Category: healing

What a Wedding!  I have not had so much fun in all my days… so much laughter and hilarity mingled with such joy and happiness.  I sort of felt like family, you know what I mean?  I am so filled with excitement and exhaustion all rolled into one glorious bundle!  I have so much to share with you all, so grab your munchies and pull up a cushion, as I regale you with all the events of the day…

Where to begin, oh yeah, I might as well start with my early morning escort… what an honor!  The royal house actually sent an envoy, to accompany me along the path.  In charge of the group sent to fetch me, was none other than my friend Pflurrt.  I had a pleasant chat with him along the way, learning that his wife Flora, was expecting their first batch of kits.  You could see the joy in his bright eyes, as the squirrel spoke of the upcoming births.  I made a mental note to prepare a gift for them, for when the wee ones arrive.  I will have to ask Flora for her due date, as Pflurrt could only say soonish… I needed more than that to go on. 

          Anyways, we arrived at the site of the ceremony within about half an hour, and I was shown to my seat… in the back of course, as I would block the view of absolutely everyone if I were up in front.  I want to apologize now, for not having pictures of the ceremony… they actually took my phone and put it in a basket at the back. They were more savvy than I gave them credit for, so I am left with describing things as best I can. Here I go…

          As the old abbot approached the small platform built for the Nuptials, he nodded for us to have a seat.  As soon as the crowd quieted, down the royal tree came the entirety of House Acorn.  It was actually very touching how the young couple were lovingly escorted to the front, by their whole family.  Then the ceremony commenced.  For being such a small woodland creature, that old abbot gave one of the loveliest wedding speeches I have heard.  Over the next forty-five minutes, there was a great amount of laughter, as well as tears, shared among us all…  Father WalNut shared the story of how the two young hearts came to find each other, and it really was like a fairytale story.  I pondered how similar the complexity of the human heart is to that of squirrel hearts.

          I will admit that I had tears in my eyes when the two exchanged their vows.  As much as I want to tell you the whole story right now, it is truly a story in and of itself, and I wish to save it for another day.  Besides, I think there is so much to regale you with from today’s events alone, once I finish that part, I’m going to need a nap.  Why?  Because, let me tell you, once the I Do’s were exchanged and the couple were announced… the valley erupted in music, and the crowd went Nuts! 

          While we were at the ceremony, behind the scenes were all the volunteers, busily setting up the party!  They had been setting up a stage with a band and everything.  No expense was spared for the young couple.  Apparently, the Royal House hired the princes’ favorite band, the Brazilian Nutcrackers!  When the music started up, every young squirrel among us jumped up and sprinted in the direction of the music, and the hilarity began!

          With the music playing, and the whole valley alive with party goers, the ladies hurriedly set about laying out the food.  All the while, the older gentlemen squirrels brought out barrels of Beernuts.  Not long after this, the fur collars began loosening… and there began the games.  It was absolutely hilarious to watch a miniature version of human like antics, played out before my eyes.  From Pin the Feather on the Raven to the Three-Legged Squirrel races, a good number of funny comparisons played out in my mind, as I sat on the grass tapping my foot to the music.  At one point I even felt pretty confident I knew how the games worked. For instance, I immediately recognized the Bobbing for Acorns game.  I will admit, that one was an easy guess, but since the barrel was too tiny for my face, I opted to simply watch.

Looking back on things, I wish I had employed this same wisdom when I was approached by Father WalNut, requesting I join his team for a round of Squirrel Mitten.  Let’s just say that I thought he was going one way, and he thought I was going the other way.  When we connected, I accidentally drop kicked the elderly squirrel into the hedges.  Luckily, squirrels are lightweight and mostly fluff, so the abbot landed safely in the foliage, and just chuckled the whole way back onto the court.  We finished the game, but with a healthier distance between us, for his sake.  After the game ended, I decided I might be less of a hazard if I checked out the food area… perhaps I could help serve, or even play with the little ones while the mums were busy.

Now, I know I am a human and all, but the food was amazing!  There were bowls of Blueberry Cordial, constantly being refilled and topped with chilled rocks from the nearby river.  The tables reminded me of a potluck, filled to overflowing with differing dishes and utensils for plating up the many choice morsels.

There were stacks of Strawberry Tarts, and tiny dishes filled with fresh Dandelion and Soy Nut Cream for dipping…

Hazelnut Pie with a pomegranate topping, accompanied by a spicy Peanut Sauce. You may think that the sauce would not work, but oddly enough, it does.

Atop each table were bowls filled, and overflowing with Candied Walnuts and Pecans. 

If you have never tried a Pistachio Dumpling, I highly recommend you try them because…  Ummm… Wow!  Oh, and there were these wonderful little tables placed throughout the area, to be kept filled with a special treat for all the babes. 

On each table sat a tray of light, fluffy Oat Scones, accompanied by a Cherry Marmalade.  You know all those babes I thought I might play with, well, they were all passed out snoring beneath the tables.  I am pretty sure that every single wee babe, lay blissfully unaware of all the grown-up goings on; dreamily they nibbled on crumbs, still lodged in their tiny whiskers. 

By the way, whoever made the wedding cake, completely outdid themselves… Five tiers, Sunflower cake with an Elderberry filling, covered in a Bavarian cream.  The table was strewn with an assortment of colorful and fragrant flowers, and the ground beneath the table was blanketed by gifts of every shape and size.

