A Happy Miscellany

An Evening Outdoors

One of the nicest things about the longer days that accompany the arrival of spring, is the time that we have for outdoor outings in the evenings.  Mr. Staggs and I took a little time last Sunday evening to enjoy this view of the bay under a dramatic and very beautiful sky.  It was the perfect way to end what had been a lovely Mother's Day.

I love to go on picnics, especially for dinner in the late spring and early summer.  Warmer weather, a good meal, bare feet on a blanket and a beautiful view have a way of relaxing the kinks after a long day at work, whether it be at buisness, in the garden or after hours spent spring cleaning.  A picnic doesn't have to be a lot of extra work if you're prepared.  Even the simplest of meals become special when enjoyed outdoors it seems.  Keep a blanket in your car, a basket packed with the essentials and then it's just a matter of shopping for a good loaf of bread and maybe some cheese to accompany the salads, pastas or soups you've made ahead of time.  No time to cook?  That's what your favorite deli is for!  Tuck in a bottle of wine.  Add homemade lemonade and a thermos of coffee, along with a simple dessert of cookies or cupcakes and you're all set for an evening that will put a smile on your face, and the sparkle back in the eyes of those you love. 

The fresh air will do you good!

What would you pack in your picnic basket, Dear Reader?

Best wishes to you.....'til next time in Merryville!

   

Garden Days

Thank you to each of you for your supportive messages while I was away and for your warm welcome back to blogging.  It means more than I can say to know that you care, and I appreciate your kind thoughts very much.

So much is happening in my garden these days! I'm finding it hard to pull myself away from all there is to see and do outside.  Thoughts of planting are never far away, nor thoughts of weeding, unfortunately.  Something new is in bloom every day it seems, and I don't want to miss a thing.  Even the rainy days find me wandering from window to window looking at lilacs opening, irises unfurling and vines reaching for the sky.

   

A blanket of sky blue forget-me-nots helps to keep rose feet warm, beneath a snowfall of cherry blossoms, while I awaken under my own blanket each morning to the sound of birdsong and a sweet cat anxious to be outside.  I don't blame her.  There's quite the show going on out there, and a lot of construction too!  Our eagle has returned, along with the first of the hummingbirds, and the goldfinches arrived just a couple of days ago to visit the Hawthorne tree.  I drink my morning coffee while watching wrens and sparrows fly past with grasses and twigs for their nests and I always wonder where the robins have hidden theirs.  One morning I watched two crows build a nest in one of the old elm trees, and I marveled at their teamwork and at the speed with which they worked.  Once I laughed out loud at the sight of one of them flying past with a stick so large, he was practically flying sideways!  I know I won't be laughing though, once their baby is born.  They are so protective of their little ones, that I've been known to have to cover my head with a box to walk to my car and back, until junior earned his flight wings!

   

Well, I suppose this best be all the news from here today.  The front porch is full of white geraniums, fuchsias and Rosamunde lobelia for the window boxes.  My sister gave me a big bag of dahlia tubers yesterday and a few lettuce starts from her greenhouse, so I have lots of planting to do in the next day or two. 

Soon there will be roses and peonies!  I can hardly wait!

Take care everyone....'til next time in Merryville!

A Merry May Day!

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.      

~ An Irish Blessing

The Season of Hope

Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence
~Lin Yutang

The other day I received a note from a dear friend asking me if I still had hope.  She said that if I did, well, then she did too.  Oh my goodness, and yes indeed!  I carry hope within my heart, always.  The very essence of life is hope.  Love may be what sees us through at times, but hope, that is what allows us to believe in the power of the love that we feel.  It brings clarity to the beauty of our dreams and the endurance to work for all that we envision in our finest moments, and it gives us strength on our darkest of days.

Spring has been slow in coming to Merryville this year, but indeed, just like hope does, it has persevered in spite of the cold winds, rain, ice and snow of even just a week ago, when these photographs were taken.    It would have been easy to have stayed at home that day.  Three inches of snow fell the night before.  It was cold with a gray, gloomy sky and the paths throughout the flower fields were muddy and mucky and we knew we were going to become a bit muddy too.  But oh my, look at the beauty we would have missed if we'd just given up hope, let go of our plans and slept in that day.

Tiptoe through the tulips and dance amongst the daffodils!

Walk the path of hope.  Wear rubber boots if you have to!

With all good wishes......'til next time in Merryville!