this beautiful world...

Whoo-hoo....the weekend is fast approaching!  A few more hours and it will be "date night".  As we have matured (we have wisely decided to not ever use the phrase growing older) going out on Friday nights has lost a bit of its sparkle.  Crowded, noisy bars/restaurants full of incredibly young people has lost its allure. But hanging out at home with my best friend?

That never grows old!  Nor does a lovely bottle of wine, a wedge of my favorite British Wensleydale cheese studded with cranberries, and long, rambling trips down memory road with soft candlelight casting shadows in the room and one of our beloved LPs playing in the background.

All that's left is to decide which album to choose first....the Stylistics? Fifth Dimension? Neil Diamond? Chicago? Or a little Simon and Garfunkel to put a happy smile on my face?

I'm sure laundry and grocery shopping will appear somewhere on the radar this weekend, but for the most part I plan to CRAFT.  This time of year always gives me a bit of cabin fever, and home projects keep me busy and not missing my back deck and garden quite so much.  And right now the projects are piling up!  I have three special birthday gifts I hope to complete this weekend, plus I finally found the perfect fabric for new family room window valances.  But, my friends, you know how it goes!  If you Give a Mouse a Cookie....you'll also want to paint a couple of walls to match the valances!  I also need to finish a baby cap I'm knitting, order yarn for a new baby blanket, and finish a special quilt for Lily.  I have more than enough to keep busy until I can get outside again.  Of course, my brain is swirling with ideas for my garden and side deck as well...!!

But I'll be sure to slow down Sunday evening in time to watch the next episode of Downton Abbey.  I have had such fun the past few weeks trying new recipes and sipping tea in style while watching this wonderful Masterpiece Theater production.  I guess it's time to crack open the cookbooks and find the perfect recipe for this weekend!

And because I am so very lucky to have someone special to hold hands with tonight, I thought it was the perfect time for another incredible love poem by Mary Oliver, A Voice from I Don't Know Where.

It seems you love this world very much.
“Yes,” I said. “This beautiful world.” 

And you don’t mind the mind, that keeps you 

busy all the time with its dark and bright wonderings?
“No, I’m quite used to it. Busy, busy, 

all the time.” 

And you don’t mind living with those questions, 

I mean the hard ones, that no one can answer?
“Actually, they’re the most interesting.”

And you have a person in your life whose hand 

you like to hold?
“Yes, I do.” 

It must surely, then, be very happy down there 

in your heart. 

“Yes,” I said. “It is.”