They're Back!

Born in Kruger National Park, these young adults spent several weeks

in acclimation bornas (huge holding areas) to prepare them for 

their 54 hour flight to Houston.

The Houston Zoo's original pair of white rhinos, Bu and Marci

also came from Africa in the early 1970's and were beloved ambassadors

for their species for over 30 years.

It is very exciting that rhinos have returned to the zoo and the wonderful

African Forest exhibit. 

The first phase of the African Forest is 6.5 acres and includes

habitats for Chimpanzees, Rhinoceroses, Giraffes, Cheetahs, Kudu, and Ostrich.

It is expected that this trio of Rhino,

one male and two females,

will produce rhino calves and add some much needed

genetic diversity to the North American zoo population.

Due to their strength and size - second only to the elephant as far as land mammals 

white rhinos don't have many enemies, except for man. 

Without increased protection, all rhinos could disappear in the wild

in the next 20-50 years.

Misty just celebrated 3 years of Camera Critters.

Be sure you visit!

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend.

Good Morning!

The first Gardenia bloom of the season in Musashi's Garden.

"Joy comes from simple and natural things, 

mists over meadows,

sunlight on leaves,

the path of the moon over water. 

Even rain and wind and stormy clouds bring joy,

just as knowing animals and flowers and where they live."

~Sigurd F. Olson

This quote, and others I'll be sharing off and on, 

is from the book

HEALING AFTER LOSS

Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief

by Martha Whitmore Hickman.

The book is a gift from a dear friend -- thank you Kim. 

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled day.

Southern Living

I'm doing something a little different today for tea post --

thanks to the May issue of Southern Living Magazine.

Sweet and Simple: 

23 New Ways to Enjoy Tea from Pitcher to Platter

The original article is by Mary Allen Perry and

the photographs by Jennifer Davick.

Doesn't this look wonderful?

Sweet tea and icebox tart.

It really looks good to me with the heat and humidity

in our area.

That's just the beginning.

The article has recipes for all sorts of sweet tea:

Mint Julep, Lemon-Blueberry, Ginger and Honey

Spiked Lemonade. Blackberry.

And the recipes for the food!!!

Sweet Tea-Brined Chicken

Sweet Tea Rice (several different ways)

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Sweet Tea Vinaigrette

Sweet Tea Dulce de Leche

Sweet Tea Tiramisu

Governor's Mansion Summer-Peach Tea Punch

It's almost too much for a tea lover to deal with!

Hurry!

Go get the May issue of Southern Living Magazine!

There are so many tea parties in the Land of Blog.
These are just a few:

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Wishing you WELL and a wonderful cup/glass of Tea!

"The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort and refinement."

~Arthur Gray

Easter Brunch

I'm cheating today.

I didn't have anything ready for Seasonal Sunday .

Source

While I was recycling magazines and catalogs,

I came across the Pottery Barn catalog.

I'm sure I saved it because I loved the cover vignette

of the bunnies.

Source

Last night I even checked to see if anything from 

Pottery Barn's Easter Brunch

was on sale and still available online.

Source

The only thing I found 

was the little bunny place card holder.

Source

All is not lost.

Perhaps there is a visit to the Pottery Barn in town

in the near future!

If not, thank you to Pottery Barn

for the beautiful Easter Brunch ideas!

Thank you for hosting:

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled Easter.

Easter Greetings

Easter Greetings

Send I thee,

Glad and

happy may

it be.

Sounds like something Yoda from Star Wars would say!

 

A friend of mine was telling me about a book she reads to kindergarten classes.

She volunteers and has been volunteering at this school for years 

and has children come up to her in other grades

 and tell her they remember the story she read to them at Easter.

The book is The Story of The Easter Bunny.

"It wasn't always the Easter Bunny who dyed eggs and wove baskets for the children--it was a round old couple who lived in a snug little house. Their pet white rabbit, however, always watched their preparations closely. One Easter morning, the old couple sleeps in, so the rabbit takes over. In time, the children discover they have the Easter Bunny to thank for their gifts."

The postcard is from the Easter Rabbit Postcard Book 

published by Darling & Company.

The artist is unknown but they did know the date - 1916.

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted each week by the lovely Beth.

***

OOPS!

I almost forgot all about Earth Day.

Shame on me!

The Nature Conservancy suggests that to celebrate we should:

Eat Smart

Eat Local

Eat Sustainably

Eat Green

Eat Outside With Your Friends!

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled  Earth Day. 

Good Morning!

