A Quiet Corner

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 09:08 PM

My 10 year old son has such a contagious smile that when we went to the grocery and craft stores this evening half a dozen people would stop and ask him happy questions so they could warm in the glow of his joy.

---

Thread closed temporarily because it's been a target for a heavy barrage of Spam - 17 in the last 24 hours alone, and maybe 50 this week. If you have something to add to the discussion, contact me and I'll reopen it - or start a continuation thread and crosslink to this one.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: JennyO
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 08:35 PM

{{{{LIZ}}}}

I hope you find your quiet corner soon!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 12:07 PM

I'm still looking for a quiet corner this year... so far, it's eluded me.

Hopefully soon, it'll become apparent and I'll be able to just sit there and fall noisily and messily apart without people asking what's wrong or wanting to help.

LTS

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 06:37 PM

I've been doing a fair bit of messing around clearing up the garden the last week or so.

You think you're in charge, and that you do the deciding about that kind of thing yourself; and then you realise people all around are doing the same, and when you go down to the garden place to buy some stuff, it's buzzing with people after the same kind of stuff, and you realise you're just doing what the weather and the time of year told you to do.

I rather like that. And the other thing I like is that you never finish finding things to do in a garden, and it goes on without you when you've done.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: JennyO
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 09:04 PM

Refresh - this is a lovely thread, which has been refreshed by spammers a couple of times lately, but I'm gonna catch it this time - it's too good to let it drop off!

Reading through it again, I agree with what Jerry said, that "quiet" doesn't have to mean "silent". There have been a lot of family dramas lately - particularly with my daughter - and it seems that this latest one is never going to go away completely. With the strength it takes to keep on top of it all, I need regular "quiet corners" to recover and gather my resources for the next onslaught.

I often find my quiet corner out in the garden. I can't imagine what it would be like without it. On Sunday I mowed the lawn. It was well overdue because it's been either too hot or too wet or I've been too busy, so the grass was high and thick - especially around the no-dig gardens.

I nearly left it again, because a fine misty rain came down just as I was starting, which made the grass wet and slippery, but I persevered. The rain decided to hold off for a while, and it was pleasantly cool and overcast. I had to empty countless numbers of catchers full of clumps of damp grass, and the whole thing took a while and was hard work, but full of rewards - being totally absorbed in the hard work, the smell of the cut grass, and looking at the finished product - this big expanse of smooth green lawn around the gardens - the whole experience was my quiet corner!

This weekend it's going to be the weeds. I can be totally in the moment when I am weeding.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Dec 06 - 01:06 PM

In a quiet watered land, a land of roses,
    Stands Saint Ciaran's City fair;
And the warriors of Erin in their famous generations
    Slumber there.

There beneath the dewy hillside sleep the noblest of the
    Clan of Conn,
Each below his stone with name in branching Ogham
    And the sacred knot thereon.

There they laid to rest the seven Kings of Tara,
    There the sons of Cairbre sleep--
Battle banners of the Gael, that in Ciaran's plain of crosses
    Now their final posting keep.

And in Clonmacnois they laid the men of Teffia,
    And right many a lord of Breagh;
Deep the sod above Clan Creide and Clan Conaill,
    Kind in hall and fierce in fray.

Many and many a son of Conn the Hundred-Fighter
    In the red earth lies at rest;
Many a blue eye of Clan Colman the turf covers,
    Many a swan-white breast.

(From the Irish of Enoch o' Gillan.)

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 09:13 PM

But it brought back this thread - and I missed seeing it before, and it's been really good scrolling through it.
.......................
I had a strange kind of a quiet time today. I was walking across the town centre and I ran into an old friend I haven't seen in a good few months. He was wearing an even dafter hat on his head than I was. It's been a cold day for our part of the world.

Anyway he said he'd just got some great news, and he looked it - a new grandson born that morning. So, since we were just outside a pub I frequent, I said, come and wet the baby's head.

So we went in and got our drink and sat in a quiet corner. And then he said. "I had some other news this week that wasn't so good. I've got cancer". And he wasn't exactly casual about it, but he was relaxed, at ease - what mattered today was the new baby. "Ah well, you can't live for ever" he said, and we talked about politics and stained glass and that, and when my wife rang me on the mobile to say she'd done her shopping, I passed it across to him, and he told her about the baby. He didn't tell her about the other. I did that later.

As I said, a strange kind of a quiet time, life and death together, and Christmas around the corner.

And thanks to that deleted porn spam I've got this place where I can share it with friends I've never seen.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: jeffp
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 01:35 PM

I see you got your father's sense of humor. Well done!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Becca72
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 12:37 PM

and blue dresses as well, jeff.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: jeffp
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 12:35 PM

I hate when that stuff gets spilled. It messes up the carpet!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Cluin
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 12:17 PM

Yup. It was porno spam refreshed this old thread.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: jeffp
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 12:14 PM

Guess it's been cleaned up.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Cluin
Date: 20 Dec 06 - 10:46 AM

Looks like somebody made a mess in the corner.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: The Stage Manager
Date: 22 Jun 04 - 05:47 PM

It took me a long time to learn that you need silence to learn how to listen, and emptiness to learn how to see.

Now I find I crave the remote places where there is little trace and no sound of human activity.

I sit and watch, and after a few minutes the emptiness begins to teem, no two moments are the same. When I listen, I hear everything in nature calling to the passing winds. In my hand I hold the endless seasons that have formed and shaped a small piece of rock.

Against even this most fleeting sense of eternity, all human endeavour seems as nothing and I sometimes find myself weeping for the sheer refief and joy of it.

I have come to believe that in quiet moments we may sometimes be given the enormous gift of a little understanding.



Bill

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: MAG
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 11:55 PM

this thread has some of the same sentiment as the Respite Tavern.

I live where I have my own yard partly so I could rip out all the sneezy grass and plant flowers. (also sneezy, but who cares?)

