Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 

 A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.

A son who sends me photographs of the food he has cooked because he knows I will appreciate them.  Doug is always sending me photos of things he is cooking.  I love that. He was cooking this lasagna the other day for his family and shot me this photograph. He also sent one before it went into the oven. All of my sons love to cook and all of my sons are great cooks. Their dad likes to cook as well, no surprise then that with two parents who love to cook, they ended up being good cooks.  

Speaking of lasagna, my sister cooked a fabulous lasagna for us for supper last night. It was delicious.  We also had garlic bread and lemon pie. A great meal for all, but as well, a nice visit with the people you love.  Eileen really enjoys these family dinners. Another bonus.

 

Every day after we retire for the night, I shoot Eileen over a couple of positive thoughts that I find on Pinterest.  A positive way to end the day and she looks forward to receiving them. I am trying to be as supportive as I can for her. 

This weekend she was doing bead art. She got quite a few small things done. She really enjoys it and it is the type of mindless activity that keeps you distracted and busy. She almost has me wanting to do it, except I don't think my eyes could handle the smallness of it.

Maybe we could do a puzzle together. I am not sure.

 

This was Cinnamon laying on the back of the sofa behind me yesterday afternoon. I couldn't help but take a photo of her. 

At the same time this was Nutmeg laying on the chair.  He moved just as I was taking the photograph but he had been in a very similar position. All stretched out.

I love these two little critters I share my home with. They never fail to amuse me.  They are usually very close to me, one next to me and one behind me, when I am watching television. They want to be part of almost everything I do.  There to greet me as soon as I come in the door after being out, and first thing in the morning when I get up.  

Eileen has really been enjoying them also.  She really enjoyed my sister's cats yesterday as well. She just loves cats. She had her own cat when she was an older teenager. Named Misty. She had complete care of that cat. She was responsible totally for it's upkeep, and she did a good job of it.  She's a great cat mum.  When she gets her own place she is going to get a cat.  She's really looking forward to that.

I believe that March is going out like a lion. We have had snow, snow and more snow, but none of it really lays for long.  It started snowing just when I left for my sister's yesterday and it snowed pretty much all night.  We are supposed to have light snow this afternoon, and they are calling for more snow/rain later this week and on into April. That is when April Showers will begin, in preparation for May flowers.  Its all good.

My faith. It upholds and sustains me.  All of my life I have been a believer. I cannot imagine not believing. It is such a huge part of who I am.

I love my home sweet home. It is a blessing to me.  Remember that house I was dreaming about buying when I first moved back to Canada. I could have bought it then, but couldn't get a mortgage. It is for sale again, but I cannot afford to buy it now.  Owning your own home is a lot of responsibility. I had my head in the sand back then.  What was I thinking??? I could not take care of my own home. I am right where God wants me to be and where I need to be. My home is everything I need and perfect for me at this stage in my life.

Faith, family, friends, home, health . . . I am blessed beyond measure.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*Children are likely

to live up to what  

you believe of them.

~Lady Bird Johnson 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Easy Oven Burgers.  This was something that Eileen really wanted to try and so I did a small batch of the recipe for her with fabulously tasty results. Messy but really delicious!

New week, fresh page.  I hope your week ahead is filled with things which bring you peace and joy. Be happy. Be blessed.

Whatever you get up to today, Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!    

   

Saturday Nice . . .

 

(source)

A little hat gay as a robin's egg,

A pair of pumps with tiny stilted heels,

A clump of violets on a purple dress,

A little whisper in the air that feels

As if a breath of spring were blowing there,

From a plowed fiend beyond the town somewhere.

A restless longing in the hearts of men

To leave their dingy jobs and travel far,

Roaming the earth beyond the cities' fret

Where mountain peaks are lovely as a star,

Where vast unpeopled valleys lie unclaimed

And mighty rivers flow, unknown, unnamed.

New suits in plaids and checks and sober brown,

A window full of gaily patterned prints,

A tufted bedspread draped across a chair,

Gay curtains made of gaudy floral chintz,

A bunch of kids hunched in an alleyway

playing a game of marbles half the day.

A blue jay piping in the purple dusk

Beyond the quiet borders of the town,

A farmer pacing off a little field,

The smoke from supper fires drifting down,

And in the hearts of common folk and king

The great up-rushing currents of the spring.

