Our Giveaway Winners Are . . .

* * * Our Winners * * *

SUSAN HYDE

DEANNA RABE

Happy Friday and congratulations to Susan and Deanna! I'm so happy to send you each an autographed paper copy of the anthology Creativity & Chaos, Artistic Endeavours for Trying Times. I'll be in touch with you to get your mailing information.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in the fun, both here and on my Facebook. I appreciate each of you. 

If you didn't win but are interested in the book, both the Kindle and paper versions are now available for purchase on Amazon.ca.

Although it's overcast and blustery here today, the canary gold leaves still holding fast create a blaze of colour against the metal grey skies. What a feast for the eyes. I'll be back next week with an autumnal post. In the meantime, here's wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places. 

❦

Contest is now closed.

Please take care . . . hope you have a pleasant weekend,

Brenda

Autumn blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Book Giveaway: Creativity & Chaos Anthology

We're Having A Giveaway!

It's been a while since I hosted a giveaway on the blog. Today I'm delighted to give away not one but two print hold-in-your-hand copies of the new anthology by InScribe Press, Creativity & Chaos, Artistic Endeavours for Trying Times.

In this anthology, 38 writers—including myself—have shared in essays, short stories, reflections, poetry, and more about how creative pursuits helped them cope in trying and chaotic times. I believe readers will find their spirits lifted, encouraged and, yes, amazed with a sense of wonder, not just at the creativity of people but the resiliency of the human spirit in difficult times.

Here I am on pg 103!
 

The eBook version (Kindle) continues to be available HERE for $0.99 CDN on Amazon. Print copies also will soon be available to order.

In the meantime, enter the giveaway for your chance to win one of two paper print copies I'm giving away. Fingers crossed, and all the best!

GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES

1. Leave a comment. Maybe something creative

you do that helps you get through tough times.

2. Be sure your name is included in the comment if

you don't have a blog link

(it's hard to send something to "Anonymous"). 

3. Feel free to share the giveaway on your social media.

4. The Draw will be next Friday, October 4th, at 9:00 am MDT.

5. The winners will be announced on the blog on Friday morning. If you

have an online presence, I will reach out to you. Otherwise, you

will have to touch base with me here to exchange info offline.

International addressees are welcome to join in.

❦

Wishing you a beautiful autumn,

Brenda

Autumn Blog Schedule:

I post on Fridays

Calling Forth Life's Riches

"If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself,

tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches;

for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place."

RAINER MARIA RILKE, Letters to a Young Poet

This quote has been part of my life for decades, having pondered it off and on for years now. They were words that leapt off the page the first time I read them, the gentle chiding a spur to my heart when my daily life felt poor, colourless, and 'same old, same old'. I'd reread the words to remind myself to quit feeling sorry for myself. To be poet enough and to use that spark of imagination within to call forth life's riches in my own, very ordinary life. I learned to pay attention. I learned to recognize and be in awe when something lovely startled my senses. I knew I wanted more of these rich moments to colour my life with beauty. 

How often I'd remind myself, too, of the ancient text I once memorized, "This is the day the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Especially on those mornings when I wanted to roll over and pull the covers back over me. Instead, I'd pull myself out of bed with the thought, today I will wake up with vitality and good humour. I especially needed the reminder about getting on with good humour, me not being a morning person at the time. I also remembered those lovely lines I learned from the New Testament, "...whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is lovely and of good report, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things".

They became the benchmark of how I wanted to live and work and love—and eventually write. The joy always came, and still comes when I remember to look around....

     - To search for something, however tiny, on which my eyes can delight. So often it's right there in front of me, outside my window or front step, I don't even have to fly to Paris to catch the joy. Sometimes it's a gorgeous line in a book I'm reading that stands out. Sometimes the sighting of a single yellow leaf from a still green tree drifting to the ground can do it. So can catching the sound of children laughing and screaming in the nearby park as the sun starts to set. Or marveling at the lemon-hued marigolds still so bright in the flower beds and cawing flocks of crows settling and resettling in woodsy copses nearby at dusk.

     - To listen to music, music that is as familiar and sweet as the voice of a dear loved one—it can be a beloved old hymn that floats up with its comforting words, or a little Mozart whose music always makes me feel happy. The strains of theme music from a favourite old movie like the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility which makes me feel at peace, as comforting and comfortable as a favourite pair of old slippers. 

     - To sit at my desk and dream up something nice I can do for someone. I feel the thrill deep inside when I plan something spontaneous, immediate; something not too complicated, like a pretty card with a note sent in the mail, to surprise and lift someone's day.

