It Only Takes A Few Seconds (Ticks)

 A series of short stories.....





Peace and Serenity ~ County Cork in Ireland at Sunset

Through my eyes.........

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


We take so much for granted every day. An understatement, I know. In reality, everything that we come to believe is normal or standard in our lives can be totally changed......and, it only takes a few seconds!

For the fourth day now I sit here warming this particular cushion of our Family Room's leather couch feeling more exasperated and numb as the seconds tick away on the battery-operated wall clock that hangs high up on the wall. Tick..tick..tick... The seconds of my life categorized by a series of (truth be told) annoying second-spaced clicks that would normally go unnoticed. And they pretty much did the first few days of my confinement! By the third day, however, the mini-sounds were suggestions in the back of my mind; This morning....full blown rams of a pile-driver running on amphetamines! 

It all began last Friday when my husband called from the road and invited me out for dinner and a pleasant evening walk in downtown Winter Park. This beautiful little town is a treasure, filled with European-styled outdoor cafés, one-of-a-kind shops and a flower-filled park that boasts a grand gazebo that hosts many 'soft jazz' concerts under the stars all year long. I was delighted to say yes.

"First, I have to stop at the main office and pick-up some papers and a check for the new 'fountain feature' at the St. Petersburg job," he said. Absolutely, not a problem for me because merely looking at this newly completed office building that resembles a mini-Taj Mahal with its light gray-toned layers of stone and marble gives me a thrill. And, usually, I remain in the car the duration of his visit just for this reason.

This time.....well, I went inside.

New buildings come with new landscaping and that means extra hours of irrigation to insure healthy growth and strong root systems....and, that's fine. Upon exiting the building, we see that the 'reclaimed' water is making its way across the marble entrance walk and stairs leading down to the sidewalk. Now, 'I in my sandals was all settled down for a warm winter's walk around the corner to downtown.' Well, unfortunately, that failed to transpire because within seconds my left foot was curled under me like a pretzel at the ballpark and my world became topsy turvy and surreal.

What a Wild Ride both physically and mentally and the now defunct Mr. Toad in Fantasyland at Disney World has nothing on me this go around. Carefully extracting my leg from beneath me, I looked at my husband's face only to see initial panic.....well, I suppose the two, gut-wrenching, primal screams emitted from a dark place deep inside of me had set-off various alarms! Then came wave upon wave of nausea and almost blacking-out which was the closest to experiencing shock that I ever need to be near. What a horrendous, helpless feeling! I recall panting heavily, taking in huge gulps of breath through my mouth and letting it out just as forcibly and thinking I'm either going to beat this next wave or give birth trying. Thank you Lamaze class.

After calming down a bit and calculating just how wet the back of my skirt was getting from the water that continued to drip down the marble steps (my new ground zero) like a small waterfall, Dan pulled the car around to the front of the building, more than ready to get me inside as fast yet comfortably as possible.

From the moment my right foot was descending the top of the stairs and my left foot was independently deciding to take flight, like a clumsy bird, out from under me, my brain registered a multitude of things. Among them: How will I land? How do I protect myself? How long will it take to arrive at the nearest Emergency Room if I hear a snapping sound? And, Note to Self: Ask Dan if the office has main entrance surveillance cameras....morbidly thinking that I'd like to see how this thing 'went down' and, I had yet to land safely on the ground!! Seriously, the mind is a wondrous thing! Later he told me they did not. Bummer!

Sitting there in pain with my leg elevated on Dan's knee seeking support and possible relief, a lady in her mid to upper sixties was walking by with her 'perfectly coifed' white poodle being led on a rhinestone studded black leash with matching collar. The lady, dressed quite smartly, also, totally in white, including her 'perfectly coifed' white hair, walked by us as she was gazing up at the facade of the "Taj Mahal" and soon they passed out-of-view. The sight of this matching 'couple' gliding by made us both forget our current predicament for one magical moment and we smiled for the first time.

