Blog Archives - A Cottage by the Sea

Being present to Hurricane Sandy~

10/29/2012

At this moment, as Hurricane Sandy approaches the Boston area, I am feeling a poignant sense of silence, solitude and simplicity. In fact, when I went out to get the mail a little bit ago, I even considered taking a walk. But the wind is picking up and I can hear rain on the sunroom windows. Not silent, and yet the sounds of nature seem to have a silent honesty to them.

According to the latest forecast, Boston will not get the worst of the storm, although of course there will be damage and hardship. That being said, I hope that many in the area will find unexpected enjoyment in a solitude that comes when everything is closed down and there’s no place to go.

Simplicity? Well, of course a storm is never simple. And yet, as I sit here looking out the window, all I feel is the present moment, and that is always simple.

A simple quilting life? No such thing~

10/27/2012

Adirondack Adventure, by Jan Carvalho

Last weekend I attended the Wayside Quilters Guild biennial show. It was spectacular, from choices of fabrics, to piecing, to arrangement, to exquisite quilting patterns, and everything in between. A little part of me longed to get back into it. Oh, all those fabrics, and all the creative possibilities out there in the quilting world! But then, I thought of how labor intensive it is; there are no short cuts in quilting. By it’s very nature it can consume your life.
The quilting life and the simple life just don’t go together. And I want a simple life.

Solitude with a cat~

10/24/2012

    We are cat-sitting for Izzie, and let me just say that if we wanted a cat, Izzie would be at the top of the list. What a delightful indoor cat she is! However, every time I any of our grandpets come for a visit, my resolve to remain petless is reinforced.
      By her very affectionate nature, Izzie intrudes on my morning solitude. You see, Izzie is an early riser like me, so just as I get settled with my coffee in the Angel Room, she arrives. But not to meditate or just sit in the mystery, as she does later in the day while watching the birds at the feeder. No, she wanders around my lap, book and computer, determined that I rub her chin--fifteen minutes feels right to her. I’d say that she’s happy to hang out for a good hour, and there’s no simply way to send her on her way.
        So here I am, being distracted by a cat as I try to prepare myself for the day’s distractions. What’s a grandmother to do?

October 22nd, 2012

10/22/2012

Happy birthday to my husband, who does so much more than just keep an eye out for typos on this blog. He understands that sometimes I like to be alone. He keeps the home fires burning when I take my weekly jaunts to the cottage by the sea, and keeps the lawn mowed when I go off traveling. Of course, the truth is that he sometimes likes to be alone, too. It all just works. Lucky us.

House to myself~

10/20/2012

I have the ‘house to myself’ today. The thought crosses my mind, “Oh, I can get a lot done.” How foolish. Why do we always think that time alone means time to get things done? Maybe it goes back to those child rearing days when there might have been some truth in it. I remember the usual dilemma. Do I get something done, which translated into tidying and cleaning up, or do I take a nap. The nap usually won out.

Nowadays, ‘house to myself’’ mean something different. I don’t have to get anything done; I can take a nap. Having the ‘house to myself’’ means simply that no one is around. It’s a subtle difference, but nice little change for anyone who sometimes like to be alone.

Politics and solitude~

10/18/2012

As someone who identifies herself as one of those ‘ADHD’ types, I’m finding it a challenge to stay calm, cool and collected during these last weeks of the presidential campaign. Of course, seeking silence, solitude and simplicity is a challenge for those of us who can’t sit still and who are always wiggling and fidgeting about., but put politics into the mix, and the ordeal intensifies. Need I say more?

Sometimes I keep balanced by not watching the news or reading the newspaper. And truth be told, I’m more apt to watch and read when my candidate is ahead in the polls. Neither of these strategies is very proactive. I have a long way to go to figure out how to amalgamate politics with silence, solitude and simplicity. Can it be done?

Dead in an instant! What?

10/15/2012

The other day I was desperate for gas. Since the price of gas varies around here, I ended up pulling into a full service station for a relatively low price. My impatient, independent self doesn’t like these non-self-serve stations, but there I was, waiting for the owner to shuffle out to the pump. As it turned out, he was quite efficient, and so of course, once again, I was given a lesson in humility and patience. (Um, I say, ‘once again,’ but truth be told, these ‘once again’ lessons come up daily for me.)
But that’s not the story I want to share with you. I’m not certain what my mistake was, but for certain, I will never again stand on a gas pump platform as I wait for my credit card. At least that will protect me from being told, “Watch your step. If you fall, you will be dead in an instant.” What? Dead in an instant! That’s what the man said.
Undoubtedly there are many lessons to be learned from such a comment. You pick your own. As a start, that’s no way to send a customer on her way down the road on a gorgeous fall day. I won’t go back there again. Dead in an instant! Really! Watch your words. .

Every day gratitude~

10/13/2012

I listed this site with a daily quote a few days ago, but I want to share it again here. Please take a look and a listen at this clip about gratitude by time-lapse photographer, Louis Schwartzberg. His message is simple: use your eyes. Immerse yourself in the weather, whatever weather your experiencing at the moment, and be grateful. Look at faces, faces of people you know and strangers that you pass on the street, and be grateful.

Right now I’m sitting in the Angel Room, looking out of the window. Boring? It’s up to me. No, not boring. I’m watching the leaves shake in the wind. I imagine seeing them turn from green to yellow. Imagine? Maybe I’m seeing time lapse. I’m grateful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&vq=medium

Peace on a sun-filled day!

10/11/2012

Yesterday I walked in the rain and it was peaceful. Today I walked in the sunshine, and it was peaceful. Silence, solitude and simplicity are within us, but I must admit that it’s life is easier on a sun-filled day.

Canadian Geese and silence~

10/9/2012

One thousand Canadian Geese (I’m not exaggerating) living on a small man-made pond in a condo area does not bode well for silence or solitude, not to mention the simplicity problem. That was the scene I encountered on my walk this weekend. Even if at that given moment, when they were on the ground and not cawing away, I just knew that these geese were waiting to explode into some bad song and dance.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know how I believe that the sounds of nature can radiate a sense of silence and solitude--a feeling of calm, a mood of wonder and awe. Nothing like a song bird in a nearby tree accompanying me in my solitude, and keeping the silence from turning into loneliness. It’s going to take a miracle, however, for me to find silence, solitude or simplicity among the geese.