And may you happy live and long us bless....

God bless my mother; all that I am or ever hope to be I owe to her. 

~~Abraham Lincoln

 

Lincoln may have said it first, but I concur. 

What is a mom, but the sunshine of our days,

and the north star of our nights?

~~Robert Brault

Taken at Mother's 90th celebration last year

To My Mother

Christina Rosetti (1842)

Today's your natal day,

Sweet flowers I bring,

Mother, accept, I pray

My offering.

And may you happy live

And long us bless

Receiving as you give

Great happiness.

 

Mothers hold their child's hand for a moment, and their heart for a lifetime. 

 

Sonnets are full of Love

Christina Rosetti (1881)

Sonnets are full of love, and this my tome
Has many sonnets: so here now shall be
One sonnet more, a love sonnet, from me
To her whose heart is my heart’s quiet home,
To my first Love, my Mother, on whose knee
I learnt love-lore that is not troublesome;
Whose service is my special dignity,
And she my lodestar while I go and come
And so because you love me, and because
I love you, Mother, I have woven a wreath
Of rhymes wherewith to crown your honored name:
In you not fourscore years can dim the flame
Of love, whose blessed glow transcends the laws
Of time and change and mortal life and death.

 

“My mother... she is beautiful, softened at the edges and tempered with a spine of steel. I want to grow old and be like her.”
~~Jodi Picoult

 

I love you, Mom.  Happy birthday.

 

 

a sky full of occasion...

Ah spring, you fickle season!  We had three seasons all rolled up into one weird weather weekend ...

A spring day in Wisconsin can start with a lovely view out the back window (hello, Mr. Bunny!)...

and then progress to this...

and the dark black clouds then lead to this...

which somehow becomes this!!

Which means you start in short sleeves in the morning, and by afternoon you are unpacking boxes in search of a warm flannel top and fuzzy socks to wear by the fire, which you thought you were through with for the year! 

I ran across this delightful poem by local Madison poet Sarah Busse last year.  Doesn't it describe this time of year perfectly?  It reminds me how my mother always remarks this time of year that we need a good rain to wash away the gray.  Piles of shrinking snow, grit, salt, and mud definitely dot my landscape, and yet, outside my window right this very minute a little yoo-hoo bird (my name for the black-capped chickadees) is singing his heart out!  

Evening walk, Mid-March

by Sarah Busse

Tho' there is no new path, just the usual

neighborhood circle, familiar as the salt

caking the pavement squares.

Piles of shrinking snow humped up along the curbs,

each night the puddles freeze, each morning thaw,

and grass, clumped and frizzled, and mud.  Mud.

Gritty, dull, the land, the houses.  Everything

needs washing, and a second rinse cycle.

But the Sky is full of occasion -- robins.

Robins invisible

in the still-bare trees, twittering, chirruping

cheerily around the entire suburban block.

It couldn't be called song,

that curiously bubbling chatter-sound they make,

waxy and bibulous as a pubhouse or bridal shower.

cheerio, cheeri-up, killup, killaree, killup killaree, cheeri-up, cheerio

Come spring, that much-dreamed distant season, these trees

will bust out green, our salt-stained eyes

rejoice -- but not then, not again as

everywhere now the chirping of robins, and water running,

and then and now we are arrived at home.

From Quiver (Red Dragonfly Press, 2009)

A special thank you to the poet for graciously allowing me to use this wonderful spring poem in today's post.  You can read more about her at http://www.pw.org/content/sarah_busse.  I hope that today, in spite of a landscape that is still rather dull and dreary we can listen for the bird songs in our hearts!  As always, please remember that...

I'm not sure what tomorrow's weather will hold for us, as the storm maps have been jumping all over the place in terms of how much snow we are going to receive.  But that is outside.  INSIDE, our house says spring has arrived!

My dining room buffet top has changed from celebrating all things Irish to gentle reminders that spring is here.

 

This pretty cake stand is a great way to display my two little Lefton china figurines and a tiny teapot from Bath, England.  I love the little lamb's expression!

