A Potpourri of This and That

 

One day last week I took two little girls to the Salish Sea Centre. It's a wonderful little museum featuring the life under the surface of the water surrounding our island. The Moon Jellyfish (aurelia aurita) looked ghostly in a dark tank illuminated with purple lights. It was mesmerizing to watch the jellyfish contract and expand to move throughout the tank. 

Although I've seen lots of Moon Jellyfish out in the wild, I've never seen a Sea Nettle Jellyfish (chrysaora fuscescens) and was struck by their weird beauty and vibrant colour. They can grow to a meter in diameter. How gracefully they move through the water. 

Closer to home House Finches, Chestnut-Backed Chickadees, and Black-eyed Juncos flew around the feeder this morning. Snow fell overnight, just an inch or so here, enough to make the world look bright and beautiful this morning under a blue sky. It was a gorgeous day for a walk. 

I recently finished reading The Personal Librarian, the story of a black woman who was forced to pass as white in order to achieve her dreams. Belle da Costa was librarian to the wealthy American, J.P. Morgan, and although the story is written as fiction, it is heavily based on history. It had me thinking about civil rights, and about being authentic, and about racial tensions. 

The house is quiet this Sunday evening with both of us engrossed in reading or writing. A fire glows gently, warming the room in a cozy atmosphere. I think about the week ahead - I'd like to bake bread, finish a sewing project, and do some writing. These brighter days, although cold, fill me with energy. What are your plans for the week?

Friday Favourites

 

Five moments from this week. I'm writing in the quiet of evening with the fire glowing. Tim and I spent some time this evening going over the plans for the kitchen renovation. We're to the point of ordering cabinets and choosing countertops and sinks. So many decisions. 

1. In my garden the hellebores are just beginning to open. How pretty these are against the browns of late winter garden beds. Lilac buds are beginning to swell and daffodil leaves poke sharp and green from the soil with the promise of later flowers.

2. Inside I got up close and personal with a chrysanthemum. Isn't the symmetry amazing? 

3. These two make me laugh. They sit on the couch cuddling their little stuffies in blankets and pretend-watch television. Iris makes up the story and Cora listens. Then Cora decides to turn off the imaginary television and oh, what a reaction she gets! Iris gets so upset that Cora keeps turning off the imaginary television. It's hilarious. Suggesting they each have a television does not work. 

4. Little animals are ever so happy in the zoo. I savour these times with the little ones and enjoy spending time with them. These young years fly by quickly. Once they attend school there is not as much freedom to spend the day with Nana. 

5. Weather is still chilly around here, in spite of the brightening days. We might even get some more snow. A bowl of Turkey Chili is warming and delicious, and so easy to make. 

Have a wonderful weekend filled with activities you enjoy and people you love. 

14 Lovely and Loving Moments

 

In the firm belief that love should be celebrated every day, I'm posting 14 loving moments from my year. This is by no means exhaustive.

Bop, aka Grandpa pondering over plans for woodworking projects with two grands. 

My Valentine and I kayaking last summer. 

Evening light beside a peaceful lake. 

Sweet peas and peaches on the kitchen windowsill.

Baking with two little loves.

All the grands lying on the floor with their new pillows at Christmas.

Silly fun with my Valentine. On our anniversary while traveling up north last summer - we found two brand new party hats on a bench at a park and put them on for a selfie! 

A pink rose in the garden we visited on our wedding day, and again this summer after 45 years.

Adventuring together. He's the best!

Roses from the garden.

Two grands celebrating close-together birthdays.

Bright hope of spring.

This past week we celebrated our grandson's birthday - those tacos took the place of cake - waffle bases, crumbled brownies (meat), coloured coconut (lettuce), maraschino cherries (tomatoes), orange Twizzlers (cheese). Delicious, but disconcerting to eat.

The three older grands at the table with the birthday boy in the center. 

As Anne of Green Gables once said, "Dear old world, you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you."

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Treat yourself with love, treat others with love, treat God's world with love. 

Five Thoughts on Friday

 

Hooray for the first crocus bloom! Such a tiny thing to bring joy. Pansies, too, but they bloom most of the year, especially in a pot on the porch. Outside my window this February morning the sun has just been blotted out by a cloud travelling by. How much greyer everything looks, but since the clouds are travelling fast, perhaps the sun will peek out again soon. 