My coziest corner is my own snug pink room with the garden windows, a suet birdfeeder hung where the birds wake me in the morning (if kitty doesn't wake me first, yowling at them).

Today was out first seasonably hot day and half my thriving potted    patio garden shrivelled like a timid soul under withering sarcasm.

Heaven Bless This Mess! I love it.

Like some ancient sun deity my powers seem to grow toward this day, and then wane toward October 31 when my dark side takes over.

Dundee's *Delicate Balance* comes to mind. or Claudia Schmidt's *I need my Rainy Days.*

(... so you can quit askin' what's wrong with me

Too damn much color and light that's all ...)

happy summer, y'all. A virtual armload of fragrant mauve roses, too.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 11:05 AM

Something Wicked This Way Comes is on video. I recently bought a copy on DVD. If I still have the video, I'll send it to you as part of your birthday presents..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 21 Jun 04 - 11:02 AM

Jerry,

I didn't know either of those was a film. That's good to know, but which one was it?

Art

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 08:41 PM

Thanks for sharing that, Art. Dandelion Wine is one of my favorite books, too. Makes me think I should dig it out and re-read it. There's some of that same feeling in Something Wicked This Way Comes, although it's obviously a much darker book. I just picked up a DVD of the movie, which I really enjoyed. Probably only 2 stars in most reviews, but it had a nice feel for the Midwest.

Hope all's well with you..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 08:07 PM

Well, SUMMER is a-comin' in---at last. There is a book I used to read every summer. And then I put it aside for a bit, and lo-and-behold, twenty more years have gone by. Tomorrow is the first day of summer -- 2004 -- and I just started reading it again. Here's the first paragraph of that volume:

It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed. Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer.

And that chapter ends with:

Clock alarms tinkled faintly. The courthouse clock boomed. Birds leaped from trees like a net tossed from his hand, singing. Douglas, conducting an orchestra, pointed to the eastern sky.

The sun began to Rise.

He folded his arms and smiled a magician's smile. Yes, sir, he thought, everyone runs when I yell. It'll be a fine season.

He gave the town one last snap of his fingers.

Doors slammed open; people stepped out.

Summer 1928 began.

by Ray Bradbury in Dandelion Wine---1946

(via art thieme)

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: ranger1
Date: 20 Jun 04 - 10:49 AM

I really love the time just before dusk, when the vast hordes of people have left the park for the day, leaving just me. I walk down to the shore and stand across from the island with the osprey nest. I may watch the osprey for a bit, or, if it's low tide, I may poke around in the tide pools for a while. It's a moment of sublime bliss, the beauty of the Maine coast and the quiet of the evening, and having it all to myself.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 12:31 PM

Back in my days of going to Hoboken, New Jersey (rarely confused with a quiet, peaceful place,) my friend Luke Faust and I would walk down by the docks and look across the river to the New York skyline.

"If we had money, we'd stop for a beer
Or walk by the water and sit on the pier
Sit and we'd talk 'till there's no more to say
But we never needed words, anyway

Some things can't be put in words. And don't need to be.

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Pogo
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 11:07 AM

*sighs happily*

It's the quiet places I always enjoy. Sometimes one just has to hush up and listen.

Not too long ago I went with my mother and her friend and her friend's brother to a little town not too far from where I live, a little town my grandaddy used to say 'never got up until ten o'clock in the morning' Not really famous for anything just a quiet little old fashioned town on the edge of the sea. We sat in the little park overlooking the seawall and swung in a swing and just didn't really talk then we went out on the pier and stood at its very end and gazed out over the ocean.

I asked my mom, " How does it feel to stand on the edge of the world? " and she didn't really answer. We just enjoyed the view.

Having grown up on the coast I find my most beloved place is by the sea. The oceans were here in the beginning and (to wax poetic here) sitting on the edge of eternity listening to the voice of the ocean really puts your view of the world in perspective. It makes you humble, it makes you realize your place...not a pointless speck only a small, bright thread in the vast tapestry we call existence.

Now that I've got all that sentimentalism out of my system...

*sits back and sips some peppermint tea and enjoys the quiet*

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 10:39 AM

Thanks, Ranger:

I've been gone for two and a half weeks, and have missed Mudcat, but I don't think I'll try to catch up on the political threads. If I want to get riled up, I can do that, reading the newspaper. And, despite how upset I get, life does indeed go on. When there's something I can DO, then I try to do it. But, so little seems to be within my control that I have to separate out what I am responsible for, and what is not in my hands, and has to be given up. Each of us has our own spin on that. I just try not let the days slip away unappreciated, while I'm ranting about something I can do so little about.

How about a quiet mountain peak? Man, you want to talk about seeing yourself in perspective! When my wife and I were in Wyoming last week, we drove up and across the northern end of the Big Horn mountains. When we reached the top, at an elevation of well over 9,000 feet, it was completely snow-covered. There's something about being up in a mountain that I think almost everyone is moved by, whether it's John Denver and his Rocky Mountain High, or the closeness to God that is endlessly repeated in the bible, from Moses meeting God, to Jesus taking Peter, James and John on a mountain to meet Moses, Elijah, and God. Whatever anyone's faith, you can't
help but be deeply moved by the majesty of the mountains. My wife Ruth had never seen the Rockies, and she was overwhelmed by the experience. I'm sure it's the same if you're in the Alps or the Andes. There is a brilliance to the light and a crispness to the air that makes you feel hyper-alive. When we were on the top of the Big Horns, we ran into a wildly swirling snow storm. It was exciting, and a little frightening because we realized how far away we were from all the safety of civilization, and there was almost no traffic on the road. But, within a couple of miles, we'd driven through the storm and were blinded by dazzling sunlight and a panorama of the valley below that reduced us to silence. There is beauty that creates poetry or songs, but sometimes, silence and thanksgiving seems to be the only possible response. It is in those moments when our daily frustrations, anger and violence seems to pale against the backdrop of creation.

