Sunday

Sundays are lovely.

St. Mary Abbots in London

A gentle start to the new week.

A day made more beautiful by spending it with your family.

 

 

“Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Foundling

My oldest daughter discovered a treasure four days ago.

 

"This isn't what I wanted," she said.

 

But he stole her heart anyway.

No longer hiding under a bush, nor covered with fleas, nor a belly filled with worms.

 

He has a new life now.

 

His name is Rory.

Busyness

My hiatus from my blog was unintentional. The busyness of life consumed me: homeschool preparations, an elderly parent to tend to, helping my oldest find a new place to live (her rent is going up) and other responsibilities...

This is the time of year when I have to keep my envy in check. Many of the blogs I read are heralding the arrival of fall, while we are still sweltering in the 90s (*F) and will be for some time. And now that we are receiving rain after a long summer drought, the mosquito population has exploded. Stepping in and out of the doors causes the entire family to wince as we dash through the hovering hoards.

Once September arrives my anticipation for the fall season grows. I have two good sized boxes labeled "Fall Décor". I use the month of September to deep clean and purge while I sprinkle bits of fall goodness everywhere. My excitement for the season arrives before the weather accommodates me.

When people ask what my favorite holiday is, I respond with, "Halloween." And it's not because we celebrate Halloween. My children are older now and couldn't be bothered with the idea or excitement of dressing up or gathering candy. It is because the temperatures have cooled down enough that it actually feels like fall and I am anticipating Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best -- " and then he had to stop and think.

Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do,

there was a moment just before you began to eat it

which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.

~ Winnie the Pooh

 

 

 

Summer

Hot sticky days still envelop us as the school year draws closer.

 

Before the schedule grows frantic, it's important to take the time to slow down.

To stop and smell the flowers.

To watch nature in it's abundance.

To breath in and breath out.

A/N - photos taken in a Texas community park

Rustic

Stupified from my first trans-Atlantic flight, we made our way to our B&B and then went back out in search for a meal. In the very narrow street behind us, we discovered calzones and pizzas in Rome are not the same as back home, but tasty nonetheless.

During our meal a wizened old man rode up on his bicycle and made his way into the restaurants on the street. He adjusted the chain on his bicycle in order to power the whetstone wheel, wet the stone with his bottled water, started the wheel in motion by pedaling and then began to sharpen the knives. It was at that moment that I fell in love with Roma.

Dreams

Once upon a time, a girl had dreams of traveling to far away places.

Stonehenge

But her life took her on a different path from the one she had imagined.

Tower Bridge

Even though her dreams occasionally called out to her,

she almost quit believing in them.

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

But her dreams had not forgotten her and one day they came for her.

It wasn't the perfect time. It wasn't the perfect situation.

How could she say "No."?

She didn't.

Dreams do come true as long as you keep them alive.

Eiffel Tower

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Temptation

We were riding the Tube, a novelty for us - "Mind the gap!" - and I glanced around at the people around me. I spotted a Londoner holding a bag proclaiming "Ben's Cookies". I continued my perusal of my fellow passengers and next I spotted a box stamped with "Ben's Cookies". I'm not one to ignore signals from the universe and I was clearly receiving one. My travel companion also received the same signal and we agreed that we would not depart from London without finding this treasure.

Wandering around London the next day in a mode we like to call "off the map*" AKA "I'm not sure where we are, but let's keep wandering. Oh! Look at this lovely Church/statue/bridge/etc." We sat in a park outside the church we had stumbled upon and located the nearest metro station via the phone GPS. Then we walked through a little mall to get to the Tube discovering our holy grail along our way. There it was, Ben's Cookies.

Oh what a difficult choice to make! I base my travel food choices on two criteria:
1.  What do the locals eat?
and/or
2.  What have I not had before?
The Ginger Dark Chocolate Chunk called out to me. And it was superb.

*"Off the map" was a phrase used by two very lovely British women that dined next to us in Rome. We started talking to them during our dinner and had a fabulous time chatting and laughing with them for two hours.

Peace

"Peace is present right here and now,

in ourselves and everything we do and see.

Every breath we take, every step we take

can be filled with peace, joy and serenity.

The question is whether or not we are in touch with it.

We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment."

~ Thích Nhất Hạnh

Bounty

We moved into our current house almost a decade ago. Our previous home had a back garden overshadowed by a large oak tree. We hung up a disc swing and our children had a grand time flying through the air. But nothing grew in it's shade, not even grass.

