oh these are the sweetest of summery days here in our little beach town. i took some photos around my house (and in too!) partly so i could see all the beauty around me and remind myself that summer is not really passing me by, it's just different this year.i'm home now since mid June, collecting disability, working with doctors trying to find out what ails me. that's a first, being sick this long, and being home. Also a first, the kids are all gone. Well, almost, the last three are at work and doing summertime things so i never see them except to grab a beach towel, a surfboard and some food. but they are moving soon. one is leaving the first week of august to move two hours south, another is leaving for the east coast to school and my youngest is going off to college, north, in september. she went to her orientation last week and chose all her classes, saw her dorm, got acquainted with her new school and state. all good and exciting stuff.
but it is so quiet here.
and i like quiet.
but not this much.
but not this much.
if i could just get better it wouldn't be so challenging. i'd get busy and do things! i had a dear friend say this to me :
maybe god is telling you this is your time to rest and do nothing. He/she is forcing you into a meditative sort of state since you've been doing for others for years and years and years.
i don't know...
well, since i can't get out right now, i arranged a summer spot inside! do you see the last photo? there are some favorite shells and a beach painting (by my mom) surfing photos and a favorite color blue (chipped paint on the table intentional, it came with eyerolls from my husband and sons!)
maybe i'll go make some iced tea and then have another rest...
i hope you are enjoying the season wherever you are!
i hope you are enjoying the season wherever you are!
love,lori ♥
Lori I don't like the thought of you being unwell.... maybe what your friend said to you holds some truth.
ReplyDeleteYou will be well again soon and will possibly long for the peace and quiet :)
Your 'sweet summer days' look absolutely glorious. Great pics.
Love your table... I have one with that style of paint which I love (smaller version of yours)
I have another flu... am trying to find a home we can afford to rent not too far from the sea and school and am under a bit of pressure as time is running out for the more...... what I'm saying is that I feel a little mental too :)
xx take care and keep on loving those sweet summer days....
Ribbon
ps ooops meant to read move not more
ReplyDeletedon't know what I'm doing on the computer... I need to get my beautiful boy ready for school :)
I'm sorry to hear you're not well Lori...I hope it soon finds its end, but I think your friend is right....
ReplyDeleteLoved the images, so fresh and summery and beautiful....revel in it :)
Dear Lori, I have spent quite a bit of time this afternoon reading through your last few posts. The photos are just wonderful and, as usual, the words equally as wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping you are feeling 100% soon! Take care ......
I sympathize with you regarding the quiet. My home is also feeling that way now. And it's not always sad - but a little lonely from time to time.
hey sweet sister,
ReplyDeletei love your place it is so 'us' LOL
it is eternally summer in your home.
It takes forever to figure out foreign pests in the body... i know, I worked in a microbiology lab for years and the overseas illnesses were the hardest to diagnose. But hang in there, they will figure it out.
Sending you an email today
love you
love from me
Oh, Lori, you're still fighting that bug. Take care of yourself; enjoy the quiet; take your meds. The body needs time.
ReplyDeleteHey, diggin ur blog
ReplyDeleteCheck out mine
ForRealG.blogspot.com
Follow me I follow u
I loved the little tour of your adorable home, but wish you were feeling better! I ran a travel immunization clinic for a local hospital a few years ago, so I know some of the health issues with traveling to Africa. So incredibly beautiful, but not without risks. I hope you feel better soon. Please keep us updated. Sending love and light your way!
ReplyDeleteP.S. You will get used to the quiet - but it takes some time.
Lori,
ReplyDeleteHopefully, the peaceful surroundings you have created for yourself will enable you to heal. I have to agree with you though, there is only so much peace and quiet I can handle at a time. To borrow a line from Jim Rohn, "Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live".
I'm definitely enjoying summer just being around town this year. Who knew there were so many things going on practically right outside my doorstep! To think, I used to travel to "have a good time". Not really necessary. So many festivals...so little time!
