Peonies in Bloom

Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning
can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day --
like writing a poem or saying a prayer.

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh


Happy Day,
Brenda
xox

From My Study Window

A glance out the window early this morning afforded us an uncommon treat --- the sighting of a yellow-headed blackbird perched in our Hawthorne tree.

Crowds of red-winged blackbirds have been bringing their young to the feeders these days, and somehow this yellow-headed fellow found his way in the crowd. He boded his time for a spot at the busy feeders! Which gave me a chance to run for the camera. 

Had to share my glimpse of heaven today.

Thinking of you and wishing you a happy Friday.

Brenda

All Creatures Great and Small

"My profession is always to be alert to find God in nature,

to know God's lurking places to attend to all the oratorios

and the operas in nature."

~ Henry David Thoreau

It was early one fine summer morning. Rick and I were sitting on the patio sipping our first cup of coffee, enjoying the show of birds as they swooped in for a share of their favourite breakfast cereal, when one of our resident tree swallows flew by and perched on Rick's white garden hat which was on his head at the time. Apparently tree swallows like white feathers with which to build their nests, so maybe Mr. Swallow thought Rick's hat was a big feather. Alas, we didn't have the camera handy, but what a treat to see him right there within arm's reach. How pretty his iridescent feathers as they glimmered in the sunlight.

Most of the birds who come to feed in our garden are getting used to us sitting nearby. Red-winged blackbirds will swoop in with a hearty chereep. And, as they fill their beaks to feed their hungry brood, they coyly peek around the side of the feeder as if to ensure we're not sneaking up on them.

Which reminds me, one morning last week I found a large bumblebee lumbering along on my living room floor. Although it had found its way in through the open back door, it obviously couldn't find its way out. It lay there as if stunned. Scooping it up with a tumbler glass and piece of paper, I took it out into the garden, hoping it would recover. The tiny creature crawled off the paper onto my finger, his little body heaving as if to catch its breath. He sat a moment, I said a little prayer for him in case he was injured, and then suddenly he spread his tiny wings and was gone.

I love these encounters with nature's tiny creatures -- they are such an amazing and beautiful part of our world. Don't let their size fool you ... sometimes the best pleasures come in tiny packages.

So many wild places around us are being razed to the ground for 'development'..... and rather than going into a lament or a rant about it (which we are prone), we try to create a little haven in our corner of the world for a few of these, God's smallest creatures.

Wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places,
Brenda

A Rose

Hansa Rose (Rugosa)

What a treat to find our very first rose of summer. A happy harbinger of many lovely things ready to burst forth as summer officially begins. Not only is it a lovely rose, but the hansa is very fragrant. When the bush is in full flush, our garden is filled with its heady scent.

* * *

Avoid being impatient.

Remember time brings roses.

~ Author Unknown

* * *

Won't you come into the garden?

I would like my roses to see you.

~ Richard B. Sheridan, 1791 - 1816

* * *

"Send two dozen roses to Room 424

and put 'Emily, I love you' on the back of the bill."

~ Groucho Marx

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

Beauty in Sweet Posies

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing

anything beautiful,

for beauty is God's handwriting."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Skywatch Friday

I'm pleased to share these interesting cloud formations for Skywatch Friday. If you are a skywatcher, click here to see other amazing photographs. And, if you have your own pics, you are welcome to join the parade!

Enjoy!

Brenda

Spotted in the Garden

Miss Kitty on garden patrol

Miss Kitty loves to go out in the garden, and even though we have a lot of birds coming to the feeders and some that nest in our birdhouses, Kitty's pretty mellow about their presence.

The magpies shriek whenever they see her outside, but the other birds tend to ignore her. She will crouch and swish her tail once in a while, but mostly she minds her own business (that is to say, she's much more interested in the mouse family she's spotted near the compost bins.

There's my little glimpse of purry 'heaven' ... wishing you your own divine glimpses in unexpected places today.

Hugs,
Brenda
xox

Floral Offerings From The Garden

Moss phlox

Dwarf Korean Lilac

Pink Seed Geranium and White Anemone

Mother-of-Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)

"Let the walls of your mind be filled

with beautiful pictures."

William Lyon Phelps

***

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Brenda

xox

Simply Sunday

Every morning lean thine arm awhile

Upon the window sill of heaven,

And gaze upon thy God,

Then with the vision in thy heart,

Turn strong to meet the day.

~ James Russell Low

My Favourite Weather

"My favourite weather is bird-chirping weather."

~Loire Hartwould

* * *

Have a wonderful weekend.

I'm out in the garden! Where are you?

Brenda

xox

Live More Beautifully At The Office

Over the years I've learned to watch for opportunities to be creative in the midst of what seems mundane and boring. Many years ago, my job included hours and hours of photocopying each week. I'd stand in front of that machine, turning out page after page after page. How tedious, how wearisome, so far away from any sense of creativity and fun. But I found a way to let joy overshadow the day. As that old machine cranked out reams of paper copies, I'd sing to myself. I was amazed at how much that helped me with the work. Those seven dwarfs in that old fairytale, Snow White, figured out the secret of making the time fly by whistling while they worked.

