Beauty

A Moment of Beauty

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A little moment of beauty in a stressful time. I picked these a few minutes ago from the grass around the house to make a mini bouquet.

I’ve been doing this every spring since I can remember. I’d always pick them for Ma when I was a child and every year growing up until I no longer lived at home, and then I’d pick them to remember those wonderful years.

Pa once told me that wild violets were among his beloved mother’s favorite flowers. She died about seven months before I was born, but I knew Pa had loved her deeply, and they gave me one little connection to the grandma I’d never know.

Since 1991 I’ve put my little bouquet in this tiny vase, purchased from a small secondhand street seller in London on my husband’s and my August 1990 honeymoon. Another happy memory to add to the ritual.

And this year more than most, I am so grateful for all those 50 years of memories, woven like a tapestry in my heart. ♥️

Winter Wonderland

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Winter 2019 WRitingeditedI know many people who live in “snowy” zones are often either fantasizing about a tropical vacation or waiting to retire and move to a warmer climate.

Not me, though.  Although I’m getting a teensy bit tired of the constant white and gray and brown landscape, mornings like this one, with a brilliant blue sky, make my heart sing.

I’m a winter baby, so maybe I’m just predisposed to enjoy this season. I enjoy the cold, snow, howling winds, crystal clear skies, frosted tree branches, and the fresh silence of the air after a snowfall.

This photo is of a street near my house this morning, as I drove off on the 40 minute journey to my teaching job. We had another six inches of fresh snow last night, and the plows are having a tougher time piling it up on the sides of the street. But isn’t it beautiful?  All fresh and cleanly white. 🙂

In Bloom

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imageOver the weekend, my backdoor garden has come into bloom.

Except for a bit of weeding (which I, sadly, rarely get to), this garden is self-sustaining, filled with perennials, many of them gifted to me by my dear father before he died. The tea roses are from cuttings he brought from the Homestead (originally brought there from his mother’s tea roses in Massachusetts). My Grandma Reed died the summer before I was born, but I feel like I “know” her a little through the stories my father told me about her quiet, intelligent nature, her inventive and hearty cooking, and her beautiful flower gardens.

The iris are quintessentially my father: he loved this kind of large, colorful – and some scented – iris. These are all gifts from him, with his favorite being what he called the “blue and whites” that are in the foreground. I feature one, even, in my family-life-love-loss-hope-filled novel Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven.

We spoke many times about the mysteries of life, the Universe, energies, and what the afterlife might hold. I detail some of those conversations and thoughts in the novel as well – but I like to think that the tangible  beauty of this garden speaks to that in a different way. It blooms every year, all on its own, bringing joy, a feast for the senses, and happy memories that keep uplifting emotions and treasured people in the forefront of my thoughts.

And it reminds me yet again that love might change form, but it never truly dies.

Spring Sights

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imageSpotted on back roads leading to Daughter #2’s voice lesson (her wonderful voice teacher lives about an hour distant in the countryside…well worth the trip!) The sheep looked content…and curious.

 

imageAfter this first pic on the left was snapped (at a Stop sign), the two sheep in front, who had been grazing when we first pulled up, raised their heads and stared at us. We “spoke” for a bit and then we continued on our way. 🙂

Happy Spring!

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Although it’s quite chilly here in Upstate, New York, it’s been sunny and a lovely, brisk first day of Spring.

 

imageI put out my “spring-themed” flag in the front (I have 8 or so flags, to match the seasons, though I always seem to be adding more…I just put away the green spangled Saint Patrick’s Day flag).

 

 

imageAnd the first harbingers of Spring, since I can remember, have begun to poke their little blue heads from the soil next to the house. Apparently they’re called Scilla siberica (Siberian squill or wood squill). We always called them the “little blue flowers” when I was growing up. They spread a lovely-hued carpet of blooms next to the old homestead, and the autumn before my father died, he (presciently) dug me a rectangular bit of that turf from home and brought it the 1.5 hours or so to my house, so I could have a patch of them growing every Spring. Just another reason I love him and another reason to always think of him whenever I look at the beauty of those flowers.

 

Happy Spring to one and all!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

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I always enjoy my Irish heritage…but what I enjoy almost as much is the way anyone can be “Irish for a day” on Saint Patrick’s Day!

When considering the mix of all the cultures that make up many second or third generation Americans – and especially when focusing on those that compose my biological inheritance – I’ve always viewed the Irish part of me as one of the more happy-go-lucky, warm and welcoming parts. ❤

This video is a happy memory for me from childhood…not just of Bing but also of my sweet, 3/4 Irish mother singing this song in her lilting and pretty voice in the kitchen (often while making her famous Irish soda bread, the recipe of which she’d learned from her own Ireland-born Grandma Katherine O’Halleran who hailed from County Tipperary).

Perhaps it’s also my penchant for lush imagery in poetry or lyrics, particularly nature-based imagery, that makes me love this and so many Celtic songs.

And now, I’ll leave you with a little Irish Blessing. 🙂

“May your day be touched
 by a bit of Irish luck,
brightened by a song in your heart,
and warmed by the smiles
 of the people you love.”

Pretty Sky, Followed By Rain…

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The pretty pink sky at dawn this morning out my back door…

Leading to the slate gray sky of daytime, out my classroom window.

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The weather changes reflect my mood and my ruminations today on the changes we inevitably experience in life. As with everything, we must accept the bitter after the sweet…trusting that the sweet will eventually come again.

 

Red Sky in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning…

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imageIt was a gorgeous sky as the sun came up, while I was pulling out of the driveway this morning.

imageAt a stop sign a little farther along the road to work, the sky was still beautiful.

It’s gray and rainy now and is supposed to be so for several days – so it looks like the old adage was true!

Perfect for reading and a nice cup of tea. I can’t indulge now, but hopefully I’ll be able to grab 20 minutes sometime later today.

I hope you, too, have a great day wherever you are and in whatever weather. Happy Wednesday!

Autumn Sunrise

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imageIt was a gorgeous morning coming into work today.

I took a slightly different route than usual, and so I was on a stretch of road that allowed me to see the sun peeping over the edge of the horizon like a panoramic postcard.

imageThe rest of the ride was filled with similarly gorgeous sights, as the golden rays lit up the orange, russet, and yellow leaves of the trees across the field…

imageOr next to the road…

imageI love the dark line, showing that the sun hasn’t quite gotten high enough to clear the edge of the hill and beam its light on the entire vista.

imageAnd then as I pulled into the school’s parking lot, I was greeted with even more beauty. These trees and the playing field are also visible from my classroom windows, up on the third floor of the building.

Today was one of those days reminding me how blessed I am to live where I do.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Weekend Enjoyments

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imageIt was a great weekend, weather-wise, in Upstate New York (at least for me, since I enjoy chilly, sunny weather…add the colors of the foliage, and I’m a happy gal).

Some of the enjoyments included…

imageSpending some outdoor time with our English shepherd, Cassie. Because we live in “city” limits (and there is no dog park), she has to be on a leash, but when I can I try to bring her to places where she can run without it and play with some other dog “friends”.

imageWhen we’re inside, she’s partial to lounging on her dog bed, in a nice, cozy corner of the kitchen. She keeps me company and is often my “shadow” around the house when I’m there.

imageShe’s a loveable girl, five years old, and if there is a stick in the vicinity, she’ll find it and try to run with it (even if it’s larger than she is!) 🙂

imageAnother enjoyment this weekend was the rare opportunity (because of time constraints) to go to our local market co-op for an hour with my younger daughter. It has all sorts of organic goods, fresh produce – even an art gallery and handmade wares. And there is a coffee shop, featuring their own roasted coffee beans, teas, and a selection of baked goods. My daughter got a hot chocolate, but I opted for the house specialty – an “Adirondack” latte, with the shop-roasted coffee and a splash of real maple syrup. It was delicious! Our snacks were a scone and a croissant (which was still warm).

We did some autumn decorating around the house…but I’ll do a separate post about that. ❤

How was your weekend?