I'm not going to lie....the ride home was excruciating! My highly sensitive ankle was privy to even the erratic and minute sensation of one of our tires passing over a loose stone in the road. But, we made it (after a quick stop at Panera for Take-Home) and I survived the twenty-minute drive.

Let the healing process begin!!

Sitting here with my ankle icing and elevated for most of the day, I can literally observe the various color changes my poor foot is going through.....in real time. Get-out-of-here! If I didn't have the flat screen to watch, my iPad for writing, a current book to read and, oh yes...the clock tick..tick..ticking away, my sanity would be compromised. (Someone out there will say it has been already.) I am understanding how familiarity with routine breeds clarity, healing and peace of mind.  Something like a subconscious choreographed dance routine....it appears to be helping.

My husband has been a gem leaving me a thermos of coffee, the phone, ibuprofen and cold water, among other items deemed necessary to survive this incarceration period. Each day I praise the benefits of Biofreeze Roll-On. Angels of Mercy include my daughters calling from Michigan to check-in on my progress, my 'beautiful' friend and neighbor, Janice, for eliminating 'negative time' by conversing on the phone for several hours (laughing together for most of it) and, my amazing granddaughter, Lydia, for orchestrating Skype sessions with me before she goes to Kindergarten in the morning!! I am truly Blessed....

                                                                           ~~~~~~

This morning marks the beginning of Day Five. Independence Deprivation has set in. Walking with crutches is NOT considered a bonafide 'mode of transportation.' Spirit and swelling are slowly diminishing while 'color wheel' ankle thrives. Important Note to Self: Schedule a Deep Tissue body massage in near future. Everything sore...including (especially) arms, arm pits and right leg.  All have been doing triple duty!

Yes, all of this is getting pretty old by now and, I can honestly say that you really don't know what you have until circumstances deem otherwise. Since I've been warming this particular cushion for so long now, there's been ample time to analyze each 'tick' of the wall clock above me and I ask myself to consider how many of them it takes to pass for me to heal? More importantly, how few of them it takes to change your life completely? Lesson learned: Make each one count.







Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the 'Taj Mahal' completed. It's only been several weeks since it has been and most of my visits, via across the street, have been nocturnal ones. I promise to work on this update.

Observations.......

Hot Coffee In The Morning

A series of short stories......
                                                                 



Through My Eyes........

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


At this precise moment, as I plunk away on my flat keyboard, I am so grateful for my steaming mug of HOT coffee!  Not necessarily to drink...although, my addiction to caffeine is quite evident to anyone who knows me...but rather, for the ability to place a strangle-hold on the scalding piece of pottery with my semi-frozen appendages!  Such bliss for my fingers as the Orlando temps linger in the low thirties outside for the second day in a row.  It is around six in the morning and already I fear that my biggest regret today will be the fact that we decided to remove, much too soon, the old sheets covering our delicate plants for warmth.  Sadly, for the plants, only time will tell.

Within the past nearly seventeen years of residing in Central Florida I have observed many things with regard to living the Floridian lifestyle.   Two of them have formidably stood out the most for me.  The first I like to call 'Everyone's God-given right-to-turn-right,' or, 'The inability to be able to bring your vehicle to a complete stop!'  People...a red light or a stop sign in front of you truly means you must come to a complete STOP before proceeding with your right turn!!  This is especially annoying when I feel I've been experiencing senescence as I sit in the 'left turn only' lane for several hours (exaggeration implied)  waiting for my green arrow privilege of turning left, only to have to 'play chicken' for that honor with the chosen-by-the-gods driver making his cruising right turn across the intersection from me!! 

And, along these same lines of ridiculous to dangerous... I refer to the people who consider that oncoming traffic should willingly come to a complete stop, if not, slow to a tortoise crawl, due to the fact that they have decided to merge into that lane from a side street or parking lot without stopping first or even looking to see if a car might happen to be traveling down the road already.  Then they proceed in front of you moving at a snail's pace! Do I sound bitter? 

Pet peeves, observations, annoyances......you make the call!

