Dear Reader:

The Brothers Grimm ‘s  fairy tales were never originally written for children but as a way of preserving Germanic folktales/heritage amid the Napoleonic Wars… when France conquered many Germanic lands.

The brothers wanted to make sure that German homeland literature would continue to be read by future generations. They were driven by nationalism to keep these folktales safe from harm’s way.

Growing up… Wilhelm and Jacob were very close and continued to be throughout their lives….Though they were both educated in law …together they decided to turn their interests to German cultural literature…preserving ancient myths, legends, and folktales. They listened to famous oral storytellers of the time and wrote down the tales from the stories.

*This painting above shows Dorothea Pierson Vichmann, a famous storyteller, who contributed the most to the Grimms collection. (* In fact Wilhelm would later marry Dorothea Wild- another popular storyteller.)

In the first collection of these stories called Children’s and Household Tales …their success was not immediate…but the brothers kept working on the stories “taming” them down for younger audiences.

Still…it would be Walt Disney himself, who would present Americans with lighter and happier endings.

For example…the original German Cinderella was known as Aschenputtel. The story was graphic and scary.

In the Grimms original version…the heroine is called Aschenputtel and she, too, has her wishes come true. However it doesn’t come from a fairy godmother’s magic wand. It comes from a hazel tree growing on her mother’s grave. Aschenputtel waters the tree daily with her flowing tears.

Later in this version of the story, the prince arrives with a single gold (not glass) slipper. Instead of the mean stepsisters pushing and squawking loudly…they each dismember and mutilate their feet trying to get it in the slipper.

One sister cuts off her big toe to try to get her foot in the slipper…the other sister cuts off part of her heel.

The final scene concludes with Aschenputtel marrying the handsome prince in a beautiful wedding… surrounded by two dainty, cooing white love doves.

However, rather than cheerfully tweet the romantic couple to happily ever after… they, suddenly, go into attack mode and  peck out the stepsisters’ eyes.  (How’s that for a happily ever after...our kids would have nightmares for ages!)

*When it comes to children’s stories…there is a lot to be said for re-editing. 🙂

Did you know that folktales are as old as human civilization? The story of Cinderella can be found in ancient China and Egypt. Depending on the diverse cultural backgrounds…details might differ but the theme of the story stays the same.

For example…in Egypt Cinderella’s slippers are red leather, in China the slippers are bejeweled in either gold or silver…also in the West Indies there is no pumpkin carriage but one made of breadfruit.

So until tomorrow…Thank you Walt Disney and other children’s authors/creators who “cleaned up” many ancient fairy tales from around the world. *Once children are grown they can then read the original versions and know the truth behind the earliest anthology…but as far as bedtime stories go…happily ever after is still needed (to put a child asleep) in this old world.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*One week from today Anne and I will be arriving in Portland, Maine and we will be enjoying foliage like the latest maple tree photo Marcia sent yesterday…she wanted to take it before the predicted rains come… (that might drop a lot of leaves)…the only word  that popped out at me was “rain”…please send it down here for us Marcia. 🙂

*When I entered the den yesterday morning… there were streaks of the rising sun forming stripes from the shutters …across the brick entrance with a pumpkin (decor) filled with stripes too….Breath-taking.

*** It is October 1 and you know what that means….time to say “Rabbit, Rabbit!” and have a marvelous month. Jo and Colby…don’t forget…because what a wonderful month September was with the great news from MD Anderson Medical Center.

*Can you spot ‘Little Rabbit’ in all the decor?

*My brother Ben sent me a birthday card yesterday and some “funny money” to take to Maine. When I read the card I had to laugh out loud… particularly these days. 🙂 🙂 :)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*At least I have something to blame my lack of  ‘maintenance’  on! 🙂

Dear Reader:

I have always been intrigued by this one verse of scripture:

Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf  also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

Ever since first hearing that line from the Bible…my imagination has taken over the scene in my mind. I have often been troubled by the thought that God created a world of nature in which animals are killed and eaten by other animals, survival of the fittest, the food chain, etc. When I have asked about it as a puzzled child….adults would  mumble…”It’s the life cycle..it’s just the way it is.” That answer never satisfied me then…or now.

