Woods View - Life Notes from an Occasional Blogger...

Catching up is so very hard to do................

2009-08-14T11:07:00.002-04:00

September, October, November, December…January, February, March……and April…. May.... June.... July...and August again!!!

--------Where did the months go so quickly? Here it is - one year later.....catching up....Trying to be brief is best....Looking forward to vacation next week.....more time to blog...more time to be.....Lots of stress inbetween posts.....but I'm coming back.....soon...............................

Welcome to the World - Miss Isabella Adelina

2008-08-03T16:55:00.007-04:00

My brother Lee's first grandchild

Named after both of her grandmothers

Born on Friday, July 25, 2008
7 lbs. 8 ounces, 20-1/2 inches long.

Mother and Baby are doing just fine.

On a perfect June Day, a shower without rain......

2008-06-23T15:07:00.027-04:00

could only be a Baby shower!
A happy occasion.... a "surprise"......

A room full of friends and relations, and many many gifts from well-wishers.

The weather was beautiful, the momma-to-be, glowing with
anticipation, happy to greet everyone.

Later...waiting to begin opening gifts...

So many gifts......

And afterwards, there was cake… And a happy Gramma-to be and new Mom-to-be….

Soon-to-be "aunt" Kim…

And sweet baby visitors…twin boys,with their momma and good friend.

Another equally excited new grandma on the occasion of meeting her firstborn grandson

And later…back at the Farm…

A porch to sit on.....perfect for relaxing...

A cell phone dropped in the pond. Oops!

Luckily - it was retrieved and amazingly...still works!

Later..there were more celebrations...birthdays, dogs....a barbeque.....more visiting..til way past dark... (but no more pictures)....

It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

And very soon there will be one more new little member of the clan....

Stay tuned!

Getaway Time Again....

2008-04-04T10:51:00.021-04:00

It was time to return, for just a little while, to the sunshine and warmth of Florida.

After our winter, it was so good to see flowers blooming, feel the warmth and see the water again. While we were there, the weather was beautiful...

we had all the windows open 24/7...fresh air, bay breezes.

It was terrific for sleeping.

We saw our new kitchen and had fun organizing it, and putting everything back.

We also spent some time at the beach, unwinding, birdwatching, listening to the sounds of the waves, the gulls, looking for shells, drinking in the ocean air, visiting with old friends and just relaxing.

Sunsets from the lanai are always so pretty.

And time spent eating out at the Dry Dock Restaurant on Longboat Key is always a pleasure. Lots of fresh fish, fruit and Florida strawberries…..
While we were waiting to be served, a manatee swam past, but I missed the photo
opportunity.

Check out our dinner guests. These guys were waiting for handouts from the fishing boats. They were incredibly tame.

We're restored from our visit. Our time away went by so fast, but we’ll be back….soon.

If this wall could talk.....

2008-03-02T20:05:00.006-05:00

It would say, "thank you for painting me....FINALLY."

I found a new bedspread and had bought the wall paint to paint the wall behind my bed since last November. I've wanted to paint the design for ages. It finally all came together this weekend. Take a look..

Here's a close-up view.

I also put up new antique-lace curtains.

It's such a good feeling....one more thing I can cross off my list of
things to do.

One Wintry day in February

2008-02-25T16:20:00.022-05:00

I remembered....

the lucky little girl who lived in the country who loved to run outside after school and play in the woods.

She would find a clearing and lie down on moss-covered ground, close her eyes and listen to the whispers of the forest, birdsong, trees swaying, and the sounds of babbling water in the brook.

Looking up, she could see through the treetops towards the sky, and it seemed the earth was moving but it wasn't. It was only the clouds racing across the sky.

Always there would be clouds to count, and later...the ground to search for indian arrowheads

or the joys of discovering a carpet of sweet-scented wood violets.

In May it was a ritual to search for ladyslipper orchids that grew in the shade of a huge old oak

There were salamanders to catch, and tadpoles too. And if she was very lucky, she would find the best treasure of all - a newly-hatched baby turtle.

Childhood memories....golden nuggets of the past recalled on a wintry day in February.

Welcome February…..

2008-02-03T19:40:00.001-05:00

The Groundhog saw his shadow on Saturday, so that means we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter. Well, I knew that was going to happen - I'm just looking forward to Spring.

