Scraps of Joy

Peace and Calming

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Joy / 4 Comments

Hello Friend,

So glad you’re here! I’ve been waiting for our tea time today.

Not that it’s anything special, mind you. I’ve been spending so much time out in the garden that I haven’t taken time to bake anything new. It’s going to be brown-eyed susans again. But I think you enjoyed them last time, didn’t you?

Which reminds me, did I give you the recipe yet? I think I forgot, at our last visit.

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Brown-Eyed Susans

1 cup margarine
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream margarine. Add sugar, almond extract, flour and salt. Roll level tablespoons of this mixture into balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet and flatten slightly (I used my thumb). Bake at 350 F for 14 minutes. Frost with Frosting:

1/2 cup icing sugar
1 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Tbsp. hot water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine sugar and cocoa, add water and vanilla. Frost each cookie with a drop of icing.

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Before we head around to the back yard, take a look at those tulips. Aren’t they magnificent, standing so straight and tall? And these aren’t even all of them; there are still several more to grow up and bloom. See?

Mr. Rabbit has been leaving them alone since I sprinkled bone meal around them and put some marigolds in the vicinity. Beautiful. These tulips make my heart dance; they were so worth the wait.

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Come on around back. The Cowboy has been busy building extra garden beds, and this week Babe and I planted vegetables – everything we wanted except carrots. We couldn’t find carrot seeds anywhere. Imagine! I’ve never run into that problem before.

Digging in the dirt is therapeutic, isn’t it? To feel warm earth pass through my fingers settles me and brings me back to age-old wisdom. What has always been true …

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing.
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
Martin Luther

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Let’s sit in this spot on the patio. I’ve turned our chairs to face the flowerbed where I planted those two half-barrels with geraniums and trailing white lobelia. I must have geraniums and they must be bright pink. As you can see, these tulips are just finishing, and the hostas are just beginning. I love the look of a garden on a cloudy day. Something about the air makes the colours so vibrant.

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To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
Audrey Hepburn

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Camomile, Honey & Vanilla tea is the perfect pairing for our brown-eyed susans. The tea is ever so slightly sweet, and the only sweet thing about the cookie is the drop of chocolate. Take a sip, lean back, and relax. We have nothing pressing to do in the next little while.

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The Cowboy and I took a little trip to a nearby town’s DIY home centre on the weekend. He needed more supplies for the yard. The last time he’d been there, he was almost the only customer, so we thought we’d be in and out in no time. But since his last time there, some restrictions have lifted in our province and suddenly it seemed everyone was out and about.

My goodness there were a lot of people there, trying very hard to keep to the protocols – using hand sanitizer, keeping six feet apart, following the arrows, obeying the “only-two-shoppers-in-the-greenhouse” rule.

It was impressive how hard we were all trying. But I have to say, the overall atmosphere was … tense. People were On Edge. This is a whole new world we’re trying to navigate, and the buffer that most people keep between their raw emotions and the outside world has depleted and worn thin.

Out in the lumber yard, The Cowboy cheerfully greeted our helper from the cab of our truck, only to be given a tired, gruff response. He was helpful, but not very chipper. Perhaps he’d had enough of touchy customers that day.

I was happy and relieved to get back to safe harbour. Home.

As much as many of us are anxious to get out there doing, I for one, have become accustomed to the simple and utter safety of Home. I love home.

Oh look! There, in the evergreen just over the fence. A robin peeking out. The Cowboy said that the other day he was working near that evergreen when he looked up towards the roof of the house, and there sat two robins watching him very closely. One of them had tufts of dead grass and fluff in its beak and they seemed agitated. He thought that he must be working near where they were building a nest. He left that area for a few minutes and when he came back they were gone. Maybe we’ll have baby birds chirping from that tree someday soon.

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Do you have to go? Well, thank you so much for coming and sharing simple peace and delight in my garden. Have another peek at my tulips on your way out.

See you next time, and stay safe out there.

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Featured Image (watering can with tulips) by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Tea Time

Green and New Beginnings

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Joy / 4 Comments

Hello Friend,

I’ve been watching for you, looking forward to our visit today. How have you been?

I’m doing well. Been a little busier this week with this and that, and have been trying to get to our visit, but it didn’t work out until now. I’m so glad it did work today. Thank you for coming.

Lady Spring has been hard at work, hasn’t she, in mysterious times and places. I don’t know where she lives, but every morning I’m amazed by her handiwork. The grass is greening up, and one by one the trees are feathering out in their first delicate green leaves. I think green must be her favourite colour.

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I’m pretty sure all of my tulips have now poked through the earth, and these five will bloom any minute! Something has been munching on a couple of the littlest ones. I suspect it’s our friend Mr. Rabbit, who likes to hide in that corner over there. Apparently, he finds tulip bulbs, leaves, and buds quite delicious. But there are ways to deter him, and I may try one of the home-remedies I found here.

