Tag: travel

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Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens Surprise!

they’re tying the knot!

he proposed – and she said yes!

so many blessings!

The day began like any other, only it wasn’t. A bowl of Raisin Bran with a sliced banana and a cup of coffee, the back-hum of morning news and the coming and going of guests all eating breakfast in a Hampton Inn in Western Kentucky – – and I was among them, looking forward to the big surprise awaiting my daughter at the Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. No, this day was certainly not like any other I’d ever lived.

On August 20, he’d asked for her hand, and I gave my whole-hearted blessing. He’d been there for her on one of the toughest roads of her life. In those moments that held emotional release as I watched them interact in their early days, I saw something different about this young man and the way he’d interacted with my daughter.

First, the love in his eyes. His mother said the same thing: he’s dated before, but I’ve never seen him look at anyone else with such love. Her observation took the words right out of my mouth. Their love for each other is evident. So real you can see it.

Second, the care. I witnessed her tears as she sat at the table searching for a lost item needing to be found, hearing her sniffles at the sense of hopelessness for only a moment before he got up from his chair, rounded the table, took her in his arms, and comforted her in the gentlest way.

I prayed. Lord, please let us find what we need.

Then, in an obscure envelope in the most unlikely place in the box from the attic, it manifested itself like sunlight rising over a crest.

This journey has been one of prayer, one of power seen in the ordinary moments for this couple. And God winked on them – he knows her tender heart, knew it would take a strong and patient man to win her heart and her trust. And the good Lord sent just the right soul mate.

Third, the lighthearted fun and playful side that keeps them laughing – a quick run and boot-bottom slide down the aisle of the store when no one is looking, teasing each other here and there in all the ways that will get them through life without taking it all too seriously to be enjoyed. He asked her what kind of birthday cake she’d wanted, and she jokingly quipped she’d wanted a cake like Aunt Petunia made in one of the Harry Potter movies.

And he made it for her.

And fourth, the commitment. I saw it before, but I saw it in other ways on my visit here on my fall break- the commitment to family, to God, to each other. This family sits down for cooked meals – – talks about what they want to eat, shops for it, slices carrots and mashes four full heads of cauliflower like mashed potatoes and cooks together. Someone makes shortbread and can talk about the balance of sugars and fats and how that’s the science of baking that he knows so well. Another pulls out a special sauce to marinate the chicken for the grill, while one takes it to the flat top for cooking. There is a throng of family present, and they take turns walking and feeding the rescue dogs that are a part of their family. They all pitch in, then they sit down together and thank God for his many blessings. And one takes the plates when everyone is finished, while his mother thanks him. I believe somewhere in the deepest reaches of my heart that they also thank God for their challenges. The mold issue that forced them to gut their home and rebuild it brought a more spacious kitchen – – one where the table is at the heart, filled with chairs for coming together and talking at the end of the day – a place where conversation keeps them connected like the roots of the strongest trees. It keeps them close.

I knew why I gave my blessing, but it wasn’t until I visited and became part of the fabric of this amazing family that I fully understood what she shared on her Facebook post:

I’m thrilled for these two young adults with their lives ahead of them – ready for the living, with a family who loves them – and them, ready to love their own family when they welcome their son into the fold in January. And I was blessed to be a part of their big moment yesterday. This young man knew her mama’s heart needed to be there to celebrate, and he made it happen, holding tight to the ring he’s had waiting for two months now, buying a new jacket with big enough pockets to hide the ring for just the right moment, just the right place, just the right timing.

Steadfast prayers of so many have brought the most beautiful blessings!

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Ready to Greet a New Grandson!

I made the trip Friday night from Georgia to Tennessee, and on Saturday morning from Tennessee to Kentucky. Although it’s a long and tiring trip, especially driving it alone and at night, it has been worth every second for all the joy and excitement! I’m here in Western Kentucky, just a few minutes from Indiana, to celebrate the forthcoming arrival of my new grandson, Silas Haynes Neal. He’s something of a triple miracle ~ his parents overcame their own personal struggles, and then their best choices led them to each other. They found love. They found blessing. They drew two families together to love this little bud on our family tree who will surely have us all wrapped up in his sweetness and charm before long.

Their first dates were picnics and hikes here in Yellow Creek Park, so this is where they chose to be showered with blessing again. I noticed children swinging, playing on the playground, laughing and stealing with delight as I drove into the entrance of this park. What a fitting place – a place holding the history of their own romance and the future of their son’s play. An outdoorsy place that stamps the love of nature and outdoors right into the imprint of his name’s meaning – Silas Haynes Neal (woodland) – and the theme of the nursery – – woodland friends. A place where the grandmothers embraced wearing jeans and woodland colors, keeping the festivities relaxed and simple, focused on others like two Marys in a Martha world. The very things we hope for our grandson.

