Anticipation!! Small Town USA!!

Each and every year, local folks anticipate and prepare for the Fourth of July celebration in Pitman, NJ.  Much the same happens in many of the surrounding towns, and as my friend Karen says, "I have to stay home and participate because I live in my town.  I am a part of it!"  Much the same for us - the 5K race goes by our house as we stand on the corner to keep the traffic from interfering with the runners; the parade starts at 10 and the chairs have been set up along the parade route for days already!!  Then the culmination event - the fireworks in the park.  These girls obviously spent a lot of thought and time getting themselves and their babies ready.  Our tradition has been 'setting a spell' with the neighbors - our chairs go across to Debbie and Dave's as we can view the fireworks among friends.

This year PhotoSchmoozer is going to do something different.  Friend AnnMarie is a nursing instructor and her student site is the local Pitman Manor, senior residence.  She is going to volunteer to help the residents get out to the parade.  I am going to join her.  We will see the events, but the time will be spent in service, bringing joy to those who have lived many more Fourth of Julys than we have - and who will continue to enjoy as long as their are volunteers to help them get out to create those memories.  Life is about giving - and then you receive.  Happy Anticipation of July 4th!!

The only person missing this year - our neighbor Jim has moved away and won't be with us to carouse, oogle the girls - like last year's Miss Pitman - or cause a rucus and make goofy comments as people walk by to the park.  Will we miss his antics?  Time will tell.  Maybe someone else will take his place - or we will create new memories in a quieter way.

Baby Geese at Alcyon Lake: Unique!!

Driving past Alcyon Lake in Pitman yesterday, we had to pull over to catch the sight of the white goose and her babies.  Amongst all of the mallards and Canadian geese, there is always one white one.  A strange and familiar sight to see.  This time, we sat and watched as she hovered near these four babies - they had a lot of white feathers - an unusual combination for the babies that usually are born at our lake.  The camera was NOT in the car - how could that be??  So we came home quickly to get it and go back.  As I got out to go closer, she was wary/protective, but they did not run away and I could just be close by and watch.  It will be fascinating to see them as they grow - to see what color they will be as adults.

No problem at all coming close - OK it helps that I have my Canon SX10IS with a 20x zoom - but they were they just resting at the end of the day.

And closer yet to get a really wonderful picture of them paying attention to me...and not!  This is what they talk about when we hear about getting our ducks/geese in a row??  Keep your eyes open and pay attention to everything in your world.  There will always be gifts, treasures and pleasant surprises!!  YES!!!

Tom - Man About Town!!

He's everywhere!!  He's everywhere!!  Anyone who drives through Pitman, NJ or walks the streets visiting the shops and restaurants, has sseen this guy - well maybe not quite so up close and personal!!  Pitman had a Music Festival (before the pouring rains came) and while PhotoSchmoozer was in the park being still and looking around (and watching our son Jon playing on the stage with Jim Six), Tom came up to chat.  He got in my face and the camera just happened to be there - and wow- pop-bam - there was this connection!  Not sure many of us have had this opportunity to be as up close and personal as my Canon SX10IS had the opportunity to be that day, but hey, capture the moments!!  That we did!!

Synchronicities, Friendship and Shared Adventures!!

What seems like yesterday was actually May 2006 when I decided to invest in learning about healthy eating and cooking with Christina Pirello at her food intensive at Drexel University's cooking school.  This was an adventure into the unknown and an exciting three days of learning about food, health, and how to trust your instincts to know what your body needs.  Cooking is often not about recipes but about ingredients.  That weekend I met Lois Brown and our friendship has grown over the years - first Saturday sessions with Christina, lots of time spent at Whole Foods in Marlton and Princeton, eating healthy food, talking about nutrition and exploring new products on their shelves.  We have evolved.  Lois has become a nutrition coach with the Institute for Integratve Nutrition and I have read explored and grown along with her!  We each know so much and bring our interesting personas as well as an interest in learning to every visit we experience.  Today, we went one step further in our dance - we are making a plan - thinking about ways we can leave our legacy and how we can guide/empower individuals.

To celebrate our relationship's expansion to new levels, after working/brainstorming and laughing for many hours, we needed to celebrate.  Big Fish Grille was just down the way at the mall in Princeton and off we went - fresh tuna -and Asian noodle salad!  Yum.  This guy watched over us as we ate.

At one point, we stopped talking and just sat there looking at our table top.  PhotoSchmoozer always has her camera at the ready and today was no different.  These are the reflections of the ceiling lights that showed themselves off so brilliantly! 

