Sunday Serenity ...

Meditate.

Live purely.

Be quiet.

Do your work with mastery.

Like the moon, come out

from behind the clouds!

Shine.

~Buddha~

The biggest "wish makers" I have ever seen were spotted on our walks this weekend.

Bees and butterflies were everywhere ...

I thought this cabbage white looked so elegant on her chosen wild flower ♥

  I spotted Swallowtails who danced around us but never settled long enough to take a photograph.  And there was a gorgeous dragonfly with incredible gossamer like wings propelling around us ... but he too never settled so I was unable to get a photograph.

However ... we did spot meadow butterflies ♥

Love is life

and if you miss love

you miss life

~Leo Buscaglia~

and speaking of love ...

 the babies are getting bigger each time we see them.

Have a wonderful weekend

xo D

 

Texture Tuesdays ...

Burst

Kim Klassen Texture: let go

***

In June,

as many as a dozen species

may burst their buds on a single day.

No man can heed

all of these anniversaries;

no man can ignore all of them.

~Aldo Leopold~

 

Another hot, windy,  humid day - 35 C with the humidity here.

Not many birds at the feeders today, but they are enjoying nice cool splashes in the birdbaths :-)

 

Linking with Texture Tuesdays today.

Midsummers Day ...

flowers ...

birds ...

art ...

devotional ...

baking

♥♥♥

Pear Zucchini Cake for our Midsummer's Tea

{makes 2 loaves}

***

2 cups chopped pears

1 cup shredded zucchini

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 TBSP vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp b. soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts {optional}

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine flour, spices, b.soda, b.powder and salt.  Add to egg mixture.  Stir in nuts if using.  |Line  2 - 8x4x2 inch loaf pans with parchment paper and divide mixture evenly between the two pans.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.  Cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove and cool completely on wire racks.

~Happy Mid Summers Day ~

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

meals outside

fresh flowers

crossword and sudoku puzzles

the shade of trees

morning glory vines with their beautiful heart shaped leaves

I love how they unfold early in the morning but close when it gets too warm

Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning

***

working on my Summertime ~  Dream List today

the last day of Spring

 ♥

Texture Tuesdays ...

Part of the Silence

Kim Klassen Texture: and then some

***

The Cedar Waxwings don't stay very long, but we have spotted them in our garden and on our walks recently.  Such beautiful birds ♥

***

As long as I live,

I'll hear water -falls and birds

and winds sing.

I'll interpret the rocks.

Learn the language of the flood, storm and avalanche.

I'll acquaint myself

with the glaciers and wild gardens

and get as near the heart of the world

as I can.

~John Muir~

 

Linking to Texture Tuesdays today.

Weekend Walk ...

While roses are beautiful,

 my absolute

 favourite

 flowers

 will always be

wild daisies

we came upon huge patches of daisies on our weekend hike

the weather on Saturday was amazing ...

weed or wishes...

we see wishes ♥

and Sparrows ...

and you know how I feel about Sparrows ♥♥

and Archer ...

the freedom of weekend walks

 

Every walk to the woods

is a religious rite,

every bath in the stream

is a saving ordinance.

Communion service

is at all hours,

and the bread and wine

are from the heart and marrow

of Mother Nature.

~John Burroughs~

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

Namaste

Your sacred space

is where you can find yourself

again

and

again

~Joseph Campbell~

come. sit. listen

 ♥

Texture Tuesdays ...

Carried Away

Kim Klassen Texture : Aurora

our 2nd peony bush has bloomed & I couldn't resists picking some for indoors ...

 used my apron as a flower gatherer for peony & salvia

ruffles



I like to think

a flower opens itself

to outgrow its plantedness

that it yearns

to be

carried away

~Unknown~

***

Linking with Texture Tuesdays

My 'Art Saves' story on Crescendoh today...

sing your song/ fly when you are ready

♥

Inspiration: Self-portrait. 

 As a Mum, remembering that baby birds need to sing their own song & fly on their own wings... as much as we would love to keep them safe in the nest ♥

***

 

My guiding word for Twenty-thirteen is

balance ...

I've been working on the balancing act of privacy & sharing my thoughts and art - something I've gone back and forth with in the past.

It's not easy to remain anonymous AND be recognized :-)

Slowly ... I have been moving out of my comfort zone... taking baby steps along the way.

 Much like my painting - 'sing your song/fly when you are ready' ... it might be safer to stay in the nest but there is so much more just waiting to experience.

Today, the baby steps got a little bit bigger :-)

I am sharing my "Art Saves" story today @ Crescendoh.

A special Thank You to Jenny Doh for the opportunity ♥



Happy Monday Rain

xo

Sunday Serenity ...

Our hike today  started with complete serenity thanks to this peaceful beauty ♥

and then this ...

I am always fascinated by the shapes and colours of fungi  we spot on and around various trees as we walk ... I don't know the names of most ... but I think these mushrooms are called  turkey tail :-)

this photo doesn't do credit to the amazing orange colour of this fungi.

We were walking up a cliff and  this tree was a few hundred feet below. I would have loved to have been able to see it up close.  From a distance it  resembled a bee hive.

 I think wild flowers are the prettiest ...

 growing where ever they fancy

 tiny butterflies everywhere ...

& the further we got into the woods  the cool shade kept the early morning dew drops on leaves.

It is good to know our Universe.

What is new

is only new

 to us.

~Pearl. S. Buck~



A Different Drummer ...

Met a family of Canadian Geese & their goslings on our morning walk ...

so much cuteness :-)

we watched as they followed

one parent in front of them

the other behind

and all the babies in the middle

(with the exception of one who liked to wander )

and they marched

all together

left ...right

left ... right

left ... right

all

except one :-)

the above mentioned ...wanderer



BE YOU ♥

If a man

does not keep pace with his companions

perhaps it is because

he hears

a different drummer

let him step

to the music

he hears

however measured

or far away

~Henry David Thoreau~