Tuesday, March 28, 2017

FRIEND OR FAUX...











Red sky in morning
Sailors take warning...


Spring,
 who is a friend of mine, 
has stopped by the Cottage
 the last few mornings.
  She doesn't stay very long. 
 Usually by late afternoon,
 she is gone and 
Old Man Winter takes her place.

  A few mornings of sunshine 
is just enough to brighten 
a flower's ability to stand tall,
 but the hard rain that falls 
in the evening 
will dash their hopes
once again.






We may not have control 
of what happens outside,
 but in our homes, 
cozy and warm,
 we can fool Mother Nature 
whenever we want 
and bring the foes
 to their knees!





The only flowers blooming 
in the garden now are 
camellias and daffodils.

 I have brought a few indoors 
and with a little help
 from some "friendly faux" 
they can stand tall 
and make a 
happy spring statement.
























I have made good friends 
with more of the "affordable" pillows 
that I have found on Amazon:







I can't get enough
of these little gems.

 For less than $5 apiece 
(most are cheaper), 
I am expanding my pillow collection 
by leaps and bounds.

 For only the price of 
two pillow forms,
 I am beginning to have pillows 
for every season and holiday 
and the workmanship
is far above 
what you would expect
 when something is offered
 at these prices.






Hopefully,
 our foes will be 
fewer and farther between, 
and our friends will continue 
to be the light 
in our lives.


...Judy...






Sharing today with:


























Tuesday, March 21, 2017

CELEBRATING SPRING...










For months,
 I have had a longing for spring,
 and for some funny reason,
 the feelings were more intense
 on a good day, 
weather wise, 
than on a bad one.

 I guess the sunshine 
made it easier 
to imagine 
what was to come.






Each night,
 before bed,
 I always check the calendar 
to see what might be in store 
for the morning.

 The only thing of importance 
that I noticed last night
 was that it had been 
the first day of spring
 and I had missed it! 

 It had been the darkest day,
 one that made me want to 
climb back into bed and 
pull the covers over my head.

  Nothing about the day was 
remotely spring-like.

  A day that should have been cause 
for celebration
 was buried under heavy, dark clouds 
and only seemed like
 just another 
winter's day.






It rained hard 
during spring's first night
 and now another dismal day.

  The Captain left this morning
 to walk the dogs but
 Kai and I 
stayed home 
as you can see...




...and all hope is lost
 as far as he is concerned.
  
But,
 as I look around the Cottage, 
I see many signs 
of what will soon be.

 Signs that winter is 
running its course 
and the celebrating 
can soon begin...



Parlor Mantle:













Brunch for Two:




The Captain says: "Oh, there is a 'hair' in your plate".
Funny guy!
 I said, "No that's in your plate".















Kitchen Vignettes:









Spring Chicken:






The Gardener:





AHHH...SPRING


...Judy...






Sharing today with:



















Tuesday, March 14, 2017

CALIFORNIA GOLD...










At this time of the year, 
the price of this gold is
 at a premium.

  The golden rays of the sun 
shine down, 
warming the earth and 
giving its inhabitants a sense of
 well-being and 
hope...


"No winter lasts forever;
No spring skips its turn."

Edith Sitwell






I can only speak for
 my little part of the world.

  Back in the day, 
rain was referred to as
 "liquid sunshine". 
 Meaning that California
 didn't have bad weather,
 only varying degrees of good weather.

  In recent years 
that has been changing, 
not only in California,
 but all over 
the world.





The gold
 in others gardens is
 starting to shine, 
but mine is 
slow to 
begin...






...these sad little specimens
 are what my garden has produced,
 so far as gold 
is concerned...





...however
 there are more waiting in the wings 
which can only be considered
 "late bloomers"...





...but armed
 with this cup of gold,
 the waiting seems 
more palatable.






As I see on the news 
what is being referred to as
 The Blizzard of 2017, 
in the north east, 
I feel very thankful
 for the rays of gold 
coming through my windows and 
wish that will happen soon 
for all 
of you.






Other colors 
are beginning to show up 
in the garden now and 
all are no
 less precious...





...and, 
for the time being,
 we will take our 
California gold
 any way 
we can get it.


...Judy...






Sharing gold today with: