Thanks A Lot

Thanks a lot
Thanks for the sun in the sky.

Thanks a lot
Thanks for the clouds so high.

Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot for the whispering wind.
Thanks a lot
Thanks a lot for the birds in the spring.

Thanks for the animals, thanks for the land, thanks for the people everywhere.

Thanks a lot
Thanks for all I got.   
~ Raffi
Summer 2010, North Idaho

Stone Dropper

I have been a bad blogger. Instead of writing about how bad I am I'm just gonna make it up to myself. Welcome myself back with open arms. Dive back in with my head first. I've been missed and the hugs feel good.



As you know, I look at life like a hike. A long journey with hills and valleys, mountains and streams. On my hikes in life and on the trail I pick up things. Stones, nuts, pretty things that I stick in my pocket to remind me of beauty. In life I may pick up inspiration, wisdom, friends. These things I stick in my heart. I carry it all right there but sometimes things and people get heavy.

I'm beginning to understand (especially in the past several months) the necessity of having to drop things. My time away from this, my most 2nd favorite past-time - blogging, has been spent learning how to drop things and leave them where they lie. This includes the souvenirs I have picked up over the years and people. How do you sort through all this stuff, especially when at one time this stuff was important to me?

It's not easy. It hurts. It's a decision to keep only the things you really love. It's a decision to keep only the people who really love you. It's deciding what's cluttering up your corners and what is adding beauty to the space.
It's deciding what is really important. It's looking yourself in the face and deciding if you want to be clutter in the corner or If you want to be the one adding beauty to the space.

It's really about me and how I feel about myself. It's about letting go and letting it be. It's the realization that, Yes, I am the master of me and no one or thing can weigh me down unless I let it.
So, here is another stone that I am letting drop from my pocket. . .

A Wintery Rundown of the Past Six Months (in no particular order)

Last Days of Summer.

Trip to North Idaho.

Clean sheets : )

Thanksgiving Day Nap.

Leaf tom-foolery.

Fall Front Yard Tree Climbing.

Myrtle Beach-Beach bum.

Camping in the Cherokee National Forest.

I Found It On Some Junk Mail

"They are beautiful in their peace, they are wise in their silence. They will stand until after we are dust. They teach us and we tend them."

- Galeainip Alteiem Macdunelmor

Walnut Street Bridge

Lookout Mountain and downtown Chattanooga

Delta Queen

Tennessee Aquarium

Coolidge Park

Market Street

Views from the Walnut Street Bridge.

Walnut Street Bridge

Lookout Mountain and downtown Chattanooga

Delta Queen

Tennessee Aquarium

Coolidge Park

Market Street

Views from the Walnut Street Bridge.

Words of Wisdom

Upon receiving only one sucker today after school instead of two. " You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit"
Willow Whisler

Spring Fever

This has been one crazy spring. We have been working and hiking and playing and everything in between. Mostly, we've been getting ready for the end of the school year. Kindergartners are not exempt from the crunch; unfortunately, but we are taking it in stride. Willow has a firm grasp of the kindergarten curriculum and is ready to move on to first grade material. Brandy and I are very proud of her. She is modest at home and doesn't flaunt her skills to others, Brandy will have that taken care of in no time I'm sure.

We have planted tomatoes and sweet peppers in our garden again this year. We had some luck with our plants last year and I can't wait. We have also planted some new herbs to accompany the thyme, rosemary and chives that are blooming right now. The garden smells wonderful already. The garden belongs to the kids as well, they had a hand in every planting and even planted some of their own. Willow planted Black-Eyed-Susans and Hayden had a hand in the Zinnia's. The garden is our family project and it is a great way for us to spend quality time together.

We have also been visiting the YMCA here quite regularly as a family and our thing is swimming. Willow is a swimmer now and Hayden isn't too far behind her. I enjoy dragging the kids around as fast as I can and Brandy has been seen doing laps. Family time at the Y has really been a great way to spend time together as well and is great excersize to boot. I have also used Y time as a reward for Willow when she does well at school, so of course, we just about go everyday. We have missed a week or two because of some visits from my family and Easter week the kids went to Memphis to stay with my parents. They had a great time and are now asking when we'll be back in the pool.

We have been doing our hiking at hotspots around town. The Chattanooga Nature Center is our favorite right now and I could spend an entire year writing about all the trails there. I'm sure here in the next few weeks I'll have some great hikes to write about. It's a wonderful place to visit even if you don't want to hike.

I'll keep you guys posted but for now it's all about school and yard work. Fun, fun, fun and I mean that.

March is Moss Month

I had a most wonderful weekend with the husband. Alright, so it rained and it was a bit chilly too. Not exactly the right weather for camping. The fly fishing gear never got packed and the camping equipment didn't even get touched. The brakes were put on the fishing trip in a big way and an impromptu plan B was formulated quickly. Plans changed and I have to say they changed for the better. I am so glad it rained!

So, with one backpack for the both of us we set off to Gatlinburg. Our hotel room and two tickets to the aquarium awaited us. Our plans of fishing and hiking all day turned into sleeping and walking through a nice dry aquarium. That certainly didn't sound so bad, in fact, it was exactly what we needed.

The aquarium was worth the drive by itself. I am biased but honestly the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is better but it is worth seeing. The best part was the shark tank. It is an amazing underwater walk and I loved it.

We even got a little hike in between the rain. It was a beautiful hike just off the main road in the Smoky Mountain National Park. It was an unplanned hike and we grabbed it quick before it started raining again and I couldn't tell you where. Yeah, I'm horrible : ) The only thing that really made an impression on me was the moss. It was everywhere. Lovely and green everywhere.

