Camping in July

Day One…a nice, sunny day and not too busy on the freeway. ..went to pick up the rental car and found out that they wanted a $200 deposit, so we decided we didn’t need a car that bad after all…but, found the perfect woodsy campsite a short distance from the pool/lodge/store within the Chehalis Thousand Trails park…had a problem with the camp electricity vs. our house batteries…the two batteries need to be replaced like our main one did on the last camping trip we had a few months ago…we just disconnected them for now and everything worked fine…the medieval weekend that was planned  in this park was also cancelled, so that was somewhat disappointing, but we found our own source of entertainment…typical Mercury retrograde…cell phones only worked on roaming,  our rooftop satellite TV didn’t work, nor could I receive the radio stations I usually listen to…but  chirping birds, the rustle of leaves in the trees and the crackling of a toasty campfire work very well as substitutes...thus, I  think I slept better than I have in years within this quiet.   

Day Two…the stubborn clouds did not part to let the determined  sun come through until late afternoon….no matter, while walking the dog I found teeny tiny pinecones  and enjoyed identifying plants and delicate flowers along the way…we roasted Twinkies over the evening’s campfire…first tried them last summer and now they have become a tradition…nevertheless,  I could detect that there was a slight change in the air and,  sure enough,  it rained during the night.

Day Three…very cloudy and cool all day…we even turned the heater on and wore long pants (at the end of July, no less)…it was the kind of day that we indulged in the park ice cream social to lift our spirits and made  paprika beef/potato/gravy slow cook in the crockpot all day (which we later ate before the night’s campfire, accompanied by some great wine)…the 2012 Olympics in London started today but we were busy going through items within the storage cabinets in the motorhome that desperately needed to be ‘weeded out’…probably will  be returning  home quite a few pounds lighter… it was entertaining to watch all the new arrivals on Friday night after about 6 pm that were anxious for a weekend of camping with their respective families…I like to watch how people set up their camps or walk their dogs, and sometimes, cats!

Day Four…again, cloudier and even cooler, the sun only peeking through merely a minute or two…but that didn’t stop the flow of youthful humanity heading towards the pool, store or hayrides…it just meant the ritual campfires started earlier in the afternoon…however, some families need to learn a bit of “camp etiquette”  when it comes to making noise…i.e. it’s not necessary to scream at the top of your lungs in order to speak with your mother who is walking right next to you…nor is it necessary to roll up your squeaky awning at 6 am on Saturday morning waking up all those trying to get some relaxation within nature…most of all those who have the audacity to use a bullhorn at their campsite and think it’s funny should be shot at sunset…nevertheless I tended my mesmerizing campfire until late and still didn’t use up all the wood we brought…and yes I had to have  that delectable concoction of old…s’mores.

Day Five…alas we had to go home…no more peace and quiet and serenity during the night..and of course, the sun comes out in all it’s glory when we could have used it earlier in the week…back to the hustle & bustle and the daily grind…(sigh)...but, we stopped at Lucky Eagle Casino on the way back in Grand Mound, WA. What a nice place THAT is...and you can actually win some money on slots there, imagine that! I wanted some Indian fry bread, but alas there was none...the staff is great, though, and we got a free camping site from them, good for a year...I'll definitely be back for a weekend!

 ©2012 Debbie Ballard (Text & Photo)

It

I was born with it.

At age 10, I didn't know what it even was.

At age 20, I was on a quest to search for it.

At age 30, I had it but didn't know it.

At age 40, I was too busy to be worried about it.

At age 50, I began to wonder if I still had it.

At age 60, I realized there was more to life besides it.

At age 70, I started to reminisce about it.

At age 80, I could care less about it.

At age 90, I completely lost it.

At age 100, I forgot what it even was.

At death, I couldn't take it with me.

What is it?

©2012 Debbie Ballard

(Picture credit: The Life and Age of Woman, Currier & Ives, 1850)

Leave a comment about what you think it is...

Container Gardening

This is my tiny outdoor container garden. Believe it or not,  it is comprised of hens & chicks succulents, 3 kinds of mint, parsley, nasturtiums, basil, lilac, cilantro, Kenilworth Ivy, shallots, variegated oregano, Creeping Jenny, Bleeding Heart, chives, lavender, rosemary, red geranium and a green mantle sedum. Away from this shot I also have a tomato plant that will produce a golden orange variety of the patio type. When I am pinching back the herbs or tomato plant, I never wear garden gloves, as I enjoy the distinctively unique fragrances that are produced from their essential oils. Even watering them in the early morning produces these heavenly 'earthy' smells. So even if you have a very small space, you can still create a personal Shangri-La with a mixture of edible and non-edible plants and flowers in containers.

Obsession with Gai Tom Ka (or is it Tom Kha Gai?)

Ok, I'm back from a vacation out in the woods at Chehalis Thousand Trails. This campground is where the Thousand Trail camp membership all began 40 years ago. This is also where my phone didn't work, radio didn't work and in order to watch TV or have a WiFi internet connection you had to walk to one of the two lodges.But most of all it was the quiet I coveted. No airplanes flying over...just stillness...REALLY nice.  Even though the weather wasn't perfect (it was only sunny the day we arrived and the day we left), we still had a lovely campfire every night, thanks to the dry alder and cedar wood I bought a couple of months ago. That, alone,  provided a pleasant ambience for conversation while roasting hot dogs, twinkies or marshmellows for s'mores each night.  Also, we watched DVDs we had forgotten we even had, I got a lot of crocheting done and we cleaned out some cabinets in the motorhome that had been forgotten about for the last 7 years! All in all, it was a very nice, relaxing time...especially when the highlight of the day was looking for teeny weeny pine cones and identifying wildflowers.

But now that I"m back in civilization doing the normal routine,  I also feel the desire to get back on track with a lot of things to get things accomplished...one being writing (must be the Full Moon)! And...having been gone for so many days I stopped after work to get some of my most favorite soup EVER at the deli of a QFC grocery store:  Chicken Curry Coconut Soup.  QFC (Quality Food Center) is known as Kroger in other states and Ralph's in still others. Anyway, this soup is SO scrumptious that if I'm not careful I could almost indulge in it every single day. It is so chock full of Thai flavor & spices, as well as, nutritional goodness that it's rather difficult to describe without putting it directly on your tongue to taste for yourself. The QFC version contains at least all of these ingredients: curry, lemongrass, ginger, coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, red bell pepper, tomato, carrot, onion, spinach, celery, chicken, chicken stock and basil. Trust me, this concoction blended together is absolute pure magical alchemy.

Here is a link to a recipe that comes about as close as I've been able to find on the internet to the delicious QFC version, adding cilantro and a few other goodies:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/thai-hot-and-sour-coconut-chicken-soup

If your palate has a love for flavor, I highly recommend this soup.

Bon appetit!

©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only, not the link or photograph)

A Dizzying Array of Events

Ok, I purposefully sat back for a week to see if all the much-anticipated hype of the Uranus square Pluto configuration would manifest in to anything significant. Well, I was not at all disappointed in what transpired to clearly demonstrate the influences that only Uranus (radical change) & Pluto (transformative power) in an aspect that represents major challenges (square) can bestow upon every day events.

In the past week, just in the USA alone, we've had:

1) Tremendous heat waves spanning from the plains states to the East coast, breaking hundreds of temperature records across the nation for this time of year
2) Torrential downpours of rain in the mid-west states of Minnesota and Wisconsin that caused unusually severe flooding
3) Some of the worst 'out-of-control' forest fires ever recorded in the history of Colorado that destroyed a multitude of homes in Colorado Springs and elsewhere
4) Wind storms that caused much physical damage, deaths and power outages for millions in the country's mid-section all the way to Washington D.C.
5) A ruling by the Supreme Court on the proposed Affordable Care Act to be found constitutional (and changing the wording from fines imposed to taxation on those who do not comply with the program)
6) Glaxo Smith Kline's (a large pharmaceutical company) pleading guilty to committing fraud and to pay $3 billion in restitution

I'd say that this last week represented quite well the revolutionary upheaval these two planets stand for in tremendous tension with each other.  But, wait, there's more! That's not all folks. It should be interesting to see what transpires when these two behemoths meet up, exactly squaring each other again, on the following dates:
September 19, 2012
May 20, 2013
November 1, 2013
April 21, 2014
December 14, 2014
March 16, 2015

If the last week is any indication, hold on to your hats; it's going to be a bumpy ride.

