Focus on the Stars

Sometimes I just need to focus on those things I love.

Teatime and flowers are often in my circle of loves.

This week there were opportunities for both and a little bit more.

I even visited the grand opening of a favorite chocolate shop. They have opened a shop and education room to celebrate chocolate at their factory. Their chocolate all comes from one estate in Ecuador. 

Then on another day I celebrated the start of the day with fruit, scones and tea.

My tea bush on the patio is beginning to bloom.

And then I visited the Lan Su Chinese Gardens where my friend, Eric, was doing a tea tasting. It was fun to sit for an hour and sip tea with Eric and others at the table.

Pomegranates growing in the garden.

And lotus too.

And just for fun, I had to toss in a teddy bear from the antique mall.

And a visit to the dahlia farm.

A bouquet brought home from the farm has delighted my week.

Sometimes we just have to take a break and enjoy those things that bring us JOY and light to our hearts because life can get heavy.

Hoping you have had a little JOY and light in your week.

On to a new week and searching out JOY and light.

Sending love,

Marilyn

 

Focus on the Stars

 

As you prepare your breakfast, think of others

   (do not forget the pigeon’s food).

As you conduct your wars, think of others

   (do not forget those who seek peace).

As you pay your water bill, think of others

   (those who are nursed by clouds).

As you return home, to your home, think of others

   (do not forget the people of the camps).

As you sleep and count the stars, think of others

   (those who have nowhere to sleep).

As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others

   (those who have lost the right to speak).

As you think of others far away, think of yourself

   (say: “If only I were a candle in the dark”).

Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was an award-winning Palestinian author and poet. His literature, particularly his poetry, created a sense of Palestinian identity and was used to resist the occupation of his homeland.

In ‘Think of Others,’ the poet’s message is self-evident. Darwish repeats the same phrases, and urging us to not only be grateful for what we have, but also to help those who are less fortunate. The poem acts as a powerful plea from Darwish to ‘be the candle in the dark’ and to help those who are in need; both near and far. Analysis by Lydia Marouf

“Think of Others” by Mahmoud Darwish, from Almond Blossoms and Beyond. Translated from the original Arabic by Mohammed Shaheen. © Interlink Books, 2010.

I saved the above early in the conflict in Israel and Palestine, but today realized I hadn't posted it. My heart breaks for the people of both Israel and Palestine, in their loses, destruction, death, and struggles. It is imperative that we hold that "candle in the dark" and help where we can. It might only be a prayer sent up each day or something more. 

In the picture above I noticed this rose bush outside my church yesterday. I felt like that one rose is there for hope when all around it is dead and dying. We must focus on that light, the shining pink rose of hope.

Sending love,

Marilyn

My Apple Pie Story

 Pie baking brings me joy and others seem to like it too.

When I started baking pies I would put a butterfly cut in the crust. It is still my signature on each pie I bake.

The only time I bake a pie is for a special event, a potluck, or guests coming over; so when I realized I had apples in the refrigerator that desperately needed baked, I baked a pie for my "live-in gardener" and me. In all my years I don't think I have ever made a pie just for us.

My pie baking story starts a very long time ago, actually when I was a little girl. Because my grandfather and uncles all had apple orchards, my mother and aunts baked apple pies. Each one of them thought they made the best apple pie. It became a small competition. If they were alive today they would still say "I make the best apple pie". 

Well several of my cousins and I took up the mantle of apple pie baking. We each think our apple pie is the best one now. One of my cousins, that I am close to, thinks she makes the best apple pie. Her brother lives about 2 hours from me; so when I go to visit him I take pie. His comment is, "don't tell my sister, but you make the best apple pie". Ha! That is the prize, right there.

So for breakfast with my tea this morning, I had apple pie. It was the best apple pie I have ever had. It was made extra special because the apples came from my sister's apple trees. They are Gravenstein apples. It is a heirloom apple that not many people know about. They are amazing in pies and applesauce too. Now I feel like these apples came straight from my grandfather because my sister lives on a couple acres of the property that once was my grandpa's apple orchard. So family history is baked into my apple pie.

Teatime this morning was a piece of apple pie.

My pie recipes all come from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, the 1960's era book. It's the book that taught me to cook and bake, a wedding gift from long ago.

The secret for me of making a good crust is a gentle hand, ice water, and a slightly warmed Crisco. It works every time.

Apple pie to celebrate the beginning of Autumn/Fall is a delight worth celebrating.

Do you have a family story wrapped up in something you bake or cook?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 “I Go Down To The Shore

I go down to the shore in the morning

and depending on the hour the waves

are rolling in or moving out,

and I say, oh, I am miserable,

what shall—

what should I do? And the sea says

in its lovely voice:

Excuse me, I have work to do.”

-Mary Oliver

The work needing done, what could that be. For me it is just focusing on the small glimmers of light and joy each day.

If you recall, last week I needed to put my toes in the sand. So off to the sea I went for a very short visit; never the less, it was good to touch the sea. People told us there were whales frolicking between those rocks, but other than some splashes I didn't see any whales.

Wishing I had some marshmallows and a fire.

