In Isolation With A Box Of Old Scrapbooks

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

"When (people) try to throw something away,
they feel like they are losing... personal history,
losing a bit of themselves, losing a little of their identity"

RANDY FROST

Co-author of Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

In these quiet days when many of us are isolating, I have taken up a project to deal with old scrapbooks. It's partly about spring cleaning and decluttering; it's partly about dealing with old stories that still want to be told.

About three years ago, I brought the scrapbooks into the light of day hoping to deal with them. Although I had a lot of fun chortling my way through the pages, in the end I wasn't ready to discard much of anything. This past week I got a strong urge to try again. As I gazed at the pile of squashed mementos from college days in the late 1970s -- crammed class schedules, letters from home, samples of notes passed in class, crumbling corsage petals, a candle from my 20th birthday cake, quotes and magazine pics that hung on my bulletin board -- it dawned on me why I was having trouble letting this stuff go. An historian at heart, I kept these mementos to remind me of the stories that went with them. And, until I finally do my job as a writer and get them written down, my old scrapbooks with their long 'apron' strings will not release me.

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

A very 1970s sample of what was tucked in my college scrapbook

Not so long ago, I found myself captivated by the sub-title used on Dame Helen Mirren's lovely memoir In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures. As a child, I loved illustrated storybooks, and those words 'my life in words and pictures' reminded me that I also love biographies and memoirs when they are offered with photos. E.g., if you're writing about your experience being a wedding cake designer, I'll want to see a photo of the wedding cake you describe so amusingly as your worst disaster. It turns out I like writing stories with pictures to illustrate. Which means, I might finally know what to do with some of those old mementos I've been caretaking all these years.  

“I gather together the dreams, fantasies, experiences
that preoccupied me as a girl, that stay with me and appear
and reappear in different shapes and forms in all my work.
Without telling everything that happened,
they document all that remains most vivid.”

BELL HOOKS, American Author

Looking at this pile of mementos, I start to see that in order to know which ones to keep and which ones can at last be discarded without regret depends upon which memories still matter, which still 'shimmer' with life at this stage. According to my former memoir instructor, Lisa Dale Norton, these are the stories to write down. Which means these are the mementos to keep (and/or take photos of). Once that is done, the scrapbooks finally can be decommissioned and discarded, their service complete.

Now, whether I write the stories just for myself or for you here on my blog, or for a future book down the road doesn't really matter at this stage. It's about being true to my inner lifelong need to record the stories and to finally use those mementos for something besides taking up space in a box on a shelf.

That, my beautiful friends, is what I've been up to the last few days.  I have been feverishly opening new files, writing down the stories, and snapping pics of the pertinent mementos. I'm excited to finally have an idea on how to move forward on this business.

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While I'm working away at that, I've also been keeping abreast of what our local Chief Medical Officer and government leaders are advising citizens in this unsettling time. I'm also whispering prayers for folks trying to find their way through this distressing, troubling season of corona virus disease 2019, abbreviated COVID-19. Hubby and I are staying close to home, staying in touch with family near and far, doing what we can to be part of 'flattening the curve'. And, one of these fine days, I know that I'll find a few rolls of TP to replenish the dwindling stock in my cupboard.

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Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
Stay well. Stay safe. Stay calm.

🙚💙🙘

With love and arms-length but heartfelt hugs,

Brenda

xox

A Window On Wednesday: Tulips

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life
Double Early 'Secret Perfume'

ONE

"The spring is coming by a many signs..."
JOHN CLARE

We're glad for smattering signs of Spring around here -- warmer temperatures, longer daylight hours, chickadee songs changing, a few Canada geese flying overhead, and the welcome traces of brown lawns edging out from melting snow mounds. No signs of life as yet in our garden. So we take sweet pleasure in the pots of yellow tulips sitting in the front window and the colourful posies a dear friend brought to me from the Farmers' Market. 

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

TWO

"No winter lasts forever. No spring skips its turn."
UNKNOWN

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

THREE

"No gardener would be a
gardener if he did not live in hope."
VITA SACKVILLE-WEST

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

FOUR

"Spring comes:
the flowers learn their colored shapes."
MARIA KONOPNICKA

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

FIVE

"I love tulips better than any other spring flower;
they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace."
ELIZABETH VON ARNIM, Elizabeth and Her German Garden

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

SIX

"Every spring is the only spring -- a perpetual astonishment."
ELLIS PETERS

* * *

Wishing you a beautiful day.

Hugs,
Brenda
xox

The Simple Woman's Daybook: March Awakenings

Image from Pixabay

"Gazing on beautiful things acts on

my soul, which thirsts for heavenly light."

MICHELANGELO

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Today I'm offering the March Edition of The Simple Woman's Daybook. I'll be glad of your company as I chat about what's occupying my thoughts these days.

Being in a semi-retired mode (that is to say, I am no longer employed in the work force), I have the luxury of following nature's ebb and flow in its seasons. So, in Winter I have the freedom to hibernate and be quiet, but now, with Spring approaching, I join with the rest of nature, newly energized and ready to push out tiny green sprouts in anticipation of the season's wild flurry of activity.