Thought I would share some photos of my feathered friends and some other pictures to bring a touch of Spring to everyone longing for warmer weather.

A Garden Tour is just the cure....

2008-01-23T11:05:00.000-05:00

for the midwinter blues! It’s been awhile since I blogged, no excuses here…just that life managed to get in the way and blogging ended up on the back burner.

But the good news (I hope) is now I’m back!

Christmas was a blur this year, and look, here it is the end of January already.
Time just seems to fly past so quickly.

A cure for Winter blahs, for me, is a visit to Longwood Gardens.

Enjoy the pictures...

This one's for Mary. A Stinker...I know..it's the only kind of Heron for you.

Why can't my Christmas Cactus look like this??

27 Years Ago Today.........................

2007-09-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

We were wed!

Through thick and thin, we muddled through
the good times and the bad...

We're going out to dinner tonight
to celebrate.

"...and they lived happily ever after."

COME SEPTEMBER.....

2007-09-04T11:36:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness, God threw a switch on our heat and humidity and September has gifted us with cooler temps, low humidity, ……a bonus for sleeping with the windows open.

The blogging inspiration fairies abandoned me in August, which brought unexpected health and other problems with our pets, family, and two of my dearest friends. I've been shell-shocked and bereft until recently, when things are finally starting to look up.

And although we have not had weather as bad as Mary or Jayne have experienced, between the heat and my neglect this summer, our garden has not been the garden of which I'm usually so proud.

Being a gal who is descended from strong stock, determined to set aside the negatives and let nature do some healing - I worked outside in our gardens weeding and mulching, and worked on our waterfall fountain/pond. The sound of the waterfall does the trick. Nature heals.

This month we are celebrating our 27th anniversary. We gifted each other with bright red Kayaks and we're looking forward to spending more time out on the lake enjoying nature.

August did bring one very nice trip - a week in Florida with our granddaughter. She taught me how to text message, how to download and maniupulate files on an MP3 player, as well as some very cool sudoku tips. We enjoyed the beach, collecting shells, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, visits to the Mall and bookstore. A trip to Mote Aquarium on Longboat Key to see how dolphins and sea turtles are rehabilitated was one of the highlights of our time together.

I'm trusting that during September, things will continue to stay positive for everyone. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I am so very thankful for answered prayers.

BARNS ALONG THE WAY……

2007-08-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

Each day I pass by quite a few barns on my way to work.
One day I had a 'lightbulb moment' and I finally decided to count them.
There are no less than 25 barns…most of which are in varying states of disrepair.

I’m a bit of a barn freak…I pretty much love
all of the barns I see, whether they’re in good shape
or bad. There’s something magical about a barn, about what
could be inside the barn. And the decrepit barns always make
me wonder how they must have looked in years gone by, when
they were new. I think old barns have character.

Here is a sampling of some of the barns I pass by each day.

TONS upon tons the brown-green fragrant hay
O'erbrims the mows beyond the time-warped eaves,
Up to the rafters where the spider weaves,
Though few flies wander his secluded way.
Through a high chink one lonely golden ray,
Wherein the dust is dancing, slants unstirred.
In the dry hush some rustlings light are heard,
Of winter-hidden mice at furtive play.

Far down, the cattle in their shadowed stalls,
Nose-deep in clover fodder's meadowy scent,
Forget the snows that whelm their pasture streams,
The frost that bites the world beyond their walls.
Warm housed, they dream of summer, well content
In day-long contemplation of their dreams.

Roberts, Charles G. D. (1860-1943)

More views from Fordhook Farm…….

2007-08-06T11:15:00.000-04:00

I had such a hard time deciding which photos to post yesterday, so thought I’d add more today. Here for your viewing pleasure….

Hidden Pathway

A bit out-of-focus, but I couldn’t resist…….

Antique Seed Barn

Purple Smoke Bush – (I thought the foliage was so pretty)

Side porch view

A Carolina Shade Garden

Ligularia Dentata Othello (for MaryPat)

Saturday at a Special Garden......

