All of us struggle either daily or occasionally with our MC. Many of us are probably worried about our retirement accts. in todays economy, or if we can pay our heating and other bills this winter.
While so many stressful things happen in our lives, sometimes nature just takes over and forces you to take a break from worry about every day life. All of us probably live in places we love and think is the best place on Earth. I am no different, my home of Vermont is where my heart is, and autumn, of all seasons reminds me of the beauty of nature.
I just wanted to share a day or two with you and share the beautiful autumn in Vermont as a gift to those who are not here.
The leaves are at full color peak nearly everywhere in the state. The sky is clear blue and the air has a definite nip to it. As I jog down the dirt roads near my house this morning I notice the brilliant color of the leaves against the sky. At nearly every house I pass I smell the wood stoves burning as my feet crunch on fallen leaves. I pass wood pile after wood pile and remind myself that Dave and I need to stack our pile this weekend. Like us, many have taken some of their garden pumpkins and put then on display in their yards, also showing brilliantly against the blue sky and bright leaves. We also need to put the garden to bed for the winter, the garden that gave us such wonderful fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers all summer. It is sad, but i know that next spring I will plant it all over again. Dave does all the hard work, turning the soil and hauling compost. I get to do the wonderful job of planting seeds that will grow and feed us for the next few months.
it is not only the humans who are getting ready for the cold winter. The chipmunks in my yard are furiously collecting all of the fallen seeds they can, their cheeks puffed out to the fullest. The black bear returns nite after nite to eat the crab apples off my tree. He is beautiful but it is dangerous for both he and I for him to be here so I shoo him away.
The deer take what is left of the garden, and the birds sing to me as they take the very last of the sunflower seeds the garden produced.
The tour busses clog the roads making the commute to work long and frustrating. However, catching a glimpse of some faces of tourists, the pure joy in seeing the beauty of what my state has to offer this time of year tempers my impatience. They buy Vermont products, including pure maple syrup. Like every Vermonter I am positive that maple syrup can help every ill, there must be some benefit to MC.
Although i sometimes focus on my own life and the frustration and pain i am feeling from being newly diagnosed with MC, it is impossible for me to feel sad on a beautiful fall day. The mountains that surround my home are brilliant in their color, the smell in the air, and the anticipation of what needs to be done to get ready for the coming winter occupy my thoughts.
No matter what happens in life, MC or worrying about retirement savings, the fact that I am luckly to be able to live in Vermont, and to live in the woods so close to nature and animals and trees always brings me back to the good things in my life.
I wish all of you a happy autumn, no matter where you live.
Autumn greetings from Vermont
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jillian357
- Adélie Penguin
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Hi Andi,
Gosh, what a beautiful post!!! It certainly makes me want to visit your lovely state for sure. The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Ohio.
Thanks for the reminder about focusing on the stuff that really matters.
The rest is gravy, right?! (gluten free, of course)
Enjoy your day!
Love,
Jill
Gosh, what a beautiful post!!! It certainly makes me want to visit your lovely state for sure. The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Ohio.
Thanks for the reminder about focusing on the stuff that really matters.
The rest is gravy, right?! (gluten free, of course)
Enjoy your day!
Love,
Jill
I really enjoyed reading about your beautiful surroundings. My DH and I have been wanting to join the Vermont tourist throngs and take in all the glory. Maybe next year. Thank you for letting us have a little window into the views you enjoy each day. Sometimes we need to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and appreciate our blessings.
Gloria
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Andi,
Thanks for the colorful tour. That was very well written.
FWIW, maple sugar was the only sugar that I could tolerate in any more than trace amounts, while I was recovering. I have no idea why maple sugar was safe for me, but all other types of sugar made me sick.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights this morning. I hope your autumn is pure joy, also, but considering your surroundings, and your appreciation for it, I have no doubt it will be.
Tex
Thanks for the colorful tour. That was very well written.
FWIW, maple sugar was the only sugar that I could tolerate in any more than trace amounts, while I was recovering. I have no idea why maple sugar was safe for me, but all other types of sugar made me sick.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insights this morning. I hope your autumn is pure joy, also, but considering your surroundings, and your appreciation for it, I have no doubt it will be.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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barbaranoela
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 5394
- Joined: Wed May 25, 2005 6:11 pm
- Location: New York
a beautiful *vision* of Vermont----
Lou's cousin and wife go there every year to visit with her sister---and they luve it--
imagine the see saw of our lives----your heart belongs to Vermont and mine belongs to the hustle and bustle of my New York City-
luve barbara
Lou's cousin and wife go there every year to visit with her sister---and they luve it--
imagine the see saw of our lives----your heart belongs to Vermont and mine belongs to the hustle and bustle of my New York City-
luve barbara
the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control
Andi;
What a beautiful post!
Let me share briefly what we are enjoying here right now. After temps in the 90's, yesterday we had a sudden rain (about 5PM) which mixed with the high 80's temp to cause us heavy, humid air. I went straight home to the AC.
