Scraps of Joy

Savour

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Joy / 3 Comments

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.
Rachel Carson

Hello Friend,

Please come in. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a visit, and I’m so glad you dropped by.

I made a lemon cake today – not from scratch, you know – and topped it with vanilla cream icing. Mmmm, the perfect complement to coffee or tea. I’m serving both! Which would you prefer?

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I’ve been sitting here listening to the happy voices and high-pitched squeals coming from the schoolyard not far away. Here in the western world, we humans seem so bent on multitasking, on producing, that to sit and do nothing other than listen to happy sounds wafting from a nearby schoolyard would be classified as wasting time.

But you see, those schoolyard sounds were silenced these last few weeks, with the new restrictions sending children home for school until after Victoria Day. It’s always been a favourite sound of mine and now that they’re back, I relish it even more.

I wonder if we have lost the art of savouring. To savour: delight in, enjoy.

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To savour is such a discipline of heart and mind, but it brings such rest to the spirit.
Sarah Clarkson

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Even in the midst of these isolating times, I’ve been focused on productivity. Have you? It’s like we can’t give ourselves permission to BE. I find myself going through a mental checklist at the end of the day: I got groceries, returned seven emails, finished the sewing project, practiced ukulele, made soup. It was a productive day.

But, if I get to the end of the day and find that I haven’t accomplished much in the way of productivity, of doing, it seems like a wasted day.

I wonder … what if my end-of-day checklist included the things I consciously delighted in that day?

What if my end-of-day checklist included things like I loved the way the light filtered through the window this morning.

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I love my tulips, as you know, and right now the tulips in my front garden give me joy every day. Meanwhile, the lilacs in the back yard are on the verge of blooming, and even before they’ve fully arrived, their fragrance is filling the yard. Yesterday evening, The Cowboy came in from the back yard to say, “You need to go out to the patio and breathe the air.”

So I did. And as I did, I thanked God for beautiful lilac fragrances and a husband who cares enough to notice something I would love.

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Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson

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It amazes me how a few moments like that can strengthen me for the rest of the day.

So, I will notice the morning light filtering through my windows. I will take the time to linger near lilacs and listen to children at play.

Unapologetically.

I will savour the moments given to me, because it’s those mere seconds in time that make life sparkle. Wouldn’t you agree?

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Our visit is a little shorter today, I’m afraid. But one of these times remind me to fill you in on the continuing story of Jubal, the adventurous snowman who came to live with us over the winter. He’s gone back to the North Pole now, but it seems he has an anonymous fan, who’s been sending him letters and gifts. It’s all such a mystery. Stay tuned to find out what that’s all about.

Thanks so much for coming, and I hope you enjoyed the lemon cake. I’m sending you off with one of my favourite sounds in the whole world. Anyone from the Canadian prairies will recognize the trill of the Western Meadowlark.

Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
Rachel Carson

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Feature Image by Pexels from Pixabay

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – May

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Joy / 15 Comments

Hello Friend,

Here we are in May already! In this little corner of the world, Spring is at last raising her head from her winter’s slumber. We don’t have blossoms yet, but I have seen tiny green buds on the trees, and the crocus has made its appearance too. It’s time. Time for spring!

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The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.
Josiyah Martin

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Please have a seat here in the sun by the window, and help yourself to these whipped shortbread cookies, half-dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. A delectable find at the bakery today. Just looking at them makes me want to serve them with milk. You’re welcome to milk, if you like, but I do have English Breakfast Tea, “produced for the United Kingdom from pure Ceylon Teas packed in Sri Lanka.” There’s a photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the tin so it must be the real thing (tea-hee).

Now, won’t you sit back and relax as I share my daybook with you?

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For Today

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Looking out my window …

A breeze moves the smaller branches on the old tree in the middle of the lawn. This tree is usually one of the last ones in the yard to leaf out fully. But there is beauty in her bare branches too. Her bones stand straight and strong, her sturdy limbs clothed in a lacy cloak etched against the sky.

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I am thinking …

About new beginnings, and hoping our world will soon be welcoming new beginnings. New face-to-face meetings with dearest, long-loved friends, being captivated by the way their hands move when they talk, and surprised by the curve of their chin. Those things were always there, but now for some reason they’re important.

I am wearing …

A dress that I bought for my niece’s wedding two years ago. What with this thing called a pandemic and all of the isolation, my dresses were being neglected. So, I’ve decided that once a week I will wear a dress. Today’s is a silky flower print in soft pinks, peaches and sage, with an asymmetrical hemline and three flounces down one side.

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I am creating …

a quilted storybook for the next baby soon to arrive in our extended family.

I am reading …

Lark Rise to Candleford, by Flora Thompson. It paints a finely detailed portrait of rural English life at the turn of the nineteenth century. She describes the countryside and communities of her childhood.

