A Walk In The Woods

 Now is the time of the illuminated woods.......
when every leaf glows like a tiny lamp.

~ John Burroughs

 

 

 

 

 

  Oak trees come out of acorns, no matter how unlikely that seems.

An acorn is just a tree's way back into the ground.
For another try.
Another trip through.
One life for another.

~Shirley Ann Guann
  
                           

Home Thoughts From Abroad

Oh to be in England

Now that April's there,

And whoever wakes in England

Sees, some morning, unaware,

That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf

Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,

While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough

In England - now!

And after April, when May follows,

And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows!

Hark! where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge

Leans to the field and scatters on the clover

Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent spray's edge -

That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over,

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture!

And though the fields look rough with hoary dew,

All will be gay when noontide wakes anew

The buttercups, the little children's dower-

Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower.

Home thoughts from abroad  ~ Robert Browning 1812-1889

Tennessee In Bloom

 Color is once again returning to our landscapes.

The spring trees are in bloom.

Dogwood, Bradford Pear, Cherry and Magnolia, all doing their part, and adding their touch to the spring palette.

 

 

 

                                                       

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

April Showers, Bring May Flowers

   A steady spring rain has fallen all day. 

The little pond is overflowing.
Soft rainfall makes for happy flowers, and one grateful little frog.

 

🐸

 

 

 

Cold, wet leaves

Floating on moss-colored water

And the croaking of frogs -

Cracked bell-notes in the twilight.

 

~ The Pond, Amy Lowell

Easter Blessings

ALL I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM 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

  Wishing you  A Blessed and  Happy Easter dear friends ...

Color Comes To Town

I know that spring is upon us, when the Redbud trees start giving out their beautiful lavender-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

The Growing Season

The new spring grass is growing at a phenomenal rate, I suspect it has something to do with all of the rain that fell throughout the months of February and early March.

 "April showers, Bring May flowers"

Except a little early....

 

 

 

Unfolding

A few days of warm sunshine, and everything is unfolding from a long 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

 

Spring Forward

 

This coming Sunday at 2 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 ten short days,  what a lovely thought...…

 

                                                      🐇🐇

Hello March

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, in an otherwise chaotic world.

 

" It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Winter Moon

Our cold Winter days are finally becoming warmer, offering  some much needed  clean-up time in the garden.
Spring daffodills are waving their sleepy heads in the noon-day sun, and dusk is not appearing until the clock strikes 5:30.

In two short weeks we return to Daylight Savings Time, with Spring  just around the corner.
Later this evening a bright  Full Moon fills the night sky.

Magical.

 

 

Brightly the moon like a jewel is beaming,

White in the east, o'er a lone landscape gleaming,

Over the meadows and over the snow,

Glimmering, shimmering, silvery glow.

Low in the east, when the gloaming is ending,

Slowly this white winter moon is ascending,

Looming so large and appearing so nigh,

Satellite framed by a star-spangled sky.

High in the sky, with soft radiance teeming,

Nigh to the time when men, women, are dreaming,

Weird is her splendor on valley and hill,

Cold is her gleam upon river and rill.

Brightly the moon like a jewel is shining,

White in the west she is slowly declining,

Beautiful Moon ! Which beams gorgeous and grand

Over the homes of our own Native Land.

~Charles Nevers Holmes. 1926.

Rainfall

Two days of continuous rainfall, water standing ankle-deep, I'm beginning to think a pair of webbed-feet would be fitting.

Temperatures are unseasonably warm, and will remain so throughout the week.

There are shoots popping out of the ground everywhere, which is a little discerning, since we are still in the depths of winter, and snow is still a possibility.

I think Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humor.

Row, row, row your boat......

 

 

 

🎵 With Love From Me To You

 

 

 

My wish for you.

Comfort on difficult days,

Smiles when sadness intrudes,

Rainbows to follow the clouds,

Laughter to kiss your lips,

Sunsets to warm your heart,

Hugs when spirits sag,

Beauty for your eyes to see,

Friendships to brighten your being,

Faith so that you can believe,

Confidence for when you doubt,

Courage to know yourself,

Patience to accept the truth,

Love to complete your life.

May your Valentine's Day be special !

{{hugs}}
x x

February Days

 

 

 

Our days have been filled with glorious sunshine.

The daffodils are shooting up from the ground, offering the promise of spring.

I tidied around the porches and fiddled in the potting shed yesterday, it's hard to stay cooped up when the sun is shining.

Wishing you peace, in whatever little corner of the world, you call home.....

 

News From Gobbler's Knob

Rabbits have been making a show in the garden.

Nibbling on the new shoots of grass.

The songbirds are once again appearing , a good sign that life is beginning to awaken.

Punxsutawney Phil  has predicted an early spring, maybe in these southern states, the poor folks in other parts of the country, digging out of the snow, will be harder to convince......
We're having a balmy 67 degrees of sunshine today, how's that for a lovely treat !
 

Comfort Food

Today is a typical dark and dreary winter day,  there's not a ray of sunshine in the sky.
I'm making a Shepherd's Pie for supper to cheer ourselves up.

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 crispy.

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.
It will be accompanied by boiled cabbage, mashed 

 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.

Doc Martin Season 10 preview

• To help break up the monotony of long winter nights, our local PBS affiliate is treating its viewing audience to new seasons of beloved favorite shows.

  Doc Martin Season 10 aired this past Thursday, I'm already hooked.

  Thank you Public Broadcasting Service and our local Nashville Public Television.

  Check your local schedule for times and dates.
  
  

More Snow

I'm beginning to get cabin fever, and just as slightly warmer temperatures arrive, an entire new weather system is headed our way.
More snow, and sadly combined with frozen precipitation.
The school children have been afforded an extra week off school,  and yet their presence outside has been scarce.
Back when my daughter was young she would spend an entire afternoon outside with her neighborhood friends, sledding and building snowmen, only returning to the warmth of  home for a change of gloves, and some hot chocolate. Nowadays, it seems like the children stay inside and play computer games or watch TV.
Times have changed.