Gift's from Serenity Pond

I love the title of this blog. It was an inspiration from one of my Mother's writings. You see that is what she called the pond outside of her log cabin home that she shared with her husband for many years. It was her place for inspiration. A place she loved to be , where she could watch the deer walk in front of their large sunroom windows. And on occasion, there was a bear in the woods that kept company with the woodchucks, beavers, squirrels and various other wildlife.

I remember when she first moved out to the country. I was coming home from a business trip and she picked me up from the airport and we drove straight to her new home. We drove and kept driving. The roads were dark , no streetlights to be had. And I said "Mom, where are we going?, are you serious about this? Really?"

And then we pull off the main road into some woods, down a dirt and gravel road and she pulls up in front of this very small log cabin home. And it was dark! I got out of the car , awe struck at what I saw. I thought she was messing with me. But she wasn't!

We proceeded to walk into this one bedroom , ranch type , very small log cabin. And my "room" was a pull out couch. We settled in for the night and I slept pretty soundly, perhaps it was the fresh air that did it, who knows. For whatever reason, perhaps it was all the animals talking outside as they were greeting the dawn of the new day, I awoke pretty early.

My Mother and her husband were sleeping, so I thought I would take a shower and make some coffee. I went to turn on the shower - no water? What? Mmm.. ok.. so I proceeded to go make some coffee thinking that perhaps there was trick to the shower and my Mother would share that with me when she awoke.

I turned the kitchen faucet and no water - Mmmm..what is going on? Well, this will never do. I needed my shower and my coffee!

My Mother awoke shortly afterwards, hearing me gather my things to go home. I needed to go back to civilization and get a hot shower and steaming hot cup of really good coffee!

What are you doing she asked as she saw that I was preparing my bag. I am going home, this rustic living or whatever this is, is definitely not for me! There is no running water for my shower and no water for coffee!

"Oh , we must of had a storm or power outage or something" " Jim, can get the stored bottles of water we gathered in the plastic pop containers and heat a kettle on the grill. I looked at her in disbelief! "Really?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal" she said very calmly. And my reply was "Mom , why do you want to live out here?, there is no mall within miles, no restaurants, no anything except animals talking night and day out there!"

My Mother laughed and shook her head. Inside her mind, she knew that her family would come to enjoy this gift of nature , that she and her second husband purchased.

Little did I know or the rest of my family know, what memories would be created at Serenity Pond.

From that  moment forward, Serenity Pond would be the place her grandchildren learned to fish, where bonfires happened after a day in the woods gathering berries , little children off on their own with their brothers and sisters, with no fears of safety , where wildflowers grew and lilypads drifted in the water.

This would be a place where my Mother wrote some of her finest work, inspired by nature and a place where she taught her family the gifts of Mother Earth, togetherness, peacefulness and where she created Christmas in the Woods.

Serenity Pond.

Thank you Mom, for the Gift's from Serenity Pond.

Kim (and all of your children and grandchildren)

The Transition from Summer to Autumn, Flowers on My Walk

I have been caring for a dear friend who is recovering from hip surgery at my house for the last week or so. He is a wonderful man and I am grateful he has given me this opportunity to serve him and help him through this time. It has certainly shaken up my routine and given me a greater understanding of what it's like to have a spouse go through a medical procedure and being totally responsible for their every need.

So, the other day, I felt so cooped up , I knew I needed to get out and be with nature. My body felt a yearning to be connected to the beautiful trees and gardens. I started my walking journey in my little neighborhood, so quiet and filled with majestic, bold, strong maple trees and as I soldiered onward, I grew closer to street noise - yuk. Working from home now, I have grown fond of quietness and serenity.  I walked on with a destination in mind. There is a neighborhood with incredibly beautiful homes close by that is tucked away in a cul-de-sac. I saw deer there once, silently grazing without a care in the world. I wanted to see if I could connect with them and take myself away from the world of responsibility if only for a brief hour. It was a spot close to home  yet I knew I could lose myself in that quiet corner for just a brief time.

 As I walked down the street, cars zooming by, I tried to focus my energies towards the plants in the front gardens of neighboring houses. I stopped on a stone bench to watch the squirrels frolick in the leaves, in search of acorns to store away for the winter. They just went along their business, doing what they do. I thought to myself - what is that like? Not having a mind that swirls with ten different things all at once? What is it like to do just what you are meant to do? And just go with the flow of the natural order of things? Part of me yearned for that level of peace. I focused my energies toward connecting with the animals and zone out the traffic right in front of me. The squirrels stopped and looked at me, apparently I didn't pose a threat to them. And they went about their business of doing what they do.

I sauntered onward. It was a warm day, although it was officially Autumn on the calendar and a bit overcast. Suddenly, I was stuck by this front garden that still had summer flowers blooming as well as Fall chrysanthemums. There were snapdragons! One of my most favorites when I started learning about gardening. They were orange/purple - beautiful, vibrant! fun! I stood for a minute admiring them and smiling. They made me happy to be near them. 

I made it to my destination and felt like Mary Lenox - walking into her secret garden. In fact, I was reminded of England as I walked through the entryway of the street. I continued toward the end of the circle, in hopes of meeting the deer. I waited. No, they did not appear.But I did get to see the fun Fall and Halloween decorations that dotted the majestic homes and the piles of leaves that formed pathways to people front porches. I wanted to sit on one of their porches and just let the world go by. 

It was so quiet , as if it was a world away. 

I let myself close my eyes and soak in the sound of the wind in the trees and the rustle of little squirrel feet. I waited to let nature call to me.  I let time slip away if only for a little while.

As I walked back toward home, I noticed a man standing in front of that same front yard garden where I spotted the orange/purple snapdragons. I approached him and engaged him in conversation about the transition of the gardens from Summer to Fall. He was smiling stating that he was taking one last look before he drove to Florida. He smiled, admiring the flowers. He told me that he didn't have much to do with tending this garden, his friend Linda did most of the work, however he did help a bit - but he always loved the result.  

We chatted about each flower and bush that was planted and I thanked him for his gift to those of us who walk by each day. He smiled. And I bid him farewell as I journeyed on.

I shot some other photos as I made my home - a rose bush, with its last blooms , promising to always return next year with all it's glory and a beautiful burgundy/purple plant in pot that a neighbor had put out in some random space in her garden. The contrast of the burgundy against the white pot struck my eye.

Carrying little gifts from nature on my phone camera, I felt like I took a piece of nature  to keep with me always.  I understand what Monet saw as he painted!

I made my way home with my treasures, thanking the Universe for giving me these gifts.

Enjoy the pictures of the Flowers I found on my walk.

Kimberley