Take care of yourself Lori.
hi Lori,
ReplyDeletesorry that you're not feeling well, hope its not too serious. :-0
the pix, as usual, are beautiful. they carry the weight of your narrative perfectly. we had to go back and have a slower, more careful look at them after reading your post.
your words emotionally-charged the pics! {at least for us they did.}
we detect a little of the "empty nest" thingy {maybe?}
well, if that's the case, know that its a good thing, it means that we completed the parenting thing (actually, parenting never truly ends).
if its not the case, {maybe we're projecting} so ingore the last statement.
anyhoo, please rest, enjoy and get better.
hugs from the Big Apple. :-)
..
.ero
Sweetie! I am sad if you are sad!!!!I love your house ~ everything about it. The towels hanging on the rail made me smile, especially. I feel like I could pull up a chair in the sun and have a nice cup of tea and watch the clouds roll by. SMMMMOOOOOOCH!xx♥
ReplyDeleteHi Lori,Sad you hear you are not keeping well.Am sure you will recover soon.Take care and enjoy your summer.Lovely pics.
ReplyDeleteShantana
love your pics - thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletesoon soon soon they'll find out what the bug is and then you can move forward
lol
xxx
Dear Lori,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry, I wish I'd known you didn't feel well. Please rest up and take the time to be, just be.
I like your photographs, they are filled with Summer sunshine and promise, as are you. Love, your friend, x
I love the summery images... you must indeed be feeling the weird quietness! All the kids doing their own thing, it really makes a difference to your life now! Take care and keep on getting better xx
ReplyDeleteIt's been raining all day since Monday and last week was a weather for the ducks. I'm not feeling very well too.
ReplyDeleteLove the summery pictures. I agree with having that iced tea. Cool.
Hope you'll find out what's wrong and get better soon.
Lori darling girl I just can't bear the thought of you still bearing the brunt of this illness that has beset you. What, why, how and blast and dammit! (Could it be Lyme Disease - rather than the typical African tick-bite fever which comes and goes quite fast?)
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely the way in which you find the beauty in everything, despite your being so ill. Those photos are an enchantment...and sum up the loveliness of the season so beautifully. And, OH!, your road trip to the mountains...one day, one day... It really does look like heaven, Lori. (I was so relieved to read that the bears didn't come and steal all your kit!)
Thanks, too, for the tip off about Bottle Shock - sounds just my cuppa..wine! And I love Alan Rickman - brilliant actor. (Wonder if you ever saw Truly, Madly Deeply? Hang on...I think it was a BBC production and not a movie...so you prolly didn't. I must see if it's on DVD and will send it to you)
As you can see by my waffling, I've rid myself of that pesky computer glitch which was preventing me from getting into my friends' blogs - it was Internet Explorer 8 apparently, so now I've got rid of that and am using Firefox. Whew, much better.
Sending love and more healing thoughts. xxoo
So sorry to read that you are confined to the house. I know that takes a lot of getting used to in the best circumstances, but when you are sick, it's the worst, especially for an active person like you. I hope that health soon returns...sometimes you have to do a bit of exercise breathing, sitting meditating, or watch something that makes you laugh-even on the "plenty of rest" plan. Sending love your way, Lori. <3
ReplyDeleteLori, I so hope you feel well soon. I'm sorry you're ill for so long.
ReplyDeleteI do agree though, that the timing seems somehow, well, timed. Take it in if you can...grace comes in so many forms.
Oh no, sorry to hear you're not totally healthy!!!
ReplyDeletePictures are beautiful
Oh what beautiful photos! I just got back from the market where I bought cherries and plums and peaches and a big melon. My stomach is so happy with summer food.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that you're still so sick. There are a million critters you can pick up on the African continent - so sorry you're suffering.
Have you thought about trying Chinese medicine or some other alternative approach? Sometimes for things that western medicine has no way to treat, the alternatives work well.
Sorry - unasked for advice is the worst. Sending love and healing energy and just a little bit of noise and chaos, to make you feel less lonely.
Dear Lori, you must rest,your friend and the docs are right.
ReplyDeleteAnd take it easy even if your sad at the quiet.
