Sweet 'Beginning's and 'Sorrowful' Endings

This year of 2017... has been a year of extreme highs and extreme lows. It has reminded me somewhat of a musical scale as there have been so many variations of emotions, moods, ups and downs, variations of atmosphere's while always trying to find the center... hoping to stay on course. There has been a 'Tearing of The Veil' in this year of 2017. We had to adjust our pitch while trying to find our harmony once again. We are resilient and resolute and we will move forward it is within us and without us to do so as we await the New Year...



Sun setting on 2017

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.'

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

 

In January of each year we begin anew. We move forward. We look towards the future. Our vision is clear, new, fresh and clean as we embark on a new journey. We do not know what is to come...

Our lives, the people, the places, and the events and circumstances that surround us all unites us and binds us together. We are all intertwined within our small flocks and this is where we learn, we love, we nourish and we lean together. God made us that way. One of the cryptic sayings that I find so truthful is 'there is no I in TEAM' It applies all through our lives. We did not arrive in this world without a team. 'Father, Son, Holy Spirit...God, Father, Mother. We enter and exit as a member of a team, a flock, a united front, our village who knows us inside out. God in his infinite wisdom designed His world of humanity in such a way that we require a flock forever and always. So many times when writing, the word 'me or my' comes onto the page, when ' we or ours' is in truth the reality. We have never been just a 'me', but a 'we' always.

The reason I have written the above is to emphasize how intertwined within our flock we are. When one experiences joy, we experience joy too! When one experience's triumph's we too share that experience! When one embarks on a new journey we travel with them in spirit. When one celebrates we celebrate. When one is ill, we feel ill. When one is sad, we too are sad. When one experience's the loss of another, we too experience the loss. Emotion's, feelings, all characteristic's that abide within us.  

During this past year our family, our friends, our neighborhoods, our world have been challenged, tried and brought to the forefront.  There have been births, there has been extreme joy, there have been untimely deaths, and sorrow. There have been unexpected life changing health issues far from home, bringing challenges far and beyond the need for recovery. Having to relearn and to re find your way.  There have been the lingering declining illnesses' and the constant requirements and durability of the care giver. There has been loss of mind and spirit, questioning and trying to understand the why's and wherefores. There has been loss of jobs creating uncertainty and discontent and upheaval. There have been weddings, family gatherings, wonderful moments and memories made. New life, new love relationships formed, and expanded into unexpected life altering realities. Jobs offered, moves made, changes intermittently unexpectedly bringing resolve to problems. Amazing joyful news of babe's coming, of dreams hoped for and received with joy, while moving forward towards life goals. Gathering's of family and friends coming together as a team to provide support for a cause. Joining together in Thanksgiving...then once again waiting, sadness, sorrow and loss. Our flock has leaned on God's Strength, and courage, while relying on each other and others this year making the journey one step at a time.





Ronnie and Amanda Weaver, joyful Grandparents



Ben, Brittanie, Mason Weaver



MAWS CAUSE 
a SIDS foundation started in honor and remembrance of
Mason Archer Weaver 4 months old
 



Nancy Lewey Johnson, Jim Johnson, Jo Dee Johnson Molina, Rebecca Johnson White

JoDee Johnson Molina, Jim Johnson, Rebecca Johnson White, Mindy Johnson Pittman  



Blessed beyond measure, so thankful for more time given and the ability to recover, change lifestyle and look towards the future,  waiting to see what plans God has in mind for this 'Grand' Papa to be in the New Year!

Katie Johnson Wade, Andy Johnson, Drew Johnson



Brother's Andy Johnson, Jim Johnson

Michael Dewey Duffy July 2017 on his boat 'Irish Risky'
living life always. Son to Jimmy and Sandy, brother to Karen, Trisha, John,
beloved husband to Kyra,
Dad for Travis and Taylor
Simply the best to all the rest...

