There is another row of these eucalyptus behind, and more going up the dirt road. My phone camera lens isn’t wide angle enough to capture it all. I wish I could add sound. You’d be amazed. I can get hundreds of bird calls at once.
Doves, wood peckers, tweets, chirps, songs. Idk all of what I am hearing but it’s a birdie orchestra!
So relaxing!
(I actually need to sweep my balcony because I have new hawk poo on my mat 🤣)
Hi dear Brooksc 😊🌿🌸🦋
Enjoy those serenades for me. I’m allergic to everything outdoors and haven’t been blessed by those avian choruses for decades now.
I do miss nature soooo much.
However I can still remember the smell of grass especially new mown and floral scents carried upon gentle breezes from my childhood days before allergies developed.
I miss that simplistic world without worries. One where I frequently lay down in the grass and gaze up a at the gorgeous blue sky.
I’d watch the fluffy puffs of clouds meander slowly across the baby blue palette; searching for familiar shapes molded by the gentle winds aloft ever serenaded by those precious songbirds.
Those were the good ole days.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
EJ xxx
Ah, how poetic your descriptions. Yes. I have many outdoor allergies as well (not as many as food allergies) but, from the inside of my home, or my balcony I can enjoy these things (no bird allergies that I know of.)
We use to hike with the kids all the time. I always stopped at every wild flower or animal siting to talk about it with the kids. I’m sure that as they became teens they were only, quietly being patient with me, but I think now, with their own children they do the same.
How wonderful to hear your interactions with both nature and your children.
Those precious moments spent teaching your children were ingrained in their impressionable minds.
Most times they are then in turn passed on generations to come.
I tried that with the boy I took in and raised only to be told that I/it was stupid.
Unfortunately despite my best efforts he was evil...stealing lying countless addictions especially drugs his fav being heroin. I heard he’s a devil worshiper. Even had a huge devil tattoo put on his forearm in red ink.
Sooo my efforts at instilling all of the proper and good teachings were flushed into the cesspool of the dark hopelessness of evil.
I so pray that this is the exception rather than the rule.
Bless you dear Brook. You are a wonderful loving lady.
Take care and be safe sweetie.
Keeping you and yours in my prayers.
Much love.
EJ xxx
PS meant to say sorry about your allergies. 🤗😘🙏
Oh wow, the fact that you did your best is what counts. We all have our agency to choose. Unfortunately, despite your wonderful teachings he chose bad! I’m so sorry, what a heartbreak. But I know God will bless you for doing right by your son.
You said you ‘took him in’? An adoption? You’ll be twice blessed! 🙏
Unfortunately yes.
He went on to steal paternal grandparents lifesavings and identity. Grandpa so stressed passed out in garage causing terminal brain bleeds dying 3 months later. Grandma had Alzheimer’s he preyed on her too.
He even stole my mothers morphine while she was in her deathbed from terminal cancer.
Pure Evil.
I now try to warn adopting couples that this could be their fate too and be prepared.
There are a couple of other cases where the adopted child killed the family to inherit the wealth.
I got many death threats from him but so far He has protected me/us.
So if you know of people adopting please mention that this is a remote possibility but still a possibility.
Bless you sweetie.
EJ xxx
It’s like the movie ‘The Bad Seed’. I’ve heard of this.
My best friend as a young adult was adopted. I couldn’t have admired someone more than Lori.
My oldest brother, Hugh’s wife was adopted and a gem too, but she had a brother that was also adopted and a nightmare. So sad. No appreciation. Idk if it was something done by birthparents? A trust broken? Or what. So sad when your heart was so big!
It’s all okay Brook.
It’s all in His plan. Nothing happens per chance. I’ve yet to know why but one day all will be revealed so I’ll understand. But by then it will no longer matter because you know what I mean don’t you sweetie.
I treasure every trial and challenge and lessons learned. I can pass on what I’ve learned to help others.
You do this too.
Blessings abundant Brook.
EJ x 😊🙏🤗💗😘
Looks amazing Brooks. I love nature, just wish the sun hadn't turned on me.
Me too! I hate having a sun allergy.
What a lovely view Brook and such a beautiful sky.👌 No wonder the birds are singing! Yes, such a shame we can’t hear them, but thanks for sharing the lovely image and the description . 👍🏻 You are so lucky to have that so near to your home. 🤗😘
An arboretum, for sure!
