Wind Where The Rose Was

There is wind where the rose was,

Cold rain where sweet grass was,

And clouds like sheep

Stream o'er the steep

Grey skies where the lark was.


Nought warm where your hand was,

Nought gold where your hair was,

But phantom, forlorn,

Beneath the thorn,

Your ghost where your face was.


Cold wind where your voice was,

Tears, tears where my heart was,

And ever with me,

Child, ever with me,

Silence where hope was.


Walter de la Mare


Photo "Girl Beside A Stream" by Arthur Rackham

Beautiful Bird

One of my favorite lyrics and songs, by an amazing songwriter, Cindy Morgan.



Words and music by Cindy Morgan

Somebody caught you off guard
Clipped your wings and broke your heart
Told you you'll never get out of here
You believed it all these years

That's not what you were made for
'Cause you were made for the sky
That's not what you were born for
'Cause you were born to fly

Everyone knows what it feels like
When they tell you you don't measure up
You just weren't meant for the bright lights
Oh but lovely is as lovely does

And love is much deeper than beauty
And beauty much deeper than skin
There in the eyes of your mother, your father
Is where it begins to sink in

Beautiful bird
Ooh fly
Beautiful bird
Ooh fly

Even if we are all broken
We are each a reflection of God
Living with your arms wide open
Oh spreading your wings to take off

Beautiful bird
Ooh fly
Beautiful bird
Ooh fly
(Oh spread your wings beautiful bird)

All These Lovely Tokens

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885


September Sky, how I love thee. Let me count the ways!
Sweet September, I deliciously drink you in.


Sunsets heavy with condensation and light,
stream and fall to touch the ground.
Stormy and tempestuous, delightful change.
You are very welcome!

Break Bread With Valjean

Jean Valjean, Jane Eyre, Anne Shirley, and Michael Henchard come to mind as some of my favorite book characters:

LM Montgomery, creator of the "Anne of Green Gables" books knew what she was doing when she planted Anne Shirley on P.E.I. There is nobody like her anywhere in fiction. She introduced me to Tennyson and, "The Highwayman," she shared her love of, "white ways of delight," and, "lakes of shining waters," and is a true bosom friend.

Victor Hugo created his French masterpiece, "Les Miserables," with Valjean at the center. A man jailed for nearly twenty years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. So intricately woven a tale, so beautiful the stories within, and it inspired my favorite musical with it's amazing lyrics and song.

"Jane Eyre," my favorite of all the Bronte sister's books is a story I can read again and again, and never tire of. Jane was my first grown-up heroine, and I've never been able to forget her story. She fueled my obsession with the Brontes. I don't care for Wuthering Heights, although I relate to Emily in many other ways, but I do enjoy Anne's writing. Branwell's waste of talent is tragically sad, but fascinating.

"The Mayor of Casterbridge," --Michael Henchard, ...a man who sells his wife and child to another man in a drunken rage, sets out to find them the next morning only to find they are gone, is another of my favorite characters. His first attempt to reconcile and make things right, then the second tragedy of his dying alone and uncared for touches my soul.I'd love to recite with Anne, break bread with Valjean, show kindness to Henchard, and walk with Jane.

Photo credits:
Lydia Halverson (Anne and Mrs Lynde)

Book Bliss

When I come across old books at a thrift store or tag sale, I calmly, (yeah right), walk over to check them out. Hoping the price on them is good, that the covers are interesting and unique--they usually are, and most importantly, it is a title I am especially interested in. This is pure bliss and I love every moment of scouring shelves and stacks for the perfect ones.
Oftentimes I find so many I am endeared to, I take them all, with barely a thought as to where they'll be stored, or displayed. Will they be mine -- or will I give them away, can I give a certain one up, will someone else love it as much as I do, etc.
Lately, I have been collecting my fair share.....and more! Sometimes, this is what "following your bliss" looks like~
Dozens of old friends sitting patiently on my desk. Each one chosen and brought home for good reasons. I am officially besotted with each and every one of them! Should you want to share in the spoils, please visit the bookshop, and take a lovely piece of history home with you.