Thank you Mark Parisi and Off The

 Mark.com

The Bunnies are Here!

The Bunnies are taking a short break as they prepare for Easter

and have come for tea!

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny in tea pot style are dancing their way to Easter.

The small bunny and egg mug was hand made and painted by 

a couple living in New Mexico known as

Rabbit Artworks.

(Daffodils on the background.)

The little bunny salt and pepper shakers make me smile.

They are a handsome couple!

(Love the carrots on his suspenders.)

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

These are just a few of the wonderful tea parties in the blogging world:

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Wishing you WELL and a wonderful cup of TEA!

"Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage."

~Catherine Douzel

Springtime!

It's Springtime!

Today we started with a cool morning and will have a high near 90.

The humidity starts coming back late today.

I wanted to do some experimenting with some of the mosaics I have presented before

and add some shots to celebrate Springtime and Easter.

The Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush are in bloom on the Rice University campus.

It seems like Spring happens for the first time each year!

Do you remember the blooms being this lovely last year?

Or the sky as blue (on those days without humidity)?

Listen to the birds sing!

New life.

New beginnings.

Courage and strength.

I'd like to thank
Mary at Mosaic Monday
and

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

for being wonderful hosts.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week!

This and That

I thought I'd try my hand at another This and That post.

But first, it is Friday and that means

Postcard Friendship Friday.

This time it looks like the anthropomorphic bunnies have finished

preparing the jelly beans for Easter.

The unknown artist had quite an imagination.

A big thank you to Beth for being the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

***

I can procrastinate with the best of them.

Now I can procrastinate the mindful way thanks to an article I found

at the Elephant Journal called 

Mindful Living Through Productive Procrastination!

While I'm procrastinating over what I should really be doing,  I can do things like:

organize my closet, do the laundry, empty the dishwasher, weed the garden,

get a haircut, make a dental appointment.

***

I'm sure many of you know about Meatless Monday.

Going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of preventable conditions like

cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and 

save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

You can read more about Meatless Monday and find recipes at their website.

***

Speaking of recipes:

This one is meatless from Whole Foods.

Source

All Greek Salad

Serves 4

8 cups torn iceberg lettuce

1 cup chopped celery

1 can peas, drained

1 can (15 ounce) artichokes, drained and chopped

1 small cucumber, chopped

1 small onion, minced

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

6 sprigs parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tablespoons vinegar

4 teaspoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix

Eat!

***

Oops!

I almost forgot.
For those of you into mixed media --
Christy Tomlinson has a wonderful video featuring materials from Faber Castell.
It's really worth watching to see her little hope filled girl come to life.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled weekend!

Good Morning!

"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion."

  ~Thich Nhat Hanh 

It's Getting Hot!

In typical south Texas fashion, we are moving quickly to summer.

Ack!

Hot and humid and no rain.

Drought conditions.

I find myself in the garden in the early morning making sure all my babies 

are watered, the fountains cleaned and the water fresh for the birds and squirrels.

The trumpet vines are slowing down.

The Knockout roses are still knockouts.

One of my favorite garden ornaments is the snail.

Too bad all the snails in the garden don't look like this.

Thank you to Mary for being our Mosaic Monday hostess.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

This and That

Today is a This and That Day.

One of those spur of the moment thought days.

Get ready for a long post!

But first, it's Friday and that means Postcard Friendship Friday.

April means spring and Easter.

Here's the first card in an Easter Rabbit Postcard Book published by 

Darling & Company in Seattle.

Quite a handsome guy with his egg drum and he looks as if he's been off to war!?!

All of the postcards reproduced in the book are from the first 25 years

of the 20th century, the grand age of postcards.

Unfortunately, the artist of this card is listed as unknown.

Be sure to visit Beth to see the other postcards at Postcard Friendship Friday.

***

On Facebook yesterday, I ran across

Oomph Up Your Life: 22 Ways to Do It

over at the Elephant Journal.

It was hard to pick a favorite.

Hug Your Pet ranked near the top.

Did you know there is a study that shows animal companions

release a love hormone when played with and cuddled -- and so does the cuddler!

Another one:

Go from inanimate to animate.

For all the daylight hours of a single day, treat everything that you think is

inanimate, animate! 

And one more (you should really go and read the list yourself!):

Be Me-Kind:

Everytime you look in the mirror, make a promise to be kind to yourself.

Oh, and don't forget to wear sunscreen!

***

Isn't mail call wonderful!

This little guy arrived in February ... just when I needed a little lift.