But we did do a Martha thing or two. The first gift was a knife and cake server set, engraved with his name, to be used from the baby shower to the birthday cakes to the wedding cake and any other cakes throughout his life. There will always be a memory of the grandmothers at celebrations – – grandmothers who, from before his first breath, prayed and hoped for his happy future with much to celebrate, even when we are no longer here to cut the cake.

gift from his grandmas~

a personalized cake knife

engraved with his name

for celebrations

through all of his lifelong years

to know he belongs

a child loved, wanted

here on the family tree

woven into the

personalities,

yarns of who we are, taking

our bloodlines as his

And I hope, truly hope, that his fun side shines through – – that someday, just like his father, he takes the silver elastic band from a gift and puts it on his head and smiles on – because that’s where the joy is found, in being a little silly and not too rigid and serious.

I’ve extended my stay to be able to enjoy more outdoor experiences and beauty of nature with these two today. We’ll visit the Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens and stroll through the pleasant breezes forecast for the day. The leaves are just beginning to change, and the feel of fall is crisp in the air. It’s a perfect day for all the best that life has to offer!

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Exhaustion

exhaustion sets in

unlike little cat feet fog

more like lion paws

I’m exhausted. Fall break begins today, and I’m ready for a rest.

I’ll travel to Kentucky for my daughter’s baby shower and spend time with her the first part of the week, perhaps doing some light hiking in her favorite state park and helping them find things for their new home. Then, I’ll come home and attend a book discussion group on Weyward by Emilie Hart and work on my writing deadlines for the book my writing group has coming out in 2025.

Normally, I don’t count minutes at work. I’m not a clock watcher for any other reason than being on time for meetings and deadlines.

Today is different. I’m ready to give my mind a break and enjoy some cooler temperatures in northern Kentucky. I’m ready to see some leaves changing color and feel the breeze nipping enough to make me zip my jacket.

I’m ready to rest.

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Culvert Kitty Cat

culvert kitty cat

living the dream in the park

…..until chased by dogs

Here’s what happens when dogs go walking in a state park and encounter the feral cats that live in the underground tunneled culvert system along the edges of the roads:

We were out walking the trails in the state park and were on our way back to our campsite when they spotted a cat basking on the side of a ditch. Our dogs were on leashes and are nothing but curious, but I fear for these cats with the wildlife and the dogs not on leashes. We saw several of the cats that people have mentioned seeing in this state park. The cats appear to be well fed and mind their own business, but I worry for them because of extreme weather and extreme people. Ollie wanted to play, but this cat wasn’t having it. I’m a bit worried that if they don’t trap these cats to spay/neuter them, then this park will be covered up in cats within a year’s time.

It seems like the culverts would be the perfect situation for trapping them and getting them fixed. And as much as camping folks seem to love our pets, I would imagine that an appeal for small donations would bring a quick response to pay for the necessary procedures. I do hope that someone is thinking ahead and doing the feral cat math before they take over.

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It all screams fall!

Stone fireplace in the FDRoosevelt State Park Registration Office

crisp feel in the air

decorations, breezes, temps

on the cusp of fall

Even the candles remind us that there is a perfect Autumn Day to be lived.

The candles say it, the decorations declare it, the large stone fireplaces sing out, and it all screams fall. Everywhere I looked, there were signs: wildlife scurrying in a cool-temperature kind of way, people milling about with jackets, and food servers arriving at tables with bowls of soup and chicken pot pie.

There’s nothing like the welcoming in-between seasons of spring and fall for those of us who love the bridges from one phase to the next. The cool-not cold, and the warm-not-hot of the outdoor comforts that allow us to be outdoors in the fresh air, taking in the slight changes that are happening all around ~ these are the best times of all.

The decorations are up in places to welcome the change of seasons.
We like to sit outdoors with coffee and muffins and have a breakfast picnic on the mountain overlooking the valley at F D Roosevelt State Park. Just birdsong and the occasional group of motorcyclists out enjoying the day.

Chicken Pot Pie on the menu at the Country Kitchen at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.
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Tails on Trails Weekend Walks

they love to take walks

to go “tailing on trailing,”

as state parks call it

Fitz, Ollie, and Boo Radley take to the trails and paths of state parks

Our three Schnoodles enjoy taking to the trails. In Georgia, the state parks have a program called Tails on Trails, and you can even get a t-shirt for yourself and your pups to identify yourself as a Tailer-on-Trailer.

Our boys may look all nonchalant about it, but don’t let them fool you. They live for this. Boo Radley could not settle himself down for all the things he was trying to take in, and Fitz had to pee on every upturned leaf and then kick dirt and pine straw up in a confetti nature parade behind him as he scratched off. He and Ollie tried to scale a vertical cliff like they were mountain goats or something.

