We shall never pass through the same room twice.
For each one of us our today
Will tomorrow be that part of eternity
Which forever lies behind us.
Will tomorrow be that part of eternity
Which forever lies behind us.
It would be terrible to come out as one went in,
No richer for all the love that has been poured out on us.
~~Amy Carmichael~~
Whispers of His Power
All of the decorations have found their nest and settled in to await the awakening for next year's Christmas feast. The vacuum has hoovered the final bits and pieces that became litter in the final stages. Furnishings settle back into grooves worn deeper with the passing years as we hearken back to comfort for reading, chatting, napping, or knitting (the newest crafty event in our midst).
The misty skies and snowy landscapes have receded for the moment and our glorious California sunshine bids us come out and play in the temperate days. I wander the gardens with pruners in hand to tidy the snow-damaged branches and nip the frost-bitten buds. My flowering plum sustained the most damage, requiring a severe taking of all the lower branches yielding a "bobbed" one bursting with blooms. I gather the branches, gleaning twigs plump with buds, and fashion a bouquet of Springtime promise to tickle our fancy through the wintry days still afoot. My forced hyacinth bulbs still seek seclusion as they force white fronds upward in the dark. Soon they will join the sunlit buds, greening up before the explosion of color and scent that brings joy to my winterscaped windowsill.
Though our winter fleets in these parts compared to other climes, she can still dances with a fierce wind and chilling breath. Woolens and waterproofs lard the mud room (and hopefully the mud room contains the "mud" upon return . . . hopefully), but these few spring-like days found Rachel out of doors in her jammies and rubber clogs this morning, while I contemplated dragging out the bistro set for a cup of tea in the clear air. But, Rachel reminds me that this is the "fake" spring that teases us each January and that real winter will be back soon. I acknowledge the truth in what she speaks . . . but plan to cart out the table and chairs just the same. It will only take a minute to pack them up again when raindrops fall and I have a deliciously free afternoon stretching out before me . . .
This is the day which the Lord hath made;
[I] will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
12 comments:
Lovely. I am having such a hard time looking at PSF's with blooming flowers... it's freezing here. We had that arctic blast that sent us under layers of blankets and you're photographing flowers. I would love to experience a little of your pretend spring :-)
Beautiful pink flowers and music. I just came over from Sukipoet to enjoy a bit of your cottage paradise. Relaxing.
Christmas is stored away here in The House in the Woods also. The house feels tidy, but spring in the garden is far, far away.....
Christmas still lingers here in kids crafts taped to walls and doors and the tree still stands guard over the living room. We have been enjoying long walks in the brisk air.
How fun to bring out the table, even if for one day. We have not had our fake spring yet and the arctic blast is headed our way next. I am glad I have a down comforter to hide under with my hot water bottle. It is cheering I must say to read about your life in a more temperate zone. PS uncovering Mom's knitting needles awakens a desire in me, but I know nothing. And am left handed.
We're getting a bit of a fake spring here in Washington right now as well. My daughter tried to go outside with bare feet today until I put a stop to that...it's still only in the forties ( although it's a dramatic change from the single digits we had a few days ago). The little glimpses you give into your home are so beautiful. Have a great weekend.
May your mud stay contained and your hearts not so. :)
Ah California! Isn't it a great place to live? Although, I have nothing blooming yet, just a few Muscari(grape hyacinth) leaves lying in wait for it's blooms to pop through.
Very poetic and beautiful flower.
Yes, Christmas is gone (except I just looked up and found mistletoe) and today I pulled out Valentine's stuff. Oy Vey.
Hello my dear. Can you believe I made it over here with my one good eye!!!!! Of course I'm laughing. Thanks for your love, support and encouragement. Seeing your beautiful photo on my blog ALWAYS makes me smile, and it's always accompanied with a huge exhale.
What a lovely post. I have a lot of catching up to do, my gosh. But what a fun way to spend the wee hours of morn. Honey, I can't believe how similar your plum is to my Quince (my plum has a pale pink flower). The only thing missing is the thorns.
Garden clean up. I have lots to do. I haven't started yet, but really must take a peek at things this weekend and decide where to begin. You know my garden and how out of control I allowed it to get in 08, but I have hope for 09! This is my plan: wack everything off at the bottom and see what happens! Seriously. Wish me luck honey! You can always stop by with your pruners to help.
Yesterday was so hard because of my eye and today was even harder for various reasons, but Psalm 118:24 helped so much. You know I'm not religious, but boy is that a nice reminder. Thank you.
I get to tuck the Christmas decorations away this weekend. When I take the decorative Santa flag down, as a joke I'm going to fly a Spring flag with tulips and daffs!!! People going by will get a good chuckle. But, you know what? Just up the street a gardening friend's front yard is filled with blooming Paperwhites and you know the daffs are right around the corner. Yippie!!!
Love you darling. And again, thanks for everything. I'll drop by more often to relax in this beautiful blog. ;) XO
P.S. You should visit Leah. She can easily be found on my blog. She's a terrific knitter and holds contests all the time. You'd have a blast AND you might win something lovely, or be the recipient of a terrific trade. Good luck! XO
Glad you found time to heal the poor wounded tree, and the weather sounds lovely! Between your tables and those granddaughters the pull to California is strong! But for now it will remain a wish. We are hoping to bring the whole family in July.
Give Rachel Kaye a giant Aunt Nannie hug, please. Missing ya'll more then ever, we had sucha good visit. Thank you so much.
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