With cable comes animal shows and my favorites are the strange relationships bonded between two very different animals….who don’t want to eat each other…just be friends….like with:

Despite the extreme difference in size, Bubbles the elephant and Bella the black lab have become great friends. Bubbles was brought to a safari reserve in the U.S. after she was rescued from ivory poachers in Africa, while Bella was left there by a contractor for the park. The two are great to see together, especially when Bella uses Bubbles as a diving board!

Bea, the giraffe, and Wilma, the ostrich, have become great friends during their time together at Busch Gardens in the U.S. The two share a huge 65-acre enclosure, so they aren’t forced to spend time together – they do so willingly.

Tinni the dog and Sniffer the wild fox have been the best of friends since they met in the forests of Norway. Torgeir Berge, Tinni’s owner, does what he can to keep up and photograph the pair as they play in the woods

After being saved from the pot due to a foot injury, Mable found a new wonder when she was moved into her owners’ home – puppies! For some reason, the year-old hen has taken to roosting on the puppies and keeping them warm while their mother prefers the yard. Go figure!

You get the idea…I can look at pictures like this forever…love does conquer all…even animal instinct.

“And a little child shall lead them?”… Several years ago India started a series of motivational films at some of their universities to show how one person, even a little child, can make a difference in everyday life in a crowded place like India.

I hope the two minute video clicks on and plays for you because it truly moved me. * If for any reason it doesn’t…google Lead India: The Tree (inspirational 2 min. video)

Synopsis:

A tree has fallen in a crowded downtown neighborhood blocking all traffic, cars, buses, etc. Everyone looks annoyed but not enough to do anything about it…at first. You see two policemen representing government doing absolutely nothing..a priest blessing the tree and walking on…finally a handful of men do try to shove it…but only until a downpour erupts… sending them running back to their safe, dry vehicles.

Except for one little boy…quietly watching from a school bus…who, despite the rain…walks over and starts to try to push the huge tree out of the way all by himself. Suddenly he has everyone’s attention…especially when some other children join him. Shamed…a large crowd emerges now…there is excitement in the air as they form a support group to move the obstacle out of the way.

Amid cheers, camraderie, high fives…the people, in unity, find strength to solve their own neighborhood problems without help…as they all becomes leaders in their community.

*(Examine the messages in this film. They are not pretty. How do the people of that neighborhood respond to the large fallen tree blocking the road?)

• The religious authority blesses the obstacle, but provides no leadership in removing it.
• The government has no presence, except for two corrupt-looking police — who look on passively.
• The crowd mills around aimlessly, ineffectually, leaderless.
• A little boy steps forward — the epitome of a non-threatening person, whose spontaneous example inspires the crowd.

All because “a little child leads them.”

“The Tree” 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiStoHugvfkAhWYjp4KHVdOBQcQMwg3KAAwAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGPeeZ6viNgY&psig=AOvVaw2t2fu-SA-bFdsmHpyHJc-p&ust=1569880535058263&ictx=3&uact=3

So until tomorrow….Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. William James

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

If it doesn’t feel like Autumn…create it in your air-conditioned home.

Happy Birthday John! You always slip in on the last day of September. What an asset you are to the family and I thank God every day for the day you and Mandy met…and the day you married. A blessing indeed!

A very strange potential natural disaster is heading straight towards Dingle, Ireland…called Hurricane Lorenzo. It is rare for a hurricane to hit Europe because of all the distance needed to cover in the ocean…especially a category 5…monster of a storm in the Atlantic.

I am praying it bogs down and stays out in the ocean and/or switches direction from the British Isles, Ireland, and especially Dingle as cited now….if it stays the course..it will make landfall Thursday evening. Prayers for everyone in the potential path.

Dear Reader:

If you want to see where Disney got its idea for the first animated Disney castles… starting with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and especially Cinderella...look no farther than Bavaria and the Neuschwanstein Castle. It is the most visited castle in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

When this National Geographic article  (“This Immense Fairy-Tale Castle was Built for One Person“-Andrea Leitch )  popped up a couple of days ago I found it absolutely fascinating… with lots of lessons to be learned about life from the story….I hope you enjoy it too!

