Freddie the Leaf

The wisdom found in children's books is astounding - like "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf" (Dr. Leo Buscaglia) - a book I discovered in the mid-80's when I needed to talk to my daughters about life and death and life. 'Pulled it from my bookshelf again last week as I watched the gentle rain of leaves falling from the heights of The Enchanted Forest. What charmed me most is the individual dance of each leaf as it makes its final journey - as if it's giving one final gift to the tree that nurtured it. It's one last act of great dignity - refusing to go without one last beautiful act. Ironically, a very special person named "Freddie" that I once knew would describe it as "turning style all the way in" - I think you'd have to be a skydiver to understand that one - but it's a lesson I hope never to forget - being graceful to the end and leaving the world with great gentility and style. What beautiful lessons - I am grateful!

Stars in my eyes

The Enchanted Forest offers so many blessings that I love and appreciate, not the least of which is the beautiful canopy of trees that stretch to the sky and dance in the wind. But it has been a true loss for me that I can no longer enjoy the wide-open unending sky that my Florida home gave me. I had spent the last year growing in my understanding of the order of the universe, and studying (and celebrating) the gift of the sky had become an important ritual for me. The reliability of the sunrise and the gentle movement of the river of stars in the night sky became a strong confirmation of the never-failing 'rightness' of the universe.

One of my favorite moments happened during a visit to our Florida home by Courtney and family, when (then) 10-year-old Megan and I lounged in the hammock and studied the stars for what seemed like hours. We celebrated that we could feel close to each other, even after she returned home, by looking at the stars and knowing that the vast heavens were a comforting blanket for both of us even though we were hundreds of miles apart.

I have found myself actually grieving the loss of that experience, as my view of the sky is extremely limited here. But Sunday night, little dog Lucy helped me discover a blessing that I would have missed had she slept through the night as usual. Her need to visit the outdoors at 2:30a.m. seemed inconvenient, but turned into a true gift when I looked up through the tiny opening in the tree canopy covering the backyard deck and saw my favorite constellation, Orion! It was bright, clear and comforting, and I smiled at the reminder that Orion and all his stellar friends were keeping watch over me, Megan, and all of mankind. The leafy canopy may obscure my vision of the spectacle, but the spectacle remains just the same. I celebrate!

Loving Gestures

Today was gorgeous in the Enchanted Forest - clear, warm, and technicolor everywhere. G Jane has had a difficult few days . . . facing dialysis as soon as preparations can be made . . . but a visit from Meg and Patrick and the pups brought smiles to her tiny face. Thank you, Meg and Patrick, for giving her something to look forward to today, and for the joy your visit brought. I loved having four more human feet, and eight more canine feet, under my dinner table! Lily loved having her 'cousins' to play with, and even the insecure Lucy seemed to enjoy herself (in spite of herself!) I sleep tonight with wonderful memories of a great day . . . and seek assurance about decisions facing us tomorrow.

Color My World

The rains have come and gone (for now!),the first really coooool snap of the season visited last week, and the happy trees showed their appreciation by bursting forth into glorious hues! My Enchanted Forest blesses me daily with its show of shadow and light, and the dance of the tree canopies in the Autumn wind. I am grateful for these beautiful sights - and it's not even peak color yet! I am lucky, indeed!

Reflecting on a Great Weekend

Two weeks ago I traveled to Brookhaven, MS to treat the beautiful Megan to her first SEC football game to celebrate her 12th birthday. (She's decided to throw her allegiance to Mississippi State, and is already planning her college career there!) We had a great time, with seats in the noooooosebleed section (but with the most perfect view of the field). COLD - windy with nothing to shield us from the wind - but tons of fun. Due to a low fuel debacle, we missed the pep rally and the pre-game band extravaganza, but I think she had a good time. She bought the required foam finger and t-shirt to prove her fan loyalty.

The other great part of the weekend was visiting in the Vanovers' new house. They've just moved in, and the house is lovely. I think they'll be really happy there. Sunday morning I awoke to see 15 - 20 wild turkeys in the yard!

And I got to witness Maddie Grace make her potty sing! What fun!

Can't get enough!

Daughter Meg was a (no, the most) beautiful bride last month when she and Patrick 'got hitched' at Avondale Villa. I can't get enough of photos from the event, since I apparently was in a total fog during the whole thing and missed all the precious details that made the night so unique. Here's one!

