Weekly Pinterest Finds

I keep my Pinterest perusing to a minimum because I'm afraid I could get lost on there forever, and there are so many other things I could be doing (none of which is cleaning, by the way).

When you look at beautiful things, your mind slows, you feel more relaxed, and what is wrong with a little of that every now and then? What follows are some images I thought that would be worth sharing with you this week from my Pinterest boards.

Source: blomsterverkstad.blogspot.com via George on Pinterest

Nicely done photograph.

Source: sweetpeapath.tumblr.com via George on Pinterest

So ethereal. I just love this.

Source: black-and-white-famous-stars.tumblr.com via George on Pinterest

I cannot get enough Big Bang. I love this show because it makes me laugh. This is one of the best publicity shots (and certainly the best image I've ever seen of 'Sheldon').

Source: flickr.com via George on Pinterest

I love ornate doors. This photo was taken in Wroclaw, Poland.

Source: picky-palate.com via George on Pinterest

Wild rice & chicken casserole. I plan on making this and will let you know how it turns out.

Source: kathrynbechenink.blogspot.com via George on Pinterest

When can I move in? I'm serious.

Source: bodylovewellness.com via George on Pinterest

Oh, so true.

Source: tumblr.com via George on Pinterest

Because I love funny kitties.

Source: katespictureaday.blogspot.com via George on Pinterest

And because I will always end with one of my own images.

Hope you enjoyed ~

If you want to follow me on Pinterest, just click on 'follow me on Pinterest' on the sidebar of this blog. Until later, my friends . . .

The peace of wild things

One of the reasons that my posting has been so sporadic was directly related to my husband’s health, and the stress that goes with it all. Things are better now, and both he and I have adapted to the new changes but for a few months, I had begun to think that things were just going to keep going to hell in a hand basket.

For me, my job is often my respite. And I work with some of the most wonderful people. Some knew that things were tough and at times, I would find little gifts on my desk . . . cards, candy bars, little trinkets.

But it wasn’t until I opened a plain white envelope and slipped out a piece of paper on which was typed a beautiful poem by Wendell Berry that I burst into tears reading it.

I would not say I am one prone to tears.

But beauty often makes me cry.

As does kindness.

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS 

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. 

— Wendell Berry

"The Peace of Wild Things" is a poem by American poet, novelist, essayist, farmer, and environmentalist Wendell Berry. It was first published in Openings: Poems (1968), one of Berry's early collections of poetry, and was reprinted in 1985 in Berry's Collected Poems, 1957-1982. Written in the first-person, "The Peace of Wild Things" describes how the speaker finds a solution to the anxieties he feels during a sleepless night by going outside to a quiet, peaceful place in nature, near a body of water. In the presence of wildlife, water, and stars, he feels restored to equanimity, his troubles dissolving in the great peace he experiences in nature. "The Peace of Wild Things" is typical of Berry's work as a whole in that it attempts to find a balance between humans and nature; it shows how the natural world can play a vital role in healing the troubled human spirit. The poem belongs in the great tradition of nature writing in American literature, as embodied in the work of such classic authors as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and John Muir, and modern writers such as Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, Edward Abbey, Loren Eiseley, and many others.

This was given to me by the head of our English department at school. It was exactly what I needed and I plan to keep it with me always.

I am grateful for so much.



Top photo taken in 2008 at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, MD. Second shot taken in 2011 at the property on which we live in Cecil County, MD.

Gather quickly, out of darkness

What a beautiful weekend it was here in northern Maryland. Our eldest son came into town for our school’s alumni banquet and on Saturday, we went to visit my beautiful niece, her husband, and their new baby girl.

Saturday morning dawned bright and brilliant and I walked in my pajamas around the house with my coffee, thinking of everything I had to accomplish that day.

I had a full day ahead of me.

My husband washed the car in preparation for our trip to Baltimore.

Meredith was here, too. She helped me make the lunch I was planning on bringing with us, while her mom went to visit a client for whom she was doing design work.

Meredith does not like having her photograph taken, and I promised I was only focusing on her hands. We made chicken salad with toasted walnuts, green apples, and celery, and I added a hint of rosemary. It was divine.

Thank you, Meredith!

The lovely mother with new baby.

Pete is the best dad.

And I managed to sneak in this picture of Meredith.

{Here she is} when she first met me years ago.

I think she's used to me now.

Sunday morning coffee in my Fishs Eddy mug.

Sunday afternoon finds George playing fetch with my son.

And the lilacs are in bloom.

