A Coolish Friday

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,

always bring your own sunshine."

ANTHONY J. D'ANGELO

The hot weather has now turned cold and windy on this Friday morning. Smoke hangs in the air from wildfires burning in our province. Our beautiful Jasper National Park and the town itself is burning. It's so awful! Our Emergency Alert app works overtime buzzing when yet another alert goes out, evacuations, warnings of extreme heat or bad storms or tornados brewing somewhere in the province. It begins to feel surreal. It doesn't seem right to carry on with our normal things when so many people and wildlife are impacted by these destroying events. But we do carry on, what else shall we do? Wring our hands and weep? Well, we can do that, but groceries must be bought, stomachs must be fed, and laundry needs doing. 

We are safe where we are. Mostly, my own days are quiet and pleasant; even so, they do feel prickly and tilted sideways. Somehow it's not a day for dreaming up a beautiful blog post. But I did find this gorgeous dahlia photo I had taken a couple of summers ago. It lifts my heart.

And I've been indulging this week in a few Mrs. Pollifax spy mysteries by Dorothy Gilman. She wrote the first in the series The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax back in 1966. I was just a girl then, and it's only recently that I came across these delightful novels at the thrift store all these years later. Already I love her. Emily Pollifax is a 60-something widowed woman with grown children, and she's a tiny bit bored with her life. She somehow gets involved with the CIA and goes on what are supposed to be quiet undercover assignments. They always end up being much more adventuresome and thrilling, even a bit nail biting, but Mrs. Pollifax cleverly rides them out. For some reason, the stories make me think of the old movie Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas and Kathryn Turner, in which they are involved in car chases, shoot 'em up scenes, and getting tied up by the bad guys with threats of death... concluding with the amazing escape at the end as you sigh with relief. Mrs Pollifax novels are perfect summer reads—a few hours entertainment, and then you can turn off the light and go right to sleep because there isn't anything in the stories to turn your sweet dreams into nightmares.

I want to mention that I'm taking a wee break from the blog. Rick and I are thinking of taking a little road trip, hopefully visit spots that aren't under threat of fire. So I won't be around for the next week or two...or three.

When the world gets too noisy and ugly, I go quiet. I read.

I wait. I listen. I watch the birds and enjoy my garden in bloom. I pray. 

❦

Wishing you pleasant days ahead,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Blooms and Current Favourite Quotes

"God spoke today in flowers,

and I, who was waiting on words,

almost missed the conversation."

Attributed to INGRID GOFF-MEIDOFF

Happy Friday! I'm a little later getting this up as it was just too hot yesterday to work on a blog post. This morning, thankfully, the air is fresh and cool. I was out taking a few photos of what's blooming in the garden, and I bent my ear to listen... I didn't want to miss the conversation. 

Here are a few photos to go with the quotations that have been speaking to me of late. Hope you enjoy!

"Be fearless in the pursuit

of what sets your soul on fire."

JENNIFER LEE

"We cup our hands to gather

pieces of heaven... we open our

hearts and scatter love." 

from COMMON PRAYER, p 243

"I want to see what happens

if I don't give up."

TERRIE TODD, as seen on Facebook

The real luxuries of life

- slow mornings

- freedom to choose

- good night's sleep

- peace of mind

- calm and boring days

- being present

- people you love

- people who love you

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

"I love the Lord because he has heard my

voice and my pleas for mercy. Because

he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will

call on him as long as I live."

Psalm 116:1-2 NLT

"Become the person you want to be—decent,

honorable, kind, good and good at what you do."

ALEXANDRA STODDARD, July Newsletter

"It was her habit to build laughter

out of inadequate materials."

JOHN STEINBACK, Grapes of Wrath

These Johnny-Jump-Ups are my heart's delight this summer. I planted them years ago, and each year I find new patches showing up in the spring. But this summer... they've outdone themselves. They are a perfect example of what Terrie Todd said in her quote earlier, "I want to see what happens if I don't give up." Little by little, seed by seed, word by word, day by day... a garden is created, a blog post is written, a life is lived.

❦

Wishing you a beautiful, beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Oh, Sweet Summertime!

"If spring is all about looking forward, and

autumn about dying back, summer surely

is the present moment: a long, hot now that

marks the sultry climax of the year . . . and a

stillness settles over the land."

