Thirty-One Things - Home

Home. What is home? That seemed so simple as a child.  A brick, three-bedroom house on Pfeiffer Avenue. It was where my parents slept in one bedroom, my sister and I slept in another, and my brother slept in the bedroom across from the bathroom. It was where I walked to from school at lunchtime to have my mom-made baloney sandwich.  It’s where my dates picked me up and dropped me off (yes, even the guy who picked me up in a hearse). It’s where my mail came from friends I had made at church camp.

But now it is not quite so simple. My parents have died. My sister lives in Houston. My brother is moving to Tennessee. Is Akron still home? I have pondered this as I reflect on the word home. Caleb’s home used to be with me. Now his home is with two other young men with disabilities living in a house in Firestone Park with paid staff who run the group home. Lydia’s home was with her parents but now she lives in Hartville with a home of her own with her boys...about 20 minutes away

Is home a place? Or is it a state of being? What does it mean for one to feel “at home?”

Home is where I am most myself. Home is where I feel most loved. Home is where I feel a sense of belonging. Home contains what I treasure most. Home feels familiar.

Is home still home after loss. Nothing stays the same. Time marches on. Changes break familiarity. Unfamiliarity breeds discomfort and awkwardness. And what you long for and miss cannot be experienced the same again.

Since our honeymoon in Maine, we only vacation in West Virginia. It feels like home. It contains multiple memories among the mountains and hollers, as well as the earth that contains the graves of generations of my relatives. It holds memories of running through the freshly laundered sheets on the clothesline, baths with Zest soap after being grimy and sweaty, the coal burning stove in the living room, the curfew whistle, and trips to Foodland.

Limiting home to a single address is to put the home in a box. Home is where you are your most authentic self, your best self, where things make the most sense. And yet this world is not my home, and I know that eye has not seen nor has ear has not heard the things that God is preparing for me in my final eternal home.

 

Autumn's Entry

Autumn has arrived at the Fabian's...

And how welcome it is...and how fleeting it is.

The sun is lower...the shadows are longer...and the sun is setting sooner and sooner.

I took some time around the garden...and I see that Autumn has arrived.  My zinnias are fading, yet they try to hang on to their color for as long as possible.

Perhaps they are jealous as the mums become the star of the show...

With their pockets full of gold...

And the orange of the pumpkins will outlast them all.

Breathe it all in...embrace the moments...it goes by quickly.

Furry Friends for Day 25

Well, Kim wanted us to try something different this week in Beyond Beyond.

No stills...

           No flowers...

                     No landscapes...

Today it is our furry friends!

I'm biased...it has to be my Arthur.  I took this shot early evening today.  I desaturated the image after some editing in Lightroom and then added a white, feathered vignette.

He FINALLY stopped in one place panting...after trying to herd our boxer, Bruno.  What Bruno has in size and weight, Arthur is low to the ground and can nip those ankles of Bruno.  They are a hoot to watch!

Now, Arthur's favorite place is under our bed.  It's where he sleeps.  It's also where he puts and protects his Milkbone stash.  Bruno sometimes is aloof, even though they get their Milkbones at the same time.  He's looking the other way and off goes Arthur with his and Bruno's bone in his mouth, stashing it under the bed in the middle...and guards it!

And at times...when something is discovered...USUALLY one of my flip flops are missing and I know he has it...he hides under the bed.  He thinks if he can't see me...I can't see him.  But that nose ALWAYS gives him away...

What a joy he is to our household!

Backyard Friday Finds!

I have mentioned in other posts that I have invested more in my garden this year...planting some new perennials.

Today I looked out found that I had two different hibiscus plants blooming.

This lovely pink and white beauty...

and this crimson stunner.

And by the looks of this, there are many more to come!

Summer of Color 2013 - Charcoal and Light Pink

I've been participating in a six-week challenge called Summer of Color 2013: Artist's Choice...

This week is charcoal and pink...

After work, I saw the clouds coming in to cover the sun, eventually bring rain... I love to  take photos of flowers in diffused light at times.  I had no intention of photographing something for the challenge.  Just to take some photos of flowers in my yard.  Especially since I spied the first sunflower of the summer starting to open (you'll see that in another post).

