Thoughts in the Garden

After a long stretch of cool rain, 

we are finally basking in a few days of sunshine. 

Although rain has its own glistening beauty,

I am ready for some warming rays. 

Mothers Day started out rainy and cool, 

but just like magic, the sun started shining

and we were blessed with warm, dappled light by afternoon. 

My son, Gabe and wife Erica, hosted a Mothers Day Brunch,

honoring both of their Moms.

I snapped this quick pic of my meal;

Herb Quiche

Rosemary potatoes,

Fresh fruit,

Tomato and herb bread. 

Mimosa's

And this....

From a tray of assorted little cupcakes.

It was a collaborative effort
and so very delicious and appreciated.

We all had a wonderful day...

They are all crazy.....

So full of fun and when they are all together, it is comedy central. 

Here, Dad photo bombs my two youngest, Jennie and Dustin, 

mimicking a previous, favorite photo bomb 

that they pull out of a drawer nearly every visit. 

All it takes is one glance at this photo to set them into shrieks of laughter.

Brother and sister, moments before.

I just shake my head. 

Erica's Mom and I both shake our heads

 as we ignore them and continue catching up. 

We exchanged flowers

 and she sent me home with this Azalea beauty. 

(I gave her blue hydrangea)

My family knows I love flowers

 and they generously spoiled me. 

Flower filled pots,

and Hanging baskets. 

I am embarrassed by all the fuss, 

but they smile and hug me and start telling 

stories of their teenage years, 

and I am reminded that maybe I deserve this, and 

maybe a cruise around the world, too. *smile*

Today it is just me, and my furry companions (and one feathered),

but I have another lovely memory to savor. 

At this time of my life, solitude defines my days

and these family gatherings are treasured. 

Once I craved solitude, never having a moment to myself. 

Now, that is my daily life. 

It was an adjustment, but I am embracing it. 

Until I am blessed with grandchildren.....

Mothers Day reminds me of my own Dear Mother. 

This is a treasured photo of her next to me.

This was a happy day and I remember it fondly.

Three of my younger sisters pose with me.
(There is one more - a baby then)

We did not have a perfect family. 

Like most families, we had our struggles. 

But this particular day was filled with love and sweetness. 

Even though my Mother was not the perfect Mother, 

she and I both shared the full understanding of 

the power of forgiveness amid-st the frailties of 

the human condition. 

Sifting through memories to save the love that lives on. 

That is how I have discovered the true secret to happiness. 

Finding those sweet, treasured moments, 

and framing them in my mind. 

We can imprison ourselves with sad or difficult memories. 

Or we can look at every experience,  the good and the bad,
as an illuminating lesson in life.

Each moment has value and we can grow from each experience.

Sometimes even blooming......

Another treasured moment - my eldest daughter, Heather and I

all dressed up at my son Gabe and Erica's wedding 2 years ago.

Heather had it framed on canvas as a Mothers day gift to me.

A captured moment forever in our hearts.

My sweet girl has overcome a lot in her short life,

but she keeps her positive outlook and bright smile.

So as the moon rose in the sky on a warm spring evening, the day after,

I reflect on life's many lessons and blessings.

Knowing that I am never really alone.

As the heaven's watch over me, (including the 'Man in the Moon')

I can gather the many strands of my life,

illuminating the love, like silver moonbeams on the garden,

And reflecting back the lessons I have, and have yet to learn,

as I remember to treasure each day.

xoxo

I hope all of you who celebrate Mothers Day
had a lovely day of treasured memories, too.



Or at least a few laughs.
xoxo

I will be taking a short break, Dear Friends, to catch up with life.
I hope to be back soon! 

xo

A Mother's Love

All that I am or ever hope to be,

I owe to my angel Mother.

-Abraham Lincoln-

The Mother's heart is the child's school room.

-Henry Ward Beecher-

The sweetest sounds to mortals given

Are heard in Mother, Home and Heaven.

-William Goldsmith Brown-

Mother is the name for God in the lips

and hearts of little children.

-William Makepeace Thackeray-

My Mother had a slender, small body, 

but a large heart- a heart so large

that everybody's joy found welcome

in it,and hospitable accommodation.

-Mark Twain-

A Mother's happiness is like a beacon,

lighting up the future but reflected also

on the past in the guise of fond memories.

-Honore' de Balzac

A father may turn his back on his child,

brothers and sisters may become

inveterate enemies, husbands may 

desert their wives, wives their husbands,

But a Mother's love endures through all.

-Washington Irving-

When you are a Mother, you are never really 

alone in your thoughts. A Mother always

has to think twice, once for herself and

once for her child.

-Sophia Loren-

A Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.

-Emily Dickinson-

The heart of a Mother is a deep abyss

at the bottom of which you will always

find forgiveness.

-Honore' de Balzac-

A man loves his sweetheart the most,

his wife the best, 

but his Mother the longest.

-Irish Proverb-

If you bungle raising your children,

I don't think whatever else you do well

matters very much.

-Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis-

I miss thee, my Mother! Thy image is still

The deepest impressed on my heart.

-Eliza Cook-

The hand that rocks the cradle
is the hand that rules the world.
-W.R. Wallace-

xoxo

Wishing you a Wonderful Mother's Day, Dear Friends!

xoxo

Some Good Fences Along The Way

It has been a typical spring here. 