I hope you have lots of sunshine to sit in the shade and enjoy the warmth on your resting body.
Here on the other hand have rain lots and lots and lots of it...
xx
Lori -- the world around you looks so lovely. We've been immersed in amazingly beautiful weather, so unlike the flatlands in mid-July. I'm not accustomed to feeling so free this time of year. Normally the sweltering heat forces you inside.
ReplyDeleteAs I step out on to my back porch every morning I greet the new day with a stretch and a thanks. I always ask my dog, "What good things do you think are going to happen today?" He never answers, but I know he appreciates the thought.
You are very wise to surround yourself in beauty and look upon it all with gratitude. Heed your friend's advice and soak in the rest and quiet.
I see you sitting in a sunny corner surrounded in healing light.
Sorry to read you are not well.
ReplyDeleteGet well soon.
Wizz :-)
Awe I am so happy my friend Clarity tagged you. I love your beachy life:)imagery- it looks lovely. I wish you peace and health and rest. I have four in nest at moment and I long for quiet but know I will miss the charming chaos that is a house of kids.
ReplyDeleteLove to you.
xxooLaurel
hi lovely! i hope you feel better soon. i'm saying a little prayer for your health.
ReplyDeletelove,
kavita
Dear Lori,
ReplyDeleteI was just reading all your lovely comments, thinking what sweet friends you have got, and then I wondered, Where is mine???? Oh, I know I was out of blogworld for a time, having too much to do with my own living I guess...But I agree with everyone, wishing you a quick recovery, but most of all peace of heart. Your children are not gone. Oh wait, I`ll send you that Walt Whitman poem of the Irish mother whose children have all gone to America. It is beautiful and consoling. Lots of love to you!
thanking you for the lovely tour of you home & more and wishing to you health and smooth transition in the chicks flying the nest!
ReplyDeletehi there! as soon as i saw the al merrick board i thought you would be from SB, and looking at your profile, you are! I'll be down to visit my in-laws in goleta in august! I found your blog from Clarity in Wonderland- what a small world blogging makes! enjoy the sweetness of the last bit of summer, i am outside as much as i can!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Lori. I am sorry you still feel ill, sometimes these things take a while to budge and only rest will do it.
ReplyDeleteYou are the second person I've heard from this week suffering the taste of 'empty nest'. It will feel worse because your energy is low, as you say, but then when you are well you shall flourish and fly. A new chapter will begin and you shall always be loved and needed by your brood. You will be busy and well and happy.
Dear Ribbon,
ReplyDeletei'm crossing fingers for your new place to show it's self to you, i'm sure it will soon! our place is small, but it's enough and it keeps us where we want to be.i know you'll find the same.
i know how that is needing to be somewhere and still on the computer, the addictive nature of blogging!but go take that darling boy of yours. love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks ♥ Braja,
i appreciate your good advice and kind words. i hope your feeling better day by day.
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Dear Helen,
that is so kind of you to say, thank you for telling me. i'm glad you enjoyed my blog, that gives me so much pleasure. i guess lonely is the word i was looking for. this is going to take us both some getting used to i think. i hope your enjoying your vacation, having a good rest and lots of fun! ☺
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Michelle,
thank you so much for telling me that! it really makes it eaiser knowing this is not so strange, i mean the taking forever part.i feel better just hearing that ♥
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Rosaria,
good advice as always, that's what i'll do.i've never slowed down like this before, it's defintely a lesson.
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That Kid,
thank you for the kind comment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Nancy,
thank you dear for the "takes time" words, i need to hear those. oh and thank you for compliment and good wishes. i hope i've not changed your mind about africa? you must go. i'll get better!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thanks so much Bogey,
you know, your right, i love being a tourist in my own backyard. there is so much to see. i hope you found your diagnosis as well and are on the mend?
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Hi bARE-eYED sUN,
thank you for the truly lovely compliment. i really appreciate it. and yes you are right, that would be it, empty nest. i have the syndrome. i think its extra hard because 3 are moving at once and me not feeling well either. oh well. did you say N.Y.C.? one of my kids is moving to Manhattan for school! i'll be in the city soon.
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natsy,
lets do that. forget all about all the sickies, yours and mine and just enjoy. i'm going to make us some tea right now, i've just finished baking banana bread, a hawaiian recipe i hope you'll like!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hi Shantana,
ReplyDeletethank you so much, i know your right, i am going to get better soon and even though this is not the summer i planned, it's lovely as it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ah thanks Janet,
i think if we had an endless supply of money we could see results faster, we are having to be selective with tests because health care here costs a small fortune. we are uninsured. not a good thing to be in america.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thank you dear Clarity,
it's an easy place to escape, here, in blogland and just forget for awhile, that's why i haven't said much. i'm doing just that though, resting and enjoying. taking time for me and my health.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
karen,
yes, will do! getting better i mean. and as soon as they are gone i get to go visit!! yay!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thank you 3yearshousewife,
i hope you can rest, your children are all so young. take care of yourself, and i hope you get a bit of sunshine soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thanks tessa dear,
ah that firefox, it has been a lifesaver. i mean it's bad enough to be stuck inside with a mystery illness, but to be denied access to my lovely friends too! i was going to cry at that. my son fixed the problem for me too, at least one of them! thank you for the wishes. love you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thank you Cynthia,
with every bit of me i'm trying to turn this into a positive. what are the choices? i don't want to be upset. and with friends like you i am only grateful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
thank you diana,
that's good advice and one of my very favorite words : grace. you are so right.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sammi,
thank you cutie. and you, stay well!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Reya,
i love your advice and appreciate it more than you know. i have tracked down our old dr. of traditional chinese medicine(i could have found a new closer one, but we have a long history with the Wu family). it is time, you are right, there is a whole world of healing out there. and thank you so much for the noise and chaos. i LOVE it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mandy,
thanks for the sweet thoughts. you have rain? is it summer there? is the rain warm at least?
thanks so much everyone ♥
Dear Pat,
ReplyDeletethank you for the lovely image(sitting in healing light) and for the most wonderful comment. i can see your dog looking at you with adoration and i'm sure he does appreciate you and your love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Wizz,
thank you and you stay well!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Laurel,
thank you for coming over, Clarity is a wonderful isn't she? i so appreciate your comment and can feel that you do understand me. it's all part of mothering though isn't it? the raising of children ♥
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dear kavita,
oh, i love your name, how pretty! thank you, i am so lucky to have friends like you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
geli~gaily,
i got it. ♥♥♥♥♥ (one extra ♥ for caroline).love you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Elk,
i am so touched by your words, you are so kind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Corinna,
small world indeed! be sure to bring your coolest summer dresses to goleta, it will be warm in august. i like your pic! if you come to carpinteria, say hi!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Joanne,
thank you for the inspiring words, i know you are right. and you are so generous because i know your kids are younger and sometimes the empty nest can even look a little inviting on hectic days, ha! and here i am being sad. your last line was the best, busy and well and happy, thank you so much.
thank you very much everyone,
lots of love,
lori
The photographs are superb. (To include the one of the tools was inspirational.) Hope you soon discover what is wrong and have it put right. Meanwhile, superb blogging! Every blessing.
ReplyDeleteGosh you have so much beauty in and around your house! You know, if it wasn't me who said it, I too believe you are being given time to relax.
ReplyDeleteYou are in my prayers!
Thank you for sharing these lovely pictures!
I like to believe people leave so that they can have the pleasure of returning.
ReplyDeleteIt can be difficult being unwell, more so when it coincides with the passing of the summer.
I wish you an early recovery and that it is nothing more than a minor blip.
The two birds on the table by the window are so beautiful.
The quiet heals. In the emptiness from the daily rush things cannot but settle down to the pace they were meant to.
Lori...
ReplyDeletejust read 'Tippi'... a mention from you on someones comments page...
I was delighted to read that and just visited the site.
I saw a doco about her some years ago when she was just a little little girl... it was amazing and very beautiful.
thanks for that info and reminder.
