Thursday, May 31, 2012

A new cat in the garden...

I saw a cat wandering through the gardens the other evening and for some unknown reason it made me think of you... and what was this strange kitty doing in my garden? Perhaps you sent him over so I could follow him to your place? What strange creatures cats are; so secretive and mystical they are. I just love them. And well, you know me... I had to know why he was here...

So I followed this kitty through the strawberry patch, and under the rose covered pergola and through that part of the garden where the columbines grow almost as tall as the Shasta Daisies...

Until finally he stopped for just a second, turn around and looked straight at me... then jump over the fence and disappeared before my very eyes... just like that!

Cats make me think of magical stories and the supernatural realm—if there is really one. Oh, I so wanted to follow that kitty straight to your place... but he was so fast!

Was it you? Was it really you trying to get my attention? Because that's the intuition I got. I hope you’re not in any kind of trouble, are you? But in case you are going through some tough time, let me tell you this: We really are not in control over what happen to us or to our bodies. Even though I am a strong advocate of healthy lifestyle choices these healthy habits do not guarantee longevity, or happiness. But when it comes to those dark episodes in our life that are beyond human power, this is when I really best turn my life over to my Heavenly Father.

When I find myself experiencing fear, I like to imagine (and believe it too) that my Heavenly Father is holding my hand. I am His daughter, I walk with Him; I talk to Him and even laugh with Him. One the things I like to do while in my garden is imagining God gardening besides me.... odd? Perhaps, but this is absolutely real to me. Believing, not only makes me feel wonderful inside; it also gives me wings to, like the birds, fly high above worry and fear. It is an amazing feeling!

Oh and did I tell you? My peonies have finally unfurled! Yippee Kay-ay! And that was without the help of those magical peonies ants! Ah yes, I even got to have a glimpse of them as they flew by over the house in the roses on their way to some other cottage, but I guess they decided not to land here after all, because I never saw them in the garden; which, by the way, I didn't mind a bit.

I’m so in love with peonies. They’re the perfect combination to roses! Don’t you think so? I will certainly enjoy them for as long as they last. Here are some lovely pictures for you! I hope you enjoy them too!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Of roses and herbs and peonies, oh my!

Have I already told you about some of the fun things I’ve been enjoying lately; like finding fairy paths in the garden and enjoying the roses? Ah roses. I don't know exactly how to express this joyful feeling roses bring to my heart. I guess the only words I can articulate would be wonder, bliss; Paradise. Can those words justify my feelings enough?

When I'm surrounded by my roses all I have to do is close my eyes to slip into this sorts of a magical world... and dream, and believe, and hope, and tumble too sometimes! It's like if all of a sudden someone hands you this magical key to a magical world and all you have to do is open its door and jump right into it.

Can you imagine that day when sin will be no more, when pain and death will be no more and we'll be returned to 'that' primitive garden where humanity started millions of years ago? Cause oh, I do believe in that! Ah, I can almost see it too... a shrubbery gate and then—the great gardens! Truly magical!

When I think about the garden of Eden my imagination gets carried away. Paradise; a garden outside the earth. Can you imagine? Compare to the gardens of Heaven, the loveliest of gardens here on earth are but a sad shadow; something like Mary Lennox's Secret Garden... gardens that have been shut up for years; abandoned if you will; a dark and lomesome place with winding walks and borders and flower-beds, but the flower-beds are bare and wintry and the fountains are not playing. Shut up gardens; inhabited only by birds... We, mankind are now living where we don't actually belong.

But of course, I don't want to be a pessimist; or scare you? Yes, we can still find plenty of beauty here on earth; here all around us! So I look again around me and this time, what do I see? My Collette rose; from the romantica series in the loveliest shade of pink, growing at a corner of the pergola. What a joy!

This rose pulse with healing energy, and the scent wafting from it is truly heavenly; like some strong sweet tea from some magical region.

Oh, talking about tea! I've been also collecting herbs; just like Arabella used to do back in her time four hundred solar years ago.