More than likely you have experienced similar activities wherever you may reside because 'inconsiderate behavior' exists worldwide.  For some reason, however, a blatant unconscious decision of the rights of others has always been a bone of contention for me.  It doesn't matter if it's ignoring certain laws, talking over one another in a conversation, disrespecting the opinion of others or the act of not allowing everyone the right to live his or her life in the manner they wish to....  We are all human and deserve respect, courtesy and understanding.

I've been working very hard on improving my attitude toward the above unconscious drivers especially when considering negativity gives birth to possible road rage.  And, if my supposition above is an honest one, these drivers are human and deserve my respect, courtesy and understanding, as well.  Oh, I'm trying.  I really, truly am.

Okay, so now I am practically hugging the coffee pot itself as I pour my next cup.  Another misfortune of existing in a warm climate, I'm afraid: When the mercury goes south, so do our spirits.  A bit evident by my shared thoughts this morning.  Ouch!! 

And, I have yet to mention my second observation regarding living in Florida.  Here goes....  Nothing ever really dies!  I wholeheartedly believe this phenomenon to be truthful and accurate, at least according to my personal experience with local flora whether it be indoors or out-of-doors, existing in a pot or residing in the ground.
  

Not having been born with a green thumb, (apparently, only blue fingers this morning!), many once green, healthy and thriving plants have succumbed to.....okay, croaked, bought the farm, gave-up the ghost or kicked the bucket because of me in the past seventeen years.  Or, so I thought, until conditions begin to agree with the poor, shriveled and brown friend I left semi-forgotten within a glazed blue pot. Unbelievably, succulent new green shoots begin pushing their way towards the light and multiplying.  Plucking the dead leaves away from this new life, I realize this plant has survived to see another season in my care.....whether it wants to or not.  Sincere apologies to the delicate plantings left naked to the elements throughout this cold night.  If my ideas are correct, however, there is hope!

 

Along the lines of the 1985 science fiction film, Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, perhaps dismissing the alien intervention part, my imagination has often applied itself to this hypothesis, "Nothing living in Florida ever dies."  My plants, more or less, prove this to be true.  And, given the fact that according to the publication of Active Retirement Living, an average of one thousand people move to our normally sun-filled state each day with a majority moving into Florida retirement communities.  Are we to assume that many of them agree with my theory and just might know something more than we do?  Just wondering!!

My concern and Love goes out to all of you coping with the frigid weather conditions and temperatures within your particular areas of the country!  Stay warm and safe....

A series of short stories.....





New Beginnings.......


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Yes, I must change my main heading now that the new year is upon us....that's always 'the deal' when you decide to incorporate a timeline within a title.  I knew that when I originally entitled my Blog Site after returning from Ireland in September.  Sadly, it is time...

However, I am so looking forward to living, breathing, writing in and embracing this new year....2014!!

First of all, the number fourteen, and I type it here with reverence, has been 'My Number' since.....well, forever!  Yes, Virginia....I can actually remember being fourteen and it was a very exciting time in my life.  As a freshman in high school, I was finding my own way into the craziness that high school was but, most importantly, I began honing in on my target and goal in life, writing.  My teachers elected to honor me as a Quill and Scroll member.  I wrote many articles for our school paper, Purple Paws, and our Varsity football coach, Pete Reynolds, invited me to be Varsity sports writer......something a female had never done before at Three Rivers High School!  Also, one of my first poems (Time) was published in the local newspaper.

Memories....Wow!  Another spectacular event, albeit a tad superstitious, perhaps, was trying out for the Girl's Drill Team at the age of fourteen.  Of course, I was 'lucky' enough to be given the number fourteen at tryouts, I kid you not!  You got it, I did make the squad and, by the following year, was chosen Captain of the Team.  And, as they say, the rest is history.  Sorry.  But, it was fun!

