The Summer That She Was...DELORES...

I was going through some photos and came across this one. One of my very favorites of my two daughters. In a blink of an eye, they have grown so much! This was taken at my parent's house, about a year before we moved in with them. It was the summer that Jessie became her own person. Her big sister Bailey just loved mothering her and taking charge. Now Jess is a very independent child and this was her start. She was given a pair of glasses/sunglasses by her Grandmother to ease the unfairness of her big sister getting all the attention with her new glasses. Jess loved them and loved that she could flip up hers when they weren't sunglasses. I pretended that I didn't know who she was with this new look, and called her, Delores.

Funny how things stick! These are forever her "Delores Glasses" And she played the whole persona off. She loved denim and I found the cutest snap up pleated denim skirt for her. Most young ladies would wear it fully snapped as a skirt... not Delores! Delores wore hers with only the top snapped and shorts underneath. I asked her why."It's for when I run , Mommy, look!". The skirt peeled back as she ran, thus giving her a more, "super hero" appearance, she later explained in her 4 year old language. It became her daily outfit that summer.

Jess is nearly 12 now. We have to find a bathing suit that doesn't show her stomach and tank tops are too low cut. She still dresses her own way. We still hold dear the glasses... and I'm quite sure that she WILL be a super hero someday.

The Summer Begins....

It's official, Summer has begun for us. The girls are now out of school. Jess had her Moving Up ceremony on Wednesday night. It was moving alright! There is a sadness as your youngest child moves through different phases of life. Jess will be going to the Jr. Sr. High School in the Fall. The mornings will be very busy as two young ladies now share a bathroom before school....til then, it's a bliss full summer ahead at The Goode Comfort Cottage.


Tim and I sat in Church last week and listened to the message of all that God gives us. One of the things was , "good comfort". Tim has just gone through a very difficult year with no real work, or unemployment check to fall back on. Somehow he made it and is back to work. It looks like there will be a lot of work coming up for the Union Electricians. It was difficult and scary, but hand in hand, we both kept Faith. Going to Church last week was special, because we wanted to go and say "Thank You". In it I was drawn to the words "Good Comfort". Such a simple thing that can be difficult when you look farther than you have to. Good Comfort is the simple things that surround us.



We decided that it was a fitting name to Tim's small Cape in the village of Rotterdam. While the front of the house faces a lot more traffic than I am used to after living in Granville for most of the past 31 years, the back yard has become a sanctuary. There is a small but humble little garden, a pool, a patio area and a area that we have small "camp fires" to roast marshmallows and watch the stars. Along the fencing areas are solar lanterns hanging and candles here and there. Along stumps, there are little candle lanterns and greenery for the Fairy's to play. We have indeed found a Fairy Ring (a ring of mushrooms) every summer. We have faith that the cottage will host one this year as well.



I will be traveling back and forth this summer, but the days spent at each place, I hope will be balanced. As always it depends on the health of my parent's. The Goode Comfort Cottage brings us much peace within the home and backyard. Living simply and keeping the Faith.

Live Your Spirit~

About ten years ago I was watching Oprah Winfrey one afternoon as I sat drawing in my little house up on the hill. I had two young daughters, two ill parents, a marriage that I could find no way to fix ... and a love of Primitives. I'm not really sure what the program was about, but the backdrop behind Oprah and her guest stated simply, LIVE YOUR SPIRIT. It captured my soul. I knew that I had to make some very difficult changes in my life and it would not just effect my life, but all that were a part of it. I felt alone and unsure of it all, but mostly unsure of ME and my capabilities. I kept this message close to my heart and held it close for strength all of these years. The changes have long been made, and there has been a lot of healing for many during this whole process. In it all, I learned to find what was me and my life and make it happen in all that I do.

