2009

“To talk of many things:

Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–

Of cabbages–and kings–

And why the sea is boiling hot–

And whether pigs have wings.”

-Lewis Carroll

…which didn’t quite describe what I saw and loved. Or this…

“Tree, and tree-tufted hedge-row, and sparkling between

Dewy meadows enameled in gold and in green,

With king-cups and daisies which all the year please,”

-S.T. Coleridge

…which wasn’t nearly comprehensive enough (tho’ I shall use it for my hedgerow
post, you can be sure!). I turned, in the end, to Robert Louis Stevenson.

“The world is so full of a number of things,

I ’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”

That will about cover it, and I can make up my own categories

….like “kitchens” and “cakes” and “hedgrows” and “garlands”.

It will do me good to write and share about it, for I have

still been languishing a bit, in this Virginian heat.

Just a few minutes ago, tho’, I took a quick walk

in the storm-lit dusk. The sky was a deep grey patchwork

of small clouds…I saw a bluebird fly out of the white house

on the fence-post, over our shaggy field of asters and Queen

Anne’s Lace…and a cool wind made the orange

day-lilies dance.

Perhaps, after all, there are a “number of things”

close to home to bring happiness. In fact, I am

sure of it.

WEAN

verb

Origin Old English weinan, of Germanic origin

1. Accustom (someone) to managing without something on which they have become dependent or of which they have become excessively fond.

WEAN

noun

Origin Scottish and N. English, contraction of wee one

1. A young child

….and both apt descriptions of me these past few days since I have been home.

I shall be back here, with writings and photographs of my days in England and Scotland, just as soon as I am able to face life wholly as a grown woman and not the listless child I have felt since returning on Wednesday. I am being gentle with myself, whilst also realizing how very indulgent it is to be moping about.

Things are looking up today, as I have made progress with unpacking and cleaning the house and actually enjoyed hanging out the wash in the hot southern sun, for a wee while atleast. And look how brave I am to be gazing at the photo of me in the grass on Binsey, with nary a tear in sight….

See you before long.