Everyone can put their own interpretation of an experience like that, and I don't question or belittle whatever it is. The best that you can do is to let the beauty wash over you, and filter into every ounce of your body. No need to try to epxlain it, or understand it, or even comment on it.

Silence works fine.

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: ranger1
Date: 19 Jun 04 - 09:55 AM

With all the political threads lately, I felt it was time to refresh this one.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: MAG
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 11:26 PM

Gee, I was out of town the weekends this thread seemed to be active. I'm glad I caught it now. I have a way of getting overcommitted when I'm not looking, then rushing madly to get through a busy time and collapsing. Next week and the week after are one of those. busy, I mean.

I came home form work today and spent about an hour outside, sticking bulbs in the ground, pulling out weed ailanthus trees, and organizing my little patio.

My huge daphne bush smells just heavenly. I have soaked moonflower seeds ready to put into big planters there to grow over the ratty grapestick fence. Roses are mostly pruned and ready for summer.

I had to use my cane for arthritis over my last mad weekend holiday, and now my shoulder aches so I give myself permission to go use the hot tub at the Y and not use it (the shoulder) any more tonight, even to practice.

I am anxiety prone. Letting myself relax has been something I have had to learn as a grownup. Thanks for the reminder, Jerry.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 10:45 PM

Sounds beautiful, ranger! Yesterday morning, it snowed for a few minutes here in Southern Connecticut. Very weird. We've had almost a week of rain, and then today the sun came out, the temperature got up into the 60's and for the first time I was able to go outside with just a long-sleeved shirt on and enjoy the sunlight. My lawn looks like it has leprosy and a couple of evergreens didn't make it through the winter, but hey! There's something exhilarating, just taking a deep draught of that wonderful fresh early spring air, all flavored with new-sprouting flowers and the smell of damp grass that washes away a winter of frozen roads and spirits.

Hallelujah!

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: ranger1
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 10:16 PM

There's nothing quite like a glorious spring day in Maine (unless it's a glorious fall day). This was my first week back at work in the park, and today was amazing. The boss and I got a ton of spring clean-up done and the water systems turned on before he left to get his kids to piano lessons. Then I had the whole park all to myself!!!
The sun was shining, stiff breeze coming off Casco Bay and the temperature just right for doing lots of raking. I took a few minutes off to go down to the shore and just enjoy the beauty of the day. Our resident pair of osprey are back on their island, which it looks like they may be sharing with a pair of Canada geese. A pair of mergansers floated by, bracketed by eight great blue herons fishing in the shallow water. The gulls were swooping down and grabbing clams and then dropping them on the rocks to break open the shells, and the crows were doing mid-air acrobatics, just because they could. I had to pinch myself and whisper: "and they PAY me for this!"

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 07 Apr 04 - 09:09 AM

Well I feel like I've been a roller coaster to hell and back over the last couple of weeks. About three weeks back my father in law from first marriage sadly passed away which ended the need for the 140 mile round trip hospital visiting but gave way to the sorting and attending of the funeral. Almost immediately my eldest daughter started being ill (possibly through emotional stress) and lost her job. She wassent for blood tests as she had a persistent cough and we were told she wasn't producing white cells or platelets and needed to go directly to another hospital 12 miles away for bone marrow biopsies etc. The consultant advised us not to make any stops on the way but to get there as soon as possible (told us to drive as there might be a slight delay with ambulances)
The next few days were awful waiting to hear the results but thankfully yesterday they decided that "what we thought we might find is not there" and so although not completely out of the woods she is home and responding very well to steroid treatment to boost cell production.
For the first time in many weeks I have nowhere to rush to, noone to cry over and worry about (yea like you ever stop worrying about your kids!). Its the Easter holidays and I can just relax

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Amos
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 11:49 PM

Beautiful tale, Ranger.

Sunday, BBW and I had occasion to celebrate 25 years of marriage. We walked away from our computers, the phone, and everything else and droce over to Coronado Island where there is a giant Victorian-era hotel known as the Hotel Del Coronado. We had a huge buffet breakfast in a richly decorated dining room overlooking the beach and the sea with views of the Mexican islands and Point Loma in the distance. After that we strolled among the sea gulls, walk3ed along the shore and poked into shops and went to a huge art show on the park green and wandered here and there, rented a beautiful movie which we enjoyed immensely and recommend (The Hours) and all in all had a peaceful day. Our lives were GREATLY enriched thereby.

A

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,ranger1(cookie got left home in Maine)
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 11:39 PM

I've been on vacation for a week now, visiting my mom on the other side of the continent (washington state). The last several months have been full of stress and I was more than ready for a break. I had gotten to the point where everything felt like sandpaper against my psyche (with the exception of Mudcat). After a particularly rotten day at work, I went home and called the airline and booked my flight.

It has been a week full of peace and quiet. My mom and I have been having a lot of fun hanging out, talking, exploring back roads, playing scrabble and doing a whole lot of nothing. I've been enjoying just sitting on the porch watching the birds and also exploring the area around my mom's cabin. The tadpoles are hatching and the frogs are singing and at night we can hear the coyotes. I'm ready to go home to the city again, my ragged and frayed edges have knit themselves back together. And I know that when I go back, it will be to the loving arms of Jason and the ecstatic tail wagging of the Clancy Dog. Also, in six days I get to go back to doing what I love most, being a park ranger. Life is sooooooo good!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Phot
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 06:52 AM

Just driven back from Mum and Dads, Rain wind, and a female red deer, cropping the grass in a field South of Dunkerswell, I got wet, cold, but intoxicated, by the wildlife we have here in Devon.


I just wish I'd had my camera with me!

Wassail!

