Thursday, March 31, 2011

Come on, really? Snow?

Only time will tell, but snow is supposed to start tonight and go thru part of tomorrow dumping 6 - 12" here.  Closer to Boston and the coast - rain or slushy rain.  And I was just getting used to seeing the ground again.

Patio in Castelnau Picampeau   9/10
I am still on my purging quest for less clutter.  The bag I took out to the recycling bin this morning must have weighed over twenty pounds.  When I look thru my files, though, excitement stirs when I look at the pictures I have cut out and saved.  The patio pictures remind me of writing outdoors in southern France on an old wooden table covered with a checkered tablecloth set in the shade of a wide branched tree.

I want that feeling here in my own backyard and so back they go into the file.  Ditto the garden paths and fountain plans I might need someday.  Can you tell I am in an outdoors state of mind?  Drat that snow!  I could be raking up the last of the fall's leaves this weekend from under the quince bush (everything gets stuck there).  If it snows as much as they say, I will be lucky to find the quince bush!

Bliss is Marty bringing out more libations!
That's okay, though.  I have stitching to do and a great book to read and a garden to plan.  I know it will be warm again soon and the great white blanket will soak into the ground and disappear again.  Then I will get out that rake and have a field day with it!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tears for Japan

All week, I have been looking around me and seeing the abundance we have in our everyday lives and trying to imagine it all swept away. The reality is that I can only imagine. I have a home and heat and can cook anything I want when I want. My family is safe and I have a job I love to help keep us that way.

I have been shaken by the unbelievable devastation in Japan and I was wondering if I could share something with you.

There is an organization I learned about from Diana at A Certain Simplicity called Shelter Box which is one of the most amazing projects I have ever seen. If you have been looking for a way to help the people in Japan without homes and now under a nuclear threat, please take a minute to check this out.

So far this year, they have sent out almost 104,000 Shelter Boxes and shipments are on their way to Japan as we speak. Each box can shelter 10 people and provide the basics to survive which is so important to the families who have lost absolutely everything.

Each box contains a tent for up to 10 people, insulating ground pads, blankets, tools - shovel, hammer, saw, ax, and wire cutters; a small stove which can provide heat as well as be used for food preparation, mugs, dishes, pots and pans, water storage containers, even a children’s pack with crayons and coloring books. The box itself can serve as a table and a dry storage area or a bed for a small child.

If you can help, please visit their website and take a look around.  You will be encouraged to find that, as we are all finding in many areas of our lives, people step up when the going gets tough.  I am glad I had this opportunity to do so and hope you will consider it as well.

Thanks for listening.