'These ones' and other nightmares of a retired English teacher..

   As the surgeon prepared to make the final cuts to remove the growth from the patient’s brain, he asks those assisting him to prepare to clamp off several arteries that supplied blood to the area.

   “No, no. no. Not those ones,” he shouts. “These ones! These ones! Over here.”

   Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately, the words and language we select and use reflects who we are, the level of education we have achieved and even, perhaps, our social standing. Words are important. But as times change, as we become more reliant on computers, on spell check, as we read, write and speak less, as we depend more on getting our entertainment from ipads and social media, the quality of our vocabulary changes as well. OMG!

   I studied English, grammar and literature in high school and, admittedly, I was not the best student. I taught English for a number of years to high school students and I can honestly confess to myself that I did not do a very good job. I was not always the best role model.

   Looking back, I should have had students write more, learn at least one new word each day, read more and have them do more public speaking ('like' and 'um ya know', etc.). Oh, and yes, I should have and should continue to practice what I preached, even to this day, regardless of how old I am.

   So...what are some common words but often misused or misunderstood today?

   Most people refer to a 'travesty' as a tragic event, when the correct use of the word implies an event as a parody or...to make fun of something. My Life, The Travesty!

   If I 'peruse' the newspaper each morning, one may understand it to mean that I have skimmed over or glanced at the daily news. The correct use of the word means “to carefully review.” Now, at 6:30 in the morning, I am in no mood to carefully review the Bangor Daily News, checking the accuracy of its reporting of local events or to check for spelling errors. Don't they have spell check?

   There are many who may agree that what I write about is 'redundant', meaning it is often repetitive. OK. Some of the things I write about and say...could be cut out. Hmm. Sounds like many parts of the campaign speeches we have been listening to.

   My 'redundant' point is simple. These are words commonly used today but over time their meanings have changed, depending upon the context in which they were used.

   I have always believed that it is easy to sit back and criticize. But with criticism comes a responsibility to make positive suggestions. I had proposed that students learn at least one new word each day, so here are several suggestions for this week.

   'Fulminate' means to loudly attack or denounce. The political candidates used the recent debate time to fulminate against some of their rivals. Now doesn't that sound better than saying “the other candidates really  suck!”

   If there is an enthusiasm and a willingness to achieve or accomplish something good, it often shows a degree 'alacrity'. An attempt to bring about world peace in some of the countries involved in war shows a high level of alacrity on the part of the U.S. How about within some of our own cities?

   A word often used to mean to 'make unnecessary' is the word 'obviate'. This word is actually being  used a bit more these days. It has absolutely nothing to do with getting pregnant.  (Can't figure that one out! You may want to call Donald Trump on that one.)
   Wouldn't it be great if we were able to obviate most of the meaningless and time wasting commercials on television? But then, how would we know about the sales and special prices offered by the local Honda car dealership just down the road? (My favorite would be to obviate junk mail, both in my postal mailbox and on my cell phone.)

   My goal for this  week is to use the word 'fulminate' at least three times when speaking to others. That shouldn't be too difficult.There is enough  out there to have an extreme opinion or two,

   I really do try not to abuse the English language too much. I worry about the future generations however. Cursive writing is not taught in many classrooms any more. (I'd like to get some of those green cards with the letters that were posted above the blackboard. Oops. Is blackboard politically correct these days?) The spelling bee is becoming a dinosaur. As the little girl said to her mother in the store the other day. “Mom...we don't have spelling tests any more. I have spell check on my tablet now.”
   And as for the doctor and “these ones,” I think I might look for a second opinion before going too much further with this particular doctor.

Some of these are down right weird....

   The older I get, the more I think about the meaning of one's life, the experiences and  lessons learned from those experiences and how one builds personal character. But the real question for me has been not what we learned but  how and when we learned it. In many cases, we know life's lessons are learned on  playgrounds or  athletic fields, in the classroom or at the dinner table.
   Perhaps the lessons are learned from television shows (I have referred to the early days of the Andy Griffith Show in  past blogs) or possibly by the stories we hear or the books we read. Or maybe we learned them from those “morally charged” or “value laden ” rhymes and jingles we have come to know and often memorized as a child.