Dear Reader:

If you are thinking this might be a strange time to hear about a Scandinavian Christmas folklore story…look around you…especially at the stores…drug stores, retail stores…any kind of store…and you will find Christmas in abundance. Halloween and Thanksgiving don’t stand a chance against the “BIG” commercialized, ‘make or break’ holiday for retailers.

I found this unique story on a Home & Family segment of Hallmark yesterday morning . ( Debbie Matenopoulos and Cameron Mathison had someone in doing a Christmas craft which turned out be to straw goat for Christmas…which I found slightly odd but still interesting.)

I admit it…I don’t enjoy making crafts very much…in fact I usually avoid them like the plaque unless I am buying one…but I am proud to say that one time I actually did help my Lowcountry History Club make Appalachian straw husk dolls for Christmas one year.

Three of my students stayed after school one afternoon with me in October. I, then, invited an artisan from a local craft store to bring the supplies and teach the four of us how to make the straw dolls…wherein at the next meeting (after the sharing the history of the craft) we all taught the rest of the club how to make their corn husk doll so everyone had a gift (Christmas tree ornament) for their family at Christmas. They really were cute with added red and green decorations for the tree.

But a straw husk goat?….My curiosity got the best of me and I stayed tuned…discovering  the history and folklore behind it. Every year my own children’s favorite time around the holidays was studying Christmas customs around the world.. Now… even as a grown-up, I still love learning about different customs and cultures too.

The goat symbolism all started way back in Norse mythology with their “Big Boy” god named Thor…who always arrived in a flying chariot pulled by two goats who represented food and plenty following the harvest season in the Scandinavian countries.

In Sweden, Norway, and Finland…farmers were supposed to save the last two bundles of wheat from the harvest fields to make a Yule Goat. These last two wheat bundles were deemed magical and would assure families that there would be enough food for the winter and holidays.

The Scandinavians took the bundles and created straw “Yule Goats” to place around their tables and mantles for prosperity…soon they just became part of the Christmas decor and their legacy. When the idea/story of a Santa Claus with elves immigrated from southern Europe to the northern Scandinavian countries …Santa and the elves began appearing in a sleigh pulled by a goat to bring presents and goodies to good little boys and girls.

Today one small town (Gavle, Sweden) has become world famous for making the largest (Guinness World record) straw goat for the Christmas season annually!

There is only one hitch…somewhere along the way it appears that the idea of the custom was extended (by some amateur arsonists) to burning it down before Christmas arrives… much to the dismay of the residents. Every year bets are now taken on how long the straw goat survives… producing a rather strange fiery history.

Norwegians have made the most of their “goat” symbol at Christmas…even in breweries and Martor, a famous goat and self-edible blogger, poses each year for Christmas cards…(they have to take the picture quickly, however, before Martor eats the wreath! 🙂 Corn husk goats decorate Scandinavian trees.

So until tomorrow…It is time to say “Good-Bah” (sorry…just couldn’t help myself)…but it is time to start the Christmas spirit…because if not you are already… almost 10 months behind…one should show the Christmas spirit each and every day of the year! 🙂

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Guess who will be visiting with “Auntie Vickie” next week…Gertie, the one surviving chicken of Luke’s and Chelsey’s…after a dog attack sadly soon after their move. But Gertie seemed right at home in the secret garden in all the shade and foliage in Vickie’s back yard.

Luke and Chelsey are off to Iceland on their vacation and super excited about it…Barley and Chloe, their dogs, are staying with Chelsey’s parents while they are away. Barley seemed to know he was ‘back home’…he kept sniffing the air…like he remembered it from somewhere..we still miss them terribly…but now we have Gertie for a week!

Marcia sent me a picture of her beautiful maple tree from Clarendon, NH…the last few years the weather hasn’t been conducive to pretty colors but Marcia thinks this might be the year again…she will keep sending scenes of the different colors in stages…by the end it will be all yellow…and amazingly gorgeous!

Dear Reader:

As I look back on my life…particularly the years raising Mandy, Walsh, and Tommy…I understand now that growing a garden and raising a family are quite similar…both a metaphor of the beauty and challenges of daily life that one day emerges into beautiful memories of then and now…or a beautiful butterfly from a caterpillar!

The garden started with a plot of bare land and a big circle….the family started with Mandy, then Walsh and Tommy! I learned from my garden and raising three children…that perennial is the way to go with gardens….and children!