Today was a new day...a new month...and a new beginning!  We invite you to stay tuned for the ongoing adventures of Martie and Lois!  DARE to AFFIRM - yourself and others.  We always choose to 'catch them doing something right!!'

Today We Remember...and Give Thanks!!

No words today - just a request to take time to reflect

and give thanks!  We are grateful!!

Friends, Role Models and Tai Chi Buddies!!

Nola pet the puppy; Betty watches on    Fourth Friday  May 2010

It's a small town and the more places we go and the more people we meet, the smaller it gets - and that, my friends, is a wonderful thing!!   Last May, we were at Fourth Friday in Uptown Pitman and saw this totally adorable puppy.  These two women came over to meet the dog and I just found them charming.   Yes, I took their picture because they were so special to me!  About 9 months later, Bill and I went to Tai Chi class at the Senior Center in Glassboro,NJ, and there were two older women in the class from Pitman.  Nice to meet them and I appreciated them as role models.  Months later, I was looking through pictures for the Music Festival and lo and behold -yes, you guessed it - they were the same women I had first met last May.  What a totally cool connection.  Now we are in class together, and I also see Betty and Nola all over town.  Why just the other day, Betty was in KMart to buy her favorite shoes.  Says they are the only ones she wears!!  Then we went to Fourth Friday music at the Bus Stop Music Cafe and there they were!!  You guessed it - we sat and talked and listened to music too.  They had lots to share - info on life and health issues too.  Small world - and yep, Mom, I still am talking to lots of people and loving it!  Why don't you all try it too!!

Betty   Martie   Nola  Fourth Friday May 2011

Awesome Adventure!!!

 

Have you heard of Roberto Capucci?  Well, neither had I until the brochure arrived in the mail from the Philadelphia Art Museum.  WOW is what I said - fabric, design, COLOR and glorious candy for the eye.  I showed this to friend, Lindsay, and we immediately got tickets and off we went.  We were not in the least disappointed!!  Well, one disappointment - PhotoSchmoozer couldn't take pictures and couldn't touch the fabric.  Other than that - totally out of the box, unusual, creative, a genius in fashion design.  He started in his late teens and by age 21, was already winning major fashion design awards and recognition.  We stayed as long as we could to look at the rainbow of colors, the black and white and even several dresses just studded with phosphorescent beads - when the lights dimmed, the beads glowed.  He made these with the same beads that were in the nuns' rosaries in Assissi!  We talked to so many interesting people - could go one and on with stories and conversations we shared with Sandy and Irwin Perlman (no, the museum annex wasn't named after them!!).  Then when we were close to leaving, I looked over to a bench and there sat Diana Frederick - a college friend and a roommate oh so many years ago!  Her friend Pat was with her - and she and LIndsay were talking about stained glass windows.  Pat wanted a rose window and Lindsay's sister does just that.  More phone numbers exchanged!  What do I tell you all of the time -  continue to be awake and aware and go out and seek adventures and always be open to conversations and synchronicities.  Mom, you were wrong!  It is definitely important to talk with people - they all have so much to share!!  These conversations bring me stories, joy and just the thrill of life!!

Early Morning Garden Visitors!~!

We don't live in the city but we don't live in the country.  I wouldn't call it the suburbs because it is not a development - so what??  I would call it our backyard environment in small town, USA.  To say that we are lucky enough to have our yard go back 200 feet is a blessing and to say that we have a 'wall' of bamboo on one side is both a blessing for privacy and a curse for how invasive it is - and it is NOT even ours.  (Anyone have a suggestion for removing it??)  Every morning we wake up and look out the windows at the gorgeous flowers blooming in the garden, but most days, if we are observant, we are gifted with something unique!  One day, a pair of mallards had wandered up Cedar Avenue to eat in our backyard.  By the time I got the camera and then had to change the batteries, well, they were about moving on to other dining spots, but here they are.

 

I've been waking up early with the birds chirping around 5:30.  Today the sun was shining as well!!  Happy day!!  I decided to get my friend, Canon S10IS and venture out to see what was gifting us with its presence today.  Aside from six different colors of rose bushes in full bloom, there were iris, calendula and peonies.  Those of you who know me well, know that Super Macro close ups going into the heart and soul of the flowers is a favorite for me.  Today as I was looking at the iris, I found this bug? caterpillar? what?  still sleeping - just being still so I could get in there and watch him closely!  It's fascinating to BE STILL and look around - the gifts and surprises are amazing.  I wonder how often you, my friends, allow yourself that gift!!  Do it and you will be at peace.  Stillness can be so settling!!  Now off to do Tai Chi!