Generations

Beautiful niece, Lauren, (who, by the way just got the most awesome Special Ed teaching position!) shared this moment between G. Jane and precious Sam (Lauren's daughter) during their recent visit to our Enchanted Forest. Thanks, Lauren, for your always keen eye, capturing great moments.

Colorfesting in Mentone!

So I have to tell you about yesterday - the most GLORIOUS, COOL (almost cold!), CLEAR day you can imagine! On Lookout Mountain, the start of the colorful Autumn season is celebrated at the Mentone Colorfest. Rich and I have been watching the weather forecast for weeks now, hoping for the kind of day that would make Colorfesting perfect. And behold, that day dawned yesterday! We could barely wait to jump in the car and take in the scenery and the gentle, simple fun that awaited us at the top of our neighboring mountain.

A collection of 8 x 10 tents stretched along Cool Street, under multi-hued trees, each holding the wares of mostly-local craftspeople - everything from airplanes (complete with wind-driven propellers) made from soda/beer cans to the local nursery selling those gorgeous oak-leaf hydrangeas and other garden delights, all on an honor system! Take what you want, leave your money - no questions asked!

But the HIGHLIGHTS of the day were the lunch and dessert. Lunch was an ear of the most flavorful, tender, buttery roasted corn that a Southern girl could ever want! Fresh from the roaster, it gets dunked into a vat of butter, then wrapped in tin foil and handed over hot and tempting. Hold it by the husks, pile on the toppings (mine was a salty, parmeseany delight) and enjoy! I thought it was the best $3 I'd ever spent.

While the lunch decision was an easy one, the dessert required a bit more contemplation. No doubt where I'd get my sweet treat - the sign said it all! Any place that offers me my favorite indulgences - then coats them in funnel cake batter, deep fries them, and coats them in powdered suger is my new favorite. And this place did it all! While the handsome young boy helping his dad do the dunking/frying enthusiastically tried to convice me that the banana moon pie was the best, the chocoholic in me knew that either the deep-fried Oreo or the deep-fried Snickers would win out. Standing there, frustrated by the decision before me, the nice (thin, I might add!) lady taking orders convinced me when she drawled, "how 'bout 2 Oreos and a Snickers for 3 bucks?" Decision made. Divine decadence. THAT may be the best $3 I've ever spent! I'm already trying to figure out how to deep fry them at home! Don't put it past me!

Further down the trail, a trio of mountain musicians offered up the best-ever rendition of "Horse With No Name" . We were torn that we'd just dropped our last cash into the Pet Welfare donation bucket and had none left to thank these guys for sharing their talent.

What a divine afternoon I had with my Sweetie and this beautiful world!

Let the Sunshine In!

The sun FINALLY returned to the mountain yesterday! I awoke to the sunrise peeking through my bedroom window for the first time in what seems like an eternity! Almost since Meg's wedding last month (the subject of many future posts!), the sky has been relentless in its attempts to drown every single ant from its underground home into mine! But YESTERDAY was GLORIOUS! Must tell you more . . .

I Love My Brother!

Saturday was an exciting day for G Jane - she got to see two of her favorite things that day - her son and (part of) his family, and her car! (She'd been without her faithful buggy since moving into our home last month) We're not at all sure that we're excited about the arrival of her car, but she certainly is!

Celebrating October!

Autumn has arrived in the Enchanted Forest! Yesterday I spotted the first of our trees changing color - beautiful reds and oranges, among the green. And today, in spite of rain, the front and side porches are now dressed in their Autumn finery! I love October! (And don't you love those squash that look like a mommy and baby duck?!?!)

welcome to Life in the Enchanted Forest

The Enchanted Forest - that's what I call my new home on Sand Mountain, Alabama. I tagged it with the name as soon as we drove the U-Haul onto the property in late June, partly to trick my psyche into loving this new, very different locale that I wasn't sure I really wanted. I knew if I told myself often enough that this place was a treasure, I would eventually believe it. It worked. I love my small piece of the planet, and have accepted (almost) everything about it.

I wish I'd started this journal the day we arrived - it's too labor-intensive to retrace all the steps that have brought me to this point, so I will begin here and let each day decide what is worthy of documenting.

It's self-indulgent, and will surely vacsillate between celebratory and borderline-depressing - but that's what life is. And I find comfort in that cycle. So here goes . . .