“Found pennies…is it God reminding us to trust him?”
How many of you seem to find an inordinate number of coins since your person died? Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve found coins…sometimes every day…sometimes several times a day. You’ve all heard “See a penny, pick it up. All the day you’ll have good luck!” When you marry in England, you wear “something borrowed, something blue, a lucky sixpence in your shoe.”
“Triggers are sounds, smells, or sights that bring back traumatic memories.”
According to GoodTherapy.org, a trigger in psychology is a stimulus such as a smell, sound, or sight that triggers feelings of trauma. People typically use this term when describing post traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD) This reminder can cause a person to feel something as innocuous as sadness clear across the spectrum to a full blown panic attack.
“The Gem Roller Organ”
When we were guests at the Caswell-Smith House this week, Norm Smith shared this lovely restored roller organ with us. I have always been intrigued with music boxes and unusual instruments and this one did not disappoint. It was made 135 years ago but was restored in 1989 and came with an assortment of “cobs”…rollers with pins that activate the levers to produce the note.
“The decision on wedding bands was a process. I wanted exactly the right ones!”
Mr. FixIt proposed to me last year. We both knew from the beginning this relationship was going to be special. We both knew we had found the one. So, it was never a matter of “if”. It was always a matter of “when”.
You know, if you’ve been around a while…I knew I wanted to be with this man for all eternity. But I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to be married again. After all, I’d already been married three times. The first was too young. The second was too long. And the third was cut short by his untimely death. I wasn’t sure I could live through that again. And…I was afraid of losing my widow’s benefits.
“When the news is on fire, how do you stay hopeful?”
We awoke yesterday to the news of yet another mass shooting. We are only three days out from another season of hateful politics. Glaciers are melting and species are disappearing. Computers can generate images that are easily passed off as truth. China just released the first AI news anchor. There will come a time when we won’t be able to tell what’s real and what isn’t. There’s so much death and destruction, murder and mayhem, and just pure evil in this world. How do you remain hopeful in a world like this?
“Butterscotch Creme Brûlée, French macarons, spiced cider…lovely company, beautiful Victorian mansion. What a special day!”
Mr. FixIt and I were guests at the Smith-Caswell House yesterday. The owners are Norm and Judith Smith. Judy’s parents lived on my family farm before my grandparents bought it. Mr. FixIt finally got to tour this incredible Victorian mansion in the historic district of my hometown. We had creme brûlée, French macarons, nuts, chocolates from the Greenbrier Hotel, and spiced cider.
“The colors at the farm were amazing!”
I left after breakfast to head to the polling place. When I got there, the digital system to sign attesting your eligibility to vote was not functioning properly. It would not take my signature. We fiddled with it for over fifteen minutes till the gentleman finally held the connecting wire in exactly the right position. Once it accepted my signature, I turned and faced a sea of faces. Apparently, I was not the first to have difficulty signing in. There must have been 30 people sitting around waiting for their turn at the computer screen to vote.
“The colors are a bit past their prime, but still lovely.”
I am from West Virginia originally. I was raised about 30 miles from where I’m standing at this moment. My grandparents’ farm is 22 miles away. Both much shorter “as the crow flies”. I left here when I was nineteen years old and lived first in England for two years then Colorado for forty. It wasn’t until Mr. Virgo died that I headed back to my roots in these beautiful hills.
“Riding shotgun gives me beautiful views as well as time to knit.”
What a day! I am most fortunate that Mr. FixIt drove all the way home so I could sit and knit and talk and look at the GORGEOUS colors! The trees are at their peak right now.
“Knitting socks as we drove through the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains.”
We only had one hold up coming home. There had been a fender bender and before they could get it cleared, there were two more in the resulting slow down and congestion. We were only delayed by about ten minutes. Nothing else happened till we were 45 minutes from home.
“Sweet little Argosy!”
Our last full day on the OBX is in the books and what a beautiful day it was! The day dawned overcast but warm. By the time we were up and had breakfast made, the clouds were gone and there was abundant sunshine. It was looking like a perfect day for what we had planned.
“Cape Hatteras Lighthouse”
We headed south for Buxton to see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. Unfortunately, it was closed for climbing just after Columbus Day so we didn’t get to go inside. But we walked the beach and visited the site where the ashes of Mr. FixIt’s son-in-law were spread in August. We didn’t stay long because that sunshine was just a bit deceiving. The wind had a definite bite to it and my sweetheart didn’t bring a jacket.