A rolling stone gathers no - Moss?

     My mother and I disagree about moss. I love it. I think it is beautiful and there are so many varieties and it is pretty much free. I have used it to fill cracks in my walkways and grown it in pots and on pots and on stone walls. Mom hates moss. She can't stand it in the lawn, in the driveway in the walkway and not at all In her garden. So sadly, today I had to go out and pour baking soda on the garden to get rid of the moss. Baking soda is suppose to change the PH of the soil so that moss will no longer grow. As much as it would make Mom happy to see it go, I am secretly rooting for the moss. I think I may have to grow a garden where moss is welcome so she can see how beautiful and useful it can be.
      I suppose it could be worse, we could disagree about more important things. We do have a different priorities some days, and I think she obsesses about some things that really aren't that important, like weeds in the driveway and the fact that the grass circle in the driveway is not really a circle anymore....... but, all in all we agree more often than not. We have been able to communicate much better about life in general and we can talk about deeper and more intimate things than ever before. We talk about things that we never knew about each other and things we have been through that we never told each other and things we fear for the future. We laugh about most of it after we complain.
      Aside from moss, the topic of conversation today was the leaky shower which has been leaking off and on for a year. The drain has replaced twice now and it still leaks. We have determined that it is the hot wate , but we can't find the exact location of the leak. The shower has been dismantled for almost two weeks with no end in sight. Dads new idea is take the valve for the cold water apart and put it on the hot side to see its the fitting or the washers or somewhere else. He is actually contemplating taking apart the other shower to try those parts too. I suggested getting a new part from the hardware store rather than taking apart two showers and making extra work. The answer was " how do I know what part I need if I don't test the parts I have " ? Do all plumbers work like that ?!
      I am thankful that  Dad Is feeling well enough to tackle a small project. However, This could be a long week, my sister is coming in two days to stay for a week, 3 girls and one shower is
not good a good thing. Dad will be out numbered, he better figure it out fast or call for some help.

The Circle of Life ( or how to keep your sanity while caring for your 90 year old parents AND raising teenage boys)

I love posting things about nature and animals and crafts and things that make people think and laugh. The past  year has been quite an interesting journey for me. Many changes have come my way, some by choice, some by fate and some have been dropped in my path with no way around but to plow through and find a way.

By choice, I have been making some lifestyle and career  changes that feed my soul, are less stressful and more aesthetically appealing to me and I will share those details as they arise. By fate, I reconnected with old friends, made some new friends and rediscovered a path I have ignored for many years. Now for the big one, the one that's been dropped, becoming caregiver for my parents.

The circle of life for me is living part time with my parents, kind of like when I was in college, yet caring for them almost like they are my children but having to wear kid gloves because it's their house, they have opinions and are a bit set in their ways, and have their own way of doing things. It is also difficult for them to admit, sometimes, how much they need the help of others.

Everyday there is something that just makes me shake my head and walk away, with the dog, into the woods to think, literally. The peacefulness of nature is just about the only thing that is keeping me sane at this point and I feel compelled to share some of my daily happenings with someone, anyone, who will listen.

Finally Spring !

     Although spring officially began here on March 21st, it has not really felt like spring until now. The sun is actually out, and I don't feel like I need wear wool socks and dress in layers. There are still a few remands of snow piles, and hopefully they will be gone after this weekend. I don't feel like it's really spring until I hear the Spring Peepers or Chorus frogs, and I did hear them last night!

▶ 2:55

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBUXYrUA2pw

Nov 30, 2009 - Uploaded by CTnaturalist

Spring peepers are the smallest frog in Connecticut. Each spring choruses of the males calls ...

      Spring is my favorite season, seeing the first signs of new life and some green after the cold and gray starkness of winter, makes me smile. Spring is when all the ideas that have been in my head can finally come out and get a chance to become reality.

      In January I wrote about a few projects that I had plans for and I am happy to report that they are closer to reality now. Boy has it been a process! I have had my own business before and I don't remember it being this painstaking. My partners and I have done so much research and planning and writing and calling and meeting and testing and asking and waiting and we have learned so much, it will eventually come together. We are hoping the actual store front will be up and running in a couple of months and if that doesn't happen, the online store will until we are able to move in to our location of choice.

