The Apple of my Eye

They say carrots are good for the eyes, but I think apples have a way of making the heart see what the eyes may missed...

My barber husband and I went apple picking a few weeks ago. We visited a Missouri orchard that is 200 years old, and we were there the first day of apple picking season. We had the entire orchard to ourselves, and just when I thought I couldn't love my special one a single ounce more...

...my heart for my beloved grew a bit more by just watching him enjoy himself so much. So I thought I would write about my thoughts of that day. I don't always write a lot about my barber husband. 

Maybe I should. 

He is great writing material in many ways.

While there are millions of fab husbands out there, I only know mine. 

And he is fab. 

And that is the real reason I should write about him more - his fabulousness. Fabulous mainly because God made him perfect for me. HE isn't perfect, but he is perfect for ME.

Big difference :-)

It was really nice to have the whole orchard to ourselves. The day was a spur of the moment. I found the orchard the night before, online, and asked if he would like to drive out and pick apples. To my surprise, he had never picked apples before...funny how one can live with another, and still find out something new about them without even really trying.

I so enjoyed watching him get excited by the apples and there were tree-fulls from which to choose! Several times, he would call over his shoulder, looking for me, "Aren't you going to pick some apples, baby doll?" He didn't realize that I was enjoying myself more watching him from a distance and snapping a pic here and there. 

It felt like Christmas in a way, walking between the trees, filled with apple ornaments. The color of the apples are what you see...so bright, almost seemed like a movie set.

But, I really had my eye on my beloved, not the apples. He was the brightest thing in the orchard - to me.

It's funny the things we love about our spouses...things that maybe others would never see, and that is okay. 

I love when he wears he overalls and hat. There is a certain masculinity about it that he doesn't see. He is only after comfort and to keep his little round head from frying in the sun.

I see it differently. 

Where he may see comfort and practicality, I see a man who enjoys life, on his terms. And I find that very attractive.

Even more attractive? A man who finds interests in other people. He can talk to anyone, and I mean anyone, without even caring where they live, what they do, how much they make, where they come from, or what they believe. 

He knows everyone has a story. After all, he is a barber. For 27 years he has heard snippets of stories from behind the barber chair. And over the years, those snippets become full-blown real life novels of those who shared their hopes, losses, grief, and joys with him. Between sounds of scissors and buzzing clippers, a story usually unfolds with time. 

And I think that is what I have learned the most from my beloved. Things take time. And taking time out is even more important, while waiting, working, hoping, and wanting time to speed up when wanting something.

Like I said, this apple orchard farm is 200 years old. That is a long time to work at something. And yet, here we are, 200 years after it began, spending the afternoon picking at something that took so long to create, nurture, and grow.

But I feel very blessed that it was no time at all, before I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my time here on earth next to my overall-wearing man.

This pic is how I really see him. He fills my world with color and happiness. And I guess I just wanted to share a little of  his fabulousness with you all. 

He had no idea I took this photo. Why? 

He was taking time out to stroll the orchard and appreciate all that went into it, and I stood back to appreciate him.

May your part of the world be a place where you find contentment and take time out to appreciate all that is around you. 

Especially your loved ones.

from my house to your house,

Reality Check

R O A D    T R I P    P A R T 3!

Hello!

I am hoping that this week has been good to you and that you have a great weekend ahead of you, as well. The last two posts have been about our little visit to what I call "Amish Land" an area in Ohio that is the largest population of Amish in the United States. Another name I have for this area is "Fairyland" as the entire time we were there, the entire environment seemed almost like a movie set.

On my last post, I promised you that I would write about our most memorable event. It involves an Amish family that in someway, I just fell in love with for so many reasons.

This adventure begins at the farm above. This is the only real photo of the farm that I have of my memorable moment. It starts with our day, a special list in our hand, given to us by an inn owner, who was raised Mennonite and her husband was Amish. She grew up in the area and knew all "the good places" to go and visit and a few on the list included actual homes/farms of the Amish that craft baskets or other wares to be sold. Most of these items are sold at the local stores, but they will sell their items directly from their house as well. Trouble is, a lot of them don't advertise on their property, or if they do, it is a very humble sign, easily passed while in a moving car.