   At a recent antique auction we purchased some older kids' books. Part of the package included a teaching series of children's literature, one entitled Rhyme and Jingle Reader, copyright 1912. Bored by the recent reporting of the political candidates debates on television, I decided to refresh my memory with the all time favorites. (Where did some of these ever come from?)

   Who doesn't remember sitting on Grandma's knee and listen as she told the sad tale Jack and Jill.........

                                        Jack and Jill went up the hill
                                         To fetch a pail of water;
                                         Jack fell down and broke his crown,
                                         And Jill came tumbling after.

   Poor Jack! And she would always end  it by gently dropping me on the floor.

   And then there is the famous story of a crazy egg sitting on a wall.

                                           Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

                                            Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
                                            All the King’s horses, all the King’s men
                                            Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

   This little rhyme always cracked me up. Can you picture an egg sitting on a wall and then all of a sudden.......splat!

    And who didn't have a friend called Georgey..................

                                             Georgey-porgey, pudding and pie,
                                             Kissed the girls and made them cry.
                                             When the boys came out to play,
                                             Georgey-porgey ran away.

   Now I have never seen a cat play a fiddle or a cow jumping over the moon, although I have seen a few cows 'mooning'. And much to my surprise, after looking at the local newspaper, there is a rock band made up of cats coming to Maine in the next week or two. Who would have guessed that in 1912 someone would have predicted the future of rock music and the important roll cats play.....

                                                Hey, diddle, diddle!
                                                The cat and the fiddle,
                                                The cow jumped over the moon;
                                                The little dog laughed
                                                To see such sport,

                                                And the dish ran away with the spoon.

   Dish? Spoon? Running off together? Where did that come from?

   Back in the day, I am sure many of these nursery rhymes were designed to teach good values and life lessons. Some were even used to teach math. For example...

                                                 Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
                                                 A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
                                                 If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
                                                Where is the peck of peppers Peter Piper picked?

   The first question is...how many pickled peppers are in a peck and then, what did he do with peck? If he ate them, he was probably a pretty sick boy. And if he decided to sell them and keep the money, would he have been a young Donald Trump?

   Along with Peter, there was Simon, Simple Simon, and his first encounter with what has now become known as the 'mobile food cart' in some towns and villages. And like many today, Simple had a problem,  no money...

                                               Simple Simon met a pieman,
                                               Going to the fair;
                                               Says Simple Simon to the Pieman,
                                                          “Let me taste your ware.”
                                               Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
                                                          “Show me first your penny.”
                                               Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
                                                          “Indeed, I have not any

   Poor Simple. He had no money and was probably hungry. Maybe he was one of the first illegal immigrants seeking to sneak  into  a new country.

   The Rhyme and Jingle Reader is filled with rhymes and stories, many of which are familiar, but there are a few even new to me. But, if these rhymes and poems were used as lessons, for life, it explains a great deal about the attitudes and fears of that generation.

                                            Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

                                             Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
                                             Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
                                            “Are the children in their beds, for now it’s 
                                              eight o’clock?”

   Today, if Wee Willie were an actual person, he would probably be arrested.

   But, back to my grandmother's knee for just a moment. The following was one of her favorites. I am not sure why I remember that and please don't ask me  because I just don't know...

                                                    Trit-trot, trit-trot,
                                                    To buy a penny cake;
                                                    Home again, home again,
                                                    I met a black-snake.
                                                           I  picked up a stone
                                                   And breaky backy-bone
                                                   Trit-trot, trit-trot
                                                   All the way home

   ???  Perhaps she  wanted to own a horse or just liked to say "trit-trot:!! And the answer to the 'how much is in a  peck?” Sixteen dry pints!!!  I said some of these were down right weird.  

                                                 

With only a few days left...

   With only a few day left in the month of July, this summer seems to be moving right along... kinda! Many I have spoken with have made a somewhat similar comment...”When is summer finally going to get here with the hot muggy days and the warm uncomfortable nights?”

   For sure we have had some very picturesque days, clear blue skies, warm sunny days, but not too many breaking the 90 degree mark, perhaps just one or two.

   There have been several warm nights, but none that have required the air conditioner at full blast for extended periods of time.

   August 1^st seems to be a date, however, that signals a midpoint. Half way through the summer, only several  weeks before the new school year begins, kids  think about trading in their swim suits for textbooks and backpacks and become  eager for back to school shopping to see the latest in this year's 'must haves' styles and clothing trends.

