All Things Nice . . .

 

 

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April in my own backyard --

Lettuce, pepper-grass and chard

Sending up small baby leaves --

While a mother robin weaves

Such a wee fantastic bed

In the branches overhead.

There against the crannied wall

Clothed in lichen like a shawl,

Little niches filled with moss,

(An old clothes-line thrown across)

There a toadstool white and round

Like a teepee on the ground.

In the shade bright cobwebs cling,

Mystic emblems of the spring,

Hued like opals in the sun;

Gay petunias one by one,

Colorful as patchwork quilts,

Blowing out like Highland kilts.

Ash and thorn and stunted pine

Peeping o'er a fence of mine,

Little wildlings, yet a part

Of Spring's great pulsing heart.

Lawns all green and daisy starred,

April in my own backyard.

~Edna Jacques, April in My Own Backyard

Written at Napinka, Manitoba

Beside Still Waters, 1952

There is nothing too awfully exciting going on in my backyard to be honest. I am no gardener.  Lots of weeds growing.  That's it. It is early days yet. Spring is only really getting started here. Glenna's forsythia is blooming now, and the daffodils are up.  I will miss Mr. Whitman's cheerful garden next door. He always planted lots of flowers and also planted along the roadway.  Then Will down the road. Her family always made sure she had a lovely garden also.  I can see the bleeding hearts are up and the buds of the hostas are showing as are some of the lilies, but that's all for now! I am not much of a gardener these days. I wish that I was, but I am not. I miss the gardens in England. Lots of roses and other plants.  They grew like weeds there. So pretty.

 

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This is the view from the Homestead, the poet Emily Dickinson’s home, recreated as part of an exhibit about her gardens at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. It’s a lovely exhibit, interspersing her poetry, much of which was inspired by nature, with flowers and plants.

I have always loved the poetry of Emily Dickenson.  

This is one of my favorite Emily Dickenson quotes. So much so that I put it on a little picture I drew, a long time ago now. This was always one of my favorites. I liked the way the fireflies glowed.  It's very cartoon-like, but that's okay. I like it anyways.  A reminder that anything is possible if you will only believe. 

 

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As human beings we have a need to believe in something other than ourselves.  As John Donne said, "No man is an island." Even the most reclusive of us draw on something . . . music we love to listen to, books we enjoy reading, etc. Listening to the music we love makes us feel better as do the books we enjoy reading.

We do much better in our lives if we have a cause to feel passionate about and a reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Having a belief in something, anything . . . helps us to be the very best (or worst) version of ourselves. 

Choosing what or who to believe in needs to be done with care. We humans can very easily be led astray. We see examples of this in extremism of any kind. We need to try to believe in things or people that enable feelings of peace . . .  empowering us to feel free, enabling us to soar and feel inspired.

One of the ways we can tell if a teaching or a belief is good or right for us is by how it makes us feel.  It is okay to feel challenged, so long as the challenge is positive and helps us to rise up to meet it with joy and enthusiasm. When we take our thoughts off of ourselves and think of something other than our hardships, it's remarkable how much better we feel. When we feel better, we act better, and our lives become better. We feel full and satisfied in a nourished and vibrant way.

Being open to things and unafraid of change is a prerequisite of living the life we have dreamed of . . . a life with peace at its core.

 

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Sunflowers, c. 1982. Andrew Wyeth. 

Watercolor and pencil on paper

I really love sunflowers. There is something about them and the way that they always turn their faces towards the sunshine.  That is not a bad way to live your life when you really think about it. No matter what happens to us in life, look for the sunshine and turn our faces towards that.  The sunshine is always there we just need to look for it.  It may be hiding behind the clouds, but it's there all the same. Think of when you are flying in an aircraft, you move higher and higher until you are flying above the clouds and in the sunshine.  All you need is momentum and lift.

 

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It is also how someone behaves when they think nobody is watching them.  Morality.  It is WHO you truly are. Deep. At the core.  

We live in a world today that is sadly lacking in morality, or at least that appears to be in any case. But I believe that there is far more good in the world and far more good people in the world than we might suppose. They are the hands that lift for no other reason than that they see someone or something that needs lifting. They seek to empower others and to leave the world better than it was when they arrived. They seek no accolade for what they do. Doing good is simply a part of who they are. Like breathing. They cannot help it. Good just flows.

They are out there, quietly working behind the scenes. Do not listen to the loud voices that shout the odds, instead listen to the small quiet and quiet voice that seeks to uplift rather than to destroy. They are always there quietly making a difference.

 

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Valais Black Nose Sheep

Yorkshire

Sheep with black faces make me smile. I don't know why.  Perhaps it is because they are different than the usual and I like things that are different and that stand out from the crowd.

One of the things that amazed me when I first moved over to the U.K. was the abundance of sheep.  As soon as you moved out of the cities, they were everywhere.  Dotting the hillsides. In the really rural areas, they wandered freely or at least that is how it seemed. But they were not really free, there was always some sort of protection for them. They were not trespassing on your right of way, you were trespassing on theirs.

I used to love to drive into North Wales. I remember a lovely picnic enjoyed in the middle of seemingly nowhere with the whistle of the steam train from Llangollen echoing through the air.

Does anything taste any better than a simple cheese and pickle sandwich eaten in the open air with a train whistle in the background?  I think not!  What a blessing to have had these experiences.

 

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I have not seen any bumblebees yet this year, but then I haven't got any flowers in my yard as of yet. They always loved the borage in our garden in the U.K. as well as many other plants.  I had one that I cannot remember the name of. The blooms hung in clusters, like little lanterns.  It was one that came back every year.  The bees loved it.  Also, when our palm tree bloomed it was covered with bees. I remember the year that it first bloomed. I had never seen a palm tree bloom before. 

We also used to get some really beautiful butterflies there. Peacock butterflies were my favorites. 

I cannot erase those 20 years of my life. Better to remember the things in it and the people which brought me joy, and there were many of those.

 

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That is the way that I feel about my home.  I am at peace here. Perfect peace. It is my sanctuary and my haven. Everyone needs a spot where they can feel this way. A place untarnished and unspotted by the negativity of the world. To me, when I enter my home, I am standing upon sacred ground in a Holy place. My Temple away from the Temple. A place where I feel safe and comfortable.  I am surrounded by things which I love, and which bring me peace and joy. Things which remind me of people that I care about and the things in life which are important to me. Things which feed my soul and my spirit with positivity. It is my Home Sweet Home, and all that I invite to share it with me is that which uplifts and inspires. What I read. What I watch.  What I listen to.  What I seek. Only that which brings positivity into my sphere of existence is invited.  I may not have much control over what happens or transpires outside these four walls, but I can totally control what is here in my little corner of the world and I choose joy, peace and comfort.

I cannot remember if I remembered to tell you or not, but Mac is doing much, much better. Gaining his weight back, eating, etc.  Thank goodness! Thank you for all of your happy thoughts and prayers.

 

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We are expecting a lot of rain over the next few days. It hasn't started just yet, but it is coming.  There is actually a heavy rain warning in effect for this area until this evening. The lawns are all looking fresher and greener here and the trees are all in bud.  

I am going with Cindy this afternoon to take dad and his friend Maryann to the mall for a visit with each other.  We will go off and do our own thing while they visit. I need to make a list of things I need to pick up, so I will close this now and leave you with a thought for the day . . . 

A thought to carry with you . . . 

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

*When it rains look for rainbows.

When it's dark look for stars.

~Unknown  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today, Banana Crumb Cake. This snack cake sized cake is fabulous. Moist cake with a baked in streusel topping.  Simple to make and as perfectly at home with a hot drink as it is with a scoop of ice cream.

I hope to catch up on all of my comments later today!  I hope you have a lovely weekend.  May you be blessed, happy, inspired and healthy.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!