40 Years Ago On This Date

 

For better or worse, through thick and thin,

You’ve been there by my side Sharing the laughter and the tears
Through life’s uncertain ride. We don’t know what the future
Has in store for you and me
But this I know, without a doubt: The best is yet to be.
Happy Anniversary, you darling man.

–Anonymous

My Mom - Mary Hazel Messick Wilkinson

 

From Our House to Yours!

 

Peace, Love and Joy

Christmas Bells 

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
    And wild and sweet
    The words repeat 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
    Had rolled along
    The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
    A voice, a chime,
    A chant sublime 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
    And with the sound 
    The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
    And made forlorn
    The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
    “For hate is strong,
    And mocks the song 
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
    The Wrong shall fail,
    The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

All Things Bright

 Can we go back there someday?

To that small carousel in the park?
Could we go there in the morning,
And stay there until dark?

You helped me onto that horse,
The one with roses in its hair.
And as the animals ran their course,
The music played its fanfare.

From a nearby snack stand,
You'd buy me a strawberry ice cream.
And as we walked hand in hand,
I'd stare at the glistening stream.

If we did go back there,
It wouldn't be the same.
We've aged, us and the carousel.
Perhaps too much has changed.

I still think of that small carousel now and then.
I think of that horse with roses in its hair.
I think of walks with that strawberry ice cream.
But most of all, I remember you there

                - - - by Beepy731

Photo by Zoe Felix of
Katie Donnelly Photography, Paris

Let's get this celebration started

 

This month I will be celebrating a milestone birthday.

75

75 years old.

Holy Kittens.

I'm going to be 75 years old . . .

Too many years to celebrate with just one day, so we're starting early.

Since i love to eat, there will be much eating.

Starting this morning with breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my best guy.

A very big breakfast at Cracker Barrel with a delicious Vanilla Latte topped with whipped cream and caramel syrup.

Calories be damned.

And there shall be poetry!

 I counted my years and found that I have less time to live from here on than I have lived up to now.

I feel like that child who won a packet of sweets: he ate the first with pleasure, but when he realized that there were few left, he began to enjoy them intensely.

I no longer have time for endless meetings where statutes, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be achieved.

I no longer have time to support the absurd people who, despite their chronological age, haven't grown up.

My time is too short:

I want the essence,

my soul is in a hurry.

I don't have many sweets

in the package anymore.

I want to live next to human people,

very human,

who know how to laugh at their mistakes,

and who are not inflated by their triumphs,

and who take on their responsibilities.

Thus human dignity is defended and we move towards truth and honesty.

It is the essential that makes life worth living.

I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch hearts, people who have been taught by the hard blows of life to grow with gentle touches of the soul.

Yes, I'm in a hurry, I'm in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.

I don't intend to waste any of the leftover sweets.

I am sure they will be delicious, much more than what I have eaten so far.

My goal is to reach the end satisfied

and at peace with my loved ones

and my conscience.

We have two lives.

And the second begins when you realize you only have one.

                         Mário Raul de Morais Andrade

                       (Oct 9, 1893 – Feb 25, 1945)

                        Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, photographer

Life is Good

May 11, 1986

 May 11, 1986

Donald and I stood together in a small chapel in Atlanta in front of friends and family to be joined in matrimony and promised to try our best.  

It was a promise that we believed in the future.

In a future together.

We promised to be kind to one another.

To respect one another.

To stick together through thick and thin.

And privately, we promised to have adventures and laugh a lot.

Along with our vows we shared these words; 
"Grow old along with me.  
The best is yet to be - the last of life for which the first was made." 


Promises are sometimes hard to keep.  

It hasn't all been sunshine and roses, but because we believe in promises, and because we never stopped believing in one another, we have triumphed over some rough spots. 

   So - all in all, we've done pretty good and have grown stronger together.

Since that day we've celebrated our anniversary in many ways, in many places.

Quiet dinners at home while playing Scrabble.

Dinners out.

Pizzas delivered.

Or, sometimes, just ice cream.

On the beach.

At home in the mountains.

Paris.

A concert or two.

And sometimes we forget just exactly how many years we've been married.

But we both agree, we'd do it again.

This year we'll be celebrating at home in Meat Camp, NC.

Just me, Donald, and Annabelle.

And we'll take a few minutes to count our blessings.

While we don't agree on every single thing, we do agree that on this day, right now, we are happy to be alive, to be together and happy that we are healthy.

Who knows what the days ahead might bring?

Silly to try to guess.   We have, after all, watched the world change in surprising ways during our years together.

"Union gives strength." 

