Cemeteries and flower power

Here are two photos of me in 4th grade, age 9, at Mystic Seaport CT on our annual field trip. One photo shows 'my group' (we were divided into groups of five). You can guess which one is me, goofy looking with pixie cut in daisy pants. I was heavily into the daisy motif, it was also my bedroom wallpaper. I can't emphasize enough how so much everywhere in the 70s daisy flower power saturated us in fashion and graphic design.

The gal next to me is Susan, COOLEST girl of all right up thru high school. Love her trippin' psychedelic miniskirt. Notice the large buckle shoes so in style then. I called mine 'pilgrim shoes'. Susan with her leather jacket, and macrame leather purse (harbinger of 70s macrame plant hangers that became so popular) carried off her outfit so much better than I did, which was simple and functional. Susan's different colored pigtail ribbons caused a mini-controversy, so cool and stylish then. She was the first to do it, trend setter that she was. We were exiting the 60s with miniskirts and flower power, so in 1970 those fashions were still hanging on. 70's Bohemian hadn't hit us yet.

In the other picture is me with my teacher Miss May. We were all fascinated with her hair, she wore it in a bun for 189 days and there was much discussion as to whether it was even real... and on the last day she wore it long. We were floored. Doesn't take much to fascinate us, eh?

Saturday is supposed to be just about perfect. The heat has broken and the humidity is way down. There is predicted to be much sunshine... and I'm stoked. So thrilled that I may actually GO OUT and do something Saturday morning.

I'll go to the Farmer's market in town and buy a loaf of crusty bread. Then head 1 mile south to the cemetery, I want to take pictures of statues. I only have one or two in my photo bin and I want more. Then I'll head to the old cemetery 4 miles up the road and take some more photos. The old cemetery has lots of carved granite statuary and ornate tombstones, too. These two pictures below are from a trip to the old cemetery I took 7years ago. Time for a picture refresher.

I'll do all this while sipping coffee and grooving to some tunes. It won't take me long, just an hour or so, and then I'll be home. Not too much gas, not taking too much time, not being around too many people ... a field trip just right for me!

Babka for breakfast

It's always great to have a farmer's market in your town. Mine is only a mile and a half away, a block behind the Post Office and the Dollar Store, the other two popular destinations in Comer.

Even though this is only the second week of this season's market, there were quite a few vendors. The main produce being sold was early lettuce. There were plenty of seedlings, soaps, lotions, baked goods, and jewelry, though.

I was dying for a muffin for breakfast, so that is what I looked for. No muffins but mmm, homemade focaccia with olives, rosemary and tomatoes; and chocolate babka.

As I strolled the aisles under the metal roofed lean-to, a woman vendor played a zither. A man in the back was painting posters on the stage. People chatted, kids drew with chalk on the entry concrete pad, and cars came and went.

Nice hometown. Nice thing to do on a Saturday morning. Now I am enjoying a second cup of coffee, my hometown newspaper, and babka for breakfast.

Midday update on happy day I'm having

What a great day! It's warm and cool at the same time. The sun is hot and bright but the air is cool and breezy. Perfect. I launched myself into the daylight toward town this morning on a wave of optimism and joy. Heading to the Post Office I checked my box and Lo! another Netflix flick was in, "Mostly Martha." It's the original version of the recent remake with Catherine Zeta-Jones, "No Reservations." I bought a paper copy of the local newspaper, Madison County Journal, always a good read, and then headed to Cup of Karma Cafe for a muffin.

A few gal pals were in there so I stopped briefly by the table to say hi, [they are so nice!] and I then eagerly headed to the counter to choose a muffin.

This must be done with all pomp and circumstance, for I lay my kudos down at the Muffin Altar of Greatliness. The chefs bake them on site and I don't know what they do, but they are the best muffins in the world! Which kind, you ask. All of them! It does not matter. Today I got a blueberry bran and along with my thermos of coffee I'd brought, then headed to the Comer Farmer's Market.

Ahhh! The joy of buying fresh produce that's organic, local, and this early in the season will never fade. Never! I bought the cutest baby turnips, purchased for the sole reason that they were:
1. cute
2. $1
3. cute
and some freshly picked lettuce. Lunch: salad. But first, a mini-drive.

On Saturdays, I love turning on the music, feeling the breeze on my cheek, placing a thermos of coffee in the beverage holder, and driving unknown roads. Stopping at yard sales, pulling over to enjoy a scene, finding farm stands ... sadly, though, my rambling days have been long-curtailed due to the price of gas, but today I decided to take a tiny, tiny detour home. The Lystra Church and Cemetery was calling.

Old Lystra Curch Road is around the corner from my house, down a long red dirt road with no houses around and very quiet deep in the country. The property is reputed to be haunted, and though the church is no longer standing (torched by vandals) the cemetery is there in the middle of a hilly clearing. The grass is grown up high and only the taller gravestones poke above the grass and wildflowers. Others are tilted crazily due to frost heaves, or broken and deliberately pushed over. I snapped some interesting and if I say so, nicely composed photos but the sun was high and they are all washed out with hard edges. I am going back at dusk for better light. Ghosts notwithstanding! The ghost stories for Lystra are pervasive and constant so I will not linger. But at high noon with the drone of bees and wildflowers waving in the gentle breeze I took my time and walked all the way in, passing through the dilapidated gate with ease.

Here are a couple of photos, of the ones at dusk come out better I'll post them tomorrow in a separate entry.