Silent Sermon Sunday

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Is Grateful For Her Eyes

Silent Sermon Sunday

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings In My Yard...

I'm sure you've heard the sentiment, "A butterfly flaps its wings somewhere and the wind changes, and a warm front hits a cold front off the coast of western Africa and before you know it you've got a hurricane closing in."  It's a way to explain Chaos Theory which basically goes to teach that for every action we take good or bad, it impacts something, somewhere down the line in ways that we can't predict or even imagine.  For me, it's a good reason to sit still and do absolutely nothing for the rest of my life because, well, who needs that kind of power or lack of control?!  

However, since I've decided to create this blog post, I'm sure that my decision will impact events in ways I didn't envision, so I may as well continue.  You may want to get out your storm gear just in case.

At the very edge of my property runs what is left of the driveway that lead to the tiny farm house that was home to the people who owned the farm this development now rests on.  It was tucked up in a canopy of over-growth and trees.  You could tell it was once loved as day lilies still bloomed close to the foundation.  By the time the developer bought this 50+ acres, it didn't much resemble a farm and the house was falling to ruin.  We all hoped the small house could be saved, but it would have cost way too much to reclaim it.

All that is left of the original owners is the long driveway and some of the huge pines edging it.  It's taken me awhile to get used to the notion that I have a driveway as the last few feet of my property, but it has come in handy when we need to get mulch or other things to the backyard.  A truck fits down it quite well.

Over time, the concrete has broken up and fallen apart further along the drive, but up at our end the first four home owners still have concrete. It's become wild and overgrown as the years have gone on. While we have our grass cut as part of our monthly dues, wild areas are left to the homeowners to manage as part of their property. We aren't a condo association with all the exterior being common ground.  We each own our quarter-acre property as well as the house that sits on it.

Our home owners association, envisioned ours to be a 'no fence' community, at least for the patio homes.  This means that we all have the freedom to do what we wish when it comes to gardening.  We liked the idea that one would see a continuous vista of green open space with the Laurel Highlands as the back drop.  It's one of the best views I've ever been blessed with as a home owner.

It's actually worked out very nicely.  We all collaborate with each other about plants and flower beds and other things we wish to do so that it's become quite a close knit group.  We all benefit from the additions and plants.  It's park-like. We've given an open invitation for our neighbors to feel free to use our fire pit anytime they'd like.  And there's a great deal of chatting back and forth when we're out.  Nice.  Very!

The other day My Lion said, "I'm going to get a quote to have the landscaper clean out the back.  I want to be able to get a vehicle down there again.  And, we have to keep it cleaned out so that the gas utility people can get to the gas line for service.  Can you talk with the neighbors to see if they want to participate?"

To be honest, over the ten years we've lived here, it had become a real mess.  My neighbor Theresa and I especially dumped our yard waste down there.  I mean, what are you going to do with all the cut back?  The trash company won't take it to the landfill and we don't have a recycling spot that will accept it so it seemed an easy solution.

It turned out it wasn't our best idea.  Why?  Because as it got more and more filled with yard debris and grass clippings, it's become a bridge from the farm directly behind us to our yards for ground hogs and snakes and you name it.  And, as it became more overgrown, we've had lots of incidences of neighborhood kids using it for whatever nefarious deeds young people are want to do. The last straw was finding what turned out to be my neighbor's stuff strewn about and picked over after her car was broken into and well, enough was enough.

I talked with my neighbors on either side.  Theresa immediately said she agreed and would contribute.  My neighbors on the other side said they'd have to think about it.  The neighbor on the other side of them said, "No, I'll have my guy take care of it like he does twice a year.  Thanks."

Last Friday, the landscaper came with a small bobcat and they got to work to cut back the trees and brush and weed-wacked till it was down to the low point.  The bobcat was used to shorten how many hours he'd have to charge to have them remove the debris by hand.  It was either pay for the equipment rental or pay them per hour for clean-up.  We went with the equipment option which was actually a bit cheaper and I am certain they all breathed a sigh of relief when we did.