Perennial: Lasting for a long or apparently infinite time, enduring or continually recurring. Even butterflies whose life span isn’t that long…have life cycles that continually keeps recurring. 🙂

The recurring cycle results in my precious grand-doggies and grandchildren…who all bring me such joy.

As the garden and family grows…the new buds from the older plants begin to bloom again and bring joy and beauty.

New additions are added,  in the form of flowers, bushes, trees, and garden decor, to the garden…new life appears each year. (The birds help a lot!)

So until tomorrow…my children and now grandchildren are my true seedlings. What a privilege it is to be able to watch my garden grow and watch my children’s and grandchildren’s lives take them closer each day to the person God intends them to be.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

When the first seedling sprouted…Mandy arrived. If you think she looks like she is laughing…think again…she had the “screaming” colic  for the first three months of her life;  no one slept…I was a walking zombie! (We love you now darling! 🙂

Dee Dee, Tommy’s grandmother, always loved this picture of Tommy… just like I love the ones in the latest photo book where Eloise is screaming and the others are staring off in space or doing anything else but posing…they are real…and that is what makes them memorable. ..like the Velveteen Rabbit!

The funniest “Velveteen Rabbit” photo, however came four years ago at Easter. Lachlan had just been born on St. Patrick’s day and was probably around three weeks old in the photo…he was not happy but screaming…Rutledge was staring at him like why hasn’t someone taken him back from where he came…he’s a real pain…poor Jakie’s head was the size of a pumpkin so he couldn’t sit up…and kept falling on Eva Cate who looks like a suffering martyr in the making…the only one, like Walsh says, smiling and staring at the camera is me…grandmothers persist when others have fallen away. 🙂

Dear Reader:

The other day, artist and workshop creator, Kelly Rae Roberts was sending out information to purchasers of a “You and Self-Kindness” course she had written. It would consist of 30 emails with different activities to do (over the period of the course) to remind participants that kindness starts first at home with themselves.

Unfortunately, while waiting on a plane in a New York airport, Kelly hit the wrong button and sent out thousands of emails to the wrong list of subscribers…who never signed up for the course. She was horrified and realized that she had to ‘walk the talk’ as embarrassing as it was ….to forgive herself for the mistake first before apologizing to the random subscribers who received the wrong information. A touch of irony definitely. 🙂

There are several ways  Kelly could have handled this “oops” mistake but her quick wit and openness did the trick. She wrote:

Here’s what I’m thinking. Perhaps The Universe wanted you to read that email, which is all about how we can begin to treat ourselves with more compassion? Or perhaps it’s a cosmic test for me to be KIND to myself after making such a big oopsie by sending that email to thousands who weren’t “meant” to receive it? Either way, THANK YOU for your grace.

And please accept my apologies!

Warmly,
Kelly Rae

After reading it I thought to myself how well she handled a potentially big “oopsie” with such humor and a sense of humbleness laced with kindness. I particularly loved her last statement….”Thank you for your grace.”

One day while I was strolling the beach last summer watching the waves roll in…I thought to myself that waves are like grace…no matter whether our lives are calm or turbulent…God’s waves of grace never stop flowing towards us and loving us just as we are.

We certainly didn’t earn God’s grace through any deeds we accomplished but then grace isn’t about earning…grace is about accepting the idea that God loves us in spite of ourselves and our struggles through good and bad periods in our lives.

We don’t have to take a course to learn to accept and be kind to ourselves as we are…nor as we keep hoping we will become…grace means God doesn’t put requirements on His love…we don’t have to make a certain mark to pass or run a certain course in a set amount of time…we don’t have to prove ourselves to God…He already approves Who we are…unconditional love. Such a crazy, outlandish concept to the human mind…but such a beautiful gift beyond our ability to reason and /or explain.

So in ending today…Thank all of you for showing your grace to me as being loyal readers through the diverse posts of thoughts I share with you…not judging…just waiting to see what the topic will bring.

*I do the same thing…until the moment I start typing. Whether the topic is turbulent or peaceful…it is what I am thinking at the moment…and because of God’s continuous, unconditional love I can continue to write freely… without restrictions or inhibitions. The more I think like a child…the more honest the writings.

