Entries Tagged 'Nature' ↓
September 26th, 2008 — Fashion, Friendship, Hope, Inspiration and creativity, Inspirational, Just thinking, Nature, Opportunity, Perfumes, Relationships, Safety, Spirituality and God, Travel
Just when it seems like a bit of good news would be exceedingly welcomed, comes this true story (I’ve checked it with Snopes) about a woman hand feeding hummingbirds.
Isn’t it great that with the Internet we have a way to easily share these experiences that we might never hear about otherwise?!
Thanks to Cathy for sharing with me in the first place!
It’s a reminder to me that “God’s in his heaven; all’s right with the world.”
from “Pippa Passes”
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven -
All’s right with the world!
Robert Browning (1812-1889)
Is it possible that in these difficult times we could trust more deeply that God will feed and clothe us, as he does the birds and the lilies? Whether we are literally in need of food, shelter, clothing, water, health, employment or any of a myriad of other needs, the most basic need is for the ideas that will lead us in the right direction and out of limitation.
Ideas are always limitless! (This goes along with the short movie I posted earlier.)
Not too long ago while pondering how I should schedule my day, though my first inclination the night before had been to get on down the road and back home, I felt it was all right to meander a bit. In doing so, I had a number of interesting conversations with strangers, some welcome time with a friend, and a bit of fashion enjoyment, including some time with perfumes.
After I’d been back on the highway for a while, an electronic sign informed me of an accident 26 miles down the road. One lane was closed. (I learned later that it had only cleared about an hour before I got there.) If I had hurried my way home, I would have been stuck for hours while they cleared the road. I was able to get past it without any lost time.
Sometimes we do not know what we or others are protected from, but this time it was apparent. And it could have been far worse, but thankfully wasn’t. On this busy stretch of road, many more could have been involved in this accident but were not.
That’s just a small example of how ideas will clear our day for us. Expect ideas today and always that will help you!
Karin
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August 26th, 2008 — Inspirational, Nature, Relationships
This is such a heart warming story about a man who has a 37 day encounter with a butterfly.
After all the negative news, it is good to read something so precious.
Share it with your children!
Karin
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May 4th, 2008 — Beauty, Nature
I love spring. I was out bike riding with two of my girls today and thought about how much I love spring — and so, not in any particular order, here are 10 reasons:
1. The temperatures — so much of the year it is terribly hot here. It’s a wonderful respite to have mild weather.
2. The colors — the new greens of the grass and the budding trees, the colors of flowers.
3. Flowers and flowering trees. Some of this reminds me of spring in Michigan and the sweet alysum that my mother used to plant along the walkways — alternating years were either white or purple. Somehow I would be surprised to see them newly planted, then they would take off in profusion.
4. Scents in the air — a plus for someone who loves perfume. A friend has a beautiful purple flowering jacaranda tree — the whole area outside her home smelled of these flowers yesterday. I made her come outside to smell them — and I pulled down one of the branches to smell the flowers up close and personal. Very lush!
5. Bike riding — one of life’s pleasures. Tonight waxy yellow flowers of the plumeria trees scented the bike path.
6. Enjoying my porches. I especially love the front porch during a heavy rain. The porch is tiny, but it provides enough shelter that I am only wet with the spray in the air. I love the sounds and the smells of the rain. In earlier years I would sit on the porch during a storm with my oldest Chinese daughter who was at that time petrified of storms. She would sit on my lap, and we would see how beautiful it was, the lightening, the thunder, the rain — how it couldn’t hurt us, we were perfectly safe.
7. Birds singing.
8. Perfect weather — I know I already wrote this, but it bears repeating twice. It is such a pleasure to get out in it. It’s hard to stay inside. Yesterday we washed three cars and enjoyed doing it.
9. Listening to the frogs at night. They are currently ’singing.’
10. Newness of life reminding me of all the goodness that is on offer if we just get out in it and put ourselves in the middle of it.
How about you, what do you like about spring?