In the eighteen-eighties the hamlet consisted of about thirty cottages, and an inn, not built in rows, but dotted down anywhere within a more or less circular group. A deeply rutted cart track surrounded the whole, and separate houses or groups of houses were connected by a network of pathways. Going from one part of the hamlet to another was called ‘going round the Rise’, and the plural of ‘house’ was not ‘houses’, but ‘housen’.
Flora Thompson
[Lark Rise to Candleford]

Not only is the story captivating, but the book itself is delightful. I don’t usually order hardcover books, but this time I did. What a surprise upon opening the box to discover the book to be only the length and width of my hand! Under the book jacket, the cover is soft blue with tiny flowers and leaves imprinted on it. The pages are almost as thin as those of a Bible, and edged in gold. I can’t tell you why, but I am so delighted with this little book. Every time I look at it I smile.

I am listening to …

Babe’s latest composition, Beginnings.

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I am hoping …

For a bit of a breeze on this laundry day when I get to do one of my favourite things – hang wash on a line.

I am learning …

That there is comfort in routine. My days and weeks during this year of restrictions have fallen into a kind of pattern, and I’ve found that when that pattern is greatly interrupted, or I’ve gone off routine and suddenly at a loss for what to do next, I get anxious. It is a side effect of our current world situation, I expect. And so, my daily and weekly routine is something affirming to come back to.

I am thankful …

That I found my dress for the wedding. Unlike Sweetie’s and Peaches’ weddings, I’m having a dress made to order this time.

The hardest decision about the dress was whether to order in cocoa or cafe, but I’m excited about it. I may even wear a fascinator in my hair. It’s the last daughter to get married, and I’m going out in style.

In my kitchen …

A new mini vacuum hangs on the wall, ready to sweep up any crumbs that dare touch the floor.

In my garden …

Two little tulips, striped yellow and red, are flowering in the backyard flowerbed. Every year I watch for the tiny shoots to first appear, and then it’s a daily check for the bright flowers. It’s always a joy to discover them.

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Shared Quote …

Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.
Anita Krizzan

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Closing Notes …

I’m so glad you stopped by today. I wish you joy and new beginnings in the weeks ahead. Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Life is so Daily/Tea Time

Light on Snow, and Yesterday

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Joy / 4 Comments

It is not balance you need but adaptability.
Erwin Raphael McManus

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Hello Friend,

Thanks for stopping in. Isn’t it wonderful to be walking on clear sidewalks?

We’re trying a new tea today. Persimmon Peach Ginger is what it’s called but it has all manner of things in it: apple pieces, candied papaya, red currants, rose petals … I’m not completely sold on it, especially in combination with the chocolate chip cookies I’ve baked, but it is interesting. Let me know what you think.

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Days ago, when there was much more snow on the ground, I was up while it was still dark outside. I looked out the window, over our backyard fence, over the alley, to the neighbour’s back yard. I often look out that window in the night or early morning, when the call of nature wakes me up. And sometimes, I linger there.

The window is always slightly open – even in winter – and no matter the season, the night sounds soothe me. Sometimes leaves gently whisper in the trees. In other seasons, slippery snow scuds across the shingles. Even the intermittent hum of the highway has its soothing effect at that hour. In those tranquil moments it seems as though nothing is wrong with the world, and maybe that’s why I stay there a little longer.

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I’ve come to learn, over countless nights like this, that our neighbours-over-the-alley are early risers. Except on Sundays, their home lights are on by 5:30 am. One early morning I was even looking out the window when 5:29 flipped to 5:30, and just at that moment an upstairs light went on.

Over other early morning window gazings, I’ve come to expect the light to be shining from the kitchen window by 6 am. I’ve never visited that home, but in my imagination it is the window over the kitchen sink.

Such was the case that early morning when I looked out. But this time, instead of fixing on the lights coming on in the house, my eyes were drawn to the square of warm light cast on the snow below the kitchen window. It glowed and I felt welcomed into it, as though invited to sit by a fire and rest. It was … completion, perfection.

A pinprick of a moment in eternal time that served to fill my soul.

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Life is not hurrying
on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed as transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you.
R.S. Thomas

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There has been a lot of hype recently about it being a year since the first lockdown. I remember exactly where I was when we heard that the lockdown was imminent. The Cowboy and I were traveling home from having spent two weeks with family; a week with each set of grandkids. Shortly before that we’d enjoyed a two week vacation in the Caribbean. As we drove to our home province that day, I remember reflecting on the wonderful grace we’d been allowed: to have had our vacation and been able to see our beloved family before the world changed.

Now, I have become accustomed to waiting at the end of an aisle for another shopper to leave it before I enter. It has become the norm to cross the street to distance ourselves from our neighbours when walking, or to step away from someone when they come near. Do we even remember how to shake hands as we once did?

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They say a storm in summer clears the air and leaves the world peaceful. But there are some storms that can stir the world so about that when they have passed, things can never be set back quite as they were.
Laura Timmins
(Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson)

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Spring is just around the corner; another spring in pandemic. We made it through the winter. I’d say that’s an accomplishment. Well done!

