An Adventure at Ten

 

 

 

I was about the age of my grandson, 10 years old, when I loved exploring alone in a nearby woods. This week he and I went exploring near his home. We walked by the Frog Pond, stopped to check out the wild flowers, he climbed on a large boulder, and we viewed the big river below. The grass was flattened on the ground like the wild things had visited and rested there. We dreamed a little too and this is what I found:

Magic hidden below petals and mulch

A world I could not see

Yet I knew it was there

Stepping lightly through the trees

The ground springs beneath our feet

We must not disturb

Hidden from our eyes

Do you see it now?

Look closely

Use your senses

Put your ear to the ground

Listen with an open heart

Imagination is there to delight

Breathe deeply

Savor with your eyes

Discoveries are yet to come

Return with a smile on your face

 

 

I would dream of fairies and gnomes hiding just out of view. I am sure they were there peeking out at us. I would always return with a smile on my face and peace in my heart because it was an adventure this girl at a young age could do by herself. A place of discovery. I must admit a bit selfishly, my sister couldn't go there because of the poison oak. I seemed to be immune to it, but if it was just in the air she would break out in a rash. So it was my own secret adventure.

Do you sometimes imagine magic hiding nearby in nature? The magic is there to discover and delight if only we "notice what we notice".

Happy Fourth of July weekend, dear friends!

Have a weekend of discoveries and delights.

Word Magic

 The word this week is: Celebration

definition: the action of marking one's pleasure at an important event or occasion by engaging in enjoyable, typically social, activity.

 

 

Do you call your friends and say "come celebrate with me"?

There was a young man standing in line in front of me waiting to check out. He was holding chocolates and flowers. I asked him what he was celebrating and he said his daughters kindergarten graduation. Since the pandemic it seems to me that people are celebrating the small things in life more than  I have noticed in the past.  Have you noticed this also?

My sister-in-law celebrating her birthday.

My good friend celebrating her birthday too.

Family celebrating Thanksgiving.

60 + 1 years reunion from high school celebration.

Grandson's birthday celebration.

Little and big celebrations throughout the year found on my phone.

June seems to be a month of celebrations with weddings and the end of the school year, plus the beginning of summer adventures.

The small things in the everyday and the large things are so worth the celebration!

Do you love celebrating the small or large things in your life?

What do you think of when you think of celebrations?

I love just private celebrations for the changing of the seasons or the blooming of a flower by having a cup of tea. Sometimes it is my own secret celebrations of remembering or noticing something special to only me.

This picture was taken a few years ago in a chocolate shop. They provided a place for those that wanted to sit for awhile and celebrate the day could do so. It was a private celebration for just me alone.

Now that you are thinking of celebrations, what would you celebrate in this very day?

Have a terrific weekend, dear friends!
 

 

Notice What you Notice

 

If you have been reading my posts for awhile you know occasionally I say "notice what you notice". This is the primary reason I write blog posts. One of my dear friends often uses that term and I loved it so much I started using it too. On doing a little search I found that it comes from Allen Ginsberg, but I have a feeling it has been said in many different ways by others.

"Ordinary mind includes eternal perceptions. Notice what you notice. Observe what's vivid. Catch yourself thinking. Vividness is self-selecting. And remember the future." Allen Ginsberg

Recently a friend through blogging recommended a book called Enchantment, Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May. I finished reading it this morning. It is exactly what "notice what you notice" is all about.

"The natural world never stops giving you details to observe."

"learning seems to be a perpetual cycle of forgetting." We must keep noticing to remember and learn once again.

"Naming is a form of power." This struck me in thinking we name flowers in the garden and our own children. In so doing we give them the power of living and thriving.

"More often than not, I find that I already hold all the ideas from which my enchantment is made. The deliberate pursuit of attention, ritual, or reflection does not mystically draw in anything external to me. Instead, it creates experiences that rearrange what I know to the insights I need today."

She talks about searching for the magic and finding surprises, something that delights and enchants us. It might be finding the sliver of the crescent moon up above or a bird song we have never heard before.

Pictures were snapped last evening in my backyard. What I wanted to take were the lights, but then I noticed the moon. What a treat to sit for awhile outdoors and notice what I noticed. It was my own private celebration of the beginning of summer.

 

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Now go out and "notice what you notice".

