Ukulele Madness

SUMMER STRUMMIN' AT TWO CROW COTTAGE

Hand painted by Sandy "Rosebud" Scarano

Well since we did not get any snow, and I do mean zilch, nada, none, and all around us here in New York, everybody else did, I am putting all my ukuleles to work with some island strumming, in hopes that it will come.  I know, be careful what you wish for, but I like the snow, so this is kind of like a SNOW DANCE on ukulele.

Love my Martin C-1K uke.

Now Martin here, is my performance uke.  I belong to a Ukulele Group that goes out and about to bring smiles and good cheer to the nursing homes in our area....for free!  We also play at the local hospital, the annual Toys for Tots Drive with the US Marines, Relay for Life fundraisers, and on occasion at a couple day cares.  It's great fun and, though Martin is the go-to uke at performances, I haul 3 others out to hand out to the residents so they can try their hand at ukulele madness.  And they love it!

Hospital lobby gig!

I first laughed when a friend of mine brought me a ukulele to try, because I had no idea what to do with it.  He just told me that it was an extra one that he had lying around so, I thought I'd give it a go.  Well, I gave his uke back to him, wondering why in the world you need more than one ukulele...
 now I have 6!!!  3 sopranos, 2 of them painted with a beautiful island scene, 1 tenor, 1 vintage Avalon Banjolele that was my Father's and Martin!  I invested in Martin, because if I was going to engage in an activity such as strummin' a ukulele, I was going to get a good one to make sure I was giving it my best shot.  The bottom line here is, my Mama is born and raised on the beautiful island of Kauai, and what better way to honor her, and my island family who I got to visit not too long ago, sending back a new tenor uke from Honolulu.  And I wear Mama's picture, every time I head out to play!

Nursing home gig!

There is a great new revival of the ukulele.  Give it a try.  I promise you, it is reasonably priced, quite easy to learn, even I CAN DO IT!  It will surely make you smile:)  And hey George Harrison played the uke!

 Jammin' with Kara at A Spirit of Simplicity.
Stop by and say, "ALOHA" 

Empty Nest...again

The three "littles" have all gone back to their respective domains to conquer a last semester in college; to take on a new job; to teach other people's littles to sing in harmony...and as their Mother, as much as I still cry when they leave, as much as I worry about them driving in snowy weather, or just driving at all anymore, I know that worrying is draining me of my intense spirit that normally soars. 

So I have turned this day's worries into an empire of strength as I haul more wood in to keep the fire burning, so hubby doesn't have to when he gets home in the dark.  Since the cold winter wind has died down just a bit, I can walk in the woods to gather the remains of the fallen branches for kindling without fear of getting knocked out or crushed.  

And I am warmed by the lingering sound of the laughter of bonded siblings, the leftovers from the "baby little" who loves to cook, and the forgotten clothes in the washing machine which means only one thing... SHE'LL BE BACK!!!  And when one comes home, they all come home to be together, if only for a day!  I love our family!

And when they open their suitcases and bags and boxes to unpack, I know they will smile a BIG smile for the love notes from Mom, their fave cereal, tea and various surprises, and they will each remember the magnet that was sent with them upon their first departure from the homestead that reads:

HOME IS WHERE YOUR MOM IS!!!

 

 

Old Man Winter

From winter's past...

 Normally at this time of year, we'd be down by the pond watching a few kids playing hockey, or just enjoying the beauty of the still falling snow. 


After an unusually warm Christmas Day here in New York State, we've had some frigid temps, but today back to rain...again.  More rain.  I love the rain...but not in January!  So, I will sit by the fire and watch the rain, envision the snow, and delve into the "simplify" mode for 2016 and purge a few more "things" from the homestead.

Or not...perhaps I will just cuddle up with my work in progress crochet blanket that is quite large already, but just not finished.  I leave it there on the love seat with the yarns still attached to pick up and work on as I crawl beneath it.