Sorry for the lighting in this picture--even with the flash off it was hard to get a good shot of this sweet little goslings picture.  This hung in my grandmother's home in Indiana when I was a little girl, and I was so touched when my mother gave it to me a few years ago.  It usually hangs in my library but it seems just right for an Easter display!

 

And next to the goslings is my prized McCoy vase, filled with pink and green flowers that match the plate to its right.

 

The plate is a new addition, but with all my children coming home for Easter, it seemed apropos.  I love having a home where my loved ones want to gather together.

 

Even my hibiscus wants to jump on the spring bandwagon!!

In my family room, I took a decorating tip from Joanna Gainers from HGTV's Fixer Upper show and used a few vintage books in my spring mantel display...

 

I think my little figurine is waiting patiently for those April showers to arrive!  She's perched on one of my all-time favorite books, and behind her is one of the pansy prints from my mother's birthday celebration last year.

 

Hopefully flowers will soon be blooming outside, just like they are on this little cottage!  The title of the book sums up this blog (and me) pretty well.

Here's a spring poem from Longfellow to cheer us up in spite of the weather forecast.  I can't wait for more glittering sun and clear blue skies!  We'll celebrate Longfellow's The Return of Spring today, even if tomorrow we return to winter!

Now Time throws off his cloak again
Of ermined frost, and wind, and rain,
And clothes him in the embroidery
Of glittering sun and clear blue sky.
With beast and bird the forest rings,
Each in his jargon cries or sings;
And Time throws off his cloak again.
Of ermined frost, and wind, and rain.
River, and fount, and tinkling brook
Wear in their dainty livery
Drops of silver jewelry;
In new-made suit they merry look;
And Time throws off his cloak again
Of ermined frost, and wind, and rain.

But rain or shine (or even snow) shouldn't stop us from remembering that

 

"If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year, or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake, and not in silence, what wonder and expectation would there be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change?   

~~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sometimes it's the little things in life that bring the most pleasure.  A date night with my husband, browsing at the antiques store, and scattering small touches of spring around my home brought a smile to my face and quiet contentment to my soul this weekend.  Hanging a cheerful reminder in the kitchen...

and enjoying a hot cup of coffee early in the morning from my favorite coffee mug, with the luxury of a whole day stretching before me with no demands on my time...

other than watching my sweet dog sit and wait for unsuspecting passers-by to catch her attention was enough.

The afternoon light highlighted a simple bouquet of flowers, adding grace and beauty to a room...

and the sunlight streaming through my bay window cast rainbows around my living room.

Emily Dickinson knew a thing or two about that special light that spring brings with its arrival...

A LIGHT exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here
A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That silence cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.
Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:
A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.

I hope we all find the light today, and let its beams fill our hearts with joy!
 

Holidays and traditions just naturally go together.  Ever since my children were quite small I have been ladling leprechaun soup into their bowls on St. Patrick's Day.  Serving vegetable cheese soup didn't make them jump up and down for joy, but adding a dash of " magic leprechaun juice" to the pot and renaming it certainly did the trick!  Add in an oh-so-easy loaf of homemade Irish soda bread and somehow this super easy meal became our traditional Irish repast.  Corned beef and cabbage was never going to make the list with my picky eaters! 

And we always capped off our meal with a viewing of Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People.  What's not to love about tricky leprechauns, Irish fiddle music and a ridiculously young Sean Connery singing My Darling Irish Girl?  If you don't believe me, you can catch his performance here!

My family is all grown up now, but it's fun to still cook the familiar foods and celebrate, even if the number of bowls around the table is much smaller now.  I was so touched last week when my oldest son requested my recipes so he could start making leprechaun soup for Lily! 

I had lunch downtown yesterday at my favorite Irish pub (another tradition!), and the Capitol looked so beautiful in the sunlight.

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the hustle and bustle of downtown, especially when you encounter kilted bagpipers!!

