Martin Luther, Grounding, This Little Light of Mine...

His parents wanted him to become a lawyer but Martin Luther, in order to seek God, became an Augustinian monk, but eventually became disillusioned with the Catholic church. On today's date in 1517, his 95 Theses attacked the Catholic Church for selling "indulgences" to absolve sin. The 95 Theses (click to read a former post at Thistle Cove Farm blog) have two central beliefs: the Bible is the authority and salvation is obtained by faith alone and not by works. This sparked the Protestant Reformation, divided the Catholic church and forever changed "religion". If you're of the Protestant faith, you have Martin Luther to thank. Additionally, he wrote many hymns and one of my favorite is A Mighty Fortress Is Our God .

This Autumn has been glorious! Even though we're in dire need of rain, the colors are saturated against brilliant blue skies.

Sunday afternoon, Sam alerted me there were strangers on our road! How dare they! Sam is such a comical little feller; he's a good guard dog but will stay in our driveway while he's barking, barking, barking. When I acknowledge him and told him it was all right, he calmed down; all the while, Sadie is right beside me, making sure no one gets close.

A few years ago, I crocheted (is that right...crochet or crocheted???) this rug which is used in the bathroom. Every so often it needs to be washed, then hung over the gate so it can dry. It's not the best job ever done but it brings me pleasure, and, yes, even joy, when I both see and use it.

Warm, sunny days are taken advantage of by doing a bit of grounding. I wrote about it here and Wellness Mama writes about it here. She goes into scientific jargon while I basically say, "Here I am, it works." The book is Pushing Up Daisies, an Agatha Raisin mystery by M.C.Beaton...LUV this series and the made for television series, here. Heck, I LUV the Hamish MacBeth series as well!

I love where I live but one huge drawback, for me anyway, is the lack of thrift stores. A recent thrift visit found these lovelies...the little green pitcher, with lid, is used to hold cream for coffee and the little butter dish perfectly holds one of my half pound blocks of home churned butter.

I'm not sure of the original intent, but this cut glass vessel will now be used as a water pitcher. As a wedding gift, Dave and I received a Waterford pitcher and this little jewel looks like it will work wonderfully well alongside. (Gee, how do you like that onomatopoeia thing I got going? or is it? It's "alliteration", thanks to Mags for the correction...at Late Dark Thirty last night, I knew onomatopoeia wasn't correct, but couldn't sus out what was correct.) (The Lassie movie poster, background, showcases my farm, center, just under the word Lassie...woohoo!)

This little light of mine makes my heart beat quickly. I'm so glad my 'old granny' taste is out of fashion so folks will take things like this sweet, sweet lamp to thrift and consignment stores where God allows me to find and purchase.

The upper globe can be turned on or

the lower globe can be used as a rather bright night light, or

both upper and lower globes lit here.

Do you know Mags of Fraise Lachrymose blog, here? Last month, it was my pleasure to visit Mags, in Ireland! and she's begun blogging about the visit. I'm working on a Irish travelogue and, God willing and the creek don't rise, will soon have photos and verbiage posted. In the meantime, visit Mags for the first of her four parts...enjoy!

Sara, Sweet Magnolia Farm, recently commented, "Sandra, you live a beautiful life..." and it caught me by surprise. My life is centered on food, shelter, clothing with enough excitement like travel thrown in for good measure and I'm always surprised when people like it as well. Like Pam R. who wrote, "I just love your style of writing, the words and phrases. You have such a way with words!"

Sara and Pam, thank you so much and thank you all who read my natterings and give the gift of your time to comment! I do love my life, my animals, my farm and even though Dave is missed, dreadfully, the light at the end of the tunnel is light and not an oncoming train. I work terrifically hard, keeping it all going but I always...always!...take time to sit and bask in the beauty surrounding me. I have never taken my life, nor where I live, for granted and am well aware of the blessings and gifts God has given me.

