May Blossoms

"It was the month of May, the month when the foliage of herbs and trees is most freshly green, when buds ripened and blossoms appear in their fragrance and loveliness.

And the month when lovers, subject to the same force which reawakens the plants, feel their hearts open again, recall past trysts and past vows, and moments of tenderness, and yearn for a renewal of the magical awareness which is love."

~ Sir Thomas Malory, La Morte d'Arthur 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

Nature's Living Lanterns

 

Most people know about Lightning Bugs, cute little flying beetles with bottoms that light up at dusk to facilitate one task all life forms are driven to accomplish – reproduction.

In Middle Tennessee, our Lightning Bugs have returned, they come out once the sun is well below the horizon and produce a bright yellow green light that blinks on and off in the gathering night.
Sitting outside in the warm night air, we watched as the darkness of the woods was lit by the twinkling lights and mating rituals of the Lightning Bugs, or Fireflies as known to non-Southerners, meeting and creating beautiful luminescence together.

Close your eyes and think back to the long hot summers of childhood.
Playing outside until late in the evening, sitting on the front porch eating ice-cold watermelon slices, listening to the crickets chirp, and the tree frogs sing.
Remember catching Lightning Bugs and keeping them in a Mason jar ?
They glowed beside you all night long sitting on your night table....
Innocence and childhood going hand in hand.

The magic has returned....

Cowboy Up

I am convinced that Oliver cat, in a previous life, was a Bronc rider.

 

 

 

 

Yee-ha ! 

Enjoying Nature's Beauty

I am one of the fortunate ones, who was lucky enough to spend  Mother's Day with my daughter and son-in-law.
Rambling around the farm, and enjoying all the beauty of their Tennessee home, what could be sweeter.
I hope your day was just as special !

To All Of Our Wonderful Mothers

This post is dedicated to all of our wonderful mothers, without whose unselfish, love and devotion, our lives would be forever changed.
"Happy Mother's Day" tomorrow, I hope your day is filled with much loveliness.

"A Mother holds her children's hands for a while.......their hearts forever."

 

 

 

You Were There

You were there when we took our first steps,
And went unsteadily across the floor.
You pushed and prodded: encouraged and guided,
Until our steps took us out the door...

You worry now "Are they ok?"
Is there more you could have done?

As we walk the paths of our unknown
You wonder"Where have my children gone?"

Where we are is where you have led us,
With your special love you showed us a way,

To believe in ourselves and the decisions we make,
Taking on the challenge of life day-to-day.

And where we go you can be sure,
In spirit you shall never be alone,
For where you are is what matters most to us,
Because to us that will always be home...

- Author Unknown.

Purple Delight

The rain has finally stopped, and despite the soggy earth it has left in its wake, the Clematis is showing out.

Year after year, this sweet little vine graces us with heart-stopping beauty, I can't help but smile when it catches my eye.
 

 

 

   

 

 

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "The Sensitive Plant

Blackberry Winter

We've been having a cold spell the past several days.
Old-timers in the South know this as Blackberry Winter, or Dogwood Winter, which mainly describes a brief period of cold weather that coincides with the time the blackberries are in bloom, or the dogwoods are blooming, (typically in early to mid May).

The colder temperatures, and three days of non-stop rain, have sent the birds back to the coziness of their nests.

There's nary a bird in sight.
 

 

 

 

The First Sergeant managed to clean out the pond before the rains came. Sitting on the bottom was a large frog, I'm not sure if it was Igor our amorous calling frog from last year, time will tell....

 

 

 

And The Rains Came

The earth is soaked from two days of rainfall, and more predicted.

Not a good start for all those newly planted Spring-gardens.

The flowers on the other hand, seem very happy.

 

 

  

Late Bloomers

Our Irises have finally bloomed.

It seems as though they are always late bloomers, long after most others in the neighborhood have put on their Spring show, ours slowly awaken.

They are from antique Iris stock, handed down from family member, to family member, these particular flowers being over a half a century old.
Tended with love and shared amongst the generations, from great grandmother, to great granddaughter.

