For The Love of

God?

Love?

Flowers?

Perfection?
Just dusting off the tomes of reasons in a sometimes unreasonable world.

Just as Simmy finished publishing... the mailman arrived... so she went outside and found a sweet and simple wedding invitation from a niece.
For the love of Love, indeed...

The Frog Prince

Simmy had awakened at 3:00, 5:20, 7:29 and 9:24... all in the a.m.
Oldest construction son had put the cat in the gazebo at 5:20 a.m. so Simmy felt she should let him out for a fresh green blade of grass nibble.
She put on the coffee and walked outside to put the cat on his leash. He walked straight toward a succulent piece of summer vittles and attacked it from the middle, making mouth smacking sounds of enjoyment.
Half an hour later, Simmy was ready to get to work, writing her novel, but before she got all engrossed in the task, she thought she'd better check on the cat. He had a habit of winding his leash around any leg of summer furniture sitting on the lawn and then standing in the hot sun, fur coat on, waiting for a rescue.
Simmy opened the back door and a swift movement, right next to the door, had her shriek and close the screen door swiftly.
A frog had jumped for safety and hidden his head under a cobweb that had grown around a thistledown seed, next to the fence post.
He seemed to be in a "if I can't see her, she can't see me" delusion so Simmy creaked the screen door open slowly and stepped outside to release the cat from his leash.

  The cat didn't even notice the frog and when Simmy got the camera ready to take a few photos of this frog prince... he seemed to be doing some serious tricep toad training.
"Well look at you! Trying to get those triceps all buff for your lady, are you?"
The frog prince answered, "Um, I'm wearing my camouflage here. You're not supposed to be able to see me?"
"Have you been living under the nasturtium all summer?"
He refused to answer any more questions.
"Good thing I've been watering my flowers then, yes? You'd have had a hard time finding a wet environment on the prairies this summer. OH! You don't really like water... gotcha!"
With one jump, he turned his body and Simmy bustled back into the house.

"He looks a tad grimm," she punned.

Of Sinners and Saints

Sam and Simmy walked down 'Thistle Lane' to reach the abandoned house with happy blue paint.
The thistles had grown to be 5 feet tall but Sam just pushed his sandal-ed foot down at the root ball where it met the dirt and down they went... they don't have any roots you know!
It was a grueling little high stepping, itchy leg traipse through the field of thistles but Simmy was curious to see if she could get a few old house pictures.

The only door to the dilapidated house was ajar and it was just one of those poignant moments when you know... this picture is speaking.
There was no feeling of sorrow on this piece of land... just evidence of what once was. Simmy was one of those optimistic people that couldn't help thinking of the house as a 'fixer upper.'
There was a window, still intact, and she really wanted a photo of it, so Sam sandal-ed his feet onto the big weeds, and soon she had a perfect view of this window.

The curtains were still hung and there was a view of the outdoors through this pane of glass that was just so clear...
when they rounded the corner of the house, they knew why...

The wall was completely missing on this side of the house.
"The furniture is still all in here. The pictures are still on the wall..." Sam said, matter- of- factly.
Simmy felt uneasy looking at all the 'stuff' so she looked up and... there she found the next perfect photo... the ceiling trusses were intact and the boards covering them were standing in the gap with the sun shining through every crack, planting 'Good Hope' into the feeling of this tiny little house.
As Simmy took two more photos of the property...

... the trees waved in a lush and happy environment kind of way and she thought of the flattened swath of grass underneath them that Sam had said was likely where the deer had bedded down.

As they pulled out of their little 'adventurous' escapade, Simmy thought, "What a great place to build again!"

Good Hope Fairholme

Sam and Simmy headed out to Fairholme Hutterite Colony for their summer garage/ bake sale. Simmy had been raised in the country but one tends to forget how many miles you have to travel in the country of Canada, to get anywhere.
They arrived in time for lunch... Phew!
As they strolled around the tables set up with assortments of things, old and new, Simmy spotted some feather pillows made with unbleached cotton ticking. They weren't cheap but they were so... lovely! You just can't take the country out of this city girl!
She purchased them at a rather steep price but they were well stuffed and she had taken apart many a feather pillow to re- construct them so she had a good appreciation for the work involved.
They drove down the country road to Good Hope Colony as they, too, were having a garage sale.

Das Bild ist urheberrechtlich geschützt.