What did that have to do with my writing career, you might ask?  It showed me that I could be a leader and not just a follower.  You have to remember that I was a product of the 1960's with strong female figures who, regardless of race...or, because of it...were visionaries (dreamers) when it came to expecting, demanding, equality with men in our society.  If they had not set the bar as high as they did back then, we might as well be living in caves today being pulled around and enjoying no earthly freedoms or rights.  Woman sacrificed so much back then, and in subsequent years, in order to even allow the ingenuous freedoms our daughters have today.....and, still we must fight for equal pay?!?  Just asking.

This story is about Moving On...into a new year with new beginnings, new possibilities and positive changes.  I know.  I digress.  Often we must look back, however, in order to move forward in this thing called life.  That is how change comes about, thoroughly familiarizing yourself with what must be changed in order to have a better today and a brighter tomorrow because of it.

Travel has always been a contributing factor towards making my life enjoyable and more complete.  For me, the complex recipe for 'Life' is taking its main ingredient, Love, and mixing in indiscriminate proportions of ideas, emotions and gestures and folding them together like muffin batter.....ever so gently.  There's going to be lumps in there, but that's alright.  If everything ran smoothly....where would the challenges be that help to make us stronger; that mold us into the beautiful individuals we are?  My specific 'extra' ingredients include generous amounts of passion, laughter and compassion for others.  Now, the colorful icing atop each muffin is made from my love of travel and photography.  Perfect!!

I have changed my main heading with all the above in mind.  And, I will begin to fold into the 2014 version a variety of new stories and personal ideas to share with you at least once a week.  In no way will I forsake the remaining 'Ireland' story ideas I have nestling within my imagination....they're restlessly waiting to be turned into print and illustrated just for you.  If truth be told...I need to get them out of there! 

So, here's looking this New Year smack dab in the eye and availing myself of all the exciting, challenging and wonderful things it has to offer.  May I suggest that you do the same.....and, we'll compare notes.

Stick with me, Dear Readers, because.....the best is yet to come!!




Note:  Praise and Congratulations go out to The Michigan State Spartan Football Team and Coach Mark Dantonio for their decisive victory in the 100th Anniversary Rose Bowl Game....Great Old-School fashion, confident, Football at its Very Best!!!  Always so proud to be a Spartan.

Christmas Future

Ninth in a series.......

A Series of Short Stories

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

How calm and peaceful it is as I sit here in my daughter's den in Michigan.  From my vantage point, snuggled warmly in an oversized crimson colored chair, I feel a bit like Santa himself looking out the mullioned front window to the sparkling snow-covered lawn and contemplating the enormous task ahead......

It's early Christmas Eve morning.  The sun has recently begun to make its presence known as it faithfully attempts to break through a deep cloud cover.....giving promise to enjoying a white Christmas Day tomorrow.  Two precious children calmly lie asleep above me while three others will make their way here to join us later this morning.  Right now I'm taking advantage of the early hour and peace and quiet that comes with it in order to write.

Everyone has finally arrived!  The evening takes me back to Christmas Eve Past when my own daughters excitedly played with their cousins anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 'Big Jolly Man' himself.  There were so many presents to open and so much Love spread among Grandparents, Parents and many Grandchildren.  So long ago now......

Tonight I am one of the Grandparents!  Yet, I can still recall being a Grandchild without a care in the world.  Time is truly such a fleeting thing.  Squeeze your eyes shut as tight as you can and when you open them again, the little ones have become the children of your children's.  The slinky that you opened as a favorite toy has drifted away and has been replaced by a new I-Pad opened by your oldest Grandchild.  

Christmas Eve dinner has been thoroughly enjoyed and opened presents are scattered across the floor in possessive patterns while clean-up crews of adults work their magic in every room that's been touched by the evening's festivities.  Our youngest daughter begins gathering three pajama-clad munchkins, bags of gifts, leftovers and diaper bags while our son-in-law begins to carry all-of-the-above out to the pre-warmed SUV in the driveway.  Tomorrow morning they will be off to visit the other set of Grandparents at their house where more food, treats and presents will be eaten, devoured and opened.....much to everyone's delight.  I will miss them tomorrow, sweet Lydia and the twins.

