Visions of Poetry

Friday September 18 2015  TOMORROW REALLY IS SATURDAY

 

EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY

By Kathleen Martens

September 18, 2015

 

Remember, when you are retired every day is Saturday.

The only day that is different during the week is Sunday.

Saturday skips Sunday and then it’s Saturday Monday.

Oh how wonderful when every day is Fun day.

 

All the days seem to run together

Faster and faster as each week goes by.

How do I slow the rapid pace

When each hour seems to fly?

 

I wake each morning with all my plans

Of everything I intend to get done.

Then the day gets gobbled up

When I’m on the run.

 

And even when I am no longer running

It seems I go in circles.

What I really seem to need

Is a few great big miracles.

 

I would like to own a magic wand

That would cook and clean on demand,

So I could have everything accomplished,

All that is on the list I planned.

 

All the “stuff” I need to do

Constantly stares me in the face.

Actually, the only thing that needs to be done

Is to have everything in its place.

 

But that is where the problem lies

For there are no more places to fill.

And besides when it is Saturday

Work is not what I will.

 

And Sunday Sabbath is a day of rest,

A time that I spend with my Lord.

I just wish these Saturdays’

Would quit trying my time to hoard.

 

Then I would have Monday to do the wash,

And Tuesday to work even more.

And Wednesday I could dust the house,

And Thursday scrub the floor.

 

And Friday I would do all else,

So Saturday I have would have nothing to do.

But since every day is always Saturday

My work never seems to be through.

 

Oh my goodness!  I guess I am telling on myself.  To be serious, it is a bit difficult at times to remember which day it is, but it seems regardless the day I am always busy, always on the go, always with one more thing to accomplish.  How was I gone for four months and not do all this “stuff”?  Well, for the most part, it just didn’t get done.  I am digging out from three years of chaos in the house.  About three years ago we had a water valve break and water leaked between our top floor walls and floor area to the ceilings below.  Oh, what a mess when that was discovered.  We had to move everything out of five rooms of our house.  The rooms we moved out of consisted of our master bedroom, my photography office (a major undertaking), two bathrooms upstairs and one downstairs bathroom.

Within two days following the discovery of the damage you could stand in our lower level, look up through the ceiling of the office, through the master bedroom floor area that no longer existed, through the walls of the bathrooms, through the bathroom ceiling to the attic and see the roof rafters.  Almost every room in the house was impacted.  The spare bedroom had to be emptied to accept our master bedroom furniture. My prop room next to the laundry room had to be rearranged to accept two tables of computers and printers and photography equipment and orders and so on and so on.  The only room that was sacrosanct was the photography studio.  I still had clients coming for photos.  After a few days we realized we couldn’t live in our house while it was under reconstruction.  We had no working bath or shower.  The only other bathroom upstairs was far away from the bedrooms and only had a toilet and sink.  We moved into a local temporary hotel suite designed for short term living with the bare necessities in the kitchen. 

Every day I drove from the hotel to my studio and worked in my temporary office with all the electronic equipment cords taped to floors and walls, down hallways, around corners and into the room where my makeshift office was set up.  This happened in March.  Our house was not finished until February the following year.  We lived out of boxes and things became quite disordered.  And…there are rooms that are still in disorder.  Even more so now.  I have since retired and dismantled my studio so I could truthfully tell clients that I no longer had a studio to work in.  I took off for an odyssey and had an amazing four months.  Now I am back and reality is rearing its head.

My initial homecoming was not quite what I thought it would be.  I thought I would come home, unpack, get my house back in order, finish my orders from last year and buckle down to finish editing the books I am working on.  Well, that didn’t happen.  If you just joined the blog family, go back to the beginning of July and read what has happened since I arrived home.  I won’t repeat it here.  Needless to say, I have not accomplished diddly squat. Since I am confessing all, please be informed that I have not hand-washed all the clothes I had on my trip that must be hand washed.  Summer is almost over so I guess I just won’t get to wear them again this season.  Nor have I sorted through all the keepsakes I brought home or the gifts I bought to give others.  Everything is piled on the coffee table in my former studio just waiting to go to their rightful homes.  Nor have I gone through the many piles of books I purchased on my travels.  And this is my most favorite thing to do.

I say all the above to say this.  Things will need to change and change soon.  I have my friend from Albuquerque arriving next week and the week after she leaves Dave and I are leaving for a trip.  We will need to cut our trip shorter than we planned because Dave is scheduled to have surgery the week we will arrive  home.  The doctor said he will have a 6 week recovery period when his activity will be very limited.  He will not be able to lift, exercise, or do anything strenuous.  Well, nature doesn’t wait for a man to recover.  When it’s time to drop leaves the leaves will drop.  We only have a few hundred trees to clean up afterward.  Well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit but we have many, many, many, BIG, BIG, BIG, trees to clean up after.  And these trees have BIG leaves.  I guess this is the year we’ll hire someone with a tractor to come in and do the yard work.  When you have the kind of yard we have you absolutely cannot leave the piles of leaves on the lawns or the lawns would be damaged beyond repair next spring after the snow melt.  We also have many flower beds that must have piles of leaves raked on them in order to insulate the gardens.  So, this is not a good time for surgery!  But, what must be will be. I may have to hog tie Dave to keep him from getting out there and working and I will if I must.  I just want him to get well.

Even though I have not accomplished what I thought I would accomplish when I arrived home I have been able to succeed in keeping life and limb together.  I have recuperated well from my surgery in July, I am back to exercising, I am doing my best to keep up the living area of the house (somewhat) and I’m working diligently to help Dave with his necessary diabetic nutrition.  He has now lost about 42 pounds.  I am so proud of his commitment to himself. 

