Seasons Archives - Seams Like a Story

January 5, 2024January 5, 2024

New Year 2024

Resolved: firmly determined to do something.

balloons and 2024 numerals — Happy New Year 2024

Here they come–resolutions to be better, start fresh, wipe the slate clean. Who doesn’t want to lose a few pounds…eat healthier…finish writing that book (I say this as I’ve turned into a total couch sloth this week and I’m determined to finish the remains of the cookies and candies my family left behind when they left after Christmas)

I get it. As a former teacher, I’m goal oriented. In fact, in the later years of my profession, administrators expected us to post daily leaning goals for students and evaluated us on this. I usually engage in the New Year’s practice of setting personal resolutions, and goals for my writing life as well. But before I dove in this year, a dear friend posted a quote from Donna Ashworth that caused me to pause and rethink. It reads in part:

“I don’t see the need for you to resolve to become a whole new you, when you are already so very much indeed.”

This prompted me to look to a favorite resource where I found this from Jon Kabat-Zinn:

“Maybe the fear is that we are less than we think we are, when the actuality of it is that we are much much more.

Now I’m confused. Should I refrain from making resolutions or goals this year joining many who say “My New Year’s Resolution is to make no resolutions.” I sat with these words swirling around in my brain for several days, and I think I figured it out. For me.

What if I see the new year not as an end of my old self, or a beginning of my new self, but a continuation? Can I look back at all I have experienced, the people who have loved and influenced me, the wisdom I’ve gained, the person I’ve become to get me here, to this day in January 2024, and build on that? Can continue to grow and learn, and embrace this new year, wherever it takes me, knowing that right now, I’m enough–much more than I even realize? Yes! I’m resolved.

Hello 2024, it’s me Deb. Let’s do this!

sunrise over a lake — 2024:A new year dawns.

Threads of Thought

What is something you are proud of yourself for right now?

How can you build on that foundation in 2024?

Have a great year my friends!

Warm up with a good book!

http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer/

November 6, 2023November 5, 2023

When Autumn Comes to Arizona

a fake pumpkin in a coffee mug — A little to much pumpkin in the latte?

When Ed and I moved to Arizona, we were drawn to the turquoise blue skies, the mild winters, beautiful sunsets, and the way you can see a million stars in the clear night sky. But, I’ll have to admit, I miss fall. Don’t get me wrong, we have seasons here in the desert southwest, winters differ greatly from summers, but the changes are subtle. You have to be on the lookout or they will pass you by. Here’s how I do Autumn in Arizona:

Forget about Daylight Savings Time

It doesn’t exist in Arizona. We are one of the two states that do not save daylight. (The other being Hawaii, where they don’t worry about time anyway.) There’s no adjustment period when the clock suddenly “falls back” or “springs forward.” The only slight adjustment I make is keeping track of what time my friends and family in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia are on when it comes time to make a phone call.

It is rather nice. Being retired, I have the luxury of waking with the sun each morning, meaning I sleep in longer in the winter. My biological clock is in sync with the seasons. (That’s not to say I go to bed at dusk, mind you, thanks to the invention of indoor lighting and Netflix.)

Add Some Fall Decor

There are few deciduous trees here unless you go up to the mountains or have a pomegranate tree, so forget about leaves (nothing to rake, however.) Here in Arizona, you have to make your own autumn ambience. Hang a fake leaf wreath, light a pumpkin spice candle. It’s a feeble attempt, I know, but it helps.

Wardrobe Changes

It took me years to figure out how to dress for the seasons in Arizona. A friend of mine who’s been here longer than I have says “It’s all about layering.” I still don’t have it right. The other day I met some friends for coffee. It was 50 degrees when I left home. I put on a long- sleeved tee and jeans. We sat outside, and by the time our lattes arrived, I was too hot. Back home, I changed into shorts and sleeveless top. Once the sun went down, the temperature took a nose dive and I put on a sweatshirt and yoga pants. We do a lot of laundry at our house this time of year.

Seasonal Food

Cool, crisp salads are making way for soups, Ed’s homemade bread, and yes, I’ll admit it: Pumpkin Spice Latte. My new favorite comes from Trader Joe and I mix it in with my chai tea. Perfect for sipping by the fire pit in the evening while making s’mores.