Chris

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 27 Mar 04 - 10:25 AM

Yesterday was an adventure. Like most adventures, it had it's rewards and frustrations. Two days ago, a tanker truck collided with a car on I95... on the most heavily traveled stretch of highway in the United States. The oil the tanker was carrying burst into a giant fireball and actually melted the highway... on an overpass. All the traffic that is carried on that stretch of highway is being diverted to city streets and the highway we usually travel on, so going anywhere is a real unpleasant adventure. If you like to look at the rear end of another car for a couple of hours to go 30 miles, you'd enjoy driving around here right now.

But, my gospel quartet had a commitment to play at a health care center, and we were determined to keep it. There's a sad story here.
We were asked to sing at a birthday party being held for a man who just turned 65. I'd never met the man, but my heart went out to him. He is on dialisis three times a week, and is confined to a wheelchair. About a month ago, he went into a coma, and was unconscious for two weeks. The day before he came out of the coma, his wife got in their car to go to a meeting and had a heart attack while she was driving, hit a tree and was killed. So, the day after Darryl came out of the coma. he was informed that his wife was dead.
I can't even imagine how horrible his life has been these last few weeks.

So, we all managed to get to the health care center. Frankie and Derrick both came from work, dressed in work clothes, and I lugged all of our sound equipment and got set up. At first it looked like we'd only be singing for eight or ten people, but as wheelchairs were brought in, the audience spread out into the hallway, and an adjoining room with a large opening. We hadn't sung in awhile, and were very rusty, but it didn't make any difference. One thing you quickly realize when you sing at health care center is the most important thing you give is yourself. The residents face day after dreary day without visitors, unable to do much of anything for themselves. They sit propped up in front of a tv, or do "activities" like baloon volleyball. For most of them, a loving touch on their arm is the greatest gift you can give them. Just being remembered is very, very important. When we arrive, my wife goes around and talks to each resident, touching them and giving them some personal attention. And then, after we sing, she goes around a second time to talk with the people and tell them that we'll pray for them. So many of them just want to grab your hand, and don't want to let go. It's times like those that we are stripped clean of all labels... Democrat, Repbulican, Liberal, Conservative, Christian, Muslim, Atheist. For that moment we are just people reaching out to each other. That's why we love to sing in health care centers. We have been blessed with a gift and gifts are to be shared. But, the sharing goes in both directions. We receive at least as much as we give. The music is just the coin of exchange we have to offer, but it is in offering yourself that you receive the greatest gift in return.

Singing in health care centers is not a career move. It doesn't feed the ego we all have to be praised as great musicians. It's the beautiful connection that comes between people, through music that is the payment. It reminds me of why I sing.

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Joybell
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 04:29 PM

I have come to love these threads too. I like to visit Janie's garden and the gardens of everyone else on the thread she started. Now there's here too. Possum and True-love are asleep and there's just me and our little family of caroling magpies watching the Autumn sun rising out of the mist. Joy

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 09:10 AM

Thanks, Raptor: You know, it's funny... not thigh-slapping funny, that I've always found the folk music community warm, friendly, generous, positive and kind-hearted and yet there is so much cynicism, anger and animosity in here. I realize it's just from a few people, and my opinion of the community remains the same. That's counter-balanced by the love that flows through all the threads that reach out to people who are sick, or suffering. To me, that's where Mudcat really shines. That, and the quick generosity in helping to find songs. The sense of humor is a great gift, too. I appreciate people who start positive threads to remind us of how blessed we all are.

Hope things are going fine with you, Raptor!

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Raptor
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 07:41 AM

Jerry Reading this thread has been the best 20 minutes I've spent in the last week!

Raptor

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 07:13 PM

What an image, Joy! Gives new meaning to the term "playing possum."

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Joybell
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 04:41 PM

Our baby possum plays chase around the house. She and True-love are both nocturnal so it works out well. Late last night I got up to find her helping with his weight lifting excercises. (He has diabetes and the weight lifting is part of his treatment). He was lying on the floor with Possum sitting up on her haunches and holding fast to his arm, with her little paws, as it went up and down. Really looked as though she was helping. Joy

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Deckman
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 07:47 PM

Aren't pet animals wonderful!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,LilyFestre
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 07:27 PM

What made me smile most today was the newest member of our family, Amos....a 13 week old pup. I had a few hours to myself, the house was quiet and we whooped it up big time...running all around the house, and played fetch with his favorite yellow fox toy! We played until he fell sound asleep in my arms...snoring his little puppy snore with eyes half open!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 05:56 PM

Red wine

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Joybell
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 05:54 PM

Just woke up to our first heavy dew for the year. (It's Autumn in Australia) All the trees and shrubs are hung with spangled cobwebs. Some have tiny leaf-curling spiders lurking in the centre. There are some webs the size of old American silver dollars. (Our dollar coins are gold and rather smaller). The webs of the leaf curlers are much bigger. Some reach from tree to tree and small birds fly through, leaving them a bit tattered. The owners won't repair them until nightfall when it's safer to be exposed. The curled, dead leaf in the very centre of each web is of no interest to insect-eating birds, they are all fooled by the disguise.
Soon we'll see the hatching of millions of tiny spiderlings. Some of them, each holding a fragile-looking web, will launch themselves into the wind. Then we'll wake up to the sight of angel hair streaming from every fence, tree and bush. Even the paddocks will be covered with it. Joy

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Deckman
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 05:36 PM

JERRY ... Break a leg! Bob

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 05:23 PM

That's Buffy St. Marie... never heard her brother Buddy sing..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 05:22 PM

Hey, Phot: Sounds like you had a sweet release. While the title of this thread is a "quiet" corner, I wasn't necessarily talking about quiet. I was just looking for a quiet corner in Mudcat... a rant-free zone where people could talk about anything that was happening in their lives that they were enjoying.