“The waves come as loving rascals, sun-warmed and sweet, to wash upon the sands. Perhaps that is why the children love to play in them so very much, the spirit of the sea and the children coming together in something we grown ups should have held on to. (Angela Abraham)

So until tomorrow… ‘Thank you readers for your grace.” 

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

October is “pink” month for breast cancer and Kathy Worthington found some pictures in the news that not only are pink but also another love in my life…dolphins.

These are rare river dolphins…pink with red eyes…who live in a certain river in Louisiana….a photographer caught a picture of a mother dolphin with her little calf…nature is beautiful…and mysterious.

Dear Reader:

How can I even begin to thank all of you for your cards, comments, texts, Facebook Happy Birthday greetings…I felt like Queen for the Day! Joan Turner had attached this picture (above) to her birthday greeting and I loved all the vibrant colors in it…thanks Joan!

Brooke came over and we had the best time “hanging” on the deck before going to Oscars. There were so many different colorful gorgeous decorations inside and we got our favorite waiter, Kevlin. Delicious lunch and our special free birthday dessert!

When I got home more gifts and flowers were on the porch…the day just overflowed with generosity and kindness. As our world grows smaller in direct correlation to expanding technological communication…the importance of kindness and acceptance of diverse cultures and customs becomes even more important to all of our dreams of a fulfilled and secure life here on earth.

“Kindness serves as a bond and glue that reminds us of our unity (and commUNITY).” – Ameeta

Now beside having a legacy for the grandchildren through their Japanese Maples …Brooke gave me a Southern Living “October Magic” Camellia Bush named “Inspiration.”  It will always remind me of the day it was planted on my 70th birthday.

After Brooke left…Who showed up unexpectedly? ….Michael Salvo, my wonderful firefighter/ lawn maintenance extraordinare to make my garden and grass glow. He  immediately said he would be glad to  plant the camellia bush for me…’Ask and you shall receive.‘ *Thank you Michael for always going the extra mile for me.’

Anne went to the letter “M” for her  fall favorite words and here is what she came up with:

Maine foliage, Moose, Mother Nature, Moon Pies (love them!) Monarchs, Marvelous weather, Mild humidity, Monsters and Mummys…..:)

I love this first stanza from John O’Donohue’s “For Your Birthday”

Blessed be the mind that dreamed the day
The blueprint of your life
Would begin to glow on earth,
Illuminating all the faces and voices
That would arrive to invite
Your soul to growth. 

*Let me pause right now and thank all of you readers, family, and friends for “inviting my soul to grow” because of your kindness and love.

*Ben also had good news…nothing serious showed up on the tests… a medication change and he was released yesterday and ready to catch up on a lot of lost sleep for the nights in the hospital. A big relief. Thank you for your prayers.

So until tomorrow….

“THE WORLD IS NOW TOO SMALL FOR ANYTHING BUT BROTHERHOOD.” – ARTHUR POWELL DAVIES

Let us always continue to “gather together” and make our world open to new opportunities of friendships.

BOO!

Happy Birthday Jake….best gift ever on our birthday!

Dear Reader:

Well today is finally my “official” birthday…I decided to throw my arms wide open this morning and just accept my big benchmark new decade number with a smile! To be honest…between new chemo treatments and my foot surgery gone array…2018-2019 was nothing to write home about anyway…not one for the memory books.

So 7th decade…bring it on! I have worked hard to get here so I can handle the obstacles of getting older….all I wish for is normalcy….being physically able to be independent… to move, drive, laugh, and love. If I have that….I have everything.

And everything includes my friends….Speaking of …I had the funniest card from Jackson yesterday that brought tears of merriment flowing down my cheeks. Only a lifelong friend would understand how hilarious this reception would be and would send it behind a sneaky grin!

If you ever wonder who loves you, who cares about you, who’s got your back when things get rough, who would do anything in the world for you, who’s there for you, no matter when, no matter what, JUST REMEMBER

WE ALL WONDER THOSE THINGS SOMETIMES!

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂  Jackson…just when you lured me in…just waiting to read…”It’s Me!”…the plot thickened with an unexpected twist…leaving a momentarily pause to the reader, followed by eruptive laughter… while finally sliding out of my recliner!