Not so many years ago, Netty and I set out for a fall day of adventure. The big white van as our trusty steed, led us to Cooperstown and fellow doll makers for a visit. I was thrilled to meet the Loadwicks, Cheryl and her daughter, Emily. I have found through time that the whole family is not only warm and loving, but they fully embrace life with what captures their spirit. Emily is pure fascination as I have stated in an earlier post. I wanted to show you exactly what I ment. Cheryl and Emily so bravely put together pictures for me to share. Emily makes her dresses herself and does most all of the stitching by hand. When most young ladies of this day spend time having fun with different hair colors or beautifully painted nails, Emily holds dear the times of old and lives HER spirit. Now, if you think that her dress is wonderful, you should see her dolls!

There is a link in the Goode Things section, and if you go to Crow Soup and look under "Cotton Dolls" you will see a sampling of this Mother/daughter team.

Do you ever wonder....

Do you ever wonder just why we are here and now? Placed in this time and not where our hearts draw us?Lovers of the past, a time that is not ours but pulls us close? Are we drawn upon so that we may sing it to the future.....

The pull has always been there for as long as I can remember. Caught in the fondness of old cemetaries and early tombstones for me... visions of history as passed on by my family of our own family heros. Drawn to images of horsedrawn carriages and button up shoes.. or yes.. a love of old gloves, that once perhaps held the hand of a true love? A mix of time periods at least one hundred years prior.

As lives touch others I see that I am not the only one.. and kindred hearts do share. .. but I wonder do we share because perhaps we were all once there???

The Glory of Spring

Spring continues merrily here! The garden is about set, the herbs are doing wonderfully and we were rewarded this year with a gift from Mother Nature. We are lucky to have a couple Jack-in the-Pulpits on my Father's property. They were a protected species here...not sure if they still are. These were a gift from a friend many years ago. Most years we do get a bloom, but last year they did nothing, so I thought that perhaps we lost them. I have been patiently waiting for them to bloom and was rewarded a couple days ago. Such a beautiful flower!!! I love the woodlands and so they are a favorite, keeping close memories of traipsing through the woods with my best friend and her Mom in the nearby Vermont woods. We would go in search of fiddleheads, wild onion and violets. The fiddleheads are the beginning shoots of ferns and they taste very much like asparagus when steamed. We would also collect enough violets, so that her Mom could make a violet jam. It isn't too bad...but the fiddleheads are wonderful! In it all , we would look for treasures.. the Jacks-in-the-Pulpit and May flowers. My May flowers haven't survived over the years, but my little treasure has!

We have just finished putting the garden in. Tim actually does the planting there.. and I do ALOT of the eating! Smiles. I wanted to share with you the Potting Bench that he made. We came across the treadle machine cabinet alongside the road one rainy day. While the veneer couldn't be salvaged, I did envision a table. This was perfect, using the old stock fencing and giving a new and purposeful life. I love that I can enjoy the bee skep and the little candle lantern that we use for the Fairies to dance around and swing from the creeping Jenny in the shoe. All such a simple blessing from Spring!

Golly~ I've been Tagged!!!

And it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.. well, except I have to find 3 others to do a hit and run on. I am still quite new here so I hope I can find someone not already tagged. Till then~

1. I was born in California~everyone else in my family was born in NY or Ct....nanner.


2. I was real good at twirling a baton and did some quite large parades before having to retire at 12 for medical reasons.
   
3. I'm a good Italian cook, as taught by my Grandmother. I also know the secret to her family famous meatballs. She taught me so much about unstaggering Faith, the strength of family and fidelity~ all while teaching me to cook with simplicity.


4. I knit the Continental way.


5. I'm deathly afraid of bridges and now I have everyone in the car with me yelling "AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" the whole length of any bridge that we go over.


6. I was able to fulfill a childhood dream and pet "Little Joe's" horse from "Bananza". I spent the rest of the day hoping to find little Joe on the set.. I was 9 and he was CUTE.


7. My HEROS are my 2 daughters. Bailey who is 14 and just had scoliosis surgery. She also has Asperger's Syndrome and is the most forgiving person I have ever met. People that don't understand can be very cruel, and she' still there for them. Also, my daughter Jesslyn age 9. She's the little sister that has to be the big sister. She is also the family comedienne and the reason I will need to wear "Depends" .

Now, tis time to have an internet tea with 3 fond Ladye friends, with whom I hope will find pleasure in this as much as I~

Christe'

Katie

Deena