Word Magic

 A very simple word today: Tea

definition: "a hot drink made by infusing the dried crushed leaves of the tea plant in boiling water.

" I even read one definition of two women having tea included gossip.

What images does the word "tea" create in your mind? I was surprised to read "tea and gossip", but yes that sometimes is part of it. I know I talk about tea alot, but I often wonder when I mention that word to someone, what are they thinking? Is it the desperate need for a cup of caffeine in the morning or a fancy ladies afternoon tea experience with tiny sandwiches and sweets? This tea girl wants to know.

For me I think of many different things:

1. That it comes from the camellia sinensis plant, which is in the camellia family. "Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree." Wikipedia

2. Much of the origins came from China and Asia.

3. The pleasure of sitting each morning in silence to sip the warmth of a variety of teas from white to black to oolongs to puers.

 

4. I picture the people all over the world sipping tea, as it is the second most drunk liquid with only water being sipped the most. 

 

5. Tea is an opportunity to visit with friends. It is what the British call a "cuppa".

6. On a cold day it warms me and on a hot day it cools me.

7. Some people enjoy tea out of a pretty teapot poured into a china cup with saucer. Others might sip their tea from a jar. And some people sip their tea from tiny cups that you might think are only for a child.

Today a friend came to tea. We sipped a lovely black tea, nibbled on scones and fruit; but most importantly we chatted. About a year and half ago I started inviting friends to come to "tea". The purpose was to catch up with our lives and it was framed with cups of tea.

I think most often when I think of tea time it is one of two things. It is either my quiet time in the morning or a shared time with friends.

So tell me dear friends, when you say you are having tea what image sits in your mind?

Have a terrific week, dear friends!

The Importance of Trees

 Say hello to my tree:

Trees add beauty to our world.

In using my voice I find the need to speak up about things that are often heavy on my heart. There are so many things from the way people treat each other to how they treat our world and earth. In the past I have mentioned trees and the important role they play in global warming. If I were a rich girl I would spend a portion of my money on planting trees around the world. But even one tree planted can make a difference, Reading just recently the magazine from American Forest, it shared how the city of Phoenix is the first city in the US to dedicate their community to Tree Equity by 2030 by planting avenues of trees throughout the city. Phoenix temperatures are predicted to rise an average of 11 degrees hotter by the end of this century. By planting trees they can improve the air quality and stormwater runoff, both of which can make a difference to their community. Planting the trees in corridors will give it's residence cooler places to walk. Trees help lower the temperature and also clean the air. Now why is it we are not planting more trees in all our cities. Phoenix is leading the way, let's encourage our cities to follow.

 

They provide shelter and sustenance for critters. 

 

On a recent walk in my neighborhood.

This street is two blocks from my house and is considered an arboretum. Many of the trees have plaques that tell us what kind of tree it is. When I walk or drive here just seeing the trees makes my heart sing.

 

I am beginning and ending with pictures of my witch hazel tree.

I love this tree.

Not too long ago I had it moved to my daughters home. I knew she would love it too.

Even her neighbors noticed this special little tree.

 

Do trees sing to your heart?

Have a terrific weekend, dear friends!

Go out and notice the trees around you. What do you see? Is there a tree unique to your area?

One more thought:

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."

― Nelson Henderson
 

Word Magic

 

Word for the week: Thalassophile

 

 Definition: someone who loves ocean and finds thrill, calm and peace being close to ocean, a lover of the sea.

 

Scrolling through my photographs I can easily find pictures of the sea in it's most wonderful varieties and views.

I could easily live right here by the sea.

After all, I am a water girl, a Pisces at heart.

Years ago I lived in Kansas for a few years.

It wasn't a good fit, as I needed to be by the sea.

When I told my husband's employer I needed to be near the ocean, he suggested I go see their lake nearby. He didn't understand. A man made lake in the middle of a cow pasture wasn't going to do it for me. Eventually I moved back to the west coast and can reach the seashore in one hour. That satisfied my need to be close enough to go at a moments notice.

Growing up I was always within one hour of the sea.

My young self loved going with friends to swim, walk, play, and nap on the warm sand.

I adored it then and I adore it now.

Is there somewhere that does that for you?

Is it the sea, the mountains, a lake?

Where does your hearts desire lead you?

I hope this week you can be in a place that satisfies your soul.

Happy week, dear friends!

