photo by susan l. stevenson
it’s been a while since i’ve posted anything and i really don’t have much time to write today. however, it makes me feel a little bit guilty when i see that people are checking in faithfully and finding nothing but a neglected blog. so in the interest of clearing my conscience, i’m taking a few minutes to post a link for visitors to explore.
this is the website of susan l. stevenson photography. she has taken some incredibly beautiful pictures! enjoy!
it was one year ago today that i began this blog. in that time i’ve written 57 posts (this is number 58), had over 2600 views, and received almost 200 comments. i’ve really enjoyed the interaction with my visitors. thanks to everyone that has stopped by!
this is a picture of me (on the right) and my two sisters, taken as we sat on the porch of our house in the mid-1960’s. during our growing-up years, my mom took lots of pictures of the three of us lined up like this. even now, when the family gets together, she’ll say, “why don’t you girls go stand over there and let me take your picture.”
i’m meeting my sisters for cider and donuts this week at a local orchard. i love having sisters, and i feel blessed that they live nearby so that we can stay in touch and remain a part of each other’s lives.
back in may i planted this cardinal climber hoping to attract hummingbirds to my backyard. unfortunately, the vine took nearly the entire summer just to scale this short fence, and i had pretty much given up on seeing any flowers on it, let alone hummingbirds.
however, this week, in the midst of a rainy, cool bout of early autumn weather, my cardinal climber vine bloomed! it was a pleasant surprise to look out the window and see the tiny red flowers brightening an otherwise gloomy looking garden.
it got me thinking about late bloomers - people, not just flowers. they follow their own timetable, but in the end, your patience is rewarded. that’s something i need to remember, particularly in relation to one of my children.
last night my son was talking to me about his memories of september 11, 2001. he clearly recalls the unforgettable images of that day and the sober mood of the following days, but he said that at the time he didn’t realize the historic importance of those events the way he does now. he wondered what historic events i remembered seeing unfold during the course of my life this far. i thought i’d list a few:
anyone else care to share their memories of historic events they have witnessed?
the remnants of hurricane gustav passed through our area last night, dropping over four inches of rain - much of it finding its way into our basement! cleaning up the soggy mess that was left behind has given me extra motivation to get the basement sorted out and organized. i think the priorities on my “to-do list” have shifted.
“don’t you love new york in the fall? it makes me want to buy school supplies. i would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if i knew your name and address.” - from you’ve got mail.
i thought of this quote and this movie as i bought school supplies yesterday. in fact, i find that certain movies tend come to my mind at particular times of the year, or in relation to specific events. here are some of my cinematic associations:
it’s been a full august. here’s a list of some of the things that have kept me busy so far this month:
and there are still nine days left! yet to come: a friend from quebec that i’ve known since college will be visiting for a week, then a final holiday weekend with my family to finish up the summer.
this picture of a sprinkler-soaked spider web in my backyard is completely unrelated to the following blog entry. i just felt like posting it.
summer is coming to a close. the morning air is cool, and darkness arrives earlier each night. i look at the calendar and count the days left: three weeks until school resumes.
although there are certain to be many beautiful days yet in autumn, i’m sad to see summer winding down. i find myself packing each remaining summer day full of all the things i still want to do before it’s over.
i try not to think about the change of seasons ahead. what good does it do to pine about something that i can’t change? instead i distract myself with a mad dash of late summer activity, and attempt to persuade myself that each season has its attractions. but honestly, i don’t want summer to end.
i came across this great quote yesterday:
“a woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. ” eleanor roosevelt
