Good morning!

"Morning  has broken, like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for the springing fresh from the word.

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

born of one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day" 

Lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon

Don't you just feel like that? You jump out of bed and there it is: LIFE! I must confess that back in the those days when night life was alive (if you know what I mean) getting up early was almost a punishment, something old people did. My father, a man for whom 5 hours of sleep was more than enough, tried to make me see what I was missing. He claimed early morning was the best part of the day. It wasn't until I had my children and those early feedings were the alarm clock I could not ignore that I realized my Dad was right. The peace, the silence, the way the body feels soft and tender, untouched yet by the stress, the rush, the noise, and all those mundane duties that numb our senses and stiffle our dreams. Father knows best...

On this  beautiful morning I want to thank my dear, sweet friend  Vicki from Vicki's Bit O'Earth for having bestowed upon me this very special Award: 

"This Award is for those who are brave enough to expose

just enough to reach, touch and possibly help someone

else to see something differently.

I pass this Award on to:

Sheila Deeth from Sheila Deeth Drabbles  
Sheila calls her daily poems "drabbles." Truth is, they are moving and beautiful. I am always amazed by her non-stop and ever flowing inspiration.

for being true to herself!"

If you love gardening, beautiful babies, chickens, and great recipes you will love Vicki's place! I thank you Vicki! It really means a lot that you thought of me :0) 

I also want to send a very special THANK YOU to Kiki for dedicating her June 3rd post and poem to me! Kiki is the creator of Awake with Charm and Spirit and Heart of a Wizardess. Her photographs are just magical. She captures light and shadows and gives the illusion of movement and life to everything.  I will be joining Kiki to celebrate  The Birth of June and Summer Solstice Magic, hope you will too! I'm not sure how this "linking business" works so please visit her at Awake with Charm and Spirit for more information. Kiki, thank you for your talent, your visits, your comments and for being such a great friend.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. May sunshine, love, and birdsong fill your days. xoxo

Gardening bliss

These past few days have been spent in a gardening frenzy. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, except for yesterday when a few storms decided to come and pay a visit. Since I had been secluded due to the allergies, I must say when I finally took a closer look: it was a jungle out there! 

As many of you know, I live in a town quite close to NYC but I refuse to let that stop me from creating what I hope looks like a "cottage-country garden." Every year in late March I start (indoors, of course) my beloved Morning Glory seeds, and every year I am mesmerized by their incredible beauty.

My feathered friends and I love the sound of trickling water

 I feel joyful to provide them with a drink  and a place to take a bath on those hot sunny days. Things so hard to find in the city!

This little one was in such a rush it did not give me a chance to see that the fountain was not set up straight!

 There's plenty here for everyone...

Speaking of everyone...this rascal and his family of THREE have moved in AGAIN to our roof. They have managed to find and break into the place we had tried to close countless times during the past 15 years. I do believe they pass around the information: "Go to Alina's house! There's a room with a view!"

We now have to wait for these babies to grow and move out so we can start all over again. A project which fills my dear husband with, let's just say..."despair." He truly believes I have something to do with this, but honestly, I don't! I just think they are so adorable and they make me smile...well, they must pick up the vibes (MY vibes) and know it's safe here...

This makeshift water feature sits next to a crumbling retainer wall (a subject of a very long and ongoing legal issue) Luckily, my fairy friend doesn't care.

Owning a purple caravan is not in my immediate future, but I do have a purple garden shed!

Actually, purple seems to surface here...

there...

everywhere...

For the past three years I have been inviting Miss Bateman to come into my garden, but in spite of my watering, mulching, fertilizing, and everything else including begging on bended knees, nothing happened. I had given up. I truly had, when all of the sudden, this weekend, as I was walking around the garden there it was! One single gorgeous bloom! I could hardly believe my eyes, but it was not a mirage, Miss Bateman really WAS here!

I felt like a proud parent shocked to realize her child had been listening! Ahh, the joys of gardening! A single bloom having the power to make my heart sing, to make me want to work harder, disregard an aching back, sore hands, and stiff knees. It's all so worth it!

I hope you did not find this post too long. I just wanted to give you a glimpse of the things that make me happy.  There are so many!  I want to thank you for leaving such lovely comments  on my last post. I'm sorry I have not answered as I usually do, but as you can see, I've been enchanted and held prisoner by the beauty of the garden.

Have a wonderful day,

A lovely surprise

Well, it's Friday, and for those of us living in the US we are celebrating Memorial Weekend. This is also the official beginning of Summer. Beaches in New Jersey will open and that peculiar wonderful sense of informality provoked by warm, sunny days, will take hold of everyone. Summers are short up here so every minute counts!  

I am getting ready to go visit our Garden Center but before I "bury" myself in the garden I wanted to thank my dear friend Catherine for bestowing upon me the Versatile  Blogger Award.  Thank you Cath! I just love it!!

Catherine is a lovely lady with an incredible talent to capture life with her camera.  Please visit her at Corner's of Cat's Mind and see for yourself.