But without intention when I took the original photo, I started playing around with an image...finding just the right quote...that made my heart sing!   It was like a gift.  It is not always easy to keep up faithfully with these photo challenges when one works full-time.  It WAS a gift.

I took the photo and made some minor edits in Lightroom, then sent it to Photoshop Elements for further edits.  I then added a black and white gradient map adjustment layer.  Using the quick selection tool, I selected the flower. I took a soft round brush, 18% opacity, and masked off the flower.  Added a grungy texture from Shadowhouse Creations.  The quote is by Alfred Stieglitz.

Here is the original photo...

Hope you love this unexpected gift as much as I do.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving - Ed's Father's Day

All of Ed's family is at least 6 hours or more away...

His love for me compelled him to move west to Ohio from the Valley Forge area of Pennsylvania...

So texts and phone calls were shared...not the same...and I know it.

But check out his present...bought by the Missus!

Boy was he surprised...temperatures on the hood...several shelves underneath the hood...a burner...a cover...

Ed loves his new grille...but I'm no fool...

Steak...shrimp on the barbie...surf & turf...

He loves the grille...and I love what he makes on the grille...and I love him, the wonderful husband and father he is.

Homebound Today But Had Visitors!!!!

No church or any activities today outside the house that would keep me too far from the bathroom...prep work for a procedure tomorrow afternoon.  (Sorry for the TMI! )

But God is so good...look at all the visitors He brought my way today at our feeders!!!!

There were more, but photo ops weren't as great.

Those who know me well, know how important birds are to me and how God has used them over and over again in my life.  So I know these were directly from His hand.

What amazing gifts...with feathers EVEN!  By the way, the greatest prize was the Carolina Wren. (tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle)  Do you know which one that is????

Days 24 and 25 ~ Gifts Accomplished and Enjoyed

What amazing weather we've been having in Ohio...

Indian Summer...time after work to frolic in the autumn late afternoon sun...

Day 24 ~ Three Gifts Accomplished

My grandson, Noah, came over after school and spent the night...part of Mamaw's job was to help with his homework...before we could play.

As I heard him read, watched him write out spelling words...what a gift to see what he has accomplished.  This time last year, in kindergarten, he was just starting out.  He's grown and matured and learned...a gift of seeing his accomplishments and his hard work!

I had decided to order three canvas prints of three different photographs of mine.  They were a great deal...but I was still unsure how they would look...but took the leap.  Edster hung them up last night in our second bathroom...the combination of our accomplishments were special gifts yesterday, in addiition to Edster's previous work on the painting the bedroom grey, redoing the mirror and fixtures.

Every night when I get home from work...I go into our Master bedroom to get into "comfy clothes."  I have this beautiful golden yellow bedroom with white trim and white crowned molding that Edster remodeled for me (as well as the Master bath)...he is incredible in changing things for me according to my tastes...and what he is able to accomplish is a special gift to me.

Day 25 ~ Three Gifts Enjoyed

My final dahlias of the season enjoyed while sitting outside during the warm, early evening in October.

Enjoying Noah as he explores and finds his own gifts in the kale in the backyard.

Seeing Noah's delight as we celebrate his 7th birthday last night.

Wonderful gifts for which I am not worthy...

Gift of Goldfinches on Labor Day

Labor Day 2012...

Hot, humid, and I was working at the table in the air conditioning...lots of computer work today.  I looked out the sliding glass doors viewing the deck.  The sunflowers that were blazing just a week or so ago,  now had their heads bowed as their golden petals withered in the waning summer on its last holiday.

Rather than mourn my loss, I looked for God's gifts...the mercies we fail to see when we are forced to face change.  And with my camera and my 300mm zoom, I saw.  I saw and captured His faithfulness.  My heart repeated Jesus' words in Matthew 6:26 once again, "Look at the birds..."  (If you have read earlier posts, you know that birds hold a special place with me...)

 
These winged marvels reminded me of God's provision and care...how His timing is always perfect (never early/never late)...and how He makes all things beautiful in His time.

These sunflowers were not purposefully planted...they were volunteers from bird feeders filled until early summer.  God wastes nothing.  And uses all for our good.

I finished up  my coursework on the computer...but most of the day I was mesmerized by the gift of the Goldfinches that God sent my way.

With gratitude,