Random Things

It's Random 5 Friday.

This and That time!

Can I hear a big YEEHAW?!!!

Looks like Spring has finally sprung.

More tulips for you.

This is a postcard of tulips at Tulip Town, Mount Vernon, Washington.

The photo for this postcard was taken by Jon Gnass and was published in

Tulips of the Northwest: A Postcard Book.

Many thanks to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

**

Several of you have asked about the EARTH PRAYERS book that has

been showing up in my photos.

I've had this little gem for over 20 years (copyright date of 1991 and its first printing).

It was edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon.

It contains 365 prayers, poems, and invocations for honoring the earth from authors like:

Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot, Margaret Atwood, Robert Frost, Annie Besant, May Sarton,

Dylan Thomas, Starhawk, D.H. Lawrence, Thich Nhat Hanh, Black Elk --

you get the idea!

It is divided into sections: Ecology, a Sacred Place, Passion of the Earth, Healing the Whole,

The Elements, Blessing and Invocations, Praise and Thanksgiving, Benediction for the Animals,

Cycles of Life, The Daily Round, Meditations. 

There is a calendar at the back of the book with suggested readings.

Did you know that today is the birthday of John James Audubon?

"It is neither spring nor summer: it is Always,

With towhees, finches, chickadees, California

quail, wood doves.

With wrens, sparrows, juncos, cedar waxwings, 

flickers,

With Baltimore orioles, Michigan bobolinks,

And those birds forever dead,

The Passenger pigeon, the great auk, the

Carolina paraquet,

All birds remembered, O never forgotten!

All in my yard, of a perpetual Sunday,

All morning! All morning!"

~Theodore Roethke

***

Speaking of books -- do you like cookbooks?

Do you have a favorite?

I've been going through all my cookbooks.

Making a stack of those that I love and can't part with -- yet -- and all the others.

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing

by Grace Young is one of my favorites.

Lovely photos, great recipes and wonderful family stories.

I also have

Stir-Frying to The Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide To Mastery, With Authentic Recipes and Stories

by Grace Young.

Another winner!

****

Looks like our nice cool spring is over.

It is heating up and the humidity is rising. 

It can't be perfect all the time!

*****

Horticulture tour at the zoo tomorrow!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Good Morning!

Make Every Day

A Day To Remember

My Cup Of Magic

I try very hard not to pay full price for a teacup.

Every now and then that rule takes flight.

I found this cup at Anthropologie and it was instant love.

It is funky.

Wavy edges on the cup and saucer.

Bright colors.

Colorful flowers.

Butterflies inside and outside the cup.

(I drank the tea so you could see the inside.)

Fun aqua colored handle.

It was designed by New Orleans artist Shelley Hesse.

The first cup moistens my lips and throat.
The second shatters my loneliness.
The third causes the wrongs of life to fade gently from my recollection.
The fourth purifies my soul.
The fifth lifts me to the realms of the unwinking gods.
    Chinese Mystic, Tang Dynasty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

A Return To Loveliness
Friends Sharing Tea
Teacup Tuesday

Tuesday Cup'a Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

I'm also joining Nancy at A Rural Journal for Tuesday Muse.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Nature Never Goes Out of Style

Last Friday I went to Hermann Park.
It was a cool morning and I got there early so that I could find a good parking place.
I also had the Japanese Garden to myself along with the birds and the squirrels.
An early celebration of Earth Day.

The garden is so lush this time of year.

So different from my last visit.

See the new little pine tree?

Lots of work going on because of the drought.

So quiet.

Hard to believe that the Texas Medical Center is just a hop over the fence.

I missed the azaleas blooming, but the iris were lovely.

A real pop of color.

The crape myrtles will be next.

Peaceful

I took over 200 images on Friday.

The ones you see here are straight out of the camera.

You'll be seeing more.

Zoo photos to come!

Would you believe I'm listening to Christmas music?

I'm trying to make my way through all of the CD collection and this one just happened to be on top.

Instrumental of *old* music.

It's a keeper.

Thank you to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Random Things

I'm joining Nancy at Rural Journal for Random 5 Friday.

Do you have a bucket list?

One of the things on my list is tulips.

Yes, tulips.

I've often thought it would marvelous to see the tulip fields in the Netherlands.

I also figure it would be easier for me to visit the tulip fields in the Pacific North West.

Like this:

This is a postcard of the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon.

The photo was taken by Jon Gnass and I found the image in TULIPS OF THE NORTHWEST:

A Postcard Book.

Can you imagine?

Field after field of tulips.

Heaven on earth!

(Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday)

**

I went to the grocery store and while there decided to check out the cut flowers.

I found more daffodils.

They were a little past their prime, but I couldn't resist.

Along with the daffodils, the Easter decorations were half off.

Now I ask you -- how could I pass up a bunny wearing tennis shoes?

***

One of my favorite cozy mystery series is The White House Chef by Julie Hyzy.

FONDUING FATHERS is the latest in the series.

Fun characters, good background story, good mystery, believable amateur sleuth.

Highly recommend but be sure you start with the first one

(STATE OF THE ONION)

and read them in order.

****

The garden fairies are very happy.

The Gardenias have started to bloom in Musashi's Garden.

*****

I'm going to the zoo today.

It is going to be on the cool side with low humidity.

Perfect!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Good Morning!

 

Note Card Party Time!

It's time for Vee's Note Card Party. Once a month we all get together with four photos from our blog that we think would make a good Note Card. 
Decisions, Decisions!
First up is the Gerbera Daisy with the snail visitor. Several of you thought this should be a Note Card. 

By perseverance the snail reached the ark.
- Charles Spurgeon

The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.

~Author unknown

A closeup of the Buddha statue in Musashi's Garden.

Tea is such a magical product, perhaps even the eighth wonder of the world. - H. Rahman

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Blooming!

Blooming In Musashi's Garden

Roses from Musashi's Garden

Miniature Rose, Gerbera Daisy, Sun Flare Rose

Gerbera Daisy With A Visitor



Thank you to Mary at Mosaic Monday
and
The Tablescaper at Seasonal Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Good Morning

Procrastination Workshop

6 pm Today

Postponed

Something Special

We had a very big rain storm last week.

Lots of wind.

I decided to cut some of the roses before they were destroyed by the storm.

There's something special about your own roses from the garden and a cup of tea.

The tea cup is Royal Albert Country Rose.

Lush pink and gold blossoms plucked from the Old Country Roses collection

 are contrasted by bands of buttermilk-yellow in everyday porcelain.

Roses and tea feed the soul.

And remember:

"God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done." ~Author Unknown

Thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

A Return To Loveliness
Friends Sharing Tea
Teacup Tuesday

Tuesday Cup'a Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

I'm also joining Nancy at Tuesday Muse.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

Blooming!

Blooming in Musashi's Garden

Bill Warriner Rose

Gerbera Daisy, Bill Warriner Rose, Mexican Lavender and

a Miniature Rose that came from the grocery store two years ago.

It likes the garden.

I couldn't leave this little guy out.

He is one of my garden supervisors and enjoys the buffet left for the birds.

I'm joining Mary for Mosaic Monday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Good Morning!

Tuesday Muse

Thank you to Nancy for the Tuesday Muse.

I also used one of Nancy's textures (laundry skies) on this photo.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!