      I know I've peaked your interest. I know I'm being somewhat evasive. I know you want to know more. You will just have to be patient, as I have had to be, for a few more weeks. 

Happy New Year !

So, another year has come and gone and new one has begun. Personally, I have been in a whirlwind of change this past year and it will continue this year. I am in the "sandwich generation" which means I have kids who still need me and aging parents who also need me. It is an interesting road to be on and a bit stressful at times.

There are several dreams, goals and projects that I am looking at and they are all exciting to me. At the moment I am exploring the possibilities of great change and taking baby steps towards what feels right. Relocating my home base is in the future and I need to decide whether I choose what is best for me or what is best for my youngest son who will still be in high school for another 3 years. That is a tough decision but one that may work itself out. Time will tell and then I will know.

For now I trust that God is leading me where I need to be and he hasn't let me down yet. Even though I don't have all the answers and the whys, I am walking in faith and will continue to do so, and count my blessings everyday. Sometimes being thankful and asking for strength is all that gets me through the day.

So my dreams, you ask , they revolve around the possibility of restoring a historic home and having my own business both online and in brick and mortar with a couple of friends. My goals involve creating a business and a place where people can thrive financially and artistically so that we are able to give back to the community and help fill a need in the lives of others. My projects come from all of the above and as I go through the process, remember that word "process", of each project I will write about here and at a new site. So stay tuned and come along on my adventure if you dare. It's sure to be interesting.....................

Reminders of What Is Important To Us

I love this blog! Down To Earth.blogspot.com

Reminders of what is important to us

Most of us live on the edge. Although we live in cities, suburbs, rural towns and out in the middle of nowhere, we choose to live apart from what is considered to be "normal" nowadays. Even if we're surrounded by people or close to them, we are living on the edge of the mainstream because we've changed our mindset; we're on a slower and gentler journey.  And it is for that reason that I want to encourage you all to highlight what is important to you - to express what you love about the various things we do that others don't.  This is a reminder, or encouragement, if that's what you need today, about the life we live and why we live like this. People in the mainstream have a monotonous stream of information, advertising and peer support about their lifestyle, spending, shopping and fashion. That keeps them going - it reminds them of what they love, what is important to them. If you watch television, listen to the radio, surf the internet, read magazines or walk around the city, you'll see the current constantly changing cultural must haves; the products and services that help people live lives of convenience. 

All that glitters is not gold.

Floral fabric Birdhouse

      So now that we have fed the birds and given them nesting material, I thought they might need a place to build that nest. I went through my Mother's stash of quilting fabric for inspiration and added some touches from the sewing supply stash of mine. this is what I came up with.........................

I used Mod Podge to glue the fabric, ribbon and buttons to a wooden birdhouse. I painted the base with a coordinating color, added a thimble on the the roof top and then gave the whole house a coat of  outdoor clear coat spray. I am so happy with the result I will be making more!

Check it out at LifeSeasoning on Etsy - I will be adding a kit to make this soon too! Happy birding!

spring craft for kids and birds

Spring Break Activities For Kids

Spring Crafts For Kids – Helping Backyard Birds with “The Backyard Bird Bag”

The spring birds in our backyards are busy this time of year building nests for their new families. Your family can create and hang this bag from a tree in your yard to provide a new bird family with food and nesting materials made from recycled items in your home!

Click for a larger image

Backyard Bird Bag Materials – What You Will Need

• 1 square foot burlap (biodegradable, please!)
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• String
• Yarn or twine
• Strips of fabric or cloth remnants
• Shredded paper
• Leaves or pine needles
• Nuts, seeds, or even stale bread
• Optional: horse hair (we used sheep’s wool!)

Lay out your burlap square on a table or desk. (Make sure it’s biodegradable)

Fill the burlap square with all your collected materials like nutritional nuts and seeds and items that the birds can use to construct a nest! (Make sure to use pretty spring colors as we’re sure the birds want to be ‘in season!’)

Collect the four corners of your burlap square, but make sure there’s enough room in between the corners so the birds can pull out all of the goodies inside.

Tie your ribbon around your Backyard Bird Bag with a bow.

Hang the Backyard Bird Bag from a tree (close to a window in your house!) and watch the birds go “nuts”! Then pat yourself on the back for doing something nice for others that share our planet.