Poetry Thursday - Healing

I take a walk along the lakeshore
Bare feet in clean white sand
And my thoughts are turning in my mind
Like this pebble in my hand.

There is beauty in these hills,
Something sweet that lingers on,
In the woods and in the fields
And in the wind so free and strong.

I take a walk along the lakeshore
To put my mind at ease
And the sun settles slowly
As my restless heart seeks peace.

There is healing in this water
In this lake of green and blue
There are depths and there are shallows,
There are currents, deep and true.

There is healing in these hills
On the paths through quiet trees
And the night birds softly sing
As, at last, I walk in peace.

~ Healing, by Aisling, August 13, 2009

photos by Haiku, August 2009

Sunday Stroll - Through the Week

All of these and more are blooming here today. There hasn't been a camera available to me today, so these photos are from earlier in the week - mostly last Monday. I did get outside when the sky cleared earlier today, to mow the lawn, walk through the garden, check the wild apple trees on the back hill (not quite ripe!), and pull a few weeds in both the butterfly garden and the front garden. The air has cooled and clouds are gathering once more. It wouldn't surprise me if it rained overnight again, as it has frequently this summer.

Where-ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace and happiness.

all photos by Aisling, August 2009

in the butterfly garden:

1)close up of purple cone flower 2) blue balloon flower

the orchard garden:

3) a little pear 4) echinecea (purple cone flower) 5) dill in bloom

the front garden:
6) autumn red daylily 7) echinacea 8) bronze fennel in bloom

Sunday Stroll Invitation

“A few minutes ago every tree was excited,

bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling,

tossing their branches

in glorious enthusiasm like worship.

But though to the outer ear

these trees are now silent,

their songs never cease."

~ John Muir

We are having the whole "thunder and lightning" thing here this morning, as well as the rain that usually accompanies that phenomenon. Even if that lets up, I'm not sure I will have a chance to photograph a stroll today because the three other family members with cameras (mine is still out of commission) are off and doing interesting things today and have their cameras with them! We'll see what I come up with!

In the meantime, if you have time to stroll today, and if your weather permits, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your garden too.

Look who's strolling today:

Nan at Letters from a Hill Farm

Cloudhands at Uncarved Block

Abbie at Farmer's Daughter

Margaret at Periodic Pearls

Lying Low...

It is difficult to find time to post,

with finals this week and other family happenings.

I hope to have a little writing and visiting time soon.

photo by Aisling, August 3, 2009

Sunday Stroll - While August Warms the Fields

Walk with me down the lane,

where the blue weed grows.

Walk with me down the trail,

where bluets dart amid the chicory.

Walk with me to the lake,

where soft light falls on the water,

and wild roses bloom on the shore.

Walk with me while August warms the fields.

"While August Warms the Fields" by aisling, 8/2/09

All photos by Aisling, August 2, 2009

1) wild chicory 2) the lane 3) blueweed 4) the field

5) a northern bluet 6 & 7) the lake 8) wild rose 9) goatsbeard

Sunday Stroll Invitation

Rest is not idleness,

and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day

listening to the murmur of water,

or watching the clouds float across the sky,

is hardly a waste of time.

~John Lubbock

If you have time to stroll today, and if your weather permits, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your garden too.

Look who's strolling:

Margaret at Periodic Pearls

Me, here at the Quiet Country House

Cloudhands at Uncarved Block

Pom Pom at Pom Pom's Ponderings
...

An NYC Moment in Our Little Village

Last year, I wrote about a “Quiet Country” moment that I experienced while chaperoning a high school music department trip to NYC. (You can read that old post here.) This morning, I experienced the opposite. It is our town’s annual summer festival and this morning was the parade. Unfortunately, a huge rain shower was also on the agenda for the morning. I saw the clouds and grabbed an umbrella as we headed out to the parade. Limerick was at an estate sale, Senryu was working at the coffee house in the village, and the three younger kids and I were fortunate to be invited under a tent where a fund raiser was being run to watch the parade.

As the parade began, fierce torrents of rain began to fall. High winds whipped the cold rain along the street and even the “tent” (really just a roof) did not offer protection. Just then, a little man with a cart full of umbrellas began to walk along the street hawking his wares. “Umbrellas! Six Dollars!” he called out, walking close to the crowds that lined the street. His presence took me back 26 years to my first time in New York City. As I was shopping with my classmates, all those years ago, a sudden, unexpected rain began to fall. Umbrella vendors appeared out of nowhere, like steam rising from the manhole covers. The umbrella I used until about 2 years ago was the small black collapsible model that I purchased that day in the rain.

This morning, the rain continued throughout the parade, letting up to just a drizzle as the last of the fire trucks rolled noisily down Main Street. Haiku and I took two shivering little boys into the coffee house, where Senryu and her co-workers were busily catering to demands for hot beverages. We added two hot chocolates and two hot coffees to their workload, and then with our cups of comfort in hand, walked to the other side of the village where our car was parked.

And there you have it: a story about nothing. Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you comfort and contentment.