Life returns as the baby bluebirds start to emerge from their nest.
Lessons from the Backyard – Taking Flight Again
Life begins again – look closely you might see our newest additions to the backyard “Baby Bluebirds”
It has been a long time since I have felt the energy to create for the Backyard. It was not for a lack of desire to write, photograph, or create this dream – but – instead a life that got in the way – to keep going – trying to look and feel normal. Is it a lack of strength? A lack of creativity and smarts? What made being in the backyard and making my paradise a reality such a burden? I am not sure that I can answer that question yet beyond the label of living with a chronic disease full of daily medicines and brutal fatigue.
My hope instead as the summer tiptoes slowly (I hope) is to find a peaceful place where I can accept that the doctors can’t heal me and that I can learn to love and appreciate my body. I will putter around the backyard in the gardens – with the animals – cook some healthy meals (a new goal) and learn what I need to help my body find harmony in being. I love to write and share, so I hope some will find these thoughts and experiences, projects or recipes fun as we journey together in a world of unknowns. In a world where doctors are not sure what or why our bodies betray us – saddened that their schooling doesn’t have the answers to cure us or even answer our questions. Instead, we must take a hopeful path forward. To those out there with a chronic illness or the imaginary autoimmune that dodges all tests, we must travel this journey together.
Today, I am starting anew. I walked my backyard (a little in the front too) and started with my grateful moments. A wonderful family of humans and pets, nature’s miracles all around me, the sounds and smells of life with the sounds of the bluebird babies chirping for food ran through my head. Below are some things that caught my eye today as I walked. Be – I told myself; Be here – not in your fears, thoughts or what must be done but just be. Hear the wind through the trees and the girls calling you to come back to the coop. Just BE. Today, I urge us all to be where we are – give yourself a moment to just breathe in the air around, and be mindful of the nature around you that is springing to life – A life that we so desperately want to have spring inside of us. Until the next post – I hope not too long – be well.
I wonder what she is thinking?
BE your sun today
Life is all around us waiting to give us strength – we just have to stop and look around to see – to know you are not alone in this journey called life.
At times, time seems to go monotonously slow – painfully one day at a time looking forward to a work vacation. And now – here we are – summer vacation – the ultimate vacation for teachers. Today starts my first day of summer vacation – how did an entire school year pass without many posts? How could my new love of life fold back into the drudgery of the day-to-day?
We are back – I hope to stay!
As I return to my desk and my blog, I reflect on all that has happened this school year. The family did well and we had many things to celebrate including a graduation and a full year at college for my daughter with in-person classes. On the health front, my blood tests remained stable throughout the year, and I am now in “chemical remission” from my immune system’s attack on my liver. Still struggling with symptoms, especially the attack on my joints, I face each day realizing that I have the chance to live – not the life that was before my diagnosis but a life where I seem to be ok. I still have nagging thoughts of “what if” something else goes wrong. Why does the fatigue feels like I am weighed down by concrete blocks or my head is so foggy that I don’t want to move it for fear that woosh feeling might come? Even with these thoughts, I continue to look for the sun – the hope that today will be a good day – a day to replenish – to rebuild – a day to make a difference in someone’s life.
Reflecting back on the school year quickly, I made it without any big hurdles or sick days. Doctor’s appts went well and I was able to be in-person for the entire school year. I focused on pouring my love into my students and enjoying the moments. I even tackled a long-term goal of introducing a Biomimicry project for interested students that went extremely well. Yeah! I did it. The family is doing well with another one off to college in two weeks – the Air Force Academy. Excited for a new adventure but sad to see another one fly the nest. Thank goodness my youngest is only starting high school. As I sit here writing, I am taking the entire month of June off from school work except for the 8th and 9th as I have a small online conference. As much as I want to learn and plan for the next school year, I am forcing myself to let it go and focus on myself and my wonderful family. Our special plot here can come to life so we can share it with everyone.
Life will come again
This break leads me back to the blog and Bitsy’s Backyard – a time to focus on passion and the light that burns in me to create but gets lost in the hoopla of our everyday path. Why do we let it burn so low? Maybe it is the weight of fatigue, family happenings, social media, or even a good series to binge watch? I am not sure but I am happy to return to the backyard with renewed optimism that I can dream big and turn this land into a lush garden full of life.
