Spatter

Friday Fact - A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time..

That's the universally familiar opening to a fairy tale, a particularly timely subject given my Alice In Wonderland-like transfiguration this week from  Virginian to Floridian.

Fairy tales are stories that speak to the universal human condition and the issues going on in everyday life. All of them do this by using make believe characters like fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals to tell their story. 

Our best known fairy tales originated from folk tales of 17th century France and 19th century Germany, but fairy tales actually have ancient roots and were throughout most of history, primarily women's turf - told and passed down for generations by mothers and grandmothers to make their otherwise unheard opinions known.

They were originally composed for adults and often addressed societal attitudes towards topics deemed unspeakable in open society such as: the double-standards of the times; arranged marriages; ideas on justice and love; and the false glory of war. The tales also were used to revealed the authors' ideas on correct manners.

And it was a woman, Madame d'Aulnoy,  who first coined the term "fairy tale" in 17th century France.  

 

The motifs of hate and love...poverty and wealth...ugliness and beauty... hardship and happiness...appear in the fairy tales of all cultures.  Interestingly, different and distant countries often tell the same story.  For example, Egypt, Iceland, China, England, Korea, Siberia, France and Vietnam all have "Cinderella" stories. In fact, there may a thousand versions of the Cinderella story, each with a unique telling based on the time and place it is told. But one thing is for sure, people everywhere like stories in which truth prevails over deception, generosity is ultimately rewarded, hard work overcomes obstacles, and love, mercy and kindness are the greatest powers of all.

And that's a Friday Fact!

 

On The Road

As per our plan, we made it to Jacksonville Wednesday to spend the night. Now just five 5 hours to get to Ft. Lauderdale.

It was a beautiful day to drive but that made it harder to leave Floyd.  It's not completely hit me yet...my leaving Floyd and my landing in south Florida.  On the one hand, I'm going to miss the way of life in Floyd and at Blackberry Ridge.  On the other hand...my mind's started to turn to old friends in Florida and how good it'll be to see them again.

I'm feeling a bit schizophrenic...but like always, when I awake tomorrow, I'll get up, adapt, and go about living where I am. 

 

 

A New Way In

After almost four years of walking on loose laid stepping stones leading to our door, we finally have a new front path.  Here's the old stones.

The new path's creation actually started more than a week ago, but due to "circumstances beyond our control", it just got finished today.  Not a day too soon considering we leave tomorrow!

To refresh memories, we had looked at both loose flagstone and stamped concrete.  We decided to go with the stamped concrete.  In the long haul, it's more easily maintained, and that's important to us old broads!   

It was quite a process to watch. First came excavation and shaping a form. Then came pouring and smoothing of the concrete.

 

So far, it's just like building a sidewalk.  But then...a colored dust is thrown down. We chose Mesa Buff.

Then the pattern is stamped in.  The lines are deeper and the surface more uneven than stenciled concrete.

Dust of the top color is put in the stamps and applied.  We chose Platinum Gray.  You can sort of see in the photo above how the buff is getting covered with the gray. By the end, all you can see is the gray. 

In case you're wondering, we switched from the irregular stone shape stamp to this one.  It turns out the irregular shapes were too regular and it made it  look like it was trying to be something it wasn't. 

This sits overnight to set, and then the next day it's power washed.  Because of the weather, this step turned out to take longer for us.

You can see the buff color reappearing after the power washing. A hint of gray is all that remains...just enough to make for the appearance of shadow and imperfection.

Finally, an anti-slip sealer is put on...then later, re-applied.  Oila!

It got done just in the nick of time: today...the day before our departure.  In fact, by the time you read this, we'll be on the road. 

Next spring, the path will be complimented by some shrubs, grasses and vines.  But that's for another post at another time.

 

Wordless Wednesday

                                 

                            "Earth House Window"
                             From the "B&W" gallery @bydamanti

                             For more Wordless Wednesday pictures, click here.

A Last Impression

The weather was blustery and wet as I made my way home from an unexpected trip to Christiansburg. It was dramatic both in look and feel...made more so by the classical music playing on the radio. It was fitting to have it as a last impression before leaving. 

Gray sky with low clouds
Last leaves fluttering off trees.
Cello concerto.

Fortunate One

There are those who have the good fortune to be fortunate.  I'm one of them. I'm wealthy with it. I don't know why. I'm no more deserving than the next person.  All I know is that I am and it's made all the difference.

My fortune isn't monetary wealth, though I'm by no means poor.  And my fortune isn't fame. My fortune is that I land on my feet.  I've landed on my feet so many times I can't count them.  Some of those times bring a smile...some scare me to think about, even today...but all of them have shaped my life.  And they'll continue to since the choices I have yet to make will call upon what I believe to be true: I'll be OK.