Or not...perhaps I will just wrap myself up in it and read more from the book that I just got,  Spirituality and the Desert Experience.   A ukulele friend brought this book to my attention and asked me to join a book discussion with him and some friends.  Well after reading the General Introduction 4 times, I finally agreed to press on and dig in and grasp the full intention of its journey into the desert.  A place that I believe I have already been...

You are welcome to join me on the journey...

New Year...New Word

   

 Well with 2015 ending in a whirlwind, I find that I truly am blessed, which I already knew.  Last year we did not get to celebrate the holiday season due to a tragic illness with my daughter, which almost took her precious life.  We are grateful each and every day that she is now well and we made a good time of it this year, checking things off of her bucket list, like standing in 3 states at once on New Year's Eve day, playing the lottery with the numbers from a fortune cookie, right up until New Year's Day when she pulled out a roman candle to set off at midnight!  SWEET!

And now, as the days roll on into 2016, I find myself flustered at all the hoopla that went into decorating, cooking, baking, etc, for the Christmas season.  Mostly trying to find things that have gone by the wayside while running around like a nut to train stations and airports to drop off and retrieve the "littles" who are all grown up now with lives of their own away from the homestead!

I NEED ORDER IN MY LIFE!

And since it has all come and gone in the blink of an eye, I do not want to take it all down and pack it all back up again.  It's just too pretty.  But it is time.  It is time to pare down. 

So, my word and mission for this New Year 2016 is SIMPLIFY!  

I have wood burned it into a piece of cedar shake snagged from the Little World's Fair and I have begun the process.  Keep it simple...keep it real!

IT'S ALL GOOD!

Hanging out with Kara today, who has the Spirit of Simplicity down...stop by to say "HELLO"!

A Million Thanks

Handmade cards for the troops!

Recently, a few scout troops, college students, families and individuals joined me in a letter writing campaign to show our support for the brave men and women who serve this great land of ours.

It was a wonderful way to get involved and to remember just how it is that we are able to live the FREEDOMS of the AMERICAN DREAM!



And may you have much Peace and Love and Joy as well as Happiness and GREAT HEALTH in the New Year of 2016!

Winter Warmth

When old man winter decides to grace us with the windy chill in the air, that can only mean one thing...snow is coming, it is time to load the wood stove!

Thankfully, we have an abundance of wood fuel this year just in case we get dumped on and faced with the bitter below zero temps.

However, with the warm days and an expected 70 degree very unusual Christmas Day, the wood pile gathers strength for its intended use as HEAT, just as soon as the temp drops.

It's a beautiful day, as the fog and light rain provide us with a beautiful backdrop for the much cooler glow of Christmas lights.  They are mysterious and glorious rays of light to attract you to your very own light within.  Remember the little song, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."

Well, find your light and sing that song...it's the most wonderful time of the year, and I am very happy and grateful to be celebrating it this year with my AB FAB family and friends!

So here's to you and yours...from my own winter warmth!    With much Love, and Peace and Joy!

Peace On Earth

I am blessed with an online blogger friend who very often sends me these beautiful hand made cards through good old fashioned snail mail, with such great quotes and sentiments, and I wanted to share the one I received today.  From Deborah at Temenos of the Blessing Light.

"Among other wonders of our lives, we are alive with one another, we walk here in the light of this unlikely world that isn't ours for long.  May we spend generously the time we are given.  May we enact our responsibilities as thoroughly as we enjoy our pleasures.  May we see clarity, may we seek a vision that serves all beings, may we honor the mystery surpassing our sight, and may we hold in our hands the gift of good work and bear it forth whole, as we were borne forth by a power we praise to this one Earth, this homeland of all we love."
                                                    - John Daniels

So, at this time of year, look within, and may you find the peace.  

A great big MAHALO to Deborah for including me in your journey of Peace and Joy and Love throughout the Universe.

Aloha

                                                                               

Attitude of Gratitude

A friend of mine wrote about an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE in the church bulletin and it resonated with me deeply.  The daily practice of gratitude is essential if we are to connect to one another in the Universe.  Now more than ever, we must reach out to one another, extend a hand, a greeting, share a smile and simply acknowledge that we share this place on this Earth, and that we should strive to make it a peaceable kingdom for ourselves and those around us.  These are very simple gestures, but can be very powerful on the receiving end. 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, because it presents a formality of that which I personally practice each and every single day, without fail.  Even in the light of turmoil, or strife, because it allows me to adjust my attitude or the nature of that which may be presenting itself as some sort of obstacle.  