Now tonight, my wife and I are going out to an exhibition and performance space for an open mike night, followed by a concert by a black gospel quartet. We're looking forward to seeing the place, which has recently opened up and is encouraging artists of all media to become involved. I'll take my guitar along and do a couple of songs, if it works out that way, and we're hoping to meet dwdiddy. Oohwah, oohwah, ddwdiddy, another Catter who only lives fifteen or twenty miles away from us.

There has been a convergence of seemingly unrelated events that make tonight seem very promising... mostly revolving around Dave Van Ronk.
I took lessons from Dave back in the early 60's, and used to play at open mikes at the Gaslight Cafe that Dave ran, Monday nights. That was the place where I got the guts to get up and sing in public for the first time. Now, it seems like everything is coming full-circle. Folkways-Smithsonian is using the photo of the Gaslight Cafe posted here on Mudcat on a new CD of Dave's, and I recently got a request from the manager of Buddy St. Marie (who I also heard at the Gaslight) to use the photo. It's been a long time since I've sung at an open mike, and of course, my mind goes back to that first time. If dwdiddy is there, he'll do a couple of songs, too. His idol, as a guitar player?

Dave Van Ronk..

Will the circle be unbroken?

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Phot
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 04:37 PM

Its not exactly quiet, but after a rather heated meeting with the parents and my sister, I thought "Nuts to it!" went daft and hired a VW Beetle covertable for the day. Devon in March is not the warmest of places, but it wasn't raining, so down went the roof, and up went the stereo!...Evenesence may not be to everyones taste, but add that to blue sky, and a drop top, Devon in spring, a little rain(roof still down!) sunburn, and a manic grin! Much better!

The only problem is, I now know where the nearest Morgan dealership is.............

Dearest, can I have £31.000 for a +8?!

Wassail!

Chris:0)

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 22 Mar 04 - 06:38 PM

I spent a wonderful, quiet half an hour in the garden last week, contemplating my pussy willow. Today I had a wander round the garden and found 10 different flowers blooming after what has been a ferocious weekend of gales and hail, interrupted by wonderful sunshine.

Soon it will be time to tidy it all up, but before then, I'm just enjoying the wildness of it all.

So is the blackbird and the family of bluetits.

LTS

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 22 Mar 04 - 10:35 AM

The kids have gone home, the sun is shining through the classroom window and work is over for another day. So just before I pick up my things and head for the car I am enjoying a few quiet moments with good friends on the 'cat and a hobnob.
Peace at last.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: freda underhill
Date: 21 Mar 04 - 10:31 AM

thank you jerry

that poem was beautiful. you're a lucky man, not just to have survived, but to think like that.

singing gospel in a black church - sounds faantastic. what a beautiful life, to quote the song..(I listened to Del Mccoury singing a version of it earlier this evening)

right now, its 2.23 am. I'm listening to a beautiful Japanese tenor, Yoshikazu mera - his voice is hauntingly beautiful. this is my quiet moment, before i attempt some horizontal meditation...


zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

nite all..and lets keep enjoying our .. quiet moments

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 21 Mar 04 - 10:00 AM

Hey, freda:

I too was disappointed that the Faith thread was hijacked into a Faith Is Hooey thread. Seems like they could have started another thread with that title. I wasn't trying to argue faith. Talk about the ultimate folly... Prove Faith. I was not judging, or even criticizing people who don't have faith, and I wasn't trying to establish which faith was best (or say that it doesn't make any difference, either.) For me, faith, peace, quiet, calm are so interwoven that I can't separate them. That doesn't mean that everyone else feels the same way. I'm just expressing my own beliefs.

Eight years ago, I was moved to join a black church. I am the only white male member of the church with a congregation of over 1,500. When I talked with some of my friends, the standard response when I told them that I was starting to go to a black church was, "I could never do that." And then they gave all the reasons why THEY couldn't go to a black church. After awhile, I started to become impatient, and would say, "Excuse me. I thought we were talking about me, not you." Of course, we all talk about ourselves. When I talk about my faith, I'm not talking about, or making any comment about anyone else.
It's hard enough getting to truly know yourself without claiming to know someone else well enough to tell them what is good for them.

This is not a Faith II thread. But, if faith is where someone finds their quiet and peace, I don't see any reason why it can't be talked about without being challenged.

Along those lines, here's a song I wrote years ago at a time when I was in a fatal accident. I thought you might like it, freda.

Eyes Of Faith

I take cold comfort in the ways of man
I find no justice in this land
I feel the anger of the un-stayed hand
May my heart find rest in Thee

   And in the darkness, give me the eyes of faith
   In my sorrow, send down your healing grace
   And on my journey, may my path be straight
   May my heart find rest in Thee

Give me the wisdom, that I might understand
Give me the courage, that I might take my stand
And when I'm weary, lend me a helping hand
May my heart find rest in Thee

Some spend their lives in a search for power
Ignoring treassures time can't devour
All that I ask in my final hour
May my heart find rest in Thee

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 21 Mar 04 - 06:51 AM

I looked up this morning, first day after Spring Equinox, and the clouds are SCUDDING across the sky! I always wondered what that phrase meant, and now I've seen it!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Mar 04 - 12:17 AM

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: freda underhill
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 11:35 PM

this is a good thread. i got soo much out of that faith thread, before it turned into an intellectual swordfight. this is a similar place to come to, so thanks again Jerry.

my sister and her husband have always had good houses on their farms in the country.

when i was in my teens i used to visit the house that rosie's husband Bill built out of rock. it was in a little, isolated tree covered valley in between blackheath and little hartley in the Blue Mountains (NSW, australia). Bill built it with love and called it Goannamanna. flannel flowers grew in nooks and crannies amongst the native bushland there. They ran a cattle farm there for some years. I used to sit on the verandah in the afternoons, reading or having a cup of tea with my sister rosie, listening to the bird calls and the sounds of the tinkling river below. there is a photo of me and my sister on that verandah, with one of my brothers and our friend jim, on my mudcat photos.

