Hidden Door

la salle county, illinois

there are a couple of barns bordering the back of our property, and as i was wondering around this past weekend with my camera i noticed, for the first time, this door. the barns are now just used as storage for large equipment, but i wonder what this door was used for back in more productive times? who used it?

richard and i have been busy starting pepper seeds and tomato seeds. unless we start receiving large amounts of rain, i think we should be able to get the spring garden put in very early this year. last year the spring garden was very successful planted in march. tomorrow the weather is predicted to be sunny and high of 51! if it’s not too muddy, i’d like to sow some lettuce seed. i’ve tried for years without much success to grow corn salad (also known as mache). it’s very tasty  but only thrives in very cool conditions (so i have read). i did plant some last fall to overwinter in the garden, and thought since we have had such a mild winter i might have had some pop up, but so far, no. i haven’t given up and have some more seeds ready to sow this spring.

if you have a powerful blender or smoothie machine a great way to get your greens is to make a green smoothie; a staple for raw vegans. it’s like springtime in a glass:

handful of spinach, kale, chard, arugala or any tender green that you favor or have on hand

1 banana

1 apple

1 orange

you could also add grapes, blueberries, pineapple or any other fruit you might like or have on hand

water or fruit juice. just enough to get it moving around. a few ice cubes if you want.

whirl away and enjoy! an excellent end of winter tonic .

peace,

julayne

Love & Winter

la salle county, illinois

greetings!

i took this photo janurary 1 while wandering around richard’s property.

weather-wise, when this photo was taken, we had just had a warm up; it was a balmy news year eve and several inches of snow had just melted. winter and relationships are similar in that way; they warm up and then cool down. i like to say that mother nature likes to let us know who’s in charge.

 what i like about this barn is that even though it’s slowly falling down due to neglect, the frame still looks quite sturdy and it’s possible that with a little tlc the barn could come to life again and have many more years of use.

 it’s this that stands out to me even on a cold, bleak winter day; tender loving care can cause positive change, all we have to do is be brave, trust our intuition and believe in the healing powers of love.

stay warm.

peace,

julayne

Happy New Year

la salle county, illinois

happy new year!

as i was helping richard with outdoor chores today, i noticed the pink sunset through the slats of the old barn at the back of his property. curious, i walked into the barn and snapped the sunset through one of the knot holes in the barn wood. i thought it was a nice frame for the sunset.

my hope  for the new year is a simple yet abundant year full of good health, happiness, peace and love.

what is your wish for the new year?

peace,

julayne

City Lights

view from the empire state building, nyc

hello,

this and the photo from the previous post were taken when i went with my daughter sierra on her senior trip to new york city. how exciting and fun it was for the both of us.

new york was so beautiful and has so much to offer. even though it seems like a dream now, i’m so glad i had the opportunity to visit and experience such a vibrant and exciting city. being from a rural area i thought i would find the city and people intimidating but nothing could be farther from the truth.

i think in general no matter where you go you will find that people are friendly as long as you approach new places and people with a spirit of kindness and respect.

 whatever you give, you will get back.

peace,

julayne

Come in From the Heat

new castle henry county public library

hello!

it’s been quite hot here as of late. when the thermometer  reaches into the 90′s, i start thinking of things to do other than sit in the apartment in front of a fan. one of my most favorite (and cool) places to visit is the public library. it’s a great place to socialize too! some of the other hot weather activities that i like to do are swimming in the lake (even better if you have a friend with a pool) and hiking in the cool woods. work in the garden has to be done in the morning or evening. afternoon siestas are rejuvenating too!  living in indiana, you can always count on the weather changing and sometimes pretty fast. mother nature will provide respite from the heat for us soon.

how do you escape from the heat?

peace,

julayne

Thursday Morning

henry county, indiana

greetings.

this is a photo from last winter (09). this approaching storm was very strong and knocked out our power for 16 hours.  there i was out in it.

don’t you love the barn roof? it’s practically luminous!

it’s been a quiet week around here with the kids gone. for spring break their dad has taken them with him on a trip to california. ah, to be young again. can you imagine what california must look like to 2 kids from oakville, indiana? my parents liked to travel so i was able to see a lot of the US as a child. then when i was married, i got to travel some more.  even as a child, i knew that i could only feel at home in a rural, open setting.

home: a place of personal solitude.

what is your definition of home?

peace,

julayne

Snow Day (again)

oakville, indiana

another day off from school due to blowing and drifting snow. what a snowy winter it’s turning out to be!

 i see this building every day when i come out my door and i never tire of looking at it. no one lives in it and it’s actually filled with old pianos and things piano related. the more imperfect things are, the more i’m drawn to them. i like it when things stand out;  it makes me want to get to know more about it, study it.

this interest in the imperfect applies to people as well as objects. i like trying to figure what makes a person tick. it’s also been very helpful to me in my work with the disabled. it’s very rewarding for me to be able to help someone learn to overcome the stigma a disabled person sometimes has to deal with and especially to be able to convey to them that i accept and  admire them for who they are instead of what they’re not.

i believe that a kind and compassionate approach always produces a positive result. 

peace,

julayne

Winter Thoughts

oakville, indiana

winter gives me a time to rest and reflect.

foggy and warm here on the prairie.  this weather seems a bit unusual to me for this time of year. the fog came in early saturday morning and hasn’t lifted yet. something else a bit unusual for me is that i’m not out there roaming around in the fog. does this mean i’m getting old? i hope not.

i did get out a few weeks ago during our first arctic blast. it was cloudy with glittery blowing snow that morning. i took some photos i liked of an old stone bridge. 

i’ve been reading no impact man’s book. i was such a fan of his blog! it’s a great read as far as ‘annualism’s’ go. there is also a doc that should be released to dvd soon. i can’t wait to see it!

i hope everyone is warm and happy and enjoying their winter.

peace,

julayne

2009 Retrieved +

cowan, indiana

happy snowy morning!

it’s been fun for me to go through the photographs i’ve taken in the last year, it’s really encouraged me to keep working on the blog. i took this  photo last winter during a snowstorm. it’s of a church window in the little town of cowan. cowan is about 1 1/2 miles north of oakville. i went to school there (1980) and now my daughter sierra will graduate in 2011. where does the time go?

we were living right outside the beltway in wash. d.c. when i decided to move the kids and myself back to indiana. that was 10 years ago. i had a hard time feeling comfortable in an urban environment. it’s one those things that make up our being that cannot be changed. my kids were just starting school and it was hard for me to send them out into that everyday.

looking back now, i think i made a good decision. the kids are good and so am i.

peace,

julayne

ps cold, snow, and a strong west wind here on the prairie.

Red Brick

oakville, indiana

another bergman moment for me. too bad i didn’t think to  take it in b&w .

more harvest pictures coming soon…..