2007-08-04T18:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday and today, Fordhook Farm
home of W. Atlee Burpee, scion of the famous Burpee Seed Company, celebrated ‘Fordhook in Bloom” and was open to the public. The property, 60 acres dating from the 1700s, is vastly beautiful and includes a large farmhouse, a huge antique seed barn, spring houses, greenhouses, a cook's garden, test gardens, a pond, vegetable and kitchen gardens, just about everything a garden-lover could want. There were garden tours and plant sales, and hot dogs, hamburgers and cold beverages, served at tables decorated with beautiful bouquets of flowers, under the shade of a huge white tent. The heat and humidity didn’t seem to keep the plantaholics away. For sure, it didn’t deter us.

This wonderful place, (which is right around the corner from my office), is open to the public only a few times a year. The main farmhouse, The Inn at Fordhook Farm, was in the past a Bed and Breakfast, but now is only used by the family for out-of-town guests. We were tickled when we found it open to the public today. Rumor has it the inn is haunted by the ghost of a Hessian soldier, but we saw no signs of him.

Our trip to Fordhook Farm was a refreshing way to spend a hot, muggy, sunny Saturday morning in August.

Enjoy the photos!

THE Lord God planted a garden
In the first white days of the world,

And He set there an angel warden
In a garment of light enfurled.

So near to the peace of Heaven,
That the hawk might nest with the wren,

For there in the cool of the even
God walked with the first of men.

And I dream that these garden-closes
With their shade
and their sun-flecked sod
And their lilies and bowers of roses,
Were laid by the hand of God.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,--