Even though I still have much to do I have enjoyed every hour I have been home (perhaps not when I was dizzy) and look forward to the future to see what I can accomplish.  I am learning to slow down a bit, thus the reason I am not accomplishing my “to do list”.  But that is okay.  I will not beat myself up over it.  I have decided it is time to really enjoy life.  And to enjoy it without rushing!  I do not like to rush. (INSERT:  Dave’s comment, “Boy, isn’t that the truth.”)

I am so thankful for these later years in my life because it has been the most intimate of times with my God.  I think God gives us old age so we can get to know Him better.  There is a scripture in Proverbs that says: “White hair is a crowning glory and you’ll find it most among the godly.”  I don’t know the reference right now but will look it up later and let you know at some later date.  I haven’t made it quite to a full white head of hair yet but someday I hope too.

Enjoy every day because so soon they are past.  And remember, only what’s done for Christ will last.

P.S.  Dave found the reference: Proverbs 16:31  which reads in the NIV translation: “Grey hair is the crown of splendor, it is attained in the way of righteousness.”

There are several different versions.  I can’t remember which version my quote came from.

 

Good night and God bless you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday September 17 2015  SHORT AND SWEET

 

I have titled today’s blog SHORT AND SWEET for a reason.  It is to be a reminder to me that this is what my goal is for this blog today.  I am still recuperating from yesterday’s bed rest and a bit low on energy.  I am doing some better and accomplished a visit to the doctor with Dave for his surgery consultation for his Inguinal Hernia.  His surgery is scheduled next month.  I also accomplished a few other stops around the area to prepare for tomorrow’s tasks.  We have an all church picnic we would like to attend on Saturday and each family is to bring a dish to share.  That will be Saturday’s task.  Tomorrow is a task day all its own.  If you have read this blog before then you know what Thursday is all about and what must take place afterward.  But I cannot mention it here.  I am just seeing how long I can go before I slip up and say the “you know what word”.

I had a lovely visit with one of my sisters on the phone today.  She is a wonderful talker, full of knowledge and wisdom, loves to share it with me, (which I love to hear) and she was even able to understand a bit of what I said to her.  Velma is hearing impaired.  She can still use hearing aids that helps her a bit but it is difficult for her to hear in person and even more so on the phone.  It is great that I can hear her. 

My timer is going off.  I must attend to my duty.  Back in a bit.

I’m full and that is all I’m going to say!

 

SO MUCH TO SAY

By Kathleen Martens

September 17, 2015

 

Why is it I have so much to say,

And never enough time to speak?

It seems the words bubble up from within,

And my thoughts just verbally leak.

 

Sometimes they come out before I think

And that is not a very good thing.

So instead of talking so much

I just hum and sing.

 

Or sometimes I just sit down

And let my mind be free to the wind.

I listen closely to what’s inside.

For to myself I’m a very good friend.

 

It is fun to explore my world,

Where words are waiting to explode.

And when no one else is around,

I write poetry and sometimes prose.

 

My journal is patient and oh so quiet.

It never minds at all what I tell.

It sits on my lap and patiently awaits

All the words I will spell.

 

And when I am finished it brings relief

To know that my thoughts are captured in ink.

Because deep in my heart now I know

With my past, I will have a link.

 

When events are told fresh from the mind

More accurate are the facts.

For time has a way of fading memory

Softening what the present tracks.

 

I guess it really comes down to this,

I have a voice and it wants to be heard.

But perhaps I should think before I speak,

And allow wisdom to limit words.

 

I will let my poem today be my words of wisdom.  THINK BEFORE I SPEAK and ALLOW WISDOM TO LIMIT WORDS.

I wish you could hear what I am hearing now.  A few moments ago as I sat here typing my blog I heard something quite loud happening outside.  Our house is all brick and has dual pained windows so  we don’t hear many sounds outside if the windows and doors are closed.  I opened the window by my rickety table desk and I hear the most beautiful sound of a summer squall.  What a great word SQUALL is.  Its synonyms are:  “storm, windstorm, gust, tempest, shower, gust of wind”.  Perfect description of what is going on right outside my window.  And the smell is fresh and wet and beautiful.  Sort of what I imagine heaven will smell like.  I think I shall challenge myself to write a poem using all the synonyms I wrote above.

SQUALL

By Kathleen Martens

September 17, 2015

 

Storm of night is ever dark

As the windstorm beats against the pane.

As if the tempest rears its head

Without ceasing to wane.

 

Showers fall in gust of wind

As lightening penetrates the sky.

And then in lingering fragrance of rain

Its anger begins to die.

 

And it leaves in my heart

A smile, knowing it was God,

Who chose this amazing way

To give nourishment to our sod.

 

Thank You God for our rain.

 

A very light and easy to write blog.  Sweet dreams.

Good night and God bless all of you.

 

P.S.  I was looking through my external hard drive and googled “rain”.  Here is an older poem that came up that I wrote a few years back about another night storm.

 

Night Rain

By Kathleen Martens

June 15, 2013

 

How to describe

Falling rain

Sound in the night

On gentle breeze

Soft and fragrant drops

Dance on fluttering leaves.

The sound of patience

As earth drinks

Its offering

Of heaven’s tears.

 

One more P.S.  The following is just a bonus I happened upon in my older external drive.  I thought it might fit in to this day’s blog and one I wrote in the last few days.  Read it only if you are interested in reading something taken right out of my hand written journal with no intention of anyone ever reading it but me.  I just felt compelled to share it here.

