Tuesday, August 2, 2011

What is the Candy in Your Life?

      Any one with a conscience or a family  can be afflicted with the malady of melodrama, so today I just want to sugar coat the moment with a little sweetness. Besides I'm craving a bit of chocolate, and I want to think of how I can fill my day with smooth and creamy tidbits.
      I will call my sister who may be drowning in her own overload of melodrama, and we will have a nutty conversation about times when we were little and revel in the fact that her memories vary so much from mine. But we see that as a double treat of sweet because we now share two memories.
      If I am in need of satisfying a craving, I'll go upstairs to my quilt room and sift, sort, pile, and organize my luscious stash of material. Delightful, rich, mesmerizing colors of fruity greens, yellows, reds, and oranges as well as deep chocolaty browns and nougat tans. The desire to create something will always help those endorphins.
      If the sun is shining and it's not too hot or too windy, I'll visit another candy store outside in the soil.  When the over-indulgent clematis needs cutting back, I will pull, tug and chew off the errant vines and transplant a milder, softer ground cover. Dig in the soil, delve in the soul.
      Ah, I am satisfied!

9 comments:

  1. Suzanne - Gosh, there you go again - writing about things that touch the soul and sometimes, touch a nerve and it is unsettling. So, your sister also grew up in a different family under the same roof? I often find that my memories are much sweeter than the 6 children who followed me. Sometimes, they seem envious, sometimes angry – accusing me of having a selective memory – at the very least, being a Pollyanna. Though, there are the very funny stories they have of things like a brother fishing with Dad. Charlie cast back and out, catching Dad in the crotch with the hook. I was always too busy to go out on the boat with Dad. I wasn't there to see Dad at a professional football game when someone fell onto Dad trying to step over him, with Dad's arms folded across his chest and him flinging the guy forward back into his own seat. Dad - over 6 feet tall and 300 lbs. Some of us don’t even speak, much to my deep sadness to the point of depression at times. They don’t respond to kindness, accountability or reconciliation though they claim to be Christians. Not a judgment, just curious. Some are 11 years younger than me. Some have mood disorders and some have had addiction issues and don't seek proper treatment, not accepting it is just DNA - not a moral issue. Too bad the media sensationalizes it. One is agnostic. I love them so deeply and some almost seem like my own children. Is this where chocolate can come in handy, Suzanne? Dark or milk. Just discovered Fair Trade chocolate with cocoa nibs. Divine. The Zen carpet of quilting. I love your descriptions of the colors. I’m on a Laurel Burch kick. Most of all, I am reminded this morning that we can take our happiness and peace where we are lucky enough to make it. Your incredible stories and feelings about the outdoors are lovely. These appear is almost everything you write. You seem to take it all in around you. Even in the heat, I've learned that there are ways to get the dirt fix when I can. Thanks for reminding me of a lot of things and to look back and in the present with gratitude for the moment and the freedom to create our own little refuges. I hope the airport has some good chocolate stuff. The most important question I have is, what is your favorite chocolate treat? I hope you have a really nice day and enjoy your talk with your sister. I am also looking forward to reading that others are finding your blog. It is a treasure. Elise

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  2. I love looking at chocolate, quilting and Mother Earth as necessities! Sometimes, they are all that make sense and are always there - uncritical and constant in all the uncertainty around some of us. Does chocolate make everyone feel like they can breathe a little better and calm down? There are surely as many varieties of chocolate as there are of fabric and flowers. There are many good websites for chocolate lovers - even chocolate made with olive oil - made in Spain, I think. I hide chocolate all over the house and what I keep in the kitchen are marked with a big RX or it's labeled "Medicinal Chocolate". Even Baker's Baking Chocolate squares are good in a pinch. I am on Weight Watchers and sometimes it's a challenge to figure out the points.

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  3. Suzanne - After a mutual decision made by my daughter and I, I'm postponing my trip to see her. My medical issues have made me hypersensitive at transitional time in both our lives and because she can be quick-tempered though not meaning to hurt anyone, the right decision was made. I immediately took a short drive and bought a couple of pieces of chocolate and sat in the parking lot at the shop, eating them with great joy and then having the peace that only chocolate can bring. I then went to the local nursery and bought a Peace rose - my first first Peace although I have many other varieties. Thank you for your shared joy of chocolate and the earth's solace. Elise

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  4. Elise, I am glad you are through the decision- making dilemma, and you can concentrate on getting well. Communication is definitely the key.
    I absolutely adored your medicinal chocolate comment. Your own writings are delightlully clever. Thanks for adding your wonderful insight.
    Take care,
    Suzanne

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  5. Chocolate, real butter, high octane coffee and home grown beefsteak tomatoes - the elixirs of life...

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  6. Suzy: So happy to see you're doing this. You've always had such a wonderful way with words! This is my first visit here, and I love it. With so much stress and turmoil in our lives, it's nice to think about the candy. I LOVE to walk, work in the yard, listen to music (and I'm starting to get back into the guitar and piano again), taking pictures and working with them, and dark chocolate! Sending hugs your way, Janice

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  7. Janice, - Thank you so much for your wonderful words and visiting my blog. Hurray for you in getting back to your music. The pictures you have shared on FB are marvelous, and I hope you continue that wonderful hobby as well. Miss you, and love you all, S

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  8. Even Baker's Baking Chocolate is good in a pinch. Eating chocolate for stress while on the phone with certain family members. Frozen Turtle's. Thaw 2 minutes.

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  9. Candy in life? Fresh sourdough and truffle olive oil.

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Blessings to you,
Suzanne