     - To meet neighbours out for a walk and stand on the driveway having a wee chat in the warm sunshine as the crisp air fans our faces. Chattering, laughing, teasing—it makes me think that I'm living inside one of those delightful scenes from a Rosamunde Pilcher novel set in the English countryside.

How often the beauty is right here in front of us. I didn't really know back then until I read Rilke's quotation that I had within me the creative ability to call forth the richness in my own daily life. It makes me so grateful for those words all those years ago. They helped shape my life. I certainly hope one day I'll be able to tell Mr. Rilke how much his writings meant to me. How they helped a young woman learn to rise above the circumstances and begin to call forth her beautiful life.

"Most people do not know at all how beautiful

the world is, and how much magnificence is revealed in

the tiniest things, in some flower, in a stone,

in tree bark, or in a birch leaf."

RAINER MARIA RILKE, from Letters on Life

* * *

Before I close, I want to tell you that next Friday I'll be having a BOOK GIVEAWAY for two copies of the new anthology published by InScribe Press: Creativity & Chaos: Artistic Endeavours for Trying Times. Through inspiring stories, poems, essays, even crafts, the contributing authors share how they found creative ways to cope during their own trying times. Being on the editorial team, I had the opportunity to read the pieces before publication, and I can tell you, this book is one you'll want to read. You'll find comfort, encouragement, and hope on its pages. I'm so honoured and delighted to have a piece I wrote included—it's a personal essay entitled "A Kaleidoscope of Creativity (during a global pandemic)". In a recent interview, I shared what inspired me to write the piece and a little of my writing journey generally; if you haven't seen it, you can find the video HERE.

At the time of this writing, Amazon is offering the Kindle version for $0.99 CDN. After September 28th, paperback copies also will be available to order. So, next Friday, do come back and ENTER YOUR NAME IN THE DRAW for a chance to win one of two copies, autographed by Yours Truly. 

❦

Wishing you a beautiful weekend and Happy Autumn,

Brenda

Top Photo:

Image by susannp4 from Pixabay

Autumn blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

Little Pieces of Hope

Life is not a bed of roses;

neither is it full of thorns.

UNKNOWN

I don't suppose it's a surprise to anyone living on this planet. It doesn't take long for a person, even a child, to discover that life is not a bed of roses. Thankfully, neither is it completely full of thorns, even in the most horrid of situations. Or so I am told, as I personally haven't lived in some of the worst situations out there. But there are dear people who have lived through some and have survived some, who bear witness that, yes, there is still goodness, there is still beauty, there is still kindness in the midst of those wretched circumstances. And that brings hopefulness for any gloom-ridden day.

If you've followed this blog for any length, you know it's dedicated to the theme of living a beautiful life—focusing on what is beautiful and what gives hope in the world around us. None of us live in paradisal circumstances, at least not all the time. Sometimes life is pretty good, but when the ugly stuff gets too much in our faces, it's harder to hold onto what still adds grace to our lives. One thing I have learned over my longish life is to pray for grace... and to watch for the tiniest gifts that show up often in the smallest places. Sometimes they feel so inconsequential it's easy to overlook, but I began to practice watching for them, and I was surprised at how much beauty was out there, hiding in full view. 

When it comes to a garden..... it's not all a bed of roses either. Maybe that's why most of my floral photos are close ups, with only a few rarer panoramic views. First, I like the 'larger than life' style made famous by artist Georgia O'Keeffe who often painted her floral works in grand scale. She said if she painted a flower in a huge scale, people couldn't ignore its beauty. When it's in your face like that, it is hard to ignore, true. Second, perhaps more importantly for me, I like taking close ups because quite often the parts of the scene are nicer than the whole of it. Edmonton author/photographer Shawna Lemay once observed that close ups block out the vistas that are not lovely to look at. 

So, I focus on what's lovely and zone out what's unsightly. It's not pretending it's not there; it's just focusing on the better thing available in the moment. My sister told me about seeing a fellow online who kept bringing to the viewer's attention all the things in his yard that weren't to his personal liking, complaining about all that was wrong in it. She wondered why he focused so much on the unsightly areas when she could see so much that was pleasing.

If I were to pan the camera over my garden, you would see the same thing here, even in the height of summer when things are at their best. Some corners are quite Edenic in sensual loveliness, but alongside there are vistas in such contrast from our hoped-for dreams of a whole garden attuned in symmetry, colour, and design. As it turns out, it's just how life is sometimes. Imperfect. We don't mean to leave a reader with the idea that all is perfect in our world where we live; we're just happily focusing on what is lovely and zoning out what isn't.