This morning, Christmas morning, has been blessed with feather-like snowflakes dancing around outside like tiny ballerinas drifting down from the clouds.  I have made my way downstairs a bit early so I can prepare and place the breakfast quiche into the hot oven to bake.  I am hoping the delicate aroma will entice everyone downstairs soon....as if the prospect of Santa's goodies aren't enticement enough. 

Gavin loves trains and Brenna dislikes having to open fancy wrapped boxes filled with socks.  It seems socks have become the modern day 'lump of coal' for girls her age.  Truthfully, they were for me, as well.  Papa holds open the giant plastic bag where rainbow colored fragments of wrapping paper and yards of curled ribbon come to rest after their short-lived stint of protecting the recipients of holiday gifts from the knowledge of what was inside each box for them...... until just the right time.  

Uniform wedges of golden brown quiche and sweet pineapple bake with fresh juice on the side have become a part of history already.  Delicious!  Snowflakes have stopped their early morning dance.  Although, still quite beautiful by itself, the decorated tree appears a bit naked devoid of the shiny gifts that initially gathered beneath it.  All is quiet, if not much more solemn now that the children have retreated to their rooms to take much needed naps.  I've decided to make time for a rejuvenating mug of hot Green Tea and, actually, find myself right back where this journey began yesterday.

Sitting here with my legs swung over one cushy arm of the very same crimson colored chair, spirals of fruity steam curling upwards from my tea mug, I take a short break from the imaginary world within the latest book I am reading.  I rest the paperback edition on my lap and contemplate the long drive back down to Orlando on Saturday and can almost feel the warmth of the Floridian sun upon my skin already.  Yes, it is a comforting, healthy feeling.....

Even though my husband's job keeps us in Florida, for the time being, I know where my heart lies.  And, if the snow piles up to the window ledges or the north wind blows its bitter cold, frosty sting right into my face....those five little souls that continue to charm me with each breath they take will always draw me into their lives and enrich mine within a sea of contentment.  

I don't have an exact timeline in mind; many circumstances are beyond my control.  But, I do know the direction my path will take me, eventually.  For now, I sink back into my paperback novel, sip my comforting tea and wait........

Everything Matters

Eighth in a series.....

Hooker.....Traditional Wooden Sailing Boat

A series of short stories

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



Everything Matters....the philosophy of one highly successful CEO, as well as Oprah Winfrey and many other "Super Charged" individuals who have made their way up the ranks of "the unknown" to become "outstanding in their field" and beyond!!

Simply because I know that Everything Matters, is precisely my dilemma as I sit here writing to you today! So many year-end ideas scattered throughout my brain pulling me this way and that.  Even the mere thought that yet another year will be a memory or last year's chapters will soon be cross-referenced by private journals, pictorial histories and, yes, published blogs, proves how unprepared I really am to enter yet another shift-in-time......a new year!

I am amazed when I realize that 2013 will soon slip into 2014 and I have yet to take advantage of everything that matters to me right here, right now.  I am comfortable within this 2013 persona I have created for myself and fear (being the operative word) what I expect from 'me' in 2014........and, my expectations run high. 

Fragments of sentences, individual letters, digital pictures, beautiful faces, emotions.....flying pigs?......All captured above my head within a fluffy cartoon cloud of conversation and personal thoughts.  Brilliant! 

But, but, but, I have yet to write about this, that and the other thing and this year's time is sifting seamlessly through the hour glass (okay, year glass) and, don't you know how Everything Matters so much to me?  I haven't described the sheer natural beauty of Lough Corrib with its polka-dot design of tiny islands that resemble Hershey's Kisses in the soft light of an Irish dusk.  Not a mention yet of the Spanish stone arches, traditional wooden sailing boats called Hookers, Village of Claddagh (yes, associated with the famous ring) or the fascinating people we met who call the once walled-city of Galway their home today.  Have I described for you the significance of discovering a ruined structure, an abandoned Church of Ireland, during our visit to Cong?  Oh, now that's a story!  I cannot forget the tears running down our faces as the gentle breezes off Lough Mask felt like Spirits caressing our bodies while begging us to listen to their sorrowful stories....  Wow!  Seriously, chills just ran down my back remembering this experience!!

