For my Friend Patricia...aka..Rockymountaingirl...

                       Nature Calls..by Robert Lee Copenhaver

My feet are wont to wander,

My mind is wont to stray,

Like the long and wandering river

     Restless on it's way.

My heart has lost it's merriment

That it knew in long ago,

I know that nature's calling me

     And I am bound to go.

I want to woo the woodlands,

I long to court the hills,

And rejoice to warbling music

    Played by mountain rills.

I want to hear the wandering wind

Whisperng to the trees,

I want to learn the secret whims

    Of flowers, birds and bees.

Then let the squirrels show me where

The nuts grow rich and sweet;

Find where wild grapes and paw paw grow.

     And pick myself a treat.

I want to see the sun set clear

From the mountain peak,

Then build a campfire for the night

    Beside a rocky creek.

I want to catch a speckled trout

Where the swift waters gleam;

Roast it in bark with natures herbs...

     To make come true my dream.

Then get my water from the spring

Where it runs cold and pure,

Spread evening meal on bark and leaves

    For naturalist connoisseur.

Then make my bed upon the ground

Where the air, pine scented free,

With nothing o'er my aching brow

    But heaven's canopy.

And as I lie there through the night,

I know the stars will keep

A silent vigil, and the wind

   Will lull my soul to sleep.

             Falls Painted Ladies

Mother Nature has planned a fashion show, and all the trees in town,

Have shed the greens of summer, and wear a brand new gown,

Some stand in rows, with limbs bent low, dressed in leaves that seem to glow,

With all the brillance of the sun, their days of fame have just begun.

Against a background of bright blue sky, these painted ladies are passing by,

They sometimes tease us with just a peek, of the awesome beauty we all seek.

All too soon their beautiful gowns will be shed and scattered on the ground;

Fame is fleeting for these beauty queens, and the stage is soon set for a brand new scene.

                                                             jen 9/27/08

 The oak tree has an abundance of acorns this year, and as my husband and I sat underneath it today, a lot of them were falling all around us, helped by my furry little friend sitting high up in the branches, We literally had to dodge acorns, it seems the little culprit had decided to have his afternoon snack while we sat there,. It was comical and it got me to thinking....this is what I came up with:                                                                                

High in the oak tree, so high you can’t see,

sits my fat furry friend, throwing acorns at me!

He feels really safe and the leaves hide him well,

as he plans his attack, you can hear him yell....

"Hey you, bombs away, look out below"!,

grabs a paw full of acorns and just lets them go.

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, squirrels that talk.

what have I been drinking?

As I sit trying to dodge little brown nuts,

this fellow means business, no ifs, ands, or buts!,

The acorns keep falling, some whole, some half eaten,

the hostas below are sure taking a beaten,

Then I realize that he is not targeting me,

as he sits there half hidden, way up in the tree.

He’s feasting on acorns, and growing by the minute,

stuffing his cheeks with as many, as he can get in it!

The ones that are falling, are the ones that excape,

from that mouth thats wide open, and always agape !

He’s trying his best to straddle that limb,

but hunger and gravity get the better of him.

With a crashing of limbs, his and the tree,

he falls to the ground , not too far from me,

He landed not so graceful on his round fat behind,

and the look on his face was far from kind.

I tried not to laugh as he brushed himself off,

looked over his shoulder, and gave a small cough;

His tail once so bushy, was twisted and bent,

and if he was hurt, he gave not a hint,

He just waddled away, back into a bush,

and the last thing I saw, was him rubbing his tush !

                            TODAY IN MY GARDEN

      After many days of rain, I was finally able to get in the garden and do some much needed Fall clean up, all that moisture we had encouraged the weeds to grow a little bit taller, I pulled up lots of tiny maple trees and a few more wild blackberries, growing in the darnest places ! My side yard has been overrun with wild violets, which are pretty in bloom, but can be very invasive, so I pulled up lots of those,. The ground was very damp from all that rain and made for easy pulling, but some very dirty knees.

     The autumn clematis on the arbor is in full bloom, and is breathtaking in the sunlight.       Yellow finches are feeding on the coneflower seed heads, and my furry little tree dwellers are busy eating and dropping acorns.

    It was cool working in the shade, and so I took my breaks in the sun which felt wonderful, and I sat and watched the finches and other birds visit the garden, on one of the lawn chairs was a little puddle of water left by the rain and one of the finches decided it was perfect for a birdbath.

    By afternoon the sky was that beautiful September blue, and from where I sat I could see the apples in my neighbors tree, bright golden globes just waiting to be picked, or fall suddenly to the ground, watch the bees busy on the sedum flowers, and gaze in awe at what will surely be the last blooming hibicus.

                                                   It was a very good day.                                         

  MeMaw, PawPaw, Gramma, Granpa, Nana, Grandad, Grandmother or Grandfather, whatever you are called, I wish you all a "Happy Grandparents Day".....I lost my grandfather when I was very young, But I remember my Gramma, a wonderful gentle woman, wearing an apron, "She always wore an apron"; she taught me how to gather eggs, to pick wild greens, she showed me how to tie my movie or candy money in a hankie, she always carried a floral hankie in her purse, one for wiping away tears, and the other for loose change....My own Mother was a wonderful grandparent, she was never afraid to let the child in her show, she played house, she cut out paperdolls, and she drew stick figures to amuse and delight her grandkids,My sister, like many of you, is raising her five year old grandson, and tells me that is what keeps her going....Thank God for Grandparents, they are the backbone of the family, our teachers, our mentors, the kind of parents we hope we have become, their stories, their wisdom and humor are remembered and treasured as yours will be to your grandchildren........