In thornier times when my soul falters and frets—when my body is unwell, when my mind grows anxious for various reasons—I try to create a space that offers restfulness with something lovely to light my eyes upon. It helps me to get on with things if I can carry something beautiful in my heart. Which often means that I do close-ups in my mind, and here on my blog, of what is still lovely in some way. I tend not to offer the wide angle lens panorama, but search for what adds colour, interest, and gracefulness in the more intimate setting. And to give you, when you visit, a little respite in an upside down world. Kind of like in the mindset of the unknown author in this little verse:

I will always search for the ray of sunshine,

the lone wildflower,

the singing birds,

the brightest star,

and every other little piece of hope.

UNKNOWN

❦

Wishing you a weekend that's lovely—with as few

thorns as possible and with little pieces of hope to keep you going,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

"My Mom's Peace Rose"

Autumn blogging schedule:

I post on Fridays

The Speed of Thoughtfulness

"I like walking because it is slow, and I suspect that

the mind, like the feet, work at about three miles an hour.

If this is so, then modern life is moving faster than

the speed of thought or thoughtfulness."

REBECCA SOLNIT, Wanderlust

An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day, so said Henry David Thoreau long ago. How true. Even though I don't always start out my day that way, it is one of those little things that still gives me a thrill when I do go. There is something about the freshness of the air at this time of day with its inviting sense of newness. It invigorates and often inspires my thoughts as I consider what I shall be about that day. It gives me a chance to pace my thoughts as I walk out those recommended ten thousand steps.

These days I don't want to rush anywhere. I don't want to be in a hurry. I want to move at the speed of thoughtfulness. Taking my time to bake a loaf of bread or prepare a meal. Even taking my time and not being impatient as I defrost the freezer. I want to relax into a good book or with dear friends over coffee. To notice the signs of the changing season. Of which there are many. Families of Canada Geese lift off from the small pond nearby as they prepare their young for their maiden flights south later in the season.  I especially notice the slight nip in the air even on a warm day and the slant of the light in the early morning and at sunset. As a young boy once quipped to poet Naomi Shihab Nye—"it gets late so early now!"

It's easy to get caught up in the rushing around, hurrying everywhere we go. When Rick and I get tied up in traffic or I get caught in a long line at the grocery store, I try to remember there isn't anything (not usually) that I need to huff and be impatient about. I feel myself relaxing into ' just being' in that moment. In whatever I'm doing.

It feels good.

I hope you have a beautiful day... where you have time to walk and live at the speed of thoughtfulness.

❦

Sending love and heart hugs,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Top Image by Summa from Pixabay

Hello Dear Friends

"Deep summer is

when laziness finds respectability."

SAM KEEN

Popping in to say that I'm still away from the blog for a little while longer. I meant to have something written for you this week, but here it is already Friday and no post to speak of.

Let me just say, we've been enjoying the summer days - doing a bit of road traveling, spending time with friends and family, reading, hanging out in the garden, going out for iced coffees and the odd ice cream cone, watching the blue skies and reveling in warm summery days. Just being a little lazy and feeling quite respectable about it (thanks to Mr. Keen's wisdom above). I'm so glad for days of leisure with time to while away the hours in little pursuits... or not.

I have been reading. Quite a lot. A few books that have held my interest this summer include: The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (she writes and sketches about her encounters with the birds in her own backyard - it's a delightful book); A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle (memoir); Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (novel); Monk's-Hood by Ellis Peters (a Brother Cadfael mystery). I started September by Rosamunde Pilcher (Scottish novel) earlier in the week thinking this fat novel would carry me through into the first days of September, but I got so carried away, stayed up late, and turned the last page yesterday. It was a rainy day so it kind of felt autumn-y as I read. Close enough to September.

One of my great joys of summer is having bouquets of sweet peas to cut and bring in the house. Or take to my mom or hand some to the mail lady or surprise my doctor with a vaseful, who has young children who love them. I was so looking forward to the treat of them. Alas, our crop was hugely disappointing. The plants grew tall and lush but only three bright pink stems bloomed (as you see above), and that was it. Not sure what happened - we planted them in a different spot that was sunnier, which we thought they'd love. But apparently not. Rick finally cut down the plants now turning yellow as if they think they'd done a good job and could retire. Big sigh... here's hoping for a better crop next year.

I see I did manage to cobble together a few paragraphs to post for you on this last Friday of August. I do hope it's been worth your visit. Until next time, dear friends, here's wishing you a beautiful weekend.

 

❦

Sending love and heart hugs,

Brenda

PS. I completely forgot to include the link to my latest Guest Post I wrote this week on InScribe. It's a little meditation titled The Thing About Tests - you'll find it HERE.

