Friday Thoughts

 

The power of finding beauty in the humblest things

makes home happy and life lovely

Louisa May Alcott

In gardens now clumps of purple and yellow crocuses add colour to mostly cloudy days with drizzle. The flowers look even better when the sun peeks out and the blooms open to the light. Spring seems to be well on her way here despite remembering several snowstorms in late February. All of the gardeners are itching to plant cold weather crops, but the wise ones advise everyone to hold off for a bit. I do have sweet peas growing in my greenhouse and they are quite hardy. Nothing else yet. 

When I mentioned the Black Forest Cake I was planning to make for last Sunday's celebratory dinner, someone asked if I would post a photo. Here it is. Normally, I grate the chocolate and press it into the sides, but thought covering the sides with shards might make an interesting change. Inside is a light and airy pale chocolate cake. I used farm fresh eggs that were quite large. Whipped cream and cherries filled and covered the cake. Most of it disappeared that day. 

"Nobody has ever measured, even the poets,

how much a heart can hold."

Zelda Fitzgerald

And here is the birthday boy with his cake. How grown up he looks. I am so thankful for him and for the four granddaughters we have. And I am filled with gratitude that we can celebrate together and enjoy each other's company. 

"The more I think about it, the more I realize there is 

nothing more artistic than to love others."

Vincent Van Gogh

One morning Tim and I got up early to watch the sun rise over the water. Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, and Golden-Crowned Sparrows sang in the scrub brush. Ducks floated on the water, perhaps also watching for the sunrise. Gulls swirled above, dark silhouettes against the sky. 

Our province and our country is reeling from the news of a school shooting on Tuesday. Such events are thankfully rare in Canada, and horrific. I think of the school children, ages 11-13 who lost their lives that day. Two more are in hospital, one fighting desperately for her life. These are the ages of my grandchildren. How quickly life is taken and how irrevocably the lives of those who remain are changed. Lord, have mercy. 

This week I stitched a few zipper bags for the granddaughters and an international student staying with one family. Our grandson gets the red bag. Each holds a few chocolates and candies and a gift card for Tim Hortons. I have a large box of zippers and would like to use them, so each bag is a slightly different size to fit the zippers. It's good to use up small pieces of fabric, too. The younger girls were here today as it was a Pro-D day for them. They took the bags with smiles, but said they wanted to wait to open them until tomorrow because that was actually Valentine's Day! 

Tim is starting a new hobby - using a wood lathe. These are some of his practice bowls. He assures me there will be many more. He's experimenting with various woods, finishes, and shapes. The irregular dark-rimmed bowl on the right is made with a live edge using the bark of the tree as the edge. 

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Hug those you love, every day you can.