 

 

The Tennessee State Flower

May your blooms be floriferous and in good form,
Distinctive, with good substance, flare, and airborne,
With standards and falls that endure, never torn.
May you display many buds and blooms sublime,
In graceful proportion on strong stalks each day,
Gently floating above the fans and the fray.
May you too reach toward the moon and stars,
Bloom after bloom, many seasons in the sun,
Enjoying your life, health, and each loved one,
Until your 'living days are artfully done.

~ Georgia Gudykunst

"He Stopped Loving Her Today"

 

I have just spent the last two hours sitting in the dentist chair, with tears running down my face.

They have televisions in their dental rooms, and airing on all of the local stations, was the funeral service of one of the most revered country music singers, George Jones who passed away last Friday at the age of 81.

Live from the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville, close friends, and fellow country music performers, shared their admiration, love, and respect for their friend, who was lovingly nicknamed  "The Possum". 

Stories were told, songs were sung, performers wept.
 I wept.
Saying goodbye to a legend is never easy.

A Man's Home Is His Castle

 

Each weekend throughout the merry month of May, thousands of people flock to Castle Gwynn in Arrington, Tennessee.
It's Renaissance Festival time, complete with jousting events, kissing-wenches, mead-drinking, arts and crafts, music, merriment and mischief galore.
What sets itself apart from all other Renaissance Festivals is it's distinction of being the only Renaissance Fayre held on the grounds of a real castle in North America.

Castle Gwynn is a startling replica of a 12th-century Welsh border castle and the private home of Nashville-native Mike Freeman, a portrait photographer, and his wife, Jackie, a retired schoolteacher.

The complete story of how the castle came to be, can be read here : http://tnhomeandfarm.com/castle-gwynn and is still an ongoing labor of love.

To view the 2013  Festival schedule and directions click here : http://www.tnrenfest.com/index.htm admission price includes a tour of the castle !

Royalty, nobles, knights and peasants, come one, come all....
'Tis most splendid!

Dragons welcome.

Simple Days

"Don't let yourself get so busy that you miss those little but important extras in life ~
the beauty of a day...
the smile of a friend...
the serenity of a quiet moment alone.
For it is often life's smallest pleasures and gentlest joys that make the biggest and most lasting difference."

Hump Day

Pesky Squirrels

click to enlarge
I peeked inside Mrs. Robin's nest over the weekend, she had laid three of the most beautiful blue eggs.
Today, this is all that remains.
Sad.

Spring Cleaning

The First Sergeant has spent the last few days, mowing, trimming, pruning, and  fixing.
Putting the place 'to rights' after a long Winter's nap takes quite an effort, and will be ongoing for several weekends to come.

My effort consisted of hanging the porch ferns. and planting Geraniums.

I've still got lots of empty pots to fill, and birdhouses to tend......

The Perennials are flowering.

We had a hard frost last night, I'm keeping my fingers crossed they were not harmed.

"Everything is blooming most recklessly;

if it were voices instead of colors,

there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke: Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

Meet The Girls

My daughter and son-in-law have recently bought a place in the country.

It came complete with four miniature donkeys, who are the sweetest and most curious little jennies.

They are called companion animals, and it is obvious why, since they are the most social of creatures.

Meet the latest family members......Rose, Daisy, Lily, and Buttercup, two precious mothers and their adored daughters.

click to enlarge

Planting Times

Beatrix Potter taking a little break in-between gardening chores.

 

 

Season Change

Time to change the teapot from the Blue Willow back to the Summer Pansies design.
I confess to being a tea addict, it's the first thing that passes my lips in a morning and the last thing at night, even going so far as taking a cuppa to bed with me.

I came about the addiction honestly, and put it down to all those times we English children were offered milky tea in our bottles as we were growing up.

Yes, they start us at an early age.

A Simple Life

To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter;

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring —

these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

~ John Burroughs

Awakening

Now is the time of the illuminated woods.......

when every leaf glows like a tiny lamp.

~ John Burroughs