A dear friend has been visiting with me for the past week. We had a few lovely rambles and many hours sitting and putting both our own small worlds and the big old world to rights.
Setting things to rights is always a favorite pursuit, and the crisp air and lively sunshine of these Autumn months are a powerful muse…as are the pale warmth of the trees and sky, the glimpses of spare beauty, the delicate embellishments of vines and wind-tossed leaves.
Cupboards are being turned out, bookshelves pared down, and I think a bit of housekeeping is in order here, as well, as I continue to re-arrange and decorate these pages.
I wonder what you think of the new background? The all-white was feeling too stark for me, and I love the way the circles weave in and around the words and pictures. On my computer, the circles of flowers are pale, but I have worried that on some monitors they might be too dark and distracting…so do let me know how they appear to you. I will probably change out the background when inspiration strikes…
Recently I learned that some of my dear readers no longer comment because they don’t know how to sign in through Google or some other “identity”. Then I switched the settings on my comments back to allow for anonymous comments, and in a matter of hours started receiving spam comments, so I’ve switched the settings back again. I don’t like to do it, but nor do I like receiving all those meaningless comments in my inbox…all a part of simplifying each little corner of my life. So I hope, if you don’t already have a Google (or Typepad or other blogging account) you might take a minute or two to create one. It’s as simple as choosing an email address and password for a Google account (you don’t need to have or sign up for a gmail address) and using that to sign in with when you comment at blogs. It would be so lovely to hear from everyone who wants to share their thoughts with me….
And that reminds me of another detail. A few months ago I added a little explanation at the top of the comment box about setting up your Google profile to send your email address to me when your comment is sent. This makes it SO easy for me to write back, but I still receive lovely comments with no “return address”. I don’t always write back, of course, but love to be able to if everything conspires to make that possible. So if you have a desire to set your online conversing to rights, I hope these few things help.
Now I am going to get to some non-pixellated sorting out. One of the rambles I took with my friend Dori was along the aisles of our antiques mall. I found some very beautiful and very useful things that are still mostly wrapped up in papery bundles awaiting the clearing out of those things that are no longer of use or beautiful to me. It will be the kitchen cupboards today. It will feel so good to move out all of the things that only get used once a year…or the things that were given long ago that just don’t suit us any longer…or the things that belong to old dreams and visions.
Then I will fill those shelves with what suits us just now….as we are….with a little empty space for new dreams and visions to take root in.
*photos taken in and around Colonial Williamsburg during one of our rambles*