We arrive at the "red farm" and turn onto the dirt road, leading up to the house. I put my camera down on the floor of the truck, so I wouldn't alarm any of the property owners with my big ole' lens poking up over the dashboard. But, boy, do I have to tell you....talk about DYING to take photos!!!  

I will do my best to describe what I saw, as you can only imagine how much I wish I could have snapped away....I did manage to sneak in a quick photo of their huge line of laundry as we drove past it, on the dirt road. The house was still not in sight quite yet....

My barber husband pulls up slowly and to my left is a huge, white farmhouse, and to my right are several huge, red out buildings and barns. Fencing, trees, a wagon...the entire "set" was there, just unbelievably beautiful.

But just as we parked, we looked up (and I am SO glad I didn't miss this next site)...we looked into the yard of this huge farmhouse, and there was a big old oak tree, and under it, a mother and her ten (yes ten!) children sitting in the shade, all of them barefoot, making baskets. Now, I am really DYING that I can't snap such a serene and beautiful moment.

She hears us, and puts her basket down, and comes up to greet us. She is small, very pretty, big, big eyes, dressed all in dark navy dress, and it closed with straight pins - no buttons or hooks! I swear, if I was a guy, it would have looked like I was ogling her chest, but I was studying how neatly she had her straight pins - those sewing pins that are so common - that is what was closing the front of her dress. She had her little cap on, and most importantly, she was wearing a huge, very welcoming smile. The pic below is part of her farm on the right (and maybe the left, too, I don't know). I took this pic as we were hunting on the map for her home, and just at the top of the hill, on the right, is where we would be turning onto her dirt road, but little did I know when I snapped this pic that I was actually getting a little bit of her home area. Once we turned right, we drove down a bit, past those buildings on the right, and her house would have been down, past these building, on the left.

She greets us and I believe her name was Rebecca (?) but not sure about that. We tell her that "Loretta sent us" and she is very happy to have us look at her baskets. I point at the tree where her basket laid, and said it looked like she was busy. She said she was just taking in the cool shade on a warm day, and she was teaching some of the younger ones how to make baskets.

We turn to go to her farmhouse, and we walk under a HUGE and very old grape vine that is just filled with grapes. The vine is on an arbor that covers the entire length of the sidewalk and we make comments about how beautiful it is. She stops and smiles and looks up at the grapes and agrees and says it is very old. I admire her for not taking something she has probably walked under a 1000 times for granted. She looked at the vine as if she were seeing for the first time. I think I enjoyed watching her enjoy her own vine, than the vine itself.

These are not her grapes, as I said, I couldn't take any pics of her home and area, but these we saw later, and these are just about the size of her vine, except her vine was covering an arbor the entire length of the sidewalk to her front porch.  What a treat to walk under such a beautiful arbor every day!

She motions us over the big front porch, which is filled baskets. Her little ones stay close to her legs, and two, hang tight to her skirt, but never take their huge, blue eyes off us. She then invites us into her home, and the front room has two large tables on it and some shelves that hold all her baskets.

I look admiringly at all of her baskets, and comment on how beautiful they are. Right then, one of her little boys, no taller than my knee, taps me on my leg and holds up a little basket to show me. His big blue eyes and blond curly hair stole my heart. The mother tells me that he is showing a basket that he made himself. I examine the basket very carefully and bend over and tell him that this is a wonderfully made basket! He grins and runs and gets another little basket and holds it up to me. I take it and exclaim that I can't believe he can make such things at such a young age and I tell him it is so very beautiful.

The mother had been talking to my barber husband, and she glances over and laughs and tells me that he now just playing with me, that he didn't make that basket, he just likes showing them. She smiles and says something to the boy in their language, and very obediently, he goes right to her and leans against her leg.