About 8:30PM I went outside to discover a cool, clear, beautiful evening. I get to walk outside several times every day (our school building is typical of many here in the Deep South, and we have no indoor halls - every classroom opens to a fenced and covered courtyard which we walk through to get to the next classroom), and all day I would walk outside and breathe in the fresh coolness! Though our temps are still warm by most of your standards, I am thoroughly enjoying this! We had sunshine, soft breezes and temps in the 70's all day today! I kept wanting an excuse to go to another room all day, just to get outside!
Contrary to most of you who are finishing off your gardens, I'm planning to plant a small one this week-end. I don't have much space at all, but have managed several other years to grow all the tomatoes and green peppers I can eat, and have several other things growing in smaller amounts.
It is too cool now to take the grandsons swimming, so this afternoon after school, we planned an afternoon tomorrow of beginning to prepare the soil where I've had a small garden in the past. I'm considering expanding it a little this year.
Andi, I do appreciate your perspective on life and the change of seasons. Thanks for sharing with us!
Love you all;
G'ma Mary
What a beautiful post!
Let me share briefly what we are enjoying here right now. After temps in the 90's, yesterday we had a sudden rain (about 5PM) which mixed with the high 80's temp to cause us heavy, humid air. I went straight home to the AC.
About 8:30PM I went outside to discover a cool, clear, beautiful evening. I get to walk outside several times every day (our school building is typical of many here in the Deep South, and we have no indoor halls - every classroom opens to a fenced and covered courtyard which we walk through to get to the next classroom), and all day I would walk outside and breathe in the fresh coolness! Though our temps are still warm by most of your standards, I am thoroughly enjoying this! We had sunshine, soft breezes and temps in the 70's all day today! I kept wanting an excuse to go to another room all day, just to get outside!
Contrary to most of you who are finishing off your gardens, I'm planning to plant a small one this week-end. I don't have much space at all, but have managed several other years to grow all the tomatoes and green peppers I can eat, and have several other things growing in smaller amounts.
It is too cool now to take the grandsons swimming, so this afternoon after school, we planned an afternoon tomorrow of beginning to prepare the soil where I've had a small garden in the past. I'm considering expanding it a little this year.
Andi, I do appreciate your perspective on life and the change of seasons. Thanks for sharing with us!
Love you all;
G'ma Mary
Those who are not part of the solution, are part of the problem.
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MaggieRedwings
- King Penguin
- Posts: 3865
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 3:16 am
- Location: SE Pennsylvania
Thank you so much to everyone who wrote about the beauty of my state. It is so nice to know that the peace, tranquility, and quaint beauty of Vermont is appreciated by everyone; those who live here and those who dont.
To those who visit here or hope to soon i say, Welcome!! Vermont opens it hearts and and soul and beauty to all of you.
G'ma, thank you for sharing your day with us. I love to hear how others in different parts of this great country are living. The U.S. is a country with so many different climates and cultures, I love learning about them all. I went to graduate school in Texas (Lubbock, studing Fire Ants at Texas Tech in the 1980's) but other than that have not been in the south. I am fascinated by the lifestyle, foods, and culture.
A post earlier this week referred to foods that are availabe at Yom Kippur. I know we do not want to bring religion into this forum, and I think that is wise. However, as Jewish person I do want to wish you all a Happy New Year. This is a time for reflection and repenting for any sins of the past year. Autumn is the same, a time when we go from the outdoor lifestyles of the summer to the reflection and interspection of the coming winter. In summer i hike and kayak and run outdoors. In winter I do snowshoe, but I also spend a lot of time lighting candles during snowstorms while playing Celtic music and going inside my own head to reflect on my life and who I am. Yom Kippur is the holiday that celebrates this, the going inside the deepest of your head, heart, and soul. I do not wish to offend anyone so know that my wishing of a Happy New Year is to everyone, Jewish or other. I am also a Unitarian so I celebrate it all!!
You are all so supportive of everyone on this forum, everyone here exhibits the best of all traditions in my opinion.
Peace to you all.
To those who visit here or hope to soon i say, Welcome!! Vermont opens it hearts and and soul and beauty to all of you.
G'ma, thank you for sharing your day with us. I love to hear how others in different parts of this great country are living. The U.S. is a country with so many different climates and cultures, I love learning about them all. I went to graduate school in Texas (Lubbock, studing Fire Ants at Texas Tech in the 1980's) but other than that have not been in the south. I am fascinated by the lifestyle, foods, and culture.
A post earlier this week referred to foods that are availabe at Yom Kippur. I know we do not want to bring religion into this forum, and I think that is wise. However, as Jewish person I do want to wish you all a Happy New Year. This is a time for reflection and repenting for any sins of the past year. Autumn is the same, a time when we go from the outdoor lifestyles of the summer to the reflection and interspection of the coming winter. In summer i hike and kayak and run outdoors. In winter I do snowshoe, but I also spend a lot of time lighting candles during snowstorms while playing Celtic music and going inside my own head to reflect on my life and who I am. Yom Kippur is the holiday that celebrates this, the going inside the deepest of your head, heart, and soul. I do not wish to offend anyone so know that my wishing of a Happy New Year is to everyone, Jewish or other. I am also a Unitarian so I celebrate it all!!
