HOLIDAYS...A TIME FOR JOY AND SADNESS

I find myself both looking forward to Holidays and also dreading them.  When my children were little, I really loved everything about them...the shopping, the decorating and the excitement that it brought to our family.  All of the family get-togethers and dinners were such a treat, to see everyone and also to eat so many traditional, favorite dishes. My family is Italian, so there would of course be a big pan of homemade lasagna (my grandparents are from Italy) My Grandma Addoloratta makes her own pasta, rolls out a big sheet of dough, and cuts it into either ravioli or lasagna.  And of course, makes her own spaghetti sauce (she calls it gravy).  She would layer it all up with lots of fresh ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and shredded Romano cheese that was cut from a big piece in the basement refrigerator. My grandmother often made something I called smashed olives.  She would buy large green olives from the Italian Deli that she would put in between two towels and actually hit and smash them with a hammer. Then she would marinate them in olive oil, spices and onion slices There was always a big platter of baked chicken and also meatballs and sausage.  My mom, who isn't Italian always added several bowls of steamed vegetables and a big green salad.  And, my grandmother would make sweet, light rosettes, covered with honey and powdered sugar for dessert. My mom would always bring a big platter of homemade Christmas cookies.  I always looked forward to and counted on it always being the same...tradition.  

I am so fortunate to have had those wonderful Holiday celebrations.  I have wonderful memories of those times.  Fortunately, my two children also got to experience those Holidays with my Italian family. 

The big silver metal tree with ornaments and lights would be lite in the living room upstairs and there would be a small tree in the basement where we would have our family get togethers.  The presents would be under the little tree downstairs and as I child I couldn't wait to open the presents and neither could my children.  My aunt never had children, and she was the one that would put together the gifts...and so, most of the time it was money. My aunt and my mom would always buy my grandma new robes, night gowns or daytime dresses which she would carefully wrap back up, after opening...and continue to wear her old clothes.  That was her generation...had to use something until it was worn out...completely...

Christmases were fun when my kids were younger and also into high school.... but when they moved out and went their own ways...Holidays became kind of sad for me.  We would get together, but they also had another family too...so times had to be split up.  As we got older, we were less likely to do any driving that would be a long distance...especially in the winter (we've had to turn back because of whiteout snowstorms in the Midwest) ...So, our Holidays were more sending gifts through the mail, cards, telephone calls....and, now they are emails and texts...

I think that this story is probably true of a lot of families these days.  People move about much more than they did when we were young.  So, often times nearby friends and neighbors become the 'new family' to celebrate the Holidays.  Often, they were similar in age and their families may also live on the other side of the world or too far to travel to...because of age and financial restrictions. 

The saddest part about any Holiday is the memory of having once celebrated with someone who is no longer on this earth.  Someone who has lost a loved one tries to go through the motion, but their heart is not fully involved...a halfhearted empty feeling...no matter the years.  

The friends and family of mine that have lost a loved one...a child, a partner, parents....choose to believe that their loved one is still communicating with them, staying near to them and joining in by showing them a sign...and that seems to give them great comfort. 

As Tennessee Williams said... "Life is all memory, except for the present moment that goes by so quickly you hardly catch it going   

Fall - Time to Start Squirreling Away Food for Winter

How quickly the seasons come and go.  Some days I find it hard to believe that summer days are quickly fading and that cooler fall like days are popping up more often here and there.  Stepping outside for some fresh air, one can feel our lovely warmer seasons quietly slipping away a little bit more each day. 

The time change shifts the seasonal changes into overdrive it seems...darker later in the morning and darker earlier in the evening.

After all of its abundant gifts of colorful beauty, summer does deserve to be able to wind down for a much-deserved long winter's nap.   All of the fading above ground parts of the flowers and seed pods become food for insects and animals to eat and store for the long winter.  Below the surface the roots all cuddle together for a nice nap...thinking about the next time they will feel the sun warming the soil and they will again feel like peeking their heads out.  But for now, time to rest and reflect.      

All of the once fresh green leaves of the trees have started to go through their annual seasonal display of color change.  We witness a beautiful spectrum of colors here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  When the dried leaves settle on the ground, it becomes habitat for insects and mulch for the perennial plants.  

 Our current weather is mostly mild, some sunny days with a cloud covering and a sprinkle here and there.   I am sure that the experienced sages in wildlife have passed down the much-needed information to the younger members about preparing for the cold season ahead.  I wonder how exactly this information is passed down.  Through observation or is it just ingrained for the survival of their species.   

One of my favorite year-round activities is watching birds and squirrels. You get to know your daily visitors and look forward to seeing them each morning. I have situated a table right outside of my full glass kitchen door so that I can watch the daily visits of a familiar variety of birds and squirrels.  I keep my bags of bird feed right inside the door and always fill a container on my way out...I mound the seed mix onto this table and call to my daily visitors.  I am sure that they pretty much know the sound of the door and are waiting somewhere nearby.   We have several other hanging feeders on posts on our fence and deck that attract smaller birds like Chickadees and Nut Hatches.  I think that they feel much more comfortable picking up seeds without the larger birds and squirrels looming about.   

  Each morning as I go out to feed our chickens, I hear a familiar signal from a Blue Jay that knows my schedule.  He is signaling me to not forget his peanuts. So, every day, sometimes several times a day, I scoop out a peanut, fruit, black sunflower seed mixture for my friends.   I always top off the seed mixture with a handful of peanuts in their shells.  These are a favorite of the Blue Jays and the squirrels.   After feeding everyone, I go back into the house and stop for a moment to watch the activity on this table before I begin my day.  