Of course, while inside, I try to take sneak peeks of the home, not wanting to be rude. But I just loved her home! So very clean, simple - but in a very good way - and very warm and inviting, for it being so sparse. How I wanted to open the doors in the room and look all around!! Polished wooden floors, gray/blue paint trim and white walls. Nothing hanging up, but some very beautiful chairs are around the room.

Above is a pic of a farm not far from Rebecca's and how lucky to have been there to see the cattle crossing the road!

We all go outside to the porch and take a look at all the baskets again and my barber husband asks her if where he parked is okay, or in the way? She glances out, smiling, all happy, and tells us our truck is fine. She says her husband and cousins should be coming back soon so they can "thrash the field" this afternoon. I watch the barefoot children play in the yard, nearby, and found it so charming that their mother was barefoot as well. So proper, and friendly, and yet, she is barefoot, enjoying the cool grass under the tree, I am sure.

As I look at all the children, not loud at all, but just playing nicely, I make the comment to her that she must really stay busy and cook a lot! She misunderstood me and she thought I was referring to her cousins staying for dinner, and the extra work that would be for her. So she replies, "Oh, no. Not really extra work. I cook everyday so much, that two more men don't make a difference. Besides, I already made two extra pies, a pudding, and two chickens are roasting...." And she says it all so matter-of-factly, but so happily. I look at her, and she doesn't look tired at all, in fact, she looks really refreshed. It isn't even noon and I glance over at the long line of laundry that she has already washed and hung up in addition to all the cooking she already made that morning! 

I smile and tell her how much I love her dress (I would find antique buttons to sew on, I think I would pass on the straight pins!) And I tell her how cute the children's clothes are too. She smiles very happily and thanks me, and I ask her if she made them. "Oh yes, I sew all the clothes for my family." She tells me again, very matter-of-factly, and so humbly, as she ruffles the blond curls of the little boy leaning against her.

And my not-so-humble barber husband, points at my dress and happily tells the young mother, "My wife made her dress too! She is learning to sew again and she made that..." I smile, very happy that he is so proud of me and my "sewing" while also noting how we just don't even come close to the word "humble" like she does so very effortlessly. But I know my barber husband is just proud of my "jumper dress" that I made out of a linen curtain....another story for later. 

She smiles at my dress and asks if I sew a lot? And I explain that I am just taking it up again, but I enjoy it. She smiles brightly at me, with our common bond. She gives some instructions in her language to one the children and the little girl runs off somewhere. I am just in awe at her simple ease with herself, her children, and she seems so at peace...and so energetic! 

We finally choose a large blanket basket (and as I type this, I realize I don't even have a pic of it to show you!) and she is very pleased, as it is the largest basket she has. We are more than happy to pay for this craft, and meet the woman who made it.

She calls to her boys to get a little pull wagon so they can roll it out for us to the truck. And off they ran, all happy to be of assistance to the strangers on their front porch. I am realizing that our visit is almost over, and how I wish it could have lasted longer. I would have loved to spent the afternoon with her, learning how to make a basket and ask her probably a zillion questions, as I am always so curious about other cultures and love to learn about people.

The little boys return with a little pull wagon and load the large basket on it and start to push it down the sidewalk. Rebecca thanks us and waves good-bye and her attention immediately goes to her other children an she talks to them in her language. The children seem just as curious about us, as we are about them...I saw several looking over their shoulder at us as we left.

The littlest girl, about two or three tagged along side me, and her little toes were coming very close to the wagon wheels, so I warned her to stay back some. I said this twice, before I realized she didn't understand English yet. So, I just bent down and scooped her up, out of the way of the rolling wagon and she just grinned at me as I placed her out of the way and tousled her blond curls to say good-bye. I have no idea what happened to her little cap, but I have a good idea that finding her cap is like in our culture, trying to find a baby's missing sock. Seems like babies always are pulling off only one sock and losing it. I have a feeling that hunting down the toddler's cap, is very much like a lost sock....it comes off when the little girl feels like it, and where it ends up, is probably anyone's guess.

