Mary's Heartbeats

I have finally come to the last day of my backyard vacation.  Somewhere in the middle, the days decided to take off like race horses out of the starting gate.  But I am not lamenting entirely a return to usual work and routine, and I think that is because I have completely enjoyed these days, each one, each hour, each minute. . .  I find myself looking for surprises each day, and I have discovered that some of the best just take time.  My backyard is a story of plants just "left alone" or "given up on" that all of a sudden show dramatic bloom and blossom.  Several years ago, I cannot even remember when exactly, I was given a small Bromeliad plant for my birthday.  I have never grown these, but did my best to keep it alive on my front patio.  It did grow, but never did I ever have any more blooms.  So this year, I decided since it had completely outgrown its pot, that I would transfer it to a shadier spot in the back yard and see if it would ...

I'm up at 4:19 this morning, with my mind chocked full of thoughts ready to put down on paper.  It's as if these days were given as a gift to finally let go and instead of focusing on tasks, quotas, and other's expectations, I am enjoying the present I have before me.  Who knew what joy can be found in simply what you already have? I am baking a blackberry pie right now, before the kitchen heats up with summer sun.  I had about 20 cups of blackberries this year, from my 3 bushes.  This is finally the year the bushes have produced, and I have been so excited to pick berries daily.  I have invited Jasmine to come with me and to my surprise I found out she knows how to pick them too!  She even knows the ripe ones to pick as she brushes against the bush and gently bites a berry off.  Now I know how those occasional berries end up on the cement walk beside the bush, it's been Jasmine all along! I have been reminiscing of summers in the past.  I...

Sometimes you just have to go for it.  Put aside all of your fears and doubts, and just do it.  It's like taking that first plunge in the pool.  You know you want to do it, but yet it may be a bit of a chilly shock at first.  It takes a few laps to warm up to finally enjoy the swim.   Then comes the moment you don't want to get out because it feels so good, and yet it's time.   How many of those plunges have I made over the years? I'm discovering the joy of backyard vacationing.  I'm opening my eyes to all the activity and scenery right outside my door.  It's not only the summer bugs and colorful beetles,  but the jumping grasshoppers and slick lizards.  One tailless lizard seems to be more evident in my trips around the yard, such a survivor as I see him climb out of our backyard brick grill.  I've become a avid bird watcher, perhaps because I have witnessed closely hummingbird nests and births, along with blue and orange...

Finally, I am ready to enjoy the days of summer, all to myself.  No need to hurry through the morning routine of getting meals for the day for myself and husband. I can even sleep in a bit, and be a bit more leisurely with my morning walk with Jazzy. I can relish in each moment, each minute.  I don't have to do "a thing." Today, I completed the most perfect Round Off.  I had a great 2 footed landing and made the complete turn.  I immediately sparked Jasmine's curiosity and she joined me on the backyard grass to chase some balls.  I don't know what it is about sudden movement, but Jasmine has an instinct to pursue moving and jumping objects, I think she must have been given that task to "chase down" in her former life.   I swam 50 laps in the pool, 10 of which were the back stroke.  There is something so surreal of gliding through a body of water.  I have become a fan of swimming cap and goggles, which is so weird, because for years I ...