Now, come on in. Babe had a hankering for brown-eyed susans this week. They’re a simple almond-flavoured cookie with a dab of chocolate in the middle that makes them look like the Brown-eyed Susan flower. I think you’ll enjoy them.

Won’t you sit down? I’ll pour. Help yourself to cream and sugar if you like, and a cookie or two.

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Call me crazy, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the colour green lately. First of all, a friend painted her bathroom chartreuse, which is a yellowy green; it looks really nice. Then, at separate times, Bright and Little Munch, aged 3 and 2, told me their favourite colour is green. And then, of course, Lady Spring brings green with her wherever she goes.

For me, green has always been a colour barely on my radar – that is, when I’m choosing a colour for something like clothing, linens, soft furnishings, or paint. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I rely on green.

When we take our winter vacations, leaving our land of snow and cold, the biggest balm to my soul is seeing green grass, green plants, forests of varying shades of green. It’s like my soul feeds on green. It brings new life, new beginning.

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“Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.”
John Muir

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We are entering a season of new beginnings. Now that some restrictions are lifting, I sense a jumble of emotions out there.

Beginnings often frighten us because they seem like lonely voyages into the unknown.
John O’Donohue

Some people are eager to get out there, jump back into “normal” life, whatever normal is. And was there ever such a thing? Probably since this virus hit, we’ve been looking back on how things were, pre-Covid, and calling that normal. Maybe what we really mean is that we’re looking forward to getting back to old routines. Yet, I have a sneaking suspicion that we will never get back to those routines exactly the way they were. Does that make you sad? Sometimes it makes me sad. But then I’m reminded that life is constantly changing …

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“Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath have room to grow. Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”
Rumi

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Other people are concerned about where this new beginning is going to take us. Will it really be a better place? Or will it look much like where we are right now; what some experts are calling the “second wave,” bringing with it more isolation, more distancing, more masked smiles?

I confess to being in this latter group. Not fearful, just wary. I know too many people who are considered high risk. And it only takes one stranger, not following protocol, to start the regression. It’s all so uncertain.

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“As milestones go, this is more akin to taking a breather after a long climb, only to realize there remains much uneven, steep terrain ahead to reach the top, which is still shrouded in clouds.”
Keith Gerein

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Where do you find yourself on this spectrum? Excited to get out there, get things moving again? Hesitant to step out into the new normal? Or somewhere in-between? Wherever you are, I think it’s important to remember that we rely on new beginnings, like we need green, to bring life back and feed our souls.

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So, just take it one step at a time. One you-sized step. It doesn’t matter what size steps your friend or neighbour is taking. Stay tuned to what works for you. And, little by little, we’ll figure this out. We’ll figure out how to emerge into this strangely altered world.

Thank you for visiting today. Take care out there, and see you next time.

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P.S. Just for fun, I took Green, as a topic and colour, to my beloved bookshelves, and chose some of my favourite reads. Here they are …

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Featured image of daffodils with green and cream teacup by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Tea Time

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Joy / 1 Comment

Hello Friend,

Thank you for coming on this fine Mother’s Day.

Something a little different with our tea today – a parable.

But before we get to that, please have a seat on my favourite couch. Many years ago I first glimpsed this couch from the back, across a large discount warehouse, and I immediately knew it was meant for me. The modern Queen Anne style, the creamy white with soft taupe and light pink accents, and the cherry wood gracing the backrest and down the armrests. It was the only one they had – like I said, meant for me alone. I didn’t have to think twice. And it’s the perfect place to get comfy and listen to a little story.

In honour of my mom, we’re having one of her favourite cookies – Jam Jams.

Tea? Please help yourself to cream and sugar.

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I’ve often thought that Mother’s Day isn’t only to celebrate mothers who have given birth to and/or raised children. It is a day to celebrate all kinds of mothering.

So in honour of mothers and mother-figures, I’m sharing the Parable of Motherhood by Temple Bailey.

It is written about a woman who starts out in life as a young mother, and who raises her children until they are grown. Perhaps you didn’t walk a journey like this one. Instead, you may have stepped in to the life of a child for part of their journey, as an auntie, a friend, a neighbour, a teacher, or even a stranger; to be mother in a young person’s life even for a moment. This is for you too.

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Parable of Motherhood
by Temple Bailey

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. “Is the way long?” she asked. And her guide said, “Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”

But the young mother was happy and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children and gathered flowers for them along the way and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and life was good, and the young mother cried, “Nothing will ever be lovelier than this.”

Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle and the children said, “Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come,” and the mother said, “This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage.”

