Dumb blonde jokes - personified!

So if anyone saw me this morning, doing this totally ridiculous thing, they would surely either have called the police or the psychiatrist - or maybe both. But it made sense to me at the time. You see, when I look in the mirror, I see something entirely different from what I see in photographs of myself. My face is faaaaaarrrrr from symmetrical (and they say symmetry in the face is the mark of true beauty!) so when I see the camera's mirror image of what an actual mirror tells me, I'm always appalled at how terrible I look. I digress. So, anyway, I'm especially pleased with my current haircut, and wanted to capture a close-up of it to remind my hair stylist for future cuts. So here goes. I grab the camera, point it at the mirror, and I kid you not, I was surprised to see the camera right in front of my face in the reflection. I laughed out loud at my stupidity, and was totally embarrassed even though I was standing absolutely alone in my own bathroom! So I tried holding the camera over my head, thinking I'd just crop out my upraised arms and the camera, leaving a gorgeous, in-focus, and perfect close-up of this wonderful haircut! NOT! (See image above right, in case that's not obvious!)

So, although it's not such a good pic of me, I did finally get a decent photo of the super-great haircut! See:

Look closely . . .

Today is a mix of rain showers and sun - literally from minute to minute it changes. I love that about the weather. It seems to be one of the only things we humans don't claim complete control over, and that we are unable to predict with any real certainty at all. You go, Mother Nature!

Anyway, these are particularly beautiful today. Look closely . . .They look almost like Easter Lilies in July. 'Could almost fool you, but they're not lilies at all . . .

They're the blooms of one of the beautiful hosta in our front bed. It's a happy thing.

Inside out . . . outside in . . .

So today we're inside, having planned a long-overdue project because we expected a rainy day (it's noon, however, and no rain yet!). We've tackled removing our fireplace mantel, retiling the surround, and re-affixing the mantel properly (which it was NOT originally!) But . . . if we weren't in the middle of this messy project and I could be outside, here's where I'd be!

(Best $29 I EVER spent! This wonderful hammock was the buy of the season at one of my favorite shopping stops - Southeastern Wholesale in Chattanooga)

More "Fast-Forwarding"

. . . skipping over lots of interesting and trivial goings-on, I'm eager to show off the progress in the Wish Garden to date. Then I'll back-track, in later posts, and fill in the gaps. But, since (as I mentioned in previous post) the 'garden' doesn't yet have the plantings and such to make it an interesting journey (but, instead, reveals itself all at once :-( - saving none of the mystery), I will reveal it here in bits and pieces and will resist the urge to post all the photos at once! (Ooooh, self-restraint is not one of my strengths!)

So here is a glimpse into the path into the Wish Garden - a cozy spot for conversation and a beautiful view of The Enchanted Forest. Early mornings are delightful here! (Vintage lawn rockers have been in my family, and passed from one to another, over many years. So happy to have these two 'back home' - Thanks, Jacque! Love you!)

This beautiful life goes on . . .

Why have I been away so long? Perhaps because once you are away for a short while, there's so much "catching up" to do, the task seems too large for the energy/time available. And another day goes by . . . and another . . . BUT, here I am, making another attempt at journaling my experiences here in The Enchanted Forest. I hope you welcome me back, but if you do not, I still find this exercise to be enriching, cathartic, and just plain fun!


Autumn, Winter, and Spring have all come and gone here, and each was 'enchanted ' in its own way. I'll skip over the 20+ weeks of recuperation from a badly broken ankle, during which I was grumpy, demanding, temperamental, and difficult, and jump right to now - this gorgeous Summer here on Sand Mountain.


Spring was, well, enchanting, and Summer has been lovely, although quite hot for these parts. As soon as the weather began to warm and I could put weight on the injured ankle, I claimed the side yard as my "Wish Garden" and began its transformation. To date, it's a strange collection of "things" - not really a 'garden' at all, due to its lack of plants andfoliage. It's mostly under pine trees, and I'm still learning about what/how to grow things there. Meanwhile, I've had too much fun (and spent money I didn't have!) on garden whimsy and items of interest. It's like having another entire 'house' to furnish! Having no 'walls' is both a challenge and a blessing - 'can move things at will without barriers, but having no definition of spaces means the entire garden is revealed in a single glance - not at all as a garden should be, revealing its secrets as you make the journey through its maze of plantings and such. Someday, maybe. Someday. Meanwhile . . .here's where it all began. The first day I crammed my 2-sizes-larger-than-normal swollen foot into a sneaker, grabbed Handsome's power tools, and made my version of "chippendale" from branches found on the property. Proud, indeed!

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!