Meadow has some fun plans too – wait to see how much she has grown.
So June plans – figure out the direction of the backyard and how to turn it into a family oasis. I have some goals for this summer to blog, clean, puzzle, read, workout, garden, learn crochet, learn to draw and design our backyard transformation. I hope to share my continued path forward in life with a chronic disease that I have decided to acknowledge but not let it control me. A time to breathe – refocus – rebuild and just be. I need to learn to breathe again – how to embrace each moment especially now that two of my kids will be off to college in the fall.
It has been too long away from my blog and thus the backyard. We have been surviving through the fall, not thriving the way I had envisioned. Back to work is going well, the family is doing well, the animals are doing well….. the garden is surviving and well….. the cooking fun fell to the back burner.
So, New year means a new start – a new sunrise to the day. I have lots planned in my mind and intentionally be present at the forefront. Not to rush – to read – to walk – to rest – to play games and puzzles. I am not sure why that each day, I find myself sprinting to bedtime. Personally, I want to focus on each moment and just be there – not anxious – not frustrated but present to be me – help the ones around me, take a deep breath, and keep walking the path ahead. It might look wobbly at times, but trust yourself to keep going.
To that end, I have lots of ideas about posts and goals for 2022. The first one that we as a family are embarking on is the 100 days of Real Food Challenge from Lisa Leake. We started today, and I am excited to make some healthy choices. It is crucial with my autoimmune disease to limit inflammation naturally as much as possible, so a better diet is helpful. Through our challenge, I’ll post updates on our successes and even mishaps. Join us if you would like – it should be quite an adventure in the kitchen and so much more fun to do with others.
As I say goodbye for today, I added my vision board for the year. Ashton inspired me to make a poster of my goals for 2022 in a creative and motivating way. Try it out – it was a fun process, but I think the rewarding part was really thinking over my goals to make them visual instead of just jotting them down. As a teacher, I often ask my students to transform their notes into a creative display of their knowledge, so this activity was perfect for me to deeply reflect on this year.
Enjoy each day. Take a walk outside and say thank you to someone for being here with you. Happy New Year, and I pray that 2022 is a beautiful and merry year for all.
In the backyard, I was reminded that it has been long time since I posted sharing my garden. It seems like summer and the blog are years ago, but really only a month. A lot has happened in a month with the start of school and getting out of COVID quarantine. My daughter went back to college. I will miss her so, but her time here during the roughest part of my diagnosis was a blessing. Our middle one is looking at colleges and our youngest still puts up with me watching shows together that make us laugh. A celebration of 22 years of marriage was blessed and my school welcomed me back with open arms just the way I am. What a month indeed!
Since it has been so long since I wrote, I thought I would get back into my blog with an update and hopefully the strength to continue this pursuit. It does relax me to write, garden, play farmer and share a story that many hold deep inside of a challenge out of our control. Going back into society and the classroom was scary. I loved the safety of my family and home built like a sanctuary to hide from the world that continues to seem so overwhelming with each breathe. At school, I was blessed that my fellow teachers pulled me right back in and my students welcomed me with genuine smiles on their faces when they saw me as it was the first time in person since Halloween 2020.
I’ve learned a lot in these 4 weeks back at work. How fast the rat race can pull you back in. I made a promise to myself to focus on the present day not rushing through classes, enjoying laughs with my students, conversations with my colleagues and hugs from the cheer team. I have a plan book and calendar that shows the days ahead but today’s business is all I can handle. Tomorrow has too many challenges itself whether another blood test, scan or doctor’s appointment that could change the present moment. We can’t control any of those moments so I practice being present in the moment whether I laugh on the way home listening to a book with my son or a long call from my daughter to hear about her day. Don’t rush the days as the world already rushes them for you, I remind myself. I try and share this with my students as we work together and help one another . The looming threat of a quarantine or the school putting us online seems to never end and we take one day at time.
In that spirit, I am allowing myself time to be in the backyard. Meadow has been by my side giving me licks and love every moment that I am home. Lego our older golden tore his ACL so he had knee surgery. It has been some crazy weeks. Talullah’s fur has become softer than soft and is always around for her treats. Lastly, the girls. The ones that I say I will hang out with them the next day but either I am exhausted or it is too hot and buggy. They have waited patiently. They love when I come to feed them and clean the coop. For this weekend, I told myself to give them a moment of my time.