Karin
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March 17th, 2008 — Just thinking, Nature
I love gardens and beautiful flowers, but I have a black thumb when it comes to outdoors. I can manage violets and some other indoor plants, but outside is a complete bust. I also don’t do well in heat, so there you have it, I’m not going to spend time outside once it is hot, hot, hot.
We (college girl, dh and I) did some outside painting (I did the pick up work, no painting). Then I bought some potted plants to put in the garden area. While they all said ’sun’, come to find out, they do better in shade or filtered light, so I am moving them around to get them out of the heat of the sun.
Anyway, I can imagine what my garden would look like if I had some success. The pots will do for now. Anything in the ground (I’ve tried petunias, etc) just dry up (the water runs off.)
How about you? What do you have in your garden? I’d like flowers and fragrance — is it a surprise?
Karin
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October 27th, 2007 — Just thinking, Nature, Opportunity
Yesterday I drove to a nearby town (well an hour or so away) and took advantage of the drive. It makes the drive worthwhile. Additionally, I came back with just enough daylight that I could still see the area, even if shrouded in twilight.
Part of the way goes past (if I choose that way) a wetlands, just as when College Girl goes back to college, her drive takes her past a different wetlands.
In a way, they look like a prairie, full of high grass, but there are little inlets of water that can be seen, if the road is high enough, and sometimes there are reeds to give away the presence of water. On occasion you can see a tree so full of birds, it looks like flowers, but yesterday I saw no wildlife.
It soothes my soul.
One day I’d like to take an air boat ride through the area. I think it would be fascinating, if the weather would cooperate and not be too hot, and if the bugs would be at a minimum.
Karin
Picture the grasses
grown high, bending in the wind
reeds and shrubbery too.
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October 26th, 2007 — Arts, Beading, Guest writer, Nature, Opportunity
I received this from Beading Daily. I could not find a link, but if someone provides me with one, I will be glad to change this post. Karin
The Amazing Power of Beads
Topic: People and Events
If there was a fire threatening your home and you had only minutes to grab a few things, what would you take? One Beading Daily reader and Beadwork contributor, Cathi Tessier, knows. Cathi was one of the estimated 500,000 people recently evacuated in the southern California wildfires. As of today, Cathi has still not returned to her home–she’s not even sure yet whether there’s still a home waiting for her.–Michelle Mach, Beading Daily editor
October 23, 2007
It was Sunday, mid-morning, when my husband called.
“Quick, pack up our important stuff. We’re going to evacuate. There’s a fire close by.
I live and work for an RV park system, and as employees, we live in the resort in our motor home. Space is tight, and things must be very organized to live 24/7 in this lifestyle. My beads take up a good part of the storage areas. I peeked outside and saw a huge orange sun, smelled the thick smoke, and realized we were in big trouble. With only minutes to pack, I scrambled to sort and decide just what would fit in the trunk of our car.
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A couple of folders with the important documents were the first things I grabbed. For my hubby, a couple pair of undies, pj’s, and two changes of clothes. For me????? Oh boy! Big problem. Four cases of beads, needles, crimping pliers, eight jumbo spools of FireLine thread sizes 4, 6, 8 in black and also crystal. A couple of beading pads, Fiskar scissors, and oh yeah, one pair of panties, a bra, and an extra pair of jeans.
Ready to go.
Three days later, I am sitting among a sea of people in the parking lot of the local stadium, visiting with other evacuees, listening to their stories. No showers in three days, no changes of clothes, horses, dogs, kids everywhere. Tens of thousands of homeless folks, worrying about their homes, their photos, their heirlooms, their clothes. There are tears, hugs, worry, and sadness. I pop the trunk of my car and look at my stuff. My beads are all there. I open some of the boxes, and just look at them.
I ask myself, “What was I thinking? How could these beads, valued at a couple of hundred dollars mean so much to me?”
I can’t explain it. But I’ll say this. It gives me comfort to know they are there. I know that if and when we have a home to return to, I will sit at my dining table, pull out a tube of Delica beads, thread up, and make a little bracelet. It will be my “miracles happen” bracelet. A reminder that life can take a turn in a split second, and if we don’t take the time to smell the roses, or bead the bead, if we don’t follow our hearts and indulge ourselves in our passions, then we are not living.
At this writing I am safe, and while my future is unknown, I take comfort in knowing that although I don’t have my pj’s, my beads are in the trunk of my car.
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Cathi Tessier
Ramona, California
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October 22nd, 2007 — Beauty, Nature
I was just sent some amazing pictures of New England with the leaves beginning to turn. They were as beautiful as anything you’d see in museums.
I miss the leaves turning and the first snows. I don’t miss the long winters or any shoveling, though I expect all that is passe now with snow and leaf blowers.
How about where you are? Are you seeing images of fall?
Karin
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October 5th, 2007 — Nature
Where I live, the leaves do not turn, but where I’m visiting, they are just beginning to turn, even though the weather is so hot, it feels like the tropics. Indian Summer, indeed!
I am enjoying looking at the trees. Every window has a new vista. And there are still plenty of flowers. A veritable feast for the eyes. Only a few trees are showing some red or gold, the rest are green as can be.
Karin
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September 4th, 2007 — Nature
I don’t know about you, but we have had more frogs this year than I can ever remember.
These are not the tiny tree frogs that make so much noise. These are bigger garden variety frogs and in various colors. I’m not sure if these frogs are akin to the chameleons that are also everywhere.
Last night we had three on our porch, relatively small ones, but we’ve had two (that we’ve seen) granddaddy of all frogs, big ones! One was white, sitting on the white arm of a porch chair, and the other one ended up in our bedroom jumping on the curtains not too long ago, to our chagrin. It was green. I managed to catch it in our bathroom and get it outside in a towel.
And no, I did not purposely let it in by holding open the door. No, I did not. What, and let out all the air conditioning!! It is 97 degrees here. Just because I moved some back porch furniture to the front porch, through our bedroom. (My youngest daughter opened and shut the doors for me.) (Won’t do that again.)
My sister had one jump on her out by their pool.
The funniest story (so long as it didn’t happen to me) was a gf’s d-i-l had one jump on her face in the middle of the night. She woke up yelling. Her husband was trying to get her back into bed, telling her it was only a dream. But when they turned on the light, there was the culprit on their wall. She took a shower, washed her hair, washed the wall, did her sheets…the night was practically over! At least ours didn’t get up as high as our bed.
The same friend had one in her bathroom.
This morning she called with another frog story, knowing I had been blamed for the one in our bedroom. Her College Girl phoned her early this morning. She said as she was driving to class this morning, her leg felt wet, then the other leg was wet.
“Guess what was in her car,” she said to me. Yep, it was a frog. I would have run off the road, likely!
Enough already!
Interestingly, frogs are good omens representing, among other things, wealth and babies, fertility and rain, clearing negativity from an environment, honoring tears that cleanse the soul, cleansing, and the illusion of being separated when really we are together already. Possible negative: settling someone else’s quarrel and getting into the line of fire…Take your pick!
When I was waiting for our youngest daughter, I dreamed I gave birth to a frog. It woke me up. My facilitator said it was a good dream, because “in Chinese frog has the same pronounce as baby doll and small baby.” And my youngest was small when I got her.
Do you have a frog story to share? Have you had frogs like we have?
Karin
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June 30th, 2007 — Music, Nature
I always liked this song from Claudine Longet.
Karin
Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
Ive looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would’ve done
But clouds got in my way.
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all.
Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way
But now it’s just another show
You leave them laughing when you go
And if you fail, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away.
I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all.
Jeers and fears and feeling proud
to say I love you right out loud
Dreams and schemes and cirrus clouds
I’ve looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
But something’s lost
and something’s gained in living every day.
Ive looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
Its cloud’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all.
I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all.
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