With Pilcher, There is Always the Sea

I am reading a Rosamunde Pilcher book, and looking at this. It is an enviable view, wouldn't you say? The book is called September, and is meant to be the follow-on to her seminal novel The Shell Seekers. It is a good one, this follow-on. Great, in fact. As usual, I have already read it quite a number of times, but am finding myself swept again into the magic of it, even so. 

Depoe Bay, Oregon

Although I have run out of Rosamunde Pilcher books to read, I don't really mind reading them all again. There is a pattern. I usually consume The Shell Seekers during summer, Coming Home in winter, and Winter Solstice just after Coming Home. Then there is September, which really should be read in (get this?) September, but it doesn't much matter. It's smashing whenever you can lay your hands on it. 

Rosamunde began to write in 1949, and paused in the year 2000. I say 'paused', really because where there is life there is hope. Right? Maybe we will again see a delicious, weighty Rosamunde Pilcher book in a shop window at some future point. I, for one, hope dearly so.

I just love reading her stories while sitting along the seashore, don't you? or resting comfortably inside a beach house or B&B. It's just simply the most perfect setup. Her love of the sea is what keeps bringing me back to Cornwall. To St Ives ('Porthkerris'). The sea. It is nearly impossible to stay away from it, once you have read a Pilcher.

 St Ives, Cornwall

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8254247@N02/12641599325/

Cornwall, as seen by the SconeLady October 2013

Have you, dear Readers, read Rosamunde? Do you have a favorite? It is excruciating for me to try and figure out which is mine. It's actually impossible, for each story has its own magic; and I can't help but wish I could write one even half as well as she. 

Sigh. One day, I shall try. And I'm pretty sure that if it happens, it will be because I was sitting along some Cornish shore, listening to the gulls, eating a Cornish Pasty, and seeking shells in the sand on a warm, sunny day. 

See you along the way!

the SconeLady

Depoe Bay, Oregon

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"Yes, Headmistress" (part 14)

Previously:

part 13

Part 14

A rather odd development was that Rachel (not her real name), while being frightened almost out of her wits, was hilarious. It was such a conundrum. She could laugh, and make me laugh, and then suddenly remember the dread all over again. This made our visits unpredictable.

One day while we talked, and she cried, a thought struck me as I thought ahead to what may become of this dear friend.

I held her hand in both of my own, and said, "Ok, let's make a conjecture that you reach 63 years old, having NEVER BECOME ILL; never contracted cancer, heart disease, pulmonary disorder, or even a case of shingles. At age 63 you will have wasted countless years in worry that might have been happy years instead. Then what? You won't get them back. Right now, you have a chance to get those years back before they are lost."

There was a silence, and then we began to hear the sound of her husband's car in the driveway. It was time to leave. But this had been the first time there had been a detectable silence as a response, and it gave me hope.

Early the next morning, I heard our phone ringing through the darkness of a bleak winter's morning. I dashed for it, afraid our toddler would wake. "Hello...?" I said, with some concern.

"Hello, it's Rachel! You won't believe it - I've slept through the night for the first time in years! Without sleeping medication, and today I have woken up with a light heart! Praise God!"

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"Whaat! Oh Rachel - tell me what happened!!"

"I knew there was a choice between trust, and torture. And I finally chose trust!" she said, and there was a lightness in her voice that had never been there. "I don't want to waste these precious years!"

It was a Sunday, and I was to sing at the base chapel. Looking out over the crowd as I sang, I saw something resembling a bright light - Rachel's face! She was staring up at me, her face shining, filled with rest. Her fears had been given to Someone else.

The words of the song drifted out over that gathering..

I have found a Resting Place,

I have found a Resting Place,

I have found a Resting Place

that Jesus spoke about :

Come unto Me and rest!

Come unto Me and rest.

Lay down your burdens, weary one:

Come unto Me and rest.