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Five on Friday: Flowers, Books, Surprises

 Clematis 'Polish Spirit'

"...to withdraw from the world ever deeper

into his own private consolations of the spirit."

from Brother Cadfael's Penance by ELLIS PETERS

Happy Friday! As you read this, I'm away on a short road trip to the southern part of our province. As I won't have access to my blog, I hope the post goes up properly today. We didn't do as many day trips as we first planned for the summer, but it's also been lovely to be at home, enjoying the quiet in our own backyard. On these languid August days, it's so easy to zone out into one's own mind space... "into (the) private consolations of the spirit"... meandering amongst the flowers, feeling the breeze brush our faces, letting the mind wander or read a riveting story, meeting friends for an iced coffee, taking short naps on a lazy afternoon. For a little while we forget about the cares of the world, returning then to normal routines—the fray of life—refreshed and energized.

I offer today's edition of Five on Friday. Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by. 

One. Outside my window

A person doesn't have to look at the calendar to know that we're well into August. The slant of the sun in the early morning indicates September fast approaches. We hope for many days yet where they remain languid and calm. Thankfully, the heat wave has passed, and as I write this there is no wildfire smoke in the area, so we're enjoying summery days that don't melt us into puddles on the sidewalk.

The bees are busy amongst the flowers. We haven't seen so many golden souls around as we have had this summer - this is a trend that makes us happy. I must also mention that we're watching the growth of a single sunflower which volunteered, seeds off the bird feeders, and is now towering about six feet—its greenery huge like rhubarb leaves. All energy goes into forming the seed head which is still small, maybe the size of a saucer, petals in sunflower yellow. On rainy days, the petals are tightly closed, but how I enjoy watching them open, turning face towards the sun on sunny days.

Two. On my mind

Looking through an old journal, I found something I once wrote down by John Cleese: "By creativity, I simply mean new ways of thinking about things." In light of his definition, it brings creative endeavours into the common realm where every single person can be, and is, creative in his or her daily life. There isn't one among us, I venture to say, who isn't looking for better ways to think about things, e.g., How can I do this? How can I do it with better results? More beautifully? Simpler? Creative work is what we do in life. Thankfully, it's not just artists or writers or musicians who have the gift. It's all of us, doing the work we do best... hopefully for our own good and for the good of others.

Three. Current reading pile

This pile includes recent purchases from the thrift store, something borrowed from the library, and several resident books from my own shelves. I seem to be mostly into novels this summer, although "Dear Theo" is a collection of Vincent Van Gogh's published letters to his brother, Theo. I earlier read the historical novel Mrs. Van Gogh (not shown) by Caroline Cauchi, the story of Vincent's sister-in-law who eventually came to be the caretaker of his art and letters after his death—she believed so much in his art and wanted to ensure it would be there for future generations. Reading Caroline's novel first has given me a lovely backdrop for my leisurely reading of the letters.

Four. Sweet surprise in the mailbox

A visit to the mailbox revealed a wee package from my lovely writing buddy, Joy. I love surprises especially when they're as pretty as this one. With floral stickers decorating the envelope, the floral theme continued on the inside—a gorgeous notecard of Monet's garden by artist Zoé Elizabeth Norman with the cutest pocket-size notebook tucked inside. Which a person could use from front to back or from back to front, because the pages worked either way. A person could write about one topic on one side, turn it around and write something else on the other. This little surprise from Joy boosted my spirits considerably and made me feel almost as if I were floating with the puffy white clouds in the summer sky.

Five. New anthology coming out soon

I have had the great joy—and fun—of being on the editorial team of the new anthology being published by InScribe Press. I now know how much collaborative effort goes into producing such a work and am excited about the upcoming release of Creativity & Chaos: Artistic Endeavours for Trying Times. It's an inspiring collection of stories, poems, essays, and crafts from writers who "share their experiences and the often surprising ways in which they learned to cope with their chaos through creativity".* The book launches on September 9th, and I will host a Giveaway on my blog at that time. Right now you can pre-order the Kindle version on Amazon for only 99 cents. Find the link HERE. *excerpt from the Foreword by Marcia Lee Laycock

I am also delighted to tell you that I have my own work—a personal essay—included in this volume. In a recent interview, I shared what inspired me to write the piece and a little of my writing journey in general. If you're interested, check out the YouTube video HERE. It's about 20 minutes in length.

On that note, I'm off. Our regular blogging schedule returns to normal next week, if things work out as planned. In the meantime...

"Do not postpone joy."

as seen on CAITLYNNEGRACE'S blog

❦

Heart hugs to everyone,

Brenda

All Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

My Summer blog schedule:

I post on Fridays

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. And we have loved ones to hug, books to read, neighbours to visit.  

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