 

 

Continued from Secret Friend

Journal Excerpt

By Kathleen Martens

May 24, 2013

 

Lord, I feel so full of poems today.  Thank You again for my hearing.  Listening to my music is like reading a good book, over and over.  Just the beauty of an author’s prose or a composer’s score speaks to my inmost being, comforting my senses, knowing what is to come, yet anticipating the beauty of what is ahead.  And I see and imagine the heart that would be filled with such emotions to create such insight and beauty through their art.   And I wonder what struggles and lessons they too had to experience to bring to life what speaks to me.  What did it take for them to come to this place in their journey to be able to offer this sacred part of themselves to the world. 

 

How does one imagine such melody?  I see the music in my heart as a beautiful sculpture being formed.  The artist circling the stone, and design forming in thought as the rough edges are chiseled away and the beauty of their dream translated to sound.  Gentle, sweet sound that swirls around the creation of that which is being honed through experience and the deep need to express, and share, and create, and write, and compose, and draw, and paint, and define, and dance, and sing, and sculpt, and create poetry.  IT MUST COME OUT, for an artist’s heart is always full to overflowing.

 

And God is the master creator and He created us in His likeness and so we too are made to create.  And out of the abundance of our heart we speak.  And we all speak in different ways.  We speak with words and actions.  We speak through giving and we speak through our art.  And we even speak with our silence.  Out of the heart the soul speaks.

 

Thank You Lord for those who use their gifts to give peace and joy and beauty to others.  Let my art speak Your word from my heart.  Let my art praise You and show You my thanksgiving.  Let my art be a reflection of You.

 

POST SCRIPT:  I GUESS MY BLOG WASN’T SO SHORT.  I HOPE IT WAS SWEET.

 

Good night again!

 

 

 

Wednesday September 16, 2015  AMBULANCE TO EGG

 

Today’s title heading has a meaning.  One I know before I begin writing.  I spent a bit of time yesterday planning what I was going to do today to make my week, and my month, work for me.  Today Dave had blood work done at 8:40 a.m.  We planned to go from there to the gym to workout.  Then our plan was to make a quick run out to Costco so I could pick up all the ingredients I would need to finish up making all the f_ _d (I don’t want to say the “F” word) I need to make.  Well, it didn’t happen.  It is amazing how quickly your plans can turn on a dime.

While working yesterday I began to feel light headed.  As the day progressed it became a bit more noticeable until I began to feel dizzy.  I was able to eat dinner but not do the cleanup.  Dave took over the kitchen for me and I hurriedly put myself to bed.  By that time my world was spinning and I did not feel well at all.  I knew my heart was beating erratically, but I am somewhat used to that.  Everything progressively turned worse after that.  Dave was sleeping peacefully next to me and I was still unable to go to sleep.  It was 11:00 p.m. when I realized my heart was really in trouble.  I thought I should at least wake Dave and make him aware of it in case I became even worse. 

Dave called the nurse on call and because of my condition, by this time I was losing body heat and shivering and going into shock,  the nurse felt we needed to call 911.  And so the ambulance came.  When my heart is in Atrial Fib it causes my kidneys to over work and I am constantly making trips to the bathroom.  This is not a good thing because it is difficult for me not to pass out.  The fire department came first and I was still out of whack.  I soon began to feel better and by the time the ambulance came I knew I was a bit better.  I was all packed up and in the ambulance ready to leave when I asked if it was really necessary to take me in since my heart had converted from A Fib back to my normal ABNORMAL heart rate.  What I mean by that is the fact that my heart is rarely in a regular rhythm, but it does have sort of a regular, abnormal rhythm.  The paramedics monitored me for a while longer in the ambulance, did a couple of EKG’s, and blood pressure checks.  My pressure was elevated but that too was going down.  I just did not want to go to the hospital!  So, since I felt better, Dave and I decided that I would not go. 

Before you get your dander up Sister, know I felt it was a well informed decision since my EKG was on the right path and my blood pressure was dropping back to normal.  I would have gone had I felt the way I had before they came.  What caused this episode to come on, I cannot say for sure.  Perhaps it was from working too hard (that seems like the noble thing to say), eating a gram too much fruit, not eating enough of something, or just that I am old and my heart is wearing out?  The worst part of the ordeal was the dizziness.  I do not think there is anything I dislike more than being dizzy.  I finally fell asleep, and awakened at 8:30 a.m..  I ate breakfast and was back in bed by 10:00 a.m. and did not stir until almost 2:30 p.m..  I then ate lunch and rested on the couch the rest of the day.  No exercise, no work in the kitchen, just plain old laziness!  I am not quite back to 100% but I am doing much better.  Now, I am planning my tomorrow.  (Sister, remind me again about slowing down.  I think I need to hear it again.)

Now, let’s skip to the egg.  Think of the egg as just a product of the chicken (not f_ _d).  Remember I am not saying that word anymore.  I opened a carton of farm fresh eggs we buy and my eyes popped out.  Eleven normal size eggs tucked neatly in the carton and one egg that stuck out like a sore thumb.  I imagine there was something else quite sore after laying that egg.  Look at the picture below.  Dave asked if it was a goose egg.  I will say, it was a good egg! Just thought you might like to see how big it really was.