New Years Eve brings with it a finality as well an end. Some years the parting is bittersweet, causing us to want to cling to and hold on until the last second... but letting go and letting God is how this year must end and so it will. Heaven has taken in some of our flock this year and has blessed us with the knowledge that they are abiding within your keeping dear LORD...so we say thank you for your loving grace, and the peace of your keeping until we all meet again.

Closing with these words of an Irish song, it has spoken to our heart and our heritage...yes dear Michael even though we were not related by blood we now know for a certainty that we are related by heritage and that is a good thing.

The Parting Glass

The High Kings

Oh all the money that e'er I spent

I spent it in good company

And all the harm that e'er I've done

Alas, it was to none but me

And all I've done for want of wit

To memory now I can't recall

So fill to me the parting glass

Good night and joy be with you all

Oh all the comrades that e'er I've had

Are sorry for my going away

And all the sweethearts that e'er I've had

Would wish me one more day to stay

But since it falls unto my lot

That I should rise and you should not

I'll gently rise and I'll softly call

Good night and joy be with you all

Good night and joy be with you all

  

 

~The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go~ John Muir

When Fall begins it's lofty descent, I get this yearning inside of me to head for the hills. Living in East Tennessee I do not have to travel far to reach the hills, the mountains, the rushing rivers and the peaceful valley's that have been so thankfully preserved by some wise senior statesmen for future generations.   Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Nature always wears the color of the spirit" and the changing of the seasons does effect my spirit both outwardly and inwardly.

Sunday I was in Norris, Tennessee to be a part of a 5K run/walk for MAW's Cause.  The layout for the race was centered around and through the small community of Norris. Part of the course was on Dairy Pond Road which is long and winding and hilly. I have driven that road many times over the years, and walked on parts of it but mostly it has been taken by car. I am not known for my athleticism.  I know my limitations, even though my husband, our son, our daughter, and now our grandson's have wonderful athletic abilities, they did not get that from me.  I  watched as the large crowd of participants, many with young children in tow, set out on the race, it took me back to years long ago when Curt and I were first establishing ourselves as young marrieds and had been given the opportunity through TVA to live and work and raise our young son within those tree laden hills of Norris. Recalling the many times we had participated in events to raise money for a need or a cause within the community or through the church we attended, or through a work related charity, those were special years to be a part of. The circle of life then seemed slow, steady and for certain while we were secure and content to just be...We did not get to remain in Norris, as so many of our friends did, Curt's work world had other plans for our family so we picked up and  moved around the Tennessee Valley. Ironic really because I influenced Curt to get out of the Air Force, where we had met, wanting to settled down and form roots. The roots did come after many moves later but only after we got to know and call home many of the small communities within the Tennessee Valley, teaching us  to look to one another, and the friends that we met along the way for encouragement when we encountered rough waters.




 

When we were living in Rogersville, Tennessee, Curt was assigned to the TVA Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant Construction Site, in Church Hill, Tennessee. While living there, we were blessed to become a part of The Rogersville United Methodist Church which  helped us to forge ties and relationships within that community which created several life long friendship's. The years spent in Rogersville were where I first felt like I was finally home. Not long after we moved there the church planned a day trip to Cades Cove in Townsend, Tennessee to help raise money for the youth of our church who were working towards a mission trip that summer. The plan was to bicycle around the 11 mile loop at Cades Cove and for each mile you cycled per person it raised a certain amount of dollars for the mission trip. Well of course the Lane's were in, we did not have bicycle's other then Chris's,

