Garden Mouse

I'm so used to seeing mice inside that I nearly tripped over this little one.  He had found a lovely place in the moss.

The sun was out so I'm glad that he'd found a leaf to shelter his head.

Before leaving him to his own devices I tried to encourage him to ask some of the 'herd' that has invaded my house to come outside and join him.  I'm not sure whether that was nod of his head or a slight breeze had come up.

"If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life." - Bill Watterson

Come Visit Me

 

 

Won't you come visit me - here in my little nest?  Our front door is always open but we could just as likely sit here and have a cup of tea together.

Or we could check out the pond which is just outside my studio.  Often the frogs are croaking there, or jumping into the pond as my footsteps get nearer.

There are lots of little niches here in this place.  Rocks and moss and all manner of green. 

So come on, let's sit and visit and share our lives together.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust

Savor the Small Stuff

 

My life is enriched when I take the time to look for the small stuff.  The smile of a stranger, holding hands with my husband, singing out loud to a piece of music, gosh there are so many simple pleasures when I actually notice them.

I've found my best 'savories' are found outside - looking for those snippets of nature that have become part of my everyday life.  Treasures that allow me to believe in life in all its forms and to be thankful for these special sights that surround me.

 

 

My only task is to take the time to look around me - to capture a moment of light or shade, damp leaves or dry ones, colors and textures that I could never capture on my own.  It's my life to be part of this beautiful world - and I am so thankful for each and every 'savory moment' that surrounds me.

"There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth".  -Rumi

 

Fern Grotto

 

On the side of our house there is a slight hill - mostly huge rocks that have been here since time began - only disturbed thirty years ago when this small subdivision was established.  Some of the sites had to be literally dynamited in order to build a house.  Eight years ago we found this house -- nothing extravagent, nothing really exciting -- just a comfortable house in a nice neighborhood.  When we drove up to the house we were just thinking that it was a 'pleasant' place.  We turned the corner to see the side of the house and I believe at that point the house became ours -- for there was this 'grotto' of rocks and ferns, trees and plants and bushes -- like a mysterious oasis that hadn't been touched. 

Our 'grotto' is still there today -- still covered with ferns coming out of the rocks.  Rocks that have moss and lichen covering them in interesting designs.

 

 

Even in the heart of summer this bit of 'forest' is with us -- my thanks to the first owners of this house who did not blast away every bit of rock but left us with such a marvelous gift.

 

 

"Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul." - Thomas Merton

 

 

A Day In The Woods

Last week we went for a 'walk in the woods'.  Little did I know that it would last 3-1/2 hours, that I would wade through a stream, slush through mud and get rained on.  Am I a good sport or what?  This walk encompassed a rock outcrop -- where mosses and strange lichen cling to their places.

There were all sorts of plant life that I had never seen up close.  As we walked and stopped to look around and to take pictures this seemed like somewhat of an alien world.  What small creature lives inside this miniature cave?  Or could it be a forest sprite who was huddled inside his warm abode staying out of the rain (unlike we foolish humans who were getting damper and damper)?

At this time of the year, in this part of the country, color is all around us -- bright, brilliant green that almost hurts your eyes, flowering trees and bushes and small flowers surprising us each day. On this hill all of the colors were muted -- like someone had come along and erased the brilliance leaving only a traces of their former color. 

Each day, the world around me can bring surprises and little worlds that I am ever so happy to explore.  Hopefully the next time, it won't be raining!

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order". - John Burroughs