   High school teams begin those dreaded 'two-a-day' practices. Parents are ready for the time when the house will be quiet during the day for at least a few minutes..

   Those families who haven't taken their vacations yet begin to panic. Can't we just squeeze in maybe a day or two away? Please?

   Even the mosquitoes and black flies seem a bit out of sorts this year. But the deer flies? They are in great form right now.

   Mid-summer is a time when people look forward to those few remaining warm days and trips to the beach, or maybe the last neighborhood barbecue.

    Is there still time to have one last yard sale, to clean out the garage in order to make room for the snow blower? Of course there is! In fact, I was able to pick up a really great lawn mower just the other day at a sale right down the street. And the price? Perfect. I'll take it. And by the way all you skeptics... it does work!

   But August 1^st, or there about, is a time to also look back. It's an opportunity to pat yourself on the back for the projects you were able to complete around the house this year, a bit of outdoor painting, working in the garden, finishing up on those indoor projects that didn't get done this past winter.

   And one can not forget the outdoor pizza and bread oven my wife and I recently finished, a project a bit larger and more challenging than we had anticipated, or at least more challenging than I had anticipated.. Who knew we would need so many rocks and sand!  Who knew our yard had so many rocks! (although the lawn mower knew) Who knew there were so many textures of sand? But the smell of the freshly cooked pizza and baking breads, it was well worth the work and the weather cooperated with no rain and cool temperatures.

    Normally, when we start a project like this, the temperatures soar well into the 90's. But now that it's done, I bet the neighbors are jealous as the smell of baking bread fills the neighborhood. (No. we am not going to trade a loaf of fresh bread for your very well used weed whacker. And besides, I know it doesn't work.)

   Summertime is suppose to be a time for fun and family, a break from the world events and tragic news. But the airways have remained filled with the news of shootings and killings, of the devastation caused by flooding and storms, of the world financial and political struggles and the seemingly endless wars and terrorist attacks.

   And speaking of politics...Come on folks, sixteen candidates and still counting and the election is still over a year away. Think of all the money that is being spent. Perhaps if there is that much money to be spent getting elected in this country, for almost any office these days it seems, the time has come to look for a better system. (Reminds me of the new 'golden rule.' He, or she, who has the gold... rules! Isn't that right Mr Trump??)

   And as for “politics' in Maine this summer, it's unfortunate  this is the new way of doing business "as usual" or maybe it's worse than usual. Well... at least some of the states' law attorneys have some work this year. Bet they're not on vacation right now. (Are the Koch Bros. really paying the legal bills?)

   Looking back on this year's summer projects, I would say that we were able to accomplish more than in the past years. Perhaps it was because I am not sharing that precious time with working or maybe we were better organized, or both. Are there more outdoor projects  to complete before the snow flies? Of course. But if we were to finish  everything, then there would be nothing to do or to complain about.

   Before long, September will be at the doorstep and that means Fall in Maine. It is my favorite season. The nights will be cooler and the weather forecasters will be soon warning of frost. The leaves on the trees will be turning from a rich green color to bright reds and gold and before long it will be time to break out the rake and... think about starting up the old snow blower, to see if it still runs of course. (I said 'only think about it'.)

   And the first night with a fire in the pellet stove to take the chill out of the air, we'll take a look at the pictures we took this summer on the cell phones, decide the ones to keep or delete, cut a steamy hot piece of pizza, tomato and fresh basil, freshly cooked in the outdoor oven and turn off the evening news. See...It's summer all over again. :) 

                                               

Just in case you missed it...

   Just in case you missed it, July 2nd was a pretty important day. The date represents the mid point of the year, halfway, meaning there were 182 days before July 2 and there are 182 days remaining in the year after July 2. ( the exception being a 'leap year' of course.) To be more precise, the exact time of the mid point is 12:00 noon, or 1:00 pm for those areas of the world that are on daylight savings time.

   The mid point of anything can be viewed with different meanings and interpretations.

   For example, if you are having a good year, you hope the remaining 182 days continue in the same way. But if you are having a bad year, you hope that day 183 becomes a turning point for you and the remainder of the year is a bit more positive.

   July 2nd is the date for some memorable historical events too. I am sure we all remember the coronation of Emperor Valentinian in the year 437 when he assumed reign of the Western Roman Empire, taking over from his mother. 