         ~ Aesop

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays From the Barleys

 

Happy Wishes for this Holiday Season

“Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Thirty-five years ago

In a small chapel in Atlanta, in front of family and friends, I placed this ring on this hand 35 years ago today.  Don Barley and I have shared many a cup of coffee since that day.  Happy Anniversary, darlin'.

 

Christmas Eve in Meat Camp

It's a quiet day here at our house.


A few gifts awaiting the Barley family Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

Donald, after helping me get a picture of Annabelle with Santa on her head (and agreeing to do the same) has gone for a Christmas Eve ride on his bike.

Unlike a lot of years when we're having snow this time of year, today is clear and beautiful.

I have a pork tenderloin cooking for tonight's dinner, and I'm getting ready to settle down with a good book (book yet to be determined, I have several to choose from).

And a glass of Christmas cheer.

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

On the road again . . .

Donald and I have just returned from what is, and probably always will be, our trip of a lifetime.

This was a trip planned to celebrate our anniversary.  Married 33 years on May 11.

We left Boone on May 4, spent four nights in Amsterdam, took the train from there to Paris and flew home on May 18.

You know how some days are just better than others?  We had two full weeks of better than usual days.  We laughed.  We explored.  We ate.  We took pictures.  We got lost and laughed some more.

Some trips can be fraught with incidents beyond your control that can change the atmosphere from good to bad (or sad) in a quick minute.  We had none of that this trip, thankfully.

Because when I've traveled in the past, dragging luggage around has been the one thing that has disturbed me no end, I was determined to not have to deal with all that this trip.  And Donald agreed.  We challenged ourselves to No Checked Baggage.

And no laptops.

Two small carry-on bags each.

That was it.

And we did it without any problems.

Truth be told, next trip there will be things we took this trip that we will not take next trip.

For me - for one thing, it will be those extra cosmetics.  I'm not a bit better about my skin care routine in Amsterdam or Paris than I am in Boone.

Instead of three pairs of black pants, I'll take two.

I packed 5 white shirts and two black shirts.  That worked out about right.

For the flight I wore, as usual,  a casual little black dress with pockets. It's comfy and has become my "go to" travel dress.  I highly recommend it.  It's by Betabrand.  A silk jersey wrinkle resistant perfect little black dress.  https://www.betabrand.com/womens/dresses/wrinkle-resistant-silk-jersey-sweatshirt-dress

And I packed one additional little black dress - similar to the one mentioned above.  

Another option, if, like me, you have a fondness for little black dresses, is take only these.  I have done that in the past and honestly, it's my favorite way to go.   Casual black dresses are comfy, always in style (everywhere), easily packed AND can be found on sale all the time.  Dress them up and change the look with a scarf.  Scarves are the best thing in the world for traveling in all manner of ways.  One is that they're a great accessory and if you lose one it's not going to break your heart like it will if you lose that sentimental necklace.  (yes, this happened - years ago - I still can't talk about it without crying and it happened almost 40 years ago).

I now take no jewelry other than what I wear on the trip and will wear every day.  Minimum jewelry.

Also - and this is hard for some people - minimum shoes.  I took one extra pair which probably I'll leave home next time.  Yep.  ONE pair of shoes.  It took me a long time to find the (for me) perfect travel shoes.  They're Keens.  I have them in three colors, but the red ones are the ones that go with my red, black and white travel palate. (I also pack slippers and I slip into them while flying - heaven!). 

Keen's Sienna Mary Jane Canvas.

Everyone has a favorite comfortable walking shoe and this is mine.

Pack your undies, jammies, and some tights and whatever meds you'll need.  Just take what you really can't live without and do it sparingly.

Cardinal Rule - Leave room for souvenirs for the return trip.  I've been known  to ship home a box or two but that cuts down on my souvenir (and eating!) money, so I've tried to become a little more practical about that.

I have a lightweight, scrunchable, packable raincoat that I take.

And instead of packing books, I take my Kindle Fire which is loaded with books and acts as my computer.

And I always take a hat.  Always.

Peter Grimm is my favorite hat source and they have sales ALL the time.  

And I always take my reversible wrap.  It works like a little blankie on the plane, and is my go to item with everything.

All that said - this is who you'll see if you bump into me while I'm traveling.

Coffee, camera and cape close at hand.  

Having to choose between a purse and my camera for comfort - camera wins every time.  I have a little undercover travel pouch with a small elastic strap that hooks onto my bra that I keep cash, ID, and one credit card in.

So that's it for packing.

I'm going to be writing about our trip and posting pictures, so if you're interested, please check back here.

First up - Amsterdam!

And don't forget a good travel blankie and pillow for the plane!  They weigh nothing and will strap onto your carry-on.

Bon Voyage!