In order to keep this Award circulating the following rules must be obeyed:

Rule 1. Thank the person who gave it to you.
Rule 2. Share 9 things about yourself.
Rule 3. Pass the Award along to 9 bloggers who you think are fantastic.
Rule 4. Contact Blog Award winners.

So, here it goes, nine things about myself...

1-I get nervous when crossing a bridge.

2-I am shy and my favorite table at a restaurant is the one tucked away in a quiet corner.

3-I am afraid of spiders and snakes. I know, I’m “such” a girl! :0)

4-I don’t care at all for diamonds or gold but LOVE silver and custom jewelry.

5-I own over 100 pairs of earrings most of which are “gypsy looking” you know the kind, loops and beads and dangling things, totally Bohemian. I NEVER leave the house without making sure I have earrings on, I just love them!

6-I hate western movies, well, all except the ones with Clint Eastwood ;)

7-I don’t like opera.

8-I’ve never been to the theater.

9-I seriously wish to own a real gypsy caravan which of course, would have to be purple!

That wasn't too hard, the tricky part is to try and pick only nine out of all my wonderful friends, but rules are rules, right?

1- Mary at Moontides- Mary describes herself as an "urban pagan" and her blog is a very interesting Diary of her daily observations as she tries to survive living in the Big Apple.

2-Tina at Carousel Dreams- Tina is an incredible artist who lives "down under." Her blog is full of magic and great photos of visits to wonderful places.

3-Andi at Andi's English Attic-Andi visits beautiful and interesting places and never fails to make me smile.

4-Paulette at Beedeebabee-Paulette is a sweet super talented lady. Her creations will surely amaze you!

5-Becca at Patina Moon-Becca's Blog is just beautiful (and so are her cats :0) Her photographs are incredible.

6-Natalie at Reading up a Storm-Natalie is an amazing lady who describes herself as "being 81 but feels 18"---How wonderful is that?!

7-Kelly at When Nature Speaks, Do You Listen?-I just recently met Kelly but I truly feel as if I had known her for a long time. If you love Nature you MUST visit her blog. Her photographs are a work of art!

8-Sherrie at A Vintage Affaire-Sherrie is an avid collector and is now busy getting ready her very own workshop.

9-Kiki at Heart of Wizardess-what can I say about Kiki? She is an amazing spirit and her camera is like her "third eye" A visit to her Blog will not be forgotten!

Well, it's done. I hope you all have fun and not feel pressured to do this. No need to explain or apologize if you decide to skip the Award.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend full of magic and peace, and thank you for coloring my world!

Hugs,

 

Beauty at hand

Old hands, shaky, frail, tremulous. A book tattered and stained by the passing of the years. Just like an old tree trunk with many knots and carvings, old gnarled hands hold a special beauty. They tell a tale of struggles, hard work and sacrifices. Gone are the softness and luster replaced now by brittle,  freckled skin, and I wonder... are these freckles pages of that tale? Do they represent yesteryear's sunny summer days? Were they caused while pottering round the garden too busy to remember to wear gloves? 

Old hands once so useful now holding a flower. Both so fragile! Past and present together on the road to become the future... a memory...

When I grow older and my hands become shaky and frail, I truly hope that each and every freckle and scar would be there to show I did not mind doing things myself and I did not mind helping others. I want my hands to be an open book for all to see I lived my life to the fullest. 

(This post is dedicated in loving memory to both, my father and grandmother. Their useful hands will always have a special place in my heart) 

Photo by Bing Image

Tender rain

Tender drops of rain

sliding down the window pane,

dancing on the flowers,

playing hide and go seek on the grass.

Glistening drops of rain

priceless jewels falling softly on the trees.

Diamonds scattered all over the garden

their magic spread for all to see.

It's tea time, and the ants and the fairies

seek shelter under the lilac bush,

as they lift their tiny cups, I stand still and listen to the rain...

Photo by Bing Images

Comforting Rituals

Every night, as I get ready to go to sleep I find comfort and peace in simple rituals. A cup of tea in a pretty cup, a love note left on the kitchen counter for my wonderful husband to read in the morning, the soft hum of the dishwasher, the sound of my slippers  as I walk to the window for one last look outside. I love the perfect silence, the twinkling of the fairy lights wrapped over the picket fence. At this time, my thoughts fly across the Atlantic to the other side of the world. I close my eyes and I'm at my son's apartment, I hug and kiss him good night. I pray for his safety and happiness. I pray for acceptance and understanding.  As I make my way back to the kitchen I pass "Titania" my dear fairy friend. There she sits surrounded by flowers and tiny lights, holding a small candle, she is the very picture of peace and serenity. I stop and admire her beauty and I smile.

I head upstairs, pause for a moment outside my daughter's bedroom and force myself not to think of the time when she too, leaves home, so I go into the guest bedroom, plump up a cushion, close the curtains, look around. 

My habits have evolved through the years, and just like our family, they've developed, progressed, adapted, and changed. Tonight, as I get ready to go to sleep, I realize that even though so many things are different, I am still able to find peace and beauty in these simple, comforting rituals.