In about four hours time they had it returned to the way it looked when we moved in- in fact better! Perfectly cleaned out and down to the original cement drive.  Now we have a natural fire break and the critters will possibly think twice before sauntering over to our yards.  I hope.  Theresa was pleased with the job.  We were completely pleased with the job.  Michael told the three neighbors what the job cost and asked them to contribute what they feel it is worth to them.  In case you're curious, the job cost $1500.  He says, "Regardless if they want to contribute, the job had to be done so I did it."

Now, $1500 is a pretty big price tag and we're totally hoping that the neighbors will kick in, but if they don't we still feel we what was best for our property and for the good of the community.  So, I bet you're wondering why I started out this post with the whole Chaos Theory bit, aren't you?  I'll get to that now.

While the job was being done my neighbor, with whom we've been very friendly and who declined to be part of the job, rings the door bell.  I step out, big smile on my face because I'm always glad to see him and get totally bushwacked.  Totally.  He starts out by saying he's very upset and when I ask why he continues, "I thought we were friends!  And yet, without telling me that you're having equipment brought in and severely changing the grade of that back property, you just go and do it. I've called my attorney and if you cause a ponding, standing water issue for me, well, you're going to have to deal with my attorney."

Shocked, I answered, "I did call you and tell you we were going to have it cleaned out.  I offered you to be part of it if you wanted to have the brush and grass hauled away.  I know you have it weed-wacked twice a year but if you wanted the build-up removed, you could have done it!"

He went on to say we'd severely changed the grade and since he sits at the lowest point on the run, he'll have major issues.  I tried to tell him that we couldn't change the grade because the cement is already there.  He refused to believe me saying that cement only remained at the very top of the drive. I countered that he was incorrect.  Asked if he wanted to go back and look and he refused.

His parting words to me were, "I'm just really disappointed.  I thought we were friends and friends don't cause problems for friends." When he drove away I simply stood there.  Totally caught off-guard.

He's not spoken with us since.  My Lion says, "Once someone threatens me with their attorney, all conversation on my end stops.  I won't get involved with a treat. We have the pictures and a video that the landscapers shot that shows he already has a problem with standing water back there.  That's how they determined how far to go with the clean up."

Sigh.  SIGH.  MAJOR SIGH! Yes, I suppose this is one of those times when No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.  But, I have to say I am totally perplexed.  How can our decision to do what's right for our home and the homes immediately surrounding us, willing to absorb the total cost, be anything but a good thing?

How can a butterfly flapping its wings in my yard cause a total shite-storm Tsunami for our neighbor two houses away?!?  Can anyone explain that to me?  It seems Chaos Theory applies to people as well as our Universe, I suppose.

And, it turns out that Chaos Theory is correct; I never saw that one coming...

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka The Tsunami Starter

Silent Sermon Sunday

This week, may you have the opportunity
to be reminded just how large and grand 

our Earth is,
And do your part to respect and support Her.

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly
Photo taken by My Annie's friend, Kari, on their recent trip to the Bahamas to study the coral reefs~

Silent Sermon Sunday

This week,

May you know that

Each new day holds

potential.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka She Who Hopes

Silent Sermon Sunday

Life transpires in the gray places

between the absolutes of black and white.

If you seek certainty,

give love.

If you wish peace,

find it in the conversation, the communion,

with the God/Goddess of your understanding.

And remember that you are the Face of God in the 

misty gray.  

So smile often and kindly.

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly

Image from the Internet: Stotebury, WV~ St. John the Baptist Church by Victoria Bowden

Silent Sermon Sunday

Dundyvan church, Scotland

Spend time in the sacred space where

the God of Man

and

the God of Nature

Meet.

Namaste' Till Next Time,

Holly

photo by Mark Leslie   

My Little Eye Spys Something...

I am so grateful for my little camera...it makes it possible for me to capture images and remember things the way my eye sees them. Maybe not the way a good photographer would capture things for you to enjoy. But, I have my own fun.