It pains me to admit it, but I think this blog must be short tonight as I am feeling a bit peaked.  I do not like admitting that I don’t feel well or am tired because so seldom do I feel that way.  I suppose my body might just be trying to tell me to slow down a bit.  Perhaps becoming that “recluse” I talked about yesterday is sounding better and better.  The one thing I do know is that we all need to learn to listen to our bodies.  As we age we can no longer get away with the long nights and hard working days.  Slowing down is one of the greatest losses I will feel in the aging department.  When I turned 60 my doctor of many years sat me down at my physical and commenced to telling me that I was entering the time of loss in my life.  He explained that I would be giving up certain things, like energy and vitality, perhaps my spouse in death, my hearing, my astounding memory, driving, and on and on he went.  He was serious and thought it important enough to give his “aging patient’s this pep talk” that he presents to his patients on their 60^th year.  Well, you know what?  He was right.  But I didn’t want to let him be right.  What he didn’t know was that I already had a host of “giving ups” I had already experienced.  In a later year I took a poem to him that I wrote and read it to him.  Some of the things he spoke about were included in the poem and I also included several things that he had failed to mention.  If I can find it on my hard drive I will include it at the bottom of this blog.  It truly is worth reading.

I learned a new word today.  It is elegy.  Its synonyms are:  “poem (sad poetry about one’s life), requiem, dirge, composition, and funeral song”.  So I guess my poem is an elegy.  I enjoy new words.  I have dictionaries placed all over the house so that wherever I am reading I can look up new words I do not know.  The more new words a writer gives me to look up, the more I enjoy the book.  It seems I remember and understand the word forever after that when I look them up.  I wonder what my poem will be tonight.  I honestly never know which poem will come to me before I begin.  So here goes.  I will let my mind wander and see what it comes up with.

 

JUST GIVE IT A TRY

By Kathleen Martens

September 16 2015

 

Sometimes I wish that others

Would write a poem or two

So I could look inside their mind

And see how their thoughts brew.

 

Poetry is nothing more

Than writing what one thinks.

So many think that it is hard,

But it is just an open link.

 

An opening to who you are

And how you view the world.

You may find it fun

As your thoughts freely unfurl.

 

If you know not where to begin

Just write whatever comes to heart.

It seems to be the very best place

For your words to  start.

 

Be not afraid to open up

And show who you really are.

You may certainly surprise yourself.

Your words may take you far.

 

Take you to places yet undiscovered.

To places deep within.

Words that will then make sense.

And words will become your friend.

 

So much can be said

In little spurts of letters.

A new you may emerge

That you may even like better.

 

Never underestimate your value

Or gifts that are tucked inside

When you write a poem or two

IT’S IN YOURSELF YOU REALLY CONFIDE!

 

Hmm…I think I like that one because it seems so true.  Sometimes we are too afraid to explore areas yet unexplored.  Take a chance and do something different.  If poetry doesn’t suit you, write a letter to yourself telling yourself about what you like about yourself and things you wish you could improve.  I write letters to God quite often.  And He writes them back to me.  Of course they come through “MIND MAIL” but that is okay, because I am an excellent transcriptionist.  I sometimes just can’t decipher my writing afterwards.  Give yourself a chance and just see if you could write a poem.  It may be fun.  Remember, it doesn’t need to rhyme.  Just break up a sentence into short phrases and put the short phrases on separate lines and sometimes it will make an awesome poem.  I’ll give you an example.  Take the second sentence in this paragraph which I just chose and see how I break it up to create a bit more meaning.

 

TAKE A CHANCE

By Kathleen Martens

September 16, 2015

 

Sometimes

We are too afraid

To explore

Areas yet unexplored.

 

Take a chance

To go

Where your heart

Beckons.

 

(I just made up the last stanza to go with the above sentence.)

 

There.  You have a poem.  A poem makes you concentrate on the phraseology of the line and brings out more meaning in one’s mind.  Now that is probably a poor example of what I want to get across to you but I will make up a poem now that does not rhyme.  On what subject?  Who knows?

 

WORDS

By Kathleen Martens

September 16, 2015

 

Words

Are but letters

Arranged by choice

To create thoughts

Which need to be

Spoken.

 

Give it a try.

Well, so much for a short blog.  I guess I started feeling better.  At least I am not dizzy.

Well, here is the poem I promised to share that I wrote to my doctor.

 

 

I Have Some Words To Say 

By Kathleen Martens

 

I had a visit to my doctor

Just the other day.

Sit down He said to me

I have some words to say.

 

It’s all about

The experiences of life,

Listen to my wisdom.

Perhaps you’ll have less strife.

 

Each year progresses

With age appropriate experience

And what I speak to you

Please understand the seriousness.

 

Time has a way

Of opening its door,

With new developments,

Each year offering more.

 

While strong and stalwart

No time used for reflection,

Each milestone just happens,

No time for inspection.

 

 

Adulthood happens,

Children are born.

Life seems forever,

The future not scorned.

 

And then one day

We seem to see

And wonder what’s happening

To spouse and me.

 

The body creaks,

The mind slows down.

What once was important

Now brings a frown.

 

We often view

Ourselves younger

And for those days

We still hunger.

 

Social Security by check comes

And we think we’re still forty,

But our movements

We start hoarding.

 

And unexpectedly we see

In a mirror true

What time has done

To both me and you.

 

It’s better to accept

Just who we are

On this journey called life

Now we’ve traveled so far.

 

“You’ll be more content”,

Are the Doctor’s words.

What he doesn’t realize

How much unsaid I’ve heard.

 

Life has a way

Of teaching each one

That every day

Is not always fun.

 

Even with age

Joy is alive and well

Though you have more episodes

When you’re sick a spell.