Here is the mint—a clapper of a dark green. The very scent stirred by breezes has gone into my being. To me, mint speaks of Arabella in her magical garden, it speaks of refreshment and delight… but oh my friend, you must be very careful with where you plant mint. Mint, left to its own devices, will spread quickly and become a nuisance. Just try to choose a spot where you won’t mind its rampant growth, that’s all…

Oh, and have I told you we’re having peonies this year? Yes, after five years trying to cultivate peonies they’re finally thriving in our garden. They’re growing more and more with each passing day; yet they seem to be taking their own special time to unfurl. Would they ever open—I wonder.

A very strange woman once told me that ants are responsible for unfurling those huge peony buds that you think they’re never going to get unwrapped… but I haven’t seen any ants in my garden thanks goodness. Maybe, the peony ants would just come out at night when nobody is watching and work their magic on the peonies by the light of the moon, so that the following morning when you wake up and go to the garden you’d be surprise by all those blooms? It had to be that… Oh, I’d have to watch for those peony ants! ;) Are you peonies teeming with ants yet?

It is truly magical around here these days with all the roses, new colors and lovely scents. Beyond delightful, really.

I hope you're having a grand day and a super special week. Thank you for all your comments and thoughts on my previous post--wow! You're all extra special to me! Can we have tea in the garden some time? I mean, you and I? Yes yes, Kathy, and Nana Diana and Gayla and Theresa, and and you and you, and yes, you too those of you who come by often; yet never say hi! I know you're still there, and that makes me super happy! ;) OK then. We'll have a tea party next time. See you super soon!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Friday in the cottage garden and a note on Show Off Your Cottage Monday

I could not have woken up to a more beautiful day. The sound of rain all over my pillow, crisp air and this cerulean skies with this always wonderful feeling whenever I get to stay home... It's a long weekend; extra long for me as I decided I needed to take an additional day off... Friday morning in the house in the roses; how extra especial!

Rain showers mingled with petals—that’s the kind of rain we've been gifted with these couple of days... and the air is thick with the scent of spring; like the Secret Garden of Mary Lenox.

I love it all. From my window, raindrops on the folds of roses seem to sparkle... they call on my attention and ignite imagination... I want to believe they're fallen stars sleeping in roses and green leaves...

Now, in another note... Lately, I've been thinking a lot about what blogging really means to me. What does it mean to you? I mean, do you see blogging as a way of expression; like an extension of your life maybe? Or perhaps, is it more like something you must do to attract more readers to your blog? I feel sorry for those bloggers out there who have nothing or very littler to offer as far as content goes; yet you see them struggling to keep up with their weekly linky parties; even going to the extreme of posting old photographs so they would not lose their readers. That, to me, is forcing creativity. And what fun is that?

The last thing I ever want to do is jeopardize the freedom I find here. Complying with unnecessary rules or doing something through obligation robes my joy; being the free-spirited person that I am.

So, I have decided from now on I will blog without obligation. This mantra, a movement amongst some bloggers, liberates me from the shackles of poor blogging. Everyone should enjoy blogging. If it isn't a joy any more, you should think of something else. And thus, what I’m trying to say is that SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY has become sorts of a burden to me—schedules I must meet, links I must follow; sites I must visit, and I’m not finding joy in doing this any longer. Therefore I’m stopping.

I do hope you do continue coming by... I will still be waiting for you from my window as I love to see you wandering and drifting through twists and turns of a garden I hold SO very dear to my heart, and you give me infinite bliss through your comments and thoughts.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Finding myself

When you find yourself lost, how long does it take you to stumble back upon yourself?—to find you? Have you ever felt that strange feeling that something is not quite right in your life? I mean “dissatisfaction”—such unpleasant word; a void in life, like when you look inside your heart and feel that something is not right?

My dear friend Peter Pan ("hubby"), who by the way is my greatest supporter and best friend ever, always tells me that people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be... some words of truth; except, sometimes those words seem excessively big to me—life-size words if you ask me; especially when I’m feeling stuck in unsatisfactory circumstances. And that’s the worse of feeling one can ever have. Living for survival and not enjoyment can certainly have its toll on me sometimes.