I thought you might like to see a couple more pictures of our days at Lake Erie. Make sure you click on the picture so it gets big and you can enjoy the detail.

I love Fiona's ears...especially when she is surveying her domain and is on high alert. In the evening after a busy day, her left ear falls over. I guess it takes a lot of energy to hold them erect!

My salty sea dog, Rory, really liked those dead fish...

The lake area is already busy rushing head-long toward Autumn...

Some of the locals headed to the beach...

I believe in truth in advertising. I did eat here...and well, short answer is yes.

There are many ethnic neighborhoods and we came across this Russian Orthodox Church high on a hill. They immigrated over in the 1800's and brought their faith with them. Interesting to think that for 70 years it was all but lost during the Communist movement in their home land. This so reminded me of my time in St. Petersburg.

The shore side had many hidden moments that required I find the beauty in the unfamiliar. It was not the ocean. Yes, it was beautiful regardless.

I learned new things...like how during the war of 1812, the men of Erie with Commodore Perry built ships and then sank them in the lake to keep the British from getting them and using them against the Americans. Imagine spending months building something only to sink it to a watery end to wait to be resurrected when needed. Good words to live by: Don't give up the ship!

The Niagara is being renewed. She's a beauty. Coming from Tall Ship territory in Baltimore, I really enjoyed seeing this one being worked on. Lovingly restored...

Some days, the water was glass and the trees still green, but they won't be long. The leaves were beginning to swirl down, down, down...

The wash of the water soothed me...

The sunset thrilled me. Humbled me. Made me grateful.

Here's to small, meaningful moments for all of us.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Slowly I Turn...Step By Step...Inch By Inch...

"So, I'm thinking," he says, "The weather today isn't that great and we're not that far away from it. How would you like to drive up to see Niagra Falls?" "Oh wow," says I, "I didn't know we were that close to it." "Well, we're about as far a drive to it as we are to Erie from home, so what do you think?"

Absolutely! I've never been. So, into the truck the four of us go. Puppies quickly laying down as they can tell we're going to be awhile. How they know this, I don't know. A couple of hours later, the sun breaks through and we're there walking about with the other tourists seeing an amazing site.

75,000 gallons a second! That's what slams over the falls. The roar of it all but drowns out the sound of talking. People from all over the world, speaking all sorts of languages, linger at the rail standing in awe of the power. You just don't get to see that every day, you know? This is Horse Shoe Falls from the American side. If you click on any of these pictures, it will take you to full size so you can see detail.

We watched as a bunch of visitors got ready to go on the Maid of The Mist as they've done for years and years. The only indicator of current times is that they no longer give you slickers to wear...now they give you a yellow baggie with a hood to drop down over your body. Eww. So not appealing to me. And so not like you see in those great movies from the 30's! I had a blast standing on the edge watching the boat bob closer and closer and then sharply turning.

The Scotties were rock stars and may have been photographed more than the falls! We were asked repeatedly and of course we always agreed. A man from Germany spent a good five minutes capturing them. Children asking to pet them. People stopping to ask about them or share their love of their Scottie with us. I was proud of them as they took it all in stride. Fiona is not much for being touched by those she doesn't know, but she let the children pet her. Rory never met a person he didn't like so he was always up for the lovin'!

The noise may have been a wee bit intense for the dogs...they seemed to be a bit overwhelmed and excited at various stages of our time there. But, as long as 'Dad' was there, nothing too much to worry about.

Michael knows that I didn't have the opportunity to travel much as a child. And, a great many of the touristy things that everyone else takes for granted, I haven't experienced. I love that if he has a chance to show it to me, he does. I wouldn't see these wonderful things if he didn't make them possible. Thank you, so much!

The American falls is impressive, but not as much as I would have been able to see had I been standing just across in Canada. Unfortunately, since it was a spur of the moment thought, Michael and I didn't have our passports so we couldn't cross over to see. Truly, Canada does have a better view of all of the falls so we'll have to go back and do that one day.