You are all so supportive of everyone on this forum, everyone here exhibits the best of all traditions in my opinion.
Peace to you all.
Alice,
So glad you loved Vermont, and if you ever decide to live here I, and everyone I know will welcome you with open arms.
Yes, we are the only state that I know of (there may be others) that ban billboards. When you drive on our interstates you see cute quaint towns and church steeples off the road. You do not see billboards advertising tourist stops, and you do not see large cities and sky scrapers (although in big cities that is a nice view). We are determined to keep our state as scenic as possible.
I am biased I guess. I see beauty in all states but in my heart Vermont is the only place I can ever be.
So glad you loved Vermont, and if you ever decide to live here I, and everyone I know will welcome you with open arms.
Yes, we are the only state that I know of (there may be others) that ban billboards. When you drive on our interstates you see cute quaint towns and church steeples off the road. You do not see billboards advertising tourist stops, and you do not see large cities and sky scrapers (although in big cities that is a nice view). We are determined to keep our state as scenic as possible.
I am biased I guess. I see beauty in all states but in my heart Vermont is the only place I can ever be.
Andi,
Thanks for sharing. I live in an area with a similiar climate, but I've heard the beauty of Vermont is exceptional.
Happy New Year to you also! I work for a doctor from Lebanon and he just celebrated Ramadan. I think it's fascinating to learn about other cultures. I was reading online so that I could say some words to him during that time, he appreciated the attempt, but I'm sure they were mispronounced!
I am also enjoying the autumn here in Central New York and the apple season. It's my favorite. Your words were perfect to describe my thoughts!
Thanks for sharing. I live in an area with a similiar climate, but I've heard the beauty of Vermont is exceptional.
Happy New Year to you also! I work for a doctor from Lebanon and he just celebrated Ramadan. I think it's fascinating to learn about other cultures. I was reading online so that I could say some words to him during that time, he appreciated the attempt, but I'm sure they were mispronounced!
I am also enjoying the autumn here in Central New York and the apple season. It's my favorite. Your words were perfect to describe my thoughts!
Babsey,
Where in NY do you live? My parter Dave is from NYC, Long Island. I love visiting the city, but I also love upstate NY, it is very much like Vermont. The city is vibrant and full of life, I esp. love the Village which has so many interesting people. Upstate has the same quaint beauty of Vermont.
Happy Ramadan to your doctor boss, i also love learning of other cultures.
You know, as bad as having something like MC is, you learn how equal all people are. Diseases like cancer and HIV and MS, and other horrible diseases do not discriminate. They affect people no matter what race, religion, or gender. We are lucky that MC is not life threatening eventhough it is life altering. I think when one has a chronic condition that affects anyone regardless of race, gender, religion, etc... you being to realize how artifical it is to draw those lines between people. Diseases dont discriminate, people should not either.
As horrible as MC is, i really have spent a lot of time reflecting on what is important in life. When i was miserable because my stomach was cramping a lot and i was having D and I was so nauseous i could not eat I had a lot of time to think about things ( i sure could not go to work when it was at its worst). There is so much beauty in this world. Nature can teach us a lot. I still get down sometimes about MC, esp. after I have an appt. with my GI who seems very disconnected from the reality of MC. I get frustrated, but then I look around me and see nothing but beauty everywhere. Beauty in nature and in all people. I certainly do not wish a chronic disease on the entire world but sometimes I think that if more people had to focus on what is really important, we may have a lot less violence and discontent in this world.
Where in NY do you live? My parter Dave is from NYC, Long Island. I love visiting the city, but I also love upstate NY, it is very much like Vermont. The city is vibrant and full of life, I esp. love the Village which has so many interesting people. Upstate has the same quaint beauty of Vermont.
Happy Ramadan to your doctor boss, i also love learning of other cultures.
You know, as bad as having something like MC is, you learn how equal all people are. Diseases like cancer and HIV and MS, and other horrible diseases do not discriminate. They affect people no matter what race, religion, or gender. We are lucky that MC is not life threatening eventhough it is life altering. I think when one has a chronic condition that affects anyone regardless of race, gender, religion, etc... you being to realize how artifical it is to draw those lines between people. Diseases dont discriminate, people should not either.
As horrible as MC is, i really have spent a lot of time reflecting on what is important in life. When i was miserable because my stomach was cramping a lot and i was having D and I was so nauseous i could not eat I had a lot of time to think about things ( i sure could not go to work when it was at its worst). There is so much beauty in this world. Nature can teach us a lot. I still get down sometimes about MC, esp. after I have an appt. with my GI who seems very disconnected from the reality of MC. I get frustrated, but then I look around me and see nothing but beauty everywhere. Beauty in nature and in all people. I certainly do not wish a chronic disease on the entire world but sometimes I think that if more people had to focus on what is really important, we may have a lot less violence and discontent in this world.