All Things Nice . . .

 

A road map is a dangerous thing

When winter days warm into spring

And something in you deep inside

Is longing for horizons wide,

And long white roads with curves and dips,

The sight of water and tall ships.

Pinned on a wall a map can show

A hundred roads where clean winds blow

And trees meet overhead . . . where birds

Speak of their love in tender words,

Wide valleys where the sunlight pours,

Filling the whole world out-of-doors.

When every road and river speaks

Of far off places . . . mountain peaks,

Forever diademed with snow;

Where swift deep-throated rivers flow,

Between tall stands of virgin fir,

Fragrant as sandalwood and myrrh.

A road map is a magic wand

Pointing to countries far beyond

The small white borders of a mind,

A place where weary hearts can find

Freedom from worry and distress

Where quietness can heal and bless.

A map is like a sailor's star,

Shining from worlds remote and far.

~Edna Jaques, Road Map

Hills of Home, 1952

We never went on holidays when I was a child. At best we went on Sunday drives. This was fine by me as I was one who always got car sick every time we went in the car.  It was not until I was an adult and sitting in the front seat that I enjoyed car journeys as such. I have always enjoyed maps however and dreaming of travels and places to see and to go.

One of our neighbors when we were children had a station wagon, and their back passenger windows were covered with decals of all the places that they had been.  Yellowstone, Disneyland, etc. We used to stand staring at the decals and imagine about how lovely it might have been to go to those places.  The closest we ever got to anything Disney was sitting on the carpet in front of our family television on Sunday evenings with our mother's warning words "Don't sit too close to the television, you'll ruin your eyes!" ringing in our ears.

 The Wonderful World of Disney was a given in our home on Sunday Evenings.  First of all it was on early enough that even the youngest of us could enjoy it, and secondly it was always entertaining and enjoyable  Great family viewing.   As children, we especially loved it when it was cartoons. 

There were no dedicated children's television channels in those days. We got cartoons on Saturday mornings, and once we got older, perhaps a few cartoons after school.  Then for the really little ones, there were a few children's shows on weekday mornings such as Mr. Dress Up, Romper Room, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Chez Helen, and in later years Sesame Street.  They always showed cartoons at the movies on Saturday afternoons, as a filler before the movie started. Getting to watch Disney on Sunday nights was a real treat!

Of course things are a lot different now. There is children's television/viewing available 24/7. There is even a Disney streaming channel, although to be honest, I think Walt would find it quite racy in comparison to what he presented to the World. I am not sure he would approve.

  

I don't really like children's cartoons these days, or children's programming. Its all computer animation and seems to be lacking something in comparison to what we watched as children. I can't quite put my finger on it, but meh . . . I just don't enjoy it near as much and that's not because I am an adult. I still enjoy watching reruns of the old cartoons on YouTube. There is just something  missing. Am I wrong?

Maybe I am really just a Dinosaur.

 

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My sister's lawn is a carpet of white and purple violets at the moment. They are so beautiful. Even the leaves are beautiful. They are a cheerful garden flower. Violet flowers and leaves are both edible with the leaves having a high level of vitamins A and C. They can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be made into jellies, candied, or tossed into a salad.  I found a recipe for Wild Violet Jelly. 

Apparently it is fuchsia in color and quite delicious. I have heard of candying the flowers to use for cake decorations etc.  The flowers also make a beautiful garnish for things, and it turns out, totally edible.

 

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Somehow a bee got into my back bedroom (which is what I call the bedroom I don't sleep in) yesterday. The cats were after it. I was so worried that they might get stung but boy oh boy was it ever hard getting them out of the room. Even treats could not tempt them. I had to physically pick them up, one at a time, and lock them into both the bathroom and  my bedroom, respectively.

Then  I was able to open the door to the back bedroom and shoo the bee back outdoors.

I found myself wondering how on earth it actually got in.  There is only the door in that room, with a window down the length of it, which is covered by a venetian blind.  It seems pretty airtight all around, so I am very puzzled as to how it made its way into the room. 

All is well that ends well however as I was able to release it without harm to either the bee or the cats.

 

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My Mother's Day flowers are looking decidedly decrepit now. I think I am going to have to pull the arrangement apart today and put most of it into the compost.  Sad but true. That's the worst part of flower arrangements like that . . . having to dismantle them.  What was once beautiful, now only a shadow of its former self. 

I will soon have to go and get some bedding plants for my planters. The man next door as put in all of his. He has a lovely garden in front of his house. 

The new woman across the way has some really pretty hanging plants in front of her house and some very cheerful looking bright colored turquoise chairs sitting out on her deck. It really looks lovely. It makes me want to get something bright and cheerful to sit out front as well. 

 

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Cindy and I went out yesterday to do Dad's shopping for him. It was the first time in over three years we actually did it unmasked. I felt a bit jittery doing it unmasked. But we thought we are not really going to be near other people in close contact and our immunity has been boosted with our having just had our boosters and covid that we would probably be pretty safe.  I hope we were not wrong.

Having had it once, I am not eager to get it again to be honest. Dad's Doctor told him that where he had had Covid he didn't need to get a booster for another six months.

Hazel has started her chemo treatments for her cancer. They will continue, once a week, until the middle of July. Are we not blessed to live in a day and age where we can get such treatments for cancer.  I hope and pray her treatments work well.

I got the sweetest postcard from my friend Tatiana yesterday. She knows how much I love Beatrix potter and how much I love to work with my yard and crochet.  It was so thoughtful of her to send me the card. I love it. But then, I love Tatiana. It would be lovely if she could come and see me here in Canada. I think she would be bored here where I live though as there is not a lot to see or do, however picturesque it might be. If you were going to spend that kind of money that it would take to come to Canada from Greece, you would want to go and see something more exciting like Niagara Falls or the Rocky Mountains.

Our nights are a lot lighter now. This was Nutmeg laying next to me on the sofa yesterday. It was like he was saying mom, quit bothering me.  He looks all camera shy or something.

Cinnamon however was very alert and sitting on her perch.  She is such a little ragamuffin.  Love these two to bits.

I got one major job tackled this week. I got all my canned goods sorted out in the garage. I had them in the linen cupboard in the bathroom which meant I couldn't really see everything that I had.  That's never a good thing, not being able to see what you actually have in the larder.  I thought if I could move them all out into a more open space I would better be able to see them and then they would be more likely to get used before they went out of date.

I have lots of tomatoes, creamed corn and condensed soup for some reason. I almost threw  my canned chicken away. If my sister hadn't stopped by I would have done so. I was thinking they were a year out of date, but I was looking at the wrong date. I still have more than a year to use them. Whew!

That would have been a huge waste had I thrown them away.  It felt good to get a major chore done however.  Baby steps.  

I also got all of my cardboard flattened and ready for Dan to take down to the dump. Another major chore.  Somehow flattened it doesn't look like very much.

Well, I best get off here now and get busy with my day.  I am not sure what I will get up to, but it will be something! 

Here is a thought to carry with you . . . 

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

 *Life isn't a matter of

milestones, but  moments.

~Rose Kennedy•。★★ 。* 。

This is so true.  We need to appreciate each moment of our lives for what it is. Each moment is a moment that will never come again  . . . 

In the English Kitchen today  . . . Crock Pot Chicken Nachos.  Simple and delicious.  Sized for two.

I hope you have a lovely day filled with joys and pleasures and blessings too abundant for your cup to hold. Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!