Come with us for a few moments as we walk. The band of brothers will lead the way.

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inspiration ~

I saw this social media post with a haiku plus 3 syllables, and it inspired me to take action:

Photo taken from a social media post about writing poems

My Response to the Leaf Writer

I did what you said

I found leaves and rocks, penned verse,

left for others to

discover….

We were camping at FD Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia, and the leaves are starting to change. I found an assortment of leaves and rocks and took the advice from the

post.

Mary Oliver verse on a rock

This writing on the rocks makes me think of my time in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn, which has been fiercely and steadily on my mind over the past week. I’ve heard much about Biltmore House, but very little is out there except for a statement that I could find on the Grove Park Inn’s website. Besides the old caged elevator and the mega-sized fireplaces with rocking chairs lined up in front of them, one of my favorite things to do at the Grove Park Inn during my visit there was walking around and reading the quotes from books etched into the rocks in the lobby. Perhaps this rock with its lines of poetry is one small way to keep the city of Asheville and its devout love of the arts close to my heart as they heal.

I do hope that The Grove Park Inn finds a way to temporarily host the National Gingerbread House Contest in November this year to another location if they are unable to have it there – which I’m sure may be next to impossible. My vote is for Atlanta, and I’d love to buy 15 tickets and bring the children and grandchildren!

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Book Talk

August was a month of preparations for the launch of three of the five books that my writing group has written over the past couple of years. Words That Mend: The Transformative Power of Writing Poetry for Teachers, Students, and Community Wellbeing, 90 Ways of Community, and Just YA launched on September 2, and we celebrated the birth of these books via Zoom and Facebook Live a few weeks later.

August was also preparation time for local book events, the first of which was held last night pretty much in the middle of the Upson Lee Homecoming Parade in Thomaston, Georgia on the courthouse square. One week after Hurricane Helene’s blustering of wind and heavy rain that necessitated our one week delay, I arrived on the square two hours ahead of time to seek parking among the throngs of people and the flurry of floats.

Earlier in the day, I’d considered leaving my car parked on the square and getting a ride back, but I’d stopped by Ace Hardware in town looking for a foldable wagon to pull my baskets of books in, even if I ended up having to walk a few blocks. The salesman had one little red wagon left, and he took it to the back, unboxed it, and installed the wheels for me, pulling it right back up to the checkout and wishing me well. (Local small-town shopping is a thing of the past in most places, and I was grateful for his stellar customer service).

Little Red Wagon in my back seat, ready to load up books

The Thomaston Upson Arts Council (TUAC) is an active, thriving group who bring cultural arts and literary events to the forefront of the city of Thomaston. I entered the place I’d been several times before, offering a land honorarium not only for the Native Americans who’d once called it home but also for all people who had ever lived in Thomaston and their stories. This arts council is a model for keeping arts in the spotlight, and I perused the photography exhibit on the walls, spotlighting landscapes of America.

Tomorrow’s blog will feature more of the actual book talk now that the stage of place and arrival has been set. Today, I stand back and take in the whirlwind of life: returning to normal after a storm, traffic, a friendly Ace salesman pulling a little red wagon to me and wishing me well, a passing parade with spectators and a line of Homecoming Court high schoolers waving from the backs of convertibles, the tops of cars, and the beds of trucks. All of this feels like the twirling leaves of fall descending upon us as we think of the cozier days ahead – – hopefully, filled with mugs of cider, cozy blankets, and reading fireside in the early mornings.

Autumn Change Nonet

the time of the fall of leaves has come

twirling, spinning, lining the curbs

pops of orange, red, yellow

decorating the town

crunching under foot

heralding change

as summer

packs its

bags

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Open Write September Day 2

Dave Wooley is our host for Day 2 of the September Open Write at http://www.ethicalela.com, inviting us to write poems today about mirrors. Come write with us or read our poems.

Join us today for our book launch party, too! September 22, 2024 – we are having an Online Publication Party to celebrate this bounteous time in our poetry community. Please join us for a live event on Zoom/YouTube at 12 PM PST/2 PM CST/3PM EST and bring friends with you…we are going to celebrate! 

Mirrors

mirrors
of life
in art

Picasso
exhibit
in Nashville
with my
daughter

we sat
admiring
wondering
taking it
all in

then my
birthday~
she sent
blank journals
with
Picasso art
covers
fronts and backs

mirrors

mirrors
of life
these words

conversations
with Fran
we chatted
on writing
on family
on pens
and pencils

then a
Ticonderoga
Noir
Holographic
Hexagon
flat sections

mirrors