Giving thanks is a release of anguish, and an invitation to peace.
Afterall, Thanksgiving IS for giving thanks...and there is always something to be thankful for!  And if you have doubts, get a camera and go out of doors, and capture a moment with Mother Nature.  You might be surprised what you see at the end of the lens. 

And as we approach the Christmas Season, I am always reminded of my favorite Christmas show...Charlie Brown's Christmas and these very special words from Linus to Charlie Brown...

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

 good will toward men."    

Now, more than ever, let it be so.

Linking up with Kara for Tuesday Afternoons...stop by to say "hello"!

Challenges

 

Challenges bring us closer to our true selves.  We can pretend they don't bother us, and ignore these challenges, but they will return.  Perhaps with a new face, a new name, but the only way to conquer a challenge is to face it head on.  

It was last year around this time, that my daughter was gravely ill.  We were told that she just may not recover.   Well, we did not name her Kelly, which means, WARRIOR WOMAN, for nothing.  

And suffice it to say, from a coma, a ventilator, an artificial lung machine affectionately known as ECMO, dialysis, learning to walk again, learning to talk again...this beautiful child was on a mission to fulfill her true destiny in this life.  Although, she is not quite sure just what her true purpose on this earth is just yet, and she has yet to fully understand everything that her young body has had to endure, since she was in a coma for so long.  

However, she understands enough to know just how precious this life is.  As such, she has created a bucket list for herself.  And this past weekend, she was determined to check one more thing off.  A 5K run.

Now this was no small feat, for it was her lungs that failed her last year leading to her long hospitalization, with so many machines and meds to keep her alive.  And it is her lungs that she had to gently nurture back to working order by playing her beloved clarinet that she was so fortunate to play with her symphonic colleagues at Carnegie Hall last year.

She has triumphed in her quest to overcome the lung problems stemming from a bout with pneumonia, so much so, that she ran her very first 5K, checking it off of her bucket list.  The 3rd place trophy she received was icing on her pretty little cake.  And we are all so very proud of her!

More, she is proud of herself!

We are grateful.  We are blessed.  And the practice of gratitude is something that I do on a daily basis.   I urge everyone to be mindful of the moment at hand...this very moment, and give thanks!

Yes, it is a present...a gift!  Make the most of it!  Enjoy it to the very fullest!  

Connectedness

"Accept the present moment and find the perfection that is deeper than any form and untouched by time."             

~Eckhart Tolle, Oneness With All Life, page 28


Lately, I seem to be attracting people to me who are on the same spiritual path as I am.  And it seems to be an instant recognition that transpires allowing for a beautiful conversation of enlightenment to take place.

During these conversations it becomes obvious that we are tuned into the same spirit world, thus bringing forth those "aha" moments that others would chalk up to coincidence.  However, we know better.

Once the pathway is opened, and there is an awakened recipient out there, BAM, it happens, just like that...the wavelengths connect, and synchronicity makes its mark!  And it truly is a moment in time, to make you pause and soak up what the awakened soul has just brought to you.

The Universe is speaking to all of us...all the time!  WAKE UP AND TUNE IN!


Today, I am connected to Kara and Friends for Tuesday Afternoons!  Stop by to say "hello"!

Silence is Golden

“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions.”  

~Deepak Chopra                   

                                         

The Glory of Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season...ok, for the record, whatever season I am in is my favorite.  Yes, that is what living a mindful life is all about.  Even the one that graces us with the beautiful white stuff as it falls so peacefully (dumps is more like it) to the ground like these colored leaves that let go as they sail away with the gentle breezes that blow...or fall to the ground and become mingled with the acorns as the squirrels skitter here and there stocking up for my next fave season to come.

folks enjoying fishing in Autumn on the Delaware River

 

But until then, the glorious colors and that bounty of fall, which includes pumpkins, gourds, beautiful mums, and wonderful, wonderful apples, is something to look forward to.  It is sad to think that some folks have never experienced the full blown beauty of Mother Nature at this time of year.  