~Edna Jacques, Spring

Back-Door Neighbors, 1946

I chose this poem this morning based on the title and it being officially Spring. even though the weather is not even remotely spring-like for many people at the moment. It won't be long before it will be. Winter's last hurrah is busy tormenting us all at the moment, alas. What makes it bearable is knowing that it cannot last, and we will soon be enjoying all of the joys and pleasures of spring.

Yesterday when I went to my sister's for our wee trip with dad, I could smell woodsmoke very clearly in the air, the smoke from supper fires?  I don't know.  All I can say for sure is that it is a smell I truly enjoy.

 

(source)

I can remember always wearing a hat to church when I was small. There is a photo somewhere of my standing outside my grandparent's house in Lawrencetown here in Nova Scotia, all decked out in my Easter finery. With a little navy cloth coat, a pretty white and navy polka dot dress, and small white straw hat, holding my little white bible in my hands. I would have been on my way to Sunday school I guess. I am not sure.  I do remember having a few hats for church. I remember one being like a head band and it was tight and hurt my head.

One year when my girls were small I bought them matching dresses for Easter, albeit in different colors, to wear to church that came with little straw hats to match. They were so cute. I am sure photographs exist somewhere. I was not allowed to have any photos when that marriage broke up. Long story, not worth telling.

People don't really wear hats any more, unless they are extremely wealthy and going to a wedding or to Ascot. Or unless it is a ball cap.  There are plenty of those about. 

Back in the day there was a dress code for flying on an airplane. Things are much more relaxed now.

 

(source)

Eileen was a but upset after her CSS visit yesterday. First of all she was forced to sit at a table at Tim Hortons across from Tim's and his girlfriend. The place was busy and that was the only empty seat. Personally, I think someone in the group should have switched places with her rather than make her endure that.  Secondly she was forced to watch them kissing in the parking lot as they were all leaving, again she and Tim in the same car.  I just don't "get" it.  Just because these people are learning disabled, that doesn't mean that they don't have feelings or that their feelings don't matter. I do not really believe that enough care is being taken, but I don't know who to talk to it about.

I am giving her lots of support here at home, but I think that there is a duty of care which should be taken by those who are "helping" them out in the CSS program. Ant that duty of care should involve not putting her into awkward situations with Tim and his lady friend. I know they are a small group of people, and that there are situations where they will be thrown together, but must they always be in such close proximity??  I really don't understand it, and it doesn't seem very right to me.

I found this page on FB yesterday for Maine Coon kittens here in the Valley. I am not sure how much they cost but it is probably a pretty penny. They are all so cute. But then again, any kitten is cute. My cousin told me that my cat's father had Maine Coon in him and sometimes I can see it.  

I love my cats. They have such unique personalities, and are as different as chalk and cheese. Yesterday around suppertime, Nutmeg was pestering Cinnamon so I chased him away from her.  So next thing I know I could hear him in the bathroom. When I went to investigate, he was in the process of emptying the garbage. So I chased him out of there and cleaned it up. He went from there to the bookcase by my front door and proceeded to pull all of the books out and off the bottom shelf.

I finally relented and gave them their supper, even though it wasn't quite the regular time. It was clear to me that he was going to continue to do things like that to get my attention.

 

This was him just a little while later, snuggling up to me on the sofa.  He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. 

Eileen was working on her bead craft next to him. She is doing some little Christmas sticker things. 

I just found the photo I was talking about earlier. I would be 4 1/2 in this picture. My hair had all been cut off as my mother was going into hospital to have our Brother earlier that month and she didn't want my grandmother (who was ill with cancer) to have to deal with my curls. I think I was taken to the barber that lived a few doors down.

 

At this time of year . . . early Spring, anything can and does happen weather-wise.   Cherry trees bloom . . . and snow falls.  I often empathize with Thoreau, living his solitary life in a hut by Walden Pond . . . impatient with the busy-ness of life which creates days that are ending no sooner than they are beginning.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

I think we often rush about too much, keeping to schedules and busying up our days.   I prefer whimsically haphazard days . . . much like this blog is meant to be.   Like life, I never know for sure really what I am going to write about each morning when I sit down at the computer.   My words kind of unfold from the tips of my fingertips and that is how my days go . . . they kind of unfold before me, and . . . except for appointments which must be kept . . . the magic and the mystery of the unfolding of each day is like a gift I give myself.

 Life is far too short to live it in a box or any prescribed way . . . I am  here to listen to the music, and to dance and to sing . . . to find poetry in simplicity . . . to enjoy the small things, little gifts and tiny moments . . . for in reality . . . life is not about the big things at all, but in the small and simple little things that become the fabric of each and every day.  They are that which count the most of all . . .

