Harmony

Beautiful Grounds.

New Harmony, IN was our secret destination. A room with a fireplace we left on all night. Was wonderful. Great time to do nothing but eat in peace and rest. Wood floors in our room, very shaker-ish in style. (I tasted champagne...thought it smelled and tasted like fruit flavored isopropyl alcohol also. After holding out til late in life, I find I haven't missed much. Perhaps you have to drink more than I am to ever enjoy it, I don't know. Not sure if I could stand that much of it. I guess that's why you sip.)

We had some friends who'd been there a couple years ago for New Year's and wanted to go back for some serenity and couple time. A low key and restful celebration...wonderful tomato bisque, pepper crackers and real butter, and spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Mmmmm. Hubbie had prime rib.

Okay, so I did wear black to get hubbie to wear a tie...and doesn't he look great in a tie? So finished. I found a greyish floor length angora sweater in my closet to keep me warm and knock some black off the whole thing. Anyway, after all the time spent packing our bags and hiding everything, I stuck my overnight bag away on the back porch and forgot it! Fortunately, my friend would not be away without her makeup bag and curling iron. It somehow relaxed me to not have all the girly fuss in my room.

We TOOK IT EASY...walked around a shop or two, bought some Christmas ornaments on sale, did the New Age mazes (just to say we had) laughed and joked about their key to inner peace the entire time. Apparently, the Harmoniasts made a couple attempts at communal living at New Harmony and failed--now they do commercialism and arts. As is typical, the beautiful and the very strange art. They'd have an obvious depiction of Christ, but would not say that on the plaquard to respect universalism...they'd call it "The Tribute to the Irish People" or something. We did find plaques of The Ten Commandments imbedded in the guest welcome center (Eck...mmm "Thou shalt have no other gods before me.")

Iron arts, pottery, dried flowers, soaps. Fun to look around. Wish I had a pic of the weirdest statue, but I was too astounded. A guy's head growing out of his check with war torn body parts. We're all still working on the interpretation.

What stayed with me most was a poem from an old lady on a plackard in a garden. She described her heavy old bosoms hanging low, her well mapped face, round middle section, thick legs...and what seemed to be the happiest time of her life...watching her grandchild slide up and down her legs, seeing her husband discuss how electricity works with the meter man, wanting to kiss him for the genial interchange he offered his friend.

That's how I want my life to be...content to grow old and just be who I am, proud of my family, my man, my grandkids...happy, whatever that may look like. Happy in Christ...for HE IS THE "CENTER"...the point of all "harmony".

Me