Knowing that there are people in the world living as she has really makes my heart sing :)
x ribbon
Love your summer pics! Especially the grapes.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a speedy recovery Lori. It must be so frustrating to not know...
LL
lori ann, i've come here because of your comment on tessa's blog. i liked what you said, plain and simple.
ReplyDeletei'm sorry to hear you aren't well. some years back i was sick for unknown reasons for 14 months. i thought i'd never get back to being fully well again (i did). and i remembering thinking what your friend told you. the time and stillness may be filled with something important that couldn't find its way before....
anyway, i love your photos and i see a few of my favorite people are here already. do you mind if i come back?
:)
Dear Lori,
ReplyDeleteI could almost feel the warmth of the summer days because I really need it! It´s so cold and rainy today and looking at your adorable photographs made me smile.
I´m praying for your recovery, please take care.
Love
Mina
Hi ~ I am sitting here in NH on yet another VERY wet, gray day. I think we have had seven days with sun - really! Odd summer. I hope you get well soon. I am a recent empty nester - mom of four and I recently became a grammie for the first time - and what an adventure that has been! Looking forward to reading about your empty nest adventures - take care.
ReplyDeleteYour beach house is lovely...
ReplyDeleteGet well soon...
Yes... we want happy noises more than quiet in our homes.
Well, look at that: I did manage to see the house afterall!
ReplyDeleteSuper blogging there, my sweet friend. I LOVED seeing the pictures, feeling the mood in your place, the special details, the intimate corners, the summer sun everywhere. My favorite images are the beach towel on the porch and the surfboard in the room... so summery and wonderful. So you. And you know what? The light in your home is EXACTLY how I had imagined it!
How are you feeling today? Hope better and better every day. I pray.
You should be getting something in the mail by now, it was sent Monday before we left...
Thank you for your sweet text msg, I couldn't reply because I had no more money in my phone, sorry. But you are always in my prayers and in my heart.
xx Lola & E
Hi Lori, just a quick visit to check in and tell you how much I hope you are feeling fine. If it's possible, sit by the ocean a bit. It can be so healing. Love to you xx <3
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeletethank you very much, that is so kind of you to say, i like tools too, they hold alot of promise!
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Tulsa,
your sweet, thanks for saying that and for the good thoughts. i appreciate them so much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anil,
I believe that too...the pace they were meant to. I need to remember that. thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ribbon,
thanks! it was Pat's blog. I love tippi, her book is fantastic, i wonder if you can get it? your son would love it too. that's so cool you found the website though.
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Lori Lynn,
soooo frustrating. yes. the grapes came from a neighbors organic farm, incredibly yummy.☺
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Dear Kj,
thank you so much, that is so sweet of you to say, i am really glad you came! of course we are all friends, isn't blogging the best invention? please come back!
i am sorry to hear you were ill for so long, did you ever find out what it was from, was it diagnosed? this is my first experiance with something like this and i am surprised. i didn't know. hopefully i'll be better soon.☺
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Thank you Mina,
oh i hope you get some of this sunshine, we've got enough to go around!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Deb,
thank you for coming over! it sounds like we are on similar paths right now. i wonder if you have any advice for me? i hope your summer starts shaping up! i'll send some of our sun your way ☺
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Ann,
thank you for coming by! it's all just going to take some getting used to i guess! thank you for the compliment ☺
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ciao lola!
oops, i hope i didn't add to your mobile bill.crazy cell phones...well i didn't show pics of yours and e's room, you will have to just come back,♥
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hi Cynthia,
thank you sweet friend, i did just that on saturday morning, before the summer crowds decended on our little town. so perfect. going to be better soon, i just know it ♥
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thank you so much everyone for the lovely comments,
love, lori
lori, no, i never did find out what was wrong with me; likely a neurological something or other. i still get wobbly in when i exert myself in high heat (ha! sedentary me can usually work around that!!) but other than that i am fine.
ReplyDeletehang in. how nice to see you at my blog. i'll be back too.
xoxo