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

For He broke it for us in a garden

Under the olive-trees

Where the angel of strength was the warden

And the soul of the world found ease.

~~~~Dorothy Frances Gurney

I took a little break....and now I'm back...

2007-07-24T21:06:00.000-04:00

This past week, DH and I took a little trip down to the Chesapeake area of Virginia. Jim had an appointment in Virginia Beach, and I went along. Our grandson Randy is stationed in the Navy in Norfolk, so it didn't take much convincing to get me to visit.

While there, we spent a lot of time with Randy and got to see his new apartment.
His new bride Beth had to work most of the time we were visiting, but she enjoyed the Bride's Box that I painted for her as a wedding gift. I was worried about her reaction. I shouldn't have been.

Besides just hanging out together, we spent time sightseeing. I am reading Chesapeake, by James Michener, and since we were in the vicinity, I wanted to go see Jamestown. We also visited the Cape Henry lighthouse at Fort Story. When we checked out the lighthouse, we had no idea it was on an Army base. The security we had to go through in order to get onto the army base to see the lighthouse was an experience in itself.

Here are some pictures - not in any particular order... of our visit...starting with the Bay Bridge tunnel.

Sand Dunes at Virginia beach..

Jim, my DH, walking up the steps to get to the entrance to the Cape Henry lighthouse. There were over 64 steps.....

The exterior of the ancient lighthouse. I can't imagine having to lug all these stones up to the top of the hill where the lighthouse stands.

On the way home we stopped in Cape Charles, Virginia. It's a sleepy little town that is full of charm, a place for summertime visitors..yet it was not at all crowded. Here is something I learned about the Chesapeake Bay.... If you click on the picture, you can read the words...

And an Osprey couple at Cape Charles I couldn't resist....

Another picture of a lighthouse at Cape Henry....

Do you think the Navy has made Randy a bit of a neatnik? I couldn't resist taking this photo of their shoes all lined up inside by their front door.

The beach at Virginia Beach....very 'duney' and natural. So pretty and peaceful. The beaches were wide and deserted of bathers.

The sign at the entrance to the Old Cape Henry lighthouse, the nation's first.

And last but not least....our sailor...Randy, and yours truly...known to Randy as "Mimi". We're so proud of him..so very young, and he has already done one tour of duty in the Persian Gulf.

So long till next time Sailor! Job well done!

Eight or Sixteen (or more) Random Facts Meme

2007-07-06T15:43:00.000-04:00

I've been tagged twice today to do a "meme" ..... by Nina of Nature Remains as well as by Mary C. from Mary's Corner of the World.

I haven't done this before, so I hope I do this right. Here are the rules for Eight Random Facts Meme:

Players start with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their blog about 8 things, then post these rules. At the end of the blog they must choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names, then leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged, and to read your blog. Because I've been tagged "twice" today, I'll bend the rules a bit and leave 16 little-known facts about me. I hope this isn't too boring folks!

OK....after much thought... "drum roll"............here are the exciting (not) facts about little old me.

I am the youngest in a family of 4, two boys and two girls.
I am the only one who never smoked, thanks to my older sister giving me a puff when I was about 7. Never again, thankyou! ;-)

I always wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. But instead I married my
high school sweetheart and gave up that dream. I do regret not having gone to college.

I can roll my tongue. It's a genetic trait.

I've lived 5 miles from the ocean on each coastline of the USA 2 separate times in my adult life...starting in New Jersey and ending up in California.

When my children were small, I used to make my own jams and grow my own vegetables. I rarely cook now.

In my family tree, I am related to President James Monroe on my mother's side.

My maternal ancestors arrived in this country when the Dutch settled here in 1634.

I love to paint and wish I had more leisure time to do it. I started out as a decorative painter and am now moving towards painting on canvas....oils, acrylics, beginning watercolors.

I am math-challenged when it comes to algebra, probably one reason why I do not have a college degree - since it is a prerequisite for getting into school. I am sure I would love most all the college courses *except* math.

I had to wear orthodontic braces twice in my life -- once as a young teen and again as an adult.

I have a 20-year old grandson in the US Navy, stationed in Norfolk, VA.

My daughter turns 40 on Monday. GASP!!!!!

I used to sew my own clothes.

I taught myself to read when I was about 4 years old, thanks to my older siblings showing me how to make words with alphabet blocks.

I can knit and crochet and I love to hand-quilt, but I haven't quilted in awhile.

I can still take shorthand. Does that ever date me?!!!!

I can make my own bar soap from scratch... not the kind from a kit.

I never learned how to swim. I can do the doggie paddle, that's all.

A Saturday Ride to Chesapeake City....

2007-06-18T20:11:00.000-04:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My husband works at home all week long. As a result, he gets the equivalent of "cabin fever" and he likes to take little rides on the weekend. So this weekend we were off to Chesapeake City, Maryland ~~ one of our favorite little haunts. The drive from our house, door to door, is a little over an hour and 1/2.

Chesapeake City is an old "canal town" and has plenty of charm, a few places to eat or get ice cream, there are lots of quaint little shops and B&Bs. It also has a marina, and one of our favorite restaurants, The Bayard House.

We sat outside at a table overlooking the canal and enjoyed our dinner and the view.

Later we walked around the park alongside the marina, and I went shopping. The stores stayed open late...I got lucky.