©2012 Debbie Ballard

I brake for lilacs!

Score! I'm sitting here surrounded by the lovely scent of a few fresh-cut lilacs...their fragrant sprigs permeating and intoxicating my imagination. For me, they herald May and mid-Spring in a way that no other flower can. Honestly, I can hone in on them like radar while driving. Like an addict, I scour the moving landscape with my keen eye for the purple cones, knowing full well that I only have a few short weeks in which to pilfer them from abandoned lots and properties. Never have I deprived myself of this vice or...when I owned homes, I planted them in my yards...when I did not own homes, I planted them in pots. I have a compulsive dependency on lilacs, for when they are not in bloom (which is most of the year) I have my stash of lilac essential oil to tide me over. My parents injected me with my first dose of lilac obsession by lining two sides of our property with a wall of lavender, deep purple and white varieties. I am hopelessly incurable during the enticement of their blissful bloom. Mark Twain must have loved lilacs, too, because he once said:
"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the lilac sheds on the heel that has crushed it." Do you think he'd mind too terribly much that I just substituted one itsy bitsy word in his quote...from violet to lilac?

©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only)

May Day Mayhem

 

In my youth, it was common practice on the 1st of May to gather Spring flowers from your yard, fashion them in to impromptu bouquets, leave them on the doorstep of your neighbors and then run away after knocking on their door or ringing their doorbell. What was left for them was an act of surprise remembrance by someone who lived close by, in the form of fragrance and beauty.

Today is a totally different story. Too many around the world utilize May 1st as an excuse to wreak havoc upon their fellow neighbors with mindless acts of vandalism and violence. I often wonder what those who initiate these actions would feel if it were their property or possessions that were being ravaged for no reason, or worse yet, their loved one hurt or killed during these brutal outbursts.

Understandably, there are often gross economic inequities that exist within all countries, governments and corporations, etc...there is absolutely no guarantee that we get to live in a perfect, utopian world...but I guess I just fail to comprehend how committing such acts of devastation can solve these dilemmas. Just exactly how do these types of actions resolve these problems, is what I'd like to know.  How does deliberately hurting someone else in a myriad of ways make things better for us all?

This is just another example of man's inhumanity to man and, quite frankly, when demonstrated in this manner shows animal-like regression rather than human being evolution. Surely, there must be another way to be heard, validated and to spark change for the better. So my plea to those who join in with the lawlessness of this day, I say to you, 'try to start with dialogue and not destruction'...because your actions DO reflect upon who you are as a person and what your heart truly represents.

 ©2012 Debbie Ballard

                       

                                               

To The One Who Knows

this dreamy melody

 hurled me across the sea to my date with destiny...

breezes that ruffled the feathers of the peacock

 were the same that breathed life in to me, then...

fanciful light danced off the newly bloomed daffodil

 flooding my spirit with hopefulness...

my eyes, wild with passion,

reflected the fate placed within...

all was fresh and new, 

yet took place standing within the hallowed halls of the ancients...

a simple shared familiar moment in time

caressed itself on to my soul...

 so that I shall never forget...

       never forget...

       never forget...

Grand Trine

In earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), and all at 9 degrees (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto)...a rare event. I've been waiting for this fortunate time period for a long while, but leave it to good old Mercury Rx to be the proverbial fly in the ointment. After waiting for weeks while computer #4 was in the shop being repaired in another state and for the many days it took to ship to and fro by ground, I was finally able to press the 'on' button yesterday afternoon. Why am I not surprised that there is STILL something wrong with it, even after shelling out additional $$$ on top of the warranty? It's Mercury Rx for Pete's sake! My display is totally there...BUT 1/4 of the screen has what looks like a white band aid with smudges over it that is so pervasive that I can't see what's on my display on the left side at all. I was able to somehow maneuver underneath this opaque blob and drag out my desktop icons...but can I get to 'Start?'...hell, no! For all of you who have been waiting for articles, this is why it's not happening. So, just like the blank horoscope that is pictured above...there is definitely something missing...you can get the general idea, but there are no details so you can't easily 'read' the situation appropriately. Thanks a lot, Neptune!  I still have a virus I can't get rid of on computer #3, the sticky 'L' problem on #1 (which I went to great lengths to write this with) and the complete death of #2. Yeah, yeah if I were rolling in 'dough' they'd all be fixed, but obviously I'm not and have to incorporate in to the budget what I can do and when. But, it's not just merely inanimate objects where there's lack of clarity. I'm finding the same dissolving-dissolution mechanisms going on in other areas of life, as well...a real disconcerting and disappointing disconnect in different arenas. I love Neptune, but sometimes it's really difficult to see through his smoke and mirrors routine; but that's exactly what he's famous for. Oh well, at least it's snowing outside right now...that's something I can count on...for the moment...

