learns justice.
If a child lives with security,
He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval,
He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
He learns to find love in the world !
anonymous

Our Family and Friends

Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.
— Anthony J. D'Angelo

Today, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on this quote. In this day and time, we need to be most appreciative of those who are near and dear to us, our friends. Sometimes we forget to let them know how dear they are to us, and how we feel about the slightest endearment they show towards us. Days may pass when we do not communicate on an individual basis, but that does not change our relationships. Those folks are the ones who are treasured for being there when we need them. Money has no effect on how we feel about those people, their value cannot have a dollar put on it. Our possessions, in turn, do cost money and are not of importance to our mental health and well-being... those are material things, and they have no real effect on our lives. Yes, some of our possessions are necessary for healthy living, but there comes a time when one learns that money does not buy everything .... that mental relationships with other humans are brought to the fore, and one recognizes that those encounters are what really make our lives viable. It is not easy to find a balance in our lives, but family and friends make or break our day to day attitude about life in general.

So, friends and family, know that I treasure you for all that you add to my life, and to the rest of our family's lives. Over the last 6-8 months, we have encountered many health issues in our family. Many individuals have expressed concerns to us, and we really are indebted to those folks. Those are the relationships that are prime examples to which I refer. Thank you for being a part of that group, from the bottom of my heart

Three girls

Here are my girls again...just being themselves! Anna, Britt, Addie... Enjoy!

The orchid plant

Just wanted to share... pictures of the orchid that is blooming. As it started to open, I moved it to the front porch so that we could see the progress every day. The roots are long, stringy and really quite ugly, but the blossoms are the same beautiful shade of blue that were present when we purchased this beauty at least 5 years ago. When this plant is not showing off, it is hung out back in the tree, needing to be moved inside only when it might freeze.

Sunny Sunday

Today has been the most beautiful sunny day, with nice crisp air. The humidity has dried up, and fall is here for a few days. This picture is a branch of the raintree that I planted about three years ago. We have been waiting patiently for blossoms to pop out, and finally this year we have a few! There were a few shoots of yellow, so we have a nice addition to our shrub line this time of year. This next picture is of the remnants of a passion vine. It was a bushy specimen when I planted it last spring, and it fortunately has grown well during the summer. If you look closely in the next picture, you will see the caterpillars that are munching on this plant. That is the purpose of the host plant: to provide the needed food for those ugly creatures. They will eventually evolve into Buckeye butterflies, and a few (6-8, I could not count accurately!) have already hatched and were flitting about today on the Lantana planted nearby. Glancing down the pathway towards the entrance to the garden is a Firebush. I brought a small piece of that bush from Jupiter, when Sarah was purging some of the many plants from her garden down there....some time ago! I have found that I must keep it trimmed to keep it under controll. There is a great growth of Plumbago to the left and to the right. Many species of butterflies flit from plant to plant, dancing to their own songs! I must list all the kinds of butterflies that I have seen out back: Swallowtail, Zebra Longwing, Cabbage, Sulphur, Monarch, Buckeye, plus an assortment of moths about which I intend to learn . I must also find out about those tiny white butterflies(moths) and those ugly beetle-type bugs.

More about my girls

These girls have so many things that they love to do! As you can see, Addie loves to go Dove Hunting with her Dad. This picture (her Dad took it at the field) captures her at her best, as she loves to play while waiting for the birds to arrive.

The picture of Britt and Anna shows them doing their specialty: swimming at the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua on Maui. I cannot take credit for this picture either, but I love it so! They amaze me at how they go so fast and so easily through the water!

So, Addie lives in Wildwood, Britt and Anna are in Lahaina, on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

Addie loves to run and play, the older girls run and play soccer.

All three ride a bike or a scooter like the wind.

Addie loves to dress up, just like the Britt and Anna did and still do!

All three are beautiful princesses, and love to have their nails done!

The three are very special to me, and I love to take pictures of them,

Then let them take the pictures that they want!

It is always amazing to see what pictures we have when an event is over!

We remember Disney and the merry-go-round,

the farm and all the newborn animals,

ice cream and all the wonderful toppings,

barbeque chicken and decorating cupcakes,

going up to the pond and catching yummy trout!

Memories... we plan to make many more as the years go on!

Our three granddaughters

Here are our three granddaughters: (from top to bottom) Britt Elizabeth, Anna LeGrand, and Addie Grace. All three love to be out side, and as you can see, love to swing! They surely would have loved the swing at the farm where we grew up in Tunbridge. We kids spent lots of time under the huge maple trees, swinging on the rope swing, and playing on the sewsaw that was there at one time. These three young ladies are who I fondly refer to as my "giggle girls"...that stems from when Britt and Anna first moved to Jupiter, and we three were to sleep on the bunk beds and trundle. They were so silly, and we all were laughing so hard that we were crying! We had so much fun, and now it seems that when we get together, we get the giggles more and more. I know that Addie will be a great part of any sleepover or gathering and giggling. What wonderful memories we make together! Thanks, my three girlygirls. Hopefully our next time together will be very soon!

