All Things Nice . . .

 To Think

To think that I shall move in company,

With stars and wind and cloud,

The hills that clap their hands in joy,

The brooks that sing aloud.

To think that I may know the earth,

Where pale white lilies blow,

Blue shadowed hills where tiny tracks

are printed in the snow.

And here beside me walking now

Are hosts unseen I swear,

I feel their presence like a cloud

About me everywhere.

Oh world untouched by mortal hands

Bend closer still that I

May hear the rustle of the wings,

Sweeping across the sky.

~Edna Jaques, Beside Still Waters, 1939 

When I was a child I used to love to play on the swings which were very near to our home, with thick well worn wooden seats and heavy metal chain ropes.   I would pump my little legs, hands grasped tightly around the chains . . .  making the swing soar higher and higher. I felt like I could touch the sky, the wind  brushing against my cheeks, the sun gilding my upturned face with its warmth . . . it was like I was flying, and for those few moments I believed I knew how the birds must feel as they soared through the skies above me. Forgetting for those moments the things which had me tethered to the earth.  One day I will soar through the skies and touch heaven, amidst the rustle of wings, with stars and heavenly hosts for company  . . .  sweet reunions await me.

But for now I rest and enjoy the many blessings afforded me in the here and the present.  I am thus content. 

My sister's home is surrounded by abundant wild life. I like to sit outside beneath the car port and listen to the birds that dance through the tree tops . . .  jays and crows, chickadees . . .  doves and pigeons coo as they graze in the grass.  Such a blissful, comforting place.

I have always felt closer to God when I am surrounded by nature,  ever aware of the sounds and sights and smells of the earth's great gifts to us.  Pure and utter peace and contentment.

 

There must be about half a dozen chipmunks that live on her property.  She is the chipmunk whisperer.  She chits and calls them and they come bounding through the grass to her  . . .  taking peanuts from her outstretched fingers. We sat quietly in our seats as they wound their charms about our toes  . . .  it was magic. 

They came again and again. I think they would come forever, so long as the peanuts held out.  

And a few yards away red squirrels were at  play . . . . chasing each other round about the trunks of the trees.  Their tails flowing behind them like silken plumes . . . waving and dancing.

Sitting there in the shade on a warm summer morning is a little bit like being situated in a small piece of heaven on earth.  All the cares of the world just fall away  . . . 

The little foray up to Margaretville with my brother the other morning was a real breath of fresh air for me.  I had not been since my return back to Canada.  It was so nice to be there. I cannot walk along the beach now because of the stones and the way my arthritis holds me back, but I did enjoy sitting on the boardwalk at a picnic table as my brother explored life along the stones and pebbles.  I was very much at peace. The sun was shining, the air was filled with that briny crisp smell of the tar from the wharf and the tang of the sea.   Sea gulls soared above me and my face was warmed by the sun. There was nary a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful, beautiful day  . . . 

This is the light house.  I have fond memories of standing on the walkway built around it and watching the sun set across the bay. It is a spectacular sight.  One minute the sun sits on the water, glowing . . . .   the horizon  bathed in  jewel-like tones  . . .  roses and golds . . .  purples  . . .  and then in an instant the sun is gone, the color too  . . .  and the night encompasses you about with a dark blanket . . .  pitch black  . . . 

And you think to yourself . . .  how on earth am I going to find my way back to my car.  But somehow you do. 

A lone crow marched along the boardwalk . . . first on one side and then the other  . . .  coming closer and closer . . . but still keeping its distance.  It was interesting to watch its dance . . . it was  very interested in the wild roses bushes that grew along the leeward side of the boardwalk. I could hear small birds chittering away and every once in a while one would appear and then disappear again into the leaves and pink blooms of the wild roses.  

There was the merest hint of lupin still in bloom and I wondered at how spectacular it must have been just a week before  . . . 

 

A butterfly danced on the golden yellow blooms of wildflowers . . . I remembered the peacock butterflies that used to frequent my garden back in the UK  . . .  nature is so beautiful and gifts us so abundantly.  It's gifts are all free for us to enjoy as we want  . . . 

I have a heart that loves nature.  (All photography courtesy of my brother.)

(source)

He is home safe and sound now.  I truly enjoyed his visit with us. I would imagine if all goes well for him this weekend, he will be flying his glider above Ottawa.  I have promised if I ever get up there I will go up with him, although I am not sure that his plane can hold me.  I do trust his ability however. 

Sad news, Doug will not be coming over next week as planned. He has a terrible cold. He facetimed me yesterday briefly.  He had taken two home Covid tests and one official one, all negative, so it was just a cold, but he was not well at all. 

I am disappointed I won't be seeing him, Kayla and the boys.  They've been having a wonderful summer thus far however.  Kayla has been posting lots of photos of them on FB and they are having a ball! 

My friend Warren posted this on FB as well.  It is so true.  I no longer watch the news on the television. It is filled with gloom and doom. I glance over the headlines once a day and that is it. My heart cannot carry all that is going wrong in the world, nor was it ever meant to.  I stay informed, but I do not dwell on any of it.

Germany 1957

Mom and myself

Today would have been my mother's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday in Heaven mom. We miss you terribly.

Everyone is coming over for supper tonight. Cindy, Dan, Dad  . . .  I am cooking a roast chicken dinner in honor of my sister's birthday earlier this week.  We like roast chicken.  I will cook it simply with some potatoes, carrots, swede, squash, etc.  And I am going to make Newfie stuffing to go with it. We love, LOVE that. I am not sure entirely what dessert will be.

I can't get out to the shops to get any decorations as my car is locked in my garage. The automatic garage door has been giving me grief this week. I had gotten my car out and was parked on the drive, but then when I came home from shopping yesterday it opened without any problem. So I drove the car in for ease of unpacking my bags.  But then later on I tried to open it so I could go and water my plants. it would not open. Up one foot and then it sits there, shaking and quivering and making a racket. So I closed it again. Try again, same thing. 

I will have to call the landlord on Monday. Its not normal, and nothing is blocking the sensors. I checked.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

•。★★ 。* 。

° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚

˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛

˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*If you look hard enough,

you will find that even tough times

offer pearls worthy of gratitude.

~Richelle E Goodrich° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Grandmother's Soft Molasses Drop Cookies.  Delicious!

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend! May it be truly filled with all things nice and then some! Don't forget! 

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And I do too!