A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

Flowers by the Pacific Ocean

Gratitude List

Praise be this morning for sleeping late,

the sandy sheets, the ocean air,

the midnight storm that blew its waters in.

Praise be the morning swim, mid-tide,

the clear sands underneath our feet,

the dogs who leap into the waves,

their fur, sticky with salt,

the ball we throw again and again.

Praise be the green tea with honey,

the bread we dip in finest olive oil,

the eggs we fry, Praise be the reeds,

gold and pink in the summer light,

the sand between our toes,

our swimsuits, flapping in the breeze.

~Laura Foley, How to Love in World, Poems of Gratitude and Hope

Flowers by the Atlantic Ocean. You don't see the sea in the picture, but just over that horizon is water flowing free.
 

Doesn't those words just conjure up summer images of delight? 

What would you add to the summer gratitude list? 

An isolated walk by the sea in the early morning delights my soul.

In the poem green tea is mentioned. For me it would be a cup of a good black tea. Oh how I would love a fine bread dipped in olive oil or sand between my toes as I walk by the sea. My heart would sing with joy to notice these delights.

Welcome to a new week, dear friends!
 

Hidden In Plain View

On my retirement from the work force I picked up my "big girl" camera. I had never been the picture taking person in the family. It opened hidden treasures beyond my imagination. It called me to walk down avenues yet undiscovered and to look for the little things in life, the things that delighted me.

I started walking in the alleys of my neighborhood, choosing different directions to go. I found herb gardens, beehives, and orange doors too. 

 

 

I wondered what others found when they walked the alley behind my yard. So with camera in hand this week I walked the alley behind my house and this is what I found.

 

I walked in front of my house and peeked through the plum tree. I spied flowers blooming there. The dappled light did delight me too.

 

And walking by the sea, as the tide rolled out, I found sea anemone trying to survive until the water would return and they are once again be out of sight.

 

Several years ago I walked through the apple orchard by my sister's home. I was taking pictures of the apples. On later looking at the picture it revealed to me corn growing there.

And finding a secret garden through a garden gate in springtime, flowers abound and touch my heart with a smile of joy.

It is like a treasure hunt to carry my camera and notice what I notice.

A smile always sits ready to burst and my heart dances with joy.

Do you love finding small treasures hidden in plain view?

Go out this weekend and notice what you notice!

Happy weekend, dear friends!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

Jack-Be-Nimble

Summer is a candle

In a golden stick,

A yellow, yellow candle

With a poppy wick.

A yellow, yellow candle

That burns a lovely while,

Till autumn comes a-running

Down a purple mile.

Till autumn comes a-running

With a windy shout,

And vaults the golden candlestick,

And blows the poppy out.

~Kitchen Sonnets, by Ethel Romig Fuller

Oregon poet laureate (1957-1965)

 

Is anyone else looking forward to cooler days?

I love the anticipation of summer, but by now feel like those wilted flowers above.

Opening my house up in the early hour gives the promise of cooler days, but still the heat and humidity of the mid day hour is stifling. Hoping for "autumn comes a-running".

And here we are at the end of August. Children are returning to school. And those of us that no longer have children to send off with backpacks filled are dreaming of sitting by the warmth of a cool nights fire. But first let's take another walk outdoors and surround ourselves with the wilted flowers of summer. Let's delight in the day and drink plenty of cool water.

Welcome to a new week, dear friends!

Gentleness and Kindness

The quote below this picture has been sitting here awhile. I am thinking of the gentleness and kindness of friends as I write. There is such preciousness in quiet moments sitting, walking, or sipping a cup of tea with a friend. How I treasure those moments. Last Sunday I met several friends under the apple trees in a favorite orchard. We were there just to sip tea and share a quiet moment. These are the moments that make life precious.

"Do everything with gentleness,

with kindness,

with reverence.

That is how grace moves.

That is how love dances."

~Heather K. O'Hara

 

And then on Tuesday I drove with a friend to visit a friend in another city here in Oregon. The purpose was just to sit in her yard, spend moments together, and have a cup of tea.

 

Have you had tea from a little teapot like this?

You would be surprised how much tea you can sip from one small teapot.
And the nibbles make it a feast both for the eyes and the tummy.

My friend took much care in preparing for our time together.
Her little charcoal stove was ready to warm the water.

The lid danced as the water warmed.

 

Spending time together just touches my heart and makes me smile.

Hoping today and this weekend you each have moments that touch your heart.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 I am not sure the following words would be considered a poem or not. I shared them with my tea group yesterday and they said it was a poem. The words are not mine, though I wrote them down from a time of meditation with tea people on zoom not too long ago. I hope you enjoy the words and thoughts that come from those words.

 

In touching the earth:

We practice tenderness

We find confidence and compassion

We are one with all

We are someone with enough peace and joy to share with others and live in a meaningful way

 

We pour the water, it comes to us and sustains us

We are fortunate to fill our cups as we pour and serve

When we drink the tea we can visualize the entire universe

We sip life and nourishment.

We are with the tea

 

We claim aspiration and acknowledge it.

May the poor find wealth

And the forlorn find hope.

 

Walk slowly when leaving with gratitude and love for what this day has been.

 

A glimpse of me, touching the earth and sipping tea outdoors.

Sending love and thankfulness for you.

Latimer Quilt and Textile Center

 

In my last post I shared that my "live-in gardener" and I had taken a day adventure to the sea. The shortest drive is through Tillamook, Oregon. Now you may have heard of Tillamook Cheese; well it comes from here. There is even a factory tour you can take and the area is surrounded by dairy farms. We didn't stop there as there were too many people, but we did continue down the road to walk on the beach in Oceanside. We weren't the only ones escaping the heat. It was rather glorious, a respite from the hot weather.