About 7 years ago, on the eve of New Years Eve, it started snowing for four hours sometime around midnight. We get a light dusting about ever 10 years, but this was full blown snow! It took a lot of branches on these eucalyptus out. Sounded like thunder all night as branches cracked loose from their tree and landed. It was kind of amazing. The entire dirt road behind us was covered. The lady who lives on the three acres behind us is good about thinning out any dry branches. But if it weren’t for that snow, these would be much more massive.
That’s amazing Brook. Mother Nature is always working away at shaping and reshaping our environment, isn’t she? Thanks for sharing that. ☃️
You’re welcome. What Coco wants, Coco gets! 👍
Thanks Spotty!
😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻🌺🌸🌻🌼
I think I figured out how to get video on here. This is a test, so please forgive me, but I wanted to see if this works.
Video worked great, 👍 what a lively sound 🙏
Oh that sounds lovely Brook.. you're a technical genius!! 🤗🤗
😽😽Xx
Yeah, not really. But thanks.
😃😃😃😃😃 WOWOWOWOW ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Am just getting going here in the UK: finding your WONDERFUL 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 post with ALL your vivid descriptions + this FABULOUS birdsong video is setting me up to put my Best 🦶 Forward today, REGARDLESS of the challenges COVID is confronting me with
Cannot THANK YOU enough 💐💐💐💐💐💐💐
🍀❤️🍀❤️🍀❤️🍀❤️ Coco
Oh, I miss eucalyptus trees. I lived in Los Angeles for over 30 yrs and a shorter period in the SF area. The silvery blue green leaves, the chalky bark, and that fragrance! You are lucky to have a grove.🌿
Where are you now and what part of LA were you in? I was born in an Encino hospital, we lived in Reseda then moved to Hacienda Heights.
I lived on the border of Santa Monica and Brentwood, before that mid Wilshire. I was a curator at the Getty. Now in Virginia, in retirement.
Wow! Very nice! I love the Getty. Such beauty there.
Where about in Virginia? My middle child lived in Virginia for two years. I loved it. Beautiful state, and talk about trees! My goodness!!!
Charlottesville. We are in the old downtown and there are gorgeous old trees. My bedroom window looks out on beautiful deciduous trees, it feels like a treehouse. I miss California, though. Where was your daughter?
It was our son Griffin. He lived several places below DC like McLain, FallsChurch, Fairfax. We also visited Fredricksburg (my spelling may be way off?) Loved it all (except the humidity.) Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and EVERYone has massive, beautiful hydrangeas in the morning fronts. And talk about trees? You have the beautiful fall colors. I envy you!
SMALL WORLD 😃: I have family in charlottesville (BEAUTIFUL AREA) , and my in-laws had a place in Fredericksburg (deep in a Loblolly Pine plantation...I’ll NEVER forget that humidity 🤦🏼♀️the poison ivy....the 🐍s, 🙄...& the BEAUTY...especially @ Dogwood-blossom time: those azaleas & all the early spring herbaceous + bulb flowers 😍...)
It really is a gorgeous part of the country, isn’t it?
👍VVVVV SPECIAL 🥰
There is very little humidity here in Charlottesville these days. Last summer temps in the high 90s and as dry as California. My little garden burned to a crisp.
😯 GOSH ❣️
Climate change! When I taught at UVA in the 80s the humidity was suffocating from May well into November. Now hardly any rain. I planted a small old-fashioned garden around our little townhouse, was so excited to have a chance for an English perennial border. Then, it might as well have been the desert.
Actually had it planted since I am unable, but planned it in detail.🌿🥀🌿🥀🌸🌿🥀🌿🌱🌱🌱
That’s too bad. We’re getting snow storms at a low sea level in so cal, and you’re turning desert. 😬
But, climate change has always been with us. We use to walk with my father-in-law in the mornings when visiting him in Logan, Utah. There is a hill he liked to hike and when we’d get to the top of the hill, he’d point out the valley below and tell us of a giant lake that use to fill that area centuries ago.