March is moss month and it is pretty obvious that it is it's favorite month of the year.
Green as green could be. Emerald green carpets and lovely to see. Yep, the moss is loving the weather!
Anyhoo, I didn't mind the rain and to be honest I'm glad it rained and I loved seeing the moss sparkle. It put a little sparkle in our lives.

The Everyday

Life has taken a busy turn these days and I haven't had much time to update. I'll give all my family and friends a quick rundown on the happenings here. Not many chances to travel or leave the city but we are sneaking in a hike or two despite it. Nothing to write home about though.
Willow has had a busy school year and we have just now settled into a nice routine. The routine is being challenged all of a sudden with end of the school year chaos. Two field trips, a birthday party for Dr. Seuss, and lots and lots of reading. Willow is reading level 1 books (See Jane Run type books) Willow also has her first boyfriend! He was found out when he came out of the school carrying Willow's things for her while his brother sang the old standard " Willow and so and so sitting in a tree. . ." Oh, the horror of it all.
Hayden is potty trained and is out of the diaper and for good. He has a solid month or more of no accidents and I couldn't be happier!! FREEDOM!!!! He is also a very good little helper and loves helping me wash dishes or prepare meals. I think he might have a knack for all things culinary. We will see where this new curiosity takes him. . .
Brandy and I have started a new project. We are clearing brush and ivy from our backyard. This summer I am hoping the kids will be able to turn over rocks and explore the urban forest in our backyard. The ivy is everywhere and it is a menace as far as I am concerned. It's a lot of work but will be worth it.
We are also planning a fishing trip this weekend and I am really living for that event. It will mark Brandy and my 10 year wedding anniversary. We will be pulling out all of the fly fishing gear and camping equipment for this one and I have my heart set on a nice little plot right next to the river. I am hoping for a new camera too (wink-wink.)
All is well in Whislerville! More to come this spring and hopefully some really good pictures too!

It was on the bottom of my tea package. . .

. . ."Nature. . . moves the heart, appeals to the mind, and fires the imagination - health to the body, a stimulus to the intellect, and joy to the soul." - John Burroughs

So, I tip my tea cup to you, Nature! Yummy, good tea too : )

"A Thousad Splendid Suns" Khaled Hosseini

The weather has been less than stellar and illness has spread through the house once again. We are running out of patience for each other and if spring doesn't come soon I'm pretty sure someone may lose a limb. I don't think it could get any worse.

Reading is about the only thing we have left. We love to read. Reading is our dear friend who is always there to comfort us - even on the worst of days. We keep a steady supply of reading material on hand and we frequent the used book stores. We like to trade and keep our shelves full and full of as much new material as possible and we go through it quick.

We have a small permanent collection of our favorites that keeps growing but we weed through it every once in a while for big trips to the book store but not often. It's so hard to keep from buying new shelves but we are out of room and it must be done. Occasionally, we will read a book that makes it to the shelves and doesn't get tossed immediately to the trade pile. I have read such a book recently and it has made it the shelves.

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini is that book this time. I am in love with this book and I thank my dear friend and neighbor for suggesting it. I am a different person having read it. It changed me and how I see the world. I can't say enough about this book other than READ IT!

I am not even gonna summarize this marvelous creation, I wouldn't do it justice. If you are a woman and a woman with a connection to love, friendship and the strength within us all - Just READ IT!
LOVE - LOVE - LOVE

Waiting for Spring

The Whisler family has become expert at waiting these past couple weeks. Waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the sun to come out, waiting for warm winds to blow, waiting, waiting waiting. We are still waiting. The weather has been our biggest issue as of lately but we are making the best of it. Indoor activities aren't enough anymore though, we need some fresh air and some nature to rejuvenate our spirit.
Spring will not come soon enough. These are the days, right now, to start planning and we are
planning alright - big!

The dark dreary days have sparked thoughts and plans for our vegetable garden. Thoughts of expansion are being drawn up and a new tea garden are all in the works. Herbs, herbs and more herbs and all the old favorites are being plotted. This year will be better than the last and last year was a good one. We are still eating from the bounty of last summer's harvest. Squash a plenty, tomatoes in can and jalapenos by the tons are properly dried, canned, stewed and frozen. This is gonna be a good year indeed.

Oh, the hikes we have planned all over the continental US of A. We are traveling this summer and it is gonna be an exciting year for our hiking shoes and our backpacks. No worries, dear veggie garden, we will be traveling in bursts, you will not be neglected! Pawley's Island, South Carolina to Sandpoint, Idaho and lots of points between we will be seen. The tales we will tell, the trails we will tread! This is gonna be an active year - a big year for hiking and biking an travel and fishing. We have big plans!

It's all been calculated and it's all been pin pointed and talked over and we are just about ready to burst. Oh, This is gonna be a HUGE year for the Whisler clan. No stone will be left unturned. We are going to explore like never before.
We just have to wait until spring. . .

Neighborhood Hike

We are blessed to live in an awesome neighborhood. A walk here is like taking a hike and that's what we call it.
I'm not giving the location of this hike but if you know me you have the info : )

Willow woke up this morning saying we should pray for snow on Mondays. I knew what she was getting at. The snow fell on Friday and she doesn't have school on Saturday anyway. What fun is that . . .

. . .Apparently it's fun : )

Birthday Boys and a Snow Day!

It's just not a birthday unless we visit Chuck!

Jan. 28, 2010 Happy Birthday to my boys!

Jan. 29, 2010 - Our dirty snow man!

Channel 3 News in Chattanooga reported 4.7 inches fell in all. I measured 5 inches after it was all said and done in my yard. This picture was taken only 1 hour into the storm.