Finding the Thyme

I searched the cabinets, I knew that I had some thyme and I only needed just a little. It's a small addition, only half a teaspoon, but to a large pot of homemade chicken noodle soup, it's that one little extra that makes all the difference. I pulled a kitchen chair over to the upper cabinet where the spices are kept; crawled up to have a better look, and searched far in the back. "What are you looking for?" my husband asked, "thyme" I replied. "Do you think you'll find it in there?" he laughed. Not "TIME", I explained. And yet, that's something that I am constantly trying to find more of! If I can squeeze any extra minutes, or hours, that I can use each and every day, I try to use them wisely.  Maybe it's "found time" to stitch up a quilt block, do another load of laundry, bake a loaf of bread or sweep the porch. I admit to being very scheduled and, probably, a bit rigid when it comes to self-imposed routines; the kind that are all task-based. Over the last few months I've found myself sitting on the floor beside Augie when he eats his meals, as a puppy this totals three meals a day. We've never had a dog before who didn't gobble his kibble down the minute it hit the dish. Augie requires some coaxing; he's definitely not food-driven. Once he settles in at his bowl, he'll eat if we stay right there on the floor beside him. At first I thought "I don't have time for this." But, as time has gone on, I realize how much I look forward to this bonding time with my puppy. In the whole scheme of things, it's a very short amount of time spent, but it truly does make all the difference to Augie. Where else can that little bit of time have an impact? A phone call to a distant friend? An extra minute spent in conversation with a lonely church member after worship? A short, impromptu, walk in the neighborhood on a pleasant afternoon? There are places in even the most rigid of schedules (mine) for some unplanned relaxation of the timetable. Just like half a teaspoon in a large pot of soup, it's that something extra that can make all the difference. Oh, and yes; I did find the thyme and the soup was delicious!

    Life is Good!

Marking Time

I have a new way of marking time in the Studio these days, the rapid passing of each hour is cuckoo here now; and I love it! (The cuckoo, not the swift passage of time!!) I have been quiet the last two weeks, absent from the blog for good reason; my Mom and Dad have been visiting, we had a wonderful time. They are responsible for this beautiful new addition to the wall. It is a birthday gift, marking a significant birthday (Medicare? Who, me?? That's definitely CUCKOO!) for me near the end of last month. I had seen this clock a few years ago at Keepsake Quilter in Meredith, NH when Mom and I were shopping there. I remarked to her back then about how much I loved it; and, because she's my mother, she remembered! I was very surprised and genuinely thrilled to open this amazing gift!

Our time together passed much too quickly. We did visit an Amish store and neighboring community one day and the Zoo on another. But, mainly, we stayed at home and visited. I did get some sewing done and will share that, as well as a video of the marvelous cuckoo clock in action, in upcoming posts.

The great-grandchildren were all here on several occasions which, naturally,  

is always wonderful for us but was an extra-special treat for my parents. 

I am glad that my mother suggested grabbing my camera for these two shots last Saturday.

My Dad is teaching Gregory how to count and peg a Cribbage hand. This is especially heartwarming to me, as one of my earliest childhood memories is hearing my Grandfather, Dad and Uncle count Cribbage hands on any given Friday night at my grandparents' home. (And, as mentioned above, we all now know how long ago that was!) Mr. Goodneedle and I play Cribbage every day at lunch, and most days at dinner too. In the future may be playing three-handed now, with our grandson!

All too soon it was departure day. We took this picture in the garage right before they headed for home on Monday. They were happy to welcome a back seat passenger, Pfaff, to accompany them on their traveling adventure! (Yes!! My Mom really did come to visit, somehow she didn't appear in any of the photos except for this one!😞)

Life is Good!

B and B Lifestyle

Our church has started a bowling league, the Luther League. At the outset Mr. Goodneedle was enthusiastic, I encouraged him to join; I thought that was a great idea for him. I wasn't interested. In the least.  I'm not anti-bowling, I bowled in a league myself  twenty years ago. But now? I simply didn't have the time. My husband persisted, "please, why don't you come along and just watch?" he asked. I balked. "No, look at my calendar, I explained; "it's already full-- every day. If I add one more thing something else will have to go, I have no idea what to eliminate". He simply looked at me. It wasn't an accusatory look, it was more of a pleading one. "I would love to have you come along" he quietly said, "but it's up to you." Hmmm. You know where this is going. I went. I bowled. I had a terrific time. Mr. Goodneedle bought me my own ball (he got himself one too). Now, let me tell you this: I am NOT a good bowler, not by any stretch, but I am persistent. I am hopeful that over time I will at least see some level of improvement (and I am here to tell you that the ball wasn't the problem!😉).  You know what the most interesting thing about all of this was: I found time. So, that would be a great story in itself, but it doesn't end there; oh, no. "We should get bikes" he said casually one morning. "What?" I was shocked this time. "We should get bikes" he repeated. "That's what I thought you said" was my reply. This came from out of the blue. "Why?" I asked. "Well, now that we are down to one house (having sold his mother's home last month) and we have more free time wouldn't it be fun to take bike rides together?" This question was so dear to me, and he was so sweet, that I was almost convinced it could be a good idea. But then there was that over-crammed calendar again (neither of us ever have what I would have called "free time); that, and the fact that I have never been all that fond of riding bikes, even in my childhood. I could think of a million reasons to object to this proposal, but I held them inside. Again, you know where this is going. We bought the bikes, and the cages for our water bottles, and the odometers; I even got a helmet. I pedaled 7.2 miles on our "inaugural" ride. I am not sure that I had ever ridden over five miles at one time in my life before. We enjoyed it thoroughly; we biked on a greenway at a leisurely pace (7.9 mph), and I am ready and eager to ride again! Yeah, that calendar is still full but I have learned that I am a master at moving things around.

Life is Good!