There was a young two year old playing in the sandy soil with Tonka trucks and it so reminded Simmy of raising her own boys. They had also purchased these indestructible toys for their children, more than twenty years ago now. With permission from the father, she took a few pictures of the wee one and this photo with his little bare feet and his suspenders dragging was just so precious.
They stopped in at each home that had set up tables and, when they came to the last little group... Simmy spotted some unbleached cotton peeking out of a bag.
She bustled over to find more feather pillows but these were considerably cheaper.
The soil was just right to stomp ones' feet a little and create a bit of a dust- up but she had already, very accidentally, used a word that most people are only supposed to use when they speak of what a beaver builds so... she thought she should behave herself.
After debating and planning to drive all the way back to the city without the second set of pillows... she changed her mind and purchased them too.
As I walked back to the Hummer, a woman called after me, "Now, don't be romancing too much on those pillows."

Can we tell which ones I paid much more for?
There was a young man who said to me, "Sprechen sie Deutsch? or was it Kannst du Deutsch sprechen?"
I can't quite remember.
To him, I replied, "Ja!"
He snorted with derision, saying, "Anybody can say 'Ja!'"
I should have challenged him to a 'Gesangbuch' duel but what if his voice can't hold a tune? I wouldn't want to embarrass him!
And the only German song that I could remember an entire verse to was..."Ihr Kinderlein Kommet."
I dedicate this verse to the Good Hope Colony...
"Ihr kinderlein, kommet
O kommet doch all!
Zur krippe her kommet
In Bethlehems Stall.
Und seht was im dieser
Hochheilige Nacht
Der Vater im Himmel
Fur freude uns macht."

And yes, I know it is a Christmas song but... don't you just love Christmas? 

Behind the Blue Door

Simmy woke to the sounds of heavy equipment... what time was it?
The inside of the eyelids were still sandpaper scratchy so she just lay in bed, listening...
When the sounds would not abate... she got up to make a pot of coffee... might as well start the day happy.
Oldest construction son came out of his bedroom grumbling a bit about the construction noise as well.
Being a construction family, though, he quickly said, "We start on the job site really early too!"
"Nobody will complain. They want the job done," Simmy spoke confidently.
As she wondered how to make the best of the situation... that was really close to becoming a skill or, maybe even, an art.
She went to fetch some blue paint and soon she had the door, that was jammed between the shed and the fence, painted a calming blue.
To be even more 'crazy' as oldest construction son had just complimented her with... truly, it is a compliment, she went to get the WELCOME sign and put it on top of the door as the concrete curb was swinging by. Maybe I should borrow his hard hat, she thought...

"Well, I do want that sound barrier wall up as soon as possible so... I'll WELCOME it.
For some crazy reason, she'd been thinking about having a spa day when she awakened.
"That is the most ludicrous thing to do today," she mumbled.
"But... it's also perfect!"
As she went to find a suitable glass ornament for a doorknob, and then the most lovely glass bowl for soaking ones' feet, and an antique teacup and saucer for that spot of tea that would be just perfect on a spa day...
Suddenly she heard a thump that sounded like it hit the house.
She dashed up the stairs to find that it was just the heavy concrete curb being put down right behind the shed.
She had to climb over the concrete block and rebar 'crib' that Sam had made to put the fireplace wood...
The teacup jangled and clinked as she jostled over the wood pile.

She laid out a faux weathered board quay from the wooden fence that had come down to make way for the concrete one.

  Out came the props to make the whole scene completely ridiculous.

That's perfect! Simmy mocked good- naturedly.

"A spot of tea... and there we go! That's all it takes to get my attitude in line with what I can't control..."
She climbed up onto the wood pile, feeling very satisfied with her Friday morning attitude and as she stepped down onto the grass... Rip...

The rick rack on her pink summer skirt had caught the whaler bar and there she was,... once again,...
adjusting her attitude...

Field Sunflowers

While out for our evening bicycle ride...

Sam and Simmy came across some sunflowers growing haphazardly in the field, where wind tossed seeds had spilled out the previous year. Simmy gathered a basketful to enjoy in the back yard.

The old white painted chair
a gift from
neighbors so rare
They lived a few doors down
for 25 years  or so
but now they're retiring and moving
into a condo
A sweet reminder that little things mean a lot...

Field sunflowers gathered and bunched into an old enamelware pitcher...

And Devastatingly Sexy

Is this my house? My house? Really?
Oh! This wall is devastatingly sexy, darling! In this little tiny piece of the cosmos, just call us the 
                                   'Million Penny Decorators.'