Even though the myriad of presents are getting wrapped, cookies are being baked and decorated with Love, clothes washed and folded to fit neatly into suitcases and the trusty KIA is gassed-up and waiting patiently for this barrage of domestic and Holiday items to consume it.....life remains a bit fragmented and unsettling to me.  Why?  We go through the motions without fully understanding why or what the outcome might be.

Actually, sitting here writing all of this down is proving to be a cathartic release, much like crying my way through the end of this year; I am grateful for this because the emotions are running higher than the International Space Station orbiting above us!  Thinking about it now, I come up with three contributing factors to my emotionally charged state of being.  Number one, it is Christmastime; that time of year when being together with Family, decorating the tree, creating delicious food and the wholesome act of simply 'giving,' all play a huge part in our lives.  We're concerned whether there's enough time to fit everything we want to do within the space we've allotted to it in order to achieve our objectives.  Secondly, my goals, as I alluded to above, have become much more specific and real.  I expect a lot from myself in 2014!  Pressure....  Lastly, over and above my personal expectations, I know that Everything Matters.   More Pressure.

Ironically, I believe it is precisely because Everything Matters that I will get through these final days of this year and bump along into 2014.  The dreamer, perfectionist and mental creator.....the three people I live with on a daily basis.....plan on sticking around for quite some time.  I promise to pay attention to all the details that comprise my life including family, friends and the exquisite passion that has served as guide to my soul for all these years......writing! 

Well, now that I have come full-circle in just a matter of a few, short paragraphs, I think I will be okay.  If we take our fear and turn it into positive emotion that is always working for us, we can achieve it all.  The trip up to Michigan to be with Family for Christmas will become a blessed memory, cherished forever.  It will be next year, but those stories about Galway will be written.  My novel is definitely progressing. And, everything will be accomplished with Love, attention to detail and the knowledge that to have it all, you must remember that Everything (Everyone) Matters along the way....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All.....!

An Island Christmas?

 Seventh in a series......

Christmas Lights and Celebration

A Series of Short Stories

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


If a formal Bucket List existed for me, spending the Christmas Holidays in Ireland once in my lifetime would rank astronomically high on that list! Certainly one of the greatest challenges of my life has always been wishing to be someplace other than where I am at the moment.

It definitely isn't that being wherever I am makes me unhappy......it's just that I've been, more or less, a 'packed suitcase and ready-to-go' type of person forever! I remember packing for four when the girls were young and calculating how many trips we had taken within a twelve month period. Whether it was a warm, week-long stay on Sanibel Island, Florida, during the winter or a balcony enhanced room at The Iroquois Hotel on Mackinac Island in the summer, I made certain we were packed and ready-to-go and never allowed any dust to settle on anyone's suitcase.

Many of our trips consisted of weekend visits to be with our two sets of parents who lived in Three Rivers, Michigan, and was an hour and a half drive away from our front door. Of course, this was always a 'slippery slope' for us considering we were sharing their two granddaughters, as well as time, between the two sets of grandparents. But, we always seemed to manage and adjust, as everyone must, eventually! Even the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays were strategically planned-out with maximum give-and-take provided by all parties involved. We always envied most of our siblings for marrying "out-of-towners" and making Grandparental Time-Sharing a bit less hectic.

Our unintentional fondness towards "island hopping" began with a honeymoon in Aruba so many years ago. Aruba was a Dutch owned island at the time, yet to be discovered by tourists back when we landed on its sandy shores. Its surreal beauty and tendency to be wild and natural, for the most part, adhered us to the island lifestyle. We celebrated our sun-drenched freedom with long walks along the beach, dodging the surf. Once, a local, asked me if I would like to ride his saddled horse along the beach at sunset.....no strings attached! Really? What an unforgettable experience as the sun began to majestically slide into the Caribbean Sea and the horse and I pranced along in sweet rhythm. Then, my husband decided to play golf with another couple we had met who were newly-weds, as well. I can still recall the warning given to all of us at the clubhouse before navigating the sandy, totally devoid of grass, nine hole course: "Never enter the rough (scrub brush) to retrieve your ball because you might meet a rattle snake face-to-face. Play another ball!"