Thanks goodness for gardens and their healing powers, and thanks goodness for all the magical beings that dwell in gardens everywhere too! I mean, gardens and their ‘invisible’ dwellers have the power to always make you feel better. At least that’s the way I want to see things… and oh, these magical beings can teach us one or two things about life too! Just this very morning as I was praying in the garden, a hush of a voice being carried off by the breezes made me turn my head… it must had been a bird; but perhaps was something else?—something or someone more powerful?

That little voice told me that while some circumstances cannot be changed, I have a choice regarding the attitude I will embrace. It told me I have the power to control my thoughts and attitudes, and attitudes are such a secret powerful thing! I cannot control what happens to me, or what others think of me or do to me, but I can always control my attitude towards what happens to me, and how I feel towards the world around me. By controlling my attitude I’m mastering circumstances rather than allowing them to master me…

And that’s what I’m striving for—the impact of a positive attitude in my life; how I react to things I cannot change; not by lying to myself, but rather by living my life through a positive attitude, like looking at life through some new lenses.

It feels so wonderful finding myself back... that feeling of fullness and comfort again. So thankful. And thus, little by little I’m also finding my way back to magic... magic in the everyday.

Magic in God's creation...

...magic all around me

...and within me

Finding fairy paths in the garden too!

...And enjoying the first roses of the season…

...making lovely bouquets with lupines and roses. Love the purple and deep orange combo!

...And playing house outside even when I can tell there’s a storm taking shape around the far corner of the garden towards the east…

I can see big dark clouds soaring atop my head on the wings of a waft of air… clouds devoid of light, like some prehistoric birds above my head. But I love playing house out here.

This corner of the garden is like a fortress to me… it feels so sheltered from the world and everything else… It is also my favorite place of prayer. I just love it.

There's so much I want to share with you; what new things I'm doing, plantings, crafting, creating, my crazy creations with Mod Podge and what new skirts I have and goodies I've baked... so much I want to share with YOU, my friends; friends whom I've never had the pleasure of meeting in person, nevertheless I feel so connected with and let into my life with open arms... May all who come here be blessed. And thank you so much for your prayers and inspiring comments.

"When we are challenged this is precisely the time we need to hold on. When our fears tell us; to escape; to retaliate; to take the easy way out; we need to check with our integrity and spiritual compass. This is where security can be found-in the fruit of our commitment to a higher purpose." (Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD)

Saturday, May 19, 2012

My back porch

A garden without a pleasant porch where to pause and rest is an unfinished dream to me. My dream porch doesn’t have to be necessarily amazing, but it would definitely have to have a garden beyond it, and preferably a view, but over all, it would have to be an expression of my heart; a place of beauty within my means of living and passions...


Most of the things I have in my back porch have come from thrift stores, but I’m not ashamed of this... every pillows and every petal here bears the song of my heart, and I am a happy soul. A presence bigger than all my troubles moves around me when I'm here. I can see it hovering over the canopy of the garden. It mellows my soul... I rather be here than in any other place in the world...


I enjoy decorating my little nook and change the look often too, as I get tired of looking at things. Every season my porch bears a new look, the decoration is different, linens and pillows change with seasons and moods, but the style is always the same romantic style...




Right now our porch is a billowing green corridor of curly grape vines... the vine has taken over it in a delicious way... it's like living inside Nature, or in a living tree.

Three layers of tablecloths is always prettier... would you not think so?


I like to call our back porch "Flora", as in botany. Does anyone else ever catch themselves doing that? Do you name things like I do? I wonder if I'm the only one out there who does that... I mean giving names to inanimate objects. What's the vocabulary term for doing this? Anthropomorphism? Ah yes, I love to give personality to inanimate objects. Life is more fun, and interesting, when you give things humanistic qualities, I tell you... I even talk to inanimate things. Really, I do! Like when I step over a flower or plant, or when I have to push aside the bulky branches of a tree to find my way in the garden... "Excuse me Mr. Fred"—I would say... "Oh, I didn't mean to step on you Ms. Petunia". And so on. Silly? Perhaps bizarre? Oh yes I know! But you know what? I'm not ashamed by this either; not a bit ashamed... ;)


“Isn't it fortunate I've got such an imagination?" said Anne. "It will help me through splendidly, I expect. What do people who haven't any imagination do when they break their bones?"
(Anne Of Green Gables)