Sweet and Simple

Simmy picked a bouquet of sweet peas for Mama as Sam loaded the new duvet into the Hummer. Country living sounds really romantic but traveling such long distances for just a day trip can be a little exhausting.
As Simmy and Sam drove out to visit Cornelius as well, the conversation (the day before) with young banker of same pseudonym came to mind.
"Well, the highest credit rating I've ever seen was 899 and that was for a man who was 85 and only had one credit card with a zero balance."
Yes, that was likely Cornelius or a man just like him... great credit because, basically, they'd learned to live without needing it... Hmm! Builder generation discipline... keep it sweet and simple.
Sam was out in Cornelius' garden and he hollered for Simmy to come and look at the tomato plants. This link  http://romancedesigner.blogspot.com/2011/06/well-tended-garden.html 
shows what those plants looked like about a month ago.

This is what they looked like today. I stopped counting when I got to 14 large tomatoes in a one foot section, in elevation.
"Now I know why they planted so few plants," remarked Simmy.
Again, I say,... 
Builder generation discipline... keep it sweet and simple.
The tomato crop coming from those few plants put Sam and Simmy to shame... well, in the garden variety tomato but...
sweet peas, zinnias and cosmos were the plentiful harvest in their garden.

Drill, Rebar, Concrete, Cure

The fence builders were in a good mood. When Simmy went outside to water her flowers, one worker shouted to another,... 'Are you bringing the water? I love you!'
It was all in jest but she couldn't resist shouting back, 'I love you too!'
This was swiftly answered with 'Thank you!'

Drill
the hole

Rebar
set the rebar in the hole

Concrete
pour concrete 
and Cure

Drill Instructor

Monday... the sound of drilling woke both Sam and Simmy.
Oldest construction son had headed out of town just before 5 a.m. and it hadn't seemed very long after... that the sounds of a very large drill had sent the sleep fairies diving for cover, their slender hands covering their ears and their eyes bulged out in shock.
Simmy got up, groaning with the searing pain of a myofascial trigger point screaming revenge for the disturbed sleep.
The muscle had swelled, in the night, and she'd already tossed and turned for a few hours, looking for a position that would relieve the pressure.
She went outside to check on the construction workers. She winced as she saw branches of the cherry tree being trimmed to accommodate the machinery that the drill was attached to.
"Don't trim too much!" She begged.
"We're just trimming this side. You'll still have a tree on the other side," he said.
Simmy wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry at that comment.
When she asked this fellow if she could take a picture of him, he replied, drill instructor swiftly, 'No!'
Sam and Simmy sat down in their Adirondack chairs to watch, their morning coffee seeming lukewarm in the hot, 29 degree morning.
Simmy remembered the story that construction son had told about the apprentice that he'd been assigned...   
unwilling, possibly, to appear too unseasoned, 'Wood used mostly for electric guitar building' had just responded with a simple 'Yes' when oldest construction son had asked if he had done any pipe bending.
An hour later, son- in- charge had the suspicion that 'yes' really meant 'once' and his frustration with 'Wood used mostly in electric guitar building' was barely masked as he instructed the young man in better time- saving methods of working...
Sigh!
Here's hoping there will be a lot more pipe bending this week and a lot less truth bending... so the electrics can stay work related instead of emotions related!

Fence Came Down

The doorbell rang early Friday morning. Simmy was already hard at work, writing her novel and the interruption was, well, an interruption.
"Sorry to bother you... but we're starting to tear down the fence this morning, ma'am."
Did he say ma'am?
"I thought you said you'd be here early Saturday morning."
"Well, we're ahead of schedule," said 'a brave and powerful warrior.' (a.k.a. 'one who gathers caraway seeds) "I know you had quite a bit of stuff to move back there. We can help with that."
Simmy looked down at her skirt and bare feet and grimaced, "I guess I'll go get my running shoes on."
Half an hour later, the wire ceiling that had been constructed for the rehearsal party was mostly taken down. The bikes were moved, the Adirondack chairs went to the front yard, the... was moved, the...  you get the picture.
When the young fellas took down the first section of fence and said, "We can help you take down those wires," Simmy grinned a rather sweaty smile... and said, "Everything is moved. I even took down the wash line so you wouldn't get hung by it and... I had 37 seconds to spare."
The young man smiled and said, "Thank you so much. You have a beautiful yard."
Simmy smiled back and said, "Thank you. We love it!"

