Finding a Light in the Dark

Hello, Dear Friends. 

As we wake to dark days, 

I pray that you are finding strength 

to shine the light of hope 

for family, friends, and all mankind. 

It's not easy when we hear and see so much sadness

and feel so much fear during this corona-virus pandemic. 

I know that I am struggling with how to keep 

myself on an even keel and not succumb 

to dark imaginations. 

I'm having more than my fair share of nightmares

lately, and I know that is just a manifestation 

of the fears we all face as we try 

to navigate this brave new world. 

Dark clouds invade my mind, but I try to push 

them away and focus on all that is bright and 

hopeful, by finding small things to bring a bit of 

joy to my days.  

My heart is very heavy right now with all 

of the suffering going on in these terrible times.

It's hard not to worry.....

especially for those loved ones we all hold dear. 

Not to mention all of the brave souls in the medical 

community; the doctors, nurses and the first responders.

The police, military and fire personnel, 

the grocery workers, pharmacists, aid workers, 

daycare and eldercare workers, 

suppliers and distributors, postal workers, 

 and those in government which are never able to rest. 

Our true heroes. 

I pray for all those who are sick and all those who 

have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.  

Spring is here, while winter tries to linger on.....

Although, it quickly melts away. 

Dark clouds sometime reveal beautiful rainbows.

(Can you see the flock of birds flying by?

These are crows who have roosted in these hills 

for all the years that I have lived here)

The kindness of humanity that we see in dark times 

more than makes up for those that want to 

take advantage by sowing hate, fear and chaos. 

Light always overcomes the dark. 

I've spent some time in my sewing room creating 

masks for the Mr. and I. 

We are now in that high-risk age group. 

Don't ask me where the years went......

If you want to make some of your own, 

I found the directions at  The 'Button Counter' Blog.

(Just click on this link and it will take you there)

One 'Fat Quarter' will be enough to make two. 

(click on the link to bring you to a wonderful on-line shop

for supplies)

We took the masks with us last night when we ventured 

out for the first time in weeks, to go to the grocery store, 

an hour before it closed. 

We were nearly the only ones there......

There was a single gentleman

and a young couple - she with pretty, pale pink hair. 

But so many of the shelves were bare. 

No sugar, flour, soup or pasta. 

No toilet paper, paper towels or cleaners.

The only peanut butter was the chunky kind :) 

I managed to find some manicotti noodles,

at the back of the top shelf, which 

Ramblin' Man had to climb, 

and some stevia for our coffee, and an incredibly 

expensive bag of gourmet brown rice. 

There was plenty of milk, bread, eggs and produce, but 

the candy aisle was completely wiped out.

Ramblin' Man almost panicked, until he found 

some Hershey bars and lifesavers stuffed in the back. 

xoxo

Speaking of Ramblin' Man, his dream of retirement 

at the end of this month has just come to a crashing halt. 

The day after he took our little grandson for a 'flower-picking' walk, 

xx

his company begged him to stay on for a few months more. 

(He oversees a large network of distributors in 

the salty snack-food industry)

In this time of 'sheltering in place', people 

want that little something to snack on while watching all those 

Netflick movies with the family :)

And with what has happened to our, and everyone's 401-K, 

 we will be saving as much as we possibly can in the 

next few months for retirement.

We feel very blessed and grateful for this opportunity.
Luckily, he can do most of his work from home right now.

We have well-water that is safe to drink,
but tastes horrible due to the high mineral content,
so we always bought bottled water.
With all the hoarding, there was none to be found.

Our Big Berkey water filter came just in time.
I ordered it a month ago, to save money in retirement,
and I am so glad that I did!
(They are now on back-order due to the corona-virus.)
We now have unlimited, crystal-clear, delicious water,
and I couldn't be more grateful to have it.

We had several days of beautiful, sunny weather in
the mid-50's and I was able to get outside to work
in my gardens.

I call them 'gardens', but in reality, they are mostly wild,
ungoverned patches of ground-covers, ferns, wildflowers
and a few hardy 'domesticated' plants like daffodils,
bleeding heart, and hydrangea.

For almost 40 years I have tried to tame this wild, woodland
mountainside, much to my frustration.

I was in my mid-twenties when we moved here.
So young and naive :)

Over the years I have learned to work with nature.
xx

Lemon balm springs up everywhere.
I grew some nursery plants years ago,
and they were happy here - so much so that they've
nearly gone wild.

The same can be said for 'Forget-me-not'. I bought
one little plant at a church sale many years ago,
and now they are everywhere. Soon they will bloom,
bringing the whole blue sky down to earth.

Foxglove grows wild here - brought by pioneer women
who created their own digitalis, a very potent heart drug.
These beautiful plants are deadly poison if ingested,
so extreme care must be used around children.

We had ponies when my children were young,
and they would eat almost anything,
but always left the foxglove alone.

Sedum seems to like it here, too, and these have grown
in my wildflower garden for many years, spreading
slowly around. They grow very tall and bloom for
months, eventually giving me dried bouquets.
I use sections of wire fencing formed into hoops
to hold up their long, heavy stems.

All of these plants are left alone by deer, rabbits and slugs.
I can't tell you how many times I have planted
something beautiful, only to find nothing but a few bare stems by morning.

Primrose, hosta, and marigolds come to mind.
These are only grown in pots on my deck now.

Live and learn.

I had a visitor land on my glasses while I was working.

I have no idea if he is a 'good bug' or a 'bad bug', but
it doesn't matter.
Anything that gets eaten doesn't get planted again.

It makes my life so much easier.

Editing is the key to happiness.
xx

I splurged on these glasses.
They are 'Transitions'.
I don't have to use those ugly clip-on sunglasses anymore.
It's wonderful.
I highly recommend them.

Speaking of transitions - our warm, sunny weather has
given way to rain, hail, and fresh snow in the mountains.

The last evening of clear skies brought us a beautiful sunset
reflected on the Cascades.

Mt. Rainier looked like a scrumptious mound of cotton candy.

It's amazing how light can transform reality.

No matter how dark life seems right now,
we must always search for the light.

xoxo


"In this world, you must be a bit too kind
in order to be kind enough."
- Pierre Carlet, novelist and dramatist -
xx
"The basis of all good human
behavior is kindness."
- Eleanor Roosevelt, American first lady
and social activist -
xx
"Wise sayings often fall on barren ground;
but a kind word is never thrown away."
- Sir Arthur Helps, writer -

xoxo