 

Adventure to Eugene

 

My cousin lives along the McKenzie River, east of Eugene. Because I recently ventured to Eugene for their first tea festival, I looked forward to spending some time visiting my cousin. I am always up for a little adventure and this one became enchanting upon arrival. Pulling into my cousins drive and parking the car we noticed a few butterflies. Stepping into the garden we were surrounded by hundreds of swallowtails. I had never seen so many butterflies all congregated together. I was totally delighted.

I love butterflies! Even when I make a pie I carve a butterfly in the top crust. My "live-in gardener" and I purposely plant milk weed in our garden in the hopes of attracting butterflies. Yet they rarely make an appearance in our garden. So seeing hundreds of them surrounding me just made my day. Of course the visit with my cousin was a delight, but the butterflies made it extra special.

 

 

 

The butterflies seemed to be sipping minerals from the ground. 

They were definitely migrating through the area and I was delighted.

 

And then the reason for the adventure, which is a 2 hour drive from Portland was tea.

You know any opportunity to sip tea with friends and make new tea friends is a good day for me. My WuWo Tea Ceremony group did a demonstration where we gathered a few others to join us for tea time. The little table below was my tea set up for enjoying a few moments sipping tea in silence. A perfect way to meditate and enjoy a perfect finish to the day.

Some days are made more special by surprises we didn't expect or by spending time with dear friends.

Be open to the unexpected and notice the delight in it.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Word Magic

The word this week is VOICE. 

The definition is:

the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
"his voice is hoarse"  Or a particular opinion or attitude expressed.
 
Finding the right pictures to share voice wasn't easy.
This first picture was taken this morning as I walked alone at a rose garden near my house. I had invited a friend to join me and had the backpack ready to go with tea and some special nibbles. I was looking forward to catching up, to using our voices in laughter. As I headed for the door the phone rang and because she wasn't feeling well, she canceled. I sat for awhile and realized that shouldn't deter me from an adventure to the planned rose garden. My voice was silent, but my camera enjoyed coming out to play.




 
This picture represents tea with another. Often my tea times are in silence, a time to meditate and pray.

 Can a voice be silent too? Maybe a body attitude/gesture or something written?

How do you best communicate what is on your heart, in your head?

 "Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes." Maggie Smith

I felt like this woman was sending a message by what she was wearing. She didn't need to say a word, but I knew she loved tea.

On a recent interview on CBS Sunday Morning, Isabelle Allende spoke of finding her voice when she wrote. That as a young woman she only saw books written by men and it took her years to realize that as a woman she could have a voice too. 

There have been times in my life where I have attempted to speak and had a man raise his hand in a stop motion to tell me I could not speak and he didn't want to hear what I had to say. It took me a long time to realize that I had the same right to speak as anyone around me. I still struggle with that at times. 

Voice is a powerful word and one we should all remember.

Yes, as a woman, we must speak and be heard.

Women can make a difference with their voice. 

Have a terrific week, dear friends!

Apple Blossom time on Sauvie Island

 

Whew! I started this post a month ago and just realized I hadn't shared. Maybe I was keeping it a secret?! Laughing! In some ways this place is my secret place, my peaceful place, the place that totally soothes and delights me. I know I have shared this place before, but once again I made it to see the blossoms and have a cup of tea with a dear friend at my side. We sipped tea from my new little cups and poured from a new teapot.

The blossoms always just make me smile. Apple blossoms have that beautiful pink blush. They remind me of the young girl I once was, dancing through my grandfather's apple orchard.

My grandfather always plowed up the weeds and grass below the trees; so going barefoot I felt the warm dusty soil between my toes. In this orchard they leave the grass, which I much prefer. It is the perfect place to sit awhile, feel the dampness as I walk through the grass, and not get covered in dirt. Now in my older self I can imagine I must have been a nightmare of dirt when it came to my mother's laundry time. I don't remember being bothered by the dirt though. I loved it.

Do you love the spring blossoms in your part of the world? Does this season bring hope and delight?

As you can see there was no one around. Rarely do I see more than a couple other people when I visit my secret apple orchard on Sauvie Island. Why is it, I wonder? Doesn't an adventure to the country and a special orchard not beckon to come, sit awhile, and dream dreams of adventures both far and near?

Come with me and we can talk of little things, sit in silence for awhile, laugh like there is no tomorrow and sip a cup of tea.

 

Happy weekend, dear friends!