 

And then for an added treat we decided to drive about a mile into the country, surrounded by dairy farms to this old school building. Many locals don't stop here; so we knew it would be quiet and always a delight.

 

This is the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center, a vibrant, living, working museum whose mission is to preserve, promote, display and facilitate the creation of and provide education about the textile arts.

Located in beautiful Tillamook, Oregon, the Latimer Quilt & Textile Center offers bi-monthly exhibits featuring vintage textiles or contemporary fiber and textile art by local and nationally recognized artists. They have a research library for on-site use, a gift shop full of handcrafted items, books, yarn and vintage fabrics.

 

I found a nice piece of fabric I couldn't resist. Now if you knew me for a long time you would know I used to have a huge stash of fabric, but when I retired I said no more sewing. My machine was worn out and no longer working. I got rid of 97% of my sewing things and said that was it. Then the pandemic hit and I wanted to sew some little things. I bought a small machine on Amazon and have done a few small projects. And here I am, I bought 4 yards of fabric!!! What was I thinking? Hopefully in a future post you will see what I think I will make.

 

Here is the fiber room for spinning fiber and weaving. I just love seeing the projects on the looms. It almost makes me itch to get back into fiber, at least a tiny bit.

This is typical of local American Indian art with button embellishments.

At first I thought the butterflies were felted wool, but actually they were painted fabric stretched over wire. I know one of my readers does felted wool occasionally and I am thinking it would be fun to try butterflies with some wool I have tucked safely in my freezer. Ha! You say "in your freezer?"  Yes, the wool is safe from moths in the freezer.

 

Having a degree in apparel design, I am always intrigued by apparel art.

And what's not to love in gorgeous quilts?

And we all love shiny things. Even the crow in this quilt loves shiny things.

Painted silk was so striking!

And one more apparel creation.

 

 The day we were visiting there was only two people in the building, the woman taking care of the center and a man learning to sew.

If you ever find yourself in Tillamook, Oregon the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center is a peaceful place to stop for awhile and fill your head with beauty.

 

Have a terrific weekend. Go out and find a little adventure in your part of the world.

Hugs!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

Flowers scattered by the sea

In broken promises left unsaid

Washed away with rising tides

A song of sadness

A word of regret

My mind wonders when finding flowers by the sea

What dreams are washed away

What dreams have been misled

Or on the other hand

Was it a celebration by the water's edge

A profusion of flowers too many in the hand 

Scattered in celebration with a hug and love embraced.

One will never know for sure,

But certainly my mind can dream

Of laughter, joy, or tears

While standing beside the water's edge.

~m.miller

 

Have you ever come across flowers left on the ground and wondered? I always do!

I love making stories in my mind.

Have a great week, dear friends!

A Time of Summer Quietness

 

A breathe of the sweetness of outdoors in the early morning as I rise at my friends country  home.

A farewell to this view as my friend has sold the home.

One last visit to sit in quietness and sharing of friendship of dear women.

It delights my soul.

The tall tree to the left is a favored bird perch.

Can you see why? If I were a bird I would perch there too. 

We could sit together, at least I think two birds could fit, and watch the sun rise and the earth come alive. Below are farms where irrigation sprinkler heads twirl in circles and farmers plow the fields or walk to collect the eggs from the productive chickens in the barn.

And at 5:30 in the morning the sun is just beginning to shine on the nearby Mt. Adams. Mt. Adams is a part of the Cascade mountain range, a ring of fire, a volcano laying dormant.

 

And then on returning home there has been time in the garden for tea. Summer days can be slow and mellow, a time to savor the garden and sit awhile.

Maybe I will sip a warm cup of tea in the quiet morning hour or on hot days it will be iced.

In the Mountains on a Summer Day by Li Po

"Gently I stir a white feather fan, 

With open shirt sitting in a green wood.

I take off my cap and hang it on a jutting stone;

A wind from the pine-trees trickles on my bare head."

 

On these hot days of summer it is more like perspiration running on my bare head, but yet I savor these quiet moments. It is like a basket of juicy fruit. I pick one from the basket, quietly munching the juicy flavors, and sit awhile listening for the distance bird and wiping the sticky juice from my arms. I delight in the day.

 Have a terrific summer weekend, dear friends!

A Gift for You - A Flower and A Poem

 

 

Definitely a spring picture, but the flowering cherry trees along the Willamette River here in Portland most relate to the dreams of picking cherries. Picking cherries brings back so many memories of my childhood and picking on my grandpa's ranch. My cousins and I would pick and then dare each other to swing the bucket over our heads to see if we could keep all the cherries in the bucket. Sometimes we succeeded and sometimes cherries rained down on our heads.

Picking Cherries

I was barely tall enough
to heave the towering ladder up
careful not to bruise the bark
or break a branch
wrestling the three-legged beast
in a ponderous waddle
to the next abundance.

Then a heady climb
to clasp and pluck
each clutch of stems
fondling fat globules
soft rubies gently dropped
into my bulging bucket.

Sweating in the summer sun
I was too young to know
that the ladder rungs reached all the way to heaven
and the crimson trickle from my lips
was God’s own blood.

~Patrick Traveler

 

 

Welcome, dear friends, to the sultry month of August.

August always brings fresh produce from the garden

and farm stands full of ripe deliciousness.

The tomatoes are beginning to ripen now in my own garden and I love finding a juicy box of fresh peaches at the market. Our blueberries are just about to ripen and will be picked for my breakfast yogurt. Marionberries are now safely tucked in my freezer for a winter pie and soon apples will be there too.