Being Present, Snail Mail & Grand Daughter Time

Good Afternoon,

I don't know about yours, but my email account is divided into three Inboxes or folders.  The first is the Primary Inbox.  This is for actual emails, sent to me, to my email address.  The second Inbox is marked Social.  This is for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and other Social Media contacts. These emails are directed to me, via a a Social outlet, basically to let me know that I have been contacted thru one of these social methods.  And the third Inbox is called Promotions.  This is where the surplus emails go.  Many are unwanted.  Most are unsolicited.  Much is spam.  Almost of these are quickly deleted.

I really like this method of keeping my emails sorted.  The only problem comes when something important ends up in the wrong Inbox.  Then I don't find it for a while.  Or it inadvertently ends up being delivered directly to the Spam folder.  Then you get another message, which also ends up in the Spam folder, wondering why you didn't answer the first email! 

Email is a quick and effective method to send information and a great way to keep in touch.  The problem becomes when you have 262 unread messages and you have to waste an hour sorting thru them all! 

Perhaps the Snail Mail method, although rather pokey, is more efficient?  It certainly is a lot more personal and you have to be totally present to open it to read it.  If you become distracted, you can put it down, then physically pick it up again to continue perusing the message.  Perhaps today is a good day to send someone you love a hand written note to let them know that you are thinking of them.  Something lovely to hold on to and enjoy at a leisure pace, in a quiet moment.  Something to Savour, to keep for a while.  Something not quickly discarded or deleted!

We live our lives at No Regrets Ranch very much in the moment.  Actually, truth be told, we live in the Slow Lane.  Not much gets rushed through, except in extraordinary circumstances. We learned a while back, that you actually get more accomplished when you go at a steady pace.  We also learned that none of us is going to get out of this alive, so you might as well enjoy the journey.  Stop and smell the flowers.  Enjoy the ice cream.  Have a good laugh.  When you realize that it's okay to just Be, you suddenly become more aware of your surroundings and become present.  It's a nice place to be.

We enjoyed the pleasure of our eldest granddaughter's company over these past few days.  We baked, laughed, chatted, drank tea, ate brownies fresh from the oven with homemade Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  We played board games and basically just hung out together.  

She got to learn how to make strawberry jam from berries she helped pick.  We made sourdough bread, which she kneaded by hand, by herself.  She helped in the garden and greenhouse and even helped Papa lay some bricks.  We went for a drive to keep an appointment and had a lovely stop in a coffee shop where I stitched on my hexi English Paper Piecing quilt and she enjoyed Jasmine tea and a chocolate Rocky Road treat.

Stitching English Paper Pieced Hexies at the
Timber Coffee Shop

We gathered Lavender and made Lavender Wands together.  We collected more garlic scapes and chopped them up to be dehydrated.  She even helped me strip the Lemon Thyme leaves off the stems after they came out of the dehydrator.  We made popcorn and watched a movie together.  We went to the Farmer's Market and The Tin Chicken Antique Mall and Mercantile to check out what was new.

Not once, in four days did she long for nor look for an electronic device.  She went to bed tired and woke up refreshed with a huge appetite for breakfast.  She even planned and helped create a special meal for her family, for when they came to pick her up.  As happy as she was to see her parents and little sister, she has asked when she might come back again this summer, to spend a few more days with Gremlynn and Papa. Special and happy memories for us all. 

Lavender Wands ready to be gifted

She quickly caught onto the craft! 
They are all so beautiful!

Working the flour into the sourdough starter/water mixture

The flowers in the gardens are enjoying the surplus rain and cooler weather this year.  Many that would otherwise have been spent this year are hanging on, long after they normally would.  The Delphiniums are 8 feet tall and the blooms are absolutely Huge this year!  Such a treat!  The Peonies should be long gone by now, are still dancing with their heavy and fragrant heads.  Everything is so lush and beautiful.  The irises are finishing up their show and the day lilies are beginning theirs now.  

Delphinium and Huge Ball Allium.

This Allium looks like fireworks!

We checked on the root veggies the other day and scored enough carrots, baby potatoes and a large enough onion for a wonderful treat.  Everything tastes so fresh and earthly. 

Onions are doing well, baby carrots and new potatoes
made for a delicious supper

Papa's Pond is really taking shape and looking amazing.  He can only work at it in short spurts, but they say slow and steady wins the race.  I admitted to him the other day that I am finally at peace with his pond project, after these 10 years.  I love the oasis that it is becoming as he progresses with it.  He is working on a two person bench for the seating area for at the top of the walk way.  We will begin to transplant perennials at some point.  It will have to wait at it is rather mucky out there with all the lovely rain we've enjoyed this summer. I am very glad he got the retaining wall finished, before this last big rain fall. We could have had a bit of a mud slide!  I can hardly wait to see how it will look, when it is full of plants. 

Not only can she make jam and bake bread, she is
also an accomplished brick layer.
That is My kind of Girl!

Taking a much deserved break after a busy day.
Mr Wilbur is helping to enjoy her treat!

Our neighbours, who we have Saturday Morning Coffee with, have sold their property and are moving to the lake.  As much as we are sad to see them go, we are happy for them as they begin this new chapter in their lives.  Papa and I have often joked that we will be using the pine box exit when we leave this property.  Both of us, with having been blessed to be born into military families, are very familiar with the gypsy lifestyle.  All he and I have ever wanted was roots.  A permanent place to call home.  I hope our Coffee friends will have found their forever home this time and we trust that our new neighbour's will enjoy their lovely home as they begin their own next chapter as well.

The only thing certain in this life is change.  Happy is the person who can embrace the day and be completely at peace in the moment.

Take care all.  Enjoy your weekend.

Until next time,

Gremlynn