A Precious Gift

a precious gift

when peonies and lavender bloom in June
an angel shall bring a touch of heaven to us!

our hearts are overwhelmed with JOY..
my daughter is expecting
her first child!
that will be grandchild #3 for me!
*
"The world has no such flower in any land
and no such pearl in any gulf in the sea
as any babe on any mother's knee"
Algernon Swinburne
**
* My next post will be my 300th and I will be celebrating
with a GIVEAWAY!
I will be participating in the One World One Heart Event
go here to find out more

Simple Beauty

~ white roses and limonium ~
true contentment... surrounding myself with roses!
*
I wish you joy
I wish you peace
I wish you simple beauty

Winter Art

an empty urn
creates a strong pleasing art form in my winter garden

the garden speaks to me year round...
empty pots wait enduring the chilling snow ..

waiting for the warmer season!
*
"every moment of the year has it's own beauty"
Emerson

Pet Power

~ Paisley power ~
My cats provide me with solace as I recover from being
knocked down with a fractured ankle. Caring for them
involves responsibilities and rewards that improve my
mental as well physical health.

~ Babie angel ~
The rhythmic action of petting her to the sound of
purring warms my heart slows down my activity and
it's like touching an angel of healing!

It is uplifting to have my pink cast removed this week
and replaced with an air cast ankle brace! A shock to
see my swollen foot and shrunken leg however now
that I am able to bear weight of 40 lbs. on the injured
foot with the help of my walker I will slowly regain my
muscle tone and flexibility.
Having to scooch up and down the stairs on my behind I
am now learning to master them with the aid of a
physical therapist. I am rediscovering the ritual of a
comforting bath with healing lavender oil soothing my
body and spirit! *no more sponge baths at the sink

As the time nears for our planned winter exit to Arizona
I no longer have guilty feelings of abandonment having to
leave my mother behind. Having her safely cared for in
an assisted living residence I have learned in the past
6 weeks that she is coping just fine without my
regular intervention.

I have witnessed my husbands love for me with his
comforting touch, the clean sheets, his listening heart
and especially his extreme patience as I am totally
dependent on him during my healing.
He is my guardian angel

~Choc-Aid ~
Your comforting touch expressed to me in your
comments emails prayers and phone calls certainly
were effective in encouraging the healing necessary.
*Lynda sweet thanks for the choc-aids
To all of YOU I am grateful. Thank You friends!
hugs naturegirl xo
*
"Thank you for the helping hands when problems crowd around
for all the patient listening the kindness I have found.
For all the steadfast loyalty on which my trust depends
let me repay this love today and thank YOU Lord for friends."
Iris Hesselden

Peace Makers

~peace makers share ~
"no act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted"
Aesop

~ reach for the stars ~
Babie reaching for a star placed on glass window
to prevent the birds from flying into it
*Enlarge this photo to see Babies sweetness

"he who obtains has little..he who scatters has much"
Lao Tzu
I threw out a handful of peanuts the container slipped
and the whole thing when out! I was in a wheelchair so I
could not retrieve the container..what a feast the
peacemakers had!

The nocturnal hunters had a feast with all the
spillage and I think they have brick laying skills
lifting and moving the bricks to get every single morsel!
This is nightly occurrence.
**
*Thank you to all that have inquired about my recovery of broken
ankle.. next post I'll give you an update.. as I hibernate indoors
all photos continue to be taken from
the view through my windows
*
"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet
to put it on"
Henry David Thoreau

Quiet Angels

Quiet angels are among us..

an angel arrived on my doorstep
a special edition print signed numbered and matted!
~Rebecca at cre8tiva~
had a celebration giveaway in Nov. and I was
one of the lucky winners!
Thank you Rebecca your generous creative soul inspires me!
*Recently Rebbecca fractured her toe causing her
Great Pain.. however she continues to move forward
Do stop by her blog and wish her a speedy recovery as
well her two fur friends

~created by Judie of A Little Room For Art~
an environmentalist exotic bird lover and
a passionate gifted artist
Thank you Judie..

your expression of Nature captivates me..
I appreciate your kind and giving heart!
*you can see samples of Judie's illustrations
by clicking "my own art" on her sidebar

There is deeper purpose in posting these Random Acts of Kindness
sent my way. In this time of political upheaval, urban tensions and
our many daily irritations we are able to usher in happiness
by Paying It Forward!
In giving we multiply our personal JOY!
**
I agreed to participate in a PIF "exchange" posted by
~Julie marie at Celtic Woman~
I will send a handmade gift *to the first 3 people who leave a
comment on this post..*REQUESTING TO JOIN this PIF exchange.
The only thing *you have to do in return is
Pay It Forward within the next 365 days!
*
I promise to send these gifts within 365 days and with all the
creative inspiration I am receiving from YOU when I visit
your blogs, I am sure I will accomplish a handmade something!
*P.S. feel free to use my rose image for your PIF post
*
Quiet angels are sprinkling JOY within our blogging community finding their way into our homes with various random acts of kindness! This kindness I know for sure brings hope gladness smiles and at times light out of darkness.
**

The Artful Rose

Silently they influence our lives
frequently inspiring art

creating decorative ambiance with their beauty

finest creations of nature blossoming from her gifted hands
Anita from *My Country Cottage Garden in Germany
is an extraordinary woman!
Intensely creative getting inspiration from her love of roses
she creates these unique ~Tilda Roses~ giving vintage
sewing notions a new life and beauty!

