Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom: Living is Not Enough

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

- Hans Christian Andersen, The Complete Fairy Tales

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

On The Menu

There is rain in the forecast ... lots of it.

So I thought it would be a good time for some soup.

I just happened to have a bag of baby spinach that I needed to use.
There was tortelinni in the freezer. 
 A can of tomatoes from the pantry.
And, I was lucky, 32oz of vegetable broth.
That's all I needed.

I found this recipe in Fine Cooking years ago and it remains one of my
favorite quick and easy recipes.
You can find my original post here.
And, it's pretty too.

I chopped a small onion and let it cook in some olive oil.
Added 32 oz of vegetable broth.
The canned tomatoes.
A bag of baby spinach.
Letting that cook until the spinach was wilted.
Then I added the tortellini.
Let all of that come to a boil and the tortellini fully cook.
Done!

Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and serve.

Quick and easy.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Unfortunately, Fall Didn't Last Very Long

The weekend brought a hint of things to come.
Lows in the high 60s and highs in the mid 80s.
Low humidity.
Perfect walking weather.
Off to my village I went and breakfast.

A Tex-Mex omelet.
A book.
And a little pocket Buddha.

The Buddha reminds me to slow down and be grateful.
Be grateful for the farmers who grew the corn and beans,
who raised the chickens for the eggs, the wheat for the bread,
the raspberries for the jam, who picked the leaves for tea, 
the chefs who prepared the food, the cashier who took my order,
the nice young man who clears the tables. 

You get the idea. 

Unfortunately, fall didn't last very long ... 
it only lasted two days,
but it was a hint of things to come!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I'm joining A Spirit of Simplicity and Tuesday Afternoon and

I Almost Cried

I was so excited.

One of the vendors at the Farmer's Market said they had peaches.

I started dreaming of peach pie,

peach smoothies,

PEACHES!

I could hardly wait for Saturday to come around.

They weren't there!

No peaches!

I almost cried.

Yesterday I had to go to Fresh Market to pick up a few things.

It was also cleaning day, so I thought I might pick up a sandwich --

cleaning day means no cooking day.

What did I find?

Peaches!

They were a little small and hard, but boy did they smell good.

So I got a few ... 

And this morning I had the first smoothie of the peach season.

YUM!

YeeHaw!!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thanks to Kim for hosting:

This and That

It's been cold
and then it's been like spring.

Today it's cold, but the sun is shining.
Mina is always good at finding a sun puddle.

The college baseball season is off to a fast start.

The Rice Owl baseball team started off with four games against the

University of Texas.

There's nothing like the sound of the bat hitting the ball

Or eating a hotdog at a ball game. 

Photo From Rice Sports Information

Meanwhile,

back at home in the garden

the camellias are blooming.

Last, but not least,

the Burpee catalog arrived.

I'm making a list.

Burpee is a Non-GMO company.

Something I really appreciate.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Kim.

Thanks to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Hyacinths For The Soul

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft

And of thy simple store two loaves of bread alone are left

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed the soul.  

~ Sa’di

In one brief period of sunshine, I caught the sun before it disappeared again.

Warmth, peace and calm inside.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thanks, Kim!

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

The Sun Has Not Disappeared Forever

The sun came for a visit.
It brought spring time temperatures
And pink mornings.

Pink Sky in the Morning

Mina in her sun puddle.

The sun is only visiting for a few days.

Cold, wind and rain come back this weekend.

We'll have to remember the words of Arnoud Desjardins:

"On days when the sky is grey, the sun has not disappeared forever."

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a sunny day!

Thank you, Kim.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

When The Red Red Robin

On the first day that the sun made it's reappearance,
after 8 days hiding away in the clouds,
this fellow appeared at the bird bath.
I think he was as happy as I was about the sun's return.

"My favorite weather is bird chirping weather."

~Loire Hartwould

Animal Sprit Guide

The Robin

If a Robin shows up, it means:

it’s time to let go of anything in your life that’s outmoded and stagnant and plant the seeds for the new by setting your goals and intentions for the coming year. 

Let go of your attachments to drama and allow as much joy and laughter into your life as you possibly can. 

Your spiritual path is steady and slow, with challenges along the way, yet it inevitably leads you to your achieving your spiritual ideas. 

You have a beautiful song inside you, so do whatever it takes to share it with the world. Expect new growth in a number of areas in your world. 

Make a wish, be patient, and watch how it comes true.

From the Handbook: Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer

Thanks, Kim!

Thanks to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well, much joy, and beautiful songs.

Still Hanging On

This gerbera daisy is still hanging on.
It hasn't gotten the message that it is winter
and it's COLD!

"Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts." 

~Dodinsky


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Christmas Magic

From the kitchen table

Christmas Magic

Are we too grownup to feel a thrill
As we light the Christmas tree?
Are we immune to cookies,
Christmas cards and Christmas glee?

Are we too adult to "Ooh" and "Aah"
At the Christmas candle's glow?
Are we blasé about our gifts;
Do we shun the mistletoe?

Are we too mature for carols,
For merry or for jolly?
Do the decorations leave us cold,
The ornaments and holly?

Fat chance! We'll never grow too old
To love the Christmas magic.
A year without a Christmas
Would be boring, even tragic.