What I didn't know is that there are some lovely, less powerful parts to the falls...places and spots of some truly beautiful scenery. Calmer. More quiet. Picturesque.

Stone bridges in the mist to walk across and watch as the waters swirl rapidly in anticipation of the ride over the edge...

Quiet swirling pools where you can take a minute to cool your feet and relax a bit till you trek to the next sight. So long as you're a bird, that is...

And, if you go, don't forget to look down at your feet. It's so easy to get absorbed in the powerful show out in front, that you could miss some pretty nice things, just at the edge of the unknown.

When you go to someplace new, always remember to look up and look down. A word of advice from the new kid.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly

Erie But Beautiful

This hubby of mine. He's the very best. With the season coming to its 'official' close, a short time back, I mentioned that another summer had slipped by without a visit to the ocean. In other words, an incomplete summer, sigh. Especially if you grow up in Baltimore, you just have to go, "downey oshun, Hon!" But, the Atlantic is a far stretch from me these days.

Well, Michael surprised me by setting up a few days away. But, not just any place; he decided we'd go to the next closest body of big water in one day's drive. So, he made plans for us to go to Erie, PA and visit the great Erie Lake.

The whole way up to our adventure, I was wondering if it could even measure up to the Atlantic. I mean, I know they call it a Great Lake, but can a lake even come close to an ocean for majesty and the ability to awe? After all, it's only a lake.

We get there, the four of us, yes four because he further delighted me by making a reservation where Fiona and Rory were welcome, and set out to find the big water. A short drive later, we're parked for a stroll along the edge of the 'lake.'

Can I tell you? The warm wind was blowing white caps across the face, and while they weren't the waves I am used to, the spray off the storm jetties was pretty impressive!

The next day we set off for Presque Isle, which is a long sliver of land that is a state park. It's home to the numerous beaches everyone uses to visit with this Lake. This time of year, the season being over, it's returned to the gulls, wild life and the trees to enjoy. Very few people around meant that we could let Rory & Fiona have some freedom and enjoy the smells and the beach. It was their first time seeing water like this. Intrepid Fiona got in and splashed about, but Rory wasn't at all trusting enough to try. He preferred to investigate the shore line.

Unlike the Atlantic Ocean beaches, where shells abound, this is rock and drift wood and really interesting bits of flotsam that washes up and sits undisturbed. The locals look for sea glass along the edge. Lake Erie is the final resting place of more ship wrecks than all of the Great Lakes, and the sea glass is the remains of the hopes of those on board. Odd, when you consider that you're excited to find a bit of history which marks the watery end of Human Beings.

Occasionally, you'll come across a fish out of water. Poor thing. No reason to throw it back, it's already turned an odd color. Trust me, this was the cutest of the dead fish that made me go, "Eww!" While the same dead thing made Rory go, "Ohhh!" as he investigated them too closely making Michael and me shout simultaneously, "Leave it!!!"

We all sat and watched the lake flat and placid, seeming a sheet of glass. We wondered how vast this body of water is even though it is one of the smallest of those Great Lakes. It fills the horizon and my eyes and mind couldn't tell the difference between this wet horizon and the one I've fondly watched along the Atlantic. Except, this water is not salty like the sea and it was so clear.

Our pack enjoyed some bonding time, just the four of us. Closing our eyes, relaxing. Sniffing the air. Being quiet and hearing the gathered gulls call and challenge each other on the storm breaks.

And at the end of our day, the sun set over the water, which is something beautiful you can't see over the Atlantic Ocean where the sun starts each day.

I'm reminded that this world is full of opportunities to learn new things of beauty and new ways of seeing them. And, while they may not compare with your old haunts, your old stomping grounds, you can still be impressed when you encounter them. You can learn to love something new and look forward to your next encounter with it.

You can expand your sense of wonder as you exclaim, "Damn!," the first time you're awed by the glimpse of a new place and way. It is Erie and beautiful. Thank you Michael, for making it possible to slip away with you- my love, and our Scotties. It was exactly what my spirit needed and even better than I hoped! Like my life, you made my summer complete.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly