All things nice . . .

 

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Common To Us All

So many things are common to us all;

The love of food and little homes to tend,

A child's first toddling steps across the room,

The gay heart-warming laughter of a friend.

A little self-sown tree beside the door,

A stone rimmed flower bed, a lily pool,

A cook-stove sending out a happy glow,

The homey comfort of a kitchen stool;

The fun of planning meals and making jam,

Of painting chairs and buying drapes to match,

Of doing pickles up, and canning stuff

Gathered in fresh from your own garden patch,

Planning a weekend at a country place,

Seeing a cousin who has lost her son,

Tring to comfort her with loving words,

Feeling so helpless there with everyone;

The first shy opening of buttercups,

A rainbow arched above a waterfall,

The Little home where love keeps tender watch,

Life's precious things . . . so common to us all.

~Edna Jaques, Back-Door Neighbors 

 

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This poem really struck me this morning.  I started to think about each of us here on the earth today. The good, the bad, the ugly, the in between  . . . we are all God's children.  We are all spirits having a human experience, sent to earth to learn and to grow and to become. I believe that there is not one person on the earth who does not sometimes find joy in simple pleasures, even the worst of us.  It breaks my heart sometimes to see how people  treat each other. How callous some people can be.  What is it that makes them so?  I will never understand this need to dominate at any cost.  I hate War . . .  

I pray daily for the people of the Ukraine, but I also pray for the people of Russia, many of whom are ignorant of what is truly going on. Many of whom are against what is going on but who are powerless to do anything about it. My heart breaks for this world we find ourselves living in.

I am the type of person that will walk a mile out of my way to avoid confrontation. I am a forgiver.  I have forgiven people of things most people would not be able to forgive.  Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. That is the way I look at it.  

I think if we, as people, tried to look at  and embrace the things between us that we have in common, rather than dwelling on our differences, our planet could be transformed.  If only we could dwell on the good and not the negative . . . 

I am ever so encouraged however when I see all the arms and hands reaching out to help those who have been affected negatively by this latest conflict. It warms the heart.  

 

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All the snow is gone now from my front garden, save a small tiny wee patch right in the middle of the yard. You would miss it if you were not looking for it. Its only about 4 inches across.  The last vestiges of what was, just a few weeks ago, a huge mountain of white, so tall I could not see the houses across the way.  Already I see in the gardens bulbs pushing their green points up towards the sky, having burst through the heavy soil, reaching for light. 

It is a miracle to me that these things happen every year like clockwork.  A divine mystery . . .  the migration of the birds, the nesting, the end of hibernation, the budding of trees and plants  . . .  how do they know?  This is the time of year that the earth begins to awaken after the long and cold Winter's sleep.  It is the same every year . . . you can rely on it, can count on it.  That is nature and the nature of things.  Things start waking up as the days get longer and longer.  It has been ever so.

This week I have been enjoying a series called Hidden Villages with host Penelope Keith on my Roku channel on the television. You can also stream it on Acorn I believe.  In it she travels across the length and the breadth of the UK sharing with us the unique, wonderful quirkiness and beauty that these small villages have to offer.   She shows us bits of the UK that many of us have never and will never get to see, talks to fascinating people and reveals ancient customs that make them so wonderful.   When I was in the UK I fell in love with the British villages and their people.  It is one thing I will miss most of all.   

It is this concept of a village that charms us from shows such as Grantchester, Midsommer Murders, Heart Beat, and All Creatures Great and Small.  There is something about the British Village that plucks at our heart strings and makes us wish to live there, or at least somewhere close . . .  I believe it is the sense of community perhaps?  Our world is so hustle bustle there is something in us that yearns for the sense of the familiar and the dear  . . . for seemingly lost eras where things were much simpler and uncomplicated.

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There are so many things I need to be doing that I haven't gotten done. I've been sorting out all of my receipts, etc. for my income tax. I spent most of yesterday looking for one. I looked from pillar to post only to realize that I had it all along in my folder.  I was looking for a T4 slip for 2022, not thinking it was 2021 I actually needed. DUH!

I have packages to get ready to go out. I need to get wrapping paper. I have been slow to get this done. It seems that I am slowing down a lot.  I used to be able to fit a bazillion things into one day, but these days it seems that if I can get one or two things done then that is it! 

Is it just me or does time seem to be speeding up??? A day no sooner gets started and it is ending. 

 

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Have you ever made caramels.  Back when I was serving my mission there was a young Missionary whose mother had sent him a box of homemade caramels for Christmas. He shared them with all of us. Oh my but they were some good.  I found myself thinking about them yesterday.  I have never made homemade caramels.  I find that I shy away from making candy most of the time.  When the children were small I used to make them fudge from time to time, but I was not a real candy maker per se. I remember making Divinity fudge in Home Economics at school.

I have made peanut brittle in the microwave quite a few times and its always turned out well.  

I do confess that candy making can scare me a bit. There is something really frightening about molten sugar. I have accidentally dipped the tips of my fingers in it in the past and that was not a very pleasant experience! 

 

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My fingers are itching to pick up some needles or a hook or some needles and floss . . . every time I attempt it the cats want to be involved.  They are such funny creatures.  Oh I don't half enjoy them.  My sister wasn't well for a few days and my father has come here for supper these past two days.  He has enjoyed them also. Nutmeg sat on a chair while we were eating supper both nights, just watching us, like a little man.  He did not try to get on the table or anything. Just sat there watching. It was rather cute.  Dad was charmed.

Nutmeg also spent time sitting/laying next to dad on the sofa while he watched tv. He is a cat that likes to be around people. Cinnamon, she is more independent, but she can be very affection from time to time as well.  Not when other people are around, but when we are here by ourselves, she likes a good cuddle.  And she chirps when she purrs.  I find that very endearing. 

Well, I best be on with my day and leave you with a thought to carry with you  . . . 

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

 *.˛. The earth is filled with love

that goes unspoken.•。★★ 。* 。 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits  . . .  delicious.

I hope you have a fabulous Saturday. Stay safe and stay healthy. Don't forget! 

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And I do too!