Spring has a special effect on us in the valley.
The whole beautiful world invites us out,
and we have an urge to wander.
The gentle, rolling hills;
the clear, winding brooks;
the bright, rushing streams:
all are filled with the rhythm of life,
and we move with it too.
Gladys Taber in
Stillmeadow Calendar
I think of Gladys Taber often, my book friend and teacher, but especially on her April birthday.
Thank you, Gladys, for all you've meant to me.
Save a place for me, please, in the Quiet Garden Above.
A lovely post.
ReplyDeleteSpring is a wonderful season.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan! I love Autumn best but have to admit I fall in love with Spring all over again each year.
Deleteamazing really. you catch me every time that way.
ReplyDeleteI was reading those beautiful words and heard your voice. I thought you'd written them and were using pictures perhaps of Still Meadow.
you both sound alike to me! you always have. even from the beginning.
I'm terrible with birthdays. I don't even remember my OWN anymore. Happy Birthday dearest Gladys! best friend of Jill. and keeper of Still Meadow memories. I started reading her when I swear I couldn't have been over 10.
I remember reading her Butternut Wisdom at my Gram's house. it her beautiful descriptions was just like 'HOME' to me.
am finally feeling better. not there yet but only have 2 days of the antibiotic in me. the wind is trying to blow us away today. but at least no snow! love you this blustery spring day DSM!
and those tiny dear little faces over on the right side there across from your words ... both beloveds in heaven and the ones who are lying by you right now! waiting as patiently as doxies CAN wait! (which we know isn't for very long...)for their dinner? YUM! YES! lol! XOXO
Don't worry, Tam, you know that Poppy and I will remind you each year when it's your birthday! And I know the Marine will too.
DeleteAnd Bree-Bree and Mason never let me forget it's din-din time, they start their dachshund talk if I forget.
I hope Gladys knows what enjoyment she's given so many of us. Thank you for celebrating her day with me!
A beautiful tribute to spring, by your beloved author and teacher, Gladys Taber. Like Tam said, you seem to be a lot like the gracious lady who lived at Stillmeadow Farm, in the village of Southbury, Connecticut!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I went and googled this amazing woman and found an extract of her writing in which she talks about how she came upon Stillmeadow, with her friend and confidante, Eleanor, on a very cold February day, after having searched for two years:
"The agent had not expected anyone so foolhardy as to look at houses in such weather. In fact, he got stuck and spent his time shoveling out while we waded through snow and ice to see the house. We had no key so we crawled up from the cellar.
“Well,” said Stillmeadow, “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?”
There it stood, half-buried in the snow. Built in 1690 or a bit earlier, it had withstood the years. It even had plumbing, and how were we to know it was all cracked? It had floors pegged with square hand-cut nails. It had fireplaces. Twelve-by-eight windows, some with the old bubbly glass panes. It had what must be maple shade as giant sugar maples overhung the roof. (Planted too close, said Jill.)
It had some furniture, tables with broken legs, chests that sagged sadly, an old iron cookstove. It had, also, a wellhouse. And a frozen brook. And forty acres of land."
This, alone, had me hooked! I wanted to read more of her memoir-like writing about her enchanted life in the Connecticut countryside! What do you suggest I start with?
Then, of course, I went on to look at photos; Stillmeadow was SO charmingly pretty!! Dewena, all that lush green and white (house, picket fence - it's absolutely idyllic! She was, without a doubt, an inspiration for the likes of Martha Stewart and Susan Branch.
Thank YOU for inspiring ME, today, with this wonderful post!
xoxo
Poppy
Poppy, I'm sure that Gladys would be so pleased that you were curious about her enough to google her and read about her story. And if you can get only one of her books, it really should be The Stillmeadow Road that does tell the story of how she and her best friend Eleanor (Jill) found Stillmeadow and also contains some of her loveliest writing. Amazon still has hardback copies used from around $15.
ReplyDeleteI used to pick mine up at flea markets decades ago and felt that I'd found a treasure each time. Oh, that the world was filled with the wisdom of Gladys Taber!
I hope you get to know her more, Poppy. You'll know why I love her!