And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
it is only with the heart that one can see rightly,
what is essential is invisible to the eye.
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
In which we celebrate Saturday Stories : here's one about working
I truly don't remember where I found this story. It's been in my head forever, and I don't tell it very often anymore. At the beginning of Spring, though, it just seems appropriate....! --A
Where Do You Think You Are?
A man died, and after filling out the appropriate paperwork, he found himself in some kind of paradise.
The food was great, the weather was perfect, the entertainment was top-notch.
After a while, however, the man looked around. He was bored!
Were there no children to be tended? Was there no laundry to be folded, no dishes to be washed, no plumbing to be repaired?
He asked around. Was there something he could do to help out around the place?
They were amazed. “Work?” they asked. “Where do you think you are–Heaven?”
Where Do You Think You Are?
A man died, and after filling out the appropriate paperwork, he found himself in some kind of paradise.
The food was great, the weather was perfect, the entertainment was top-notch.
After a while, however, the man looked around. He was bored!
Were there no children to be tended? Was there no laundry to be folded, no dishes to be washed, no plumbing to be repaired?
He asked around. Was there something he could do to help out around the place?
They were amazed. “Work?” they asked. “Where do you think you are–Heaven?”
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
In which the Swampland weather is typically wet...and wonderful
It rained today.
Blue skies are pretty, but our Swamp isn't made green by blue skies.
Goats hate rain. They hang out in Goatenheim, complaining about the weather.
Mad as a wet hen? Nah.
(YouTube is being silly this week, so if the window doesn't work for you, go HERE instead)
Blue skies are pretty, but our Swamp isn't made green by blue skies.
Goats hate rain. They hang out in Goatenheim, complaining about the weather.
Mad as a wet hen? Nah. The Minervas don't really mind rain so much. 
Water, water, everywhere.
I don't usually take photos in the rain--who wants to get the camera all wet, after all? 
And yet, how can I portray the wonders of the Swamp without showing our prodigious rain?
Water, water, everywhere.
I don't usually take photos in the rain--who wants to get the camera all wet, after all? And yet, how can I portray the wonders of the Swamp without showing our prodigious rain?
Here's a little rain for my friends outside the Swamp.
(YouTube is being silly this week, so if the window doesn't work for you, go HERE instead)
Sunday, April 11, 2010
In which we celebrate springtime in the garden...and on the trails
With a blue sky above us, we definitely feel that springtime has really, truly, arrived.
Fiddle and I hit the trails this morning, thinking that we would avoid the crowds....
uh, no. I've never seen the trailhead so crowded when there wasn't a sanctioned event! But there were plenty of trails for all of us.
Plus, we met some friends out there!
Our friend Patty (on the spotted horse) has signed up for the XP 2011 - eight weeks of five-day rides, run along the old Pony Express routes, and these are the horses she plans to use. I am so jealous! The XP is my idea of the ultimate holiday vacation. Someday, I promise myself. Some day I will do that ride.
Meantime, Fiddle and I will have fun plinking around in the sunshine.
Fiddle and I hit the trails this morning, thinking that we would avoid the crowds....
uh, no. I've never seen the trailhead so crowded when there wasn't a sanctioned event! But there were plenty of trails for all of us.
Plus, we met some friends out there!
Our friend Patty (on the spotted horse) has signed up for the XP 2011 - eight weeks of five-day rides, run along the old Pony Express routes, and these are the horses she plans to use. I am so jealous! The XP is my idea of the ultimate holiday vacation. Someday, I promise myself. Some day I will do that ride.
Meantime, Fiddle and I will have fun plinking around in the sunshine.
This was my birthday weekend. It's a good time of year to celebrate stuff.
We visited the outer edges of the local Tulip Festival. The traffic wasn't much fun, but the guys enjoyed the traditional gigantic ice cream cones!
The clans gathered at a restaurant overlooking the harbor. I love watching the boats coming in at dusk. (the food was good, too!)
Of course, a major source of celebration is the garden. Mom thinks this rhododendron can be saved by means of a major pruning.
When the rhody has been treated, we move on to some new plantings.
We visited the outer edges of the local Tulip Festival. The traffic wasn't much fun, but the guys enjoyed the traditional gigantic ice cream cones!
The clans gathered at a restaurant overlooking the harbor. I love watching the boats coming in at dusk. (the food was good, too!) 
Of course, a major source of celebration is the garden. Mom thinks this rhododendron can be saved by means of a major pruning. 
When the rhody has been treated, we move on to some new plantings. A clematis, which we hope will climb up over the sign, and also entertain our mason bees.
Some other shrubs, for color.
Elsewhere in the orchard, the trees are blooming.
The apple trees are just starting to blossom. The whole yard smells sweet and wonderful.
In the vegetable garden, I turn the soil...
Some other shrubs, for color.
Elsewhere in the orchard, the trees are blooming.
The apple trees are just starting to blossom. The whole yard smells sweet and wonderful.
In the vegetable garden, I turn the soil......and plant seeds...
...with a little help from my friends.
And at the end of the day, Jim prepares a beautiful dinner.
Life. Is. So. Good.
Life. Is. So. Good.
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