Actually I love getting cards from Jackson…besides her wonderful satire…her address is Autumn Circle. It is right in there with Rainbow Road for me….two resident names that makes people smile.

In fact…now that I think about it….there are a lot of words in the Autumn season that bring a smile to our faces. I decided to test myself and do the first five letters of the alphabet…thinking of words that belong to fall.

A-Autumn, Apples, Acorns

B- Bonfires, Blue (skies) Bales of hay, Butterflies

C- Clemson, Crisp, Chilly, Colors, Chestnuts

D- Dazzling sunsets, Dabo, decorations

E- Early sunsets, Excitement of hay rides

*Now it is your turn….think of any word that belongs in the Autumn category that makes you smile at the image….I love word games…please share!

My birthday week started off with a bang yesterday…breakfast with neighbors. It gave me the energy to come home and start a little decorating…. Then Gingi stopped by with the most beautiful fall flowers and we just laughed and laughed at any and everything.

I made myself clean off the deck (endless pine cones and pine straw) and decorate with some of my birthday flowers…Brooke is coming today and we will definitely want to hang out on the deck!

So until tomorrow….Enjoy the new cooler mornings that make you want to snuggle and stay in bed just a little longer…such a comfortable sensation.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Prayers please for my brother Ben. He called yesterday to say he was having some tests run on his heart and was spending last night in the hospital so he would be there early this morning to meet with the doctor and go over the results of  all the tests! He is ready to get home after all the battery of tests they put him through yesterday…(which is pretty normal these days.)

I am praying the treatments will be minimal and not require surgeries or on-going treatments for an extended period. We will see what we see, however, and then deal with it. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Dear Reader:

Just as the official fall season arrives this morning…our temperatures are on the climb again…mid-to high 80’s…but they aren’t just stopping there; before the week is out the 90’s might pop back out again. Such is fickle fall in the lowcountry.

I think I will probably pull a few fall decorations out today in commemoration of the long-awaited season…but to be honest it is kinda hard to get in the  seasonal spirit of autumn when it feels like summer…hot, humid summer!

…Still “Google Doodle” (*love the name Doodle) appeared today on the internet welcoming everyone to the first day of fall…too cute!

For the past few days the mornings and evenings have all had a hint of the fall flavor temps in them and hoping this phase will continue…even with the higher afternoon warming trend.

Ah…Jake’s and my birthday weekend was spectacular! As I stared at the annual picture of Jake and me on the hearth…I noticed how long Jake’s legs were draped over mine….time is passing…Jake is lengthening … and Boo is shortening!

Lachlan and Jake held up their five fingers…but actually Lachlan (L) won’t turn five until March…by the size you wouldn’t know it…Jake gets Lachlan’s hand-me-downs (very appreciatively! 🙂 Lachlan loved the dinosaur pet he picked out for Jake.

Aunts, Uncles…and lots of loving cousins all gathered for the birthdays.  Family gene pools produce cousins that looks like siblings…as in Eva Cate and Lachlan….and cute little Eloise and Jake have the same big blue eyes.

Aunt Doodle and Aunt Lassie brought the top two favorite toys…a transporter and a train…Both toys were kept busy, being played with, all afternoon and… evening for the babysitter. John solves the new basketball platform dilemma…two birds with one stone.

The tooth fairy has arrived at Rutledge’s house! A lot of loving going on with Atticus and Pip!

With a breakfast brunch…the candle was blown out on a chocolate donut. With all the presents the children still love playing with the dogs the best.

Kaitlyn got the train tracks put together and Jake (like his sister and  cousins) loves Tommy and Kaitlyn’s dogs.

John, Mandy, and myself all managed to sneak a short nap ( taking turns in intervals) in preparation for the adults’s dinner party at The Oak Steak House Saturday evening. (Delicious!!!!!!!!!!) We had the best waiter who really made the night special for a benchmark birthday!

And then came the gift…the most precious gift of all….A photo album book of my entire family! These were selected pictures from Mollie’s talented photographer friend (Sarah) taken back in August.

Happiness is….! I have already looked at the pictures over and over and over again and no doubt will look at them a couple of hundred thousand times  more. I love them so! Thank you Mollie for pulling this all together…not an easy task!

