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Posts Tagged With: Nature

My summer list

Spring’s come late to Michigan; we had snow as recently as two weeks ago. Not surprisingly, everyone around here is thinking ahead to summer.

Asked, “what’s on your summer list?” I found my list rolling off my tongue as though I’d practiced it for days! (maybe some of that’s true).

Lilacs!

they're gonna bloom this week I think!

they’re gonna bloom this week I think!

Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy with me at the grill.

Summer Shandy... ah

Summer Shandy… ah

Hanging in the pool till I’m wrinkly and white; cherries, watermelon, corn on the cob and fresh summer peas.

100_24051.jpg

Michigan cherries … yum!

Tigers baseball on the radio .. outside; play dates with the grand kids.

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making cookies with the Grands

Summer gatherings, skirts, kitten heels and date nights … all under the light of a summer moon. 

just like this one

just like this one

Lacy sweet peonies that take me back to Grandma’s garden.

"Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the fleurs" - Frankie the wonder dog

peonies!

Fresh peach cobblers and Texas Sheet cakes, just because.

Summertime means peach cobbler!

Rich chocolate nutty icing poured onto a delectable warm cake? Yes please!

Rich chocolate nutty icing poured onto a delectable warm cake? Yes please!

The squeals of children filling the backyard.

cousins and cousins and more!

cousins and cousins and more!

A contented old dog reminding me to take my time in the sun, too.

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Frankie has the relaxing part down-pat.

That’s what I long for this summer.

What’s on your summer list? 

Thanks to Jessie for the inspiration!

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Categories: Animals, Faith, Family, Food, Fun, Home, Life, Relationships, Seasons | Tags: , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

A rather large amount of gratitude

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Today, I woke to morning’s light peeking into the yard.

I woke to old dog, sleeping soundly and without pain.

I woke to a day filled with nothing in particular to do and all day to do it.

I woke to views like this one and my soul had no choice but to smile.

isn’t Autumn glorious? {{ Click to enlarge }} an emjayandthem photo

What’s making you smile today?

Categories: Attitude, Faith, Family, Gratitude, Home, Joy, Quotes, Relationships, Seasons, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Sunshine on Saturdays

Ever noticed that what we long for we often get … but not always when we want it?

It finally rained on Thursday here in West Michigan; we enjoyed a nice long day of a slow soaking rain and it was perfection.  I swear I heard the plants stretch and say “ahhh.”

I woke up early today, determined to offload the extra water from the pool and clean up the mess the recent showers had created.

The warmth of the sun’s rays enveloped me, even at that wee hour.

To me, sunshine belongs to Saturdays, regardless of the season. But, having said that, there’s something wonderful about a cool rainy Sunday, one that forces me inside.

The sun’s shining today and if you’re looking for me, I’ll be out in it.

You?

“It was like the way you wanted sunshine on Saturdays, or pancakes for breakfast. They just made you feel good.” ~ Sarah Addison Allen

Categories: Attitude, Gratitude, Home, Joy, Life, Personal, Relationships, Seasons, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 22 Comments

Sometimes

Sometimes the most beautiful paintings are found right outside our door.

..:: Autumn ::.. an emjayandthem photo (click for full image)

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus

Categories: Beauty, Seasons, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , | 18 Comments

It’s here! It’s really, truly, finally here…I think.

forsynthia peeking over my fence

After the most unpredictably cold, wet and weird April of recent memory, I dare say it outloud:

       Spring is here!

I won’t taunt Mother Nature by being too pleased about it for fear she’ll spank us with another April snow shower. (Hey we did get 2″ of the white stuff last Monday!)

But I sure enjoyed a relaxing walk through the neighborhood with old dog tonight.  He: nose down/tail up, sniffing the pathway ahead of us.  Me: foot wrapped, stretching and trying to improve my stamina and distance, bit by bit.  The mild air felt cool on my cheeks and, when we turned to home, I had to zip my windbreaker as the breeze picked up. In an instant,  I was transported to Spring on the farm:  fluffy yellow chicks, kittens, a foal or two and lots and lots of baby calves.  A time of being delighted that we could wear just sneakers again; all the boots were put away and the yard was no longer a mucky mess.  A time of hoodies layered under jean jackets, pink cheeks and coming into the house smelling of fresh air.

I love the scents of Summer and the colours of Autumn but it’s on days like this that I realize what I love about Spring: its promise. 

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  ~Robin Williams

Categories: Animals, Beauty, Family, Friendship, Gratitude, Home, Joy, Life, Opinion, Personal, Random, Seasons, Snarky, Thoughts | Tags: , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Who has seen the wind?

Grandpa F's old red barn; a Lisa Birch photo

I love the wind. It reminds me of my childhood home, our family farm on the Saskatchewan prairie.

I could never, ever live in the woods; I get claustrophobic when I can’t see the horizon.

I delight in a summer breeze drifting lazily across my skin and embrace it when it fiercely pushes my hair straight back from my face.

Even on wintry days when the wind is more a foe than a friend, I respect it. I step back as it blasts snow back at us, whips leaves through the yard, and howls above me in the cold, starless sky.

There’s a book I adore and I’m sharing here: “If you’re not from the prairie ….” by David Bouchard

“…My hair’s mostly wind,
My eyes filled with grit

My skin’s white then brown
My lips chapped and split

I’ve lain on the prairie and heard grasses sigh
I’ve stared at the vast open bowl of the sky

I’ve seen all the castles and faces in clouds
My home is the prairie and for that I am proud…

If You’re not from the Prairie, you can’t know my soul
You don’t know our blizzards; you’ve not fought our cold

You can’t know my mind, nor ever my heart
Unless deep within you there’s somehow a part…

A part of these things that I’ve said that I know,
The wind, sky and earth, the storms and the snow.

Best say that you have – and then we’ll be one,
For we will have shared that same blazing sun.

for more please visit:
http://www.davidbouchard.com/titles/prairie.htm

Categories: Beauty, Family, Gratitude, Home, Life, Opinion, Personal, Share, Thoughts, Travel, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | 8 Comments

Thank you Winter

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It’s 6 degrees F on this fine Michigan morning.  The sun is shining and the snow is crunchy and luminous.   Old dog has found a favorite spot in the sunlight and I have a kick in my step because there’s not a cloud in sight.

One of the things I appreciate most about Winter is its ability to make me treasure ALL seasons just a little bit more… only 2 months till Spring!

Categories: Beauty, Faith, Friendship, Home, Life, Love, Opinion, Personal, Random, Relationships, Seasons, Thoughts, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | 6 Comments

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