                                                          A Friendly Game of Petanque

We've been spirited away by the island gods for so long now that it fails to amaze me when we slide into our natural tendency to choose yet another island adventure. So many islands; so little time! (As an avid reader, I often use this phraseology with regard to books). Several years ago we had the French island of St. Martin on our radar and knew it would be a perfect scenario for us to be able to enjoy the French lifestyle and language closer to home. And, we did! Mere steps from our hotel door, we entered our small, French village for the week and watched the local men playing pétanque, the Provençal lawn bowling game, right in the town square. Tourists mingled with the locals as, together, we ate the fresh catch from the sea, shopped at the marketplace and observed the French children at play.

Several other islands I have 'scoped-out' for future observation include the British Isle of Guernsey located in the English Channel just off the northern coast of France, Majorca, an island located in the Mediterranean Sea and near the coast of Spain, as well as Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Canadian Province of Quebec.

Believe it or not......all of this leads me back to Ireland and the desire to see this 'magical jewel' sparkle at its best during the Christmas Season like a dark green, velvet cloak sprinkled with crystal snowflakes and dazzling colored lights! This Season is a very special time of the year anywhere you might be, especially when you are with those you love and hold dear.

 

 

That's exactly where you will find us this year....contentedly snuggled in front of a crackling fire with five of the most darling children helping to keep us warm, secure and happy. If Papa and I are brave, we will help them make snowmen outside and then return indoors for steaming mugs of hot cocoa and mountains of books to be read to them throughout our visit. With a modern twist to the traditional Christmas carol sung around the artfully decorated tree, it's over the river and through the woods to our daughters' houses we go......and, Papa and I are looking forward to each and every moment of it. When the need to be someplace else during this special time of the year hits us again, and it will, I have this feeling that we'll be taking quite a few people along with us for the ride. For now, my precious island is called Happiness and it exists in our hearts.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!!

My Collections II

Sixth in a series......


Green Fields, Blue Skies and Memories

 A Series of Short Stories

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Green.  A beautiful color.  Forty different shades of it definitely describes the Ireland we have come to know and love.  Thank you, Mr. Cash!  I believe you may have 'nailed' that one...

As an occasional visitor to this colorful island, my attention is drawn to the variations of the color green (my favorite color, in fact) when I scan the rich, glossy darkness of green valleys, or the olive tones of unending fields bathed in golden sunlight and the moss that clings to, well, just about everything, or witness the calming blue/green hues of an 'ancient forest' bisected by a gravelly path secretly begging to be conquered.  Then there is the deep purple/green of the expansive shoreline of Ireland's many inland lakes, outlined by volcanic rock washed smooth by foamy waves day after day and resembling a child's coloring-book picture outlined in black to accentuate its perimeter.   Oh, the joy of the color green!

One moment, please! 

 

My own two eyes, as well as the camera lens, can attest to many other shades of reflected light (color) that is predominant within the outstanding landscape provided by Ireland.  We have sturdy shades of gray and ochre that form the solidity of her many mountains.  There are rock walls and ancient structures built by man from this incredible source of material.  Fifty shades of gray, at least, and a much better 'read' into and for the mind than the modern paperback trilogy best seller of today by that title...  Who is not enamored by the sight of a quaint stone cottage replete with a thatched roof or the construction feats demonstrated by the existence of long ago castles and more modern abbeys and hunting lodges that sweep the Irish countryside?

Blue.  The spaces between the white clouds above, as well as the green fields below.  Not only does this amazing color totally surround the land in terms of the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea, but its inland lakes offer varying shades of it anywhere from cold, steely grays to cheerful summertime aquamarine with one changing into another within a matter of moments depending on the sun, cloud cover or rain.