   Interesting though. Although he was now the Emperor, his mother still called the shots! Some things never change.

   Perhaps you remember 1698, the year and date that Thomas Savery patented the steam engine. No kidding here. This invention really did change the world and the future.

   July 2, 1776...the date the Continental Congress severed ties with Great Britain, although the Declaration of Independence was not officially announced until July 4^th.

   In 1921, on July 2nd, President Harding signed the Knox-Porter Resolution, formally bringing World War I to an end. Unfortunately it would not be the last conflict involving the United States and others seeking power and control around the world.

   It all began, for Wal-Mart, in 1962, when they opened the doors for the first time in Rogers, Arkansas. And the rest is, as they say... history.

   July 2nd also appears to have been a very popular birth date. But to be honest, there are names on the list of people I have never even heard of, perhaps the one exception being Lindsay Lohan. We all remember Lindsay, right!

   The date also has its share of deaths too, some of the more notable names being Henry the Fowler (943), Earnest Hemingway (1961), Betty Grable (1973), and who can forget Fred Gwynne (1993) of the Munsters' fame.

   It's interesting there are no holidays or significant observances on July 2,nd unless you want to consider World UFO Day. But then ask anyone in the 'know' and they will quickly inform you there are no such things as UFOs, so... there is no real need for UFO day. I mean, when was the last time you saw a little green man (or woman) walking the streets of New York City.

   In case you are having difficulty with the concept of the mid point of the year in terms of days, here is another way of looking at it. As of noon of July 2nd, 4380 hours have past in year 2015 with 4380 yet to go. That means there have been 26,280 minutes to date, many of which I have probably wasted and another 26,280 to go. I wonder how many of those minutes I will waste too? And no, I am not going to break that time down into seconds. Now that would be a real waste of time!

   In our daily discussions with others, we use the expressions of mid point and halfway quite often. “How far into the book are you.?” “ Oh, half way.” How far along into the television show or movie?” “About halfway.” “I am thinking about coming to see the game. Do I still have time?” “The game is at mid point, just beginning the second half.”

   But I wonder what would happen if we knew when we were at the mid point of our life, the middle, half way? Would we make any changes?

   The challenge is that, for the most part, we really don't know when we have reached the middle. We have some ideas, we know when we have less time than more time, but the middle, I am not so sure. And how important is it to know when or where the exact middle actually is anyhow?

   July 2nd of any year may be a good day to sit down with a cool glass of ice tea, a few cookies and take a look back over the first 182 days, do a mid point evaluation. What went well? Are there things that need to change? What can I do to make the remainder of the year as good or better than the first half. 

   In fact, midday of any day could give you a similar opportunity. Is this going to turn out to be a good day or a bad day and if a bad one, what can I do to make it better. The truth may be that perhaps there may be nothing, but at least you're thinking about it.

   We don't really know how long we will live. Maybe, we need to treat each day as if we were halfway and make the future as good if not better than the past.

   And about that 'mid life' thing? Was that really the time I wanted to trade in the minivan for the red Corvette convertible?

                                      

On starting each day anew

   You know it's going to be a bad day when...
   You know it's going to be a bad day when you go to the kitchen in the early morning and find that you are out of coffee or you go out to start the car and you discover that you have a flat tire. And the spare tire.? Well... the spare is on the left rear wheel from the last flat tire while that's still at the local gas station being repaired.
   Or maybe worse,  there is a big puddle of oil on the garage floor. Is that from my car?
   You know it's going to be a bad day when  the tie you want to wear still has spaghetti sauce from the retirement party dinner held for your boss, two months ago. 
   You know that it may not be a good day because the shoes you had planned on wearing are now part of the toys in the dog's toy box. At least he has good taste. They were a pair of the ever popular Bass Weejans. 
   But is it the little things that determine whether it's a good day or bad one?
   After a seemingly good night's sleep, you hope that the new day will be free from worry and those little mishaps, those things that happen through no one's fault, that slow us down or distract us from the tasks at hand. (OK. you can blame the dog for the shoes, but if you had put them away where they belong....)
   Many of us live, or have lived hectic and busy lives, raising a family, working, sometimes feeling like that little mouse on the treadmill in that tiny wire cage.
   Even in a state of 'quasi-retirement', each day can still be very busy, fixing things, repairing things,  doing those little odd jobs around the house that didn't get done over the past some forty years or more and if something happens to disrupt the plans for the day like a bright warm sunny afternoon...oh well, there is always tomorrow. 
     Sure. There are some days that I wish I could do over, that didn't go the way I had hoped or planned, either the result of poor planning or maybe no plan at all, or because  some unexpected event  took me off track. Or was it just a day when you say to yourself..."I should have stayed of bed". 
   Not every day starts out as a bad one or a good one for that matter. But for those days that appear to get off to a bad start  by the end of the day there may have some things that happen to help  put a new perspective on things, on life. 
   Perhaps you meet a friend you haven't seen in years and you realize the two of you look exactly the same as you did 20 years ago, well almost. Or while looking for your favorite hammer in your tool chest you find something  you thought you had lost, which you did, but then, all of a sudden, you remember the 'safe' place you put it so that you wouldn't lose it, right next to your favorite hammer. Right!  :)
   But on this particular morning I was waiting patiently for the rain to stop so  I  could finish cutting the lawn I poured myself a cup of coffee and picked up a book from the pile in the corner of the room,  Hmm... Ralph Waldo Emerson. I wonder what he might have to say?
             “Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson
   OK Ralph, I get it!

