Close The Shutters!

A mighty storm is raging in the Gulf of Mexico.

Unite with the Divine

and seek calm waters

through prayer and meditation.

Rambling thoughts for today.....

Keep the peace within yourself,

then you can bring peace to others......

Be like the headland against which waves break over

and over again.

The headland stands strong,

until in due course

the waters' tumult around it

subsides to rest once more.

Wild Horses.....

you sense the strength of their will,

but you know that it is safer to stand aside

than attempt to ride with them.....

May everyone along the mighty Gulf be safe.....

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

September Song

SEPTEMBER SONG

Oh it's a long long while

From May til December

But the days grow short

When you reach September

When the autum weather

Turns the leaves to flame

One hasn't got time

For the waiting game

Oh the days dwindle down

To a precious few

These golden days

I'll spend with you

Oh the days dwindle down

To a precious few

September

November

And these few golden days

I'll spend with you

These precious days

I'll spend with you.....

Greatest Hits CD by LENA HORN

I can't explain it, but I always want to listen to this CD

when September comes.....

This painting hangs in our upstairs bedroom

at the old lake house.

Sometimes I stand in front of it

and gaze down the path.

One wonders where it is going.

Much like life.

The path of life is fascinating.

We never know where it is going to take us.

Everyday is a new adventure.

My life's path is about to take me on a journey

to Greece.

These golden days of September,

spent at the country house,

are once again in a tizzy.

I love the packing.

I love the planning.

I love the journey.

Tonight, I am listening to Lena Horn, sipping a glass of burgundy and packing.

Have you ever tried to carry only a few shoes?

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

Welcome To Our Lake House

I love it here anytime,

nighttime...morning time.....

summer, fall, winter or spring.

The setting is rustic...

You can fish, hike, hunt...

go boating, or just sit on the screened-in porch

and look out at the lake

while listening to nature.....

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

Note.....I am having a hard time getting pictures to load.....just so you understand why each picture is loaded as a new post...they will not post together in one single post....ggrrrrr!

Lake View

What a lovely view!

One of my favorite things to do is

to take a large thermos of hot coffee

aboard the old pontoon boat

and take an early morning ride.....

There isn't anything more pleasant.....

Well, maybe passing time in the rocking chairs

on the back porch.

You just feel close to nature up here.....

Dog Art

Dog lovers that we are,

this is one of my favorite pieces of art.

Junk gypsy that I am,

I don't think I paid over five dollars for it.

Lake Reading

Books for lake reading.....

"AHunter's Fireside Book"

"Mastering Largemouth Bass"

"Freshwater Fishing Secrets"

"Through The Fish's Eye"

.....just to name a few.....

Cozy Little Spot

This is right in front of the fireplace and the back French door that overlooks the lake.

At the end of the day,

I love relaxing in cozy comfort,

curled up in the over-stuffed chair in our den,

sipping a glass of wine.

The walls are painted a pumpkin spice orange

and everything smells of cinnamon and sandlewood.

It just makes me feel good.....the comfort...the scent...the view...nature.

Row Row Your Boat

We are never up a creek without a paddle.....

Rustic Kitchen

The kitchen wall is full of iron cookware.

In the winter I always cook a big pot of chili and beef stew

in the iron Dutch pot.

It is oh so good!

And every morning,

bacon is cooked in one of the old iron skillets.

Lake time is always so wonderful.....

Out On The Lake

This rock wall is the landmark and entrance into our cove.....

Out of the cove and into the lake.....

The joy of fishing was well described more than three hundred years ago by Izaak Walton,

when he referred to angling as

"that pleasant labour which you enjoy,

when you purpose to give rest to your mind,

and divest yourself of your more serious business,

and (which is often) dedicate a day or two to this recreation."

Taken from "An Outdoor Journal" by Jimmy Carter

Fly-fishing in a small mountain creek or lake cove requires solitude.

So says Jimmy Carter.....

We idle along in our boat so as not to create a wake.....

It's just common lake courtesy.....

ssshhhhh.....

In the woods or on a stream,

my concentration is so intense

that for long periods

the rest of the world is almost forgotten.....

Jimmy Carter....."An Outdoor Journal"

During the most critical moments of my life

I have been renewed in spirit

by the special feelings that come from

the solitude and beauty of the out-of-doors.

More Jimmy Carter.....

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

River Rats

Such wonderful, carefree days.....

Happy times spent on the lake.....

and more memories are made,

tucked away for safe keeping.

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

The Making Of A Fisherman

Lake Days

The air grows crisp just about dusk.....

and fish stories are told around the campfire.....

Once upon a time, there were two little boys,

and they went to the old family lake house.

One day they were out in the canoe, fishing with their dad.....

All of a sudden, something pulled HARD on the line.

They tried to reel it in....and tried and tried.....

Why, it was soo big, it broke the line

and got away.

