Friday 55 - Ordinary Weeks

Big week- my daughter's birthday,
discovered six- word stories,
mountain snow fell and
our town lit its Christmas tree
in the main square.

Every week is like this-
ordinary things, newly
discovered, light my world.
Ordinary weeks, well lived,
bring light to our world.

Have an ordinary weekend,
live it well, bring even more light.

This is a Friday 55 for the G-Man. Check him out- join the fun.

Combing Olive Trees Branch by Branch

Fall brings  a favorite opportunity in our olive rich area - harvesting olives the old fashioned way by combing branch after branch of our friend's olive trees. She has few enough trees to do it this way rather than the more mechanized version used by larger places. What a wonderful way to spend a day with friends.

My friend Sheila's trees were laden this year, ready to be swept into the nets below. Yesterday was in the high 60's with intermittent sun, the three dogs were bounding around begging someone to throw a stick for them to fetch and six of us were eager to engage in the ancient, almost meditative practice of harvesting olives.

A view from the olive grove located about 40 minutes from my house and closer to the mountains.

Sheila prepared a delicious, home cooked feast for the workers. We ate, chatted and shared snippets of our lives in Italy, rich with new-for-us experiences that endear us to this land, this place.

After pressing, each couple's reward is five liters of olive oil. I'm sure it enhances the heart benefits of olive oil to have combed the trees branch by branch and harvested the olives with our own hands.

Sheila has a couple of trees with eating olives rather than those meant to be crushed for oil. The green olives from Abruzzo, our area of Italy, are scrumptious and rated highly nationally.

Olive oil is used in products as well. Soap, of course, but also shampoo, body wash and lotion. My skin and hair love them.

It's hard to overestimate the value of slow, simple, earth based activities further connecting me to all that is- the trees, the sun, the earth, fresh air, fresh food, friends, easy banter, play with a dog, being a part of the cycle of that which feeds me. I'm grateful.

Back Home

I arrived home with my Honey after a long diversion from Ohio to Boston through Toronto to Rome. It was difficult to sleep with images of superstorm Sandy vivid in my mind but, other than that, all is well. We arrived to temps in the low 70's and bright sun turning to a sky full of clouds catching sunset colors this evening. It feels so good to be home, in my own comfortable apartment, greeted warmly by my neighbors, checked up on by friends on the phone. Clothes are unpacked, the first load of wash is in, my Honey made a simple but delicious dinner, the photos are downloaded awaiting editing and we took time out to sip a drink together on the balcony watching the sunset. Ahh, life is good, I'm grateful. I pray for those without simple creature comforts tonight that they may know them again soon for they sustain us.

While I was gone, the bougainvillea flowered:

The coleus filled out:

This sky greeted us:

And turned into a Monet painting as the sun set:

The inconvenience of two days delay in our return home seems slight indeed.

Sun Tea with Mint

To continue under the category of simple pleasures, I've been brewing sun tea in jars and adding fresh mint to it.

It's easy: fill the jar with cold water and add tea of your choice. I make mine with 5 black tea bags,  3 fruit tea bags and a good handful of fresh cut mint. My husband uses 6 green tea bags, 2 fruit tea bags and a handful of mint.

Then, simply sit it in the sun for a couple to a few hours.

Next, remove all the bags and mint (they can go into the compost) and refrigerate.

To serve, add a slice of lemon, a sprig of mint, some sugar or honey, or nothing at all. It's a delicious and refreshing drink for spring and summer. Enjoy!

Do you have any favorite variations?

Friday Photo

This plant grows outside my office window. It had rain drops on it yesterday glistening in the sun. I think she's very beautiful.

"One tiny spot of beauty..."

Friends, we are traveling together.

Throw off your tiredness. Let me show you

one tiny spot of the beauty that cannot be spoken.

I am like an ant that has gotten into the granary,

ludicrously happy, and trying to lug out

a grain that is way too big.
(Rumi)

I follow Ruth's blog, Rumi Days, which posts a Rumi poem each day. I've come to look forward to the inspiration I find there. I had taken some photos today about the small pleasures gathered on my balcony and this part of a Rumi poem seemed perfect as the lead in.

My balcony is a tiny spot of beauty. I feel happy there. Here's what I'm grateful for today:


Roses from my rose bush. It was a gift from my neighbor. It continues to give beauty and lovely scent.



Geraniums and begonias in pink, red, coral,
blooming boldly in the warm Italian sun.

Strawberries,

sweet and red,

delicious

on my cereal.








Tomatoes growing on the plant that was barely 6 inches high when I planted it. I went away for a week and they were just marble sized beginners. When I watered them today, I was surprised how they've grown and how many there are.


If you can't tell, growing my own veggies is entirely new and such a kick for me!





The soft evening light on my current favorite view from the balcony.

It's an ancient stone house on a hill surrounded by fields, vineyards, olive groves.

This vista fills me with peace.




