somepinkflowers

tourist tuesday and inside seattle jenny's garden

Last evening whilst strolling down by the creek to check post~Hurricane Irene water levels, three bats did swoop down at me to give pre~Halloween greetings.

Let me just say this:  I could not have been more pleased!

To come upon small unexpected pleasure is what I live for.

Unexpected pleasure is the stamp upon my Happiness Letter. It is what gets me through my up & down day.

Earlier this summer when it was still Spring~like in Seattle I visited this one.

From the moment I pushed open the tall, wooden gate to Jenny's front yard unexpected pleasure washed over me like calm, warm seawater in a shallow tidal pool.

Front & back yard, I hardly knew where to look first...

I felt most welcomed by my thoughtful hostess and her well~placed fancies.

And while the entire venue was magical in feel...

I was quickly drawn to details of soothing color and surprising form.

Oh happy day!

The flowers were praising the sun.

The little bits were blessing us all.

I wanted to be an elf  to play here all the live~long day.

Let me just say this:  I could not have been more pleased!

As Hurricane Irene sludged her proddy way up the coast last weekend I renewed my happy ways by taking comfort in small unexpected pleasures.

I curled up with a good book and a cup of hot tea as the wind~bands played around my garden.

I take comfort in knowing that after the storm Nature will return to Her blooming, self~cleaning manner.

Tree tops snapped by wind will sprout double the branches. Sodden flower~heads will fall and become home to slimy but useful snails.

Nature will right herself, this is do know.

I hope my friends up the coast did not suffer too greatly.

I hope good fortune smiled down on you in your possible time of need. I hope you had a good book and hot tea and maybe even cake.

No matter what The Crazies say about there being Hurricane Hype----->  high speed winds and encroaching seas are not to be ignored.

As nature rights Herself  I send you 2 wishes this day:  May you come upon small unexpected pleasure. May you have the time to drink it up.

haiku my heart and my restful retreat

misplaced, tired and worn
i ran away to the sea.
the waves brought me Home.

{{ go here for more haiku treats }}

here i am...

...still on my spiritual retreat with nature where I am so At One.
{{Go away Hurricane Irene!
Be gone, you she~devil in a wind~dress, you! }}

 

tourist tuesday and a boat trip on the river thames to kew gardens

Real and true, the very moment I write this message to you a giant is walking towards my flower-surrounded house. He may be fighting another as I think I hear a pounding sound...

This beast of a slow-moving monster is knocking down the trees left and right as he crosses angrily across the vast purple mountains to the west of my sweet residence.

Well, maybe not...

Maybe it is only the daily occurrence that is happening this season in my flat-as-a newspaper state of Florida.

I bet that is what it is.

Only a summer thunder cloud which promises rain but fails to deliver on the much-needed goods.

Everyday the sky writes a check which the clouds cannot cash.

I love the rain.
I love a dreary day.
I love a cool cloud-cover which like a light blanket spread smooths over my day.

A dreary day in London seems Perfection to me, if it does not hang on and on for 14 days in a row like an over-talkative, over-hungry house-guest who will not pack his bags and motor back on home.

At this moment London is on fire with riots burning and it does break my heart into unnecessary & jagged pieces.

Always, always I dream of cities filled with people-happy museums and perky parks over-flowing with faithful perennials and bold annuals.

Cities filled with peace-loving locals going about their business, pleased to have jobs they love which pay a promising wage and give fine, above average health-care coverage.

I bet you have such a dream for your town.

London is on fire with riots and I am not certain why.

Maybe it is simple too hot there in August and without breezes from air-conditioners a few of the hungry have gone mad.

I have heard it said that familiarity breeds contempt but actually I think it is this--->Humidity breeds contempt.

But I could be wrong...

Quickly, quickly as the storm giant approaches, and I am well-trained to turn off my computer less the lightening strikes us all, let me show you my River Thames trip.

So many ways to move from the heart of London to Kew Gardens but on a dreary Sunday morning I say take the long boat cruise.

Sit inside the spacious cabin of a boat where families chat & picnic on cheese & tomato sandwiches.

The flip-flop wearing boat captain may point out the sights along the river bank as you motor along, which is what he did for me.

Upon arrival to Kew by boat on a dreary day you can always turn around and ride on back home and view the world on the other shore.

That had been my plan if rain had started to fall...

The rain never did come the entire live-long day which just goes to show you never can tell about the weather.

But I bet you knew that...

I love Kew and go every chance I get no matter what the season.

If you have never been you must, must go if ever in London.

I hope by the time you read this message that the fires and riots in London will be long gone.

I pray thusly.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have popped biscuits into the oven and have my Earl Grey T~bag standing at the ready. I will crack open a new jar of this as I have many times found comfort in a fresh jar of marmelade jam.

Haven't we all?

I shall hide out with comfort food and a good read as the beast of a slow-moving monster travels east across the coast and on out to sea.

Maybe the angry giant will cool off his sensibilities as he travels across the Atlantic Ocean and will spread Peace as he pops out on the other side.

Here is hoping.

haiku my heart ~~ wondering

feet in morocco,
heart floating over the full moon,
eyes searching for you...

why, i have no idea

What are those yellow thingies crawling on my milkweed plant?

Are they the babies of the bigger orange & black striped bug?

Of what USE are these yellow fat insects?
Were the striped bugs snacking on them like popcorn?
Or maybe these guys were sucking then down?

Why, I have no idea...

One minute everything is hunky-dory in my friendly & quiet milkweed neighborhood.

Red and yellow flowers blooming under the hot Florida sun.

Bright bundles of blossoms shouting out to any & all butterflies to just drop on in and rest a spell.

Then these guys show up in amazing numbers.
I do not even remember inviting them to tea.

I might add, the stripey bugs seem to find my tall milkweed plants an ideal location for intimate~~but seemingly long~lasting~~encounters.

Leaning down close..and closer still... I could almost here their mating call...

At first I thought the wee yellow bugettes were the rapid result of spirited intercourse between the larger bugs.

But NO they are not.

The big striped guys turned out to be milkweed bugs {{ go figure! }} and the fat, roly-poly yellow ones are yellow aphids.

I might add that I gleaned this bit of insect knowledge this morning on the Internet whilst I had my morning tea.

As I skip my way through life, working on one scout badge right after another, I am joyfully amazed at how my education grows rapidly between my front yard garden  and my front porch swing thanks to my sweetly accommodating laptop.

Thank goodness.

Yesterday morning when I left the house at 8am~~ taking my dear mom to her great grand~daughter's first birthday party~~the gas at the corner station was selling for $3.72 a gallon.

Last night when I drove by the Same Station at 10pm~~after the Selana Gomez concert where I happily volunteer~~gas was selling for $3.64.

What happened during the day to cause this drop in gasoline prices?

Why, I have no idea...

I guess some things just happen naturally.