Soul destroying 😧...👍 yes..this was when we were in VA summers....now you’ve reminded me, I remember the dryness burning up my in-laws’ garden....heat & mugginess as well but my version of SLE hyperreacts to east coast weather especially in the summer - which is one reason why am over here...another being the plants we can grow ...and over the decades baking summers have seemed more common here too 🤷🏼♀️...🍀❤️
The autonomic part of my neuropathy keeps me from sweating. I haven't sweat in 4 years. Means I have no way to cool off, am like an internal combustion engine! Nothing like SLE however. You seem more energetic now. I am still having bad neuro problems post surgery. Was supposed to have a slew of tests before Coronavirus took over, wish you could visit Charlottesville. 🥰🦓🥰🎈🎈
I hope everything straightens out soon and we are all back to our routines.
🙏My best to you.
Gosh: dysautonomia is just as individual as all our 🦓 stuff!
Yep: Am in a manic phase due to the strain of COVID re organising ongoing simultaneous AID/PID treatment while being a maximum risk patient: quite complicated but interesting 🙄...& exhausting (2 hour naps etc). now I’ve got to take a break from this much activity here..am wiped out but HAPPY to be with you all😅
Am V sorry about the timing re your tests & the persistent neuropathy: what a BUMMER! 🤦🏼♀️
At least I got most of that done! but of course my medics were right: am still in recovery post op & have come to terms with the extra degree of disability + peripheral neuropathy cause the op did resolve the probs we wanted it to, but couldn’t fix everything 🤷🏼♀️...also the physical trauma of all this as aged me, as expected. But it’s about time I grew up 😆 & acted my age (66 going on 🦓 86...we all know how this feels)
I know you’re taking good care of yourself, yes 👍💐 ...When this is all settled into our new ‘normal’ ...maybe I will get over to the old country...or you’ll come here 😉❤️🍀
Just seeing this. Small world. I graduated from UVA with MD PhD in 2015. Lived there almost 10 yrs. Still visit my in laws from time to time. They have a house out by Lake Monticello. I miss Charlottesville so much.
From your degrees it sounds like you are a medical researcher. I have a sentimental attachment to the places where I went to graduate school: Ann Arbor and Palo Alto. My first academic job was at UVA, and we returned here to old friends and a compelling town in retirement. Some of my doctors may have been your teachers or your colleagues! Where are you now?
I’m sure! They could be either....maybe. I’m 35. Currently in Pittsburgh.
😍👋👋👋👋🤝💐OH GOSH: LOVELY Monticello❣️...😯what a bunch of Virginians we are..except, as a born & bred philadelphian am ALWAYS considered a Yank despite all my family down in VA + all the time I’ve spent down there since childhood 😉: they blame my accent 🤷🏼♀️🍀❤️
Oh no! 😱(about your garden). I need to come visit Charlottesville then. I just need to come back to Virginia a different time of year. I love the east coast in the fall. The trees are amazing! The fall colors. All the reds and oranges (and yellows) look like flames coming right off the trunks of the trees. I haven’t been to Virginia in the fall. I need to give that a try. 😁
I meant that I loved it all except the humidity. Since Griffin was there all year round the humidity is not what he remembers the most. He just loved everything.
I esp lived the old colonial Fredricksburg. Simply gorgeous! (Plus I love history!)
Lovely 😊 😍
I’d love to be able to match the calls and tweets to the birds too but idk either 😂
Stunning. How lovely to have such beautiful surroundings ❤️
Thanks. I love trees, but I guess I don’t appreciate them as nice as all of you are being. I do love them because of all the birds, but the view of the valley, hills and mountains at a different angle is more pleasing to me. Thank you Cecily.
Hi dear Brook, this is breathtakingly beautiful, nature has so many sides of her to share. All I could think of was this song, " And I said to myself, what a wonderful world", by song writer, Louis Armstrong! Everyone find this song on line, and play it. How sweet it is! Mindful, and uplifting post sweet Brook. See Mother Nature can bring on the good in us, and nature. Let Spring sing on, and on, and ,on..... As I reply late to many here, sorry I did not sooner, I was in deep prayer since Sunday for the World, and us all. A little soul searching in faith I walk. Sending you my deepest love, prayers, blessings, joys, health and wellness to you, your dear loved ones, and to all.Xxx thestormy sunshine
Ah Stormy, I love that song too! And you are my Sunshine, you rally are. You make me happy Stormy, when skies are grey!
Thank you!!!🙏🙏🙏
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