Christopher Todd Lane on his red bike 6 years old

so one of the generous church members offered us a tandem bike with a seat on the back for baby Amy. So we  loaded up our bikes in trucks early on a Sunday morning left Rogersville, stopped in Wears Valley to attend  a small Methodist Church service, then off we went to enjoy a beautiful fall day at 'The Cove'. While driving the cove has problems of its own, because of a narrow road and everyone is stopping and gawking at 'The Cove' nature's and animal's like deer and bears and other wildlife, but riding a bicycle built for two, or in our case three, plus a six year old bicyclist wobbling his way up and down the small winding roads of the cove, did not make a day of leisure for me. I loved my husband dearly but riding a tandem with him just about changed our relationship permanently! I enjoyed the Dr. Dolittle stories and the 'Push me Pull me Llama, and the memories of this wonderful family, church inspired, fund raising day in 'The Cove', with Curt, Linda, Chris and Amy all together, on a tandem bike was a push me- pull me experience of grand proportions that should of and could of been on You-tube now-a-days. We would have had so many 'Hilarious' likes that we could have raised enough funds to help many programs go forward. Although this story is now funny, then it was the most challenging family athletic event we had ever participated in and it was a very long day. We finally  made it around the loop just as it was getting dusky dark, in time for hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and sandwiches which tasted like manna from heaven. After we filled our bellies, we loaded up our bikes and climbed on the wagon for a hayride around 'The Cove', we shared our days experience with one another, laughing as our church friends chuckled and shared their joy of watching The Lane family maneuver the 11 mile journey,  watching our expressions and antics and frustrations and then the plain old giddiness that took over when we were near the end. Oh my goodness the lessons we learned that day were priceless in the building of family unity, forbearance, trust, and love for one another. So when I say the 'Mountain are calling and I must go, they are words of truth with meaning forged within me over 38 years ago, the Cades Cove area holds a kinship within me and it calls me back every fall season...saying it is time to come, to renew and refresh your soul...and so I go...and I pause and reflect and remember the sacred shared times of those precious journey's to the mountains, with family, friends and now although I go alone, I carry with me gentle spirits and memories as I say thank you LORD for giving me, your humble child and servant, so many opportunities to take in the glory of your world.
Reminding us that we must make the most of today, because tomorrow is not promised, but if we live this day to it's fullest, then we have done our best.

"God makes three requests of his children: Do the best you can, where you are, with what you have, now" 

 

 

 

 

~Tangling With Summer~

“Summer was here again. Summer, summer, summer. I loved and hated summers. Summers had a logic all their own and they always brought something out in me. Summer was supposed to be about freedom and youth and no school and possibilities and adventure and exploration. Summer was a book of hope. That's why I loved and hated summers. Because they made me want to believe.”

― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Summer has crept quickly into Lane Home Place. Warmth and sunshine lighten the shadows of the day making it impossible for me to sleep past daylight. There is not a reason in the world to be up but my inner clock has not gotten that notice and so out of the bed I get to greet the sunrise and afresh new day!

The heat has not yet gotten unbearable for front porch sitting and reading, with a sweet tea with a slice of lemon close by for quenching my thirst, I spend my days idly and do what catches my fancy. There is no purpose that beckons my attention so I maintain.  My heart, and hands and brain do not like this idleness and rebel with restlessness, encouraging me to make plans, but the desire to strive for something more is just not there.

Before 'Poison Ivy' took me down

 

Our Gardenia Tree waited for my return home to begin her lovely show of her silky creamy white blossoms with their sweet alluring scent and I am grateful for being present for the blooming. It is my treasure, my child if you will and my constant. When did it become such a cherished part of our family? It has been around for 20 years or more now. Reminding me of a funny family story, said to our Mama, Muriel Rose Engle Johnson, by our daughter Amy Lane Germano, when she was close to elementary school age, she always would do overnight's at her Granny and Papa's house in Clinton and it was usually for two nights and then she would come home ( which was at her request) and then perhaps she would go again the next week. She had received a silky cover-up and night gown when she was a toddler and it was her night wear of choice, so when she would pack her overnight bag this is what she always chose. Well she was at her Granny and Papa's and she went up to put on her night wear and when she came down her Granny said "well Amy, I do believe you have outgrown that robe and gown, it use to be touching the floor and now it is way above your knee's", Amy looked down and said "Oh Granny you know it's been in the family for years, it's a keeper!" Needless to say Granny got a chuckle from that and could not wait to call and pass that little 'Amyism' on. The Gardenia Tree is like the robe and nightgown it's been in the family for years and is definitely a keeper! I have never given 'her' a name but I have decided to call her Soliloquy because she is a stand alone kind of lady, that provides for herself, makes a statement, while keeping her purpose always the same to provide a vision of beauty and delight to all who behold her radiance.