I found a hummingbird feeder that is very similar to Mary's.

Outside the shop, I spotted this pretty flower arrangement and it inspired me.

Then when I got home, I planted this pot with flowers of similar colors.......

All in all, it was a nice, relaxing day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Springing into Summertime, and the living ain't easy.....

2007-06-04T19:22:00.000-04:00

I've been blog-challenged this past week. Here's a bit of a whine...there is still so much outside work to be done, the weather's been sticky, hot and muggy...and my energy has hit an all time low. I'm feeling overwhelmed and tired. We've been having lots of powerful electrical storms, so loud, last Thursday night going on all night long...interfering with sleep.

Sunday we took a break and went on an garden tour. It spit rain on and off...but that didn't deter us. We met up with dear friends and ended up back at our house, sitting on the sunporch and listening to the rain on the roof. Later we all went out to dinner. It was nice to be with friends and not have to cook.

Back to the outside chores...our pond has been giving us problems...well not the pond, but the pump. It cuts off and stops working after awhile...we reset it..it goes for a bit, and then stops again. The pump is way too powerful for the dinky little pond we have. It's more about the effect of moss-covered rocks and the waterfall than the actual pond. Though I'm sure the frogs living there would disagree. I love the sound of the waterfall, it is so soothing and I miss the sound with the pump not working. At night..with the windows open...that sound lulls me to sleep.

Here are some photos from the weekend garden tour......

Memorial Day Weekend and Spring Fever.......

2007-05-24T18:20:00.000-04:00

We've been having wonderful weather here in Pennsylvania..a little rain now and then, and mostly sunny lovely days that aren't too hot..and cool at night for sleeping with the window open. And I have a bad case of Spring Fever!!!

I promised my daughter Laura I'd post pictures of the pretty bouquet of flowers she sent me for Mother's Day.

Laura's bouquet

and the balloon imprinted with these sweet words that came attached to the bouquet.

Today I decided to go for it and request a vacation day tomorrow to make a nice long 4-day weekend. As a rule, someone else in my office always beats me to it, but not this time. I got lucky. And when I checked the calendar I discovered there is not another chance to make a 3 day holiday weekend into a 4 day weekend until Labor Day rolls around, since the 4th of July is in the middle of the week. I hate it when that happens.

On my list of things to do this weekend:

~ Finish varnishing this Bride's Box I painted for Randy's new bride Beth. And of course I have to pack it up to send to the newlyweds.

~ Plant my baby Azalea outside -- an Easter gift.

~ Plant my four hayrack windowboxes (this is one of them, photo from last year, showing the flowers I planted then..Calibrochoa or 'Million Bells'.)

(For this year, we'll plant with pink geraniums purchased last weekend from this beautiful greenhouse)

I'd like to add white Calibrochoa and blue lobelia planted inbetween the geraniums to drip down over the edges of the hayracks. I'll probably get them here, right down the street at Roger's Roadstand.

~ Can't forget to fill my birdfeeders. The goldfinches are gobbling up the thistle seed.

~ Still must get licorice root mulch for the front flower border

~ be sure to get garden tour tickets for the Bedminster Conservancy Garden Tour next weekend before they're all sold out.

~ and visit the
Bucks County Designer House before it ends on Sunday.

~ There is also a Christmas gift I want time to play with...a brand new Brother sewing machine I must learn to use -- because....there is a new slipcover for my very old, comfy, club chair calling out my name -- still to be designed, cut up, and sewn together.

I wonder if I'll get it all done.

Over the path and through the woods, on a lunch hour walk I'll go......

2007-05-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

Lately I'm trying to get a little exercise on my lunch hour instead of sitting down for another hour just eating. I found the perfect place to to walk and take pictures of flowers and birds..a meandering pathway created as a bike path, which winds past meadows and along the edge of woods, runs alongside a creek for a bit, and out again into a residential neighborhood. It's about a mile and 1/4 long, and I never have time to walk all the way to the end and still get back to my desk without being late.

I discovered there are marshy areas with bluebird houses, and park benches along the way. Last week I discovered yellow wood violets and bluebells, flowers I've never seen up close and personal before, but I didn't have my camera to photograph them. I headed back there this week with my trowel in hand and was able to get the last of the bluebells and violets still blooming. At that point, my battery died~(sigh).

Here are some pictures of the path, which I think is pretty, and what treasures awaited me. Amazingly, few other people seem to use this path, at least it seems that way when I'm there at lunchtime.

~God of tiny tender things
a Valentine
a bird that sings
God of Bramble bush
and thorn
God of tree limb unadorned
Paint the barren, gray and drear
Then leave a promise
ever near...~

(thanks JJ...xoxo)

Wildflowers............

2007-05-04T15:53:00.000-04:00

We are the roadside flowers,
Straying from garden grounds,--
Lovers of idle hours,
Breakers of ordered bounds.

If only the earth will feed us,
If only the wind be kind,
We blossom for those who need us,
The stragglers left behind.

And lo, the Lord of the Garden,
He makes his sun to rise,
And his rain to fall with pardon
On our dusty paradise.

On us he has laid the duty,--
The task of the wandering breed,--
To better the world with beauty,
Wherever the way may lead.

Who shall inquire of the season,
Or question the wind where it blows?
We blossom and ask no reason.
The Lord of the Garden knows.

Bliss W. Carman - 1869 - 1921

A Soft Landing.........

2007-05-03T16:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a body just has to get away. This week, I gratefully had a chance to head down to the Gulf Coast of Florida to our little get-away. The nice part is that it's right on the water overlooking Sarasota Bay.