As I sang, it was difficult to recognize her. I don't know if her own husband recognized her! But I can tell you this: that was one changed man, right there. His face shone as much as hers, as he listened..

There's a quiet place I've found

Where Jesus' love is all around.

It's in my life, here in my heart

Because He said to me:

Come unto Me and rest!

Come unto Me and rest.

Lay down your burdens, weary one:

Come unto Me and rest.

-adapted from Matthew 11:28 - 30

It's a Message we all need, my dear Readers. Perhaps it is time to exchange our chains for His yoke. Remember? It is easy, and His burden is light.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14783946482/

See you along the Way!

the SconeLady

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"Yes, Headmistress" (part 13)

(Previous posts from this series):

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12

Part 13

We had friends - lots of lovely friends! I am especially thinking of one, tonight.

She was dreadfully worried, and this worry became almost a disease, plaguing the hours between waking and sleeping. No day was free of it; the worry attached itself to her like a Chain. It could bring her to tears.

She was a new bride in a new country with a husband devoted (as they all were) to the Air Force. He loved her dearly, but her growing worries frightened her most when she was alone. One day, she came to me.

"I am so afraid I am going to die!" she cried. 

"Why?! Are you ill?" I said, suddenly alarmed.

"Well - no, not really. Not yet. But I'm afraid I might be. My aunt is terribly ill."

I was sorry for the aunt (I had heard much about this aunt), but did not see quite why her illness might cause my friend personal fear.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/intherough/3253349104/

"Is what she has contagious? Are you going soon for a visit?" I asked.

But no, this was not the case. My friend was worried that she would be stricken in the same way as her aunt, because they were related.

"And my uncles have all contracted either some sort of cancer, or heart disease, or pulmonary condition, or blood disorder. And my grandparents have, as well. My mother...my father.. It's horrible!" and she cried out at these fearful thoughts. 

As we talked, I could see that her fears were not something that would evaporate easily. Still, we talked. And, when she would, we prayed. These discussions happened every time I saw her; for months.  

When it came right down to it, fear of death was at the core and she could not find escape.

It was a poser. We all must die, sometime. We all feel the mortality that has been a part of every human since the Beginning; even our Lord did not look forward to its process, but grasped that nettle on our behalf. Knowing this helped her briefly whenever I gently reminded; but still each meeting devolved into the same strange topic of doom.

Dear readers, have you ever faced fears such as these? We are all human, and vulnerable. For this girl, they seemed to develop when she left the familiarity of Home, and forgot for a while to cling to the Everlasting Arms.

This is not the end of the story but for now, if you, too, are fearful, consider Matthew 11:28 - 30:

"Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

More, tomorrow. Until then, give them all to Jesus.


See you along the Way!
the SconeLady

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"Yes, Headmistress" (part 12)

(Previous posts from this series):

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11

Part 12

It was simply a different world, and I can't think of much we did not like. We had only recently become folded into the military, so there was a lot to learn. For instance,

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/5014290292/

• if you purchase at the Commissary (groceries) or BX (department store), no tax is added
• if stationed overseas (for us, England) petrol coupons are issued and you can buy a certain amount of gas for U.S. prices
• if your husband's commander's wife wants you to do something, you will probably find yourself doing it
• if you are pregnant, you're not alone! there is always a baby boom in the Air Force
• if you want to go for a walk, you will find yourself holding an umbrella
• if you have a baby or toddler, you will never be without fast friends
• if you need a babysitter, look no further than Mrs. Gutierrez.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/emzee/180639714/

Mrs. Gutierrez was the 'nanny' of any number of American babies and toddlers. "Oh, you have to meet Mrs. Gutierrez! She is superb, and reasonably priced. No, she lives off base. But you won't mind the drive once you meet her. She specializes in babies and toddlers."

