2013 Coming to a Close

Dear friends, as the year is drawing to a close and we have returned from our travels, I wanted to write just a few lines to tell you how much I appreciate you accompanying me on my life journey. 

This last year has not been easy for me. Objectively seen, it wasn't so bad at all, but then our own lives are never "objectively seen" by us, are they? Our experience is always highly subjective. My year started out on a very anxious note and I didn't feel that anxiety drop away from me until now.

I felt like I held my breath all year, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's all just life happening, I know, but some parts of life are easier for me to handle than others. Just sayin'!

In early December we left on our yearly cruise with my dad and also Daniel's uncle, who had introduced us all to cruising in the first place. It was wonderful! The weather was warm and beautiful, the ocean was moving and rocking us gently, the food was amazing, and we even got to experience a light show or two traveling through some thunderstorms near Panama.

I enjoyed every moment of it, recovering from a persistent cold that had snagged me just before Thanksgiving and finding back to myself. I read and knitted, ate and slept, went exploring and saw new places.

And all through it I marveled at the ocean and how it could be so beautifully blue and green.

Now back in Savannah, my dad has left for Germany (he arrived back home just in time for Christmas) and Daniel has also flown to Europe, where he'll be teaching in France for the next three months. I get to have two months by myself here at home before I join him in Europe at the end of February to see my family and do some traveling with Daniel.

I intend to use those two months alone as the gift that they are, to find back to center, to be creative and to engage in some serious self care. And to write and share in my blog, and use this time to set a different tone for 2014. Less anxiety and more balance. Much more balance.

2014 promises to be a very different year for us, much lighter and with some really fun events on the horizon which I intend to share with you. And with that, a toast to you for a Very Happy New Year! May 2014 bring you closer to all that you desire.

I'm grateful that you are a part of my life!

❧ Silke

Intermission

Dear Friends, with this painting in progress (I adore the colors in this one!), I am going on official blog break. 

We have family arriving in less than three weeks and then we'll be traveling until a couple of days before Christmas.

That means that in the next three weeks (which include a quick trip to Atlanta), we have to finish ALL of our Thanksgiving AND Christmas preparations. 

Plus, Daniel leaves for three months to teach in France right after Christmas so we have to get him fully prepped for that as well. (No worries, I'll be joining him later in the spring for a nice Europe vacation!)

I may pop in to read your posts from time to time, or for the occasional post myself if something really wonderful is happening, but otherwise I wish you a beautiful Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

See you for sure again in 2014, and before then if time allows!

I appreciate all of you and will be thinking of you often and fondly!! Whishing you much joy, happiness and peace in the upcoming season...

❧ Silke

The Monarchs

Yesterday, as I was getting the mail from the mail box, I realized that one of our milkweeds had been entirely eaten.

I looked at the other plant that still had leaves and counted at least 10 monarch butterfly caterpillars. I was thrilled! 

With everyone talking about their disappearance, it's nice to see that our little garden is helping them in a tiny way. 

This unexpected happy moment totally made my day!!

With butterfly kisses I wish you a beautiful and inspiring Thursday! 

November 6

Today would have been my mother's 75th birthday. Frankly, it's hard for me to imagine her being in her 70s since she passed away more than 26 years ago. In later years my relationship with my mother became extremely complicated, but I always loved this early photo of us when things were still simple. I think we were somewhere at  a beach in northern Germany on vacation.

What you can't see in the photo above is  that I had quite the shiner or maybe it was just a bug bite. I can't remember, but that photo always makes me smile.

And with that smile, I wish you a fantastic day! May it be filled with fun, creativity, peace and joy!

❧ Silke

Snippets from my Morning Walk

As opposed to many, I am a huge fan of the time change in the fall. That's probably because I am such a morning person. And this morning when Winslow and I walked at 6:30, it was already getting light out. How can you not find a happy moment with that kind of sky to greet the day?! Gorgeous!!

And it was windy and cold - my kind of weather for walking! Those are the mornings I relish.

The South is an interesting place as far as vegetation goes and being on the coast adds yet another dimension. This is the time of year when the citrus fruit starts ripening. We don't have many trees around here because our winters tend to get a little too cold for them, but there's an orange tree that Winslow and I inspect every time we walk past it. They are just starting to turn yellow. 

In some gardens, the trees are almost bare, whereas in others the hydrangeas are still going strong.

In our garden, the summer flowers are still blooming nicely. (Sorry they are a little out of focus - it was really windy and they just wouldn't hold still for me.)

That's the Georgia coast for you. We have a little bit of everything growing and blooming all year long, but the falling leaves, bare trees, ripening citrus fruit and cold temperatures remind us of the beautiful season we've been in for a few weeks now.

Happy Fall to all of you!! 

A Sweet Little Still Life

Today I spent quite a few hours in the car, so when I got home, I decided to do some yoga to stretch a little bit. It was gorgeous drive with the fall colors and perfect blue skies, but it was still a lot of sitting, so some stretching really felt good.

I had set up the iPad on the mantle in the living room and while I was following a yoga routine, I noticed this sweet little tableau right in front of me. I had seen it many times, but this time I really noticed it. The art we bought at one of the illustration student shows at SCAD, where Daniel teaches. I hope you can see the mama porcupine watering the flowers on her baby's back in the closeup. It's definitely one of my happy moments of the day...

Wishing you a very happy start of the week!!

A cozy Sunday

I'm glad you all enjoyed my Savannah post. It's such a pretty town, isn't it?

Finding my happy moments today was not difficult. It's a cool and sunny November day and I am snuggled under my oh so soft crocheted blanket with my knitting and Ramses by my side.  

Earlier, Winslow was curled up on the guest bed,

And this morning Louie was snuggled in nicely on the back porch.

I hope your day is equally relaxing and cozy!

Savannah

I've been spending a little bit of time in beautiful Savannah and snapped some pictures for you... Enjoy!!

Every time I am downtown I am enamored by the beauty of this town!

Wishing you a gorgeous Saturday!

Today in the garden...

Here I thought it would be easy to post something every day but, alas, life has been busy around here. Add to that some trouble with the laptop, which is getting old and behaving in often unpredictable ways, and blogging has seemed more difficult than normal. This trusty laptop might need to be replaced soon.

Consequently, I'm posting this from the iPad, on which I am somewhat (make that very) clumsy with the typing, but I shall prevail! 

Today, in my search for the happy moment of the day, I came across this beauty in our front yard. It stopped me in my tracks and begged to have a photo taken.

I wish I knew how to make the photo larger in the Blogger App, but I haven't figured that one out yet.

November has begun with a very warm and humid day as we are waiting for a storm system to approach. It will likely bring thunderstorms and rain and then much more seasonable temperatures for tomorrow and next week,

I hope November has started well for all of you. 

Playing Tourist (or Finding Happiness, Day 3)

We got to play tourist today in and around Fort Pulaski and in Savannah. It was an all around happy day! The weather was gorgeous - cool and sunny - and we enjoyed every minute!

Here a few of my favorite moments:

I'm sure there will be more photos tomorrow as we continue to explore Savannah! Stay tuned...

I hope you had a wonderful day yourself!!

❧ Silke