So after I cleaned the coop and fed them, I decided a field trip was a good idea. We all gathered up by the back fence of the chicken area that led to our backyard. Their coop sits on the side of our house. They always follow my voice to “Girls” and so off we went with a call and an opening of the gate to a new world to explore. They enjoyed the run of the bigger space and the bugs that were about. As I watched them scamper about, it almost seemed liked they smiled. They were living for that moment not knowing how long that the trip would last but enjoyed every second until they went back to the coop.
As I have said before, live your life like a puppy. It is also important to listen to the girls. Waking up in the morning, they chatter away saying hello to the world. They are on the go once the sun opens the coop door. The field trip was a break just as we should wake up each day and enjoy each moment not worrying about the sun going down shutting the door for the night. We cannot control much, but we have it in our control to embrace life living one breath at a time. Whether facing chronic disease like me or work struggles, money challenges, social injustice, or even a bad day, we have the ability to stop and be in the moment. Let the chickens roam free and snuggle with a puppy as life is full of opportunities for smiles if we slow down enough to realize that the greatest moments are the small ones right in front of you.
Rainbows have long been an image of luck or hope. Well 20 days is almost up on my quarantine and I am longing to see a rainbow. I am back to my more “normal” life tomorrow and I can’t believe that I will be at work with my students. I haven’t been with the kids in-person since the end of October. I wonder whether my life will go back to normal or something new is ahead for me. Maybe a new rainbow? Today I am patiently optimistic that things will settle into a “new normal” routine. I can’t go back to life before the diagnosis but I can take steps to find my new path forward and maybe a pot of gold. The bumps in life don’t make life better but they help us see life in a new light and appreciate the rainbows more.
My new path forward?
As I step back into the classroom with my 6th graders, I have a new appreciation of life definitely as I teach the human body systems having a whole new level of understanding. Don’t they say hands-on training is the best? I guess that I wish that it wasn’t my own health for the training, but I will use my new understanding to maybe inspire someone to be the scientist we all need.
So as we pack our lunches, prepare our first day of school outfits, and make sure that we have all our materials, I think that it is important to be thankful. Thankful for my job, my colleagues, my friends and each moment that we will experience, each person we who will cross our path, and just being here where I am right now. It might not be where I planned or dreamed of; it might not be the way that I wanted to feel or look but I am here. I am thankful for being and breathing. It might seem silly or cliche but it is true. We often look at life as events and moments to get to. Sell the house, make that birthday party, run to the next sporting event, lose the 10 pounds and so on. We are always on the calendar that I have alerts set up for so that I don’t forget an appointment or a call. So in this moment before I engage back in the full rat race, I am taking a breathe to be ultra-present – aware that I am human. I am one person with struggles like everyone else. I have it worse than others and better than some. It is scary to say the least to go back, but I have a purpose greater than worrying about myself that gives me strength. I am to be a mom, a wife, a friend, a colleague, a teacher, a sister, a daughter, a mentor, or maybe even a farmer. I am going to be each one in my way knowing that with each breath that I take I am grateful to just be.
Family quarantine bday dinner
So before, I head back I look to the backyard knowing that I did not get all of the things done that I wanted to accomplish this summer since I started this blog. I am hopeful that this fall brings lots of gardening experiments, fun with the animals and precious time with the cheer team. As for the cheer team, they are still helping me each day and I know that they will be the first one to see me when I get home tomorrow. I am forever grateful for their love and support. So aloud to everyone, I am setting some goals for myself and this blog. I want to return to home-made cooking, developing a vegetable garden, looking into self-sustainable practices, and I would like to try some art. I know that my time is shorter as I head into the classroom but I am eager to continue the backyard as it gives me life and a sense of joy. I hope you enjoy it too.
Quick animal update….
Our sweet Lego torn his ACL so he had surgery yesterday and has a long road to recover. Meadow misses playing with big brother and is my constant buddy. Of course Tallulah is having a blast chasing Meadow or maybe it is the other way around. The girls are still figuring out the coop. They are always happy for treats and we have 3 to 4 eggs coming a day. I need to try a quiche. Next up for our to do list is the shade garden paths and maybe some lunch options for school. Enjoy this moment and give yourself 5 minutes to just love yourself for who you are right now.