MELISSA HARRISON, Summer Anthology, "Introduction"

What floats up from the Tickle Trunk of childhood memories on this sweltering day is remembering how exciting it was, as a girl, when the temperature climbed as high as 80F (we didn't use Celsius in those days). My little sister and I would study the thermometer, peering up to where it was securely attached to the kitchen window sill. We were much more used to temperatures being in the high 60s to mid 70s. But on a day when it actually hit 80 degrees, well, we knew we were in for a treat. Running through the sprinkler would be a lot more fun and not quite the shock when the cold water hit already slightly shivering skin. Watermelon definitely tasted better when it was really, really hot out. And, of course, there was the exciting challenge of licking Popsicles fast enough to keep them from dripping a syrupy trail through your fingers onto your fresh, clean shorts. You could smell the fresh cut hay in the fields as the warm air moved.

 

I smile because it's all part of that sweet summertime feeling. Here are a few other little things that added to that feeling this week.

Summer Reading

I've got Madeleine L'Engle's children novel A Wrinkle in Time on the go. And I just purchased Kate Quinn's newest novel The Briar Club. Hot off the press, it's a "haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C., boarding house in the McCarthy era (1950)". Looking forward to it. I still hope to reread Kate's wonderful WWII novel The Rose Code which is a firm favourite of mine. And I think I'm going to tackle Homer's ancient Greek tale The Odyssey. I don't think I've ever read, except maybe in a children's collection decades ago. I won't be reading it in Greek, although I should ask my niece and brother if they could read it, since they studied the language in college.)

A Summer Meal

Smash burgers are new to me. Until I started seeing reels about them on social media, I'd never heard of them, so I chased down some recipes to have for supper one of these sweltering days. The recipe I found is called Smash Taco Burgers. It uses soft flour tortillas instead of buns with a simple but delicious sounding burger sauce (all your favourite condiments mixed into one tasty sauce). The trick is to take a mound of seasoned ground beef and squish it flat-flat on the grill or pan with a large spatula so it spreads out about the same size as a 6" tortilla. For the recipe click HERE. Our first attempt was fine but we need a little practice before showing any pics. It was delish.

Summer Evenings

One of the nice things about hot summer evenings is watching the neighbourhood come alive as the day begins to cool. Some people are out watering their plants or washing their vehicle by hand; others stand on the sidewalk chatting with people walking by. Dogs are definitely happier to be out at this time of day. There's a gentle buzz in the air that is just so right. Makes me feel 'ah, now this is the life'. We sit out with a book; we read a few pages, stop to gaze into the blue skies, listen to the bees in the flowers, watch the fellow now polishing his car with great TLC. We track the gulls climbing higher and higher on the thermals until they are a tiny speck way, way up. Our little neighbours who are up way past their bedtime come for cookies and a visit. But hey, it's summertime and the livin' is easy. It feels good.

As I type this closing paragraph, it's now Friday morning. The air is cooler and the breeze wafts through the window, bringing with it the scent of mock orange. It promises to be a beautiful day. And that's what I wish for you, too. A beautiful day and a pleasant weekend ahead.

❦

Heart hugs,

Brenda

Photo credits:

"Last of the Peonies"

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Friday Five: Favourites This Week

"Nobody sees a flower—really—it is so small

it takes time—we haven't time—and to see takes time,

like to have a friend takes time."

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

I only have to walk into the room to catch the scent of freshly picked peonies sitting on the dining table. Although the deep magenta blossoms make quite a show, it's the soft pink ones (name escapes in the moment) that fill the room with their unforgettable fragrance.

Summertime, summertime... oh the joy of garden delights in the summertime.

Here is a mix of favourite moments from my week, mostly in the shape of flowers... either from my own garden or from the small but delightful botanic garden at Greenland, a local garden centre.

One

"Peonies are always fully themselves. We never

mistake them for some other flower. No one ever says,

"Oh, that peony looks just like a double-flowering tulip!""

CHRISTIE PURIFOY, Garden Maker  

Two

"I am excessively diverted."

JANE AUSTEN, Pride and Prejudice

Three

"At some point in life the world's

beauty becomes enough."

TONI MORRISON, Tar Baby

Four

"We might think we are nurturing

our garden, but of course it's really our

garden that's nurturing us."