We sit in our truck and I glance over at the beautiful farmhouse and then down at my camera, and I am so tempted....but wait! The little fairyland event isn't over yet. We have to wait and give room for the big wagon with two huge horses, being driven up the little dirt road by a little boy! Now this was too much.

Since we were already down the dirt road some, I quickly snapped a photo, as they were at a distance. We had to back up, as we realized they were coming up our way! And I managed to get one more pic. These pics do no justice to the entire scene, though.

If only you could see just how young and little these little boys were. We sat in the truck and the one waved to us as he very easily maneuvered past us and to the red barn. We sat and watched (I call it being curious, others might say "nosey") and out came some Amish men, beards and all, pulling out some very old tractor equipment or an engine of some sorts. My barber husband craned his neck, as he was now dying to go over to the men and watch them hook up this farm "machine" thing...

It was time to really leave now, and I watched behind me, like a little kid with her nose pressed against the back window of the truck and watched the huge family just go about their daily business of living.

I wanted so badly, one photo of the place, and I wasn't paying attention, that we were at the end of the road, and so I pulled out my camera, trying to snap at least one photo memory of such a nice visit. I didn't get anything but a crooked, blurry house and fence...or so I thought...

To my joy and surprise, when I got home and downloaded my photos, what do I see peeking out of the doorway? An Amish boy! I think this was one of her cousins? He didn't look like her children. I barely saw him, as he is in the shadows, just as curious about us as we are about them. I lightened the shadow up a bit to see him better, and I have to say, this is probably my favorite photo. What a nice way to end our visit...that this boy found us worthy of a "peek" and all along, I wanted so badly to "peek" more into their lives as well. 

We might have more in common than we realize.

After I got home and relived the visit through my pics, I kept going back to our visit with Rebecca and her ten children. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was so enamored with her. It wasn't until a few days later, while admiring our new basket, did it hit me why I found her so fascinating.

In our blog-obssesed, reality-show, tell all, announce all, advertise our talents, become-a-star-overnight with You Tube culture....I think I found it so amazing to come in contact with a very talented, very beautiful, very hard-working, but seemingly very happy woman who has zero interest in "showing" what she is capable of doing. Here she is, a young, beautiful, mother of ten, who sews, cooks, creates crafts - all without electricity - and she has no need or desire to "show" others her talents. 

She is a walking, living, breathing "reality star" with no design for any spotlight. Not even a small one. Heck, I had to ask her if she made all those clothes...she never once came out and told me until I asked! 

This very talented, loving, welcoming woman has no website, Facebook page, nor blog. This very caring mother of ten doesn't have a reality show about raising all those kids (again, without electricity....!). She didn't hand me a beautifully designed business card either. Her humble basket-for-sale sign nailed to the tree didn't even have her name on it. She is not competing for "followers" and she doesn't lose sleep about all the other baskets that are for sale in the area either. She knows she does a good job, and actually, that is all that really matters.

She knows.

  And when I look at her long line of laundry, I don't see just clothes or hard work. I actually see a big family hanging out together, with a mother who cares enough to see that her family has the best that she has to offer them.

I am willing to bet that in Rebecca's house, there is no such thing as "guest towels" or "the good china for company" or "guest soaps" either.  To her, her family gets the best of what she can offer, and if the outside world never really finds out about how beautiful she is, or talented with the thread and needle, or crafting baskets, or how she can whip up "two pies and an extra pudding" so effortlessly on a wood stove...things we in "reality show" world would find so amazing. 

Her world is her reality. She feels no need to "show" her reality because she is busy living it - happily. 

And that is what I think I took away from this very memorable visit with Rebecca. She is busy just living her life. 

While her life might be so hard in so many ways (no air conditioning, washing clothes by hand, cooking on a wood stove in the summer, sewing all the clothes....), she also has the joy of doing, creating, and living her life to the best of her ability with no blogging, Facebook, website, or You Tube influences that can, at times, wrongly convince her that she isn't "doing enough," or "talented enough," or "pretty enough," or "smart enough" to do all that she is doing. We don't like to admit it, but I haven't met a woman yet who hasn't admitted that too many visits on Facebook or lingering on beautiful blogs during a time she isn't feeling up to par, can have its negative affects as much as positive. Rebecca doesn't have the influences of magazines, talk shows, or celebrities reminding her constantly that there is "more" to life, and she better not miss out! She doesn't have commercials or billboards reminding her she is getting older, and looks are important.