I often dream of a time long ago
or a time not yet here.
Never spending time with the present me.
Each step in the garden, sprinkle of feed to the girls, hugs from my family or a strong breeze kissing my face,
I experience life one heartbeat, one breathe, one second at a time.
The flowers are alive and so I am. I can’t smell but I love to watch the bumble bees buzz about.
I am here – please see everyone.
Well, quarantine – isolation whatever you call it, can seem like a long time. A feeling of losing time and how unfair these rules are. Well can imagine my surprise when they told me that a 20 day quarantine was the plan? What? How can this be real? I just spent all this time isolated with AIH and now I am back in my room.
At the end of school, I moved my desk out and redid my room design so I could have a new start. Now, I am back in here finding my new way through. Lots of questions and uncertainties swirl around. Will my immune system attack my liver? Have I made it through a COVID infection? How will I have the strength to work?
I was bummed and kinda down in the dumps but found some moments to laugh. The days go slow and are very quiet. I am blessed to have the backyard as it is refreshing and breathes life into me. For some reason, I don’t get much done and feel lost as time passes. I thought that I would post everyday and find some inspirational messages. That didn’t happen. I try to sneak around outside and do a little gardening away from everyone. I have been picking weeds a little but just not motivated to do much.
One little escape that I have been trying is to walk to the different garden areas that I have tried to create. Meadow chases me around and makes me laugh. Simplicity of life that is one thing I am trying to focus on. Life! I have been watching too much news on my phone especially about Florida Covid. It seems out of control; why is one life not valued. I am struck by the selfish of individuals and how we can’t come together to stop this virus. Rights and freedom are important but so is being a kind person-loving others. The science changes every day and we must work with it. As a science teacher, I explain to my students that scientists experiments often fail but it is their tenacity to continue the journey, to find the answers that makes the big breakthroughs. We need to question – we must always search for the truth together not against each other. We have come so far in our understanding and need patience and kindness to lead the way.
Come on – we can do this.
On a walk in the backyard
As I think about going back to work, I am nervous about my disease and now the delta variant. I have so many questions. I am meeting with one of my doctors on zoom in 45 minutes to see where I am with my ability to go back out after my quarantine. What will make this world safe for me? How will this impact my family? We have college to pay for and lives to lead and I want to work. I need to go on. What some take for granted as easy decisions become terrifying for us weaker ones.
So I return to the backyard and simplicity. We can’t get too crazy about things. We can’t make things the way we want them to be so it is fair. That doesn’t work and only makes bitterness. Each step through the garden and visits to Darby and Delilah breathe life into my lungs. Each step forward to peace knowing that I really don’t have control over much in my life. Breathe and trust. At times, we have to let go. I can’t worry about my white cell count which has terrified over the last month. What will my system let in to attack me – I guess one thing was answered – COVID.
I guess as I ramble on today, my plea is for everyone to breathe – think about what you can do to help others. Take those steps in your garden. Reach out to help others before you get angry at the news. I think I am going to try to say something that I am grateful for when I start cursing at the news. I am grateful for my doctors and wonderful nurses. They have shown me nothing but love. I want to cry and scream at them and they understand my fears. During these times, find gratitude. Thank you to all my family and friends that are always there for a quick cheer. Bitsy’s Backyard will find a way to grow and become fun. I don’t think I can make Clarkson’s Farm but I have a little slice of heaven here where magic can come alive.
Love everyone around you especially the ones that you think are unlovable.
You have to laugh when locked up and you find a totally relaxed puppy.
Well, the event that we (myself and cheer team) worked so hard to keep away from me happened. I have been so careful and was feeling more confident. Living in Florida (lately COVID central), we spend a lot of time outside but with a weakened immune system the delta variant found a way in even being outside. It is not joke. Maybe a beach party, maybe the grocery store maybe anywhere – it gets in. So fast that you don’t even know. Nobody did anything wrong but it happened. So far, I am lucky. Once I tested positive, I received monoclonal antibodies and those little ones are like superheroes that stop my cold quickly. My dear friend helped me get them on day 4 and she is my guardian angel. It is scary how fast COVID progresses when you don’t have a way to fight for yourself.