It’s hard to know … how much longer. Though I don’t like it, I’ve become familiar with uncertainty. You too? Meanwhile, I’ve made new routines. I’ve learned things about myself: how I handle crisis, how I deal with time that’s been given me, how I appreciate the ones I love.

We can grieve over the things we lost in 2020 and wistfully remember what life was like pre-pandemic, but as Will Rogers once said, “Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”

Just like all the tomorrows of my yesterdays, I can never be absolutely certain what they will hold. What I do have is today. And I can take something from each today to strengthen my tomorrow.

Like warm light cast from a kitchen window in the dark of night.

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Thanks again for coming. As you listen to this gentle melody – An Early Sunrise by Randy Edelman – perhaps you will hear in it hope for your tomorrow.

See you next time, and stay safe out there.

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Feature Image by Pezibear from Pixabay

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – March

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Joy / 11 Comments

Hello Friend,

Welcome to March! I don’t know about you, but for me there’s something so satisfying to my sensibilities when the first of the month lands on a Monday. It’s like the possibilities are endless and everything can start over fresh. All is right with the world.

There have been a few things this past month that have threatened to capsize my February peace; circumstances, discouragements, disappointments above and beyond those related to pandemic worries and restrictions. I think I spent most of February on the brink of tears, which is unusual for me. It’s all so wearying.

I’m weary. Are you?

But now, I’m taking a deep, deep breath and letting it out slowly. It’s March 1, and it’s Monday. The perfect time to start fresh.

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One thing The Simple Woman’s Daybook does for me is to help centre my thoughts and get me writing, especially in times when the writing hasn’t been as often as I’d like. I know I need the time and space to be quiet with my thoughts in order to put words on paper coherently. Since I haven’t had that recently, the Daybook is a welcome prompt. Many thanks to Peggy for beginning this venture years ago.

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For Today

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Looking out my window …

It has been snowing. Judging by the pearl grey sky (and the weather app), it’s going to snow some more. My world has been clothed in fresh white. It’s as though a Great Cake Maker has taken a spatula to smooth the icing on house and vehicle roofs, windshields and driveways, but has forgotten to smooth over the pattern of divots left on the front yard by our friend, Rabbit (who may be here even now, hiding in plain view, his ears flattened against his snow-white body).

I am thinking …

That we’ve come a long way since last March, and I wonder how future generations will perceive 2020. Will it be a nostalgic picture in the way that our generation looks back on the 1920’s?

I am thankful …

For the sunshine this past month. No matter how cold it gets out there, if the sun is shining life is hopeful.

One of my favourite things …

Reading to my grandchildren. Even before the pandemic, I read to them on video chat. They request their favourite books, and these days Little Munch barely says hello before it’s “Read the brown-bear book.” The most delightful thing of all is when I only turn the pages and they “read” it back to me.

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I am creating …

Some mock-ups for picture books about Jubal and his adventures. I have shared some of his shenanigans here.

I am wearing …

Black pants. Blush pink boat-neck sweater with three-quarter length sleeves. Tennis bracelet. Pink lipstick, called Cindy.

I am reading …

Beautiful words strung together: Wendell Berry, Robert MacFarlane, Mary Oliver, Shawna LeMay, Sarah Clarkson, John O’Donohue. I read them in books and Instagram posts. In snippets, here and there, not cover to cover. They feed my soul.

A bird the size
of a leaf fills
the whole lucid
evening with
his note, and flies.
Wendell Berry

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I am watching …

This … and understanding that very hard times have come before now. At least my pantry is full, and I’m not hiding in a bomb shelter night after night.

I am listening to …

Bluebird by Alexis Ffrench.

I am hoping …

We can do an actual in-person walk-through of the wedding venue soon. A video tour just isn’t enough.

I am learning …

That planning a wedding during a pandemic requires Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, Plan E …

In my kitchen …

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In my garden …

All is quiet under a blanket of snow, waiting and listening for the first signs of spring: sap running and new roots digging deep. Waiting is a posture we have all been in for what seems like forever. But it isn’t forever, and soon … someday … one day, the waiting will be over.

Shared Quote …

Sometimes, especially on the longest days, I feel that I walk from tiny grace to tiny grace, my daily bread taken bite by bite and to my astonishment, for this moment, it is enough.
Sarah Clarkson

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A moment from my day …

Yesterday, with Babe, in the enchanting quest to find her wedding gown.

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Closing Notes …

Pretty lace on a beautiful gown, the sweet voice of Little Munch reading to me, vivid petals on the flower in my kitchen window, sunshine, beautiful words, and soothing music … these are the tiny graces I walk among in what could otherwise be an overwhelming world. And the only thing required of me is that I notice them; that I give them my attention and dive deep in the moment. And, I find it is enough.

Thank you for stopping in today. Bye for now, and stay safe out there. Happy March!

Joy

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Feature Image by Maja Cvetojević from Pixabay

Scraps of Joy

Savour

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook – May

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Light on Snow, and Yesterday

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The Simple Woman’s Daybook – March

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