Creamy white ready to burst open

Sweet Gardenia Blossom

'Soliloquy' a lady of stand alone beauty

 



Stinging Nettles

Poison Ivy

I am nearly 68 years young and have been quite fortunate to not have had a personal run in with a devious and nasty plant called poison ivy, but this week to my dismay my luck ran out. I was out front tussling with an influx of red-bud trees in my flower bed and reached to grab the little suckers  and without thinking managed with my gloveless hands to also tug on a poison ivy plant. I thought "oh great" I went and washed with soap and water immediately hoping to perhaps escape, but alas it was not the case and a week ago the itchy rash filled with it's nasty venom appeared and today I gave up on over the counter and went to the Doctor. Somehow it affected my finger, my inner forearm, and behind my left ear...totally odd I know but somehow, someway it happened. Our grandson Hunter gets eat up with it every year, as did our brother Butch but this is my first and I want to make sure it is my last encounter.  When we were living in England, we rented a lovely home with a large yard with flower beds galore. Our Dad had us outside with him to clean out the flower beds and there was these terrible plants called stinging nettles that I ran into, it was like I had been eaten up and the pain was like nothing I had ever experienced then or since. The rash went on for weeks and  I have made sure to stay away from that unfriendly plant..

Behind the ear



inner forearm



finger's top and inside

The remedy's....

 

As I walked around the yard today I was thankful to see floral offerings of  Easter Lilies blooming, as well as a yellow bloomer, with the orange day lilies loaded with blooms and the wisteria as well as the rosemary offering up their individual fragrance's. I had no tangling with poisonous plants today which is more to my liking, and my bed sheets too are grateful, they have been washed so many times this week, to ward off the leavings from the rash, that the striped pattern have almost been washed off!

Yellow Day Lily

Easter Lily a gift from son 5 years ago

Orange Day Lilies ready to pop

Wisteria on their second blooming

 

Just so I end on a positive and uplifting note...Yesterday I was craving an old time Custard Pie, so I made one...It turned out quite well. I shared with The Wiseman family and I got a thumbs up...so it was worth the effort.
Tangling with Summer is going to be interesting...so bring it on Mother Nature, I will do my best to make it through...

 



Grandma's Custard Pie

  

"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:12-13 ESV  



 

 



...Snowy Day Remembering's...

This first week of January 2017 has brought a lovely snow shower to end the week. Looking out my window, as I do most days, today frames the 'Old Man in the Tree' with snow flakes gently falling all around, while the moss on the Chinese Elm catches the snow making for enhanced shadows on this Lane Home Place stalwart that is as much apart of this place as the family that has loved and lived here for 38 years.

A window with a view

East Tennessee is known for it's unpredictable weather pattern's; in reality it is a hard to predict area because of the mountains, the valley's and the rivers that surround us. There have been years when we have had harsh and heavy snowfalls and years where spring comes early and then we are surprised by a late winter.

'Old Man in the Tree' keeping watch so loyal is he

Big Daddy Lane Creation's silent now...waiting...

For me personally I enjoy the beauty of snow, as long as my creature comforts are taken care of and I am cozy. For the most part I am a gad about type A personality. My Mom use to say although they named me Linda Sue, they should have named me Linda 'gotta go', because I had such an overactive metabolism, I desired to be active and on the go, never tiring even to sleep. Eventually as in most human beings, my age and the wear and unhealthy abuse of my body has now caught up with my metabolism and I am more content to get'er done early and content to lounge at home in the evening.

