Why We Live (where we live)

Ask anyone why they like where they live (some will say they can't wait to move away....) and you'll undoubtably hear a wide range of reasons- but if you can find within yourself an inner contentment at certain times of day and if the views or the light or the thoughts of all the things that have transpired forge a profound connection...sometimes it's knowing my children's memories were made here, that they frolicked in the river and drank in the sunset and came home to a snug house knowing tomorrow will be just as lovely, or better, or different in ways that will frustrate and delight (often at the same time).

An Excursion for Mom and Dad

With two kids out of the house and one child remaining (well, we think he stills live with us although he mainly makes appearances for food and rides to town...), doing anything improptu is easily achieved. A beautiful day meant going somewhere outdoors and we headed north to Storm King, a place we have enjoyed visiting in the past. During the summer months, the center is open later on the weekends, which means no matter what time you finally peel away, there is ample opportunity to stroll the grounds, take in the amazing artworks and enjoy the stunning vistas. I'm still adjusting to all the freedom of quasi empty nesters. Going where we want and when we want is a lifetstyle that feels odd and pleasant at the same time. I've enjoyed the ties to our children that parenthood has entailed and this new found liberty will take some getting use to.

But Storm King is an inspiring destination and one I highly recommend.

The Mirror Fence on top is by Alyson Shotz and the current exhibition of Zhang Huan- amazing!

Blog-envy (Strikes Again)

For any of you who suffer from pangs of inadequacy, who survey the lot that is their life with occasional bouts of doubt (no matter how much or how little fate has given you- and maybe you don't even believe in any of that stuff, including free will....) then my temporary wallow in the pursuit of why bother is easily enhanced when I read a few choice blogs- like Dinner:A Love Story (where I noticed a post that had 168 comments) and Lame Adventures (who also has a devoted following)...

You want to believe that it's all worth doing if only one person notices. Scratch that- it's worth doing because it's what you did- even if nobody notices. (please note that, to the best of my knowledge, no one i.e. in my family was harmed irreversibly by one of my offerings.) But sometimes the desire for more floods me in the most complicated of ways and then it's off to the races with pockets weighed down by ambivalence and agita. (never a good combination!)

A Visit to a New Flea (for Me)

Last Sunday morning my friend Karin took me to the Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market. We arrived to find it buzzing with people checking out the wide range of offerings. Wandering together and surveying the scene created a kind of excitement and relaxation rolled in to one. And the funny things I purchased will carry memories I'll enjoy for a long time to come.

Boredom doesn't mean you're boring

The crickets pulse with rhythmic repetition. A daughter visits and leaves, rushing in and out with smiles and news, the schedule for high school appears in the mail and the air cools with the expectation of September in the offing. I am restless and craving something huge, complicated and requiring every ounce of my attention. Napping beckons and repels at the same time. I want to be moving forward- if possible like a shark.

It's important to resist having too many opinions about what really matters. Best to enjoy the lingering light of the afternoon, the branches moving in the breeze and savoring how pleasant feeling pleasant often seems after a problem is solved or a crisis is averted.

I'll go with the glass half full and leave it at that.

The Sweet Sounds of Amy Correia (in Sleepy Hollow)

I consider ourselves lucky to live in a vibrant community of caring and inspired individuals so when our neighbors, Jamye and Martin, invited us to their home for a concert of a singer songwriter they had come to love for her soulful sound, we signed up immediately.

Last night the weather cooperated, the moon graced the sky with its glow and many of us gathered on their patio to sit in rapt attendance as Amy Correia serenaded us with her poetic songs of adventures and love lost and found accompanied by Ron Wilhelmsen on harmonica. The strains of his harp mixed with her beautiful voice cast a spell on us all. 

Amy is a truly special talent with an unforgettable gift and I hope many good things come her way in the years to come.

Everyone Has Hard Days

I'm definitely melancholic today. Sarah started college yesterday- and the house feels odd without her.  It's beautiful and sunny and I am wrestling with the guilt of feeling bad when I know how lucky we are in so many ways. This state of my head and heart is not unique to me- that I am surrounded by many who grapple with difficult feelings under the best of circumstances.
Time to summon forth the positives to soothe my troubled soul- knowing happiness often requires effort, especially when the unknown creates more fear than I'd like to admit.

My Life in Used Goods (lately)

I had a long stretch of not thrifting, wasn't even tempted- so intent on de-cluttering here. But then I succumbed at a group tag sale my sister-in-law Bonnie (and wife to Frank)  organized at their home. Joined by Bonnie's cousin Ilene and her husband Paul (and their neat stuff to sell) and Bonnie's friend Terri's array of  jewelry, it was well staged sale. Attendance wasn't steller but things left and smiles were exchanged.  Mutual swaps and purchases were made among us and I got a vintage brass door knocker, Tarot cards and silver earrings and was made the possessor of a new metal table (as in "Take it out if here, please! It will fit in your car"). It was fun to spend time with all of them and I think I left with less stuff!

This morning my daughter Sarah and I made our way to a popular church sale in Irvington, NY held in the fall.  I always see people I know and there are many rooms with all sorts of gems. I gathered up a lamp, a few choice art books. a pencil box and a pair of porcelain roosters. Sarah got a great black dress and black Ralph Lauren sweater.

For full disclosure I bought a light fixture to swap out in the house, there was a stop at the Goodwill on 9A where I found a globe for a favorite lamp that has needed globe since I bought it 25 years ago. It looks so much happier now!

This part of the that curates and collects is seamless activity that yields all kinds of meaning and a life of speculation and discovery and excitement among the cast-offs of others. Life in the second-hand lane.

Way back when (Throwback Thursday)

A happy moment before we launched our life in Sleepy Hollow- when baby made three and life with a toddler was an endless series of frustrations and delights. It's hard to resist memory when confronted with change. Sometimes the biggest challenge is to live in the here and now.

She's Leaving Home

I'm experiencing the universal pangs of sadness when you realize your child who was once your babe in arms is readying herself to embark on her next chapter. I've readied myself in the usual ways- she's been to sleep away camp so we've sent her off before to places unknown (yes her sleep away camp was so far away that we never actually got there- which in her way she preferred knowing this special place was not something she ever had to share with mom and dad..).

It's hard not to enjoy the many bubbles of excitement that all the preparations of going off to college create and I am happy for her. Wistful for me and with anxiety for us all. Life propels us forward and there is no turning back.
(and I am reminded of my own childhood- when my eldest brother headed off to college and I realized that we were not going to all live together forever. Some things never change.)

The Flowers of Galilee (Pa.)

We feel ourselves blessed whenever we are invited to visit our friends' Joyce and Gerry in Galilee, Pa. Their rural retreat is charming and comfortable- but the best part, combined with the pleasure of their company, is Joyce's beautiful garden that spill overs with beautiful blooms, the hum of bees and the soaring of swallows from above. A little bit of paradise here on earth.

Parental Reflections (in Sleepy Hollow)

Sometimes, little to report is a good thing. The days are peeling off the calendar in a quiet fashion. Friday morning our middle child flies away from the nest- she is off to Florida to start her freshman year at college. Always hoping for the best, as all parents do where their offspring are concerned.

How to focus on my life, when so much has been consumed in the process of raising them, is the
task at hand. Where there is a will, there is a way and for now I'll go with that.

My Life in Eight Words

It's always good to know I'm not alone.
(another eight words)