I become still with appreciation. I consider it  a major asset on my balance sheet.

Fortune is measured
By what's important to us.
Wealth has many forms.

More "fortune" can be found at Weekend Wordsmith.

 

The Shadows In Us

It's funny how pliable our mood can be.  I started the day rather perky.  The air was crisp and the blue sky was swept with cirrus clouds.  I felt invigorated. 

But as the day progressed, a shadow descended. It had no particular definition or shape. It was just there.  Recent feasts of gratitude  turned into onslaughts of discontent. Amazing. I could see it happening, but by the time I did, I barely cared. I was having an "in-body" experience.

Fortunately, the shadow moved on...I think by bedtime, but certainly now...and I'm left with trying to figure out why it showed itself.  My shadow's had a pretty low profile of late and its coming was unexpected and seemingly unwarranted. 

Days gone by
have gone so fast
that they've reached today.
But gone they are
and so am I
from so many of the shadows
I placed myself in.

What caused it to waken and surface?  Could it have been our trip to town? It was likely to be the last time this year and I recall thinking how surreal it felt to know I'd be in Florida by weeks end. Plop. Was it this moment of reality?   Or was it something on the radio or a fleeting thought or sight that stirred it? 

Perhaps one of these.  Perhaps none of them.

The truth is that like it or not, our shadows are part of us: coming and going and coming and going in waves...the speeds and lengths of which differ with time and place. They just come with the "package" of being human.  There doesn't have to be a particular trigger. And the fact of the matter is we can't completely control them. The best we can do is get acquainted...even embrace them as part of ourselves so that when they do perk up we can recognize their nature.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognized And Recognizing

It always feels good to be recognized. It gives us confirmation. I know...we do well to take care of this need on our own, but it never hurts to get some strokes from another. When someone else recognizes you, it feels good...and it matters. 

It need not be formal. It can come as simply as a nod or a look in the eye from a loved one or even, from a stranger. It's like Neil Diamond's "I Am I Said" only it's "I Am YOU Said".

Recently, Susan at Patchwork Reflections recognized me with a Community Blogger Award.                   

Its an award that celebrates "people who reach out and makes the blogger community a better one".  I'm genuinely touched. to think Susan feels that way about me.  She was one of the first readers of Spatter, and she left comments when hardly anyone else was even aware of its existence.  Like my friends who got me going by subscribing to its feed, she "recognized" me.  Over the past few months, we've come to know each other better...albeit in a virtual sort of way...and now, she's recognized me again.   

In gratitude, I want to pay this recognition forward. Many bloggers are deserving. It's obvious from their posts that they're making the blogger community a better one.  But there are three who made a difference to me early on...and still do:

First is Colleen at Loose Leaf Notes. Colleen is, quite simply, my blogging mentor. She immediately embraced and guided me as I ventured into this unknown medium.  She took the time when she didn't have to, and it's through her that many readers have come my way.   

Then, there's Beth at Blue Ridge Blue Collar Girl. Beth's a kindred soul, I think.  She shares my wit and like me, loves to learn. A while ago she reached out to me with the idea of starting Friday Facts.  Now, and mostly thanks to her, several bloggers participate.

And last, but not least is Blue Mountain Mama at Ruminations Of A Country Girl. I feel a quiet connection with Mama.  She reminds me to be conscious about things that matter.  Her gentle, loving nature embraces all.

To these women, and to Susan, I say "thank-you" as part of my time of giving thanks.

The Wind

Oh boy, did the wind howl last night!  It was the wind that comes with fronts you see coming across the map on weather reports. It came right through the pass and then over us on Blackberry Ridge. The more I tried to ignore it, the more I heard it.   

Relentless and strong
The wind howls as it passes -
Going somewhere else.

Come daylight, its ferocity remained.  Now I could see it - in the trees:  Void of their cover trees shiver unresistant to the angry wind.

 

Friday Fact - Forest Air Bathing

 

In Japan, they have a special phrase to describe a relaxing walk in the woods:  "Shinrin-yoku"...loosely translated as forest air bathing. 

We all know that walking amid the trees makes us feel better.  It gives us a peaceful feeling.  But is the peaceful feeling all psychological? It turns out not.  It turns out there's actually something in the air.

A study done in the Sierra Nevadas of California found that there are 120 different chemical compounds in the forest air that gets "absorbed" by our bodies. Only 70 of them, however, could be identified!  Dr. Joan Maloof writes: "We are literally breathing things we don't understand...."

But what we do know is that we physically react to them. Medical researchers in Japan have now shown that breathing the volatile compounds released by trees actually lowers blood pressure, increases saliva, improves glucose levels in diabetic patients, and reduces depression in just a few hours.

And that's a Friday Fact!

You can help the trees by supporting efforts to stop Mountain Top Removal.  For more information, click here.