Bless you all for the gift of your time in reading and the gift of your comment...bless you all!

Ponder this ~ "I have learned that my strengths are a result of my weaknesses, my success is due to my failure, and my style is directly related to my limitations.
   I have discovered that after all those years of musical instruction, after all that practice to be perfect, after all that hard work trying to compose the right notes, I am gifted with the knack of hitting exactly the wrong notes at precisely the right time.
   This is the secret of originality. Think about it...Only you can commit a colossal blunder in your own exquisite style. This is what makes you unique. But when you are faced with solving the problem, this is what makes you inventive."
~ Billy Joel ~ 

Blogging and Books

 ~ 9 years of blogging turned into books ~

Recently, Karen at This Old House 2, asked about blogging and is it dying due to other social media? I've been blogging since 2005, had my share of ups and downs, good comments and not so good comments and still enjoy the process. Some years ago, I blogged about leaving blog land; Kathy, Cedar Pond, encouraged me to continue and I'm glad I took her advice. Dave always enjoyed the blog documentation of our farm and lives; now that he's dead, it means all that more to me. 

 "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind" so says Jack Lewis. In November 2011 Dave died suddenly of a heart attack and this quote brought, and brings, me much solace. 

My blog into soft cover books were done by Blog 2 Print and contain front and back photos varying from valley views to photos of the house to, in 2011, a photo of Dave and I while we were in the Azores, islands about 1,000 miles off the Portugal coast. Book prices begin at around $15 and, depending upon what one wants, can go upwards of $100.00. Each of my books cost around $95 to $125 and, yes, that's expensive but I chose to go without other things so I could do this one thing. I will never regret that decision! If you visit their website, they'll give you a 15% coupon which helps. They also have some sort of Rewards program which I'm too stupid to understand -wry smile-.

My comment on Karen's post: "...about the only blogging "rules" I follow are "Keep it nice". If others want to follow a bunch of rules, fine by me but don't try to impose them on me; to each their own. I started blogging in the dark ages of 2005; an acquaintance was blogging and she said it was fun. Along the way, I blogged that I was thinking of stopping and a reader sent me a kind note imploring me to continue, so I have. I'm grateful to her for helping me make that decision; when Dave was alive, he loved reading my blog and took an enormous amount of pleasure in how our days/farm were being documented. Since his death, it's been an enormous source of comfort to me. As you know, I've often written Dave "blog letters" where I poured out my grief stricken heart and worked through the emotional pain and turmoil. I've had my blog made into soft cover books and they too have been a source of comfort. I also blog to sharpen my photography and writing skills and watermark my photos because they are MINE. Like others, I've had them stolen and watermarking them makes it a tad more difficult for the thief. I'm proud of my work, why wouldn't I want to take credit for it?
Finally, I've met a lot of lovely people in "blog land" and have visited some of them in person. I've stayed with Mags and her family in Ireland, Timi and her family traveled by train from their village in Hungary to the city of Budapest and we spent two lovely days together; Jane and Lance opened their home and we shared a delicious luncheon in Budapest. 
Blogging has brought a huge world to a more manageable level and has given me untold joys. Christian sisters, whom I'll never met this side of the veil, pray for me and I for them. When Dave suddenly died, people around the world tucked me into prayer and those prayers, heard by a sovereign God, sustained me.
It's like anything else in life. It can be used for good or evil; I choose good and my life has expanded in ways I could never have dreamt. Is blogging dead or dying? Perhaps but for those with eyes to read and hearts to share blogging will never die." 

This photo of Thistle Cove Farm was taken 2 or 3 miles, as the crow flies, away from the farm. Every now and again, I'll take a drive throughout the valley, camera in hand, and amuse myself by taking photos; a lot of those photos end up on the blog, in the books and on the book covers. Also, all my books have the tag line "The View From My Window, My Cup Overflows" on the front spine. There are two years left to print and one change I made with the 2011 book was to have the year printed on the cover. How much easier it is to find what I'm looking for when the date is on the cover, or spine, of the book!

