Chronicles

It was one year ago this month that our blog began. SMFairytales went from a vision to reality. The purpose was sharing and caring. It documents our lives & relationships today that started over fifty years ago. This past year as documented on our blog pays tribute to that continuing friendship and the continuing story that is our lives connected.

To us

To hands joined in friendship

To voices joined in laughter

Food made

Glasses raised

Conversations shared

Adventures planned

Dreams nurtured

Families honored

The past celebrated

To us

To our future

For

We are works in progress

And near perfection!

J

Cathy

Currents

Sailing, Rod Stewart: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpbuqh12oj4

Sailing, Christopher Cross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMkIuKXwmlU

Sweet Pea

Amos Lee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8YYsg4gFCo

Tommy Roe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCKXxJRgVgc

Popeye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjGaV3Xk6Q8

Hostas

Summer Showers

The crack of the thunder and the flash of the lightening has come and gone today. It was more than just a summer shower; but there is such delight in the elemental surprise of the elements at work. Just like two weeks ago in Hull…ninety degrees and sunny with a rogue cloud in the distance became one wonderful light show on a lazy Friday afternoon. We hung out on the porch as long as possible…until it came too close for comfort. Spying clouds over the sea wall just wasn’t meant to last too long. Sparks flew outside and the lights flickered inside. Eyebrows were raised with quirky little smiles on all of us. It’s nice to be inside!

Immediately following a rain comes the delightful calm. The air smells refreshed, the sky a bit bluer, the sun a delight, and the camaraderie of sharing the storm a moment to remember. Memories of jumping in puddles as a child linger in the back of the mind. Why not do it as an adult? No reason that I can think of.

Enjoy each summer moment, rain or shine.

Cathy

************

Lovin’ Spoonful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--9O1ElmXc8

Cowsills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdT3tn1lWZo

Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdrGS__yg6Q

Hollies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdQJXrPmsLw

Eddie Rabbit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMZ4amjbqhU

JT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txj9Y-OIia4

A Change Of Habit

I remember lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering about the possibilities of the summer. It was the first day out of school. Already the daily routine was different. No alarm clock. No hustle bustle of the usual morning agenda. Just quiet. School no longer existed for the next few months. My biggest dilemma was which breakfast cereal to choose!

The first week out was like being in limbo as the playgrounds didn’t open till after the Fourth of July. Now what can I do till then. A quick mental list of all that I wanted to do and didn’t have time to do materialized…dolls, coloring, walking the dog, reading books and watching cartoons. Can I play with a friend today? The possibilities were endless. But then…

…what’s the rush? I have all summer!!!

Cathy

International Fairy Day!

Today, June 24th, is International Fairy Day. 

Check it out on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairy-Day-24-June/201080576978

Fireflies

As I went for a walk with my dog last night, from a distance I saw the light. The soft green glow darted about me, then another. It was a firefly night. As I looked about the trees on the road I was passing, there were many flitting about the tree tops and then those that preferred darting about the brook below. The only thing more wonderful than a firefly is a flurry of them.

It was a magical moment unexpected. The season seems right for them right now. Not my first encounter, but it was my first interaction with them in numbers. Tonight, as the sky is clear with just the new moon over your shoulder, look out of the corner of your eye and you may spy a firefly. Consider it a gift and make a wish. It just may come true!

 Between you and me, I think they are fairies in disguise! Enjoy!

Cathy

Delightful

Feathered Friends

A day at the park

A visit with our feathered friends

A moment together in nature

A day to remember

Cathy

Turtle In The Pond

Solstice

This is the longest amount of sunshine in any day of our year and the official start to our summer…a turning point. What else can be said with all the delightful expectations awaiting us in the months to come? Sit back, pick a sunny song & enjoy!

