Spring's Simple Joys

Last week I was careful to look for signs of Spring so that I could encourage those who were weary of this cold weather we have been experiencing.
God is so faithful to show us!
~♥~The birds have been singing their songs here every morning. I have spotted and heard the red cardinals,
the mourning doves,
the chickadees and sparrows,
the blue jays and robins,
and even the red- winged black birds,
one true sign of Spring which you can read about here. Although this article is from New England, the same evidence can be said of Ontario.
As I was driving to town for groceries and errands, I grabbed my camera to capture a few scenes for you.
I get so excited when I spot even the smallest indication of Spring, so bear with me as I tell you that I pulled over immediately when I spotted this first picture, but felt so embarrassed when the farmer stopped his tractor thinking I wanted to speak with him,
I quickly took the photo from the window as I drove away:)
The things I do to share Scenes of Spring with you...I tell ya:)
~♥~This was a joyful scene for me as I have not seen many farmers out spreading manure yet, and this truly reminded me of Spring.

~♥~Maple syrup buckets were hung in many sugar bush areas...

~♥~The new Spring collection at Bath and Body Works...
the packaging alone is so adorable, so fresh and Spring-like,
and the scent is wonderful:)
My favourite new collection is Country Chic,
although I prefer to say: Country Chick~
a blend of wildflowers, woods and citrus....love it!
You can visit their website here

~♥~The sweet and feminine dress my daughter ordered
for her college gala from Ruche
and the vintage collection of clothing,
including many lovely dresses found here.

Her English Muse Ivory Lace Dress:

~♥~The glorious Spring sunshine in the windowsills
as I observe this on my drive into town...

~♥~The sunlight streaming through our windows at home,
morning and evening...

~♥~An action-packed Sunday as our dear friends met us at church, their excited reunion with many friends they hadn't seen in years, a beautiful service concluding with this song by Lincoln Brewster; a powerful reminder taken from Isaiah 40:

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint, You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

(pause playlist to listen;
you can click on the four arrows for full screen viewing.
The song gets loud but the ending is worth it...so precious)

~♥~And the Spring Party that followed our church service as we had three families over to our home for the day. There was so much laughter and chatter as we caught up...secretly I think that at least three of the women had a serious case of Spring Fever...but don't tell them I said that.
The meal consisted of caesar salad, spinach lasagne, garlic bread followed by desserts.
Don't you just love the cinderella glass slipper in the form of that precious little glass tea pot, a thoughtful gift from friends, who also included Lady Earl Grey tea which is wonderful. You can visit the Teaopia website here. The pretty spring collection of tea cups (for my oldest daughter) was purchased for $3.00 at my favourite thrift shop, the MCC which you can check out here

~♥~The decadent desserts included:
cherry cheesecake,
chocolate fudge cake,
(both brought by my friends)
and the carrot cake,
which I shared before in this post here

~♥~The little spring gifts for my friends because:
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams

~♥~Cheerful Gerberas bringing Spring indoors...

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning

Hope is the thing with feathers...

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
~Emily Dickinson



A favourite nature artist of mine is dutch artist, Marjolein Bastin, who shares this:

"When you open your eyes and your heart for nature's beauty around you, there is so much joy and love. I see each day as a gift with a possibility to discover something new. Discoveries I want to share with you through my paintings."

"Parents can hardly know or guess what's happening then, or what can happen, when they put their children in the garden or in the grass or in the park," says Dutch artist Marjolein Bastin.

Marjolein's earliest memory is when, as just a toddler, she would lie in the grass outside her family's home near Utrecht, The Netherlands, breathing in the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural world around her. Little did her mother know that when she lifted little Marjolein from her baby carriage and placed her into the hands of nature, she was placing nature into the hands of Marjolein.

As a little girl, Marjolein collected and treasured simple items from nature – pine cones, seeds, and flowers. As soon as she was able to hold a pencil and paintbrush, she began to lovingly capture the beauty of nature in her sketches and paintings.