JENNY UGLOW

Five

And outside my study window wafts the fragrance of hundreds and hundreds of blossoms on the mock orange shrubs blooming beneath it. Planted four summers ago, they now nearly reach the second story of our house. And if I lean out my window, if I dared, I could almost pluck a few sprigs for my desk. We planted a mock orange about 20 years ago, which is almost as tall as our house. A gift that keeps on giving, it's the most successful plant in our garden and continues to thrive.

"And because the breath of flowers is far

sweeter in the air..."

FRANCIS BACON

Bonus

Ever beguiled by the next new book that crosses my path, I must tell you about one that arrived on my doorstep this week. I first heard of it from Lorrie who blogs at Fabric Paper Thread. It's called Dear Paris, The Paris Letters Collection. Oh my, I can already tell this is going to be a summer favourite. The author, Janice MacLeod, is a fellow Canadian who lives part of the year in Paris. Her book is a collection of illustrated letters that celebrates her life while living in that beautiful city.

Before I sign off, I want to extend to you an invitation to visit me where I am also guest blogging today. My piece is titled In the Shape of My Words in which I reflect about shaping our words into beautiful thoughts for good.

❦

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Photos by Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Summer Reading Plans and A Little Wool-gathering

Hear blessings dropping their

blossoms around you.

RUMI

Head's up... this is going to be a rambling kind of post. I've had a busy week with appointments along with some proofreading project deadlines I need to finish. I looked up from my desk yesterday and realized it was almost Friday, and my blog post was barely a draft. So please excuse any meandering going on, as I didn't have time to properly distill my thoughts.

Today I wanted to chat about my summer reading plans. This year, I am feeling—and remembering—how it felt when I was a girl, to be all excited for summer holidays. It's not like we have plans to travel anywhere, at least not too far this year, but there is anticipation in the air for a change in routines, with some lazy days for lollygagging on the deck or sitting in the garden, meeting up with friends for iced coffees, going on picnics and drives in the countryside.

And, at the top of my wish list this summer is to read a pile of books. Reading as a girl during the summer holidays was one of my favourite things to do (slurping orange popsicles and DQ chocolate dipped soft cones were a close second). Back in the day, with blue skies and warm sunshine forecast, I'd grab my book, a blanket, suntan lotion (probably baby oil - can you believe we actually used to do that?), and something to munch on. Settled on a comfy grassy spot in the sun, of course, I'd read until I got too hot, at which point I'd check to see if a tan was starting and either stick it out for a little while longer or head for the shade of the tall poplar trees.

Cathy Rentzenbrink, UK author, sent out her June newsletter today. In it, she talked about reading and mentioned that a main reason she reads is to have an enjoyable few hours off from her life. She also reads for the escapism and hopes to leave a book feeling expanded. When she writes, she wants to give that to her readers as well. Oh yes, I get that—it's what I want from my summer reading. Maybe a few nail biting adventures but I'm looking forward to some relaxing, gentle reads where one can jog along with the characters in an ordinary, easy way. No scary plots to keep me on the edge of my lawn chair. And on the last page, closing the book with a contented sigh that it all turned out well for my new friends, I come away ready to pick up my own life again.

I saw a book at the library yesterday that sounded like a good summer read. I love to read children's novels in the summertime. Probably because it takes me back there. In any case, the book I brought home is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. It was on the Staff Picks shelf for young readers (ages 9-12). Not familiar with the title or its author, I was charmed by the delightful yellow cover with branches and leaves twisted around the edges and a silhouette of a young girl in the centre catching butterflies. I'm captivated by the blurb on the back cover:  "The summer of 1899 is hot in Calpurnia's sleepy Texas town, and there aren't a lot of good ways to stay cool. Her mother has a new wind machine, but instead, Callie's contemplating cutting off her hair, one sneaky inch at a time. She's also spending a lot of time at the river with her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist. But just when Callie and her grandfather are about to make an amazing discovery, the reality of Callie's situation catches up with her. She's a girl at the turn of the century, expected to cook and clean and sew. What a waste of time! Will Callie ever find a way to take control of her own destiny?" I started the book last evening.

Two books I just finished in the last few days that I recommend as nice summer reads are: The Story of My Life by Helen Keller and Music in the Hills by D.E. Stevenson. Both were published decades ago.