 

There are aches and pains

You just keep to self

And after tending all

You place them on the self.

 

To the young

Listen to words of warning:

I must soak my hands

So fingers move each morning.

 

And when I arise

I am so slow,

Joints must pop in

Before they’ll go.

 

Warm compresses

On my eyes

To awaken oil ducts

On which my vision relies.

 

I scrub my scalp

And soak my head

So my skin is healthy

When I’m dead.

 

I cover my bunions

Put drops on my corns

Insert my orthopedics

For feet that are worn.

 

Put Vitamin E 

On my latest scar

In hopes the old body

Will show less mar.

 

I must sit just right

So broken tailbone won’t shout

And there is much more I could say

Without a doubt!

 

I must be so careful

To put things away,

Otherwise I can’t find them

Because they skitter away.

 

Skin becomes dry

And easy to tear,

But you learn to accept it

Because it’s given much wear.

 

The hearing diminishes,

Not bothersome at all.

What others say

On deaf ears fall.

 

The T.V. is louder,

Discourages guests,

But that’s okay

Gives you more time to rest.

 

So much advice

From one younger than I

But no need for thought

Before I comply.

 

Such sage wisdom

Experienced through years

With aging patients’

Grumblings and tears.

 

Doc’s seen the losses

That take their toll

As each year passes

And His patients grow old.

 

So thanks for your insight

And not saying that I am fat.

As far as the rest?

Been there!  Done that!

 

I know growing older

Is a gradual perishing,

But my spirit renews each day

For it is life I am cherishing.

 

But if I may ask

A question or two

I wonder who will say

All these words to you?

 

Thanks for caring Dr. B

 

Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow.  Just don’t get dizzy. 

 

God bless you and good night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday September 14 2015  FOOD OBSESSION

My cousin says I have an obsession with food.  Synonyms for obsession: “mania, fixation, passion, preoccupation, thing”.  I wonder which one best describes the meaning of obsession for me?  I would rather use the word ENJOY to describe my “thing” regarding food.  Yes, I love to eat it, after all food is not something we can live without, but even more so, I ENJOY the beauty of food.  I ENJOY the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables and the textures I feel when working with them.  I ENJOY figuring out new recipes and foods that will and will not work with each other.  I ENJOY the aroma of fresh herbs picked from the herb garden and the warm cozy feeling one gets inside when you walk into a kitchen that has something baking in the oven.  And…I ENJOY color and food presentation and the flavors of well prepared meals.  I actually ENJOY preparing and cooking.  So, I suppose “PASSION” would also describe my obsession.  And the thing I get the most satisfaction out of is the way I feel after I have eaten a well-balanced, delicious (to me anyway), and satisfying meal.  What I eat truly does affect my physical output.  When I don’t put the proper foods in, I cannot expect my body to perform to its highest performance level.  Performance to me is having energy, feeling well as I go about my day, having a bounce in my step and enthusiasm in my spirit.  I don’t want to feel like I need a nap after I eat a meal.  After eating should be when I have the most energy and vitality to enjoy life.  I don’t want to be constantly thinking about the next time I can eat.  I want to be satisfied, sated, physical needs satisfied and on my way. 

Since Dave must eat on a strict schedule I have become more attuned to getting into the kitchen early enough to prepare food before his blood sugar crashes.  So therefore, I have to think about food more frequently as to when and what I have prepared for his next meal.  That is one reason I enjoy making large batches of recipes so the food is prepared and ready to serve up.  I always have prepared vegetables of some sort ready to eat, as well as protein that can be easily used in concoctions, rices and quinoa salads prepared ahead, and fresh salad greens ready for cutting up.  It makes each meal a bit easier to get on the table sooner.  So, I spend a couple of days cooking and preparing and then for the next several days we eat off of that and never seem to have the same meal twice because I always mix and match and pull protein entrees from the freezer to make different concoctions.  I buy Costco rotisserie chickens and cut the meat into cubes and freeze in serving size portions to add to soups or salads.  The more things I can create, the more I enjoy it.  It makes eating fun, and it makes the prep work seem like less work.  And to even make it more interesting, I don’t really know what we’ll be eating until I receive my food boxes on Thursday and then see what Aldi’s sales are for the week.  We eat seasonally and I design our menus around the sale items and the food box.  When fresh berries are on sale I buy them in flats and come home and freeze berries and cut up fruits on cookie sheets so the berries do not stick to one another.  That way we can just reach in and add whatever fruit we want on our cereal or salads or fruit smoothies. 

So now you know why my freezer is full and why my cousin says I have a food obsession.  I love reaching in and pulling out bags of beautiful raspberries and blueberries and strawberries and mangos and pineapple and many more varieties during the winter months.  And the bonus is, I get good fruit for less cost, especially when you consider winter costs.  Come next spring and summer I again will have more space to fill in the freezer.

So, maybe I should quit talking about food so much.  Perhaps then I wouldn’t have much else to talk about.  I’ll go a few days and see what I come up with.  That is, after I tell you what I have cooking for tonight.  Another Strata bakes as I write this blog and then I will bake the carrot cake muffins when the oven is empty.  If you like carrot cake just let me know and I’ll be happy to share my recipe.  The recipe is actually for a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but I make the batter into muffins instead and do not use frosting.  Every time I take my muffins someplace to share there are ladies who ask for the recipe.  There is a secret ingredient in it that makes it the cream of the crop.

So enough about food.  I’ll see if I can refrain from saying one more word about food until I can’t.  I’ll see how long that takes.