"It was my way of holding forever the impression I loved so much in nature," she says."
You can read her story and see her paintings here For more of her beautiful artwork you can visit this art gallery here


It is a glorious morning here with an early morning sunrise set in a pinkish sky; tree branches adorned with hoar frost. I am baking for my family as well as putting together a gift basket for another family that I hope to deliver later this morning. It will be a grocery shopping day today as I didn't get far in my errands on Wednesday due to the snow storm which caused driving to be treacherous.
Many of my dear friends have been commenting on this snowy weather, feeling like we will never see indications of Spring as it has been so cold here. I empathize with you and wanted to dedicate this blog post to all of you. I am so confident of the fact that Spring weather is just around the corner as the sun is shining warmer in the sky, the birds continue to sing cheerfully, the days are getting longer, and I have spotted green shoots coming up out of the dormant earth.
A dear friend of mine shared her thoughts in a recent comment left here. I just loved this and wanted to share her perspective with all of you:

"It is almost effortless to cherish the fresh hope and new life of spring - the ample warmth and lavish fragrance of summer - the vivid colours and clear air of autumn - but what about winter? It is a cold and tempermental season, to be sure, but while all around us is covered in the slumber of snow, we are allowed a time of quiet reflection and rest. Winter makes room for dreams to be explored and spirits renewed. A time to feel sad and amazed... lonely and grateful. Strangely enough, winter is necessary... for it is the very thing that sets the stage for our souls to be uplifted the other three seasons through."

Take heart and hope, my friends, your patience will be rewarded with glorious Spring in all her splendour! We'll have to celebrate with a Spring Tea Party:)

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams

As I was cleaning on Wednesday, I was drawn to the windows many times to watch the sparrows and the chickadees, as well as the chubby robins as they moved from branch to branch in the trees, carrying on as if they had no cares in this world.
I was reminded of this scripture verse:

Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26

And in my heart I was singing this song
as a reminder that God is faithful
and He will bring it to pass...