FOR TODAY

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Outside my window...

First, there are blue skies and sunshine, then it turns grey and overcast, oh look, now the sun is shining again. There is a decided bite in the air as the wind blows, and snow showers are forecast, making it a little more Lion than Lamb-like today. Well, at least for the moment.

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I am thinking...

About how refreshing the word 'refreshment' is. I just have to say the word 'refreshment' and I feel brighter and more invigorated. I don't know about you, but when I have to attend a function, say a meeting or event, there's a tiny part of me that always hopes there will be refreshments at the end. If I see a notice, I look for the bottom line "Refreshments served." Oh, goodie! Even the promise of a simple beverage, hot or cold, at the end creates a warmth of anticipation.

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I am thankful...

That I can sit at my desk most days and work away on various writing and photos projects, including this one of dreaming up new things to share with you here on It's A Beautiful Life.

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One of my favourite things...

At this time of year is watching the days grow lighter. It's dark, it's dark, it's dark, and then one evening you notice as you're eating dinner that it's no longer pitch black outside. I don't know why it always comes as a surprise  but it does, every year. It's a real boon for us northerners.

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I am wearing...

Black trousers, black muted floral tee-shirt, silver bracelets, and a dab of pink lipstick. I like how the colour from the lipstick suddenly makes the pink in the floral pattern stand out.

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I've been watching...

"The eye seeks refreshment in painting."

GEORGE LESLIE HUNTER, Scottish Colourist, 1877-1931

Art documentaries on YouTube lately, usually in the afternoons when hubby and I sit down for a tea break. A time of refreshment for both body and soul. So very cultured, don't you think (wink)? I share the links for two of my favourites:

Michael Palin on the Colourists. Michael explores the lives and paintings of a group of four Scottish artists known as the post-Impressionist Colourists: Francis Cadell, Samuel Peploe, John Duncan Fergusson, and Leslie Hunter. They each have lovely work, some gorgeous still life paintings and landscapes with bold, bright colours. YouTube breaks this into four 15-minute segments.

Michael Palin on Scottish artist Anne Redpath. I like Michael Palin as a presenter. Never boring, he is articulate, thoughtful, with a lovely sense of humor. From watching his program, I've come to really appreciate and admire this new-to-me artist, Anne Redpath. I especially connected with her interview comment (around 1:30 on the video) about her magpie tendencies -- haha, I recognize that tendency, as I'm very much 'magpie' myself. She loved to collect items that reminded her of certain events or places and eventually used them in her paintings.

I wish I could show you pictures -- don't want to infringe on copyrights -- but any Google search will bring up lovely pieces from any of these artists for you to see.

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

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I am enjoying...

The March/April issue of Victoria magazine. Bought a copy to browse while sitting at the hair salon.

Reeve Lindbergh, daughter of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is this year's Writer-in-Residence. Reeve and her husband are farmers in Vermont, and she tells the sweet tale of how one spring during lambing season, a couple of 'orphan' lambs were brought into the house to keep warm and bottle fed. Their yellow Lab retriever kept a watchful eye over them. The lambs seemed to like his company and started following him around, as if he were their mother. They were eventually old enough to move to the barn with the other lambs; Reeve would still go out to feed them three times a day and the dog would come along. She says, 'Sometimes he would go and visit the lambs without me, often trying to bring them back to the kitchen. ... I would find the trio waiting for me by the back door.'  Awww, I just giggled when I read that!

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For World Book Day yesterday...

I finished reading Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novel A Better Man. Now I'm about to delve into an old favourite, a book I haven't read in years: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. And, today I'm waiting for the delivery of my early birthday present, Victoria Magazine's new publication Our Hearts Are in England. Not sure if hubby will let me get a peek into it when it arrives or if he'll whisk it away until my actual B-day next month. We may have to arm wrestle.

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I am listening to...

Respighi's sprightly Ancient Airs and Dances. There are many pieces of music that I love, and this is one of them. This music, with its flutes, oboes, harp, and strings, makes me think of a warming Spring day, I always want to hum and tap my toes in time with the playful tunes. Not the original composer, Respighi the Italian violinist and composer, arranged this 'very old music in the modern clothes of the early 20th century'.

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I am hoping...

For an ice cream cone. Soon. Outside on a warmish day. Dairy Queen. Chocolate dipped in a plain cone. Wanna meet me there?

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I am learning...

Something new every day. Today's learning moment hasn't shown up yet, but I'll be sure to let you know when it does.

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In the kitchen...

There's nothing more comforting than the aroma of something baking in oven. New York chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli says it best, 'Winter blues are cured every time with a potato gratin paired with a roast chicken.' Batches of both blueberry and banana-nut muffins have starred in our kitchen this week.

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Around the house...

Dust bunnies have been hopping up everywhere: on window ledges and bookshelves, tops of pictures, around baseboards, behind the couch, along the piano. Obviously, it's been longer than I first thought since my last thorough dusting out. I am reassured however by the, ahem, wise words from American interior decorator Mario Buatta that 'dust is a protective coating for fine furniture'.