©2012 Debbie Ballard

2012: Week Six

Wow! Can it really be 35 years ago that I stood in line for 5 hours in order to watch the first 'Star Wars' movie? The line of people wrapped around the movie theater several times must have looked like a coiled snake as seen from above. Standing in line in July in San Antonio, Texas is not what I'd necessarily describe as a 'picnic' either. The Century South 6 theater was relatively state-of-the-art back in 1977, as I remember. The movie 'Star Wars' was the most amazing combination of cinematography and special effects we had ever seen back then.

This week I donned a pair of high tech 3D recycle shades and didn't have to wait even 2 minutes to catch all the action thanks to the pre-pay convenience of Fandango. 'The Phantom Menace' appeared on the big screen larger than life, while I rocked in  an over-stuffed stadium seat complete with drink holder, munching on peanut M&Ms.

I fully expect that 35 years from now I will be watching another version of the same saga on some new-fangled technology of the future, probably accessed completely out of thin air with a variety of interactive endings to select.  All the while, though, I will be fondly remembering the 'cinnamon rolls' hairdo of Princess Leia from that first movie back in 1977. Check out 'Hardware Wars' on YouTube for a tongue-in-cheek parody on the original movie. It might be just be goofy enough to make you smile.



©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only)

2012: Week Five

As Neptune (the consumate dissolver) lurked over the last degree vestiges of Aquarius (which rules electronics), I watched in a somewhat horrified and semi-shocked state as a light fixture, 2-month-old computer #4 and a 4-door, 3-way refrigerator/ freezer all went up in smoke. It was as if he lingered in the quagmire between his toes before finally dipping his big toe in to the sign of (where it belongs) Pisces on February 3rd,  and where he will remain for the next 14 years. From someone who has a very prominent Neptune in their natal horoscope with a natural modus operandi for all things happening beyond the veil, all I can say is "come on in, the water is fine." Oh, and this little, tiny, itsy-bitsy post only took a little over 4 hours to accomplish on computer #3...no wonder I have lots and lots of silver-gray hair.

©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only)

This week can best be summed up by this song made famous by singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette:

"Ironic"

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do think...

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out...

http://youtu.be/Nm-1xvWibt0

2012: Week Four

Holding a petite, innocent, beautifully-constructed newborn in your arms fills the psyche with the amazing wonderment about how far each individual develops within an entire lifespan. Most every parent feels this way no matter what flag their child is wrapped in. My husband's great granddaughter shown here was born in my birth month that I share with both my paternal and maternal grandmothers. This year those ladies would have been ages 145 and 120 years old, respectively, had their cycle of life lasted longer. What wisdom could they have imparted to this brand new, precious life? Being born under the sign of the (water) Dragon myself, I feel a special affinity with this particular new year that began on the 23rd...yet I am unsure if I am of the Yin or Yang variety. One source tells me Yin while another completely refutes that and indicates Yang. Regardless, the pendulum of life swings back and forth, like a lullaby in diurnal motion, completing the cycle for generation: next.

Photo Credit:  Choo Yut Shing

©2012 Debbie Ballard (text only)

2012: Week Three

Wow! Wild Weather Week! First, moderate snowfall that was compacted down, followed by accumulative inches to feet of widespread snow, followed by freezing rain that created a thick, treacherous ice crust on top of the snow along with wind that broke weighted-down branches and trees on to homes, cars, power lines or just plain collapsed roofs, followed by the melt/thaw and a very, very slow clean up that hasn't even begun yet...sounds like the layers on an ice cream sundae, doesn't it?...some places look like absolute war zones...however, what I will take away from this experience was that nothing beat walking in fresh fallen snow at 4:30 in the morning for the insulation of absolute quiet with no airplanes flying over...sheer bliss...