some years on bill and rosie sold goannamanna and bought a new farm, further north. again, they had the verandah, the bush, the bird calls and the tinkling river. but they also had another inhabitant in the house, and i remember the first time i met him.

i had been sitting on that verandah, with the cup of tea. reading, listening to the gentle sounds of the river, and listening to the birds. i was absorbed in my book for about 20 minutes. suddenly i got that feeling, when you know someone is looking at you. i looked up, and saw a huge, long diamond python coiled around the verandah post. it was rubbing its head against the post, and i watched as it slowly rubbed against the post and shed its skin, using the post as athing to peel the skin off against.

i sat watching for 40 minutes, not moving, my heart beating, not wanting to attract the snake's attention.

rosie came out with a cup of tea and i cautioned her to be still. she looked at me and laughed, and said, oh, thats fred, he lives in the roof. he's harmless, and he keeps the rats and mice away.

well, she sat down next to me, and did i enjoy that next cup of tea!



freda

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 04:19 PM

Hey, Tinker: Maybe it's those times when everything seems right with the world that we think of as quiet. Certainly, "quiet" times can include heavy physical activity... from running to working out with weights.

Quiet is much more than telling everyone else to shut up.. :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Tinker
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 03:07 PM

And sometimes quiet doesn't even mean physically still... My teenage boys are finally helping out enthusiastically... I gave them the destruction jobs that need to be done, so I can get things fixed up. They are merrily knocking down plaster walls, ripping off wall paper, and generally making a jolly old mess. But the atmosphere is wonderfully productive and the tone as I sit here to type is peaceful... Sometimes you just need to fit the job to the personality...And perhaps insist that some folks use headphones for their choice of music...

tinker

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 02:52 PM

And, "quiet" doesn't necessarily mean silent. Not to me. I think of peaceful times as "quiet" times. A quietude of the mind, body and heart. These last few days, I've slowly been working my way through a wonderful 9 CD set of popular music from 1893 to 1946. It's not the "Pop: music you normally think of, and includes an enormous amount of early traditional folk, early country, blues, gospel and jazz, with many surprises. I'm savoring the CDs, listening to 5 or 6 tracks at a time. I think back to the days when my life was so stressfull and confusing, when I refuled myself with music, lying in the dark with records playing... a chance to step away from all of the yammering around me, and just lose myself in the music. Music was a healing force in my life, and it has never lost that ability..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: ranger1
Date: 20 Mar 04 - 12:45 PM

It has been a horribly stressful couple of months for me, my quiet moments have been the times when I have sat at my neighbor's computer and read posts like this on Mudcat. Thank you all for reminding me that the current stress is not the end-all-be-all of my existence.
On a more joyful note, my SO's brother and his wife had their third child on the 16th, a girl, Sophia Catherine. I left work early on the 17th so we could go see them at the hospital. It was such a beautiful thing to see Jason holding his newborn niece and gently kissing the top of her head. It was a nice reminder that life is more than the day to day grind, it is moments of intense joy as well. The world is a beautiful and wonderous place. I thank Sophie for bringing that to mind.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Deckman
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:49 PM

I just got a tremendous "HUG" from my cat "Kissa Poika." He's been very ill lately, but is slowly improving. I was sitting in my chair at the breakfast table eating a "samich." I felt his paw on my leg and he was looking up at me. I reached down under his bottom and lifted him up to my lap. He looked me, smiled, and buried his nose into my chest. Then he just rubbed his face back and forth and started purring. Then he looked at me again, smiled, jumped down, and wandered off. Bob

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: jimmyt
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:37 PM

Something went crazy as I posted this and it got all confused so you will need to try and figure out the logic toward the end of the post. I promise to go back on my medicine! jimmyt

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: jimmyt
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 02:35 PM

Great thread Jerry........but who would expect anything else from you!
I rode my bike to work this AM, sun warming the ground,clear sky daffodils and forsythia bursting with blooms along with the deep purple of my trumpet magnolia. I could hear the frogs peeping and smell the pungent aroma of Bradford pears in blossom. I have taken to riding this bike, a replica of those old dinosaurs we rode in the fifties with big whitewall tires and a basket in the front. People drive by with the funniest looks on their faces..........here is an old 55 year old guy riding a bike like he is 7 again, and it puzzles all the strangers, but my friends and patients and folks who know me from theater just shake their heads with that knowing look of, "God love him, he is a bit of an odd duck, Todd is!" Oh well, I couldn't be happier. I would love to stay and write, but I think I will take a spin on the bike! It is so refreshing to read all this great stuff from so many catters with out a single spiteful word being written!!   jimmyt

Sometimes I think adults ought to try acting like kids again We appreciate it way more the second time! Have a great spring Jerry and all who have written in. I am so pleased to see this much dialogue without a single spiteful word. I would love to stay and write, but

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: JennieG
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 07:30 AM

The purple thing in the garden is bursting into full flower - it's glorious. Its proper name is Tibouchina, I think it's from Mexico or somewhere equally exotic. It flowers twice a year in spring and autumn and has big bold rich deep purple blooms; each morning it waves me off to work and welcomes me when I come home. In a few weeks the flowers will be gone for another six months.....but while they are so lovely I will enjoy them.
Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 06:34 AM

BOO

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Ellenpoly
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 05:43 AM

For me (and thanks, Jerry, these threads are wonderful) it comes in that moment when I think, for just a second..that there is joy to be found in ANY moment, if we are ready to feel it: Walking up the stairs, taking a big breath, looking out the window on a rainy, cloudy, snowy, sunny, hot, warm, freezing day. Smiling at a stranger. Hearing the strains of a familiar piece of music. Even a shout, or a car horn, or the rattle of the downstair's neighbor's washing machine can be a moment of joy. It's life. It's a miracle...xx..e

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: matai
Date: 19 Mar 04 - 05:27 AM

c o r n e r
    t
    e
    i    shshshmmmmmmpppptttttt~~~~~-----
    u
    q
    a

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 11:02 PM

Allan, those would be oak tassles. They're hard on folks who are allergic to oak. It will get worse before it gets better. But they are attractive--like jewelry, or a skimpy diaphanous gown for each tree, before the leaves come out.