Mandy Saile is the artist and Mandy, please forgive for being so late for 

thanking you on my blog.

"This sweet and whimsical "Tiny Bird"

series by Canadian artist Mandy Saile pays homage to the

natural world that provides her with so much inspiration."

Please drop by and visit Mandy (and the bunnies) at Bijous Whimsy.

***

Finally, are you old enough to remember a song sung by Nat King Cole

"Smile Though Your Heart is Aching"?

For some reason, it was running through my brain last night.

Perhaps because I did a lot of smiling and remembering yesterday.

Here are the lyrics.

Smile though your heart is aching 

Smile even though it's breaking 

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by 

If you smile through your fear and sorrow 

Smile and maybe tomorrow 

You'll see the sun come shining through for you 

Light up your face with gladness 

Hide every trace of sadness 

Although a tear may be ever so near 

That's the time you must keep on trying 

Smile, what's the use of crying? 

You'll find that life is still worthwhile 

If you just smile 

That's the time you must keep on trying 

Smile, what's the use of crying? 

You'll find that life is still worthwhile 

If you just smile

***

Wishing you Well and Joy filled weekend!

Good Morning!

Watery Wednesday

To see other watery posts visit Watery Wednesday.

Spring Tea

A buddy of mine kidnapped me one day and we went shopping.

We went to lunch, hit Michaels and since Ross was in the same strip shopping 

we decided to drop in.

I came home with the rabbit and the tea cup.

The bottom of the cup says:

Fine China

Dishwasher Safe

Made in China.

I love the butterflies and hummingbirds and all the lovely flowers.

The gold edge.

Perfect to get me into the mood for Spring and Easter.

I love bunnies!

Tea ... is a religion of the art of life.

~Kakuzo Okakura

Tuesday is Tea Day.

These are just a few of the tea parties to visit.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Wishing you well and a wonderful cup of tea!

Breakfast Tacos to Gardens

My day started off at 8 AM with a walk to Reckling Park

 to see a college baseball game.

The visiting team had a plane to catch in the early afternoon

 so the game started early.

Instead of the usual ballpark food: 

hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, peanuts, sunflower seeds,

we had breakfast tacos, orange juice, coffee and donuts!!!!!

After the ball game there was plenty of time to work in the garden.

I had some ground cover trimming to finish.

With my trusty Canon around my neck, 

I took shots of some of the new blooms in Musashi's Garden.

The amaryllis is not quite at full bloom.

The little apricot rose is one of my favorites -- so delicate looking.

I potted the ivy geraniums that I found at Costco.

I couldn't resist their color.

Gerberas are such happy flowers and this orange is a real knock out.



I'd like to thank
Mary at Mosaic Monday
and

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

for being wonderful hosts.

Wishing you Well and a JOY filled week.

A Special Goodnight

I've been busy. Lots to do around here and time seems to be getting away from me. I wanted to share this DAILY OM with you. I hope, with time, I'll be able to catch up with all my blogging buddies, blog more and visit more with you. It's a beautiful day here today and I wish you well and a JOY filled weekend!

March 29, 2011 A Special Goodnight Creating a Nightly Ritual Behind us lies the previous day and all that has come before; ahead of us, dawn heralds all that is yet to be. At the end of the day, as the sweet, dark stillness of night beckons us to lay down our bones and rest, we find ourselves at a clear transition point: Behind us lies the previous day and all that has come before; ahead of us, dawn heralds the unfolding of all that is yet to be. While many of us have morning rituals that connect us with our center and help us to set intentions, we may want to explore the magic and power of nighttime ritual as well. It holds for us a beautiful chance for self-appreciation and blessing. Before you go to bed each night, you can send gratitude, compassion, and healing to the being you have been up until this moment. And you can send lightness and love into the future for the one you are in the process of becoming. Though simple, this action honors the journey you have taken thus far, while opening you to the wonderful possibilities still ahead. When you consciously engage with your own evolution this way, you may find that your sleep gets sweeter, filling your night with a deeper sense of trust and relaxation. As you rest, you can surrender to these peaceful hours, knowing that the road behind you has been seen and acknowledged with respect and kindness, while the path ahead now holds your own benevolence and well wishes. This bedtime ritual empowers you as the only one who can determine the meaning of your own past and the hopefulness of your future. By setting this special time aside each night, you can begin to orient yourself on your path of growing. It allows you to let the past have its place, to trust that the future is taken care of, and to simply rest yourself in the graceful arms of the present moment. For more information visit dailyom.com