Thanks for letting me show you my tiny spot of beauty. I hope it brings you happiness as well.

Make Breakfast Beautiful

I don't usually think very much about breakfast but it occurred to me today to make breakfast beautiful. Stay conscious. Even eat the same thing, but consciously, with forethought to make it beautiful. So I got out a pretty place mat, put a cut rose in a little vase, mixed our own strawberries with the local ones, fresh squeezed my orange juice (from spring, red oranges) and opened the door to the balcony to enjoy the view. Usually I eat outdoors these days but I wanted to have the lovely crystal candle holders on the table for this meal.

The usual cereal tasted so unusually delicious. The juice and strawberries, so sweet.

Addition: Simple Joy #11

I forgot a very important joy on my list of May 10, which makes it uneven but HAS to be acknowledged none-the-less. Simple joy #11 comes to me courtesy of John, my honey. He travels out of the country regularly for business and do you know what he does for me? He makes meals and leaves them in the fridge. So I was eating one of them the day I composed my list. Plus, his cooking is in itself simple and flavorful using fresh local ingredients and the herbs that we grow on our balcony.

He's the cook for us - a most excellent cook. So when he leaves, he takes care of me by preparing meals ahead of time. He's thoughtful that way, special, and I'm spoiled. I mean, this man goes to cooking classes to become an even better chef and loves going. He reads cook books regularly- orders them online, reads them and gets excited: "What do you think about this?" he asks me. "Doesn't it sound good?" Then he experiments with delicious dishes to expand our already tasty repertoire.

And that's not the end of it. He even likes to shop to buy the food for the dishes he plans. Now that is LOVE. I'm so grateful to be his life partner, best friend and all round good buddy. I'm sure this simple joy of eating the food John makes is deeper because his secret ingredient is love. I can taste it.

10 Simple Joys

Loving life's simple things today:

1. Ate strawberries from our own plant, sweet and delicious.
2. Measured the tomato plants (23 inches so far).
3. Welcomed 3 lovely new family members- rose, jasmine and lavender.
4. Finished a book that warmed my heart: "I Heard the Owl Call My Name" by Margaret Craven.
5. Cherished memories from yesterday's talk with my daughter and grandchildren.
6. Studied Italian and found a fun word game Italians play which will increase my vocabulary.
7. Agreed to help a friend finish a fun craft project.
8. Sat in the sunshine and enjoyed it.
9. Read a Rumi poem here.
10. Realized again the importance of gratitude.

It is a good day.

A Favorite Spot

Under the category of simple things, I set up a space on the balcony to just sit. I took a container that houses my gardening paraphernalia, put a table cloth and place mat on it, and set in between two chairs. I sit and read, sit and study, sit and sip wine, sit and soak in the sun, sit and think, sit and talk about things that matter with the one in my life who matters most. It's now my favorite spot. It's good to have a space to sit and talk and take stock. Spring invites that. I like having my own little spot to do it. What's your favorite spot?

Suncatchers, Pansies and Celtic Goddesses

This post has no cohesive theme except the random things that are happening in my world these days. Spring is so sprung right now and it puts me in such a great mood. Relishing simple things like re-potting geraniums and begonias and rosemary, mint, chives, oregano, thyme and parsley in the sunshine, walking hand in hand with my husband in the sunshine, reading poetry on the balcony in the sunshine, even hanging a sun catcher with millions of little mirrors that spin around and throw sparkles everywhere. It lifted my spirits to do these things and brought me back to the now where all the good things are happening. it is indeed the present.

My neighbor was out planting pansies and sprucing up his garden so I asked him to be my language buddy and converse with me in Italian. What better indicator could I use to choose? I've taken the suggestions I received about learning Italian to heart and am grateful for them! I feel more hopeful. And I went to Rigoletto the other night. Listening to opera in Italian was great because they say each word more slowly so I understand more. Then my friend wrote today and also recommended listening to music but for a different reason: because music enters into the right side of the brain and allows a deeper and quicker integration of the language. We have many beautiful Italian songs so that's gladly on my daily to do list as well!

Lastly, I came across a wonderful quote about crones in Frank MacEowen's book "The Spiral of Memory and Belonging":
"In contrast to these modern usages, the words 'crone' and 'cailleach' were traditionally associated with healing, wisdom, initiation into the ways of the Otherworld, and the stirring mysteries of the earth. The crone, sometimes appearing as the dark goddess, is the keeper of hidden knowledge and is considered a guardian."

Healing, wisdom, initiation, mysteries of the earth! Doesn't that sound luscious? Made me sad at how far we older women have separated from this powerful place of ancient knowledge and energy. But it also inspired me to continue to seek ways to reclaim this role which our culture sorely needs but is so afraid of. Initiatory energy reminded me of the importance of mentoring younger women. I'm doing this with my daughter and 8 nieces when we gather together each year to grow individually and support one another. What are others doing? Let's talk!