I culled a bunch of dry pecans from my supply picked last fall, and I stacked the whole nuts in a pile beneath the hackberry out back. The squirrel who discovered that stash did the most amazing victory dance on the bole of the hackberry--tail twitching madly, dancing around--he was a sight to see!

SRS

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:42 PM

A memorable quiet time, shared:

Many years ago, I taught nature classes at a nature center where I worked. My favorite classes were with the little kids... the 5 year olds. In those days, I would often take a bag lunch out to a small swamp in the woods, and observe the birds, and try mimicking their calls. I got to be fairly good at it after awhile, so one day I took my class with me. I told them if they could sit perfectly quietly, and not make a noise, I would call a bird and have him come to us. The kids were all wide eyed about it, and we walked silently out to the swamp and sat on a log, hidden from sight by a few small bushes. Once we all got settled in and were completely motionless, I heard a Song Sparrow calling, and I answered him with the closest imitation I could make. Sure enough, he answered back. He was sitting across the swamp, but when he heard me, his curiosity was aroused and he flew to a closer perch to see who was making such an ugly noise. Each time he called, I would answer, and he would fly closer. He finally reached a point where he was sitting on a perch, no more than 6 feet in front of us. He'd make a call, and I'd answer, and he'd look at us quizzically. Finally, satisfied that I was no competion for his mate, being big, ugly and featherless, he flew off.

In all that time, the kids were frozen in space, not daring to move a muscle. When he finally left, I started to talk with the kids, and they were all as mesmerized as the Song Sparrow.

As we were walking back to the building, one of the little kids looked up at me and said, "Mister Rasmussen, I wish we could stay in the woods with you forever."

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Mudlark
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 08:41 PM

My quiet time right now is holed up in my office with my corgi Emily, just back from surgery. She's got a 4-5 in. incision to show for it and is still very groggy, so I'm keeping her company, while shielding her from her male pack mates. And I'm so happy to have her back home, safe and sound.

The sun has just dropped below the western hills, the air is soft and mild, with a slight breeze blowing. I should be out there mowing...my tractor has been disabled for 2 weeks and I'm awash in a ratty sea of green, but this evening I'm sitting with Emily and it's very serene.

Sometimes, in a busy time like spring,with so much to do, and the birds all setting such good examples by being so noticably busy, it's nice to have a good external rationale for just sitting quietly and enjoying the minutes slipping by.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: CarolC
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:20 PM

I agree with you, Allison. A squeezebox and some good, slow airs beats just about anything else for quieting the mind and the soul.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 07:06 PM

Good for you, Michelle!
I'm having trouble finding my quiet corner. In the best of times my life is a wildly hectic whirlwind between a demanding job, two wonderful but very dependant teenagers, the demands of single motherhood and homeownership, and so on. This year I have to go it alone without a strong arm to hold me up, and it's harder than ever to take those quiet moments when they (rarely) come. I just came in from a twilight walk and noticed my fingers twitching and my mind racing as it seldom does at the end of a walk.

A new layer of 6" of snow furthers the effort and drudgery of this time in my life.

BUT- in a few minutes, after a necessary couple of phone calls, I'm going to sit down with the concertina and play every ancient Irish air I'm learning. That's where the quiet lies for me.

Allison

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,LilyFestre
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 02:06 PM

Oops..the previous post was from me!

Michelle

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 02:00 PM

The small things of today that I am finding peace in....well, it sounds kinda silly...but here goes anyway. I am taking an Assessment in Education course/psychometrics, etc. Today we got into some serious formulas and I was able to follow it CLEARLY!!! It clicked for me!!!!!!!!   I am not a fan of math but to know and to REALLY understand what the process is about and why....well, that brought me joy!!!!   

*sitting back in my comfy chair and smiling contentedly*

Michelle

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Tinker
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:36 PM

one expression of a Faith-- to follow the inner guidance even when its information is so incomplete....

Susan that pharse sums up my winter phase so perfectly this year... Spring seems to be calling it's own song as I move towards ordering and cleaning on the physical plane. Perhaps this last batch of snow is but a transition betweens the winter's reflections and the actions of spring ??? But for now I'll sit with a cuppa tea from ColK and look out at the white blanket of snow and just enjoy the moment.

tinker

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:08 PM

Hey, Susan:

Everybody knows (and most use the phrase) "Something told me..." The question always is how we explain the "something"...) I believe that for everyone there are times of preparation, fallow times for rest and reflection, and times we need to "go for it." Sounds like you're moving in to the "go for it" stage..

Jerry

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 01:04 PM

After a long, foggy time doing things I did not understand the WHY of, but being pulled just to DO them, I now can see the WHY and of course I was being perfectly sensible all along, even if the path was dim. That's a kind of faith I guess, or one expression of a Faith-- to follow the inner guidance even when its information is so incomplete.

Now I see what I was doing in a larger context of what I hope to move towards as a future endeavor; now that I can see that vision, I can also see that I am a long way towards accomplishing it, already!

How often the "equipping" period precedes the "call to action" period!

~Susan

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 11:12 AM

Last weekend, my three-year-old son and I went to the nursery and picked out Johnny-jump-ups in intriguing shades of orange and red violet. We planted them, tucking in two luscious-smelling African blue basil plants as well, in a pair of rather ridiculous Romanesque urns that came with our new house last year. We'd never have chosen anything so pretentious, but they're just right for frivolities like miniature pansies.

This was my first gardening since moving in a year ago. There's been so much to do inside that I hadn't wanted to get distracted by outside tasks. But life goes by so fast -- I realized we need some flowers to stop and smell. Besides, it makes the bunnies so happy when there are flowers. We live in the country, and in the spring there are always lots of little brown cottontails to amuse. And newts, but I digress.