A disclaimer......
   My intent had been to write about some of the funny excuses people will offer because they are having a bad day, you, a bit of humor. But earlier this week, the country was focused on the terrible event in Charleston SC and as I worked around the yard I spent some time wondering how someone could get to that "state of mind" to do such a horrific act and wondered why events like this are happening on a more regular basis. Life didn't seems quite so funny just then...
My point, this week's blog didn't end up the way I had planned.

Why did the chicken.....

   Without a doubt, for those of you reading this, most will be able to finish the sentence. It is one of the age old questions that continues to haunt mankind. Well, maybe not haunt, but, at least over the years, a question that has developed a life of its own. But why?

   The question may be very simple...why does a person or animal cross the road? What is it about the other side of the street that causes one to step off the curb and possibly venture into new territory?

   Now for the animal world it may be a very easy question to answer.

   This morning, for example, on my way to the auction, squirrels darted from property to property, from tree to tree and in all cases they are able to avoid getting hit by a car or truck, except if the driver, coming in the opposite direction toward me, decided that he wanted to hit it and swerved into my lane in an attempt to flatten the little fellow against the pavement, a squirrel pancake. With his focus only on the squirrel, it was a quick maneuver on my part that avoided an accident.

   Just out of town, there was a muskrat-like critter that had gotten himself stuck in the middle of a bridge and it was funny to watch as he raced to find a path across the bridge to safety. I can only imagine how his little heart must have been pounding.

   With late Spring and early Summer finally here, the nights are busy with all kinds of wildlife moving about, skunks being no exception and within about a mile of each other two skunks had failed to navigate beneath the wheels of a vehicle and had met with a sudden and I assume painful death, albeit a rather smelly one, as the scent still hung low in the early morning air. 

   And in case you weren't sure, or had forgotten, skunks don't move very fast, in fact, I think they waddle, so the likelihood of crossing  in front of a fast moving car with success is doubtful and as a driver you can only hope that you saw the skunk with time to avoid contact. Have you ever hit a skunk and then parked your car in your garage?

   Near the river, going to the auction and then later coming home, I passed two turtles as they slowly made their way across the road to get to the other side. 

   In some places turtles are a protected species and often there are even warning sign about Turtles Crossing. Sometimes people will even stop, pick them up and move them out of the busy traffic. The challenge for the turtles is to get safely to their nesting place. The challenge for the human is to not interfere with Mother Nature's  processes.

   Earlier in the week we decided to take a quick trip to Bangor and hopped on Rt 95. Rt 95 is a four lane highway with newly posted speed limit signs of 70 MPH. (Yes. We do have four lane highways in Maine.) About 4 miles from home, appearing to be stranded in the middle of the busy highway, was a turtle, still alive, but... for how long? With cars speeding by in both lanes it was impossible for anyone to stop or even slowdown. If he were fortunate enough to get safely from one side of the highway to the other, he (it was probably a 'she' looking for a nesting area) was one very lucky turtle.

   Crossing streets and busy highway this time of year can be very dangerous and challenging as the amount of roadkill will attest. So, here is a potential word of warning to those who may venture out to cross the road to get to the other side.