The bride and groom received some lovely things, one of which was this beautifully hand carved plaque, made by Father Walnut.  The inscription read, “May all your seasons be filled with Laughter, Love and Prosperity”.  I saw that Flora Pflurrt made a wonderful Bridal comforter, made from the down of the Canadian Geese, visiting last season.  It wasn’t much, but I gifted the young bride a bag of wildflower seeds, for her garden.  Towards the end of the gift opening, a line began to form in front of the couples’ new digs.  One by one, each family entered the new home and deposited a hand-crafted piece of furnishing or a bushel/barrel of some type of winter supply.  I was left feeling so touched to see the care everyone in this valley took, in supplying this new couple with a fully supplied home, to begin their new life together.

The sun was beginning to set by the time all was said and done, and after assisting in the clean up of the day, I took my leave and headed for home.  I sat down in front of my laptop as soon as I arrived home, so as not to forget anything in the telling of the day’s events.  I am only just now, untying my shoes and slipping into my fluffy socks… my feet are aching, and my back is punishing me for my attempt at Squirrel Mitten.  I still feel bad for the old abbot, though everybody there thought it was a riot!

**Disclaimer… I had to improvise with pictures that are obviously not from the actual wedding (Thank You Pexels), on account of my phone being confiscated until I went home. Also, I did my best not to misrepresent any woodland creatures, in my recalling of the days events.**

I clutched my cellphone up to my ear, and shouted “If we don’t make it, please tell your sisters that I love you all so much”…

Ok, so maybe I overreacted just a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, it was terrifying for me, but looking back makes me laugh just a little.

So, sit right back, and I’ll tell you the tale… The tale of a highway trip… it started down near Florida… aboard a great big ship (truck).

The driver was a mighty trucking man… so skilled and brave and sure… we three held on inside that cab… for a 2 hour tour (storm)… ok maybe a 30 minute one (just sayin).

The winds began to blow real hard… Our semi lifted up… if not for the 40,000 lbs we held, we three would have been tossed.

Ok, I am done singing and rhyming… please tell me that you know I was singing along to Gilligan’s Island, right?

Now the story is true, but I had to liven it up so you would not focus on the fact that I panicked. Yes there was a major storm, and yes it was bad, though only for like 30 seconds, at the storms worst. When the truck did lift up in the back, we were safely locked into a trailer loaded down, so it held us in place. This was however, the point where I phoned my kids. Not my bravest moment, to be honest. I will say, I was very glad we were fully loaded. Without the weight on the back end, we most likely would have been tossed on our side.

This memory makes me laugh every time I look back, and I will now tell you why. Not because my kids probably thought I had gone round the bend. Nor do I think it was funny that we nearly got tossed into a field. That was actually kind of scary.

To this day, I have a distinct memory of both men in the truck with me… laughing and carrying on like this was about to be a grand adventure… they actually looked like they were on a ride at a major theme park. And… when I dialed my kids and prepared for the end… I think my brother in law was eating a bag of chips, and neither guy even noticed me in the back of the cab loosing my ju ju…

Looking back, there was only thing I would have wanted from my husband, and it isn’t what you would think. You may be thinking he could have been more compassionate, more protective maybe. Nope! Not me! What I want to know is… Why couldn’t he have taken my dumb phone away before I made myself look so ridiculous? He says he remembers hearing me call the kids, and just laughed it off. Heathen…

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you." 
                  Philippians 4:8,9

It’s Potluck Sunday everybody!

For starters I brought us an espresso machine with a complimentary Barista… ya, that’s how I roll… nothing but the best for my loved ones.

I lay out a table long enough to hold everything, so just shove the dishes aside to make room for anything you brought…

I took the liberty of setting up a place for everybody to enjoy the food and fellowship…

I even placed a table over here against the wall with our desserts, as I am a dessert first kinda girl…

I love ya’ll so much, I even gotcha covered on the way out the doors… To Go boxes!

Seriously, you all really must take all this with you… I can’t eat left overs, and I don’t want to waste anything.

**Shout out to Pexels for the pics**

Your perspective will determine your attitude when facing any situation. I decided to make an active effort, to find at least one thing a day that brings a grateful smile to my face.

One thing I try to practice, is writing to others each morning; seeking to brighten another’s day. Maybe by taking my focus off of my own challenges, I can have a healthier perspective. This attitude also allows for a truer understanding of what really matters… love.

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to show someone love when you are feeling good, verses when you feel bad? This is where I am employing my next healthy practice. I am making a big stack of 3 x 5 cards, filled with notes to myself… one for each day of the month. You can call them what you like, but I settled on Notes to Self. Some of them are word for word bible verses, while others are verses that I personalized. I am also putting some positive affirmations to myself in the mix, written by some pretty wise folks.

So I thought to share them on occasion, for anyone else who needs a pick me up. If you see the words NOTE TO SELF on my post, stop in for a morning snack and something to brighten your day. I have enough cards to last through the holidays, so I got you covered through the rest of the year.

NOTE TO SELF #1

I am the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus!

I took this from 2 Corinthians 5

Between this yummy treat and the note, one cannot help but have a brighter perspective for facing the day, in my opinion…

**Heads Up!** I am having a Sunday potluck in my lobby tomorrow. I hope you can join me, and feel free to bring anything you wish for the table. Everyone is welcome, so invite your friends if you like. Stop in… stay for a moment, or visit for a bit… either way, I hope to see you there.

I know I did flowers on the last few picture fixer reviews, but I thought I would mix it up for fun… Why not?!

A. Light down, and Color up.

B. Burlesque.

C. Icarus.

D. Manual adjustment with cropping and bringing the light down.

E. Manual adjustment with cropping and lifting the light.

This was a hard one because of lighting, so I had to do half the pictures in manual, but I got it done…

Today, I thought I would go healthier on the snack so all you guys don’t rot your teeth out.

What? There is fruit in there… somewhere…