Harvest time

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson ... When we were in Vermont in September, we went to a wonderful vegetable/plant stand with beautiful local produce. As you can see in the pictures, there were some yummy items. The Plainfield, N.H. stand belongs to cousins, Anne (McNamara) and Pooh Sprague, who do a wonderful job of displaying their wares. I have some wonderful shots of their items, and encourage readers to stop there if ever you are in the area. Having been up in New Enlgand last April, I knew that all the farmers were getting their land ready for planting, as soon as the snow had melted. As one thinks about the seeds that are then planted when the soil warms up, it is a wonder to see the harvest in the fall. Seeds are tiny, shriveled pieces in the spring which explode magically to become bountiful produce. Think of how many seeds must be planted to ensure that bounty! Friendships are much like those seeds. Some blossom into wonderful experiences, others never mature. Some weather the storms of time, others die from lack of communication. When we develop friendships, we never know where they are headed. Just like the seeds, one must plant friendships deeply, and sow many, so that you will have "plenty " in your life. So look at your day, see how many lives you have touched, and be certain that you have made connections that will survive and blossom!

From my readings

Today's Quote ... I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have. Coleman Cox

In an inspirational that I read yesterday, this was the quote of the day. Several years ago, I used a quote every day as my "starter" in my reading class... I depended upon several sources, and always searched for something the kids (9th graders) would be able to think about and respond. Sometimes we would get into quite a discussion about how to apply that day's delight into their personal lives. I think this quote would have been an excellent selection! It seems that some people seem to think that luck just happens, but I have become a firm believer that we make our own luck. Those who try hard and work diligently appear to be the ones who are successful. They make their life choices based on their hard work, never giving up. They keep a focus on where they want to be and persevere. Kind of keeping in mind the old saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! Well, over the years, we certainly have seen many successful and industrious people, who seem to just be lucky. Deep down, we know that there was plenty of hard work and stick-to-it-ive-ness to "get 'er done " and achieve the final goal or product. As you can see in the above picture, Dennis reached his goal of making over the bedroom that once belonged to daughter, Hannah. He repainted the entire room, de-cluttered the shelves, and voila! The office space is now his!!!! He says it was luck that it all turned out just as he wanted... I know it was his hard work and planning/plotting the entire project that made this great space, just for him! If I could only get "my room" organized now!

Fall Gardening in Florida

Today was a day to get out in my garden, rake a few leaves and cut back some overgrown branches. I found that my "Secret Garden" was in need of some TLC.... When Ellen and Ted visited a couple of years ago, she aptly named it for me. I had to trim back some of the growth on the jasmine at the entrances so that I could get in there easily and not have to bend down too far! In the photo, you see an adiition to the garden this summer, a Passion Flower. Today, there were blossoms, as well as caterpillars present. The leaves provide a great banquet for the life cycle of butterflies. One of the purposes of my garden to present plenty of food for all the stages of their life cycle. As I worked on the pathway and the garden, several winged species flittered around me. I received an early birthday gift a couple of days ago, two wonderful amaryllis bulbs... one called Dancing Queen, a red/white hue( a red pot) ; the second named Hercules, the color violet( a green pot). These are authentic Dutch bulbs, straight from the Kukenhof gardens in Holland, a grand gift indeed! I planted those babies this morning, watered them nicely, then left them in partial shade to start their growth!!! If you have never watched this kind of bulb, you need to. Growth happens almost right in front of your eyes. One bulb already had a tip started, so it will be great fun to watch the daily progress. The beauty it will show, from that ugly ball with dried up roots is miraculous indeed. Just as babies grow in the womb, "my" flowers are growing, ready to spring forth beautiful blossoms! oh, the wonder of gardening!!!!! I am delighted that I will not have long to wait...just a few short weeks. I shall keep you updated on the progress of the blooms when they appear.

16 October 2008

As I reflect upon my day so far, I think about how lucky I am to be here and not at school... I loved being a teacher, but now I am really appreciating life. This morning, I took a nice bike ride, on my way over to Hannah's. I rode around by the lake, and down our old street. What I observed was that the more time that goes by, the more things stay the same. Some of the homes have been painted, and some new flower beds have been created....while others have been overgrown with grass.......... yes, the more things change, the more they stay the same! When I arrived at Hannah's home, Dennis was there! He had been out doing errands...and dropped in just to check on things. We three visited about the Tunbridge Fair book...we all have read it through in last few weeks. We each remarked at how wonderful to have those memories all recorded. .. and to be able to see those old photos. Even Dennis and I can see major changes in the Tunbridge Valley, due to the growth of trees, not buildings, thank goodness. It impressed upon me that we need to write down feelings, reactions, observations. Our parents have told us stories in the past, but will we remember them? The people we remember, but the stories, the memories , are what we want to capture. As you, the reader, read this... be prepared to react...and to please add your thoughts/remembrances/reactions in the comments. That is going to be a vital part of this (or any) blog. I will treasure any responses! So let us start now! Have any of you read teh Fair Book? What do you think about it? Euclid did a great job, and it seems to be quite inclusive. I was so pleased to get to the Fair this year, the first time since we moved to Florida almost 30 years ago. There were wonderful displays, both antique and modern; lots of great food, both sweet and spicy; interesting contests, both animal and machine; surprising weather, both sunshine and rain; and lastly, MANY people, both Tunbridge residents and neighboring villagers... young and old, and many in between! Everyone enjoying his own special part of the fair.

Let's get started!

I have decided that I needed to get some of my own feelings and reactions to life recorded. So, here we go! No promises, just good intentions to add to this on a regular basis. This will be a wonderful way to continue our line of communication in our family.