"From a woman's soul.. through a woman's eyes..
by a women's' hands!"
*Phillips Art Gallery
**
I received the beautiful Tilda Roses from Anita
a random act of kindness given in friendship
I cherish the exchanges we have and could never have met
her if not for this vast community of bloggers!
We share a love of gardening and roses and
are featured on the same page of Garden Voices!
she is certainly refreshment for my heart
Thank you Anita ..you bring sunshine to my heart!
If you've not visited her blog treat yourself and say..
~Hallo Guter Tag!~
**
"What would life be like without roses..
a path without rhythm of blood
an abyss without night or day..they give wings to the soul..
without them the soul would die.. with no stars no faith ..
without the clear illusions that
the soul surely wants"
Fredierico Garcia Lorca. Prayer to Roses

Refreshment for the Heart

Lavender relaxes me
clearing my mind of everyday stress and negative thoughts

refreshment for the heart
Recently Tara a gifted illustrator of children's books
sent me a package filled with lavender..
dryer bags and when scent starts to fade I am to sprinkle
onto carpet and vacum up to release the scent!
Lavender bath salts and a relaxation eye pillow
to alleviate nervous tension and stress!
Tara I cannot help but to slow down my mind and
take a deep relaxing breathe!
chocolates were enclosed but I could not resist indulging.
Thank you Tara so very much!

a garden sprite
emerging into Spring and attracting her own collection
of butterflies to help her dance..
she has a guardian"kookie" nesting in her hair.
*you will see the "Kookies" when you visit her blog
This little doll was sent to me from down under.. all
the way from Australia!
made with so much love by Annie of Bimbimbie
I cherish every little detail every little butterfly but mostly
the thought and friendship behind the gift.
Annie you are a doll Thank you!
**
I count myself blessed to have met such generous giving spirits.
Never did I imagine how many wonderful friendships
I would make when I began blogging!
Such sweet and kindly deeds are refreshment for the heart!
***
"Each friend represents a world in us.. a world possibly
not born until they arrive and it is only by this
meeting that a new world is born!"
Anais Nin
*

Tree of Life

"He who obtains has little .. he who scatters has much."
Lao Tzu

~ Tree of Life ~
After removing the ornaments from our live tree
we place it tree stand and all into the garden.
It provides shelter from the winter storms and a
comfortable perch to rest for our visiting birds.
It is predicted that this year we will experience one of
the coldest winters in 15 years!
Every pine can be a
Tree of Life
~recycle .. reuse~
* in Spring we toss the tree into city compost bags

a closer look
they take shelter from the elements hiding sleeping
in every branch
bringing new life new energy to
~ The Tree of Life!~
**
"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world
at least the equivalent of what he takes out."
Albert Einstein

Purity of Whiteness

view from my kitchen window
A recent snow storm blankets all in white

In deep stillness snow shelters the promise of new life..

that lies beneath its depths!

All about is the purity of whiteness ..

where seeds are waiting to sprout!
**
For those that live in warmer climates I posted the above
winter scenes of my garden for you and
for many who long for summer my fond memories
of green and lavender
**
*update of my broken ankle
Thank you all for sending healing messages cards and prayers
I truly appreciate your concern.
I have completed the 24 injections into stomach to prevent
blood clots in leg.. hurrah!!
I had a bit of a tumble with crutches (no harm done) they have been
replaced with 4 legged walker.. one on each level of home..
wheelchair replaces my wheelie as it was unsafe.. too tippy
according to occupational therapist whose concern is
my safety.
I move about very slowly so I am learning to have patience

I have a physio therapist coming weekly to help me with
strengthening exercises for upper legs and upper body
as a result I feel so much better emotionally.
I am looking at this ordeal in small increments.. one week
at a time.
My shingles act up but I focus my healing energy on ankle

Having my husband on vacation Christmas week was great
as he took me out and about!He continues to be
my knight in shining armor caring for me with love
and much patience.. so much patience!

I have had distractions so my reading is slow however the
latest movie I cannot say enough about is
~Planet Earth~
We gave it out as Christmas gifts to several family members
and after watching it I'm so glad I did!
Every household should own this 5 disc series of
amazing moving footage of our Planet Earth!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend
hugs naturegirl
**

A New Beginning

"there are many things in life that catch your eye but
few that catch your heart...
make sure you cherish those"
*
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude
to YOU for being the special people
you are.
Thank You for adding much JOY to my life with your
comments, your generous and caring spirits, and
for your friendship!
You come from all over the globe and I feel fortunate to have
met you through blogging!
I look forward to another new and exciting year of
sharing visiting and being inspired
by YOU!
***

Mark a gifted Nature photographer
from ~the greenfingered photographer~
is offering a chance to WIN one of his
original mounted Nature prints!
Stop by his blog and enter!
**
Anita from ~my Country Cottage Garden~
has posted wonderful inspiration!
See for yourself her delightful creativity!
*just click on their links
*