Bushel And A Peck: HOME MAID INSPIRATION

She was always there, rock solid in a world as shifty as sand under foot, a constant in my life, that, like so many others, was full of variables. Grammy was a vivacious woman with a quick, hilariously wry, often cynical, sense of humour, a peaceful lady with a quick smile, but a realistic character with great resolve and an open opinion should a situation call for it (and sometimes when it didn't). It wasn't that I was special or different then the rest of our family, but Grammy's ability to make a person feel this way was part of her charm and further more was her desire to make you feel loved unconditionally.

Grammy and I chatted either in person or on the phone several times a week, more if I needed recipes or if either of us had something we wanted to share. We talked about everything under the sun and sometimes nothing at all, but no matter the topic, she always seemed interested.  In more then one instance, particularly while discussing something horse related, it occurred to me that she likely had no clue what I was talking about, yet she would always be excited, because I was.  Often during chats about what I perceived as a typical day, Grammy would tell me that I should be writing it all down, and while my answer usually dictated some form of disinterest, Grammy seldom let a special occasion go by without slipping a writing pad into my gift, (and an economical industrial sized package of Granny Panties) . The result there being, not having the days events recorded, but instead, a large collection of material to both doodle on and copy phone messages, and of course an endless supply of clean under garments in the event of unexpected hospitalisation, just another product of the realist. Yet it finally occurred to me, after years of Grammy's persistent reminders, that she didn't see an ordinary day as such, but instead, as an adventure gifted from God and well worth remembering.  Even the ordinary can be extraordinary with only the right frame of mind.

Grammy was a private writer and chronicled many of her life's experiences in poetry, she often gave the gift of her creativity to those she loved for various occasions and was not above writing and/or reciting a good, though possibly questionable limerick. Often as a child, as she did with all of her grandchildren and later with our own kids, she would hug us and recite "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck, you bet your neck I do", it was a coined phrase that even Grace picked up early and we now use frequently in our own home.

Grammy passed away this past September after a brave and devastatingly fast battle with a particularly aggressive form of Bladder Cancer, diagnosed only the previous July.  Staying true to character on a multitude of levels, she faced her diagnosis with great resolve, declined treatments and opted to spend her final days un-invaded by medical procedures, instead using her time to say good-bye to those she loved. She chose to die with dignity, if there is anything dignified about the process by which one passes into eternity, and in return we as a family witnessed Grammy's beauty and strength to a much higher degree, and ever present was that same wry sense of humour, right to the very end.

In Grammy's prudent way, her funeral had been planned to a "T" years ago, a very modest yet beautiful affair, an ironic representation of her life and perfectly fitting. We decided that it would be a thoughtful addition to have her 3 young Great Grandchildren create something from them to be placed in her casket, when I asked Grace what she would like to contribute, she told me she would draw her a picture with all her favourite rainbow colours and she wanted me to write something on it.  When I asked her what I should write, she hugged me and said "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck".

Needless to say where my inspiration for this blog has come from, and being so, I felt it only appropriate to pay homage to my dear and constant friend as I update you on our adventures and misadventures here on Misty Marsh Farms. May you find and share your own light that it may motivate you and inspire those around you, and may your ordinary days be extraordinary.

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Welcome to Bushel And A Peck! This past week has been full of activity which I will update you on by Wednesday, so be sure to check back! Apart from the oobvious name and address change you will see some new additions to the page including an option to "Like" and "Share" us on Facebook and apparently we can now be "Tweeted" for anyone familiar with Twitter, I have yet to be Twitterpated and therefore am not familiar. We now offer an option that allows you to "Follow Us By Email", which apparently means that by submitting your email address you will automatically receive any updates posted to Bushel And A Peck. Additionally I have allotted space for anyone interested in trading links, it's taken a while, but I've finally figured out how to accomplish this so please feel free to contact me. Please explore our other additions and make yourself at home, if you have any questions or comments feel free to click on the Comment option and drop me a line, I'd love to hear any constructive feedback you may have.

I will be adding some more options over the next while, and am planning a few surprises for the near future which I can't wait to share with you!

Looking forward to updating you on Wednesday, in the meantime, please enjoy some photos of our activities over the past week.