pink

pink, originally uploaded by ALifeInFocusPhotography.

an old pink (vintage) Christmas ball. i love this shade of pink. photographed early this morning on the window sill. have a great day dear readers....

space for your spirit

it is raining again...and once again i am seated by the fire, my kitty curled up on the sofa back. our tree is up in our living room but not decorated yet, though its majestic good looks and piney/orange smell are almost enough. i am sitting in our den where the fireplace is watching holiday decorating shows. mostly this is just fluff entertainment, but occasionally i find inspiration there and jump up to re-arrange some table-scape or re-purpose some area of our house. but since painting this room a dark salmon skin color (martha stewart taupe) and using dull metal accents i am satisfied with its look. next year i am tweaking my living room a bit, nothing major, just bringing it in line with what i currently find appealing.

but this isn't about decorating, more about finding a place for your spirit to dwell in your house. i believe everyone can find some nook, corner or room to make their own. your space can be filled with what you love or you can love it for it's mere space or emptiness. our homes are scared places whether we realize it or not, but if paid attention to, our spirits can flourish and grow in an environment where nourishment is provided. rituals, daily, weekly or seasonal are one way to add comfort, stability and richness to a life. whether it be where you have your morning coffee and the ritual of how you prepare it, to a weekly date to keep with yourself for some "me" time (library browsing, window shopping, friend dates, volunteer work, a movie day in your own bed, salon date...whatever excites or satisfies the inner you). it takes time and thought to craft a "home life" but it deepens your pleasure in your house and helps you to feel "at home" in the world at large. and that feeling of "being at home" in even your own skin has a powerful charm...attracting more of what you need to your life and inspiring others to take up the work of providing "shelter for the spirit"

bringing home the tree.

last night we found our tree. we bought it as we do every year from our local ruritan club. they sell fresh cut trees and are generally a great bunch of guys, they have become part of our holiday tradition. we broke with our usual choice of Frazier fir and got a wonderful hybrid that smells of delicious orange. both our kids are getting one too. now here is my hubs grabbing our tree...

End Of Year...poem by Frances S. Lovell

O long the stippled shadows in a frieze
where, slender hipped, the lady birches stand,
their golden skirts heaps about their knees,
chalk marks against the hills of autumn land.
O long and lonesome cries of geese at night,
winging high their echelons where roll
uncharted spaces in the moon's white light,
God-guided, to some far and unseen goal.

These the signs of year's last reckoning,
these and the little apples on the hill,
frozen, wrinkled, that are beckoning
the deer. The woods smell apple wine, are still
as sleep and breathless, wait the winter world.
O bright and golden are the elm leaves curled!
-Frances S. Lovell

things i love about this thursday

well, for starters it is a beautiful day. after a nasty evening last night, this morning was sparkling with sun and raindrops. took a nice walk with my dog and camera, then back at the house i had a great cup of coffee and headed to town. scored a great deal on a black leather purse (using a coupon) had a good lunch and headed home. the drive home was made very pleasant by listening to a new artist on my ipod: eva cassidy. wow. she is wonderful and has unfortunately passed away...using genius, apple found me other like songsters so i have a folder of new music,some christmas, featuring sexy, sultry women singers. got home and organized my closet so i can find my clothes easier. I have taken a new interest in my clothes, something that i have long neglected, but at my age now, a person can get sad looking quick if one is not careful! so now i am off to find our christmas tree with my husband and by kids and their families...

harley...waiting for me to jump the puddles...

harley...waiting for me to jump the puddles..., originally uploaded by ALifeInFocusPhotography.

I love this dog. he is a big loving beast of pit bull and lab mix. found him in a ditch, abandoned and wet. brought him home Thanksgiving day 6 years ago and he has been grateful ever since. he had some "rough" growing up years, but has now settled in to being my best dog ever. we walk together most mornings over our property looking for miracles and wonders of nature...I prayed for him today to have a long and healthy life....

december afternoon

I am having a lovely afternoon. after doing housework, I gathered up wood, made a fire, brewed coffee and put in a Miss Marple dvd from netflix. nothing makes me feel cozier than a good english mystery. the darkening day, the scented candle, firelight and my comfortable chair takes the gloom from this dreary day. i have a stack of christmas magazines next to my arm and a soft throw over my legs. thanks goodness dinner is done, i may not stir for quite a while...