Here's just a few of the memorable things that happened during the last 7 days :

Over 300,000+ households without power
All 3 runways shut down at Sea-Tac airport, hundreds of flights canceled
2317 car crashes within a 24-hour period
Tacoma Narrows bridge shut down for hours because of falling ice
More than one county or city spent half their snow budget on just this storm, alone...and that was before the end of it!

Here's some of the best videos I found on YouTube that best describe visually the greater Seattle area's 'La Nina winter fun' adventure:

P.S. As a VERY deep surprise I learned that one person was alive this week after not hearing from them or about them for almost 5 years and I learned that another became deceased after no contact for 41...talk about standing upon the extreme edges of life's spectrum-this week was definitely it!

© 2012 Debbie Ballard (text only, no videos)

Happy Birthday and RIP JP...January 19, 1952-May 13, 1976...may your favorite song and your sweet memory remain in our hearts forever...

2012: Week Two

Third week (and beyond) of the respiratory flu and still no end to coughing jags and exhaustion for me. Alas, this virus was not very conducive to celebrating my birthday or welcoming a first great-granddaughter in to the world; both momentous occasions, indeed! It seems as though everyone I talk to knows someone who has this 'bug' in varying stages. I did get out of the house more this week and in doing so I kept noticing one thing in particular: people totally engrossed in their smart phones. Mind you this was not while they were by themselves...oh no. This was in the full presence of family and loved ones at the breakfast, lunch or dinner table. I saw fathers completely (and I mean completely) ignore their children during the entire meal. I saw mothers get annoyed if their little ones interrupted their mesmerized gaze in to the lighted rectangle held within their hands. I saw a couple in jogging attire that never said one word to one another, but instead were captivated by whatever they were looking at on their respective phones. Just like internet addiction, one thing about smart phone junkies is that they forget that real people exist outside of some screen. Remember to interact with those real people in your life too, please. A little cold wind and the enchantment of snow at the end of this week solidified this image in to my psyche.

©2012 Debbie Ballard                                                                                                                   

P.S. This week also made me think twice about ever wanting to take a cruise on a ship 3 football fields in length with a capacity to hold 4500 passengers. Keeling over at 90 degrees and going for an unexpected swim in frigid waters would not be my idea of fun. Is this a new feature of "all inclusive" I wonder?

Ode to Twinkie

***Please sing to the melody of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'***

Twinkie, Twinkie:
little cake.
Hostess Cup Cakes:
no more bake.
Wonder bread, 

but most of all

I will miss the pink Sno Ball!

Twinkie, Twinkie,

won't you stay?

$$$ troubles,

GO AWAY!

Ho Hos, Ding Dongs,

Donettes, too...

all these gone 

will make folks blue!

Lunch will never be the same,

all because of corporate gain.

Hostess, Hostess

my oh my...

you now make us

cry and cry.

Zingers, Fruit Pies,

Suzy Qs...

all the flavors

and jobs, too!

Lost forever in U.S.

making economic mess!

Twinkie, Twinkie:

so, good bye...

I remember 

with a sigh.

©2012 Debbie Ballard

P.S. Unless you never roasted a Twinkie over a campfire, you've never lived.

2012: Week One

Nothing like waking up from a dream on New Year's Day in which accomplished actor, Robert De Niro, calls you on the phone to exclaim, "it sucks" in true NYC Shakespearean form! I soon began to realize that he was referring to the respiratory flu I have had since around December 23rd. Now I truly understand why Hugh Hefner wears pajamas all the time...they're damned comfortable when you feel like excrement! New Year's resolution to lose weight? Heck, you don't need one when you have this virus! Nothing like celebrating the New Year by going to bed at 8:30 at night and never to hear so much as a firecracker 3 1/2 hours later. While feeling my worst before retiring I contemplated that if my demise was upon me that many of my projects would be left unfinished for my family to unravel, hence my sole 2012 resolution: GIT 'ER DONE! I've been crossing off items on my bucket list ever since, thanks to a slow-moving Saturn and Neptune trine that I am told is formed about every 11 years. Ideas and visions implemented during this time period (approximately a month) will have positive and long-lasting results. So, a good time to clean up my act. Now, if only I could breathe without the hinderance of phlegm, have my normal energy back and be able to smell fragrances again, I might be able to call life good. In the meantime I'll spike my cup of hot black tea with cumin, cinnamon, honey, lemon juice and a jigger of rum!