Yes, be mindful of this moment.  Wherever you are.  And enjoy it in all of its glory!

With Much Aloha...

Glorious~ness

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Today

"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.

One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow,

so today is the right day 

to love,

believe,

do

and mostly 

live."

-Dalai Lama

 

We Are One

Now more than ever, we, as humans must realize that we have all come into this world from the same life force.  The same life force of these beautiful sheep that have provided me with wool. We are connected in so many ways that there is no reason for one to think that they are better than anyone else.  We are different from each other, in our looks, our appearance, in our likes and our dislikes, and culturally speaking, we may have been raised to have different belief systems.

However, we are still ONE IN THIS UNIVERSE! 

We must make the human effort to reach out to others to express a sense of unity with one another.  For those who live their lives in darkness, you must trust that your soul truly does seek the light.  It is in the light that the soul was born into your physical body.  Circumstances that may have placed you in a field of darkness, can be averted and can certainly be changed with the power of the light.

The truth is:  WE ARE ONE!  And each of us has a very basic choice in which we choose to live our lives.  In darkness, with pain, and guilt, and shame and hatred...or in light, where there is love and peace and happiness and most of all freedom.

Yes, it is as simple as that.  For whatever reason you may have found yourself in the dark, turn on the light.  And continue to seek the light.  The past is gone, the future is just that...all we really have is

NOW!!! 

Don't wait...you may not get another chance.

Peace be with you!

Long May She Wave

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

You're My Blue Sky

The lingering moon in this glorious blue sky is the perfect backdrop to this wonderful red barn on an early morn in March.  Very patriotic, in fact, as the snow continues to melt away.  The great thaw is underway here in New York. FINALLY!  The birds are singing their beautiful songs, and all is well.  

Linking up to Skywatch Friday

 

Pop in to say hello and have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Gratitude in the Snow

Yes, the practice of gratitude is especially important when the Universe connects us through the various attributes of Mother Nature.  On this day before we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the northeast United States, the wet snow falls...ok, dumps is more like it because it's coming down really fast.  Yet, I walk outside to feel the wetness as I raise my face and hands to the sky and Give Thanks for all that is NOW!

    “I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite — only a sense of existence. ”

 –Henry David Thoreau

Morning Has Broken

 

Yes, the last of Autumn has met the first dusting of snow from Old Man Winter, and every bit of 22 degrees was felt this glorious morn.  

TRIPLE C kind of morn.   CRISP, CLEAN AND CCCOLD!!!

How sweet to greet the sun and the moon at the same time, from my backwoods, with the last leaf on this tree clinging, clinging.  Oh, to live in the country!  Gratitude in abundance has rewarded me this fine day. 

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”   ~ Dalai Lama

Universal Language of The Setting Sun

My last sunset at Waikiki...awesome!

Since I have returned from my journey to the island paradise of Hawaii, I haven't fully retrieved all of the zillion photos I took on many devices during my stay with my "bruddah" and other family members.  And since I always enjoy the wonderful island shares from my new friend Cloudia of Comfort Spiral, I thought I would share a few of my own for Skywatch Friday.

Now, I have been to the islands before, long ago as a young girl with my Beautiful Kauai Island Mama.  I was strictly a tourist on that maiden voyage.  But this time, I connected in true Aloha Fashion with the island people who are my family.  The language, the music, the food, and of course the scenery will forever be embedded in my soul.  There is something quite spiritual about the peaceable kingdom that is Hawaii.  Including the current work of Pele, the Goddess of Fire who is spreading hot lava from Kilauea on the Big Island to ensure that her people stay grounded on this earth, as they tune in to the vibration of the Universe, connecting each and every one of them with cosmic joy that is shared by all living things.

“Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it.” ― Lao Tzu

The Aloha Spirit is alive and well.  We are all connected in this Universe.  Tune in and feel the peace and joy in abundance.