A Thoughtful Spring

Graydon and his tongue!

It feels like ages since I've written...and when I look at the date, it is. Time is speeding up these days; there doesn't seem to be enough of it to get every last item on the to-do list struck off.

And...Spring has not let coolish weather deter her. My old friends...Ligularia, Hosta, Poppy, Tulips...are not growing as quickly as I'd like, but growing they are. Today, after a long wait, after a period of time where it only Snowed, it's been Raining. I love every precious drop!

I felt so homesick after our last visit to the Coast at Easter. We had such a great time, seeing all of them...

Pretending to choke...ahh, Graydon!

The family is, every one, doing well; we missed Barb and Bryan, who were off on a Hawaiian cruise. Brianna began her new job last Saturday and has really applied herself to her school work. Graydon...ahh, Graydon! He rarely smiles for the camera anymore; instead, with his eyes dancing, out comes his tongue. Each and every time! What else would a four year old boy do? I find him very handsome, regardless.

Brianna and Keauni (I think!)

The whole family descended upon my daughter and son-in-law's home for a superb Ham and Scalloped Potatoes dinner for Easter. The twins were adorable in their first Easter dresses...yellow and beribboned! I was so impressed with my grandson Graydon...there was absolutely no sign of jealousy, as he gently stroked baby arms and legs. At that moment, he fell in love with Kaleelah and Keauni, just as all the rest of us have.

Our sad Lucky with his Bear

Upon our return to the Cariboo, we found Lucky sleeping on furniture, trying to find comfort, I imagine. He's never done that before. He also confined himself in the garage, by nosing open the door, and did a fair bit of damage to the car parked inside and the door...


Poor old Puppy. I knew it was much too soon to leave him after Nate's death; yet plans had been made. It will take him awhile to relax again, to not have his nose stuck to my jeans..

Anybody remember the But an' Ben?

We welcomed visitors from Scotland shortly after our return from our Easter holiday. It took me only a short while, this time around, to tune my ear to the Scottish accent and sayings. We were the lucky recipients of a book as a hostess gift...Maw Broon's But an' Ben Cookbook. I'm not familiar with Maw Broon, but I listened to the memories the book brought back for Graham. In perusing it, I find many Scottish folk tales within, not to mention some great recipes such as Nettle Soup, which requires a glug o' cream...

Nettle Soup!

It feels to me like change is in the Air...more change than only transitioning into Spring. Do you feel it? It was so difficult to leave the Coast...not just the family, but also the Ocean, the gardens and Flowers. The green.

It is time, now, to make plans to move back home. Heartache for something so much a part of me...the Sea Coast and family...is coming to an end.


There is no rush, heart soreness notwithstanding. We will look carefully at all options, this time, before we leap. I am anticipating the planning, sometimes so much more exciting than actually doing the event. I am aware of the amount of work moving entails...


But there is more than just a change of residence, I think, within me. For instance, I have recently undergone a long dry period wherein I could not read anything of any content.

It's interspersed with stories and cartoons

I found myself reading magazines, anything of little matter, to lull myself to sleep at night. Yet, I continue to buy books...the pile of unread books on my night table is growing taller...in the hopes that soon I might want to actually read one.


I believe this odd behaviour on my part might be coming to an end. I have recently finished reading two books...The Room and Little Bee. Both of these are gifts from my daughter and both were difficult, in an emotional way, for me.


But both seemed to open the door for further reading.

Kaleelah and Keauni asleep (1 mo. old)

Not reading concerned me. It was such a transition from my usual conduct...I have always found time to read. Books were my salvation; they allowed me to live in a different World, in a different way. Books saw me through so many parts of life from which I wanted escape.


I was actually terrified I would go through the rest of my life reading seed catalogues and People magazine. This last period of not being able to concentrate for long on any written sentence was a lengthy one.


And I am so glad it appears to be over! But quite incidentally, the other day I met an older friend in a bookstore. She was looking confused, which, if you know my friend, is a strange departure from the normal for her.


She looked at me...What should I read? she asked with some anxiety...


I suggested any number of titles to her. None seemed to interest her. Now, my friend once loved reading and writing...one begat the other, she'd tell me, over and over.

Keauni? Heh!

I was becoming confused. Finally, she admitted to me that she'd recently found no interest in reading. She would pick up a book, she said, and find herself still with the cover closed a long while after she'd sat down to read.


I told her my story. We looked at each other, perplexed. She said...I wonder if it is because of all the short snippets I read and write on the internet? All that instant messaging and stuff? Short bits, here and there?...


I thought about it and finally, had to say I didn't know. I do the same on the Internet. But I know many people who don't let short bits of information from the Internet stop them from reading books with meaty content.


It's just a stage...I told her...A stage in life with too many other things on your mind. It feels like that with me. It feels like I can't settle...

Kaleelah and Keauni

She wasn't convinced. She left the bookstore with a pile of magazines and said she was happy she could still concentrate on those. Later, after I'd thought about our conversation, I was sure she felt her age was also to blame.


And there's another transition. Sixty was a turning point for me...all of a sudden, I have more confidence than I've ever had. And I can't explain that, either.


Change is a part of life, of course. Many times throughout my life a sojourn I feel comfortable on comes to an end and another begins. I can't foresee any of it. 

Purple suits the two of them!

For me, the best thing I can do is accept each day, each change as it comes. If I can't concentrate on the written word for awhile, well, there are other things, other hobbies which get me through.


And, perhaps, the story in my head and the story in my friend's head is much more interesting to me and she than anything we could read. 

There is a whole lifetime there, in our minds, after all.