* sigh *

:   :   :

I saw a great movie on Netflix this weekend: The Scapegoat (2012) is based on Daphne du Maurier’s 1959 psychological thriller of the same name. A period piece set in 1952 England, it is a brilliantly acted film. Highly recommend.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Gather quickly
Out of darkness
All the songs you know
And throw them at the sun
Before they melt
Like snow
Langston Hughes, The Bouquet

The front door to springtime

I’ve  been at a loss for words lately and apologize for that. I’m hoping that these few images taken over the weekend will suffice for now. I have not been a good blogger this year but rest assured, I’m still here, and I’m going to keep on keeping on.

 

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

 

 

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
~Julian Grenfell

 

 

"Spring is the time of the year, when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade."
-Charles Dickens

 

The front door to springtime is a photographer's best friend. ~Terri Guillemets

 

Say hello, George.

Hello.

 

Random 5 Friday – on Saturday

I am linking to Nancy Claeys at A Rural Journal for her Random 5 on Friday where she invites readers to share five facts about themselves, their pets, kids, whatever they’d like to share.

I’m a little late to the party because it’s already Saturday so for what it’s worth ~


 


1. We had a big storm come through last night. I love the raindrops it left on the azalea blooms. Springtime makes me catch my breath sometimes with its beauty.






2. I have no idea how old this azalea bush is, but it’s huge. I can feel the history of this property that we caretake here on a hill in Maryland. The house is old and needs a little work, but it feels safe and strong.












3. I  was surprised to realize that this is the 5th spring that my husband and I have lived here.






4. I love movies. Last night I watched The Petrified Forest (1936), a black & white classic featuring Leslie Howard, a  very young Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart in his first film appearance.

Howard reportedly insisted that Humphrey Bogart appear in the film as gangster Duke Mantee. It proved to be Bogart's break-out role. Howard and Bogart had previously appeared in the play together on Broadway and became lifelong friends; Bogart and Lauren Bacall later named their daughter "Leslie Howard Bogart" after him. ~Wikipedia

Loved it. Thank you to my sister-in-law, Barb, for suggesting it to me.






5. One of my mother’s favorite trees was the dogwood, and she would have been 91 years old on the 18th. After she passed away in 2006, my sisters and I began writing to each other as group e-mails and it’s this correspondence that often gets me through my worst days. And for that, I am so thankful.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Only for you

I’m writing a somewhat random post this evening, while giving a solemn nod to the families of those who lost their lives or were injured during the tragedy at the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday. I just don’t understand the hatred.

 

~  :   :   :  ~

 

I took my camera to school today, along with my 60mm macro lens to get pictures of the new tulips blooming in one of the courtyards. I don’t know why someone at our school didn’t think of this sooner, because these bulbs are absolutely lovely.

 

I took my ground mat outside with me – it’s really an old beach mat that rolls up nicely. I use it to lie on the ground so I don’t ruin my clothes. I’m sure the children in the classrooms found my photo taking antics quite interesting.

 

Heard this on the way to school today:

Fighter – Steve Martin and Edie Brickell (click play arrow under photo)

Didn’t think I’d like it, but I did.

 

 

Perfect spring weather today.

 

 

Coming home through town.

 

 

Home, on the top of the hill, and violets are all over the yard.

The grass needs cut.

 

 

Heard this while driving home and felt like sharing.

I’d never heard it before and really liked it.

 

~  :   :   :  ~

 

My husband made dinner again, something simple and chock full of carbs (burp). We had fresh Buitoni sweet Italian sausage tortelloni with marinara sauce. I love when dinner is made for me and this makes twice in four days. Not that I’m keeping track, mind you. What I should be keeping track of is the fact that it’s been pasta. Fattening.

It’s just nice to have dinner made for me. Until tomorrow, then ~

My weekend

My weekend consisted of many things, most of them small things. I woke early on Saturday and had the house cleaned (the downstairs) and was showered by 11 am. It felt very good to have a clean home, especially since company was coming.

Here’s what else I did ~

 

Listened to the birds.

 

 

 

Took pictures of puffy clouds.

 

Saw a red-tailed hawk.

At least, I think it’s a red-tail. It never got close enough to identify properly.

 

 

Sat among the Johnny jump ups that are blooming.

 

 

And felt the warmth of the sun on my skin.

 

 

Took a few macro shots.

 

 

Watched {this} on Saturday night.

I love the classics.

 

And this.

I couldn’t stop laughing.

I love to laugh.

 

 

Sat outside on the patio with company on Saturday.

And him on Sunday.

 

 

And him, as well.

 

 

And felt grateful for all the little things in life.

So, tell me. How was your weekend?