Time Marches On

We've been blessed with glorious weather these past few days, sunshine and low-humidity, the two together, are rare as hen's teeth in these southern parts.

Summer days are just around the corner, farmer's markets are displaying their early crops, and school children are graduating and getting ready for summer respite.
Despite all the chaos we have endured throughout the past years, a sense of normalcy returns.
Hoping whichever little corner of the world you call "home"..... all is calm.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lest We Forget

 

"Your silent tents of green We deck with fragrant flowers;

Yours has the suffering been, The memory shall be ours."

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Memorial Day: Arlington National Cemetery

 

 

 

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

 

~ Laurence Binyon: For the Fallen 1914

God Bless  all the service men and women, without whose unselfish commitment, our lives would be forever changed.

Bloomin' Lovely

The Lavender is in bloom, I've tied bunches with garden string and hung from the herb rack to dry.
The smell is intoxicating.
We've had more than our share of rainfall this Spring, and the flowers are showing their gratitude for it.

The lightning bugs have returned,  a definite sign that Summer is just around the corner.
Almost June.....where do the weeks go...

  

 

 

May Days

A glorious mid-spring morning starts our day. Blues skies and sunshine aplenty.
I have Mother's day plants to get in the ground, so trying to hurry before the rain comes our way tomorrow.
The distant sound of lawnmowers whirling is the only disruption to an otherwise peaceful respite.

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 2023  Festival schedule and directions click here: https://www.tnrenfest.com/events/buy_tickets.php

admission price includes a tour of the castle !

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

Dragons welcome 

🏰

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.

 

 

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

Golden Meadows

Drive along any country road in Middle Tennessee during the month of May, and you can't help but notice the fields are covered in yellow flowers.

The Meadow Buttercup ( Ranunculus acris ) is gathered for it's annual parade, it's bright, waxy petals, waving in the spring breezes for all who care to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Pleasures

Strawberry season has arrived here in Middle Tennessee.
Handpick your own, or buy by the basketful.
When I was a young girl, I was allergic to fresh strawberries.
Thank goodness, I outgrew that sensitivity.

"As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful."

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder 

  🍓

Let The Merriment Begin

King Charles III will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort this coming Saturday May 6th, at Westminster Abbey in London.

Throughout Great Britain and many other countries, there are thousands of street parties, parades, and much merriment afoot, in the celebrating .

I will be joining in the celebrations albeit from afar, my Union Jack flying, the teapot readied.

Three cheers:  Hip, Hip, Hooray, Hip, Hip, Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray !

God Save The King 

The Merry Month Of May

"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