For today’s post, I am back up again and went out for a little walk in the yard to take some pics. I had been out of it for a few – on day 6 of COVID – and I am up and feeling ok to write my blog. The backyard is a little bit of a hot mess. Maybe a hot, sticky, humid buggy mess. I can’t smell it so I am hopeful that the lavender is still filling the air with sweetness.
Tower replanted
A million peppers exploded
Matching Purples
Love the explosion of colors and detail.
My Little walk about – I love the colors of life.
I ask myself why? Why so many challenges? Why so many problems? What have I done wrong? The questions are real and my heart wants answers but there will not be an answer. I look to faith which can be challenging for me as I even ask questions there. My chronic disease has tested me in so many ways and exploring faith was a huge journey over the last year. At times, life is too much and there is no reason. I am learning to let go and know that we don’t have control over much in life. I think about life as a roller coaster. We are all buckled in and the journey will take turns, dips, climbs and spins. You might see what is ahead but you might not see the corkscrew turn coming next. Some coasters go backwards – we trust the rails, the engineering and let go preparing to scream, laugh or maybe even cry. I remember a time when I was little when my dad and I rode the Loch Ness monster ride at Busch Gardens. As we get to the top, my dad sees the dip and looks at me in terror and screams “Oh God we are all going to die.” It rocked me – I freaked out. No, we laugh about that ride but how was I scared during the ride. It took me a long time to get back on a rollercoaster but I did. Just like we get back on the life coaster. I close my eyes into the dips pushing my head against the headrest. I control what I can control. I put myself in the best position that I know. Once the dip is over, I open my eyes, let out a scream and enjoy the flips, spins and the rush until the end. Life is like that – control what you can over the dip but let go and enjoy the rest.
As I sign off today from my COVID isolation, I urge everyone to take COVID seriously. It might be annoying having to change your life but it helps. It helps individuals like me that you wouldn’t think are fragile. You help my kids who are terrified about losing their mom. My husband so he doesn’t suffer from a cardiac event from the stress. It helps my students so I can go back to work and hopefully inspire some kids to become scientists.
One lesson that leads my teaching is love. Love this world, love each other, just love. In every response to my students, I think about how can I show them love. So many in today’s world need love. You never need to apologize for showing love. So I might be seen as a lenient teacher at times but again the more love that you show – the more they work with or for you. Focus on others for a little bit. Even if just for today, what can you do to help someone today? The one thing that I know might help is to put on a mask. I am not getting into the vaccination debate though I have a strong opinion but the mask is easy. I see such mean selfish comments about this issue online and hear so much hate. Please help stop the spread of this virus; stop all the hate in this world. It is real and it hurts. It is scary and yes I know about the survival of the fittest etc. It might be true, but we are human with a wonderful brain to feel and care about others. Empathy is a unique trait and I think we should show the world what is like to be human – an empathetic human.
As Meadow urges –
Live each day loving others so we can make our world a safe place for the ones who aren’t loud enough to be heard.
It has been a crazy two weeks from traveling to VA, getting settled at home, friends arriving from the UK, and our kids being busier than I thought. Why does summer seem to sprint while winter crawls on? In the midst of laundry, cooking and all things to the backyard, I watched our sweet Meadow grow long legs. Lauren this week said that Meadow looks like a deer.
How she is full of life and continues to teach me life lessons. While I spend so much time with her hoping that she is getting closer to being potty-trained, I find myself watching her in amazement. I think we can learn so much from how she responds to her environment teaching us a calmer path forward. Here are some observations of Meadow’s teachings. How can she help me live with chronic disease feeling full of life and not afraid?
Meadow’s Teachings
Meadow’s gets a collar – people and life might put a new collar on you – you struggle with it – jump around and fight but eventually you go with it and find happiness and play still wherever you go. Meadow spent 5 minutes challenging the collar and then she just went with it. She makes the collar look great and keep on going being curious everywhere she goes.
The hose – some might look at a hose as just for drinking or watering but Meadow finds fun in catching and snapping at the water. So cute and funny – you can’t help but laugh and smile at the excitement she shows with water coming out as an adventure and amusement.
Picking up sticks – well she loves to eat the yard especially sticks and roots. When one stick is taken from her or she drops it, she is on the hunt for the next one. Not frustrated, she moves on quickly – soon to find another one not too far away. She never gives up as so many more options abound with each step. We are blessed to have so many resources.