Just this morning, I noticed that overnight, the flowering cherry outside our bathroom window has burst into popcorn-like bloom. The window in question is a big, greenhouse-style affair located next to our Japanese soaking tub; the view from there is glorious. If I get home in daylight, guess where I'm going to enjoy a glass of chilled chardonnay...oh, and the tree frogs have started singing in the back yard! So I'll have music too. Perfection.

Claire

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: CarolC
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 10:40 AM

Some things that have come up in discussions on other threads have got me thinking about this phrase:

"Living simply so others might simply live"

The lifestyle that JtS and I are living at the moment would, at the very least, be described as "unusual" (we're living in a portable house on a little bit of rented land). But I've been enjoying the minimal footprint we've been leaving on the Earth lately. "Living lightly on the Earth" is how I like to put it. We use a lot less of almost everything than we would in more "normal" circumstances. A lot less water, electricity, LP gas, gasoline, etc. Because of my many chemical sensitivities, we use mostly earth friendly cleaning products, and less of them, as well (we have less stuff to clean).

And because our wee hoose has very limited space, we've had to expand our living space to include a fair bit of outdoor space. JtS built a privacy fence around a patio area just outside, and I use that as an outside living room, work room, dining room, artist's studio, and place to entertain people (sitting around a fire in the chimenea of an evening, playing music with friends, is something we're looking forward to doing very soon).

I'm really enjoying having such a big part of my living space outdoors. I would probably spend far more time indoors if this living arrangement didn't force me outside. But this lifestyle is, in a way, the fulfillment of a fantasy. I've long had a fantasy of living somewhere like Puerto Rico, where I could do most aspects of my daily living outdoors. This isn't Puerto Rico (it's Alabama) but, for now, it's not too bad.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Allan C.
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 10:38 AM

Yellowish green blossoms hang down from the branches of a nearby tree like the ringlets of a character from "Gone With the Wind". A squirrel with rust colored fur lies outstretched on a thick branch, basking in the morning sun. He has spent the early hours consuming as many of the sweet blossoms as he could. A light breeze sways the branch and he seems to be trying to resist the closing of his eyelids as he drifts into a brief nap. Nearby, a cardinal, whose vividly bright feathers now truly mimic its namesake, chirps an invitation to another more distant cardinal. The persistent response is faint, but can be heard above the sound of the traffic on the highway just beyond the trees.

The highway sounds remind me that it is now time to get dressed and renew my job hunt once again.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 10:05 AM

I was hoping for a restful quiet day yesterday - with over a foot of snow - but we have had so many snow days this winter that most of the schools just delayed opening - which meant I still had to go into work - it just took twice as long. We did have four healthy LARGE (very well fed in appearance) deer browsing in our yard - for some reason this year they are going after all our low growing evergreens, the rhodies and azealeas. Though the pines and spruces have many branches within thier reach they seem to prefer the junipers.

The cats had a little visit with one of our two regular coon visitors last night - it was the elder and larger of the two coons who come by - She and the two cats sat together on the porch. they don't bother each other unless the cat's food dish happens to be outside (which is only in good weather). don't know where the young male is that we've seen off and on.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Janie
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:46 AM

What a nice idea, Jerry. In addition to the Bullfinch thread, check out the winter and spring garden threads also.

Janie

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: artbrooks
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:43 AM

I don't have colorful birds, but I feed the house finches, sparrows and mourning doves...I figure they need to eat, too. A warm day here, sunny as it usually is. My wife is out of town, but the 3 cats are almost an adequate replacement. Should be a relaxing day...somes chores to do, but also some good books to read. 33222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 Kitten wants to help.

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: greg stephens
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:29 AM

That should have been a "steep slope" our house is on. But a "steep slow" sounds quite a good thing to be on, too!

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: greg stephens
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:25 AM

Hi Jerry, slip over to my "bull finches" thread and share a little gentle appreciation of the red finches in a bed of white blossom(our house is on a steep slow so we are looking down on the tree).
peace
greg

Subject: RE: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:23 AM

This should be down below in non-music, although music comments are always welcome. Maybe one of our Wonderful Watchers can move it down for me.

Jerry

Subject: A Quiet Corner
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 18 Mar 04 - 09:22 AM

Let me try this again. I was looking for a quiet corner of Mudcat, and I know others who are, too. A place to drop in, sink down into a chair, or just sit on the corner of the porch and enjoy the beauty of the day. For those who want to debate or expound, this isn't da place. If you just feel like sitting down for a couple of minutes to share whatever you're enjoying in your life with an old friend you've never met, that's what this thread is for. A calm in the storm.

Today, I have to go out and shovel a late winter snowfall. I thought I'd done the last shoveling yesterday, but it snowed overnight again and my wife and I are going out. But, the snow hasn't dampened our spirits. A month ago, my wife pulled a muscle in her lower back so severely she couldn't even walk across the room without my holding on to her. And then, she was in such severe pain, it killed me to see her suffering so. This morning, she was up an hour before me and was down on her knees waxing the kitchen floor. Now, you KNOW you're thankful when you praise the Lord for being able to wax floors without pain. Of course, we have even better things in mind to rejoice than waxing floors..

Two days ago, I saw my first two robins, out cavorting on the lawn with a temperature in the 50's. Today, they're flying around with nothing but a knot in their stomachs. But, they're wiser than us, and more hopeful. They know that old Man Winter is on his last legs, and they'll get by somehow until that first warm day when the worms come up from a long winter's sleep, poke their heads out of their tunnels and discover that them Damned robins are already back.

It looks like a good day... filled with simple pleasures. If you want to slip into a nice, comfortable chair, and rejoice in the good, small things in your day, it would please me just to hear from you.

Jerry