©2012 Debbie Ballard

November deluge...

Wow! So much is going on this week it's literally flooding my senses. Ok, ok...I concede that because the Greater Seattle area of the Pacific NW is currently having the heaviest amount of rainfall it has seen since 2007, may just be a wee factor in influencing me. 

Batten down the hatches, because take a look at what transpires in less than one week in November 2011, alone:

Sun enters Sagittarius
48th JFK assassination anniversary
Airplane exodus (maybe, depending upon the weather)
Mercury Retrograde (oh brother, here we go again just in time for shopping)
Macy's Parade (maybe, depending upon the weather)
Thanksgiving dinner (serious food)
Football (snack food)
Movies (movie food)
Solar eclipse
Black Friday (buy, buy, buy...has anyone figured out how to be in 23 stores at once?)
Venus slides in to Capricorn

I may be all wet, but just thinking about all that makes me want to slip back under the covers to listen to the howling wind amid the torrential rain on the roof. Instead, I think I'll simply concentrate on what Thanksgiving really stands for, while enjoying the company of dear family and friends. How about you?

©2011 Debbie Ballard

Bittersweet

There once was a charming little downtown cafe that I adored for years, aptly named 'Bittersweet.' Unfortunately, its demise was prompted by relocation of the city's central hub and the economy, in that order.

One interior wall was original brick and was always dotted with framed creations from area artists. Its uneven texture created the perfect backdrop for ornately-carved and refurbished antique sideboards that always stood guard in front of it. These portly credenzas, consistently laden with ever-changing interesting artifacts, created perfect nooks and crannies throughout the room. At lunchtime conversations flourished across wooden tables stained to match; positive energy so very palpable at the noon hour. Each intimate unit's focal point contained a few sprigs of fresh seasonal flowers, which, by themselves warmed the soul immediately.

External window flower boxes held the latest season's floral treasures...always a feast for the eyes. During summer, they overlooked a small park of sidewalk tables and chairs shaded by huge umbrellas, extending the same inviting ambiance out in to the street. Sometimes these windows would be strewn with the magical atmosphere created by white twinkling lights under moonlight. Other times, hung from them,  wind chimes crafted of twisted silver forks and spoons indulged the melodic appetites of patrons.

Yes, their warm, frothy lattes,  homemade bread and thick clam chowder were absolutely delicious...but what I miss most of all was the absolutely perfect apple crisp of all time. It was the best I had ever had the pleasure of tasting...better than your Mother's or better than your Grandmother's recipe. The apples were sliced so thin and uniform which, in and of itself,  was enough to marvel at. But, coupled with it's aesthetic value was some sort of magic combination of just the right kind of sweet/tart apples, butter,  flour, sugars, cinnamon, oats and nuts baked to perfection and then all topped off by a dreamy dollop of cold, homemade whipped cream...well, whatever culinary expertise was used to create it,  it was simply and utterly superb in every way imaginable.

Bittersweet, indeed, now that I can only rely on memory to remind me that such a splendid quaint restaurant existed...whose legendary essence, at least, still lives on.

 ©2011 Debbie Ballard

Les Feuilles Mortes

Walking betwixt the cascading rain of assorted hues that only a brisk Fall day can conjure, I can't help but lament of other Autumns past. Frosty days that were painted with the colors of mahogany, crimson, copper and goldenrod..falling leaves all accomplishing their last floating-dance-on-the-wind to terra firma.  Busy were the rotund bushy-tailed squirrels hiding away their found acorn treasures, while I admired the shape of a leaf gifted from the same oak tree. Raked in to a funeral pyre, the shin-deep demise of the leaves do bequeath one last contribution, though: the much-anticipated smoky aroma of the season. In this magical transition, nature inspires us by taking pause; seen oh so clearly through the rolling fog.

 ©2011 Debbie Ballard