We gave her roots, we gave her wings...

We gave her roots, we gave her wings. She has everything she needs. And it is ALL wedged into this small car.

This morning Rachel and most everything she owns pulled out of the driveway and headed south. Tomorrow, (if all goes as planned) she will reach Asheville, North Carolina. Her big adventure has begun.

It was a bittersweet day for her daddy and me. We love this child with every fibre of our beings. Part of us would love nothing more than to keep her here, under our watchful eyes, safe and warm and fed and cared for. The other part of us is rejoicing as we watch her spread her wings and take off to create a life of her own.

At dawn I was striding across my yard; filling bird feeders, watching the dogs, taking care of chickens. It is a slice of my every day that I treasure. I was thinking, as I went about my routine, how much I love my life. This life I have chosen and worked for and created. This is not the life Rachel wants. It is the life I want. And now it is time for her to find a life that brings her joy.

I wish for her clear skies and dreams fulfilled and adventures. I will miss her like fury as I watch her go, and grow.

Wild excitment and a Windsor Chairmaker table...

Jim and Nance Brown from Windsor Chair Makers came today with THE table. I woke up with the kind of feeling I used to have as a kid on Christmas morning- the tingle of electrical energy coursing through my veins and just a little bit of a knot in my belly. I hopped out of bed and raced around all morning, getting ready for the arrival of the wonderful, magical table. And here it is, the finish glowing as if the wood was somehow lit from within. It is so smooth, so silky, I keep running my hands over it as I walk past. I think of the fun and good food and conversations that this table will see....

Jim told me that the top is made of Tiger maple. The wood has beautiful squiggles and lines throughout it. He said those lines are made when the tree goes through storms. The wind bends and flexes the tree, and these marks result. I love the poetry of that; weathering a storm creates additional beauty and interest.

I cannot even believe that a table this magnificent is under my freshly painted ceiling! I just keep staring at it. Happily.

Today's activities...

Today I painted our dining room. I thought I'd have this little project whipped out in NO time, and done. I thought wrong. It took me all day to do trim, walls and ceiling. The ceiling had some stains and damage that I had to patch, Kilz and paint. I did a pretty good job, considering I had no clue what I was doing!

Chris helped me hang a pretty little chandelier that I have had for several years. It was worth the wait. The light reflects in the big mirror and sparkles in the dangley prisms. Makes me smile.

Hunger moon, snow moon...

 

The full moon of February was known to Native Americans as the snow moon (because February often has so very much snow,) or the Hunger Moon, (because finding food this time of year was a neat trick.) This morning the moon hung low and bright over the ridge- which was freshly frosted in a dusting of icy snow. The full moon is seen to us when the moon is directly opposite the sun. The cycles of the moon still hold an enchanted importance to me. Snow moon, hunger moon... sky-hung beauty.

Thankful Thursday...

 

My friend Chez has inspired me to create "Thankful Thursday" posts, where I share something in my life that I am grateful for, even if that thing is imperfect. I am thankful to live in America. This country is imperfect, but oh! I am so lucky to be right here, right now. For this flag and all it stands for, I am thankful.

Puppy...

This little puppy will be coming home to stay in about a week and a half.
She got a clean bill of health at the vet's today, and also had a bath and a trim up.

I feel guilty about bringing home another dog, but Chris says he does not care. And life is short. So... we need a NAME for this tiny thing! Latest ideas rattling around:
Smidgen
Cozy
Halo

Come on, chime in!

Decorating my life...

One of my mothers favorite things to do was decorate one room by "shopping" from another. She would change up the look of the house just by moving things about. And she loved it!

When we painted the kitchen recently I decorated by removing a bunch of items from the front room into the kitchen. This left the hutch and side table in the front room looking rather sparse and forlorn. So, today I polished up the furniture and then went shopping. I shopped upstairs, and on the cold porch. I shopped in the living room and in the tall cabinet in the dining room.

I ended up with a whimsical candelabra tucked into an awkward corner in the kitchen, and a minimalist look on the big hutch... but I find it looks restful, and the candles in crystal are very welcoming.

I like to think my mom was smiling down at me while I tripped from room to room, finding treasures to decorate my life.