As she turned around to hide her little grin, she was thinking, "He's been 'romanced' by the Romance Designer. All he did was touch the first section of fence and already he's a gentleman, speaking forth kind compliments.
A little later, Simmy told the young men she'd have fresh rhubarb pie ready for coffee time.
I guess they were shy. The pies were ready but the young men were hard at work.

C'est la vie!

Sweet Peas and Summer flowers

Simmy took a little break from writing her novel to go hang up some laundry. The sun was high in the sky, and the heat of it would have the clothes dried in no time at all.

The colourful sweet peas drew her attention and she clipped all the ones that were blooming and put them in a small green votive that she had purchased from Ten Thousand Villages.

I was light- hearted,

And many pleasures to my vision started;

Here are sweet peas, on tiptoe for a flight:

And taper fingers catching at all things,

To bind them all about with tiny rings.

Keats

She put them on the shelf of her work room, which Sam had painted up real spiffy. The paint on the right wall is a mistint of Dorian Gray and the left wall is a paint Simmy mixed from a few different ones until she liked the cooler gray tones meeting the warmer ones.
The purple picture frame, a 10 cent bargain from a 'Dutch Dime Store,' cooperated and sat solidly on the black lacquered shelf without falling over.
"Now, that's what I'd call 'being on the level.'"

Some Enchanted Evening

A celebration of 30 years of marriage... what words can express this?
Some enchanted evening
You may see a stranger,
you may see a stranger
Across a crowded room
And somehow you know,
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her
Again and again.

Some enchanted evening
Someone may be laughin',
You may hear her laughin'
Across a crowded room
And night after night,
As strange as it seems
The sound of her laughter
Will sing in your dreams.

Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons,
Wise men never try.

Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love,
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room,
Then fly to her side,
And make her your own
Or all through your life you
May dream all alone.

Once you have found her,
Never let her go.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go!

Some enchanted evening...

Butterfly Effect

Well, I don't really know if this black swallowtail created a butterfly effect anywhere else in the universe, but I do know that it had a nice effect, floating from flower to flower in my garden.
What it was probably doing was... laying eggs,... but it was so friendly, it just flitted around me, sensing no danger.

Now, I don't know if it was confused or...???
because it seemed to be staying away from the parsley and Queen Anne's lace, instead preferring zinnias.
Hmm!

August Writer

How fitting it seems to have 'happened upon' two novels by Lucy Montgomery the very day I plan to get back to writing the novels that I am currently working on.
Youngest son is now married and I, too, can move forward with my own life.

Monday, August 1, 2011 (the date being all zeros and ones can only be a good thing),... afternoon...

Simmy and Sam entered 'Thirsty's Flea Market' to peruse old treasures.
At the very first table, Simmy spots two novels by L.M. Montgomery. Good sign, forsuredly.    
There is something special about people who live in dusty flea market corners, selling the occasional item to only and I do mean only the very person they choose should own a treasure of theirs. You might think, if you be a normal 21st century thinker, that they would be only too willing to sell any of their wares, on any given day.
Thou wouldst be very wrong!
Should Flea Market Shopkeeper take a dislike to Flea Market Shopper, hell will freeze over before shopper will ever be allowed to buy something from shopkeeper.
It is the most interesting phenomenon to watch... and partake in.
Touching the novels with respect, Simmy picked them up, to 'secure' them from any other shopper. She turned and asked the first shopkeeper, with whom she had already had a 'meeting of words' conversation, finding the framed saying displayed on his glass showcase,... to be rather true... "When I do something wrong, everybody remembers. When I do something right, everybody forgets."
He happily pointed me to the owner of these books. The older gentleman came over and I, Simmy, bartered a price for the two books. The gentleman gently looked me in the eyes and sold them to me for much less than their worth.
When the next shopper came by this same gentleman's shop, I was shocked to hear, "Oh, Oh, get the shotgun, look who's here!...," bellowed unapologetically, and even brashly, at this other shopper. A battle of wills began and was not resolved even an hour later.
A man, much too young to be needing a 'walker,' gave Simmy a smile and nod of respect when she pulled a chair aside to try to make room for him to get through the tangled maze.

When Sam and Simmy purchased two old license plates and two old 'Kathryn Grayson' photos from another shopkeeper, named George, he offered them two pieces of art from his 'cat art' collection... as a gift for purchasing something.
All in all, it was a great $12 experience, most of the riches coming from the interchanges with the people themselves.