We began walking the Newvillage Recreation Area moderate trail one morning which turned out to be a three and a half mile, cardio-intense gravel walk in the shape of a horseshoe that gently meandered through the undulating woods on the outskirts of Oughterard.  Deviating off of The Western Way as we followed along the shores of Lough Corrib, we entered this fairy tale world of canopied vegetation dripping with sparkling raindrops and sporadic rays of sunlight newly emerging minutes into our walk.  When we stopped for a few moments to take it all in, we discovered the soothing sounds of a gurgling stream and crisp late September leaves scrunching under the weight of invisible predators.  The crunch, crunch of the gravel beneath our hiking shoes accompanied us once again like the rhythm of a Sousa march as we navigated the horseshoe bend and found we were elevated high above Lough Corrib that now dazzled us with its trail of royal blue water punctuated by minute white caps in the distance.   We were alive within the harmonious state of sounds and color and there was no other place at that exact moment we would rather be...

I remember looking out over land and sea on the summit of Diamond Hill several days before as I cataloged the shimmering blue dots of Lough Auna, Nahillion and Kylemore and my eyes scanned the wider 'blues' of Killary and Ballynakill Harbors that led out to the darkening depths of the Atlantic Ocean.  One can easily observe the harmony between land and water at this height and understand a little bit better how masterfully this intriguing island was formed so many years before. 

As my husband graciously chauffeured us around the colorful natural beauty of Connemara, I grew to appreciate every aspect of the area and proceeded to catch as much as I physically could with my trusty Canon camera in hand.  It's quite a treat for me to look back at all of my pictures to find that many of my 'collections' are strictly cataloged by their color!!  I even find myself prefacing each with a color description such as 'gray' fences or 'brightly colored' boats or crumbling 'gray' houses and mucky 'brown' bog lands.  For some reason the integrity of color is heightened and intensified for me in Ireland.  It isn't just the meandering expanse of the River Shannon, but rather the intense blue water of the River Shannon outlined by the bright green grasses along its shoreline.  Ireland seems to enhance my senses and allows me to see deeper into the natural beauty of her landscapes, man-made engineering wonders, as well as her delightful and extremely hospitable people.  I definitely feel 'right at home' when in Ireland.

Even though I sit here now holding tightly to the souvenir rock I brought home and captured from beneath the chilled waters of Lough Corrib, its vibes tell me to wait for another day to post the pictures and personal story of our time along its magnificent shores.  My heart wishes to share the color gray with you, yet again, in the form of once very personal places lived and loved in by Irish families some years ago and now left to decay in the harsh weather from season to season like forgotten testaments to what once was....  Within each structure my heart feels the birth of a child and the death of an aging grandparent.  I can celebrate birthdays in them and know marriages were consummated there, as well.  From the whitewashed, smoke-laden stone walls, I smell the pungent and acidic odor of thousands of peat fires that kept many people from freezing to death in the night.  I smell the tension of sad, overworked women and mothers who wait desperately for their husbands to return home with food to feed the young bairns.  I listen to the echoes of family decisions bouncing off the walls as to whether or not they should stay and wait it out or pack-up their meager belongings and abandon their birthright for a ticket to America! 

These emotions exhaust me down to my very core because I feel so much life surrounding these structures as if they were still occupied today!  So many questions, too.  Did they find time to appreciate the sweet beauty of the world that surrounded them?  Were they working so long and hard just to stay alive?  In fighting for what they needed, did they lose sight of all they had?  I often wonder....

As modern day visitors of this incredible place called Ireland, manned with rental car, camera and sustenance to be found at the nearest restaurant or pub, we can luxuriate within unrestrained time and walk the paths, climb the mountains, fish the lakes and capture a more simple way of living with each picture and breath we take.  We, as tourists, have been elevated to new heights as we ride along on the 'memory train' that was built and navigated by so many lost souls.  May we always remember and appreciate all of their hard work....