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead and the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children, “A little patience and we are there.” So the children climbed and when they reached the top, they said, “We could not have done it without you, Mother.” And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, “This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage, today I have given them strength.”

And with the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil — and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said, “Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.” And the children looked and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the mother said, “This is the best day of all for I have shown my children God.”

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong and walked with courage. And when the way was rough they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the mother said, “I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.”

And the children said, “You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates.”

And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, “We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence.”

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Thank you for coming today. See you next time.

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Featured image of pink tulips by Olga Oginskaya from Pixabay

Tea Time

Birds and Flowers and Peppermint Tea

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Joy / 7 Comments

Hello Friend,

It’s so nice to see you!

Before you come in … look! Some of the tulips I planted in the fall are actually coming up!

I’m thrilled. I come visit them and talk to them every day. I tell them how brave they are for pushing through; some of this ground is quite unyielding. See these wee ones barely showing through the dirt? It’s less sunny here so it’s taken them a little longer, but what courageous tiny things, to persevere. They haven’t even bloomed yet and they’re bringing me so much joy.

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The Cowboy and I were commenting that everyone’s yard is going to look amazing this year. Because we’re all at home, the yard work is getting done exceedingly well. Even our next-door neighbour, whom I rarely see outside, has been painting his fence.

Do you hear that? My Black-capped chickadee friends have been calling, hey sweetie, most of the morning.

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Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay

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Now, come on in. Do you mind peppermint tea? It seems fitting for a fresh spring day. But it’s one of those things that people either love or hate so, just in case, I have everyday regular tea as well.

And, you might not want to risk the adventure of pairing peppermint tea with our treat today – Peanut Butter Bars. But I do. What could be better than chocolate and peppermint? Add a little peanut butter and … perfection!

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I saw a news story recently reporting that dolphins have been spotted in the canals of Venice. Because no-one is using the famous waterways, nature is claiming them back. On the heels of those accounts were other reports that said the dolphin stories were fake news.

So hard to know what to believe these days. Stories can be made up. Photos can be doctored. I suppose, unless I see it with my own eyes, I should be wary of news stories. Even the ones that say I’ve been believing fake news.

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One thing I do know, there are more birds in my neighbourhood this year. I’m hearing melodious birdsong every day, unsmothered by squawks from magpies. I don’t know where the magpies are … maybe they’ll make their return yet. Last year we had a nest of noisy babies in our evergreen tree. We hardly heard one songbird all spring.

I don’t altogether hate magpies. They are regal looking, in their way, and I know they can consume large quantities of insects, which is helpful. But where I live they are quite pesky. And so loud, especially at four in the morning.

An interesting fact I learned about magpies this morning is that they don’t like to be looked at. Well, well.

The article suggested sticking a few pairs of eyes onto walls or tree trunks near a bird feeder that they like to steal from. And apparently, some Australian children glue paper eyes to the backs of their caps to deter magpies from swooping at them.

There’s your education for today.

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Has this season of isolation inspired you to take more notice of nature? We have been given such gifts, if only we’d stop and take it in: ever-changing cloud shapes, hundreds of different birdcalls, myriads of flowers springing forth to delight eyes and noses, and stately trees whispering in the breeze. Maybe where you live you are privileged to watch other wildlife; foxes, deer, ducks, geese. All of these are gifts.

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Perhaps in all this crisis, all this pain,
This reassessment of our loss and gain
Nature rebukes our brief authority
Yet offers us the chance to start again

And this time with new humility,
With chastened awe, and mutual courtesy;
To re-accept the unearned gift of life
With gratitude, with joy and charity.

Perhaps we’ll learn to live without so much
To nurture and to cherish, not to clutch,
And, if I’m spared, I’ll hold the years I’m given
With gentler tenure and a lighter touch.
Malcolm Guite

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It’s been lovely visiting with you. I wanted to tell you I’m so proud of you. You remind me of my growing tulips, so brave for pushing through. Some of this ground we are navigating is unyielding and not getting enough sun. It’s taken some of us a little longer to push through, and yet, how courageous you are to persevere. To keep going the best that you can. Well done!

Someone reminded me today that the opposite of sadness is not happiness. It’s hope. So hang on and dare to hope. Dare to walk through that door, believing hope is on the other side.

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We must remember that hope moves us. It brings us out of difficult, sad times to places we could never imagine.
Dr. Troy Backhuus

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Thank you so much for coming today. I’ve packaged up some peanut butter bars for you to take with you. If they stay here, I’ll eat them all. And that wouldn’t be good for any of us.

Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Featured image of flowered white teacups and pitcher by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Scraps of Joy

Peace and Calming

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Green and New Beginnings

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Happy Mother’s Day

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Birds and Flowers and Peppermint Tea

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