Snow. Drop.

The snowdrops are blooming! Drooping, the are white, and dainty. They burst into bloom in late February and grace March with their presence. They are classic in their crisp, simple lines and are a beautiful blend of white and green in clusters that invite you to draw near. Aptly named "snowdrop" because they look like little drops of pure white clusters that are falling to earth and they appear when winter is still here. Snow. Drop. Snow. Flake. Snow.

You can read more about this lovely flower here.

Morning Crocus

It is amazing what some sunshine and daylight will do. Even on the shady side of the house, the crocus were opening at first light and waiting for the sunshine to hit their flower bed. Often we don't stop to think about the mechanism of some types of flowers. Blossoms that open every morning and close again every night are amazing. It is said that these types of plants have a nyctinastic trait, displaying rapid movement rather than the slow movement normally seen in other plants. There are several reasons for this action. Some plants are protecting their blossoms by closing at night when it is chilly. Others are saving their nectar from the bats and moths that are active at night. The creator placed such wisdom in the beautiful flowers. They close not just on a whim but for a purpose that preserves them so that they can survive. Isn't it wonderful that they do this so we can enjoy their beauty for greater lengths of time?

I hope you have a beautiful day and that you can take time to stop to observe the blossoms that surround you. 

Lots of Christmas Cheer

Snow on the Mountain

Snow

Winter

Cold.

A time to wait

for spring

and all things new.

Cleansing

Pure and

Fresh.

Anticipation.

D a N c E

D a N c E

1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.

2. to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly: to dance with joy.

3. a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usually executed to music.

"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way.

 Wayne Dyer 

The most important thing to me is to teach the children, so that our culture never dies. 

Blackhawk SanCarlos, Mohawk and Apache

All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.

Chief Seattle

Scenes from local Native American tribes 

at the Pendleton Round-Up.

Rain & Tea

Rain

I love rainy days with

a blanket and a cup of tea

and a book.

Thousand Days Red Jasmine

Mighty Leaf Tea Company

www.mightyleaf.com

The lavender is in bloom!

H * O * P * E

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches 

in the soul and sings the tune without words --- And never stops at all."

Emily Dickinson

~

“My times are in your hand.” Psalm 31:15

Happy Repose

"Nowhere is the English genius of domesticity more notably evident than in the festival of afternoon tea. The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose."  

 

George Gissing

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day

Today's the day to remember our mother's --- or to appreciate the joy that our own children bring into our lives. I've enjoyed listening to my boys chatter all afternoon about interesting subjects. It brings such contentment to my heart to just hear the happiness in their voices as they converse together.

I took a break to walk around my yard for a few minutes. I couldn't resist the flowers in the garden. The first of my roses are in bloom for this season. I think they mix so nicely with snapdragons, geum, and buttercups. 

The roses are Jackson & Perkins. They are the Rio Samba and the Tahitian Sunset. Once clipped and combined in a vase, they are difficult to tell apart from one another.

Each flower has a face that is so expressive! They seem so cheerful and happy!

Here's wishing you a Mother's Day

That's filled with every pleasure,

And a future that's as happy

As the memories you treasure!

Mountain Introspection

“This mountain, the arched back of the earth risen before us, it made me feel humble, like a beggar, just lucky to be here at all, even briefly.” 

Bridget Asher

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted

“A simple act of kindness the size of a rice grain can weigh as heavy as a mountain.” 

Feroz Bham

“Like go for a walk, say a little prayer
Take a deep breath of mountain air
Put on my glove and play some catch
It's time that I make time for that
Wade the shore and cast a line
Look up a long lost friend of mine
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
Start livin', that's the next thing on my list.” 

Toby Keith

The Peaceful Trees

"And see the peaceful trees extend

their myriad leaves in leisured dance—

they bear the weight of sky and cloud

upon the fountain of their veins."

Kathleen Raine

Envoi

Imagination & Flowers

This is a poem that my mother would read to me when I was a child. She enjoyed the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson and shared that love with her children. I think this is a perfect poem for spring! Read the first line and stop to think about it. "All the names I know from nurse..." creates a word picture that sets the stage for the rest of the poem. In your imagination, can you see Lady Hollyhock, wild bee wings, and tiny dames?