Yeah, I know, it’s not the same. Those of you who live in other parts of the country will have your beautiful leaves, the first snowfall, White Christmas. I miss it, and in fact, I’ve just returned from a trip to the Midwest where I experienced a week of Real Fall. But come January, February, and March, you’ll be calling me for reservations. Our guest room books up fast.

Author’s note: a version of this story originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of the Oro Valley Style Magazine

Threads of Thought

What do you like most about Fall?

Favorite Fall beverage or food?

Time to cozy up with a good read http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

April 9, 2023April 9, 2023

Daffodil Days

Daffodils

This time of year, I’m obsessed with them. Maybe it goes back to my Midwestern roots. I spent most of my life in southern Indiana where winters are cold, drizzly, and gray. During winter, the glorious decidous trees of autumn are bare and stark, the luxurious green lawns of summer are brown and muddy and cabin fever rages. It was the worst time of year for those of us in the teaching profession. The period between winter break and spring break seemed to go on forever. Indoor recess had lost it’s charm, students were restless, and teachers were weary.

The Little House in the Woods

When my husband and I moved our family to a house in the woods, the kids and I planted daffodil bulbs on the hillside behind the house. Each dormant bulb held the promise that spring would come. We couldn’t wait to see the first green shoots springing up form under the leaf mulch in the woods. When the hillside burst into bloom, we knew winter days would soon be gone. Each year, I would gather a large boquet and bring it inside.

Josie’s Favorite

the authors grandmother in a field of yellow tulips

Daffodils were my grandmother’s favorite flower. She called them jonquils. I like to call them that too, though purists say ” While regionally jonquils may be called daffodils, this is botanically inaccurate. They are both in the Narcissus family, however there are slight differences. “

So what’s in a name? My grandmother’s name was Josephine Marie. She prefered to go by Marie, but allowed Gandpa to call her Josie . “..a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

(Those of you who are really paying attention will note that Grandma is standing in front of tulips,not daffodils or jonquils or roses… but you get the idea.)

Daffodils in the Desert

Now I live in the Southwest. There is an abundance of wildflowers blooming in the desert this spring, but sadly, no daffodils grow here. I went to Trader Joe’s to get some. I didn’t find them with the fresh flowers and was about give up when I spotted some bunches of spindly little stems in pre-bloom stage bound together with a rubber band and stacked in a wooden box. With no water. Orphans. I had to bring them home. As per the directions on the tag, I snipped off a half and inch from each stem and put them into some water.

a box of daffodil shoots displayed in a store

I wasn’t expecting much, but by the next morning…

….my kitchen counter was glowing with yellow blooms! I know they are short-lived, but for now I am enjoying the burst of spring, the reminders of Grandma, my Indiana home, and the end of winter.

But I think it’s deeper than that. Perhaps , for me, these bright yellow blooms bursting from dormant bulbs and spindly stalks give me hope and courage. Their blooms are fleeting. Their message lingers.

Have a joyous spring my friends!

Threads of Thought

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A book with a blue cover and a row of crayons across the bottom. The title reads "Out of the CRayon Box" and a daffodil lays across the book

4 Lessons from a Winter Tree

It happens every year. I’ve just retruned from a three week trip to visit friends and family for the holidays. The wacky, wonderful flurry of food, fun, and fellowship has ended, and the quiet descends on me like a blanket of winter snow. Post holiday blues? Fatigue? Too much of the wrong kind of food (and beverage) and not enough exercise and sleep? All of the above.

Through the years, I’ve learned the signs, and I know myself well enough not to panic. This year, I am inspired by the trees surrounding our holiday home in Indiana. Here are 4 things I’ve learned from winter trees:

Continue reading “4 Lessons from a Winter Tree” …

October 16, 2022October 16, 2022

Madera Canyon, Arizona

A Walk in the Woods

” Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” -John Muir

Walk with me…

It’s that time of year again. I miss the crisp air and fall colors in my Indiana hometown. But I’ve discovered a hidden gem just a short drive from Tucson, Arizona. Madera Canyon “washes my spirit clean.” Breathe the cool, fresh air. Look around. Listen. Few words are needed. Come, walk with me…