Hubby had a business trip in Atlanta...and I had 3-1/2 glorious days of solitude to look forward to. What a gift!

I settled in right away, went to the store and bought food and flowers for the week.

The view from the lanai overlooking the water where I made myself some breakfast.

Then I played with my new camera and took some pictures of the birds on the water.

Later, I took a walk outside and spotted a duck couple....

along with this little guy....

and this creature who was very still....

The path I walked is like a tropical jungle.....

I stopped to smell some flowers.....

Couldn't resist this pretty jasmine vine dripping down along the entry way.

Or this lion standing guard over the impatiens...

A view of the lanai, where I spent most of my time contemplating life....

I'd love to be able to stay here forever...........

"I washed away the weeds and foam and took my seaborne treasures home."

A Special Day to Remember...April 23rd

2007-04-23T17:14:00.000-04:00

There are some days that are bittersweet, and
there is just no getting around it. Today
was one of those days for me.

This is a story about my only son. It is both
sad and heartwarming at the same time.

David was born on a sunny Sunday morning on April 23rd at 10:08 o'clock. He was my second child -- my first and only son.

He was a very easy baby....rarely waking crying
in the night, always happy and sweet tempered.

His first word was his sister's name - "Laura."

As he grew older, he loved Little League,
flying rockets, Journey, MTV, school, church,
and scouting, not necessarily in that order.
And he loved nature, gardening, animals, camping
and he especially loved riding his bike. His best friends
were VJ and Greg, and he was also sweet on a little girl named April.

In the 6th grade, he was in the gifted program, and
he ran for and was elected Student Council president
as well as president of his class. Extraordinarily
personable for his years, he would be the first in a room
of adults to stand up, hold out his hand, and introduce himself.
It was clear he would become a leader, if he was not already
one judging by what his peers thought. I don't know where he got
that quality from, I'm not like that..I'm shy and reclusive.

David will forever be 11 years old. He was hit by a car on his way to school on the second day after Christmas break ended. He had met up with his pals, so anxious to give them their Christmas presents...the three boys straddling his bike in the road, not paying attention to the traffic. Then a driver blinded by the sun hit David and Greg. I'll never fully understand how or why it happened. It put a great big hole in my heart that will never fully mend.

So this weekend...I made plans to go away. I took an art seminar with a friend who is a very talented artist/teacher, Marjorie Harris.
The subject...guardian angels. We were given a choice whether to paint the design of an angel, or in it's place, paint a portrait of a loved one on a doorcrown. As much as I wanted to paint David, being the procrastinator that I am, I did not gather together the right type of pictures of him to be able to paint his portrait in time for the seminar. It would have meant going down into the basement and looking for "the box" of David's momentoes -- all those precious few photos of him from long ago. Upstairs, I found a few blurry photos in a drawer. At the last minute I took them with me to my seminar.

After class began, Marjorie took a long look at the photos I brought. She encouraged me, helped me, told me I could do it..I could paint David. By the end of the weekend I had a fairly recognizable resemblance going. By no means was it perfect, but I could see his personality shine through in the painting.

So on the eve of David's birthday, I had given myself a gift..this painting of him.

But the story continues to today.

I work for a small municipality, where there is a large park and a huge Kid's Castle. Every year there is a fundraiser to pay for maintenence of this giant playground structure. This year, an artist has been hired to paint just 4 "knights and/or princesses" to guard the entrance to the maze inside the castle.

Today on David's birthday, I was told by a friend at work that it had been decided that my son David along with a 10 year old grandchild of another co-worker who died suddenly of Long QT syndrome,
Jonathan Wenhold , would be honored by having their likenesses painted as Knights to guard the Kid's Castle maze. This donation was generously given by Dawn Byers of the Byers family, the successful owners and creators of Byers Choice dolls sold round the world. Dawn works on the fundraising committee for Kid's Castle.
The local artist who will paint the children is Joyce Aldrich,who does beautiful work. What an unexpected blessing to happen on this special, bittersweet day.

I'd like to think David knows something about this extraordinary gift -- honoring two very special children -- on what turned out to be a very special birthday after all. I'm sure my little angel would be pleased

Rainy days and Tuesdays don't always get me down...

2007-04-17T19:48:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my first post.

It always amazes me how much weather affects my mood. Warm sunshine can have a powerful effect. Like a tonic, a wonderful remedy, it's effects are immediate -- taking me away, like a Calgon moment...from my gloom to a happier place. But there is to be no sun today..only heavy rain and wind. And since more rain is predicted for the week ahead, I have chosen to share my little windowsill garden. It's just a few flowering plants-- a pink Rieger begonia, a red geranium, a pot of blue Dauphin violets and newly planted tiny pots of fragrant herbs containing seeds of spearmint, basil and catnip.

Henry, my sweet black and white cat, sleeps contentedly beside me, oblivious to the raindrops pounding against the window.

In spite the storm outside, it is cozy here in this room. Today, gloom is staying outside my door. Inside I've a scented candle lit, soft music, and my flowering plants -- all of them bringing a message of cheer and prayers of hope for sunny days to come.

7:19:00 PM