I am going to end this now.  I am really tired this morning and I think I am going to crawl into my chair and have a quick nap before Eileen wakes up and my day begins in earnest.  I don't seem to be able to gather my thoughts coherently this morning. I am just too tired I guess. I apologize for not being my usual self.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*An owl is the wisest of all birds
because the more it sees
the less it talks.
~Unknown

In The English Kitchen today, Five Spring Cakes worth Baking. All delicious. All favorites. All very spring-like.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend. Whatever you get up to I hope it brings you peace and joy. Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!    

   

Dear Neighbor . . .

 

(source)

 March 20th, 2026

Estate Lane

Middleton, Nova Scotia

-2*C/28*F

mostly cloudy

Dear Neighbor,

Hello on this, the first official day of Spring!  That is something to cheer about, even if it really doesn't feel really springy at the moment. The buds are appearing on the trees and the snow has all melted away (here at least) and the small tender promise of green shoots are bravely poking their heads out of the hard cold ground. The sun, when it shines, already has the promise of the warmth to come in it. This is a change that I, who never deals well with change, can happily welcome!  Spring brings with it the hope of warmer days and the greening of the land. Never have I heard a body say "Darn, it's spring," not ever!

 

(source)

I spent most of my formative years living on a small air force base two hours north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winters there were harsh and bitterly cold, but Spring was magnificent. The snow seemingly melted overnight, leaving in its wake vast puddles of water that lay upon the ground waiting to be absorbed into an earth not quite ready to accept it, still being held in the grip of a winter that always seemed to take it's own slow time to depart. There was naught to do but to wade our way through these puddles to get to school. In boots that slipped on over our shoes, slowly and carefully sloshing and sliding through the water . . .  hoping that none of it would make its way over the tops of those boots, soaking our feet.  "Getting a soaker" was the terminology used, and nobody really wanted one.

I remember Easter holidays from school.  We would be playing outdoor games on grass that was dotted with stubborn little piles of snow, yet undeterred from remaining, the brown grass beneath our feet slowly drying while green shoots started to poke through.  The air was crisp but held  a growing warmth that we had not felt in months. We all felt the urge to throw off our jackets and revel in it, and sometimes we did.  Everything felt fresh and filled with promise.

 

(source)

The marble bags would come out and those little glass balls would be polished in anticipation of the games to come. I liked the pee wees, but there were only ever a few of them in a bag.  If we were lucky the Easter Bunny would bring us a new skipping rope and a bottle of bubbles.

Windows thrown open to blow away the cobwebs.  Winter blankets aired on the line. The air was just loaded with the promise of brighter things to come. It was a wonderful feeling.

It still is.

 

(source)

I have gotten in all of my ant bait. The trick is knowing just when to put it out. I think it is still a bit early, but it won't be long before it is needed I am sure. I had so many plans for this week, to clear out cupboards, etc. but I only got the one done and I still haven't begun sorting everything for my income tax. I have it all stuffed in a file folder and every year I say I am going to start in January being a bit better at recording things rather than just saving the receipts and then I don't.

It is much more fun to look at a pretty wreath made from saucers, flowers and ribbons. Yes, I am the great procrastinator. I don't think anyone is better at it than I am. I tell myself that I do my best work under pressure, but that's just an excuse, however much truth it might hold.

Procrastination should be my middle name.

 

(source)

Every season is a fresh start,

a mini new year 

to reset our homes with rhythms

of prayer, gratitude and story.

As the days, months and years pass since my return to Canada I find I am more and more able to look upon the things of those 20 years spent in the U.K.  with gratitude. At first it hurt to think of any of them with any measure of grace, but I find that now I can think of things and they don't automatically pain my heart.  

There was a stone path that led down the hill from the Manor to the village when we lived there, and in the springtime it was lined with the yellow blooms of primrose. I had heard of primrose before, mostly in that song about Primrose Lane, but this was a real Primrose Lane and it was beautiful.  The village green would be awash with budding crocus, purple and white  . . . fat little bumble bees visiting each one, their wings humming gently,  leg bags awash and swollen with the dust of gathered pollen.

It is the small things and memories such as this that are beginning to bring joy to my heart once again.  There is still a bit of melancholy attached, there probably always will be, but they are not as painful as they once were. 

 

(source)

Something stopped me short this week. I was reading David Butler's IG and he said that he had posed a question to his son this week. "What if today I offered to give you a million dollars, with one condition.  That you die tomorrow. Would you take it?" His son's response was immediate. "No." He then posed the question again, each time raising the amount of money offered. The answer was always the same. "No." with no hesitation.

I asked myself the same questions. I asked Eileen.  The answers were always the same. No.

Lesson learned. If we would not give up any of our tomorrows for any sum of money, then that must mean that of all of our tomorrows with their potential for happiness,  and hope, new adventures, and experiences, both good and bad . . . are priceless. Are worth more than any amount of money we could be given.

Then why do we live beneath the wealth of our promises?  We are not waiting for a valuable life to happen. We already have one.  Food for thought. Perhaps.

Its time to shake off what no longer serves us. New growth needs space. 

And on a side note, the cats have been enjoying the dry leaves of the last autumn bustle around the yard, blowing past the deck and dancing in the air. Even I take note now and then, thinking perhaps it is a bird visiting the feeder, which has seen no birds at all except the one lone junco.

I am not sure what I have done wrong. No birds have been attracted to it. I need to be more patient I guess.

 

(source)

I needed to go and pick up some prescriptions later in the day yesterday and Eileen went with me as she wanted some tylenol and ibupropen for her ears which have been hurting her. (I told her she needs to go to outpatients and get an antibiotic, but she says she is not sitting there for hours and hours.)

Eileen used to work at the drugstore in town. She worked there for many years as a cleaner. Everyone we met in there was so happy to see her and greeted her warmly. It did my heart good to see how valued she was by the people she used to work with. It is the same everywhere we go.  Everyone seems happy to see her. Perhaps that is because she is genuinely happy to see them. She is polite and smiling and gracious. To everyone. Life may have dealt her a harsh hand of cards from the beginning, but she rises above it all, like the cream in a bottle of milk.

I love my daughter so much and am really enjoying her being here with me. I will be sad when it ends, but it has to happen. This was only ever going to be temporary. I will not be here forever and she needs to be settled and happy in her new circumstances.

I am going this afternoon with Cindy to take Dad and Maryann for their weekly outing. Eileen has a visit with her CSS workers, so that will be today taken care of.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*Nature's first green is gold,

her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower,

But only so an hour.

~Robert Frost

In The English Kitchen today, Loaded Pierogi Casserole.  Cindy has made one of these a week or so ago and it sounded so delicious that Eileen and I wanted to try it as well.  Yesterday was the day and it was fabulous!  Quick, easy and very tasty!  Eileen is going to have the leftovers for breakfast today, or so she said last night!

I hope you have a beautiful first day of Spring. Be happy. Be safe. Be blessed. Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!    

   

My Favorite Things . . .

 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . . these are some of the things in life that I enjoy, and which make me happy, inspire me, or put a smile on my face. Maybe some of them are yours too.  Let's share!

 

(source)

I love everything to do with tea. Tea pots, tea cups, cozies, etc.

 

(source)

Pretty bookmarks and British robins  . . . 

 

(source)

A vintage bread box  . . . 

 

(source)

A balcony and shutters  . . . 

 

(source)

Well dressed nails  . . . 

 

(source)

Creams, whites and a warm kettle  . . . 

 

(source)

The beauty of simple things  . . . 

 

(source)

Blue and white  . . . 

 

(source)

Pale pink and cream  . . . 

 

(source)

Fresh herbs  . . .  I miss my herb garden in the U.K. . . . but I am grateful that I had one. That was fun.

 

(source)

A spring bouquet  . . . 

 

(source)

Kittens  . . . 

 

(source)

Pretty garden sheds  . . . 

 

(source)

A beautiful boudoir chair and leaning mirror . . . 

 

(source)

Doughnuts with sprinkles  . . .

 

(source)

Forsythia branches and corners of contentment . . . 

 

(source)

Snickerdoodles  . . . 

 

(source)

Very European  . . . 

 

(source)

Also very European  . . . 

 

(source)

Sleepy cats  . . . 

 

(source)

Windmills  . . . and frosty meadows  . . . 

 

(source)

Coffee art  . . . 

 

(source)

Berry tarts  . . .  I can almost taste them.

And those are my favorite things for this week. I guess I just like pretty things.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to

fine happiness -- it's right in front of me if I'm

paying attention and practicing gratitude.

~Brene Brown  • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Melt in Your Mouth Chicken.  And it really does melt in the mouth.  Tender, juicy and delicious. Quick and easy to make as well. What more could you ask for???

I hope you have a beautiful day. Perhaps today I will get started on my taxes. Hope springs eternal!  Whatever you get up to, be blessed and don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!