It's Apple Blossom Time

 

Growing up with a family of apple growers there are two seasons that just make my heart sing. One is springtime when the blossoms are in full bloom and the other is fall/autumn when the fruit is heavy on the branches. One of my dear friends knows me well enough to know this and loves going to this public apple orchard for each season. She is moving away later this year and I will miss going here with her; so this was our farewell to the apple orchard picnic. I will still come, but either alone or find someone to go with me. It is a dear place to my heart. The address is Portland, but really it is in the country on Sauvie Island. It is maintained by the county, but not very many people seem to visit it. That suits me just fine. It is a special place of my heart.

The blossoms seemed to be in full abundance this year and I loved it.

Usually there are picnic tables under the trees, but no tables this year; so we pulled out the picnic blanket and enjoyed a rare day in the sun and blossoms.

The little ground daisies were also in bloom, thus you see my friend photographing them.

What a perfect way to celebrate friendship and the return of the sun.

If anyone is reading this post and you come to Portland, let me know and I will take you on a picnic to my secret get-away. Come in the springtime or fall/autumn. We can sit, share some stories, and just feel the sunshine on our faces.

 

Do you have a secret get-away place you like to share with a friend? I hope so!

Sending love,

Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 This morning as I begin to write this post my mind is a jumble of thoughts from things that I have read, to friends I have had conversations with, the need for a haircut today, and my sweet Joey seems to have an infection and I must get him to the vets. I did say a "jumble" and that is what it is. Do you have days like that? Is it as exhausting as it feels this morning to me? What I want to focus on is Joy and Kindness, but I am weary. So let me tell you about a small article I read this weekend in Victoria Magazine. Let me refocus.

Victoria Magazine has brought joy to my heart from the very first issue many years ago. When it would come in the mail I would say "I am taking an hour vacation" and would sit with my cup of tea and the magazine for an hour escape. So reading the article yesterday was my hour escape and I am still trying to focus on it.

I absolutely love France and this recent issue is on France. I never could quite put my finger on why I loved it so much until I read the article. It talked about how most French people live as if life is an art form. The writer said she was an exchange student and the host asked her to prepare the strawberries for a tart and put them in the tart shell. She unceremoniously dumped them in the tart shell and her host said no that is not the way we do it. She took the strawberries out of the shell and put them back in a circular design. The tart became a piece of art. It went on to say that most French live life, even the most simple things, as if it is a form of art.

 

Art brings me JOY, it settles my soul. It is a KINDNESS in the artist that was willing to share their heart with me and others. When I walk down a street in Paris my soul settles for I am surrounded by beauty and art is all around.

What settles your soul and brings you JOY?

Sending love, Marilyn

Canemah, Oregon

Canemah, Oregon was first settled by American Indians. It overlooks the Willamette River at the falls and was the landing place for traveling by canoe to traverse the waterfalls in the river. Now it is a nature park with a beautiful trail and during this time of year wildflowers. 

My grandson loves climbing on these rocks when we hike here.

Later there was a pioneer settlement here, which became part of Oregon City. Oregon City is the end of the Oregon Trail. There is a lot of historical monuments and a museum here in the city. 

The blue Camas lilies were just beginning to bloom.

But what I enjoy is just walking in their footsteps, seeing the wildflowers and nature around me.

At the far end of the trail is a historic graveyard, which on this visit was fenced off. Someday I hope to hike there so I can read the memorials to those that once lived in the area.

Fawn lilies were in bloom.

 It was a gorgeous day with very few on the trail. A time to pause and enjoy nature surrounding me.

 

What have you done this week to pause and notice?

 

Sending love, Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

Be kind to nature around you.

  "Be kind to everything that lives." Omaha Indians From the book The Soul Would have No Rainbow if the Eyes had No Tears by Guy A. Zona

 

And the bees, the birds, the critters big and small, the flowers, the trees that grow beside you, even to a mountain volcano in the distance - respect, love, and be kind wherever you go. Notice the beauty in each day, embrace it and you will be rewarded with delight, laughter and joy.

Sending love, Marilyn

Tulips - 2024

 

There was some Spring rain and threatening sky, but still an adventure to the tulips fields delighted my soul.

The rows of flowers was like the rainbow, but on the ground.

 

It was hard to pick a favorite, but I tried.

The soft yellows were one of my favorites.

But who can resist the bright colors too.

Just south of Portland is the Wooden Shoe Farm. Each year I say, "this is the best year yet".

I think these soft peachy/pink ones were also my favorites.

Who doesn't want to climb on a pink tractor?

 

It was a bit muddy; so I walked carefully. I was glad I wore my mud shoes.

But who can resist visiting a field of tulips, even on a rainy day.

For some reason the tulips have just sung to my heart this springtime. Usually it is the daffodils that sing to me. Yes, they did sing, but it was the tulips that have just made me smile. I think my "live-in gardener" must have put some extra tulips in random spots in our garden this year, because I have found surprises there too. And one of the streets near my house, one of the neighbors must have planted a lot of tulips in the medium of one of the blocks. There are hundreds of tulips showing up all around my neighborhood and I am loving it.

What are you noticing that is singing to your heart this springtime?

Sending love, Marilyn

Words of Kindness and Joy

 

This Welcome sign hangs just outside my front door. It was a gift from my sister years ago. In this sign it says "you are welcome here, come inside and have a cup of tea, sit awhile". It is a touch of kindness, quietly sitting there waiting to greet you.

Small Kindnesses by Danusha Lameris

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.”

Yesterday at my tea group our fearless leader and guide picked up her phone to walk the two guests on zoom around the circle to see every attendees tea sets and describe what she was seeing. She made sure to include them in the group even though they weren't in our physical presence. If you notice, there are two pillows sitting by the tea set. There was a couple visiting for the first time, so they sat side by side and shared each small cup of tea. Another participant this month has a disability in walking and our leader had her sit next to her so she could do the walking for her during the ceremony. Little touches of kindness, but oh so special.

Sending love, Marilyn

Tea Bag Art

A few weeks ago I stepped into the frame and gift shop called, The Framer's Touch in Forest Grove, Oregon. Now I went there on a mission. I had heard they had a tea bag art show every April and I thought "wouldn't it be fun to have the owner come and speak in my tent at the tea festival this coming July". I did eventually get either the owner or the shop manager to come speak this coming summer, but it ended differently than I thought it would. As it turned out, they asked me to participate in their teabag art show as both a vendor and participant. What we decided was that I would be part of their presentation at the tea festival this summer. So we will be working together on this.

In the meantime, I enjoyed meeting the artists that participated in their art show and was able to promote the tea festival. Oh, and I sold a tea cozy too.

It was a fun day just visiting with people as they came to the opening day of their teabag art show. And Yes! All the art in these pictures had teabags incorporated into them.

I was particularly fascinated by the feather. The teabag was adhered to something like contact paper, then embroidered.

The one with the teacup was actually a ceramic cup and saucer cut in half.

There were several that had birds and now I want to try painting a few birds.

The top right one was the only one painted by a man. He had two entries. He wanted larger teabags, so ordered them special for the show. The paintings were very fine. The waves on the bottom left were made with crumpled up teabags. Sorry my pictures aren't better, but it intrigued me on how each person translated teabag art so uniquely.

 

This one was created by the shop manager. It was very creative. She used the teabag to also paint with and then made them into flowers, skirts and ruffles.

 

This was my entry, which seems rather simple after seeing some of the other creations.

Mine all go on cards, but I framed this one for the show. The woman that bought it was thrilled. 

I started painting on used teabag paper during the pandemic, as a creative outlet. I hadn't used my watercolors or paint brushes for a very long time and it felt really good to do so. I continue painting every week now and thoroughly enjoy it. Yesterday I started painting two birds. I am having fun with this creative outlet.

What are you doing for a creative outlet?

The main thing is just to have fun!!!

Have a great weekend, dear friends!!

Sending love, Marilyn