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Spring Rains

With normal spring temperatures expected for the entire province, much of Ontario should see above normal precipitation amounts, thanks to an active weather season expected for the U.S., which will see more storms track into the Great Lakes basin than usual....10-15mm is expected today
~~~The Weather Network

Yes, we awoke to the sound of pouring rain outside, along with gray and dismal skies.
But I rejoice because the rain is washing away the snow, to reveal green grass!
I won't mention that the forecast for tomorrow is snow again
because I don't want to discourage you.
Spring is surely going to arrive in all of her splendour.
We just have to be patient...

"March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in."
- Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning

The Arrival of March! Is Spring around the Corner?

"I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing robin, sing:
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring."
- Christina Rossetti

(image found online)

His Mercies Are New Every Morning

Because of the LORD’s great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

It is another beautiful day here in Southern Ontario; the sun peeking through the grey clouds,
with blue skies on the horizon and the temperatures rising to -8'c.
All good indications that the deep freeze is coming to an end.
I am having a cosy stay at home day today and after some house-cleaning,
hope to complete my knitted project. I will be sure to share with you soon...
I did want to share some photos of this past Thursday with you as my hubby
was waiting for me to come home from my appointment
so that I could join him on a drive to run some business-related errands.
I can't refuse a country drive and was eager to go along on a 'romantic date':)
We went through some of the cutest and quaintest little towns and villages.
I could have told you judging by the names of the villages, that we travelled to
Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, England, Scotland etc.
We drove through villages with the name of:
Dublin, Exeter, Chiselhurst, Cromarty, Donegal, Britton, Monkton, Bornholm,
Carmunnock, Moncrieff, McNaught, Winthrop, Brodhagen etc.
Who needs to spend money on a whirlwind European tour
when you can travel the back roads of southern Ontario?
I took a few photos of winter on the drive....

Seaforth Feed Mill

E. D. Smith since 1882

ice build-up

more icicles

sunshine and blue skies...glorious

Doesn't this sign make you feel like you are near the Ocean?
West Coast?
It isn't far from Lake Huron though...

A stop at our favourite Coffee Shop


Just have to add that the headlines were about Justin Bieber,
the most popular singer with the younger generation.
I took these photos for my niece, K who is a fan of his.
I love what he shares in the article here
Justin comes from the same town
as my blogging friend, Donna.
Some words of wisdom from such a young lad.
My Dad always told me:
'Be humble, lest you stumble'...so true!

and knows how to promote our favourite coffee shop...

driving through quaint Dublin...

Does this not make you feel like you are in Dublin, Ireland?

love the signs

snow piles

great building fronts

beautiful Victorian homes

more icicles

love the sunshine and shadow...
Our lives can be that way, can't they?

The country drive,
spending time with hubby,
listening to inspirational music in the car
and just being surrounded by beauty did me a world of good.
Sunshine puts everything in perspective again, doesn't it?
God's mercies are truly new every morning,
Great is His faithfulness!

Sunshine And Shadow
Life has its shadows, as well as its sun;
Its lights and its shades, all twined together.
I tried to single them out, one by one,
Single and count them, determining whether
There was less blue than there was grey,
And more of the deep night than of the day.
But dear me, dear me, my task’s but begun,
And I am not half way into the sun.

For the longer I look on the bright side of earth,
The more of the beautiful do I discover;
And really, I never knew what life was worth
Till I searched the wide storehouse of happiness over.
It is filled from the cellar well up to the skies,
With things meant to gladden the heart and the eyes.
The doors are unlocked, you can enter each room,
That lies like a beautiful garden in bloom.

Yet life has its shadow, as well as its sun;
Earth has its storehouse of joy and sorrow.
But the first is so wide – and my task’s but begun –
That the last must be left for a far-distant morrow.
I will count up the blessings God gave in a row,
But dear me! When I get through them, I know
I shall have little time left for the rest,
For life is a swift-flowing river at best.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

The Calm After the Storm

Although the storm wasn't as significant as first predicted, we did all have a snow day yesterday as buses were canceled, schools were closed, and work allowed me to stay home.
It was wonderful to have a day of leisure; read a book, do some knitting, have a nap as I was feeling 'under the weather' in more ways than one.
I am heading out the door now, but want to assure family that we are not buried under metres of snow, but rather facing a gloriously sunny, bright, cheerful day today...
Truly the calm after the storm:)



It's a good thing that yesterday's sun didn't shine as Wiarton Willie is now predicting an early Spring...he didn't see his shadow:)

The Second of February
Back To February
There's only the day the whole long year,
That I hope and pray the sun won't appear.
The second of February, you all know,
The groundhog goes searching for his shadow.
If he should find it, the story is told,
We'll have six more weeks of winter's cold.
But if it is cloudy, his shadow's not there,
There'll soon be warm weather and days will be fair.
So please, Mr. Sun, for just this one day.
Find a big dark cloud - and stay away!

-Unknown

We awoke to a shroud of mist and fog....

But the sun is faithfully appearing to burn away the fog
and make way for a brilliantly beautiful day:

I am heading out the door today for appointments, but wanted to wish you all a lovely day, and if the sun is shining in your neck of the woods, enjoy it! If it is dull and dismal out, remember that the clouds will disappear and the sun will come out again. God is faithful!

Winter Windows of Wonder

I just hung up after talking on the phone with my friend M from Hamilton, who shared that although it was blustery and cold there, she was enjoying the view from her window.
I shared with her that it was also so pretty here today and that although it was storming this morning with poor visibility and bus cancellations, the sun is shining once again here too.
The winter weather is so variable here in Ontario; it can change from one hour to the next.
I took some photos this morning as I was going about my day and wanted to share them with you...

Visibility almost nil with high winds and snow squalls

Clearing with the sun attempting to break through the snow clouds

The view from the back door as it has stopped snowing...

The sun is now shining on a still and silent world

The skies are blue with white fluffy clouds

Winter
Walter de la Mare

Clouded with snow
The cold winds blow,
And shrill on leafless bough
The robin with its burning breast
Alone sings now.

The rayless sun,
Day's journey done,
Sheds its last ebbing light
On fields in leagues of beauty spread
Unearthly white.

Thick draws the dark,
And spark by spark,
The frost-fires kindle, and soon
Over that sea of frozen foam
Floats the white moon.

This shot of the moon was taken two nights ago:
So perfectly round

It is easy to feel cabin fever on days when it is cold and blustery outside.
I just love what Dee Nash shared over at her Oklahoma blog:
Red Dirt Ramblings
Ten Simple Ways to Beat the Winter Blues....Go here to read it.
Don't you just love her list? Tomorrow I am going to post some of the ways I am passing the winter, using her formula. Can you come up with ten ways you are beating the winter blues?
You can stop by her blog, leave a comment and let her know you read them.
I love being inspired and challenged! Thanks Dee!