Snow days at Lane Home Place were always fun days. It was days of lazy laying around, laughing, making tent forts, playing with lego's, playing in the snow, hot chocolate with marshmallow cream, snow cream (only after the first snow) a blazing fire in the fire place to warm your frozen behind's after sledding and making snow angels, a pot of chili or homemade soup bubbling away on the stove. Days when Curt could take off of work he would, when we were all shacked up together in the house just enjoying being a family! Of course there was the year when the pipes froze, the pressure regulator blew a gasket and Curt and Chris were under the house chasing a leak for hours until finally we called a Plumber who came at 11:00 at night and had her fixed in a snap. Fun times indeed.

When I get the old Western Clipper Sled down to decorate at Christmas the memories of Curt, Chris and Amy sledding down the icy roads of Maida Vale make me smile with delight and their precious voices come echoing back as if only yesterday.

The Lane Western Clipper...a little worse for wear but I bet it can still fly..

When I was in high school my family lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming. My Dad was stationed there during his last tour of duty in The USAF. Wyoming was the land of snow. It sometimes began in September and the year I graduated in 1967 it snowed on June 15th. So I have been acquainted with big snow days. The wind in Wyoming is a factor for blizzards and we lived in a two story townhome that backed up to a massive empty field where sagebrush constantly was tossed into our back yard. The snow would pile so heavily against the back of our house that if I could have managed it I could have had a ski run from my bedroom window straight out to the field...School was never called for a snow day, work was on and life on the wide open plains was ongoing. Those days with my parents, and my brothers were days of togetherness. We only had each other and the friends that were like family. Military families do not have the closeness of relatives so they have to rely on one another. When we would have friends over on the week-ends our Mom would usually make pancakes. Which my friend  Maggie still remembers with great glee, because she made them for her  and not for Butch's friend who stayed the next week-end.

The Francis E. Warren entrance.
Curt was one of the Air Police that stood in the little box in the middle



 

Cheyenne, Wyoming where I met and married my true love. A young man from southern California, who was in the Air Police, stationed at Francis E.      Warren AFB, having recently been stationed at Wildwood AFB in Kenia, Alaska. We met at my friend's Lynda Lawson's house, where he and his friend Dix played their guitar's and banjo's and entertained us. Soon afterwards we began dating. One evening as the dusk was settling in, he drove me out to Round Top Lake, which was situated behind Francis E Warren AFB, in his spanking new Red Malibu Super Sport. When we arrived he played his 12 string guitar and sang a song he wrote for me...I was smitten by his tenderness, his genuine loving and caring attitude, along with his beautiful smile, tenor vocals, and his large, strong but gentle hands. The name of the song was called "I've only Kissed You Once", I said afterwards " but you have never kissed me." and he said " Ah yes I know...but I want too!" The rest is history as the saying goes. I found after 41 years of marriage that my original evaluation of this man was remarkably accurate and true. He was a God given gift of the heart forever and always, and we were blessed with a son and daughter, and now have two grandson's and two granddaughter's as a legacy because of God's gift 

One of Curt's passions digging bottles

This is how I remember him when we first met,
Shetland Jacket, Cowboy boots, and Hat
 it suited him...

My favorite...those were the days...we thought they would never end...

1968 Chevrolet Malibu Super Sport

 

Wedding Day March 27, 1969
Greely, Colorado

 

So as usual my hands have relayed from my heart what perhaps my mouth could not speak, on a snowy day in East Tennessee memories have come a calling and another story shared of days long ago. Tears of joy and of sorrow at having had it all and now only the memories of a young true love, that became so much more...Missing you Big Boy...in your month of January the month of your alpha and your omega. Knowing you are within the almighty presence of YAWHEH,  fills me with inner peace and allows me to continue on with this earthly life.