Author of Living A Beautiful Life Alexandra Stoddard once shared how she made it a lovely ritual to bring fresh flowers every Monday morning for her desk at the office. It brought a certain charm and gentility to her corner of the world. So I decided to bring fresh flowers to my office too. Sometimes I'd go to my favourite florist over lunch hour and bring back bunches of posies, leaving them on the desks of my coworkers. I was ever mindful they also had their own hours of photocopying to tend -- it made all our lives more beautiful.

Sometimes it's easy to get in a slump, especially if things are a bit dull around us. But that's the challenge, isn't it? Always looking for ways to enliven and enrich the most tedious tasks... always looking for ways to stamp our sense of beauty into the dull surfaces of our days.

I'm hoping that you'll be inspired to look for ways you can sing and dance even if you're heading off to the office for another day in the 'swamp'.

Joyfully yours,

Brenda

xox

Spritely Spring Green

There's nothing like the sprightly spring greens to cheer any dark corner. We took these photos on a nature walk a couple of weeks ago. All manner of wild blossoms were poking fragile heads from under wintry debris that day. Here are a few:

And in green underwood and cover

Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

~ Algernon Charles Swinburne

* * *

Here's wishing you a pleasant weeks,

Brenda

Grateful For These Five Things

Quick... without thinking, list five things you are grateful for today...

1. I don't have to work in an assembly line factory. Today I thank those who do.

2. I don't have to live where I need to hunt for cow paddies before I can cook breakfast. How did I come up with this one? We went bird-watching yesterday and happened upon a field of cattle grazing in a meadow. Well, you know what you find then, right?

3. I can make memories with loved ones today because we're celebrating several birthdays. Plus, with celebrations, come birthday cake and delicious meals to savour and enjoy.

4. For library books to read and browse through. Aren't libraries great?

5. For sunshine after the beautiful rain yesterday and that it wasn't snow because it snowed elsewhere around these parts yesterday.

What do you find yourself grateful for today?

Hugs,

Brenda

xox

Nature's Comfort

As the beauty of the season deepens with each passing day, I'm gaining a new appreciation of the important role Nature plays in bringing comfort and joy to our sometimes fretful nerves and heart.

Have you ever found that during those times when you've grown weary with well-doing, or become anxious over a troubled relationship, or when you're reeling from news that hit you totally out of the blue, there's nothing like going for a walk in nature or experiencing the beauty and tranquility of your garden. Somehow it restores peace to your anxious thoughts.

This Spring I've been watching a pair of tree swallows set up housekeeping in one of our nest boxes. As I sat on the deck one day watching their comings and goings, I noticed a soft, comforting peace settle on my shoulders like a cozy quilt.

I had been struggling with some areas that threatened my peace and joy, and those little tree swallows were God's gift to me that day. For as I listen to their lilting songs and watched their seeming delight in finding a suitable home in my garden, my spirits lifted. The joy and serenity replaces that fretful moment and order is restored. I am comforted.

Perhaps that's why I like this Ralph Emerson Waldo quote:

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting -- a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

I wish you grace and peace today. May your troubled thoughts fly away on wings of peace. May rest abide in your hearts all the day long.

Hugs,
Brenda
xox

Small Courtesies: Leaving Comments

Further to yesterday's post about small courtesies, I thought about another delightful courtesy in our community -- to leave comments on blogs when you go visiting. I am always delighted to come to my site and find that someone left a comment however large or small. Since I started blogging last year and started leaving comments, I've 'met' so many wonderful people. The purpose of blogging, from my perspective, is to connect with other people. It's hard to make a connection if I don't know you've come to visit. Whether or not you found something to your liking, or even if you don't plan on being a regular, it's still really nice to know you stopped by.

So please don't feel shy about leaving a comment if you've never done it before. You don't know what to say? Just a 'hello, I was here' works for me. If you are a blogger and you leave your comment, it gives me an opportunity to link back to your site and see what you are up to. If you're not a blogger and you leave a comment, it gives me an opportunity to respond to you on my own site, which you can then come by and see at your convenience. 

By the way, if you still decide not to leave your 'calling card' when you pay a visit, no worries. We are still glad you stopped by and we send our happy wishes for a great day.

Brenda

🎕

Small Courtesies

Sometimes in our rush to get things done, the small courtesies can get lost. As we go about our day, it's good to remember that these niceties help cushion our lives, making the journey softer and more pleasant, not only for ourselves, but for others as well. Courtesies like returning phone calls, acknowledging e-mails, arriving on time for meetings, putting your grocery cart back in the right place, or smiling at people instead of staring past them.

As Nancy Lindemeyer, former editor of Victoria magazine once said, "Nice matters." It all adds up to living our lives more beautifully. And sometimes I need a reminder.

Gracefully yours,

Brenda

xox