Celebrate the Colors of Spring

Seven full days of sunshine!

That's all we've had since January 1st!

I'm not saying we haven't seen sunshine

on other days, we have, 

but those days were mostly cloudy or partly cloudy.

Only seven full days of sunshine in over two months . . . .

no wonder my Vitamin D level is low!!

I'm saying that to explain why my sister, sister-in-law and I made the trip to Garvan Woodland Gardens on a misty, overcast day. We wanted to see the daffodils before they were frozen by the way-below-normal-temperatures in the forecast.

There are several paths you can take through the garden. We came for the daffodils, so we headed that way first.

On our way we spotted some pretty red tulips that were just beginning to bloom. We'll need to go back in a few weeks to see all the tulips in full bloom.

On the way to Daffodil Hill we pasted by thousands of hyacinths. I don't remember ever seeing the darker purple ones before.

We ventured down the Camellia Trail to see if there were any blossoms left and there were! Some very pretty ones.

Finally we came to Daffodil Hill! This is only a very small portion of the daffodils scattered across the hill. No matter which way you turn on this small hill, you can see daffodils.

As I mentioned before there are several paths you can take through the garden. We didn't take this one. It looked much to slippery, not to mention very steep. We sure didn't want to chance a fall!

A new addition to the garden this year is the tree house in the Evans Children's Adventure Garden. This pictures doesn't begin to show how large it is. I should have asked my sister and sister-in-law to go up in the tree house and wave at me! The 500 square foot structure is 28 foot tall. Adults can stand on the first two levels with no problem at all! The third level, well we didn't go that far. You have to climb a rope net to the crow's nest. A small area that gives you a bird's-eye view of the woods. Josh Siebert, the architect, describes the idea behind this modern looking tree house by saying "Our concept was a tree house in the woods and amongst the woods. It floats, it's mysterious, but it's also modern." I'll admit when I first saw it, I wasn't impressed. I'm not real keen on modern architecture, but the beauty for me was on the inside.

  

I love the repetition of the yellow pine ribs and the spectacular views. 

As you leave the tree house, there are some really cool mirrors set in the railing. They reminded me of fun house mirrors at carnivals. They each made you look a little different and sometimes silly. I avoided the one that made me look short and rather plump!!

We wandered back to the front of the garden to eat lunch at the Chipmunk Cafe. As we waited for our food, we watched three very friendly, not-scared-of-people peacocks. Or I guess I should say one peacock and two peahens. Last year there was only the peacock. Maybe with the addition of two peahens, little pea chicks may be in the future.

You have to be patient, but they will eventually show off their feathers.

Despite the damp, chilly air we enjoyed our day out. This day was also a celebration for me. I am one year cancer free. It's been a long year, sometimes difficult, but I feel like I've passed a milestone! 

It Snowed!

I had no intention of being absent from my blog all month!

My excuse is a simple one,

we've been very busy!

So, now I need to do a little catching up.

We had an early snow!

Across the state snow was falling.

Within 40 miles snow was falling.

I almost got in the car to go see the snow!

I didn't though, I waited and waited;

watching the windows as I went about my day.

Finally, I saw flurries!

The snow fell steadily for several hours.

The bushes and trees reminded me of children

stretching out their mittens to capture the falling snow.

It's not too often that you're able to see two seasons at once,

Don't they go beautifully together?

The next morning brought sunshine.

I stood for a very long time watching the wind blow the snow

and leaves out of the trees.

It was magical!

This was a quick snowfall.

Arrived in the afternoon.

Left before noon the next day.

It was just enough to make me wish for more.

You know me,

I. LOVE. SNOW!

"The first fall of snow

is not only an event,

it is a magical event."

~ unknown

Look A Little Bit Closer

I get cranky in the summertime.

It's too hot! It's too humid!

I have to kick myself out the door every day, because

I'm determined to not become a summer recluse.

For me, that is so very hard to do!

But what if I didn't go out?

What would I miss?

beauty

details

colors

life

I would miss cute little animals scurrying across the yard.

This little guy, who was about two inches long,

moved very fast and tried to hide under clumps of moss.

I would miss furry creatures among the hosta leaves.

I tried to tell her it's too hot to be

wearing a fur coat!

I would miss the beautiful colors,

shapes, and patterns of nature.

And, I would miss the tiniest of mushrooms.

Is it just me being hot or does this one look like an old-fashioned hand fan?

Do you remember the kind businesses gave away, especially funeral homes?

Maybe I'm dating myself here!

Anyway, it makes me cooler just thinking about fans?

I think that now you see why I can't hide inside!

I would miss the blessings!

"Sometimes

I need only to stand

wherever I am to be blessed."

~ Mary Oliver

Marylake

My camera is sitting on a shelf collecting dust. I have no desire to pick it up and especially have no desire to be outside. With heat indicies over 100 I'd rather stay inside. I know, that you know, I DO NOT LIKE SUMMERTIME!! Enough said about that! Anyway I was scrolling through some old summertime blog posts trying to get a little inspiration when I discovered a post I'd begun, but never finished. So I thought, why not share it now? I can do that from the coolness of my living room and it's an amazing place with an interesting history!

Nestled in the woods beside a lovely spring-fed lake sits a castle-like rock building built in 1926 as the Shriner Country Club which included a golf course, clubhouse, and swimming beach. During the late 1920's, the country club was popular with wealthy Little Rock residents, who drove 15 miles down a dirt road to attend dances in the ballroom. Although the country club did well for a while, the Shriners struggled to make payments on their construction loan during The Great Depression and were forced to close it.

a postcard view of the side away from the lake

found at http://www.rrmerritt.com/mabelvale/MHS_Brinkley.htm

After the country club closed, the land and the building were sold. That's when the inhabitants of the building gets interesting.

• 1937 - Property was bought by the infamous Dr. John R. Brinkley  who was known as one of the greatest quacks of the 20th Century! He preformed surgical procedures transplanting animal organs into humans. He used the building as a convalescent home for his patients. Needless to say, he was run out of town!

• 1944 - Little Rock's Baptist Hospital bought the property for use as a convalescent home.

• 1947 - Property was sold to R. G. and Evelyn LeTourneau with the stipulation that it be used for "Christian purposes."  The couple opened an interdenominational camp called "Pine Lake Camp" for underprivileged boys.

• 1951 - The property was sold to Carmelite Friars. The clubhouse became Marylake Monastery which serves as the novitiate house of our Province of St. Therese. Here men undergo a year of intense prayer, discernment, and training in the Carmelite life.

Jesus was given honor when the property name "Pine Lake" was changed to "Marylake" after was His mother. The former country club ballroom was converted into a chapel.

This beautiful swinging bridge was built in 1963 by Father Herman Estuan prior at Marylake. Father Herman studied the Golden Gate Bridge to get the proportions correct, and then he designed this suspension bridge, that leads over to the cemetery which was formerly the 9th hole of the golf course.

Even though Marylake is on a fairly busy road, there is a feeling of peace as you stand looking over the fence.

I've been there several times and every time I've seen dragonflies land on the fence posts.

The still lake is perfect for reflections and . . . 

waterlilies!

I hope you enjoyed this little history lesson about the great rock castle in the country. I have this insatiable appetite for information about historical buildings. I want to know when it was built, who built it, and who occupied it. I find if I post the information on my blog, I can remember where it is and revisit it.

Hope you're having a great summer!

Fluff and Majesty

The Chinese name for the peony is sho yu and this means "most beautiful." I totally agree. Peonies are among the "most beautiful" flowers in a garden. Hidden inside the hard, tight bud glorious flowers patiently wait to spread their petals. We have to wonder what lovely color it will be.

The edges along the green scales produce sweet nectar. If you have peonies, most likely you will have ants. Don't be too quick to wage war against them. They are beneficial to the peony. Those ants that take advantage of the peony flowers not only help to open the buds as they try to get to the nectar, but they eat insects that are attacking the plants.

A peony represents romance, a happy marriage, compassion, riches, and honor, but it can also mean bashfulness. They do seem to be a little bashful as they slowly open, popping up one petal at a time.

Peonies bring back memories of my mother's love for flowers and her gardens. Peonies and roses were her favorite flowers. The peonies in these pictures are in her garden.

"The fattest and most scrumptious of all flowers,

a rare fusion of fluff and majesty, the peony is now coming into bloom."

~ Henry Mitchell

Shift the Focus

As I sit in my living room still recovering from surgery I'm trying to squash my impatience and irritability! I'm not healing as fast as I want and I'm suffering from nerve endings that are awakening and debilitating fatigue. I know in order to overcome this impatience I need to shift my focus from negative thoughts to more positive ones. I need to think of things I'm grateful for. I know looking for good things, even in bad times, will keep me joyful! Here are just a few of those things:

letters, cards, emails, texts - from church friends,

family, and online friends near and far

good food - meals brought to our home

and prepared frozen meals

(you know, some of them aren't too bad!)

warm weather - beautiful days

that I've been able to sit outside,

breathe the fresh air, and

soak in a little sunshine

waterproof surgical tape - I don't know what

I'd do without my hot morning showers that

bring relief to aching muscles.

dissolving stitches - oh, yes!! no removal of stitches for me!

Tylenol - I've been able to control my

discomfort with Tylenol instead of continuing

stronger pain medication which makes me loopy.

blogging - with limited right arm movement I needed to find something relatively easy to satisfy my creative side which is rather bored right now! Voila! Blogging! I've been lax for several months with my blog, but this time of recover has brought back the joy of blogging!

prayers and thoughts - I know the power of prayer

and appreciate all that have been spoken for my healing.

flowers - I've enjoyed two beautiful bouquets which I've spent some time photographing. Jerry set up a table near a window and with the use of my tripod I can manage my bigger camera.

And, then there's you!

I'm so very grateful that you

continue to read my words

and leave such kind comments. 

I'm beginning this day with joy in my heart

for the blessings I have!

 When you shift your focus

from what is absent

to what is present,

from what is missing

to what has been given,

from what you are not

to who you are…

abundance is yours,

effortlessly.

~Jeff Foster