Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment.
- Ellis Peters

Spring won't let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.
- Gustav Mahler

Shadow Shot Sunday!

It's time for Shadow Shot Sunday! with Harriet and friends. Join the fun, find some shadows and share them!

Who's that following me??


Caught talking on the phone!

A favorite plant enjoying brilliant sunlight this April morning!

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

/\Namaste
We have had sun today so my mood is light! And Monday it's "supposed" to be 70 degrees! If that happens you can probably find me dancing on our deck and throwing offerings of some kind to the gods! May you all have a beautiful evening and a lovely weekend as I leave you with some of Tagore's beautiful words and wisdom.

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life, in age after age forever. ~

Rabindranath Tagore

I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.

Rabindranath Tagore

Photo of the Day!

Do you think maybe this pidgeon is telling these cats what they can do????

Ever wish you could do the same??

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it. Let me not look for allies in life's battlefield but to my own strength. Let me not cave in.
Rabindranath Tagore

We gain freedom when we have paid the full price.
Rabindranath Tagore

We live in the world when we love it.
Rabindranath Tagore

Trees are Earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven.
Rabindranath Tagore

Sky Watch Friday

Time to share our beautiful skies again! We would love to take a look at yours! Click here to sign up! This meme is delightfully hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise. Many thanks to you all!

Our skies here in Seattle, Washington can be spectacular and sometimes they change so quickly you barely have time to point and click. That's what happend just a few days ago -- all of these shots today were taken in less than fifteen minutes.

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

/\ Namaste
What brings more beauty, more joy and more pain into our lives than love and friendship? And you can't have one without the other.

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Kahlil Gibran

Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms.
Kahlil Gibran

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Kahlil Gibran

May you all enjoy the fruits of both.

Hey! It's April Fool's Day

I woke up this morning excited that April was finally here! But the joke was on me, it's sleeting/snowing and windy! Anyway, I found I was suddenly curious as to just where April Fool's Day came from and discovered it's pretty interesting and it's not on the same date everywhere.

The history of April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved from March 25 - April 1 (new year's week) to January 1.

Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1. These people were labeled "fools" by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on "fool errands," sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a "poisson d'avril" or "April fish" because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.

This harassment evolved over time and a custom of prank-playing continue on the first day of April. This tradition eventually spread elsewhere like to Britain and Scotland in the 18th century and was introduced to the American colonies by the English and the French. Because of this spread to other countries, April Fool's Day has taken on an international flavor with each country celebrating the holiday in its own way.

In Scotland, for instance, April Fool's Day is devoted to spoofs involving the buttocks and as such is called Taily Day. The butts of these jokes are known as April 'Gowk', another name for cuckoo bird. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can be traced back to the Scottish observance.

In England, jokes are played only in the morning. Fools are called 'gobs' or 'gobby' and the victim of a joke is called a 'noodle.' It was considered back luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon.

In Rome, the holiday is known as Festival of Hilaria, celebrating the resurrection of the god Attis, is on March 25 and is also referred to as "Roman Laughing Day."

In Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends.

The Huli Festival is celebrated on March 31 in India. People play jokes on one another and smear colors on one another celebrating the arrival of Spring.

So, no matter where you happen to be in the world on April 1, don't be surprised if April fools fall playfully upon you.

Evening Beauty -- April is Here!

Well, in a few hours and I doubt it will make a lot of changes here overnight. But I had to go to the bank this morning and I've gotten where I take the camera with me wherever I go because I never know what I might stumble on that would require me taking a photo. Anyway, as I got out of the car I realized the sky had turned blue and the flowering trees lining the parking lot were this fragile pink and it had happened almost overnight. It didn't last long, the wind blew the clouds back across the sky and it was soon raining -- again. I'm glad I got this to remind me to have faith!
Be sure to click on the photo to see how really lovely the tree is.

Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring
The Winter Garment of Repentance fling:
The Bird of Time has but a little way
To fly--and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.
Omar Khayyam

April
The roofs are shining from the rain,
The sparrows twitter as they fly,
And with a windy April grace
The little clouds go by.
Yet the back yards are bare and brown
With only one unchanging tree--
I could not be so sure of Spring
Save that it sings in me.
Sara Teasdale

ABC Wednesday

It's that time again! Click here and join us for ABC Wednesday!

And today the letter is K, and of course my first thought for K is for Kerith, my tango dancing daughter! And she is Kind, we both love Kangaroos and Kids -- particularly the little ones!


Just look at those eyelashes!

Fun in the sun!

Beauty and Giggling Wisdom for This Evening

I found these on my friend, Kate's blog, and had to share them! She has lots of good ones and her blog is worth a visit!

The Senility Prayer ......
Grant me the senility to forget the people
I never liked anyway,
The good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Oh - and Always remember ......
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
You grow old because you stop laughing ......

That's My World -- Port Townsend

Welcome again to That's My World, a wonderful meme beautifully hosted by Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise. Click here to sign up and join us for the fun and share Your World with us!

I have been planning on writing about Port Townsend for sometime as another lovely and fascinating place to visit in "my world", then I discovered a wonderful blog site, hosted by Raf and it is so worth a visit! But I'm going to go ahead and give you some of the history and a few shots, courtesy of the internet and then if you really want to see Port Townsend as it is today, do visit Raf's blog.

Port Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north-northwest of Seattle. The population was 8,334 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition to its natural scenery at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, the city is also known for the many Victorian buildings remaining from its late 19th-century heyday, numerous annual cultural events, and as a maritime center for independent boat builders and related industries and crafts. The Port Townsend Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District.

The bay was originally named "Port Townshend" by Captain George Vancouver (for his friend the Marquis of Townshend) in 1792, Port Townsend was immediately recognized as a good, safe harbor although strong south winds and poor holding ground often make small craft anchorage problematic off the town's waterfront. The bay is now home to Naval Magazine Indian Island, the US Navy's primary munitions handling dock on the Pacific coast.

The official settlement of the city of the same name took place on the 24th of April, 1851. American Indian tribes located in what is now Jefferson County in the mid-19th century included the Chemakum (or Chimacum), Hoh (a group of the Quileute), Klallam (or Clallam), Quinault and Twana (the Kilcid band — Anglicized: Quilcene).

Port Townsend is also called the "City of Dreams" because of the early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast of the United States.
By the late 1800s, Port Townsend was a well-known seaport, very active and banking on the future. Many homes and buildings were built during that time, with most of the architecture ornate Victorian. During this period, in 1888, the Port Townsend Police Department was established.



The Port Townsend Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and further was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It includes three separately listed Registered Historic Places: the Capt. Enoch S. Fowler House, the Rothschild House, and the St. Paul's Episcopal Church.

Over the decades that followed, Port Townsend maintained its economic stability in a variety of ways, including the development of artillery fortifications at Fort Worden. Currently, it is most famous economically for the jazz workshop that is held there every summer. As part of the workshop, famous jazz musicians play all week in the Port Townsend clubs and bars, drawing many tourists to the area.

Friends of mine from Portland attended the Wooden Boat Festival a few years ago and sent me some gorgeous photos and this is one of them.

The 33rd Annual Wooden Boat Festival will be September 11-13, 2009. It's worth the visit.

The premiere wooden boat gathering in North America, Port Townsend's Wooden Boat Festival is also the most educational and beautifully located wooden boat event in the world. Featuring 200 wooden vessels, a who's who of wooden boat experts and thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts, there's something to do, someone to meet or a boat to board at every turn. Expanded a little each year, the festival honors its traditions while inviting energetic debate about the latest innovation.

Time for a Giggle

Nominated as the world's best short joke of the year. (By Women’s Weekly)

A 3-year-old boy examined his testicles while taking a bath.
'Mum', he asked, 'Are these my brains?'
'Not yet,' she replied.

Evening Words, Wisdom and Beauty

I'm frequently asked if I don't hate being so far from my three other children and say they wonder why we don't visit more frequently as two to three years between visits is not unusual. Actually, I don't hate it because I never feel separated from any of them, and of course, with the internet we can stay in very close touch. But it's more than that. I urged them to follow their dreams, not to feel they were tied to any particular location or that they in anyway owed it to me to live nearby. Adam did move me to Seattle two years ago, but it was a move that simply worked for both of us. I guess what all of this evening jabber is about is the fact that distance doesn't lessen the love that we feel for those we are separated from -- for whatever reasons. The love is always there.

A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?
Kahlil Gibran

Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.
Rabindranath Tagore

Lessons from the Rain

If you click on this shot you will see the tiny raindrops clinging to every limb and twig on this red maple tree in our backyard. They taught me a really lovely lesson yesterday.

As all of you know, I've spent a lot of time and words and space grumbling about the cold, the gray skies and the endless rain. But yesterday I was reminded of a lesson that I thought I had learned a long time ago -- obviosly, I had forgotten it. As I was having some lunch and staring out at the steady rain, something caught my eye, something different and something beautiful. As soon as it slacked off a little, I grabbed the camera and went out to see if I could catch what I had seen.

There was no wind yesterday -- amazing in itself -- and the raindrops were sparkling like diamonds on every twig, every new budding leaf, every limb! It was breathtaking! I suddenly realized -- again, that there is beauty to be found everywhere if you just take the time to look for and at it. There is color and beauty even in a rainy day, in the shades of gray and shapes of the clouds, the sparkle of the raindrops -- it's all about opening your eyes and looking for it. You can always find what you are looking for -- the problem is we sometimes just look for the dark, the sad, the maddening and when that happens we need to change our focus. And the beauty in nature isn't all that we have. There is the beauty of music, of beautiful words and thoughts that you can enjoy any day.

I can't promise never to complain about the weather again -- I'll probably never be that enlightened, but I will take another look before I start the long whine.


Can you find some unexpected beauty in your life today?