Sibling Assignment #76: A Theme Runs Through It

I gave the sibling assignment this week. "Think of a movie theme song that stayed with you long after you saw the film. Share an experience about that movie or the theme." You will find Raymond Pert's here and Silver Valley Girl's here .

I don't often write about my life before digging in roots on Lake Roosevelt. The fall of 1992 was a time of uncertainty in my life. I knew things weren't right in my first marriage, but I always thought if things ran smoothly at home, if I cooked just the right meal, or if we did things together we enjoyed then perhaps it would repair what was broken. We went and watched the movie " A River Runs Through It" that October. It brought back memories of a camping trip at Lolo, fishing up the river, and his grandfather standing at his favorite creek casting that last line of the day. We loved that movie. I loved the soundtrack and played it often, remembering those scenes filmed so close to where we had camped and fished.
When our marriage came to an end, like the title of the last song on the soundtrack, I was " Haunted by Waters". Whether it was a north Idaho river, the lake that connected tradition, family and friends , or the Columbia near our home. These haunting memories were too close to the surface. I stayed away from many waters.

I am in a different place now in my life. The creeks and the rivers that merge into Lake Roosevelt give me strength and a sense of peace. I appreciate the power and beauty of the waters that surround me. I now embrace the words Norman Maclean so eloquently penned at the end of his book and the movie,

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

I am no longer haunted by my waters. I embrace the history and sustainability of Lake Roosevelt, the great Columbia and the rivers that run through it. All things did merge into one and I have learned much from the words of wisdom under the rocks. The following video gives life to two other theme songs from the movie, connecting those waters to the ones I have grown to love in the place I now call home.

The Autumn Test

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a dynamic, vibrant person. You aren't afraid to pursue your passions. When you are happiest, you are calm. You appreciate tradition and family. You enjoy feeling cozy. You prefer change to come slowly. You need a long transition period when your life changes. You find love to be the most comforting thing in the world. You feel at peace when you're with your loved ones. Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine. You tend to live in the moment. You enjoy whatever is going on, and you don't obsess over the past or future.

The Autumn Test

Photo Hunt: Sad

Saying good-bye to the squirrels at the end of a camping week-end always causes sadness for Shelby and Annie. For other photo hunts using sad go here.

Annabella and Oakleaf : Hardy Hydrangeas on Lake Roosevelt

When I first saw a hedge of brilliant blue hydrangeas in a coastal town in Oregon I wanted those at my house. Alas, I have tried, but I just could never get the Nikko Blues to be successful in my dry climate and sandy soil. I read somewhere that Annabella and Oakleaf Hydrangeas grow well in those conditions. They surely do! I have fallen in love with both of these types of hydrangeas. They each have a long blooming season. The flowers dry nicely and the leaves create interest in the garden also.The Annabella creates that fresh combination of bright white and lush green in a shrub. The blooms often get over 10" in diameter. I love it when the white blooms dry and turn to a lovely pale green color. Whether freshly cut or dried on the plant, the blooms are perfect in bouquets.
I saw a picture in a gardening magazine a few years ago of a hedge of Oakleaf Hydrangeas after the leaves turned in the fall. The colors were remarkable. Mine are just beginning to turn.The Oakleaf is one of the few hydrangeas native to the United States.They bloom in single or double white flowers, then turn a beautiful mauve color that turns deeper with the fall colors.
As you begin your wish list for your next year's garden, you may want to consider either or both of these hydrangeas. I guess I will have to let other gardeners be successful with the brilliant blue, pink, and violet colored ones. If you want to see gorgeous hydrangeas grown in the area south of me, go visit my blog friend JBelle and take a garden tour. You can find her stunning photos here.

Reflections on Ponds in the Fall

Trees take on a whole new look when they are reflected in the smooth surface of a small pond.
The sun was in the right position so I wanted to see what I would catch in a photo image of the newly cleaned pond. I was surprised at the reflections I caught.

In the pond behind the house, the trees haven't grown as tall yet. The sun and clouds create a whole different reflection here. I think the reflections confuse the cats a bit, but none of our feline friends have tried to catch a bird in the tree in the reflection in the pond yet!

To Autumn

To Autumn

1.

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

2.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

3.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

-John Keats