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

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A moment from my day...

The pots of tulips we planted in the fall have been hastening to open. We put them in the garage with the idea of hauling them into the garden in late March/early April. However, at the beginning of February they started sprouting, pushing up green shoots while it was still frigid outside.

They are ready for Spring even when, as you can see from the photos, Mother Nature is not. Several pots now sit in the front window to catch the light of day. We are not sorry for their too-early start.

Image by Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Sure hope you found something worth your visit. Please know that your comments mean a great deal to me -- they are a windfall of delight and cheer -- and I'm always glad when you have time to share a note.

Here's wishing you a beautiful day.

Hugs,

Brenda

xox

Linking today with Peggy @ The Simple Woman's Daybook

A Slight Stirring Within

Image by Vinson Tan ( 楊 祖 武 ) from Pixabay

"There is always in February some one day, at least, when one smells

the yet distant, but surely coming, Summer."

GERTRUDE JEKYLL

  

I first spotted this lovely quote on my dear friend Sandra's Facebook page. Attributed to Gertrude Jekyll, British horticulturist and gardener of the Victorian/Edwardian era, these lines superbly say what I myself have been feeling these past few days. For my heart leaps in concert with Gertrude (and Sandra) as I, too, begin to catch a whiff of something different in the air, the hint of the yet distant but coming season.

Of course, I know winter is never over this early, not around these parts; there is sure to be more feisty cold and snowy days before it's all said and done. But for the moment, our days are mild with glorious sunshine and the great piles of snow have been gently melting. Something new is a-stir within and without.

A couple of weeks ago I was still very much in hibernation mode, and so the posts I had been working on prior to my computer hard drive crash still mirrored the desire to hunker down and be cozy indoors with quiet pursuits, my books, tea, and my own thoughts. When I came back to these drafts days later, I realized something had shifted and they now felt out of sync. The huge desire to hibernate, in fact, had been evaporating along with the snow outside, and I rather felt an emerging desire to expand. To reach toward the light dawning earlier and staying later each day. To get out into the air that somehow smells and even feels different. So we write something new.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor;

summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all."

STANLEY HOROWITZ

I absolutely love the watercolour painting at the top of today's post, and I feel so very lucky-blessed to have found it during a recent image search on pixabay. The artist has done such a lovely job. That bouquet is so alive with colour and joy. It matches my emerging mood.

People will often ask each other what is their favourite season. Ever since I was a young woman intent on discovering my personal interests and preferences, I unequivocally knew that autumn in all her glorious splendour was my season. It fit who I was at the time -- loving the riot of vibrant colours, early twilights, cozy sweaters, and crisp air. I never thought I'd ever change my mind, but recently, even though autumn still is a well loved time of year, I have come to truly appreciate winter, spring, and summer in a similar fashion, and whichever one I happen to be living in the moment becomes my favourite at the time.

I have asked myself why that might be and muse that it might have something to do with being a woman of a certain age. Squarely facing my diminishing future, I recognize I have undoubtedly seen more seasons come and go than I have yet to enjoy ahead of me (unless I live to 120, well then, I'm just over half way there). In that light, I don't want to yearn my life away by longing for spring in January, but prefer to nestle into each one, truly enjoying whatever it is that makes each of the four seasons in turn one of earth's best beloved wonders.

"...I trudge our familiar routes through the wood, and there

is a muted cloud of joy -- muted because I haven't finished

scaling winter. Spring proper is still not yet here."

EMMA MITCHELL, The Wild Remedy

I'm not in a huge hurry for winter to be over, but neither am I oblivious to the slight stirrings, those hints of lovely things to come. It's in the air and I'm feeling it in my soul. Until next time, I'm off to watch for glimpses of heaven in unexpected places. I hope you'll find them too. Happy day!

Hugs,

Brenda

x💓x

Computer Woes And Heart Day

“Love is a many splendored thing.”

PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER

Today it’s just a quick note to let you know that I’m not able to publish any proper posts these days. My computer is in sickbay. It’s not a virus (thank goodness) but my Expert-in-Computers nephew thinks it might be the hard drive giving up the ghost. There have been symptoms we had hoped might just be hiccups. I had the urge last week to get on with getting it seen to, but what with the weather and a little habit of procrastination, I kept hoping it would last another day. Now it’s really time to take care of business. Thankfully I have my important docs and photo files saved on an external drive and we’re hoping (fingers crossed with little prayers) for a smooth-ish transition.

I can do this simple post from my iPad but I find the keyboard too tiny to work on anything more substantial. Plus, it’s not happy if I try to load more than a photo or two. 

On other fronts, I’m well and happy. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I been getting hints from other occupants of the house hoping there might be Victoria Sponge for dessert. I’ll be in the kitchen baking this delightful concoction later this afternoon.

We’ve invited dear friends to join us tomorrow for tea with cake. Because Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples — it’s for celebrating love in all its many splendid expressions and relationships.

💖💝💖

“Cooking is love made visible.”

KAHIL GIBRAN

💖💝💖

Wishing you a beautiful day.

 Hugs,

Brenda

 xox