The Flowers

All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.
Fairy places, fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames
These must all be fairy names!
Tiny woods below whose boughs
Shady fairies weave a house;
Tiny tree tops, rose or thyme,
Where the braver fairies climb!
Fair are grown-up people's trees,
But the fairest woods are these;
Where, if I were not so tall,
I should live for good and all.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~

The daffodils are done and now the tulips are a riot of color in my flower beds. Viewing the changes in the garden as spring advances is like watching a colorful fashion show!

A Cozy Rain and a Teapot

Spring speaks of flowers, green grasses, nesting birds, and rain! It seems that passing showers feel it their responsibility to introduce summer. The poet, Longfellow, reminds us that into each life some rain must fall. Sadly, that's true. But if it's going to fall, don't you think it should be a cozy rain and involve something as comforting as a cup of tea?

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency."  

Susan Allen Toth
England for All Seasons

Teapot on my mantle today: Lomonosov porcelain teapot from St. Petersburg, Russia. Originally the products from this factory were made exclusively for the Russian ruling family of Romanov and the Imperial Court. After 100 years production started for the general population.

This little beauty was a Christmas gift years back from my youngest son. He was just to the age where he had started earning his own money and ordered it online as a wonderful gift! Every time I use it or see it, I am reminded of his thoughtfulness.

This post is linked to Bernideen's Tea Time meme and Sandi's Rose Chintz Cottage Tea meme today.

"For many years St Petersburg was one of Europe's great centres for the production of porcelain. The Imperial Porcelain Factory, founded in 1744, was just one of a number of manufacturers in the city producing bespoke high-quality crockery, ornaments and decorative pieces for the fabulously wealthy aristocrats and merchants who lived here. Renamed the Lomonosov factory by the Soviets, the company has now reverted to its original name and set up a number of franchise locations across the city selling exquisite gifts and dinner sets in pre-Revolutionary, Soviet-themed and contemporary artistic designs." 

The Double-Bow

A storm passed through our area last evening. Rain fell in torrents! The wind blew. Huge clouds passed overhead at a rapid rate. Lightening could be seen flashing in the distance. It was amazing! We were driving home from a nearby town, so experienced the storm from the perspective of our small car. The roads were covered with so much water it looked and felt like we were gliding along on a skating rink! But then...there was the calm. As the storm left our area, the gentle patter-patter of raindrops fell. We arrived home just in time to see this beautiful double rainbow. This photo was taken from our front porch. The porch is covered, so we all stepped outside to the gentle rhythm of the rain on the rooftop...and we enjoyed the perfect double-bow.

When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”  Genesis 9:16

After the storm, a generous mug of Tazo Awake just hit the spot! It is a breakfast-style black tea known for it's malty boldness and very bright flavor. It is invigorating and second only to Tazo Joy in the list of favorite Tazo teas I enjoy.

Comforts & Pleasures

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. 

~Author Unknown ~

Teapots on my mantle:

Left ~ Arthur Wood, Staffordshire, England

Right ~ Lily Creek Landing, United States 

Participating in Bernideen's Tea Time meme today.

When Mary Thro' the Garden Went

When Mary thro' the garden went,
There was no sound of any bird,
And yet, because the night was spent,
The little grasses lightly stirred,
The flowers awoke,
The lilies heard.

When Mary thro' the garden went,
The dew lay still on flower and grass,
The waving palms above her sent
Their fragrance out as she did pass.
No light upon their branches was.

When Mary thro' the garden went,
her eyes for weeping long, were dim
The grass beneath her footsteps bent,
The solemn lilies white and slim,
These also stood and wept for Him.

When Mary thro' the garden went,
She sought, within the garden ground,
one for Whom her heart was rent,
One Who for her sake was bound,
One Who sought and she was found.

An anthem, "When Mary Thro The Garden Went" by Charles V. Stanford. Text by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge (1861 - 1907), great-grandniece of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem depicts Mary's search for Christ on the morning of the resurrection, but turns the tables in a most though-provoking manner.

For Tea Forsake

Many estates are spent in the getting, 
since women for tea forsake spinning and knitting, 
and men for punch forsake hewing and splitting.  

~Benjamin Franklin~

Cups of Love to Fill

"Seldom can the heart be lonely if it seeks a lonelier still;

Self-forgetting, seeking only emptier cups of love to fill."

Frances Havergal