Valerie – Page 87 – Valerie's Voice

Blog to Book

I just hit the “summit order” button and ordered a book that I made from my previous blog site. I tried hard to find all the grammatical mistakes…and all other mistakes with titles, photos etc…and the book order site itself did not let me edit much but I’m excited to get the finished product! Writing a blog is a learning experience and a great adventure and needed some courage on my part. But it was/is fun for me and I will continue to write.

I found a quote for the dedication page and I included the above photo,

A Writing Adventure

“You don’t always need a logical reason for doing everything in your life. Do it because you want to, because it’s fun, because it makes you happy.” unknown

A Blooming Hibiscus

Spring in Minnesota teases us. Warm, then cool temperatures change daily, but the emerging multiple shades of greens in the budding trees, the blooming pink, white and crimson ornamental trees, the bright and colorful spring flowers popping up and lawns greening are a beautiful sight. The air is so fresh and that is why it feels good to be living in Minnesota with its changing seasons.

My husband and I have been working hard in our yard…cleaning up the gardens, trimming trees (the tree trimmer was too expensive so my husband got out the ladder and hacksaw and trimmed them himself….I’m grateful its done and he’s unharmed), dividing and transplanting perennials to reduce the maintenance of the gardens. I am now ready to plant annuals when the weather warms back up!

Over the weekend we bought our annuals. I planted some in the flower boxes on our deck in time for Mother’s Day. As gifts, I received a yellow and purple Millions Bells in a hanging plant and a container full of colorful Gerbera Daisies for the deck. I have a Hibiscus to add to the mix…its one I bring it in every fall to winter over in the house (after I threaten to toss in the compost ~ I’m not an indoor plant person.) A friend encourages me to keep it…and when it blooms I’m glad I have. During the summer the hibiscus gathers fresh air, warmth and energy from the sun so it blooms over the winter. I’m always happy to get out of the house though. It’s blooming now and is so lovely…I think it knows I could get rid of it at any time so it tries its best to perform for me.

So with the flower boxes planted, the hanging basket in place, a fresh flower pot with colorful and perky flowers, and my good old standby Hibiscus in bloom, our little outdoor room is shaping up. We’ve cleaned up our deck furniture and I anticipate spending a lot of time on the deck this summer

Small Town Life

Small town living is special. On my way to the book fair this morning for the last day bag sale I diverted and went to a local bakery coffee shop for some savory scones and coffee. I never made it to the book sale…I decided I had enough books…for now. At the shop I placed my order and then realized I didn’t have much cash. I wondered if they took credit cards. The answer was no however, I knew the gal serving me and she told me I could pay her on Monday. I did find a hidden five-dollar bill so I was able to pay in full but I loved the idea that I could buy on credit if I needed to.

That brought me back to when we moved to this small town of 16,000, in 1994. After moving into our new house I decided we needed a new lampshade. I had noticed a local store had stock so I went there determined to find a couple shades I liked, pay for them, and bring them home to decide which looked best. This time I was new in town and nobody knew me. I found two lampshades I liked and brought them up to the counter and told the clerk (found out later she was the owner) my plans. She said…just take them home and bring back the one you don’t want. She didn’t ask my name or take phone number…I just walked out of the store with two lampshades I had not paid for. Of course I brought them home and decided right away which one looked best, drove back to the store to pay for the new lampshade and return the one I didn’t want. I remember thinking how refreshing it was to be in a town where people trusted others, even new folks in town.

Tonight’s Light

books

I went to the annual used book sale in our town last night and found some wonderful treasures to bring home and read, and some books to give away since I found some of my favorite books like new!

One book I bought was on seeing light in the world and that reminded me of something I wrote a few years ago on a 4^th of July evening as I walked home after watching our town’s fireworks display.

Tonight’s LIGHT

Twilight

Moonlight

Starlight

Fireworks!

Lightening Bugs

Street lights

Car lights

Garage lights

Porch lights

Indoor lights through the windows

Celestial light

and on the walk back home….fire light! (in a fire pit!)

Full Moon

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There was a beautiful full moon the other night and whenever I see one it always leaves me breathless. I was reminded of a poem my son wrote for me several years ago. He wrote it after we witnessed a beautiful moon rise over a field of wheat moving with the wind that reminded us of the sea, or Lake Superior.

MOONWALK

Where the sky touches the water,

the field of wheat meets God’s beautiful creation.

Isn’t it neat?

The water displays its glistening haze,

The golden wheat stands tall, with no fear at all.

The sky shines bright in the beginning of night,

The moon is snow-blinding white.

Good Night.

Random Acts of Kindness

flowers

In the last few days I have had several random acts of kindness done on my behalf…it’s amazing to be on the receiving end…

A friend sent an encouraging card

A colleague brought me a bouquet of flowers

Another friend shared, via email, a fun memory of meeting me

Another gave me a piece of chocolate

All unexpected, all sweet and all meaningful to me…I will pay it forward but first will enjoy the moments they were gifted to me.

