To All Of Our Wonderful Mothers

Dedicated to all of our wonderful mothers, without whose unselfish, love and devotion, our lives would be forever changed.

A "Happy Mother's Day", 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

May Days

Our days have warmed up nicely, and all those April showers have surely graced us with an abundance of May flowers.
Grass seems to be greener, and blossoms seem to be brighter this Spring, it could be my imagination or a longing desire to see nature returning in all of her Glory.
Days are not as they used to be, we're learning to cope, life goes on.....

 

 

 

May Day Cometh

 

"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

   ❤

Planting Days

Blue skies and lots of sunshine today, such a change of weather from just a few days ago.

I'm off in the garden with my trusty feline Tom-Tilly by my side.

Blowing away the cobwebs....

 

Tennessee Weather

 

Tennessee weather.......it's never boring that's a fact.
Spring started with lots of sunshine,  flowers were budding and trees began to bloom.
Two weeks later, we had freezing temperatures and snow in the higher elevations.
Everything tender and ready to bloom was covered with sheets to protect the young buds.
The Clematis was one of the plants I feared would succumb to the frost, but yesterday after uncovering everything, I was given a lovely surprise.
Under the warmth of the sheet ,the vine had blossomed beautifully and perfect.

Happy Birthday Her Majesty

 

Contentment

 

RIP Prince Philip. 1921-2021

Such a lovely photo, taken in 2005 when Prince Philip dressed as a guard to make the Queen giggle.

                                            My heartfelt condolences to Her Majesty.

                                                     Photo credit; Chris Young

First Find A Shepherd

A favorite English dish of mine is, Shepherd's Pie, a working man's staple.

A concoction of ground beef, onions, carrots, and peas cooked in a beef gravy and tomato sauce, with herbs and spices; then topped off with mashed potatoes and browned in the oven until the potatoes are nice and crusty.

I buy the Colman Shepherd's Pie mix, available through Publix grocery stores, on the English import isle.
If it's not on hand, then the gravy part is made with oxo's or beef bouillon cubes and tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and parsley.

 

Shepherd's Pie was the first meal I cooked  as a newly wed , it remains one of my husband's  favorites to this day.

Accompanied by boiled cabbage, mashed it with lots of butter, and fresh pepper, that's how my mum used to serve it.

Serve with a slice of pickled beetroot or a few pickled onions on the side, and a nice crusty loaf of bread.

Yum.

 

Easter Blessings

 

Wishing you all a blessed and Happy Easter.

 

ALL I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED  FROM THE  THE EASTER BUNNY

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There’s no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people’s jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugar-coated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else’s basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors – you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

~ Author Unknown  

 

 

Returning

Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire. ~Virgil

 

 

Madness and Mayhem

Our little town was deluged with rain for twenty four hours, seven inches of the stuff, causing the town creek to once again overflow it's banks and flood the town.

It was a night of madness and mayhem, rain, tornado warnings, hail, wind and sleeplessness.

Sadly, it seems to be getting worse each spring.

*Thank you for your concerns, we are safe.

Spring Days

Our typical March weather roars in like a lion, tornado warnings, high winds and torrential rain.
The temperatures in the mid-seventies, perfect for Spring clean-up, except the rain continues to fall by the bucket-load.

A flock of wild turkeys have taken up residence in the yard, standing in the rain, as if they are enjoying a gentle shower. 

It's an encouraging sight to see forty or more wild turkeys when other areas of the state, are experiencing a decline in numbers.

 

Scratching through the wet soil.

Unfazed and happy.

Unfolding

A few days of warm sunshine, and everything is unfolding from a winter's sleep.
Fingers crossed Mother Nature is not playing a joke.

 

 

Were I to live a thousand years,
 I still would know that flaming thrill,

That rush of joy when first appears

 —the golden daffodil.

A thousand times my heart would sing

When purple irises unfold;

Or when forsythia's branches bring

Their dazzling showers of gold.

I could not see an almond tree

With branches all a rosy glow

But that a tide of ecstasy

Would through my being flow

Were I to see, a thousand times,

Blue scilla bells amid green grass,

I know I'd hear their fairy chimes

As I would pass.

Were I to live a thousand years

I'd never watch the nesting birds

Except through eyes bedimmed with tears,

My tongue bereft of words.

Were I to weave ten thousand lays,

Knew I a thousand songs to sing,

I still would lack the power to praise

—the miracle of Spring.

Silver Lining ~Wilhelmina Sitch 1888

 

 

Welcome Spring

Hello Spring, we've been waiting for you..... your healing sunshine is desperately needed.

The Robins have returned, a sure sign you have arrived.

Our days have warmed up nicely.

New grass and flowers are beginning their journey to awaken.

Songbirds have returned, and there's a nightly croaking of a frog heard at the tiny pond.

Springtime appears.

 

Flowers are budding

Birds are nesting

Bunnies are hopping

Frogs are croaking

 

"An altered look about the hills;

A Tyrian light the village fills;

A wider sunrise in the dawn;

A deeper twilight on the lawn;

A print of a vermilion foot;

A purple finger on the slope;

A flippant fly upon the pane;

A spider at his trade again;

An added strut in chanticleer;

A flower expected everywhere ..."

- Emily Dickinson,

Color Comes To Town

I know that spring is upon us, when the Redbud trees start giving out their beautiful pink buds.

The redbud is a tree that is valued far more than its small size might suggest. This lovely harbinger of spring has been called “a breath of fresh air after a long winter” and no less than “one of our most beautiful native trees” writes tree expert Michael Dirr, of The Arbor Day Foundation.

It is hard to express adequately the miracle of a tree that had branches so bare all through winter suddenly go from stark brown to magenta.
But there she is again, emerging from her own winter of storms, freeze, winds, and drought, still standing, still surviving, still blooming, still giving.

—Shaku Selvakumar

Of Cabbages and Tea

My latest little teapot.

Perfect for Spring .

                                                                            🐇

Spring Forward

This Sunday at 2:00 am our annual clock fiddling takes place once again.
An hour forward to Daylight Savings Time, payback for that extra hour of sleep, we enjoyed so much back in November.
Spring is not far behind,  just six short days,  what a lovely thought...…

 

                                                                    🐇🐇 

My sweet daughter  (the crafty one) stopped by this morning, with the cutest little bunny wreath.

She is a talented and thoughtful girl, and she always amazes me with her creations.

Her chickens are laying heartily, so many different colors of eggs, they look like they've been dyed for Easter .....

Home Sweet Home

A glorious sunshiny day today.

I've been busy as a bee, changing out the now-tired Winter decorations and replacing them with Springtime favorites.

The birds are feathering their nests, fluffing and cozying for the next generation.

A season of re-birth, promising new beginnings and hopefulness.

 

 

 

" Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts "

                                                 ~ Oliver Wendell  Holmes                 

Heavenly-Scent

Enjoying a new candle as of late,  intoxicatingly delicious, especially on these early March days, when the sun shines hot and the winds blow cold....