Today was one of those perfect, end of the summer, days.  Cool morning, blue sky, gentle breeze and up in the mid 70’s for most of the day.  Bright and clear and so enjoyed.  My feet are itching to hit the road again.  I think I could go for another few months.  The only thing is, I wish I could retrace my steps more slowly to the places I have already been.  I know the time of year is different so the weather and scenery would be different, but it would be awesome to see some of the places in a different season.  I am still in love with Montana and Wyoming.  If I could, I would go and spend each summer just exploring those states.  But alas, I must settle down in my old age and finish my memoirs and compiling my other books if I am to finish them before I get too old.   I have looked ahead and figured out that I may have an additional 18 good years left with a brain that functions fully (I HOPE).  Perhaps that is being pessimistic but actually I am trying to be realistic.  Things start happening when you get my age.  I don’t want to say too much just in case there are younger people reading this blog.  I do not want to make you think of reality too soon.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

My wisdom for this day is to enjoy each and every moment you have to the fullest.  Do not allow negative feelings and thoughts to crowd into your space.  Love life, lift up your hands and twirl around in the sunshine.  Do something that you are far too old to do!  Run and hop and skip and jump!  Lie down in the sunshine and watch the clouds drift overhead while imagining all the cloud shapes into faces and animals and flowers and trees.  Read a child’s picture storybook and really look at the pictures and remember when you were little and what it felt like to be held in someone’s lap.  Then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and become an adult again, renewed with joy and a sense of wonder.  Never get too old to enjoy the moment you have.  It is over all too soon.

P.S.  And eat well!

Psalms 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me,

bless His holy name!

² Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

³ Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

LIVE LIFE WITH CHILDLIKE WONDER

By Kathleen Martens

September 14, 2015

 

With childlike wonder deep in your heart

Allow each day to fully start.

See the amazing that greets your eye,

Stop and experience a butterfly.

 

Smell the roses that waft in the breeze,

Every moment fully seize.

Hold tightly to joy that it escapes not,

Enjoy beauty that cannot be bought.

 

Hear the song of the little bird,

Open your imagination to understand its word.

Let the song penetrate deep,

It is these moments you want to keep.

 

See everything new, each and every day,

Let not the mundane creep your way.

Your road is fresh with dawn’s new birth,

More valuable that gold, is its worth.

 

Let not one hour, pass without love,

Lift your eyes to the God above.

From God comes, all good things

Our heavenly Father, the King of kings.

 

Be grateful for each breath you take,

Choose on this day, to make it great.

Your attitude sets the course of your life.

Choose joy instead of strife.

 

Love yourself as God made you,

So that then you can love others too.

Give from your heart the joy that God gives,

And live to the fullest the life that you live.

 

Good Night and God bless and keep you.

 

 

Sunday Sabbath September 13 2015  PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD ALONE

Popcorn time!  That is one of my favorite times.  A big bowl of popcorn, air popped, then smothered with coconut oil and a tiny bit of salt.  Mushroom popcorn is my favorite.  I buy it at an Amish store.  It is a very large kernel corn and pops very large and is shaped like a mushroom.  I sit here typing in the sun room with the bowl on my lap.  Dinner is over.  We ate very light tonight and I just felt the NEED to satisfy my popcorn urge.  I had room in my tummy so I said, “Go for it”.

I think we all need to have these little “vacation moments” periodically.  Sunday is the day I love to do a little vacation time, a little something that differs from what I do the rest of the week.  Today I actually rested a couple of hours.  When I go and go and go and do and do and do I finally get to a day when I need to rest.  That was today.  I rested for two hours by actually watching a couple of one hour programs of a show my son told me to watch.  It is on HGTV and it is called “FIXER UPPER”.  It was very interesting and entertaining.  I think I could get used to this TV watching if I let myself.   Maybe I fear getting used to it and that is why I stay away from TV in general.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There is another show I would like to watch if I could remember the channel it comes on.  I saw some of the shows at my cousin Joyce’s in California and it was called something like “America from the Air” or close to that name.  Joyce, if you are reading this please email me with the TV call letters, the name of the show, and the day it comes on if you know it.  I would really appreciate it.  Anyone have any other good shows to recommend?

After my rest reprieve I jumped up, raring to go.  It is really difficult for me to sit down or lie down or be still for any length of time.  I would rather be standing, walking, or moving in some other fashion.  My library time in the morning and my blog time in the evening, along with meal times, are about the only moments you will catch me sitting.  I think I had to sit for so many long hours behind computers, working on photos, that it drove me nuts.  Now I am going to have to settle back down to computer time when Dave and I return from our trip.  It will be time to get serious about the compilation and editing of the books I am working on.  I have hours of transcribing to do.  I haven’t found anyone one who can read my writing so I must do the transcribing myself.  Sometimes I can’t even read it.

When Dave and I went out to eat last week the waitress gave me a recipe for a potato and bean soup.  I have so many potatoes from my farm box and they are piling up on me.  Dave rarely eats potatoes because of the high carbs and high glycemic level.  Well, I figured out he can have one cup of soup and stay within his carb count.  The soup is delicious and he is happy to have a cup of soup, some vegetables, and protein for dinner as we both like to eat light dinners.  Our midday meal is our bulkiest meal, all within the right levels of each food group for the diabetic.  He is doing wonderfully with his fasting blood sugar level each morning.  We sat down and figured out that since he began eating differently after he was released from the hospital he has lost on average, one half pound per day.  He has reduced almost 40 pounds since he started eating only the meals I prepare for him.  We did go out the one time last week but the rest of his meals were eaten at home.  He has gone down three pant sizes. 

