little loves

a tale of two bunny-buns

/ abby hummel / 4 Comments

Because I can now spend my days enjoying the breeze through my screened-in patio while working and getting paid to do so, I have more chances to observe the wildlife surrounding our little paradise home.

not pictured: ice-cold ginger ale

This spring we fell in love with two little bunnies living in the back yard. It wasn’t just me! Even Aaron used the word “cute.” We called them Brother Bunny and Sister Bunny. Brother lived back by the big tree; Sister preferred the raised beds by the side patio.

Brother Bunny

Sister Bunny

It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. I’m sure waiting until they snared our hearts with their adorableness must have been difficult, but after sensing the protection of our affection, the darling Brother and Sister feasted on the leaves of my recently-transplanted hostas…

too hostalicious for ya, babe

… and, more devastatingly, one of our bamboo (bamboo bamboo!- veggie tales anyone?) clusters. Those things were $35 a pop. Hopefully the gnawed down plant comes back next year.

bamboo leftovers, now protected by a homemade cage

Please do not judge us for the unlovely rock garden. We dream that someday the rocks will be gone and replaced by lush green grass with twin bamboo clusters for privacy, bordered by variegated hostas. We’ve come to grips with our own human limitations and know accomplishing these dreams take time. It will probably come together right as we put the house on the market.

the uneaten bamboo plant in all it's wire-caged glory

So unfortunately, with the demolition of our decorative greenery already underway, my husband encouraged me to say good-bye to Brother and Sister Bunny before they had a chance to discover the edible garden full of tomatoes and snow peas. Now this story is all we have left of the two bunnies with their cotton-tail buns.

Good-bye to our two little Bunny-buns! It was the best of times to watch you play in our yard, but the worst of times when you ate all our plants.

with what I most enjoy contented least

/ abby hummel

I rediscovered this Sonnet a few weeks ago and I love how Shakespeare describes the emotional and mental benefit of changing one’s perspective. This poem is about romantic love but it certainly applies to many aspects of life.

When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
-Sonnet 29, Shakespeare

post its.

/ abby hummel / 1 Comment

One of my greatest little loves in life is post-it notes. I love everything about them. The weight and thickness of the paper, the eternal stickiness of the post-it strip, the colors that come together in packages, the way you can write lots of notes on different sheets and put them  in pretty arrangements on a mirror or a desk, the cute designs in the corner of some fancier ones… sigh. I have a drawer in my desk devoted specifically to post-it notes. They are organized by function (for instance, the bright pink flower-shaped pads do not have one), beauty (because I don’t actually use the yellow stack with a green fern outline in the corner, I just look at them) and size (so I can easily write out my grocery lists on the larger lined ones).

Also, I do not use imitation post-its. They must be the genuine thing. I buy real ones and bring them to work because I refuse to use the impostors.

One of the great things that happens with post-its is the hilarious cartoons at Savage Chickens. Tonight I’m freaking out a little bit, feeling like I haven’t accomplished much with my life so far, and this little one seems particularly appropriate for me:

keeping it all in perspective

My birthday is tomorrow… so despite how I may feel about what I am or am not accomplishing with the life I have lived so far, here’s to another year of not getting killed and eaten!

these have i loved

/ abby hummel / 2 Comments

I’ve rediscovered Rupert Brooke’s poem The Great Lover this weekend. No, it’s not scandalous. It’s about finding delight in the simple details of life. I read it in college and now I tend to think of the line about “the strong crust of friendly bread” when inhaling the yeasty aroma of baking bread and slicing into a loaf of fresh whole wheat.
Along with re-reading this poem, I’ve been considering the importance of contentment, choosing to be happy and joyful in the midst of the life I have right now. It’s a life with lots of house work, job work that I don’t particularly enjoy, frugality/scrimping, and I’m often very far away from people I love. At times it is easy to focus on what is “missing” from my life, like new clothes, a remodeled bathroom, babies, a master’s degree, chances to travel as much as I prefer, ministry opportunities, a housekeeper (ha). But I am so very blessed; I have much to be thankful for; and I’m so much more joyful when I focus on the delights of the life I do have.

So here is my too-short list of the small and significant delights of my heart:
warm cowls and recycled yarn to make a sweater
celebrating Aaron’s 26th birthday
letters and cards ready to be mailed
friends H and B coming for dinner tomorrow evening
summer sausage from Aaron’s big deer
gray nail polish on my toes and fingers
finding new jeans with tags on from the gap at goodwill for $5.00
singing “Be Thou My Vision” in D-flat after dinner
writing in my journal
preparing birthday gifts for Aaron, N, E,  and others
reading my new ESV Bible from JB. This makes me feel extra spiritual. It is purple, which makes me feel extra special.
being married to someone who loves guacamole and fine cheese as much as I do
learning/trying to love Lord of the Rings
humming “Morning Has Broken” as the sunrise streams into our bedroom
fresh snow on our yard
Prairie Home Companion
bananas and greek yogurt
our fireplace
friends A and J, who share good news with tact and consideration
anything and everything by gf handel
heavy blankets over me in bed
cute stickers and stamps
handwritten letters
soaking tired feet in a bathtub full of hot water
the light of the lamp in our living room
freshly wiped counters
tablecloths
finishing projects; anticipating the day I will be a finished project (he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it)

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. …The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. -ps 111.
Lord, cause your wondrous works to be remembered in our hearts this day. Give us grace that we might trust in your precepts and your faithful work on our behalf for salvation and sanctification. Make us great lovers – of others, of what you have given us, and of you.

The poem is such a worthwhile read: The Great Lover
This article is also wonderful, along the same line of thought, and written by a dear mentor and professor from college: The Romance of Domesticity

cowl

/ abby hummel / 3 Comments

I have become slightly obsessed with knitted cowls. Of course I am not turning my back on the traditional scarf; I prefer to think of this as a scarf cousin with whom I am only just now becoming acquainted. I have fallen deliriously in love and can’t get enough. I have finished knitting one and have two more on the needles. One of those is a gift though. It’s so fun to use up random balls of old yarn on fashionable projects!

Here are a few that I think are HOTT.

1. From http://www.SweaterBabe.com:

2. From http://www.knitty.com:

3. From http://www.artfire.com
I have yarn just this color, too…