But not before looking straight at them,

as if to say, "I'm the biggest catfish in the lake!"

Jack, the dog.....





Watch Jack swim!!!

A dog, a canoe, some fishing, story-telling and a campfire.

What more does a boy need?!.....

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

Rainy Day in the Countryside

As I sip my coffe and gaze out the window,

I see raindrops and white blooms...

Autum is almost upon us...

I'm ready for cool, crisp days...

And the smell of sandlewood, cedar, sage, cinnamon...

Vanilla and nutmeg.

Quiet country moments.....

The smell of sandlewood incense.....

Relaxing music from the far East.....

A collection of the world traveler life scapes....

Golden Dawn

Jade Forest

Pagoda In The Mist

Lotus Moon

Eastern Horizon

I light my incense in the mornings

and I say hello to

Christ and Budda

and other admirable spirits.....

When you are one with nature

and when you go to 'silence',

you go to your source -

the invisible force from which all things flow.....

Our old country house feels cozy,

warm and colorful.....

It's full of unique furniture,

paintings, books, music.....

Rooms can dance with spirit.....

They can speak to you.

Your house can greatly affect your mood.

Fill it with things you love.

I love the exotic, enchanting, old, shabby...magical.

Rambling thoughts from the country house.....

I may not know your face or name

but I know the beauty and light of your soul.....

Let no one come to you

without leaving touched

in some way

for the better.....

BLESSINGS

*****Yaya*****

Southern Fried Peach Pie

DADDY'S FRIED PEACH PIES

Cook peaches and sweeten to taste. Cut out pastry dough with a biscuit cutter.

Roll out flat and very thin. Put a tablespoon of peaches in the middle of one side.

Wet the edge with cold water, fold over and press lightly together.

Cook in deep fat, browning on both sides.

YAYA'S EASY PEACH COBBLER

1 stick butter

1 c. milk

1 c. flour

1c. sugar

2 c. fresh sliced peaches

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a Pyrex deep baking dish. Mix flour and sugar, then pour into center of melted butter. Add peaches; do not stir. Bake until crust is golden brown.

Rambling thoughts from the country house.....

Time spent in the countryside.....

Dogs and cats.....

A butterfly on my shoulder.....

Reading on the front porch.....

Riding bikes along country lanes or take a walk along the old field road.....

Play croquet.....

Wine in the courtyard while listening to classical music.....

Fresh fruit and flowers.....

Cornbread.....

Tomatos ripe on the vine.....

The smell of thyme and rosemary.....

Threadbare jeans, old scuffed-up boots and blackberrys.....

At home in the country.....

Blessings

*****Yaya*****

A Southern Peach

Baskets of organic peaches, kissed only by nature's sunshine and rain.....

For as long as I can remember, the two old peach trees have been in the back yard of the country house.
And so it has been told that the peach, a member of the rose family, is a Chinese symbol for longevity.....
The wood of the tree was said to ward off evil.
Ancient warriors would craft weapons from the wood.



And Taoist magic was made from the petals of the peach blossoms.
When the peach plant of immortality would produce the magic fruit,
they would eat, assuring their immortality.



Here are a few of my mother's peach recipes.....


PEACH ICE CREAM
5 eggs
2 cans Pet milk
2 cups sugar
3 c. whole milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 c. fresh peaches (very ripe) peeled and mashed.
Beat eggs. Mix Pet milk with sugar; add whole milk and vanilla;
Mix all and add to crank or electric freezer



MOTHER'S OLD FASHIONED PEACH COBBLER
1 qt. fresh sliced peaches
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
Put half of peaches in deep Corning Ware baking dish.
Add 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar and dot with 1 Tbsp of butter.
Make up biscuit dough. Roll out and cover peaches with strips of dough.
Repeat same with rest of fruit, sugar and butter.
Make up pie crust dough for top crust. Cover fruit with crust.
Rub a little butter over crust and sprinkle with sugar.



A few rambling thoughts from the country house.....
Dare to be inspired.....
Knowledge and wisdom can change your life.....
Put wisdom first - everything else will fall into place.....


Blessings
Yaya

Off to the Old Country House

We said our goodbyes to the island cottage and drove North into the rural Alabama countryside.

On the brink of autumn, we begin our journey from summer to fall.

The last of summer ebbs away.

We are back at the country house.....it is so spectacularly ramshackle!

I love the feel of the old wooden floors under bare feet.

Oh so peaceful and far away from the fast-lane world.

We're not in pursuit of perfection .....

It doesn't exist.

If it did we probably wouldn't like to live here.

I'm ready to curl up in one of the deep chairs with a good book,

or sit on the front porch or in the back courtyard with a glass of my favorite wine.

It's almost time to pull out the broken-in tweeds....

Soon we shall hear the cry of South-bound birds and realize that, once again,

summer has come and gone.

Blessings

Yaya