And snowdrops! More to delight. The way their petals lift to open reminds me of nun's wimples or old-fashioned nurse headdresses with white wings flying. From my spot here in the house, the nodding snowdrops are white spots of brightness in my mostly brown garden. 

Inside, the cactus is blooming. I can't call it a Christmas cactus although I thought that's what it was, for it blooms a little in November, and again in February. 

These days I've been going through closets and cupboards, cleaning out things I don't need anymore. Binders and files full of teaching materials - gone - and I feel lighter for it. Cracked dishes - binned. A stack of books to take to the thrift shop is growing. Ceiling fans dusted. (I couldn't believe the amount of dust on the blades.) Linens re-folded and neatly stacked. Cupboards emptied and wiped out. As Marie Kondo says, "The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment." 

The other day I was cooking Chicken Florentine and the kitchen was redolent with garlic. Iris walked in with her mother and sister, and Iris' first words were "What is that amazing smell?" At 3 1/2 she loves to cook and isn't afraid to try new foods.

My daughters and I watched the most recent Downton Abbey movie last weekend. (We would have included daughter-in-law, but she was out of town and has seen it.) We all agreed that spending some time in warm sunny Provence while wearing beautiful clothing sounded most attractive. 

I did an old-fashioned thing and actually purchased a DVD. I've been collecting a few favourites from the thrift store, too. I don't like all this digital stuff - movies disappear from streaming services and are difficult to find sometimes. My family calls me old-fashioned. Do you still watch DVDs or do you stream everything?

"Give yourself a gift: the present moment." Marcus Aurelius

There has been some sunshine lately and I caught it illuminating the fireplace mantel, so I stood and watched for a moment before picking up the camera. The days brighten a little more each day and I can feel my energy levels rising, too. 

Two little girls are coming to stay for two nights and days this weekend while their parents are busy. I made some tiny blueberry muffins, lots of fruit, and a wedge of Brie cheese for Iris (she's quite an adventurous eater), and have games and crafts organized to keep everyone busy. There won't be time for anything but child care, I'm thinking. At least until the evening when I can collapse and do nothing.

What are your weekend plans?

Around Here at the Beginning of February

 

Daffodils are the cheeriest spring flowers. A bunch of tightly furled buds came home with me from the grocery store this week and are gradually opening inside the house. Outside, daffodils have a month or so to go before blooming. 

I finished the Japanese Rice Bag I showed you last week. It was a quick project and fun to do with the simple hand stitches as embellishment. 

I confess that I have an enormous stash of fabric, mostly linen and cotton, that I am determined to use. There are plans for a couple of summer dresses and tops, as well as a quilt or two. A small project like the bag is good motivation for me to get going on larger projects. 

I'm using the bag to store a crochet project I pick up from time to time - making flower coasters from cotton yarn. It's another "use it up" project. 

There are rice bags and there are rice bags. The one on the left is a Japanese Rice Bag, also known as Kinchaku, and was used as a lunch bag or small purse. This bag has a 7-inch square base. When the bags are made with a larger, 10-inch or more base, they are known as Komebukuro and were originally intended to carry rice to the temple for offerings. Check out the link for a lovely quiet video watching a master create a kinchaku bag.

The pink rice bag is a rectangle of fleece filled with rice or flax seeds and can be heated in the microwave to provide soothing relief to sore muscles. I have several of these and often sit with one at my back.

Two kinds of rice bags - both useful in different ways.

We've been noticing several Northern Flickers around our garden lately and I happened to catch one on my camera this morning. They are common to most of North America and I find their gentle colouring very beautiful. Do you see Northern Flickers in your garden?

Making decisions about our upcoming house renovation is taking a lot of time. There are just so many choices! We've been working on lighting recently and made the order for the kitchen today. For the month of February, the store had a promotion of "spin the wheel" and see how much of a discount you could get, from 5 - 40%. So I spun the wheel and was shocked to see it stop at 40%! That was a huge bonus, and the store owner said I was the only one thus far to have the wheel stop there. 

What colour is your kitchen? Or what colour would your ideal kitchen be? We are adding some colour into cabinets and I'm getting excited to begin the project. But first, someone has to retire from his day job! Just a few more weeks. 

Have a lovely Sunday and a great week ahead. I hope the lengthening days brighten your heart as much as they do mine.