Dwarf Trout Lily

This is a re-post from my previous blog site. Looking for the Dwarf Trout Lily has now become an annual spring event for me…I love Nerstrand and wildflowers and springtime and walking in the woods! Naturalists are now in the park on weekends during the Dwarf Trout Lily’s bloom season to point it out to those in search of the precious flower.

My favorite park is Big Woods State Park, or affectionately known as Nerstrand. The maple-basswood forest has lovey trails and a Hidden Falls…and camping. We have camped there several times over the years but since it is really close to where we live I can hop in the car and be there in no time, so I go there often. It’s a favorite place to go…for all seasons.

I go on an annual Dwarf Trout Lily hunt. The Minnesota dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans) is a federally endangered forest wildflower found in Rice, Goodhue, and Steele Counties, Minnesota. Because it is known only from this small area the dwarf trout lily is considered a Minnesota “endemic” – i.e. a species that grows in Minnesota and nowhere else on earth.* Now that’s exciting.

I know one spot on the trail where they bloom among thousands of Common Trout Lilies. So I walk the trail and look for my treasure and when I find it I am delighted to have seen it once again. I use my finger as a reference point for pictures so one can see how tiny the flowers are.

Then I continue to walk along the trail and spy the Marsh Marigolds, Spring Beauties, Anemones, Violets and Dutchman’s Breeches. The trees are starting to but out and the hint of “spring” green is so beautiful. The branches are airy and you can see right through them to the hilly woods that are normally leafed-covered in the summer.

I’m grateful for this gift and the opportunity to experience nature. My heart is joyful and I praise the Lord for the beauty that surrounds me.

* Sather, N. 1990. “Minnesota dwarf trout lily: an endangered Minnesota wildflower.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul. 9 pages.

My Mother Gives Me Her Recipe

These are hand-written recipe cards from my mother…the booklet holds all the hand-written recipes I have from her.

My mom made a delicious roast. Every time she made one it turned out well – every time! But when I went to make a roast it never turned out as good as hers. I wrote down her directions but they never seemed to work. It was a lot like this poem I’m posting below:

My Mother Gives Me Her Recipe by Marge Piercy

Take some flour. Oh, I don’t know,
like two-three cups, and you cut
in the butter. Now some women
they make it with shortening,
but I say butter, even though
that means you had to have fish, see?

You cut up some apples. Not those
stupid sweet ones. Apples for the cake,
they have to have some bite, you know?
A little sour in the sweet, like love.
You slice them into little moons.
No, no! Like half or crescent
moons. You aren’t listening.

You mix sugar and cinnamon and cloves,
some women use allspice, till it’s dark
and you stir in the apples. You coat
every little moon. Did I say you add
milk? Oh, just till it feels right.
Use your hands. Milk in the cake part!

Then you pat it into a pan, I like
round ones, but who cares?
I forgot to say you add baking powder.
Did I forget a little lemon on the apples?
Then you just bake it. Well, till it’s done
of course. Did I remember you place
the apples in rows? You can make
a pattern, like a weave. It’s pretty
that way. I like things pretty.

It’s just a simple cake.
Any fool can make it
except your aunt. I
gave her the recipe
but she never
got it right.

My mom passed away a few years ago so we have not had a delicious roast since – seriously – but I do have some of her recipes cards that include measured ingredients and directions, and they are grease stained with ruffled corners, but they are written with her own handwriting. I keep them in a special booklet and there are some of her recipes I make that do turn out well.

I make her Ginger Snaps. They are my favorite! I ask people “How can a freshly baked, out of the oven ginger snap possible be bad for you?”

Baby Ezra

ezra

I mentioned earlier…I want to write about things I’m thinking about and about adventures I experience.

Right now what I’m thinking about is my grand-son who is three weeks old. He lives in Africa with his mom and dad (my son) and older sister. Ezra Nghala is in the hospital with pneumonia and bronchiolitis so I’m not thinking of much else these days, except him and their family. Hopefully he will get well and be able to go home soon.

I haven’t had the chance to hold him, and I’m not sure when we will be able to meet him, and this makes me sad. When his sister, Zoey Tiyisela was born in October 2014, we were able to go to Africa to meet her and visit for one month. We had some exciting adventures there.

Tree Trimming

After dinner and a daily walk, we had a tree-trimmer stop by to look at the trees in our yard. We planted all twenty of them when we moved into our house 20+ years ago. We had a corner lot in a small town that did not have one tree on the property. The trees have grown so tall and so full and I love the privacy they provide, the protection for the birds I feed, shade for our back deck and not to mention the beauty they add to our neighborhood. But now, some of them need trimming,

While walking around the yard tonight and pointing out the trees to the contractor giving us an estimate I was taken back to a time when my sons were little and we lived in a different neighborhood on property that had mature trees. There were two very tall Evergreens in the back yard. The boys would climb the trees from the inside, near the trunk, to avoid the needles and fragile branches of pine trees. They had a lot of fun in those trees.

However one day in particular stands out when they decided to trim the dead branches to make their “steps” easier to climb. They did a fine job however the unexpected result was the tree sap started running and by the time they came in that night they had sap all over themselves and their clothes. They smelled good, but sure were sticky!

I miss those days and I treasure the memories of when my guys were growing up.