Well, back to the soup I made.  I have one problem.  I have about 16 cups of soup in two containers in the fridge and I have no more jars to fill for the freezer.  I know I can buy more jars, but the real problem lies in the fact that there is absolutely no more space in the freezers.  I also made another vegetable strata (Dave’s favorite) which fortunately will live in the fridge until it is eaten.  An even bigger situation for me is the fact that I still have one more 9X13 dish size casserole to make and freeze for our trip.  And…a big pot of chili to cook and freeze.  I think we will need to do a little rearranging in order to get it all in.  The good news is, once I take everything with me to Branson there will be more room in the fridge when I return.  I will have two winter delivery boxes coming filled with a plethora of winter vegetables; squashes, a pumpkin, turnips, beets, onions, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbages, daikon radishes, parsnips, and whatever else the farm may be producing this year.  There have been as many as 6 boxes delivered per delivery for the winter share.  It takes me the entire two weeks to work up all the food for drying and freezing and soups and current eating or to give away.  At the end of the two weeks I then get another delivery and must do the same thing again.  We eat out of the freezer for the winter and spring until all the fresh foods start arriving again.  Of course I still must do some shopping for protein foods and fresh salads and fruits.  It’s a nice way to eat in the winter. 

I will publish a photo I took the other day of the lunch I prepared.  This is our largest meal of the day and it is filled with all good things.  I could not eat it all.  What I usually do is save what I am unable to eat and snack on it later.

I guess by now you can tell I do not plan to talk about any world matters or matters of the heart.  My heart is breaking for what I am seeing on the news.  I know I have something brewing in me but I’m just not yet ready to write about it.  I think the emotional toll is too great for me right now.  My heart also goes out to all the families in California who are in the paths of the fires that are burning out of control.  So much pain and tragedy happening every day.  I do pray that all of you will be safe.

 

PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD ALONE

By Kathleen Martens

September 13, 2015

 

How can we close our eyes

To the pain of another?

So much tragedy taking place,

For mankind claims no brother.

 

If all, could but accept

Our differences are not wrong,

That each desires to live life

Singing their own song.

 

But evil seems to rear its head

Creating tragedy and loss.

Because beliefs so differ,

Many pay a deep cost.

 

So many slaughtered, pushed aside

As Satan spurs his wrath,

Urging men to kill and maim,

Doing the Devil’s task.

 

This is just the beginning

Of what must come to be

When tribulation takes its hold

Allowing no one to be free.

 

Put your hope in God alone

Though you may die for your beliefs,

This world is not your home

But a home in heaven you will receive.

 

Put your trust in God alone

Believing in your heart

That no matter what man may do

He can never make God depart.

 

Romans 15:13

Saturday September 12 2015 SCHEDULE?  WHAT SCHEDULE?

 

A wonderful Saturday.  Started early.  Awake at 4:30 a.m., up at 5:20 a.m. and by 6:30 a.m. finally situated comfortably in the place I was supposed to be.  I’m recycling!  Trying very diligently to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so my body wakes naturally between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.  SO TOUCHDOWN!  Today it finally happened.  I was as happy as a clam.  Let’s see if I can make it happen two days in a row.

The place I am “supposed to be” (according to me) is downstairs by 6:30 a.m., showered, dressed, and breakfast eaten, to spend time with God.  It is my favorite time of day.  It was still dark with just a hint of shadowy outlines of trees.  A beautiful, magical moment.  Just me and the Lord.  It’s as if I can feel the Lord waiting for me there.   I know God dwells within me at all times, but there are times when I need to position myself in a still, quiet place to hear His voice.  And when I do just that He is always willing to speak to me.  He speaks to me in my thoughts.  New thoughts come to mind and I just start writing them as quickly as they come.  He has a beautiful way of speaking.  He tells me how much He loves me.  He bids me to come and rest in His presence.  He gives me words of encouragement, never condemnation.  Oh, sometimes He will bring up things that I need to work on, but it is always spoken in love.  I do not hear the future revealed, nor words about others.  When He speaks to me, He speaks to my situation and not someone else’s.  I marvel at His words to me.  It is so amazing to commune with God, the Creator of the universe.  I am in awe, and reverence, and delighted, all at the same time.  I talk to Him as if He is right there in my room sitting beside me.  Sometimes I can even picture Him in the room with me.

Well, today was no exception.  He met me in the quiet of the morn.  Oh how I have missed my quiet mornings.  Hopefully I will be able to get settled into a routine now.  The changes that happened when I arrived home were quite remarkable.  Here I was, home from 4 months of travel, a few days later I had a very sick husband in the hospital for several days, then lots of running to infusions and doctor appointments, both his and mine, surgery scheduled for me, Dave getting sick again with the return of the infection, more antibiotic transfusions, monitoring blood sugar, trying to settle in and make a routine, creating a new eating program for Dave, cooking and preparing meals and menus, staying up too late writing my blog at night, and the list goes on…But today was the first day that I thought perhaps a routine would work again.  AND I LOVED IT!  Getting back in my library early in the morning to be with God was the first giant step to my normalcy.  Dave might beg to differ.  I can just hear him saying, “Normal? Nothing you do is ever normal”.  Does he know me, or what?

In one aspect things are slowly getting back to normal.  I had two calls for helping others with photo shoots they could not do today.  One was to photograph a wedding and the other, a large family photo session at Olbrich Gardens.  Before I left in March I was always receiving calls from people needing some sort of photography service.  That was one reason I had to escape Wisconsin when I did in order to break the tie of me always saying yes.  Well, today I would have said yes to both had it been possible.  However, I was already booked with a previous engagement with company coming to my home for the day.  We had a wonderful lunch, a time for sharing and then time to spend together talking about the Lord.  It was a long, wonderful day. 