Synchronicities Might be Life Changiing!!!!

I had to stay home to finish Water for Elephants - both to find out what happened and to pass it along to a friend so she could read it.  Bill went ahead to the Bus Stop Music Cafe for open mic night and I said I would WALK there to meet him.  Did just that, stopping to visit with Kim at Barcelona for a chat.  When I got to the Bus Stop, the 'gang' was sitting outside - said it was too nice to go inside BUT I was hungry and did just that.  Bill was sitting at a table and there was a sandwich across from him - no person - a sandwich.  Eventually the guy came back and we all met.  His name is Richard Hawk - he came to play and sing, but we learned so much more about him. He's a writer and a motivational speaker - much on the same kinds of topics as DARE to AFFIRM.  As we were talking, all of a sudden, I saw a finger puppet being handed to me.  Why??  Richard said that he always carries a pocket full ( and he has zillions of stories connected to what happens when he spontaneously gives them to someone)  and I asked to see the others.  The one he has pulled out was a gibbon; the one I choose was this monkey!  He needs a name and I haven't settled yet - suggestions so far...Art, Erk ...and?  All I know is that this little guy and I danced through some songs as Richard sang!!  He even dedicated a song to his new friends, Martie and Bill.  Mom, you always asked why I talked to everyone.  This story is one more example of WHY and how wonderful it is!!  Some of the information that Richard shared could be life changing...time will tell!!

Mulberry Tree - Survives and Thrives!!

We bought this house in Pitman in 1982 - stop and think - that is almost THIRTY YEARS ago.  Except for a few years in Shamong and Maple Shade (in a apartment can you believe?!?), we have been permanent residents.  Once we ran away in anger and then we came back to make peace with ourselves and the environment.  I digress, but isn't that what storytelling is all about??  When we bought the house, there was a giant mulberry tree in the side yard next to the driveway.  Some would say it was beautiful; some would say it was messy; we would say that there was a lot of decay and it soon had to come down.  Over the years, I have chosen to maintain it as a special spot in the yard - I just call it "My Stump"!  You can see how diligently and lovingly Bill has worked to maintain it for us - it's becoming more bricks and less wood, but the Stump is still a focal point.  This year it has been treated to begonias, geraniums and lots of Dollar Store spinners.  It's the color that greets me as I sit at my desk and gaze out into our 'back forty"!!  We treat it well...and it gives us gifts!  Win - win!!

Experience the Feeling of Clay and Make a Pot with JoAnne!!

Living Life with Grace and Style

Uniquely Different...yet Lovingly Together!!

Truly...Be Still...Rest...and Reflect

Last week, we journeyed to Wayne,PA to Chanticleer Gardens.  Words can't express the glorious 'candy' for the eye that surrounded us as we strolled the 35 acres on a totally perfect Spring day- and the excitement was that we would have to come back many times over because it was always changing!!  See, being 'retired' has its advantages.  It's a pretty day so let's get in the car and go out into the world.  It's not that we don't have things to do, but without a place to be daily, they can wait until another time!!  YES!!

One of the first gardens we happened upon was a bed full of ranunculus!  Oh my.  The colors were totally spectacular and in my PhotoSchmoozer style, I just sat on the bench and gazed!  No we are trying to find some of these flowers to plant in the garden so the party can go on!!  Not yet,, but they will come soon.  This brought back memories of a weekend in Annapolis where we first saw these blooming in the formal gardens of one of the mansions.

We would have to say that these gardens were totally welcoming and as we walked...and walked...and walked, we found even more evidence of it.  There were chairs in peaceful settings everywhere!  If I had to pick one, well, I could ask you to guess, but I will tell you - it is the rocking chairs , bottom center.  The vista was out to the rolling hills of the property.  I want to go back and just sit and read and write - or be still and watch - right in that spot!!

Coming around a bend and walking down the path, I caught a glimpse of what resting and being still is all about - notice the peaceful smile on this face!  Sad to say, there were no chairs here to reste along with this peaceful person.  You can only imagine.  You can get a sense of Chanticleer from this face - S/he's walked the miles and now has taken time to set a spell, resting and reflecting on the gratitude for the gifts from Mother Nature!!  You have to go...