What a joy that must be. 

And what a joy for me to be so simply reminded that being content with my life, as is, is really just fine.

May you find joy to live your life as you desire. And may you also have no desire to prove to others or seek validation, that your life is really just fine, as is.

from my house to your house,

It was a Crime of Passion

I should have just made another round of cheese. I realize that too late.

Have you ever gotten yourself into a project that just seemed to grow and grow and before you know it, you somehow feel like while it was a good idea, maybe the timing wasn't so good?

It all started out so innocently, and so excitedly too, darn it.

And it has nothing to do with cheese.

Yes, I really did make a round of cheese by scratch! In fact, I made two rounds, and that will be a future post. So, this cheese photo is a preview, that that project went well.

Just two days ago I was working on some pics for a friend and my computer was acting up, and so I decided to do a non-computer project that I won't tell you what it is, because at the moment, I am not sure how it will turn out. But I decided to close up my computer and start this "exciting project" late one afternoon, and thought to myself, "Wow, this is just what I need!" And boy did I ever get started!

I show the above picture only to show that I took this only days before my insane self took over and now our home looks as though someone broke in, and tried to find something, anything worth taking and decided to just leave it all behind instead!

I share my project mess with you out of the hopes that someone (and I know you are out there) will share that you too, have gotten yourself up to your eyeballs in a mess, I mean project, but somehow had to keep convincing your loved ones with whom you share your living quarters with, "I am almost done!" and yet, you have no clue what you are doing...you think you do, you really do, but as each hour passes, and the sun goes down, and the sofa is calling out to you to in its sofa's soporific voice: "Come...come...lie down a spell and we'll work this out together..." And before you know it, it is 5AM...and you (I really mean, me) stumble into bed, without even taking note of the "project" around me and off to a real snooze. 

And so, my barber husband, who cuts hair early Saturday morning, leans over and kisses my cheek good-bye at 6AM and asks if I got a lot done as he felt me come into bed only an hour ago, and I mumble, "Yes..." and he leaves the bedroom only to be greeted by the crime scene that follows:

Unsuspecting Barber husband enters from the hallway into the scene of the crime...project, I mean.

He looks to his right and sees an array of lights and pillows and wonders if this is some new-fangle sofa trend that his beloved is trying out....he's not sure if he will go along with bulbs and pillows. 

Beat up old grains sacks around the house was pretty daring for him already...

But then he turns to the left and finds cabinet doors wide open and even empty! The CD's! Gone! But then he remembers that most were Elizabeth's "unique" collection of Enya,  Medieval, Boy's Christmas Choir, and he even found Yanni one time! Not grieving this loss he decides...

But now he sees "powder" everywhere, as if someone was dusting for fingerprints...getting a little concern here...but he can't tell if we were ransacked or just sacked...

He notices a little pathway was left open towards the door, and decides that there was no robbery, because he is pretty sure that if he were robbing our place (and would leave empty-handed, he is sure), once in the door, he would have turned right around and gone next door to rob. 

As my barber husband leaves, he takes comfort in seeing a banana peel left on the table from the night before. He is glad that I got a little nourishment for all of my....what would you call it? Work? Fun? Re-doing? No, he is glad I got a little nourishment for my passionate adventure! That is all it is at the moment because adventures lead you somewhere, but you don't know where till you get there.

Now for a little game: can you guess how many pairs of eye glasses that can be found in the above photos? I couldn't believe how many I used last night and how many I have on hand...take a guess and then scroll down for fun....

(No, I do not sleep/snuggle with a grain sack! It is just tossed over the edge of the sofa...geesh! I love them, but not that much! :-)

  

Did you get all of them? As I went through the "crime scene" (and believe me, it is a crime that this stuff isn't put away yet....!) I couldn't believe how many glasses I have around in JUST this room! Have to laugh about it.