September Song

I stir in the summer, but awaken and breathe in fall.

Very Slowly

This is the wallpaper that is currently on my desktop, taken in late July. These last final few weeks of summer need to be let go of very very slowly, as fall's charm and exquisiteness will soon overtake summer's splendor.For now, pinks and blues penetrate the heart, while the hibernating ruby and amber blooms of the trees must wait their turn. Whether summer, or fall...

"Earth laughs in flowers"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bend in the Road

Summer is ending, and that means changes and new beginnings. Sometimes changes are of our own making, and sometimes they are forced on us. They can be scary, but also exciting and joyful. We all need a "bend in the road" from time to time. Even the weather changes, but eventually settles back down again.
I really like this picture because if you look at the road there are tracks on it - meaning someone has been that way before. It may be new to you, but others have gone down that road. Many possibilities and opportunities await, as of yet unknown. There are beautiful things to see as you make your way along the road, and although you cannot see behind the bend, your view is clear as you take it a step at a time.
The thing that is so wonderful about change is that it is gradual and transforming, just like a leaf in the fall that goes from green to red, or green to orange, or green to yellow. Where will the bend take you? What will you become? Will your growth be red, yellow, or orange? All is well, for you will become what you are meant to be, one bend in the road at a time.
There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place.
~Washington Irving

Do You Ramble?

..if not, then you should!








Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.
~Henry David Thoreau

Something Kindred

Something kindred speaks to me~

When I discover a 19th century artist/art I've never heard of or seen before...this one is by Alice Barber Stephens


When I learn of an early American or British author, who is obscure and not well-known now...this one is Brander Matthews, (what a face!) He looks a little like Charles Dickens!

When I walk in formal gardens that share their secrets and beauty with anyone who cares to walk them. Their color and variety is impressive.

When I see a stack of old books on the shelf with their faded covers and yellow pages. I can spot an old one a mile away --practically!

...white daisies, poetry, antiques, fine art, walking London on my own, dreaming of Yorkshire and the Lake district, anything Victorian or Medieval, words put to music well, French script, birds, and seeing horses run wild. This could go on and on...

The Wren's Gift

This is a free vintage image from THE VINTAGE MOTH

Sky Beauty

The sky is beautiful year-round:

The skies; pale pink pastels,
Rich, blue, firmament, brimming with life,
Flocks, in formation patterns,
White, falling down as icy raindrops.

The summertime night sky is no exception. We have gone from a night time thundering sky filled with thread after thread of white lightening offering flashes of eternity; to a dark, mild, and starry sky so quiet you hear eternity... all within a few days time. I could never choose between the two, I love them both. Both get me to stop what I am doing inside, step out into the night firmament, and be still.

If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yes, those starry beauties smile and wink right at you, if you watch long enough. As soon as the sun takes her final bow, they are there, waiting...arriving one-by-one and very slowly, until before you know it the whole sky is a silent symphony playing right before your eyes, just for you. A symphony that plays every night of the year for free.

Photo is from How Things Work

Smitten With Charlottes

Being so smitten with Frozen Charlotte's recently, I bought this pretty necklace. Isn't she gorgeous? If you are also smitten with Charlottes, check out this lovely shop. She features many unique and original, vintage Frozen Charlotte pieces.

Colors of Summer

Stunning!

Infinite Gravity

Summer is slipping by so fast I can hardly believe it. I have been in hibernation for days and plan on staying there! For now, purple mountains are my walls, and a fanciful and changing sky my ceiling. The earth under my feet is my carpet, and freshly watered flowers fill the air with sweet perfume.
I don't plan on going anywhere that will take me too far away. I am glued to the beauty and contentment I am surrounded by. This is summer's finest offering - an infinite gravity that holds us in, and offers rest.

To see the summer sky
is poetry
~Emily Dickinson