Before we say Slán (goodbye) to Ireland I thought I'd share my favorite Irish poem with you.  In a recent poll of Irish Times' readers W.B. Yeats' The Lake Isle of Innisfree was named Ireland's favorite poem, but I'm more fond of his beautiful He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.     

Door County sunset, July 2015

May your day be filled with warmth and whimsy and a lingering touch of leprechaun magic!

So the Dickens Village is all packed up and safely tucked away for next year.  But time stops for no woman, so just as the seasons keep on changing, so do my seasonal home touches.  I hesitate to use the popular but seriously over-used word "vignettes" and frankly, I am just not creative enough or have enough time to spend hours creating perfect little scenes to celebrate the changing seasons. But I do enjoy adding a few little touches here and there, just to freshen things up a bit.  I'm rather picky when it comes to St. Patrick's Day, because I really don't like the over-commercialized little leprechauns and pots of gold, but instead prefer a more muted and vintage approach. 

My dining room buffet changed from "Silver White Winters" to a green landscape...

 I used a lovely little cottage from my Dickens Village, plus pewter pieces I've collected from different visits to Mt. Vernon.  It was fun to use my vintage cake stands to display the cottage and also a green cup and saucer from the Tower of London.  I think my little fairy adds the appropriate touch of whimsy just as well as a leprechaun would!

 

I couldn't find a banner I liked so I ended up making my own.  I used gorgeous cardstock from a collection titled "Once Upon a Time" and painted chipboard letters black, brushed with metallic gold.  Sláinte!!

My mantel in the family room changed from pink to the appropriate green...

I found vintage Irish postcards for the banner, and I love how easy it is to find free printable signs on the internet!  I added some silk greenery that I already had on hand - a new mantel display in under ten minutes!

I think I have recycled these burlap wedding pew bows as much as I can! I've decorated them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter time, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, just by tucking in a new small vintage card.  I don't think Easter eggs or American flags will look quite right with the burlap, but who knows? I may find just the right touch!

I'll leave you with the lovely Irish blessing that my sons sang in elementary honors choir, and my hope that all of you will have a blessed day.  

It's March!  The daffodils are starting to stretch their little stalks out of the ground and wave hello.  The birds have rediscovered their songs and are merrily chirping outside while I get ready for work.  My back garden is free of snow and I can see my hyacinths starting their journey to the light.  But indoors? My Dickens village is still up - the last remnant of the holidays - and it's time to pack it up.  Probably past time, but my family so enjoys how the village cast its soft glow all night in the family room, so I keep it up until the last snowflake has disappeared outdoors.  Good-bye, London!!

 Goodbye, charming little residential area on the outskirts of town, where Charles Dickens writes at home at his beloved Gad's Hill...

 Goodbye to the hustle and bustle of the market square, Victoria Station, St. Martin's in the Fields, and Buckingham Palace...

  Goodbye to all the wonderful performances at the Globe!  Your merry band of entertainers have kept us well amused over the holidays.

Goodbye River Thames and brave little skaters!  Goodbye to the gin distillery that provides me with all the gin I need for my lovely Pimms Cups!

 Goodbye loyal and faithful Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London!  Keep the ravens safe and well fed until next year!

 "They're changing guards at Buckingham Palace

Christopher Robin went down with Alice..."

 Goodbye wonderful musicians whose beautiful strains of God Bless You Merry Gentlemen you can hear very softly at night, if you listen with your heart instead of your ears...

Please keep the chestnuts hot and the gingerbread crispy until we meet again!

Dickens Village, you bring me so much joy!  That is, of course, after I forget about the hours of unpacking and assembling, arranging and re-arranging, multiple trips to the hardware store for replacement light bulbs, plus the countless trips up and down the basement stairs to pack it all away again.  But as Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is a time for everything, and I suppose that also means a time to unpack, and a time to pack it all away.  Thank you, sweet sweet memories, for all the joy you bring my family at winter time!  And now?  On to spring decorating!

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,    

 a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build, 

     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 

     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away, 

     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak, 

     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.