One day it is beautiful and sunny, 

And the next few days it rains. 

So come along with me

 as we take a rainy drive to the market. 

My windshield wipers can hardly keep up

 as we hit a sudden squall! 

The beautiful purple plum trees have lost their bright pink blooms

and now have their deep hued leaves. 

This weathered horse fence graces the front of a horse stable. 

You can see the covered exercise pen behind. 

This sturdy fencing graces the fields

 of the large farm against the trees. 

 Cottonwood and Douglas Fir tower above.

The frequent rains keep things very green. 

A lovely Cherry tree frames a view 

of neat fencing behind a messy yellow shed. 

A surprise! A herd of cow Roosevelt Elk!

They seem a bit nervous 

as vehicles slow to take a look. 

I worry about them while I shop, 

but they are gone on the return. 

Elk are passing through this time of year, 

moving into higher pastures for the summer.  

A pastoral scene behind barbed wire. 

A vintage beauty on the same farm. 

Don't you wish old trucks could talk? 

For some reason, I just love this old farm. 

The plain little house is painted

 in the the loveliest shade of faded pink, 

guarded by an ancient, twisted fir. 

The winter wind gets strong right here, 

rushing down the mountain passes

 on its' way to the sea. 

Purple mountains behind are obscured by the low cloud cover.

 I have seen the moon rise here and it is quite lovely.  

I can imagine the view from the modest

 little farm house window.

Another lovely cherry tree behind a neat fence. 

This building is a 'small plane' garage. 

It sits across from a private air strip. 

There are several lovely homes along the grassy strip, 

all with small planes. 

Now wouldn't that be a lovely way to get around? 

A better view of the pretty fence. 

We're at the top of my little mountain now - almost home! 

These giant rocks were found when clearing our mountain road. 

This property is ringed with these large

 (and mossy) stones to keep vehicles from taking 

short cuts around the corner. 

After a wet and blustery ride,
we arrive home to the reward of a rainbow.

A lovely ending to our day.

I hope you enjoyed a rainy drive

 with some Good Fences along the way!

Don't forget to visit all the rest of the beautiful Good Fences
over at The Run Around Ranch Report

xoxo

A Little Catching Up

Hello, Dear Friends, have I told you
 how much I enjoy all of you? 

Having you stop by and visit
 is such a sweet joy. 

And visiting all of you,
 sharing your lives, 

your homes, gardens, thoughts, and creativity 

is such a wonderful pleasure. 

I find myself thinking of you when I am not visiting, 

wondering how you are, 

thinking of the things you have shared. 

We all live in different places,
have different lifestyles, professions, etc., 

but what I have found is that we are
all much more alike than we are different. 

We all share the same love
of home, family, beauty, faith, life.....

We all have a passion for living. 

We share the same difficulties,
sorrows, disappointments, struggles. 

But we have each other to lift the spirits, 

offer a kind word of encouragement, 

cheering each other on
 in a world that can sometimes get the best of us. 

That is what I love about these lovely friendships. 

We may not meet face to face,

but we meet heart to heart. 

If I have not been stopping by as often lately,

 you can blame it on the weather. 

With warmer temperatures, 

everything is growing so quickly that I can't keep up! 

I have been planting rose bushes, lilac trees, wildflower seeds,

 herbs and flowers, along with weeding, weeding, weeding. 

The Mr. and I have been trimming, 

washing deck furniture, mowing,

putting out umbrella's, potting flowers, ....

And reseeding the lawn!

 Can you tell that Whitey Bear and Champ

 do not like to use the stepping stones? 

This side garden is my most recent project 

and one that will continue for a while. 

I'm afraid it has been neglected.....

But my sweet Blue Eyes installed the rose arch recently 

and we planted 5 rose bushes around it. 

Two climbing roses, two shrub roses

 and one very small creeping rose. 

My picnic table has its own Forget Me Not garden beneath it, 

so I am waiting until they go to seed
before giving it a much needed painting.

Can you see Ling Ling surveying our hard work? 

We had a gazebo over here, 

but it was crushed in our ice storm two years ago

 by the beautiful wild cherry tree that succumbed to the ice. 

Gardens, like life, are always evolving. 

On rainy days, of which we have had more than our share, 

I've been inside spring cleaning. 

It's amazing how a little bit of spring sunshine 

can illuminate all your dirty little secrets. 

Ahem!

But of course, can you ever really get everything done? 

That is what 'Tomorrow' is for! 

I always loved Scarlett Ohara's philosophy in
 'Gone With The Wind'. 

"Oh, I'll think about that tomorrow!"

So we pick and we choose what we can comfortably

 get accomplished in one God-given day. 

Sometimes all we can manage is doing the dishes
 and heating up some soup! 

With so much going on this time of year,
a gal can get worn out. 

That is me, today. 

Luckily, I have leftovers in the fridge
 to serve my hardworking Mr. when he gets home. 

Speaking of leftovers.....I did promise you recipes, didn't I? 

I have posted these on my previous post
now that I have had a little bit of time....

xoxo

Thank you, Dear Friends for being there. 

You are all so very appreciated! 

xoxo

There is in friendship something of all relations,

 and something above them all.

 It is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.

-John Evelyn-