Oh, by the way, I do want to mention that I did get my two lasagnas put together yesterday.  All total it took almost 5 hours from start to finish.  The larger one is now in the freezer awaiting its trip to Branson.  In a glass dish.  I will take it frozen, along with a stack of other frozen foods, packing them as insulators for each other that they remain frozen during transportation.  Maybe I won’t need to cook anything while I’m gone.  Maybe I won’t have to do anything at all when I am gone???  I guess that will not be.  Dave has been diagnosed with a large hernia and cannot lift or stress the hernia.  He has a surgery consultation this week and we’ll see what is to happen in regards to our trip.  Hopefully, if surgery is needed he will be able to have it on our return.  That means I’ll be doing the packing and lifting.  I guess there goes our “routine” (of one day) if he does need the surgery.  I hope he is able to have it so it will not continue to open larger.  He is still able to do most normal activities.

 

THE LORD DETERMINES MY STEPS

By Kathleen Martens

September 12, 2012

 

Predictable and unchanging? 

That is not our typical day.

The synonym of ROUTINE

Is not showing the way.

 

Every day different

Than the day before.

And time is gobbled up

Before I can score.

 

I just never know

What news may pop up,

Or where we’ll be

When it’s time to sup.

 

Sometime it’s E.R.

A world of its own,

As if the word “routine”

In my vocabulary unknown.

 

So each day comes,

No two are alike.

 I might as well give up

And go take a hike!

 

MAYBE THE UNKNOWN IS MY ROUTINE!

So I must tend as if it is.

By being prepared for the new

And making everything my biz!

 

It is never boring,

And there is always surprise

When each day when I awaken

And open my eyes.

 

But I can still dream

And hope for the best

And that’s just what I’ll do

After my daily rest.

 

PROVERB 16:9:

“IN HIS HEART A MAN PLANS HIS COURSE,

BUT THE LORD DETERMINES HIS STEPS”

 

Hope your Saturday was as wonderful as mine.  Being with a friend is what made mine so special!

God bless you.

 

Friday September 11 2015  REMEMBERING 14 YEARS AGO

 

Today is the kind of day that one remembers exactly where you were, and when you first heard the news of the tragedy of the collapse of the Twin Towers.  Probably like it was for the people who were alive when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor or the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  I was not yet alive on the day Pearl Harbor was bombed but I vividly remember the Kennedy assassination.  And I will never forget Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001.  It was the day our country changed forever. 

It was a day when true evil of the world reared its head, and unfortunately, it has never gone back to sleep.  I am studying the book of Isaiah in the Bible and for the first time I am understanding the part that evil plays in the end times when God judges the earth and its inhabitants.  I see all the pieces of the end times coming together and understand more fully that there are certain situations that must come to pass before Jesus returns to earth to greet the righteous in the air.  I certainly want to be ready for that day if it happens in my lifetime. 

There is so much that I could expound on here but I feel so inadequate not knowing and remembering the scriptures in detail and I am concerned that I would not be able to get the story across as the Bible lays it out.  If you are interested, I recommend you go to the web and google “Calvary Chapel Modesto” and click on “THRU THE BIBLE” and take a peek at the book of Isaiah and Revelation.  Actually it would be to your advantage to listen to the entire series so you will really know what is coming down the pike.  It is about the most interesting story of both history, and of the future, that I have ever read.  I wish my brain was big enough to take it all in and remember all I have read or listened to.  I will just leave this topic with the comment that as long as I live, and do not suffer from dementia, I shall never forget the horror of this day fourteen years ago, and all the sorrow so many families and millions of Americans suffered because of another’s evil hatred.   And the saddest part is, that that evil and hatred has grown exponentially over the years.

 

IN MEMORY OF 9/11

By Kathleen Martens

September 11, 2015

 

A time of grief and so much sorrow,

A pain that lingers in all tomorrows.

So long ago, but yesterday to some,

To those who’s loved ones, forever gone.

 

The road of memory paved with pain.

So many people never regained.

Sons and daughters, moms and dads,

The deepest sorrow that can be had.

 

A grief so deep and forever raw,

A constant pain that forever gnaws.

And one day silently, it is put away

Just to survive for one more day.

 

My heart feels such deep grief

For all the hearts that need relief.

So many scars of injured souls

From the disaster so long ago.

 

No words I say can ever heal

The deep sorrow I know you feel.

So I grieve for what you’ve lost,

And wish I could share your great cost.

 

Just know that the world has not forgotten,

Your parents, loved ones, or your begotten.

Your pain is also ours to bear,

Just remember, your sorrow we share.

 

After writing the above poem all else that I accomplished today or thought to write in my blog, pales in comparison to how I feel right now.  My pain is deep and my sorrow is real for the families who suffered so greatly in this great terrorist act remembered on this day, the 14^th anniversary.  Tears sting my eyes and my heart cries for what that day did to so many lives, both those who were killed so needlessly, and family members left behind to grieve such a horrendous loss.  And my heart is so saddened by what has happened and is still happening in the world to so many others all because of evil and hatred of man toward man.

I will close as I can no longer see through my tears.

I pray God will be with you at the close of this day and in the tomorrows to come.  I pray that he will lead you beside still waters and restore your soul and though we all someday will walk in the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil for God is with us.  I close with Psalms 23:

Psalms

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.