Celeste (AKA Sugar) Figs

We moved in to home devoid of plant life in our back garden, save the boring St. Augustine grass. We mourned the loss of having a beautiful oak, but reveled in the thought of growing fruit trees. So that first year we began to plant and proceeded to add a new tree annually.

Pomegranate

Growing fruit organically is a bit of a challenge. The bugs and birds are well fed. When the figs are at their ripest, the Mockingbirds throw feasting parties in our yard. Before our cat became older and sluggish, she managed to pin a few birds down and yank out a few feathers before they escaped only slightly wiser.

Bananas

I love slipping outdoors and gathering just ripened fruit from our trees. I enjoy having organic fresh squeezed orange juice all winter. I still miss my shady oak in the midst of summer, but I think the trade-off has worked out well.

Oranges

Lewis

I remember the day he caught my eye.

I was walking through Hyde Park with a friend when I spotted him across the way.

I was enchanted, walking forward to introduce myself.

I was bold, asking permission to touch him. His hair was silky soft as I caressed him with my fingers.

His long eyelashes framed his brown eyes as he shyly looked away from my camera, while I sought to capture his beauty.

I parted from him reluctantly wishing he was mine.

Lewis is half Poodle and half Siberian Husky

1935

Kew Gardens in London, England

The URL of my blog is http://raindancer1935.blogspot.com/ I've been asked what the significance of 1935 is. And here is my circuitous answer:

Kew Gardens in London, England

Growing up, I had a mother with a green thumb. Our house was filled with house plants, some hanging from macramé plant hangers. Our yard had a prolific vegetable garden. Our summer meals were filled with homegrown tomatoes, green beans, squash, black-eyed peas and more. My mother nurtured the fruit trees in our yard. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of plucking a pear off the tree and munching on it as I floated in our swimming pool on a hot summer day. And the flowers, oh the beautiful flowers in beds, tucked around the huge oak trees or in pots on the porch.

St. James Park in London, England

This spring my mother went in the hospital, she was improving and my friends and family encouraged me to keep my travel plans. On my trip, I took many photographs of the beautiful flowers. So many varieties I had never seen before. I could not wait to share my photos with my mother. But it was not to be. When I returned from my trip I discovered she had taken a turn for the worse. I told her all about the flowers, but she wasn't strong enough to sit up in bed and look at photos. And far too quickly she was gone.

Tuileries Garden in Paris, France

I do not have a green thumb. But now I am buying potting soil, ceramic pots and houseplants. I have an overwhelming urge to fill my house with African Violets and make macramé plant hangers. I want to plant Wisteria next spring. My mother did not leave me money, fine art or items of monetary value. But she left me a priceless gift: a garden in my heart. My mother was born in the year 1935. And I miss her terribly.

Giverny, France

Woods

Come take a walk in the woods with me...

 

Reading about nature is fine,

but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully,

he can learn more than what is in books,

for they speak with the voice of God.

~ George Washington Carver

A/N Photos taken in May 2013 at Kew Gardens in London, England

Flowing

Along the Appian Way

When you visit Roma, your thirst can be readily quenched along the way.

In the Roman Forum

There are many fountains of flowing water. You may refill your water bottle or catch it in your hands to splash your hot, dusty face

or quench your parched throat.

In a Roman alleyway

 

There is no need for countless disposable plastic water bottles filled with

stale tasting water. One reusable container is all you need.

And as the hostess of the B&B where we stayed assured us - it is safe to drink.

On the Janiculum hill

"Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it,

all you feel is a caress.

Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you.

But water always goes where it wants to go,

and nothing in the end can stand against it.

Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone.

Remember that my child. Remember you are half water.

If you can't go through an obstacle, go around it.

Water does."

~ Margaret Atwood

 

A/N: Photos taken in September 2012 in the fantastic city of Rome, Italy

Dawn

The night fades.

The moon sets.

The sun rises, tinting the skies with pink.

A new beginning.

A fresh start.

The gift of another day.

How will you spend yours?

A/N: Sims 3 screenshot

Wisteria

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars...

and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.

Everything is simply happy.

Trees are happy for no reason;

They are not going to become prime ministers or presidents

and are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance.

Look at the flowers - for no reason.

It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are."

~ Osho

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."

~ Rachel Carson

 

A/N These photos were taken in May 2013 at Monet's water garden in Giverny, France