Rainy Day Thoughts

Outside it's stormy--

Raindrops are falling from the heavens above.

Leaves, branches and newly opened blossoms are swaying in the wind.

Yesterday's sunshine has been replaced by gray, overcast skies.

And yet, even today, there are a few moments of light...

as the gray clouds part momentarily and sunbeams light up the landscape. 

Such has this week been.

More frequently now we hear news from all over the world which

cause our hearts to grieve...

storms hitting our land and those far away.

Lives cut short,

life journeys changed forever,

 dreams brought to an abrupt end.

And these news 'clouds' of sadness and pain

increasingly bring darkness to the moments of our days.

It is not how things were meant to be from the beginning;

it is not how most of us want them to be as we live out our lives on this earth.

So many blessings we've all been given.

So fragile some of them are.

 

Blessings from our household to yours this Friday,

Aimee

 

 

Lord,

I ask You today to

 bring comfort and healing to those who have lost so very much this week;

not just those in Boston and Texas,

but to all those in our nation and worldwide

 who have suffered pain of unspeakable depth in recent times.

Grant them true peace Father God,

and may they again know joy and love in the years to come.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

 

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galations 6:2 KJV

~

Photos:

Cherry blossoms

 (thinking of you today M.)

Lilac

Apple tree blossom "Liberty"

Azalea "Ria Hardijzer"

Flowering crabapple tree "Prairifire"

Canadian Geese flying to their summer homes

Flowering dogwood "Cherokee Chief"

 

The WORD on Wednesday: Springtime, Gardens + More

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of the singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land....

Song of Songs 2:11-12 KJV

~

As I write this today a blue sky is overhead

and  sunlight will soon stream through the family room windows.


 

Outside our entire yard looks like it is in bloom--

indeed the whole countryside is beautiful!
 

 

Our resident toads have appeared again, jumping into the pond at the most inopportune times,

always surprising whomever happens to be walking by:)
 

~

~

~

 

The mixed lettuce seedlings I planted just over a month ago are pretty well

ready to eat now and

one of our strawberry plants even has a blossom bud just about ready to appear!

 Rhodos, azaleas, camellia, columbine, bleeding hearts and more delight my eyes daily...

putting a smile on my lips.

 

 I am SO incredibly grateful for this beautiful season of spring;

 I wish it would last forever!

 

My favorite season is early fall but a close second is spring--

especially a spring that brings us many days of sunny (or partly sunny) skies.

What is your favorite season and why?

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Photos:

Taken at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm--

unsure of name of this plant but it is beautiful and did you notice...it's pink:)

Bleeding heart 'spring magic'

Brunnera Macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

(our forget-me-not plants are blooming too)

Camellia Japonica 'kumasaka' -- I think:)

Bleeding Heart 'alba'--

I absolutely LOVE both of my bleeding hearts!

Blueberry 'Earliblue'

Lettuce--looseleaf mixed varieties

(some of these photos were taken about 2 weeks ago, this being one.

The lettuce is much bigger now)

 

Container (wine barrel) Planting:

Even though we have a regular space for growing veggies and such,

we haven't used it for years--mostly because I HATE snakes and because it is more difficult to maintain. Instead I grow many things in wine barrel halves on and near our decks.

Among the things I have grown are:

culinary lavender, strawberries, herbs, raspberries, small veggies...

 

If you are interested in how I do it see this link:

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2009/05/container-barrel-gardening.html

 

Since I planted ours back in 2009,

I've come to the conclusion that the wine barrel halves work very well for our needs

and I am actually thinking of buying more in the future just because I like them so much

and they are readily available here.

I should say that I have made one change since we first planted these about 4 years ago...

and that was to place supports under the three wine barrels that were on our back deck.

This was to allow the wood of the deck to be able to fully dry out underneath the barrels.

We used some leftover pressure treated wood blocks under the barrel to elevate ours;

but there are other options available.  

 Of course it goes without saying that the barrels must be completely stable however you choose to elevate them and that wherever you locate them, other than the ground, must be able to support their filled weight. Be safe:)

 

Missing You...

Our magical time with you was all too short.

Each moment together everything seemed brighter and more fun...

from eating sushi, mochi ice cream and pizza, 

to our time at the beach

and at the Enchanted Forest.

Soon

I found myself becoming more like you...
sliding down a big yellow SHOE slide
and walking through a crooked house!
You made me feel like a child again--
I miss feeling that way because it is a whole lot of fun!

I am very grateful that you both are part of our lives
and hope that we can spend more time together soon:)

 

Thank God for the sweet blessing of grandchildren--

in the autumn of your life these blessings
 are far better than anything money can buy!

 

Blessings always,

Aimee

 

Notes:
a BIG thank you to the incredible staff at Enchanted Forest.
From the first phone call to the last goodbye, you were awesome!
Thank you too for permission to post photos on my blog...
we made some magical memories there:)

As per usual, I am not associated with EF but have loved every visit there.
Here is their website should you be interested in learning more:
http://enchantedforest.com/

 

A New Sign For My (Online) Sign Collection...

Back in the autumn of 2009 I started an (online) collection of warning signs.

Finally, I have a new one to add to my collection:)

I LIKE it!

I think--now that my family lives all over the USA,

I need to enlist their help in 'growing' my collection.

My friend tells me she has seen a turtle one....

and I know in the Scandinavian countries there are reindeer ones.

Have you seen any unusual ones?

 

Blessings,

Aimee

 

Notes:

Other sign posts

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2009/11/signs.html

http://aimeeonthemountainside.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-sign.html