Cathy

Stevie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoID1x_w9xo&feature=related

Bobby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbUl_E-R91Q

Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk

John: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFK-mFlZ2uw&feature=related

Bob: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KWSgRqi8d4

Cream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDZqmF3zS04

Donovan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRGA3CPp6hI

Katrina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKh0dLIuIu8

Natasha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gte3BoXKwP0

John: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ9kJa_6cBg

Temptations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P1x7Yy9CXI

Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-yy43ciULw

To Be Graced By Nature

To be graced by nature

Up close and personal

Leaves an imprint

On your soul

Carry this gift with you

And reflect upon it

On those days

When nature seems

Slightly out of reach

For the memory of the moment

Will fill you up

When your heart needs lifting

Just as the air gives rise to the wings

Of the bird when needed

For it shall carry your moment with it

Forever

Wherever it goes

Cathy

Happy Birthday, Cathy!

I have the wonderful distinction of sharing my birthday with 

Paul McCartney.

So happy birthday to both of us!

Paul McCartney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjF1bG5LUcs

GRP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyVRZ41dJbc

JT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkAhQBbK-oM

School’s Out!

The pencil boxes have worn edges. The school bag has a hole in the corner. The lunchbox has a dent in it. Tattered book covers are discarded. Desk covers have lost their luster. Formerly square erasers are rounded into a perfect little circle and pencils are sharpened to tiny nubs. Uniforms have been outgrown as we approach year’s end. Penny loafers have lost their pennies! The year is coming to a close. Tests are complete, grades calculated with report cards soon to come in the mail.

As we prepare for the closing of school for the summer, we participate in the preparation for the next class to arrive. Desks get a quick cleaning. Decorations are stripped from around the room. Holy statues get a good dusting. Blackboards are washed and the erasers clapped of chalk dust for one last time.

Our thoughts are really focused on the months ahead with no homework, no buses, no alarms and no uniforms. There will be playtime, vacations, lazy days of summer and all the activities that we daydreamed of during the school year. At last! It’s here.

During the summer, the floors will be polished and the desk tops sanded and varnished. The new classroom ‘scent’ is months away.

School’s out now. See you at the playgrounds very soon!

Wishing you a SMFairies summer!

Cathy

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day

To all the dad’s, step-dads and mentors for the children of the world, have a wonderful day.

The Dancing Fairy

  

The unsuspecting gardener

May find surprises ‘round the corner

Over and under the foliage

Through the petals and under the sundial

Dances the ‘Fairy of the Flowers’

Out of the corner of your eye

You may spy

The bright colors of her wings

Floating by in rainbow trails

As she scatters her fairy dust

From the flowers on the ground

To the vines above her head

She dances in and out

Without worry or care

Communing with the birds

Tickling kitty whiskers

Following the butterflies

And smiling at the ladybugs

Her magic she proclaims

Is within her day and night

Make a wish and grab a star

Hold it in your hands

Fairy dust is made of these

To carry every where

Why is it I do this

It’s the love I have for all

And when words are not enough

Dancing spreads her joy

For all the world to see

Come dance with me, she asks

And see the world as I do

With the loveliness in nature

When dancing in the garden

You and I

Cathy

Cathy's the Next Birthday Girl!

Summer Flight

The Law of Giving

This is a lovely article. Please read.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-law-of-giving.html

Memories

The Invitation

The porch beckons

Come and sit a spell

The boards may creak under your feet

That’s because they are well-worn

Friends come and go often

The railings wrap around you

Comforting they are

The rockers allow you to sink in

The scent invigorates

The breezes caress

The views seduce the mind

Smiles emerge

Conversations grow

Laughter ensues

Neighbors stop by

Glasses are lifted

Toasts are made

The art of verse is honored

Jokes, tales, stories

Sharing

The day is lost in a timeless world

Eons pass and the words linger

The porch forgets not

Carved into its memory

Is its history, its life

An invitation was extended and accepted

An opportunity of sharing one’s self

The porch, both separate and one

A part of each visitor

‘I am honored’ said the porch

Come and sit a spell

I can keep your secrets

A silent friend for eternity

It’s been my privilege to know you

Come back soon and often

Till we meet again

Godspeed

PS…What happens in Hull, stays in Hull!

