Remembering: Beethoven, Muscle Memory and Happiness

Here's a win that surprised me tonight. Despite struggling with new glasses for the past month*, I have recently enjoyed pulling out some of my old piano music from as far back as high school. 

Tonight, I moved past the eye issues and other things weighing on the day and tried a Beethoven Sonata. In fact, I had avoided it for 19 years, thinking I could never enjoy casually playing what I had spent two years perfecting and memorizing for part of my final recital and exam. I had completely forgotten what it looked and sounded like... until I started playing. 

Here's the utterly amazing thing about our brains. I still had muscle-memory to play some parts easily! And what struck me was that the parts I remembered best were the sections that made me happiest all those years ago! They gave me the old thrill again, and I'm pretty sure I was smiling through them tonight.

This reminded me how happiness is powerful in our brains!!

TIP: Try take time to purposely remember some happy things in your past... whether years ago or days ago.  Knowing what we do about the neuroplasticity of the brain, this simple act will do more for your health than you can imagine!

Intentionally remembering - especially in light of God's goodness, provision, love... positively affects many parts of the brain, including the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. It even helps our brain release dopamine, positively impacting far more than just mood!

No wonder God told us throughout His word to "remember" as well as to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. [Philippians 4:8] Science is finally catching up to some more of what God has told us all along. 

*Yep, it was time for bifocals along with the double whammy of a prism to pull my left eye into alignment. The combination of a sledding injury 24 years ago along with the neurological complications of Lyme, mold, toxic levels of mercury, etc. these past years, made my optometrist give this a try. 

Coffee in the Flower Garden

It was time for a break in a full, check-list sort of day.

So I brewed coffee, splashed in whole milk, and headed out to the garden.

Delphinium are getting lovely, lilies are starting late, and so many more flowers are getting ready to enjoy the summer sunshine!

I also took time to sit on the swing while finishing my coffee, enjoying Annabelle hydrangeas turning white and a pink thunbergia climbing a trellis. Restful minutes!

Book Report: Father to Nobody's Children

"Father to Nobody's Children" by David E. Fessenden is a short book about the life and work of Thomas J. Barnardo among the homeless boys in London.

With plenty of direct quotes and first-hand accounts, this book pulled together the threads of comments and themes in others I have read.

Readers of "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery may remember how Marilla had declared she would only adopt a Canadian born boy. "At first Matthew suggested getting a Barnado boy. But I said ‘no’ flat to that. ‘They may be all right—I’m not saying they’re not—but no London street Arabs for me."

And "Dusty Diamonds, Cut and Polished" by R. M. Ballantyne highlights a couple of street boys who ended up taking the opportunity to move to Canada, which Barnardo gave to the boys he saw would do well building a new life out of the city.

Overlapping the latter half of the life of the famed father to orphans, George Muller, you can notice some similarities in Barnardo's work, as well as some clear differences. God leads each of His children to do His work in unique ways!

Keep reading...

~ Hannah

Food Reintroduction Win: Black-Bottom Birthday Cake!

Huge Win! I enjoyed my first Black-Bottom Cake [my long-time standard] in about a dozen years!

While I am getting back to gluten by way of whole grain rye and einkorn sourdough and the occasional pasta away from home, we chose to use a gluten-free cake mix when adding back cream cheese for now.

But lake time comes before cake on my birthday... despite cold water!

Garden: Before & After

We got a little late start on the raised gardens this year, but they are coming along nicely!

First Step: Weeding. Before (above) and After (below):

Before... and After

Next Step: Digging and Amending Soil

Finally: Planting

Now: Watering and Growing!

Meanwhile: The asparagus patch has been feeding us and our friends well. We will stop picking any day now to let the plants store up strength for another year.

Hot & Cold Greenhouse Days

Greenhouse season is slowing down up north. But when helping out with plants, customers, and kids this year, we had a wide range of hot and cold days.

Hauling carts of vibrant colors was a treat after winter!

Little helpers...

Elsa's woolen bonnet design getting well used!

"Thunder Cake" Book Review

A little thunder, a little hail...

...and a good dose or two of rain suddenly turned our world green in early May!

• Lily of the Valley moving into the brick path •

• Wild Ginger •

But not everyone enjoys thunder as much as I do. Especially not little ones, which is why books like "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Palacco were written. (And why my sister got it for her kids!)

In a delightful way, the author teaches children that they can choose to do things even when they are scared... and that they don't actually need to be afraid of a sound.

We love this book's vivid artwork highlighting the author/artist's cultural background - especially her Babushka (Grandmother).

And when asked what was her favorite part of the book last week, my 3 year old neice said "the cat." Plus she likes the part where they are gathering the ingredient "milk" for baking a Thunder Cake.

▪︎ My little shadow and her big shadow ▪︎