I've mentioned, too many times, how I'm gathering the information gleaned after Dave's death, into a book. It's a far lengthier process than I'd first imagined due, in part, to the fact I'm still uncovering things that need processing and finishing. Just recently, I found several items that Dave never finished for his mother's estate and she died in 2008! Additionally, I found several items for Dave's estate and, for both estates, my lawyer has to petition the court to re-open the files and have me appointed Executor so both estates can be finished. AAAHHHGGGG doesn't begin to cover my emotional status! 

Added to that particular mix is the fact I have absolutely no clue how to publish a book. I don't have an agent...do I need an agent?...I don't have a publisher...do I self-publish, e-publish, publish a hardback or a spiral note book type that can be placed on the table and, along with a 3-ring  notebook be fully utilized particular to each person or family's needs? If you have any ideas or comments or help...whatsoever...please chirp. 

Finally (you say...finally! -smile-), Leigh, has written 5 Acres & A Dream The Book - The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient Homestead. I've looked through the table of contents and it's packed full of useful information. Somewhere in Southern Appalachia (hey, we could be neighbors!) Leigh and her family live on a 5 acre homestead where they live an agrarian lifestyle. We share many similar interests both in the home and on the land and, to date, she's sold more than 1,100 books since first published in December. If I were starting out, her's would be the book I would buy, read and heed.

Why do you blog? Please comment here and then write a post on why you blog and, if you have your blog printed, let me know it worked for you. 

Blessings ~ the myriad women and men whom I've met in blog land and in reality ~ my blog into books ~

Late For the Party

~ tea pot and, below, matching dish ~

Those boys from Wind in the Willows are back in the USA, enduring a Colorado snow storm and resting up at PomPom's before heading to Northern Ireland and Fraise Lachrymose. The tea party was yesterday but I had some unexpected emergencies happen and am just now putting up my post. The boys were supposed to visit Thistle Cove Farm but last year wasn't a good year for me and it was mutually decided for them to go, instead, to Australia. I wish I could have gone with them! 

One of my tea sets is rather "springy" with cats, rabbits, baskets and eggs all done up in festive colors. It's a trifle loud but, in the spirit of things, I thought the boys wouldn't mind.

~ hand thrown and Homestead one cuppa's ~

These two tea pots are for one, perhaps half cup again, tea. The pot on the left was thrown by an art student at VCU, my alma mater, back in the 1980's; it's been with me a long while. The teapot on the right, has an H for Homestead. Dave bought it for me when we visited the Homestead for Christmas one year and one of my very favorite places are the Jefferson Springs, named for Thomas Jefferson. There are several springs feeding the bath houses and a delight any time of the year. Good memories...

This glass teapot also has a glass insert into which a flower bud, below, is placed. As the hot water is poured into the pot and over the flower, the bud releases both flavor and fragrance as it steeps in the hot water. It's a delight for all the senses. 

 This tea bud is Guilded Lotus from Primula Tea. 

The last tea set is my absolute favorite! I bought it at an antique shop in 1980 or '81 and have loved it well all these years. It's Thistle (of course-smile) by the A. W. Buchan Co. who has been making this pattern since 1867 in Crieff, Scotland. This page is of Thistle pottery sold here in the states, I think...drool and more information here. This year, Scotland Week is 3-10 April and misses my birthday by one measly day. I suppose I'll just have to plan a trip to Scotland, the year it includes my birthday, you think? smile For incredible photos of the Hebrides, click here.

So, Ratty, Mole and Toad, I hope you've enjoyed your world wide adventure; it's been fun watching as you've traveled the globe.  Pom has a list, here, of all the tea party gals; be sure and visit and leave a comment.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~ Albert Einstein ~

Today's Miracles ~ blog land tea party ~ wonderful fun ~ beautiful tea sets ~ tea flower buds ~ thistles...yes, thistles! ~