Cuddles and belly rubs – being with people and animals is important. A tug on Legos tail, a chase of Tallulah, or belly rubs and hugs from the kids, Meadow is happy enjoying life one day at a time. Being in the present moment and enjoying that second for whatever it may bring. Sometimes it is an awesome treat but other times it is just a head rub when we walk by. She appreciates life and never stops wagging her tail. This past weekend, I walked with 2 dear friends. We chatted afterwards for almost 2 hours. It was so nice to be laughing with them and just there. A true blessing is friendship and just being present with each word said.
Playing in the rain – Rain will fall and get us wet but it is better to play than not. It tends to thunder and rain a lot in Florida so you never know when a passing shower might come. She looks up and tries to take a bite of the rain. Quickly moving on, she finds dry patches where she can to play with her sticks and doesn’t let her stop. When one path closes, she often finds a new way to go. She doesn’t want to get fully wet but she goes with it if she has to.
Weeds – Meadow loves the weeds as much as she loves the flowers. Often we look at weeds and cringe . Maybe the weeds are better than we think? Maybe we have not looked closely enough at the benefits of the weeds. So, I stopped to look at the waterdrops on the marigolds. How many of us stop to take a look to see the waterdrops. My picture shows you how many drops of water are there while it rains. Not one drop is the same but equally amazing.
Moths – In the grass, we have many moths and hornets. As Meadow runs through the yard, it springs to life with them flying everywhere. She chases them in all directions excited to see which way they will go. Never a doubt going forward, she goes from one to the next hoping to make a catch. We must live life springing forward chasing a path with gusto.
As I look back over the last 10 days, I quickly become frustrated that I didn’t set time aside to blog, work in the backyard or cook some of my favorite recipes. I can ponder over the reasons why and start listing them to make me feel better or I can simply start again. I know this is something that I enjoy and it is a fun way to talk to others about how we can have a great trip on this journey called life. I must adapt just as my body adapts to a new normal with a chronic disease, how the household adapts to 5 teens as sweet friends from the UK are staying with us, adapt to changing weather from blistering sun to rain, and just adapt to life. I remember that I told myself last week to embrace life so here I go again with the same start – embrace life like Meadow shows me each day. Love unconditionally, help others and be a force of change for the better. We got this and everyone has the chance to start again. Thus, I keep going with the blog. As the rain falls this afternoon, the science teacher in me thanks the water cycle for taking care of the garden this afternoon. We have so many blessings in a single day to a single hour or even a minute. Meadow doesn’t live outside of the present moment and I too want to be present. Whether during exercise knowing that it is the now that hurts. Breathe through and we all got this.
This moment is where you are meant to be so don’t look too far ahead as you will miss where you are. Even the weeds have something to teach you.
Time to leave the peace of my parent’s home and return to the backyard. My strength is up and down but I find that is part of life with an autoimmune disease. Each day is a gift and some are bigger presents than others.
I thought a quick update on the animals would be fun as they are such a big part of our life and I have been away from the backyard work. We are working on pathways for the gardens, replanting the tower, and fun recipes this week. It will be great to be back in a routine as I missed posting more frequently about my life giving work around us. It really is the best medicine to dig into the life around you taking care of the land, the animals and others.
When I returned home, Tallulah, our cat, had received a package. Quick history – she was a feral and very sick kitten that we rescued at 3 months old. She loves the outside and tries to find her path back to freedom at all times. One of her favorite places is the screened-in porch as she watches the birds and all lizards that seem to walk closely to the screen. Always waiting by the door for us to return, she tends to be more of a dog than a cat. She loves nerf guns and comes running to the sound of us taking them out. She can jump the height of our sliding glass door to pull one off which is amazing to see. Personality abounds with Tallulah whether a constant companion during puzzles or a snuggle with us in a fuzzy blanket, she brings a smile to everyone’s face and sometimes a bite.
Tallulah – Our Jumper
In the package, she received some toys and an avocado collar from “Meow Lives” . She loves the fun colored balls that rattle and I am happy to have a collar on her as she wants to escape outside whenever the door seems to be left opened. She has never worn a collar in the 3 years that we have had her so after the initial terror of having something around her neck, she has settled into her new look. She seemed to jump to regal status with her collar as it has an added bell and charm. You hear her everywhere she goes. My husband is thrilled with the 4am bell ringing as the puppy seems to think Tallulah is beckoning her to wake up. She is a personality to behold in our home of the backyard – fun and sassy – definitely offers entertainment but an attack at times so one must tread lightly on the fun or chase games.