   Currently the legislature is in session in Augusta and according to the news reports there is a lot of bickering and fighting taking place this year between the Democrats, Republicans and let's not forget the Governor. Those elected to serve and represent us, yes even the wildlife,  race back and forth between home and the State Capitol almost daily, their minds possibly on things other than their driving.

    My suggestion...Fair warning! Whether you are a turtle, a squirrel, a chicken, a duck,  a skunk, or even a Democrat, Independent, or a Republican, you may want to look both ways (twice) before stepping off the curb and venturing across the busy road or highway in order to “get to the other side.”
   After I had posted this, a friend commented that I had not mentioned the 'turkey',  wild fowl often seen in large numbers in the area. (It's interesting how turkeys, like thinking birds, will hang out together.) I know they are constantly crossing roads and highways, I just haven't seen any here for a while. Perhaps they are all meeting in another part of the state for a while......

                                      

Sometimes all you need is just a quiet place to sit...

   Compared to other places along the East Coast, the sun comes up pretty early in the morning in Maine and the closer one lives to Downeast, the earlier it seems. But the early sunrise also means an early sunset. Either way, there is an opportunity to view some of nature's artful handiwork, with its blend of light, colors and sometimes even sounds. How and where it is enjoyed can be equally as Maine-like.

   Although still an hour or so before sunset, a walk to the top of the local ski slope gives a 365 degree view of the surrounding area and even during the short visit, the area changes in appearance as the sky begins to darken, first with the  colors, then with the long shadows cast across the river valley as the sun sets behind the surrounding mountains and evening settles in.

   The early morning can also offer a different view of nature's work. Lucky and I are often on our early morning walk (waving at passing cars, remember) as the sun peeks over the horizon, lighting up the sky with a rainbow of colors and accented with rays of light poking between the trees. And just in case you need a reminder, while this is not a city and we do not have many tall buildings, we do have trees, lots of them and some of them get  pretty tall too.

   But there are other ways to enjoy sunrises and sunsets and not ever leave the comforts of the house. It's called having a porch and with some comfortable chairs, wicker perhaps, it  can be just the right place to sit and read, watch the sun come up in the morning or drop below the horizon at night. It can serve as a place to enjoy the peace and quiet of the surroundings, with the exception of the occasional chorus from the frogs and tree toads at night or the early morning songs from the birds.

   Like most other things, the porch has a history and development of its own and while one may think the porch is a uniquely American invention, it's history dates back to the medieval time in Europe.

   Porches became very popular in the United States, especially in the Southern states, just prior to the Civil War. They were an important part of many Southern homes, most commonly built on the front of the house, as a place for people to get away from the heat of the daytime sun or a place to cool off in the evening. Often being located near or surrounding the front door, they also served as a place to welcome guests and weary travelers.

   Porches became a bit more popular in the Northeast after the war when returning soldiers, having enjoyed the pleasures of the porches in the South, began adding them as additions to their homes. But their popularity never seemed to catch on due in large part to the styles of the New England houses, not being conducive to the architectural features of a porch, and the short season to enjoy the outside. Who likes sitting on a porch in the middle of a snowstorm?

   Now, what is interesting is that our house looks like a home that belongs in the South on a plantation somewhere, white, two story with lots of windows and four large columns across the front supporting the roof over... a porch. It's a very southern style look and some in town refer to it has the 'house from the South'.

   On the back of the home is an additional “sun room” similar to a porch, with windows so it can be used in the winter months and screens for the warmer weather. The view from the sun room looks out over the pond and woods of the back yard. And, the sun room faces to the east, a place to catch the early morning sunrise with that first cup of coffee.

   The front porch faces West, a place to in the rocking chair and view the evening sunsets, if Lucky and I haven't climbed to the peak of the local ski slope.

   Now I know that every day does not necessarily begin with a beautiful sunrise or end with a picturesque sunset. It's just like life. But regardless of the time of day, having a place to enjoy a few quiet moments, even with the frogs, during what sometimes turns out to be a very busy day, can be peaceful.

   Oh, by the way, even in the middle of a rain storm it can be comforting and peaceful to sit and watch the lightening dance across the sky and listen to the thunder roll. It can still be a quiet place to sit and......             
                                         

 

                                         Crab apple tree in full bloom in the evening sunset.