So bring it on! The candy canes,
The feasting and good cheer;
O Christmas, lovely Christmas,
You're the highlight of the year!

By Joanna Fuchs

Beary Christmas!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Make Everyday Precious

Collected from my garden and on neighborhood walks. 

Little things that make everyday precious.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Just Keep Going

Cassie has been busy supervising the afghan I've been working on.
Here she is, being sure there is no more yarn in my bag.

This is what she was supervising:

The Happy Hearts Afghan, a free pattern from Red Heart.

I started this afghan last February.

Finally, it is finished!

I have plenty of yarn left and have started another one just like it.

Cassie is still taking her supervising seriously and

I figure once I get started, I should just keep going!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I'm also joining Hooking On Hump Day!

Little Things

I went to Whole Foods yesterday.

I don't know why ... I just did!

I did have a grocery list (of sorts) of those things I forgot on my regular run to my neighborhood store. 

Whole Foods is a little "out of" the neighborhood.

I found these pretty little Calla lilies there.

I'd forgotten how pretty the flowers are at Whole Foods.

The callas were grown in California.

Thank you, California!

I'll be making more trips to Whole Foods and next time,

maybe with a "real" grocery list!

Oh, before I forget.

If you like Hatch Green Chile.

Whole Foods has the best chicken salad made with Hatch Green Chile!

May you be filled with loving-kindness.

May you be well.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy.

Dreaming of Fairies

It's hot and humid around here.

That means I go into hibernation!

-I did get out this week for a lecture at the MFAH on the Houghton House exhibit.

I'm not usually a decorative arts person, but the curator threw in so much history that she made it interesting to me.

-I've been able to keep up with the Index Card a Day Challenge and
will post this week's cards on Saturday.

-It is the little things that bring a smile to the face during hibernation!

A rose blooming in the garden.

I'm going to grab a glass of ice tea, a book, a cat (or three) and dream of fairies! 

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to Kim.

It's A Good Thing!

It's Thursday.

Time for some random little things.
I'm slowly catching up after a visit from my buddy.
We went to university together (back in the middle ages).
We explored Houston while she was here and I'll continue to share with posts like Critters and Our World.

-Several weeks ago Earth Day was celebrated.  I had dinner at the zoo. The evening started with a short, but wonderful and informative visit with the Asian Elephant herd. For the first time in a long time I didn't take my camera. I just enjoyed the company of close friends and the beauty of the setting. Dining alfresco. Under the beautiful live oak trees. Around the reflecting pool. To the sound of a jazz trio and fountains. Pretty close to perfect.

- One of the local television stations sponsored an electronics recycling day.
I was off early in the morning to dump some keyboards, a couple of old computers and an old cell phone.

- Finished reading The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory.
I started this book months ago. It was my treadmill book. It got lost in my stack of TBRs and I found it last week and thought I should finish it before I start another book. It is another of the royal historical fiction books that Gregory does so well. The Lady of the Rivers is Jacquetta. She was first married to the Duke of Bedford and after his death she marries (for love) the duke's squire, Richard Woodville. Lancasters vs the Yorks. What a tale!

- I usually buy an amaryllis during the holidays. I didn't do that this year and I missed having one. This one is blooming in Musashi's Garden now. A little reminder that an amaryllis is a good thing!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank, Kim!

Little Things

A few little random things:

- I bought two four inch pots of basil at Trader Joe's several weeks ago.

They are ready to be cut and the first batch of pesto made.

Yum.

- Once I finished reading THOSE ANGRY DAYS by Lynne Olson (it was excellent),
I started to clean my reading palette by reading some chick lit.
JOY FOR BEGINERS by Erica Bauermeister
SHADOW SPELL by Nora Roberts
DEATH COME QUICKLY by Susan Wittig Albert
DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT by Avery Aames
I enjoyed them all and am now ready to take on another history book.
I just haven't decided which one.


- Early Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market
Smoked Black Pepper Chevre from Blue Heron Farm
Golden beets, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower
Apple cinnamon rolls
Fresh picked strawberries

- Another rose blooming in Musashi's Garden.

This one is Wild Blue Yonder.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Kim!

Little Things

It's the Little Random Things:

-Comfort food like Mushroom Risotto with Peas.

- A trip to the bookstore -- browsing heaven.

- Lunch with my "sister by choice".

- Friends who wait with you while the locksmith drills out the locks so you can get into your house after you lock yourself out and can't find the key.

- A rose blooming in Musashi's Garden

It's the Little Things.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Kim!

Thanks, Nancy!

Little Things

It really is the little things.

-A cat (or two) curled up next to me while I read.

-A good book ... this week a police procedural:  Roseanna by Sjowall and Wahloo.

- Stepping into Musashi's Garden (my postage stamp backyard) and smelling orange blossoms. The citrus trees are full of blooms.

- Coming into the house from the garden and smelling like rosemary and basil.

- I'm used to seeing Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, their blue jay, dove and sparrow friends,
but when I looked out the door yesterday I saw this little guy and his friend.
I grabbed the camera to try to capture this little house finch, but all I got was cute little tail feathers. Perhaps they will be back today.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you, Kim!