I am a water girl at heart; so just yesterday I went down to the Columbia River. What a delight to sit on this deck and watch the boats come and go. One last celebration of summer before school starts tomorrow. 

Fall will soon be here. 

Early this morning, while it was still dark, I noticed a runner go by with a string of colored light draped around him. He was shining the lights in the dark morning hour. It reminded me as we begin to notice the shorter days to bring out the candles and to focus on the light in the dark night.

And still I am finding flowers to shine on my days.

I absolutely love dahlia season. This is my favorite Cafe au Lait, which was planted in my daughters garden. Isn't it a beauty?

And one final light from my past week was celebrating my "god son's" 25th birthday. How quickly they grow up.

What lights of delight are you noticing this week?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

"what beaches offered: a place of refuge, contemplation, spirit healing, a place for walking prayers."

from Across the Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick

Jane Kirkpatrick is an Oregon historic fiction writer, which always enchants me by her stories of women I never knew about, but women of strength and resilience in times past.

This brief quote above captured my thoughts as I read it last evening. It reminded me that I need to go to the beach for those "walking prayers" and "spirit healing". With the move and all that has gone on in my life the past year I have forgotten to do this for myself. Soon I must go. I must walk by the sea. I must get sand in my toes.

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” – Christy Ann Martine

 “I believe in the ocean curing all bad moods. I believe in the waves wiping away worries. I believe in seashells bringing good luck. I believe in toes in the sand grounding my soul.” – Unknown

The sea is a compass for me. It sets me in the right direction. It is my shining star in the dark night. What is your shining star in the dark night?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

Amy SchmidtAbundance, in memory of Mary Oliver

It’s impossible to be lonely

when you’re zesting an orange.

Scrape the soft rind once

and the whole room

fills with fruit.

Look around: you have

more than enough.

Always have.

You just didn’t notice

until now.

The words above are so true. I just had to share.

It's a good reminder to focus on what we have right in front of us.

This past week, for me, it was a flower at teatime, time with my grandson and his best friend, a visit to a nature preserve where I saw Harry Heron of the West, and a plum cake that came from my oven with plums I still had in the freezer from my plum tree last year.

The fragrance of the everyday and noticing is a delight and gives me hope for moving forward. It's those little things that light up the day and make me smile. Here I am still noticing what I notice, focusing on the stars.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 Someone on social media recently said we must accept discomfort without losing hope.

Sometimes I find as I have gotten older it gets harder to just get out of my comfy chair and be in the world. Moving and walking, especially on unknown paths, can put up roadblocks to life. And yet, we must keep moving, keep trusting the unknowns around us, and hold on to hope. 

Where will the path take us? Who will we encounter? What magic can we find?

Saturday I told my "live-in gardener" about an open garden we hadn't visited in many years.It is managed by the Master Gardener's in the county. My "live-in gardener" wasn't sure he wanted to go because the weather was going to be hot. But we went and he was glad he had gone.

It was a beautiful time of connections with people and plants.

We even had opportunity to share information. This garden plot right now is probably the least pretty, but someday those little plants will grow into a lovely little tea garden. As I stood there I was able to share my knowledge with the gardener and another passer-by. For you see, in my home garden I had 8 tea plants and could produce my own tea.

And yesterday I met with a group of tea lovers and shared the tea I had made last year from my garden.

 

So hold on to hope and keep putting yourself out there, even when the trail is unknown and a bit rocky.

 Sending love and hope in a dark and rocky world.

Marilyn 

Focus on the Stars

 A collector of dreams: what does that mean to me - spending memorable moments with someone dear to me, seeking out beauty.

In seeking out beauty I came across this hidden courtyard on my July adventure. Isn't it pretty? I was searching for that shop, which was closed; but instead just enjoyed the courtyard. I stood for some moments of quiet and took in my surroundings and the sound of trickling water in the fountain.

 And then the flowers in my own little yard make me smile each day.

 

A few days ago I shared summer flowers. I have thought of how important "adventure" is to me. When I don't have an adventure planned, even if it is to somewhere fun, I am sad. The adventure might actually be hopping in the car to visit a favorite market and find a treat or it might be a cup of tea with a friend. But adventures are little glimmers of light for me. 

 

Spending moments with someone dear or seeking out a beautiful flower, I delight in each moment. They create a memory, the dreams, that decorate my day and my heart sings with joy. 

Sending love,

Marilyn 

Summer Flowers

 "The earth laughs in flowers" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

It was a simple day. A day to walk among the flowers. There were not many people around. It was peaceful and quiet. And yet, it was wildly filled with summer flowers.

There were fields of sunflowers, plus cosmos and zinnias. Then there were other flowers, too many to name. 

"Every flower must grow through dirt" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Resilience and growth!!! 

They brought out laughter and smiles.

"Love is the flower you've got to let grow," by John Lennon

Simple pleasures, flowers. 

Places to sit and savor the moments. 

"Let us live like flowers, wild and beautiful and drenched in sun,"  by Ellen Everett.

 

And a bouquet came home.

  

Do you enjoy summer flowers?

Do they delight your heart?

 

Sending love,

Marilyn