Kaitlyn shared with me one photo that didn’t make the book but it is probably the most “honest” shot of all…no posing. Rutledge is looking to the left, Eva Cate to the right, Jake- upward, Lachlan is glaring straight at the camera..and baby Eloise is screaming…I am “shooing” …now that is a true “Boo moment” with the grandchildren!

Will share some more family photos later…but wanted you to have a laugh or two today.

So until tomorrow….Let’s all smile that Fall has fallen…whether you are “feeling” it or not yet. It is the smells, sounds, and tastes that make fall…burning leaves, smores, campfires, football shouts and cheers, hot popcorn, and caramel apples.  It is the most popular season world-wide and one to be held in highest gratitude for beauty beyond comparison. The temperatures dip and we all sip… on hot chocolate and/or apple cider!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Fall actually falls on Rhodes’ birthday… today- September 23…Rhodes turns 3! I think we should name Rhodes… “King Rhodes of the Fallen Leaves.” This is a wonderful time for Lee and Vikki…sixth anniversary and third birthday for Rhodes…Fall is magical!

Dear Reader:

Friday afternoon I had a call from Anne after she had finished fiddling with both of her bands…one at the Veterans Victory House  and one at Round ‘O...it had been a busy weekend.

 Anne had just started reading all the observations in Friday’s post about our upcoming trip and she teasingly “warned” me to remember that we are not going to Maine…we are going “Down East.”

“Down East?” I asked puzzled…”Don’t you mean at least “Up  Down East?” “Actually Upper Upper Down East?”  Anne started laughing.

“It is an historical colloquial expression and one you ‘best’ try on before we go.” Being a social studies teacher…I knew there had to be some history behind it and I was so right. So, just in case…you don’t know why and how Maine came to be called “Down East”…read on.

“Downeast or Down East” Maine

The term “Down East” or “Downeast” is most often defined in Maine as the eastern coastal region of the State that covers Washington County and Hancock County beginning in Ellsworth and stretching to the East all the way to the Maritime Provinces. The city of Ellsworth is referred to as the “Gateway to the Downeast and Acadia Region of Maine” which includes Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park.

During the late 1700’s and throughout the 1800’s, sailors used their schooners to haul goods to and from the coast of New England. While moving in a northeasterly direction, especially during the warmer months, a strong wind would often be at their backs pushing them along.

This was moving “downwind” in the direction that the prevailing wind was blowing. Since the sailors and their ships were also moving in an easterly direction, one can understand how the two terms “down” and “east” would have been combined or even merged together as an expression of a direction to be traveling in that was common.

The expression evolved further to also mean a geographical area which, in those times, referred to New England in general. Many ships moved up and down the eastern seaboard for commerce and travel. During the 1800’s, Bangor, Maine was known as the“ logging capital of the world.” In 1828, there was a published reference to a person from the northeast as a down-easter .

Downeast Accent: Even to longtime Mainers, the Down East Accent is unique and easily recognized. The most notable one is the way “r’s” are dropped in pronunciations. An example is with Bar Harbor. It becomes “Bah Ha-bah”. Or, Car becomes “Cah.” There are so many examples. An expression that has seemed to have gone national is “Wicked Good!“ But, lets not forget “Ayuh!”

In short, both “Down East” and “Downeast” are used interchangeably in Maine. The State of Maine refers to the Downeast and Acadia Region whereas the State’s most well known publication is Down East Magazine. Go figure.

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No matter…I am SO READY to go Downeast! 🙂

The Jake/Boo  birthday party was yesterday and fabulous…I am returning home today and will catch you up on all the fun tomorrow. The best birthday EVER!!!!! (You will see why!)

* I just had to share this birthday card (from Joan Turner with you readers)… and with Eva Cate since she still loves unicorns …Like Joan wrote…”Well at least now we know why we no longer have unicorns!”

(This has been a “why” question from Eva Cate for a long time and now grandmother “Be-Be” has solved it! Too cute! Inside the card a verse said “Don’t miss out on all the birthday fun today” and believe me I didn’t.

So until tomorrow…I will soon pull a magical trip by heading “down east” to locate the tip top of northeast. It is all done with the “sleight of hand” or perhaps “sleight of direction.” But thank you Father for this opportunity to see more of Your beautiful Creation.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh