Everyday Wonderment

Another Spring highlight for me is the first day I spot mature horse chestnut trees in bloom.  Their flowers (some trees have pink, some have white) are larger than large with dozens of tiny florets.  Their leaves are equally as large and a beautiful shade of green.

Standing beneath a chestnut tree, I like to let my eyes start at the base of the trunk and follow it right up to the top.  It feels like a giant umbrella of beauty…

On this lovely day in the month of May, the sweet fragrance of lilacs fills the air and right before my eyes, a beautiful butterfly joins the celebration.

Be on the lookout, throughout the coming months there will be many wonderful experiences ready and waiting to awaken our senses…

Every day I walk on the sidewalks in my neighborhood and every day I am grateful for this wondrous path that leads from here to there.

Used by people of all ages to walk, run, bike, perhaps learn to ride a bike, pull a wagon, push a stroller or ride a scooter –  and there’s always room for friends and perhaps a dog or two as well.

We sweep them, we shovel them, we de-ice them.  Why?  Because we love them.

Some days the sky is sooo beautiful I can hardly believe my eyes.  Add to that the new, green leaves on the trees and – need I say more?

Quite frequently we don’t look up when we are going about our everyday lives.  Let this post serve as a reminder – look up, look up, look up - the view is magnificent!

My initial idea for a wall in my dining room was to hang a collection of six, fruit pie plates.  It wasn’t long after I hung them that I was inspired to add something else and then something else…

There is jewelry that can be easily removed if I want to wear it.  There are sweet, food and water bowls that our cat, Tabby, used.  There’s a platter and plates, saucers without their cups, a bowl and a framed picture of bowls, a metal bird and an eggcup.  There’s a cat mosaic that one of my daughters made many years ago.  There’s also a trivet and a lovely, Michigan handkerchief.  The 12, small, salt plates belonged to my mother’s mother.  There’s an intricate, three-tiered origami piece and a teapot-shaped tea bag holder.

I enjoy looking at this eclectic, treasure-filled wall every day – a combination of art and history.  We never know where an idea may take us, do we…

They’re blooming now – you can’t miss them!  Their heads composed of many-rayed, bright, yellow flowers with deeply notched leaves.  They’re in lawns and fields, along roadsides and cracks of sidewalks.

Some people look at them only as weeds – others gather the greens for salads or the blossoms for making dandelion wine.

Their beautiful, yellow flower heads can change into their white seed heads overnight and I can’t resist picking at least one and blowing those seeds into the wind.  Happy Spring!

Ideal for a small lawn, I love using my reel mower.  I can mow early in the morning or later in the evening and not disturb my neighbors, even if they’re outdoors.  As I mow, I am still able to hear the birds singing – for me, that’s a real bonus.

No noise, no gas smell – this mower relies on sharp blades to cut the grass – while I supply the muscle power!

When you may least expect it, one day you look in the garden and there it is – the Hellebores – with its lovely, intricate blooms bursting forth.  When it comes to favorite moments in the garden, this ranks right near the top.

It is by far one of the earliest-blooming perennials to break ground and a true harbinger of Spring.

With its unique, curved, serrated blade, you are able to cut between the segments and between the outer edge of the segments and the rind, with ease.

It’s a small but mighty knife that makes eating a grapefruit a joy!

A rectangular piece of lightweight cardboard often having a picture or photo (a small work of art) on one side.  On the other side, there is space for writing a short note – perhaps just a few sentences – and the receiver’s name and address.  Add a postage stamp (another small work of art) and it’s ready to be mailed – no envelope necessary!

What a joy to find a postcard in your mailbox!