Well, after I finish this "adventure" and clean the "powder" off the furniture, (man, dust really shows up in sepia photos, doesn't it?), put the peels in the trash, and the lighting sources back in their places, I will share the pretty after photos. I think after this lot, anything I come up with will be an improvement. Hey... that could be a new gig, just show some really crappy, unfinished-what-in-the-hell-did-I-get-myself-into project photos first, then whatever you come up with will always be better and impressive than the first images! LOL. 

Okay, back to work. Actually, I am having fun rediscovering some lost and forgotten treasures that I am very happy to have found again. Just want to find a good place for them so I don't forget about them so I can use them!

Hope you enjoyed the visit and being a partner in my crime of passion.

May your passions always take you on adventures...

oh...btw....I do have way cool CD's...my Barber husband just gets a kick out of naming those few "unique" ones he found in my stash...that's okay...I have hair.

from my house to your house,

Happy Earth Day!

How is everyone doing out there in blog land?  I hope fine and dandy.  As some of you might know, Earth Day was actually a couple of days ago, and I tried to get this post out, but Blogger kept kicking me off. So here I am today anyway. While I didn't do anything special to celebrate it, I thought I would dig around my image files to see if I could find anything "earthy" to share with you and my thoughts of "Earth Day.".  

I came across these images that I took about a year ago, while visiting a friend's property, and what a day, to find this hidden gem, tucked away, sort of snug as a bug in a rug, in a blanket of twigs, branches, leaves and more. I didn't touch a thing, as I came across it and just had to snap up some pics. I loved the moss that covered the glass and the rust that only time can really form just so perfectly. I love when I come across something so "perfectly" worn and old that I don't even have to style it, rust it down, or chip away any paint. This was the perfect set, but boy it was a hot day, and being in the shade felt good. I wish these images had sound, you would hear the buzzing of bugs, mosquitos, and the occasional squawking of some crazy bird that made me feel like I was in the rain forest. 

Earth Day 2013 is promoting the global climate changes and all that goes with it. I (like most) have my own opinion on it, as well as the scientists, but when it comes down to it, I would say that when I see something like this, Mother Nature, will always come out victorious. We have an obligation to take care of her, mind you, but our modern ways, as invasive as they may be at times, are no match for Mother Nature in the end, in my opinion. The slightest tremor of an earthquake, and our sleek structures will start to crumble. Our strongest bridges break with the hurricane forces. Floods will always take over our man-made roads. Snow storms will knock out power lines every time. And even the blazing sun, week after week, can out-smart even the most modern irrigation tools we have and farms suffer severe droughts. Modern technology still can't accurately predict a locust invasion, but only explain its aftermath.

And while car manufacturers brag about air bags, and steel wall tires...left unattended...even Mother Nature's delicate leaves and fragile sticks will eventually overtake the toughest transportation along with Father Time.

Pretty impressive if you ask me.

As I have said it before...I am an admirer of the created, but worshipper of The Creator. I am truly amazed by all that we have created, crafted, and designed. I am a lover of photographing these things. Truly in love with the art form of the created.  

But lately....The Creator has shown me some really amazing things that I haven't really seen before. I am very captivated by pieces of our planet. I say "pieces," because that is all I am seeing at the moment, and I find it absolutely beautiful how our planet takes care of itself. Lessons, I think, we humans could learn.

It is very altruistic of humans to want to do the right thing and take care of the planet, but also done in vain, I believe. 

We humble humans trying to take care of the planet is like the caged mink trying to help the fur breeder unlock its own cage. The job will get done whether we reach out or not.

I am definitely for Earth Day, and promoting its caring for our wonderful planet, trust me. But, I also find it (in a strange way) very egotistical of us to think that we are actually big enough, strong enough, and smart enough to actually "take care" of something that cares for us 24/7, since the beginning of time.

Glad the world is big enough for all of us big-headed humans.

(sigh)gotta love us for trying....

from my house to your house