The squirrels eat some of the mix and peanuts right on the table and then seem to also take some and disappear for a while.  They creep down to the table from the nearby pine trees, kind of walk around the top of the table for a while and then settle down with a peanut or a piece of the dried fruit.  When the Blue Jays drop down onto the table, if a squirrel is there snacking, the squirrel will jump up onto the fence or up into our nearby pine trees.  They do not go very far away...after all, it will be his turn next once the Blue Jay flies off.  There are several squirrels that don't seem to mind each other's company.  This table generally seems to be 'a table for one', but, when there are two squirrels tolerating each other's presence, I assume they must be nest mates.  When the Blue Jays land on the table, they look left, look right and then grab a peanut and immediately fly away.  Sometimes though they will drop their first choice of a peanut and then choose another...I wonder what was wrong with the first one...did a squirrel touch it?  Not sure how many Blue Jays that we have feeding at our table.  Either there are several of them or one very busy one that is eating and storing many peanuts. I can't imagine that one Blue Jay can eat so many whole peanuts so quickly, so hopefully they are not being fool hardy and are putting up some of the peanuts in their larder for winter eating. 

Occasionally we will see migrating birds stopping in for a seed snack before they continue on their long journey.  I hope that they get their fill, rest up for a moment and then be on their way as the harsh, snowy season cannot be far behind.  

I will put seed and snacks out year-round. I don't care who eats them.  If they are hungry, I am glad to feed them. I don't notice as many visitors stopping by in the summer months.  Hopefully they are receiving their food from more natural sources.  I am more than happy to feed them when their natural food sources are harder for them to harvest under inches of snow.  So, all are welcome at my bird feeding table...there are daily specials for all customers.   

  

Daily Walks Along the Bay...UP Michigan

 

I am a gatherer.....of all things natural.   I see so much beauty and creative possibilities in fallen leaves, little sticks, acorns, stones and little plant pieces...anything I find on the ground.  So many people these days are looking down at their phones, I'm also looking down...but on the ground for whatever I might find that interests me.  

I always have a cloth bag folded into my pocket ready to hold all of the beautiful pieces of nature that I find and gather.  I always see a future artistic purpose and creation for each piece that I gather.  I am an avid painter, crafter and nature journal creator.    I use the little gathered pieces in pictures, add them to woodland whimsical characters that I create out of fabric and also to add to the many junk journals that I am always adding more pages to... 

Because it is Fall, I have been collecting fallen leaves that I am drawn to, various pieces of plant matter and interesting shaped twigs.  When I get all of my new finds home, I decide on a color palette and design and then I get to work arranging all of these new fascinating pieces of nature.  After creating the picture that I want to create on a clean canvas, I layer on a coat of paint, just on one side to each piece and lay it back down in its place.  Then I proceed to cover the arrangement with parchment paper and a piece of muslin fabric.   I then press down with my hands or use a roller...one of my vintage rolling pins over all of my pieces.  After feeling satisfied with the amount of pressure...I carefully lift the cloth and parchment paper and then carefully remove the leaves and plant matter with tweezers.  Finally, I stand back and am always amazed at the amount of detail that the paint brings out in these beautiful pieces of nature.  If it didn't work....I create a collage over the intended piece...I'm sure that this is how the concept of a collage began... 

I am always on the hunt for pieces of driftwood.  Fortunately, new ones seem to wash in closer to shore every week. I try to just take (rehome) what I love...and leave some for others and just generally...leave them where they landed.  Where we walk each day is at a beautiful park that jets out into the Bay.  Our favorite place to sit awhile to enjoy the beauty and the sound of the waves is a big old fallen tree that sees waves coming in from several different directions.  What a lovely place to live.  So much to hear and see. This is my favorite place to sit and enjoy and also to see what the waves have brought in each day.  I never thought that a discovered piece of a broken branch or root would make me so happy...but it does.  When I pick up and handle each piece, I think about how far it's traveled and how many hundreds of times it's been rolled around making it so smooth and unique.  

I am currently using a longer piece of driftwood to hang from the ceiling displaying the dried orange slices, lemon peel stars and brown paper bag stars that I have been making for the upcoming Holiday...and after.  

Every driftwood piece is like a cloud overhead.  If you watch or look at it for a while, you begin to see a character developing.  Of the pieces that I have collected over the years, I have many that have holes where a knot once way...so, a marble or a bead can be inserted in that space for the light to shine through.  Some pieces look like birds and others like fish.  Longer, gnarled, knotty pieces of driftwood just stand in the corner looking like they are in charge. 

I belong to several Facebook groups whose members are also lovers of all thing's natural with a piece of driftwood as the center of their creations.  An equal amount of the members just enjoy their natural beauty, and others rework the piece into something artistic and unique.  I have seen beautiful chandeliers, picture frames and table center pieces that are decorated for each different seasons...with other natural pieces, pine boughs, leaves, berries and flowers.  I also love the collected driftwood pieces that are used in large plants...sometimes decorating them with seashells and beautiful rocks. 

I used a few of my longer pieces of driftwood to assist with the growing of our beautiful, bountiful tomato plants this summer.  Now with the growing season coming to an end, the pieces of driftwood now live in the house for us to admire and appreciate their effort of holding up the thick tomato plants so that we could enjoy homegrown tomatoes on our sandwiches and in our salads... 

So much natural beauty and so many artistic ways to use....I love driftwood...