The puppy is finally becoming a playmate to Tallulah and it is fun to see them chasing each other around the house. Meadow and Lego have become the wrestling duo. Whether a stuff toy between them or just fur, they have been enjoying the physical activity – we think. Lego is a trooper helping us expend Meadow’s growing energy. Tallulah is not too far from the action in case she wants to play.
The girls are doing well with daily eggs and lots of hellos as my sons can attest to with their morning egg laying cheers. I came home and cleaned the coop area. More fun updates on them as we work on projects and hopefully some additions to the flock.
Always here to play and help with college essays.
Well it is Monday – always hard – as the family says the night before that they have the Sunday Scaries. I want to change that feeling at the beginning of the week as a chance for a fresh start – a way to embrace the week. When Louie was a baby he woke up at the crack of dawn, I would wake by putting my feet on the floor and telling myself to embrace the mornings.
I told myself then and I am doing it again…
– Embrace Life –
Embrace the morning and the afternoon exhaustion
Embrace the chance to be whatever you are called to do
As the sun sets on my childhood golf course where the sounds of golf carts rumbling by or the smack of a golf club followed by the shouts of joy or maybe anguish have been silenced, the course is anything but quiet. A fun journey into the past while away in Virginia was a voyage around an old golf course my Dad once played. They still live on the course that once was full of golfers and guests of the Tides Inn. It was the Tartan Course in Weems, VA and has been forgotten by golfers but not the land around it. For the residents near the course including the wildlife that my dad has named the boys, they try to manage the growth of vegetation so it doesn’t consume them but the gift of life abounds in every directions as you see nature take over the land once again. It makes me smile knowing life finds a way even into the smallest nooks and crannies.
I spent part of my childhood in Weems and Irvington, VA (the Rivah as some call it) and was home to help my parents prepare for a move closer to us. It is hard to say good-bye to your childhood as we walked the town, strolled through the Tides Inn remembering Thanksgiving meals or even my wedding to the beautiful water that we once swam in as children. Daily walks on the land during our visit lead us to the old greens that I once putted on and bunkers that once were full of sand that I would rake. It definitely has changed is the Tartan closed and I thought it would be fun to show how nature regrows in the absence of the mowers and golfers.
Life continues to grow – fairway outside my parents home.
Some areas are maintained a little so that the few houses around are not engulfed by vines, grasses, insects, animals and the forest. At times, I imagine being taken over by nature and how peaceful that would be. I wish I could send the smells of the course to the world as it is as sweet as candy in my nose along with the singing of the song birds chirping loudly. You can only imagine how active the land is and how alive your senses become.
For fun, I start at the clubhouse. It is still there and starting to show the signs of the forest encroaching on its footprint. As I walked around building, the remnants of tables, display signs and even papers seemed to be left behind as if golfers will return soon.
Walkway to back.
The porch where lunch was served.
The buildings quickly become one with the life around it. I found evidence all around of the human footprint that once was this course.
Can you find the rake?
Old water cooler.
The course has been closed less than 10 years – (I think) and already it seems like a time lost long ago. I love the pictures of the bunkers with huge pine trees reaching to the sky or the fields on the fairways that will eventually turn into a forest. The pond that once ate golf balls or the paths that led us to the greens were all there but now have taken on a new life and purpose.
Nature is amazing and I was so taken how the course was possibly more beautiful to me this way than before when I would jump into the golf cart with my clubs. I still walk around with my dad on the course without our clubs now in search of the wildlife that will greet us. It is magical to see the rabbits, the deer or even the groundhog but most importantly a time with my dad. Isn’t that what life is about – the time we spend together surrounded by the riches of this planet (nature) Thanks Dad for your love of nature and the walks on the course.
Enjoy nature as it is life giving.
As you step back, you realize that we are just like the old golf course. We are still there (here) but nature is making us full of more life as we age. It is definitely beautiful and worth the drive. Hopefully we stay out of the hazards.
Bitsy's Backyard 