                        GRAMMA WORE AN APRON

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                   She always wore her apron,

                   no matter where she was,

                   She always wore an apron,

                   and I’ll tell you all because;

                   She gathered eggs, and in they went

                   into her apron, like a tent,

                   That held so many different things,

                    like fresh picked beans, and tender greens.

                    It was her badge of honor,

                    and it kept her dresses clean,

                    She used it often to wipe her hands,

                    and many other things.

                    She always ironed her aprons,

                     a fresh one every day.

                    One always hung by the kitchen sink,

                     and was never in the way.

                    I used to wear an apron,

                     wonder when I stopped,

                    Was it because the times had changed,

                      a tradition has been dropped?

                    I’m glad I have these memories

                     of days that are no more,

                    Of gramma in her apron,

                      standing smiling at the door.

                                                             jen

                       The Blush Of Autumn

There's a blush of Autumn in the countryside, the fields of corn have tasseled and is starting to turn, when the sun is going down , the tops of the fields are one continuous sheet of burnished gold, the fields of sunflowers have dried and turned a rich dark brown and are ready for harvest.

And in my garden , leaves of the oregano are turning from green to muted shades of gold and purple, the mums are budding and some are already in bloom, the sweet corn is through producing and is a lovely shade of beige., The sweet autumn clematis that covers the arbor has started to bloom, lots of star shaped sweet smelling blooms., the sedum,both the pink and red varieties are getting ready to flower.

Ah, but these are subtle shades of Autumn, because summer can still be seen in the blooming hibiscus and tall garden phlox, and the few purple blooms on the clematis that clings to the fence, the blue morning glorys that are growing beside the dogwood. Yes if you look you can still see summer, but it's almost September, and if you look again you will see Autumn on the way.

The day came softly this morning, with a damp feel to the air, the bird sang, but they were hidden in the branches above, reluctant to leave their perch, The neighbors cat walked silently through the garden, "the hunter", on the prowl, looking for mice and other small prey.

The heat was almost a visible thing, the air did not move, but hung there heavy and sluggish; Near the pond the sudden sound of the frog jumping to safety, caused a flurry of movement among the birds, flying about , no longer feeling threatened(the cat was no longer in sight), the hummingbird hovers over the blooms under the oak tree, then flies quickly to another bloom.

The sun is shining through the trees now, the dew that was on the grass has dried., and a new day begins.

This afternoon as I was thinning out some flowers and pulling weeds, this beautiful blue butterfly flew past my face and lit upon one of the cone flowers not far away, the color of it's wings was such a pretty shade of blue. I stopped what I was doing and watched as it flew from flower to flower, then it disappeared around the corner of the house. After it left I still knelt there, in the middle of the garden, in awe of what I had just seen, I stood up, dust and pollen in my hair, brushed off my knees and went to sit in the shade underneath the oak tree,felt the cool breeze blowing over me, and thought of wings and butterflies, took a deep breath, and sighed.....

                         BLUE BUTTERFLY

Today in the garden upon my knees, among the flowers and the bees,

I looked up and caught sight of you, oh butterfly of midnight blue.

You startled me with your beauty, and as I watched your flight,

Your wings of shimmering blue, were so brillant in the light.

You lingered for just a moment, and then you flew away,

You only stayed just long enough to brighten up my day!

"The Box Of Words"

She follows the dimly lit path this morning, sits quietly on the bench,

and watches the day's dawning, and feels her spirit quenched.

The new sun's rays light up the tops of the trees.

and fall gently upon the box resting there on her knees.

The box is old and worn, the wood polished through with tears,

and from her fingerprints, from opening all these years.

Inside this box are memories, and words that she has kept,

Songs of life and beauty, and in this box they've slept;

Today she opens the lid gently, to slip her hand in and find,

The words of Browning and Dickenson, and all the bards sublime.

Her fingers rifle through the pages, searching for just the verse and thought,

and touches something old and brittle, and she looks to see what she's caught.

There on a piece of paper, old and folded in half,

are words that were almost forgotten, words that brought forth a laugh!

She closes the lid, and looks around her, and hears the song of the birds,

In the distance her love is waiting, so she gathers up her box of words.

And turns and walks toward the sunlight, this shining bright new day,

Renewed in heart and spirit, she now knows what to say.

                                                            for Rae, by Peg 7/15/08

   In Todays society there are support groups for almost anything, all of us, at one time or another, have looked and found the support we need from friends, families. hospitals, clinics, and the church.

Here in the AARP Online Community, we have a "Cancer & Anxiety Support " group, this group is devoted to cancer survivors and victims, their families and friends.....And because cancer affects us all, whether we are a victim or not; we have all known and loved someone who has this disease, or someone who has lost their battle with cancer, and like ripples in a stream, it eventually reaches us all.

Today, prostate cancer among men, and cervical cancer among women is on the rise, for some of us cancer is something we don't want to think about, let alone discuss; But sharing your fears, your questions, and your experiences can make us all better able to deal with this disease.

The men and women in the group are, or have family members or friends , who have battled cancer and won, or are still fighting....Please take a moment and visit this group if you have questions, or just need a place to talk with friends, You will find people who are willing to listen and share.....Thank You.