Cathy

Mermaids

Maids of the sea

Called to return to nourish their souls

Dawn to dusk

Their spirits unite

Gathering the ocean’s essence

Sea nymphs

Dancing in the moonlight and mist

Playing by the surf

Communing with nature

Reborn from the changing tides

*

Cathy

Happy Birthday, Linda

Wishing you the ‘fairy’ best for your birthday and the whole year through!

Ringo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYe7TYB0da8

Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoSUhbNntQ

New England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2n-_FZhb3o

Possibilities

An empty bench

Welcoming a visitor

Supporting a needed rest

Lonely after a visitor now gone

Full of future possibilities

The tide is ever changing

As the visions of the passers-by

Sun, surf, salt, sky

Possibilities

A chance meeting

An assignation

A seat of quiet hope

A place of shared laughter

A moment of silence

The sounds of the ocean

The sounds of the sea

A buoy, a bell, a fog horn

And me

Possibilities

Cathy

Fairy Food

What’s good for the fairy soul…

Friendship

Laughter

Stories

Memories

Sunrise

Sunsets

Lightening dancing across the water

Tides drifting ashore

Rebirth

Reawakening

Promises for tomorrow

Tea

And cake!

What a wonderful weekend!

Cathy

Dusk

Dawn

To The Beach

to the beach

where in Hull?

where surf and sand

meet sun and fun

where fairies meet to

 regroup

relax

reconnect

party on girls

see you there!

Cathy

Going Macro

As we walk along the paths of life we should take notice of the little events that go unnoticed. This snail without a trail is an example. As I walked about the flowers, it amazed me that the snail got to the top of the hydrangea. What a feat that must have been. No signs of a snail trail to be seen. He was just there…at the top. I can imagine nothing less than a fairy intervention. Maybe the fireflies lit the path in pre-dawn. For at morning’s light, he was there.

It’s not unlike Horton Hears a Who. Just a speck of dust on top of fluff and a new adventure begins. We must be still and observe the layers of life about us. As we hurry our days, we can actually stir up the other worlds about us. Take it slow. Grab your cup of morning nectar and sit and observe the little friends about the garden. It’s what summer’s for. They go about at their own pace, seldom disturbing our lives. A little acknowledgement will help them along.

Symbiosis.

Don’t forget to grab your camera. Going macro has great rewards. A new perspective is always guaranteed.

Cathy

Linda's The Next Birthday Girl!

Best Sellers

Today as I read my ‘tagline’ from my teabag, I was inspired by its quote…”Best sellers have plots of gold.” My immediate thought was ‘what does it take to be golden’. ‘What does it take to be a best seller?’

If you were a book, what would be written? Better yet, what would you write in your autobiography? We all like to read best sellers from Oprah’s book club and the New York Times book list. We also like to see the most recommended movies and those nominated for academy awards. What makes them so appealing? Would you go back for a second show? Was it a feel-good or happy ending movie? Did a concert make you sing all the way home? Was the book a real page-turner?

If you review your life as a book, would you read it? Would you promote it? Would you change it? Find the part within you that’s golden and write that chapter. Pretty soon, you will have a best seller.

Cathy

The Royals

purple

the color of royalty

comes out to flaunt

majestic

variegated

diverse

diaphanous

playing in petals

deep, delicate, daunting

daring a purple haze

tripping the light fantastic

breathtaking

wonderful

awesome

divine

Cathy

Strawberry Moon

Think pink ladies!

Today is the full Strawberry Moon. The season for picking berries has arrived. Strawberry festivals are in the air and I’ve listed places to go to pick your own berries. Sweet and luscious, there’s nothing like this perfect berry in juices, shakes, smoothies, ice cream, pie, cobblers, pancakes, toppings on cheesecakes and dipped in chocolate…unless it’s just eating them by themselves, perfect fruity confections that they are.

Enjoy!

Cathy

Almanac: http://www.almanac.com/content/full-strawberry-moon-junes-moon-guide

Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/seasonal/spring/strawberries/

Berry Picking: http://pickyourown.org/mass.htm

Strawberries delivered: http://www.incredibleedibles.net/

Beatles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3jrWVp2L7U