A Walk in the Woods

I went for a long walk today. That may sound unremarkable but I will tell you the rest of the story. I have talked about the death of my Mom but 2 weeks before she died I started having chest pains and went to my doctor. I thought it was stress related but after an abnormal EKG and abnormal stress test, I scheduled a cardiac cath for the next day, came home and recieved the call that my Mom died. I felt like a rubber band ready to snap. I went ahead with the cardiac cath and it showed NO blockage and Strong heart. Slowly I am getting myself back to normal and today the cardiologist told me to resume normal activity. So I went for a walk. It was more like a stroll because I took my camera and noticed every little thing. The fat little squirrel who was "squirreling away" nuts, the massive tree trunk that looked like a Dobsonian telescope on it's side, the pretty red berry lying in the dry leaves. And the destruction of the Emerald Ash borer. You can see the tracks they make under the bark. Dan is pointing to the D shaped hole they make to get into the tree. It felt so good to be in the woods. We used the trail at Northwood Nature Trails---a wonderful mile long loop through woods and fields with prettyness at every turn.

Life is going on. Some dear coworkers gave us a gift card for a nursey and we planted an Eastern Redbud in honor of Mom---a tree we both loved. And what can be more life affirming than the birth of a child---my cousin, Stephen and Angela Kinsey welcomed a beautiful new daughter this week--Isabella Grace. So in the wake of sadness, new life emerges.

To plant this tree, we had to pull out a dead magnolia. We struggled and were ready to give up when all of a sudden--there was Matt. He had the stump out in 5 minutes. Ahh, youth!

Ever since I figured out the order of life, I have dreaded the day my Mom would die. Perhaps this was compounded by the fact that she was both mom and dad to us. But this last year, esp. these last months this proud independant woman suffered so much that I was praying for a peaceful end to her suffering. But last nite at the funeral home, she came alive in stories and laughter, pictures and reminiscing and the mom I remembered--my "movie star mom" as my friends called her will always be remembered for her spirit, her smile, her cooking, her heart and her love. I want to thank everyone who made us smile, who shared a story who loved her like my brother Ed and I always have and always will.

Goodnite Irene

My Mom, Irene Kinsey, died yesterday. It wasn't unexpected--in fact, prayers were being said both by her and her family for her suffering to end but still so difficult. Your mother is your greatest fan and nobody knows how to make a difficult day easier than a mom. I will miss her dearly. I love to see old pictures of her and see what a beauty she was. Bye Mom---I will always love you and a day won't go by that I don't think of you or see your smile.

Irene Laverne Toth Kinsey

Born Sept 7, 1921

Died Sept 18, 2008

The Fall Garden

These are the most glorious of days--all the more bittersweet because we know it will soon be ending. Our garden is starting to shut down--but we still have Brussel Sprouts to look forward to and the Fall Blooming Clematis is in full blossom. The Butterfly bush is adding some vibrant color to the side of the house. I must be getting old because I wish it would stay like this until---next summer.

Emerald Ash Borer

This is what is left of the first tree we planted when we moved to our house. We loved it and appreciated the shade it offered--but apparently the Emerald Ash Borer loves it just as much as we did. So sadly, out it came tonite. Wish I had more to write about, but darn, I loved that tree and felt it deserved a mention.

I saw a sign in a shop in Indiana that said Appreciate the Small things---someday they will be the Big Things.

I can't get those simple words out of my mind. Just thought I would share that with you and also this picture I took for our photo contest several months ago. It was taken on a gloomy day on the side of the chicken coop in my Mom's yard. It didn't win the contest but I still love the picture.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

I've been wanting to make a raspberry pie for awhile and FINALLY Ohio raspberries were on sale at the Farmer's Market. I was just a little miffed that our local newspaper was going to charge to obtain the recipe(that was published several months ago) online so I am going to make it available here!
Fresh Raspberry Pie
9-inch Baked Pie Shell
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 TBL cornstarch
1/4 cup raspberry Jello
Bring water, sugar and cornstartch to a boil and stir till thick and transparent. Remove from heat and stir in Jello. Arrange berries in baked pie shell and pour Jello mixture over the top. Garnish with whipped cream. Enjoy and don't worry about the calories. The healthful benefits of the berries will even it out.

Moon through my Demi-Lune Window

I was thinking of how cool it is knowing that this moon is the exact same moon you are seeing(or will be seeing) in Indiana, Virginia, Arizona, California,France,Hungary or wherever you happen to be reading this. And then I thought of the significance of watching the beautiful quarter moon through my demi-lune window(knowing demi-lune is French for half moon).
Happy Weekend to everyone. When you look at the moon tonite, think of me!

What is this Gorgeous Plant??

Does anyone out there know what this plant is. We saw it growing along a riverbank in Indiana. I didn't change anything with the color---these are the actual hues. The neon purple stalks and then the green berries bursting to blue. I have to find out what this is. I have to find some yarn in these shades to make socks!!

Life is Good!

The best times are unplanned. We decided to visit Adam on the spur of the moment and what a great time we had. Sunday he showed us around his lovely area including this historic Chenoweth Bridge. We took the scenic route home along the Maumee and stopped at Providence Metropark to ride our bikes along the Erie Canal Towpath. Our reward of gravelly,bumpy trail riding was this spectacular view from River Bend Metropark and then back again for a wonderful Mojito in Grand Rapids. There is a great restored mill at Providence and also canal boat rides. But if you get away from all that you can see unrestored remnants of the old canal and towpath. I am keeping a small bag packed with essentials and if Dan suggests a trip, all I will have to do is grab my bag, my knitting, a book and meet him in the car!