I don't really remember anyone there who was not potty training. In fact, whenever you stepped through the door you would see vast numbers of babies sitting on pots. We found this surprising. Many of the babies weren't even a year old yet, but there they were, sitting, patiently waiting for the inevitable. Our daughter was whipped onto a pot just moments after we dropped her off, so I never really dealt with training. It was hilarious! You gotta love Mrs. Gutierrez. We never did see Mr. Gutierrez, although we had heard he existed. Perhaps he had been sent to his room.

She was a British Hispanic lady who had lived in dedication to American babies for decades, and they came in their droves. Hers wasn't really a day care center, it was just a comfy home with lots of little potties waiting in anticipation. Scrupulously clean. In the living room. 

"Is she trained?" was her first question when we walked in that first time. 

"Trained for what?" we asked.

"Oh, the potty, the potty, of course. " 

"But she's only 10 months old!" we sputtered. 

"No matter. She will learn. I will teach her!

And of course, she did. Nothing, apparently, is impossible.

We loved Mrs. Gutierrez. She was kind. She was funny! She was all part of the England experience we came to love. 

The SconeLady and her husband will venture down that street again, soon. We will drive by Mrs. Gutierrez' red brick home, hoping for a sign of two white haired Gutierrezes, perhaps sitting out on the patio of an evening. They would be in their 80's by now. Still ready for customers. Still asking, "Is she trained?"

They don't make them quite like that anymore.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady

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"Yes, Headmistress" (part 11)

(Previous posts from this series):

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10

Part 11

We were thousands of miles from home, and weren't exactly sure when we would get back. 

But were we friendless? No...not really; not yet. The base was 25 miles distant, but one could get there in a pinch. And on it were thousands of other Americans, queuing up for all the American goodies at the Commissary. I loved that place. There were mountains of Hershey Bars, bottles of Ketsup (a rare item in the UK), barbecue briquets and Miracle Whip - in fact, everything to make an American feel right at home. You could remain on the base and not even recognize the foreign country surrounding you.

But we did not want to remain on a base and not recognize England. England was our dream come true and we wanted it all. 

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Friends? We grownups had tons of friends, because we had The Squadron. Remember John Grisham's book The Firm? Well, it was like that only positive. The men who flew the RF-4s were an automatic band of brothers. The wives of the men who flew the RF-4s were their own loyal band, and stood ready with kindly aid and comfort. They offered good advice ("Remember to look right when turning out of the base. Otherwise? SMASH."). They educated the newer wives about the oddities surrounding the base ("Do you see those white tents just outside the main gate? Well, they are filled with protesters who have been out there for years, shouting at us. It's a dirt pit.."). Hmm. This was going to be interesting.

One day as I drove onto the base I took a good look at this 'dirt pit'. Protesters were indeed crammed into clusters of white tents. Many stood outside in the rain holding signs. They shouted at me with horrible mean looks on their faces, and they had (are you ready for it?) GIANT SAFETY PINS THREADED ONTO THEIR ARMS AND TORSOS. Good grief. 

We were shocked to hear one day that a baby was being born inside one of the tents, during a rain storm. Talk about drama. There was mud everywhere (did I ever say England was dry?), and a television truck and crew showed up to record the event. It tried to park near the tent but the protesters protested, and forced it back. It was all a frightful mess of mud and confused screaming. Still, the cameraman must have snuck back because we saw his report on the news that night: 

"... and the baby's mother refused to go to a hospital or to leave the protest site. Multiple protesters accosted the news crew and used profanity and a fair amount of shoving, while the mother screamed. From the base there was concern for the infant, and the National Health became involved. A doctor arrived just before the birth..."

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I don't remember what happened to the baby, but the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament remained outside the Air base for years. I am not even joking about the safety pins, which were woven in and out of their skin in a strange and shocking manner. Maybe the most extraordinary part is that one of the safety-pin-wearing-protesters eventually became the Archbishop of Canterbury. (I am not even joking).

It's sort of hard to make a connection between protesting Nukes and threading a giant safety pin into one's arm skin. Can somebody please help me out here?


See you along the way!
the SconeLady

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Gabrielle Blair is Designmom

I knew right away it would be a binge-read. Remember those potato chips that you can never eat just one of? That's Designmom.com. You just have to keep reading.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alt_design_summit/14451316256/

I was already following a gob of blogs, and loving it. I wasn't a blogger yet myself, but was interested in bloggers and was related to some of them. My favorite was/is a sewing blog you can view here.  Adorable! And there were blogs about being a good grandmother (the SconeLady always wants to be that). I found blogs that talked about movies and books. Not to mention blogs covering potty training, weight loss, and child discipline. It was all rather exhausting.

And then I heard that my super talented niece had done the photography for a post at Designmom.com. So I moseyed on over to check it out. The post was great and the next thing I knew, I had become hooked. Maybe it's the beautiful designs Gabby creates and gathers into her Designmom space. Maybe it's the easy-breezy way she speaks that keeps you coming back. Whatever. We're back. In our droves.

Check it out, if you haven't already. I was binge reading it one day when I was electrified to read that Gabrielle had been on House Hunters International! I love that show and am always trying to find the England episodes. The installment featuring Gabby and her family took place in France, and it's the coolest thing! 

Whatever it is you are doing right now, pause and find it on youtube here. It's in four parts. I just adore the house they chose to live in! It would be dreamy to find a house out in the French countryside filled with charm, and art, and beauty. I can't wait to hear what you think of it.

The world of blogging and posts is a new one. It's a fun one! Anyone can see that it's here to stay because it's all about sharing. Maybe it's a little bit like the old quilting circles women used to join; where ladies could share what they were learning, and pass along newly minted skills. I like that. It's a Circle.

I hope you'll keep coming back to the SconeLady's 'circle'. Maybe it'll become a binge-read.


See you along the way!
the SconeLady

Rosie's Scones

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Martha Stewart At ALT Summit (Summer)

Have you noticed? It is so much fun to read about Martha Stewart! It is fun to watch her cooking shows; fun to eat what she teaches you to make; fun to view her multitudinous interviews on youtube. And, truth be told, one can learn an awful lot from Martha about making home more civilized. Wouldn't life be tons-of-enjoyable if it were? 

And it's all just a 'click' away.

Sure, she's terrifically wealthy. But if you look pretty closely, Martha Stewart started small, and worked toward big through scads of hard work. Good for her! I'm glad she could achieve these successes, because so much effort went into it. 

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But what makes me think of Martha Stuart, today? Designmom.com. Yes, that's right, the fabulous Designmom (Gabrielle Blair) who is a designer/blogger/wife/mother/creator-of-beauty/and ALT Summit co-founder. At this year's ALT Summit (look it up), Martha was the keynote speaker and completely nailed it. She was definitely preaching to the choir that day! I hope you tuned in. After all, hundreds of screaming women can't be all wrong. 

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I don't know what Martha is like behind closed doors, but out in front of them she is cool, and witty, and super amiable. You can watch the interview here.

Gabrielle Blair did a terrific interview. It is not easy to interview a megaStar and keep everybody interested for over an hour (I have seen lots of Martha interviews and in many of them, the interviewer would have been better off silent. Just ask simple questions, and then let Martha go). Gabby is good at this.

And by the way, Gabrielle Blair's Designmom.com is one of my personal favorite blogs due to the fact that Gabrielle Blair is, herself, unique. And humble. And oh-so-innovational. Not to mention she has six children! To own even one of those attributes along with six children is approaching the miraculous. But she does it. It could be exhausting just to think about it.

So, my dear Readers, click away! You will definitely find something you like in that vast world of Martha. I am clicking as we speak: "Martha Stewart's Cooking School". Hmmmm .. should it be Grits With Boiled Tomatoes? or perhaps Roast Rack of Lamb? 

I think I'll go with the Lamb. After all, 40,000 coyotes can't all be wrong.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattknoth/4864883708/

See you along the way!
the SconeLady



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