And it's been several decades since I read Helen Keller's short account of her life story. I'd forgotten how descriptively she expresses what she felt, smelled, and experienced, describing her sensations when she was out and about, often in the garden or woods. Having lost her hearing and sight as a toddler, of course Helen relied heavily on her remaining senses. She lets the reader see the world through her 'eyes' of touch and smell. It made me stop to ponder. We really do experience our world through our senses. And how it can shift our lives and change who we are when one of those senses is taken away. I try to imagine that for myself, but cannot dwell too long. How bereft I'd be without sight. I'm a visual person. How would I cope not having that visual stimulation. Helen's story gives me a new appreciation for my five senses and for the changes people who do lose them must endure as they discover new ways to interpret life around them. Helen certainly showed us that it can be done... and successfully, too.

As for my D.E. Stevenson book, I thoroughly enjoyed this recently reissued novel. Music in the Hills is one of those comfort book reads (you know about The Comfort Book Club if you follow Miranda Mills on YouTube). This novel is a gentle story about Mamie Johnstone, happy wife to Jock Johnstone, who both live near the village of Mureth, farming not far from the Scottish Borders. Alexander McCall Smith wrote the introduction for this edition. It seems appropriate since their writing styles are similar. He says: "These are not simple romances; nor are they anything that would today be recognized as thrillers. They are in a category of their own: clearly-written straightforward tales that take the reader through a clear plot and reach a recognizable and unambiguous ending.  . . . These are gentle books, very fitting for times of uncertainly and conflict." D.E. Stevenson wasn't highly considered by literary critics in her day, but her books sold millions. Readers loved her writing. This new-to-her reader does too. I look forward to reading more of her reissued works.

Other books I hope to read this summer (the list is by no means complete, we're just getting started):

- Some Agatha Christie summer-set mysteries (perhaps A Murder is Announced and 4:50 from Paddington).

- Maybe some Rosamunde Pilcher: The Blue Bedroom & Other Stories; Voices in Summer in which the novel opens on a lovely afternoon in late July, and convalescing Laura heads to Cornwall to stay with family while she recuperates after surgery; and The Empty House which opens "...on a Monday afternoon in July, sunny and warm, the hay-scented air cooled by a sea breeze...". You just know some adventures are about to begin.

- The Emily of New Moon series by L.M. Montgomery. I read this years ago but am looking forward to dipping into the world LMM creates for her readers of all ages.

- The World War II thriller by Kate Quinn, The Rose Code. This is a re-read for me, one of my favourite Kate Quinn books. It's unputdownable. Unforgettable story, unforgettable characters that you come to love. A gripping and utterly satisfying read for a summer's afternoon.

- Perhaps one of Louise Penny's earlier novels. She has her newest book coming out in the autumn. And in the meantime I wouldn't mind rereading my favourite of all her novels All the Devils are Here, in which readers find Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Quebec investigating a sinister plot in Paris, the City of Light. Another favourite is The Beautiful Mystery, where the crime takes place "in the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer"... until someone is murdered.

- On my shelf for several months now is the daunting 800-page classic novel Middlemarch by George Eliot. I was never tempted to undertake this prominent novel of the Victorian era until I read something Barbara Kingsolver wrote in her wonderful book of essays Small Wonder. She advised readers to forget about reading bad books, or even moderately good ones... "With Middlemarch and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek in the world, a person should squander her reading time on fashionably ironic books about nothing much?" I was intrigued! And I had to know why she considered these two books the benchmark of great literature. With both in my possession, perhaps this summer is the right time to read them.

- And last for today's list, but not least, is Susan Branch's delightful memoir Martha's Vineyard, Isle of Dreams. And, did you know that Susan Branch is leaving Martha's Vineyard and is moving back to California? It was a big surprise. I'm happy for her as she looks forward to new adventures back where she first started out, but I cannot believe how it shook my own moorings to find out she was moving away. I always felt settled knowing she was in that lovely place creating beauty for herself and her readers, which includes me,  and I always looked forward to visiting her blog to see what new things she and Joe and kitty Jack were up to. Anyways, I'm going to immerse myself in her book while she travels west this summer. You can read all about it, if you're not familiar with the story, on her blog. 

Here I stop and call it done for today. I do hope you found something today that made it worth your while to visit. I'd be interested to know, do you have any reading plans for your summer?

❦

Wishing you a beautiful week, and to all my fellow Canadians,

Happy Canada Day on July 1st!

Brenda

Photo credits:

Top Image by Erik_Lyngsoe from Pixabay

Book Image by Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays