I visited a park today that, once I stepped through its gates, it felt like I was walking back in time. It felt like the kind of place where a poet would write…or an artist would paint…or a musician would find inspiration. A magical, hopelessly romantic place. There are several areas in which you can…
Author: heytherefriends
Hey there, friends. Welcome to my blog.
I'm a mother, cookie maker, animal lover, photo hobbiest, kindness advocate, and seeker of beauty and quirkiness in the little things of every day living
Just for now
I will typically tell you that I don’t have a favorite season because there’s so much to be enjoyed with each of them. But spring…oh, spring… Pink dogwoods… Pending robin families… Happy bees… Lots of smiles. I’m going to say that spring is my favorite for now.
Tidy
“Describe one positive change you have made in your life.” Another prompt caught my attention today, mostly because there are so many ways to answer it. You would think that would be easy — name one positive change. But I’ve made a number of changes – particularly in recent years – that have been pretty…
Magic
“Don’t rule out magic in ordinary things. Simply open your heart and believe. Magic is all around for those who see with their souls.” – Melody Lee If ever there was a time to believe in magic, its spring. Photos are just a few from a wonderful holiday visit to the town where I grew…
Much Better
“Be the person who breaks the cycle. If you were judged, choose understanding. If you were rejected, choose acceptance. If you were shamed, choose compassion. Be the person you needed when you were hurting, not the person who hurt you. Vow to be better than what broke you – to heal instead of becoming bitter…
Take hope
“In an increasingly uncertain and uncomfortable world, it helps to remember that there are still soft blankets and warm mugs and kind friends and good people. So many REALLY good-hearted people who want the future to be better. If nothing else, take hope in that.” – Nanea Hoffman And there are really good people (like…
Good day, good life
“Name three good things that happened to you so far today.” I saw a video today that suggested that turning your mood in a more positive direction is as easy as 1-2-3. She interviewed a series of people and asked them to rate how their day was going on a scale of 1-5 — 1…
Sunday with Sculptures
What a perfect day for a long walk in the local sculpture park.
Every storm runs out of rain
Yesterday we had a bit of nasty weather roll through the area…but not before leaving a lovely parting gift. And then how fun is this. Check out the full double rainbow (at least much as I could fit into the frame.) Then look at the exact same frame about 20 minutes later. (Don’t miss the…
To this day
“When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?” Another day, another prompt that got my attention. But oh, this one made me so happy — and unlike yesterday, I knew the answer immediately. When I was five, I wanted to be an artist. And when I was ten. And…
Good question
“What’s something most people don’t understand?” Today I got a notification on my phone saying that I had an unusual jump in traffic on my blog. This made me smile a bit, but it also made me super curious. “Traffic” has never been important to me when it comes to writing here. This is mostly…
Howdy, neighbor
After receiving a lovely visitor recently, a new visitor has been making regular appearances out back. So much so that I’m wondering if he’s actually a neighbor/resident. He’s noisy, twitchy and bosses the other birds around. But he’s pretty neat and I hope he’s happy in the neighborhood.
Learn something(s) new every day
Each of these little wildflower blossoms is about the size of a dime, but collectively they look like a massive white carpet. And right now they are all over the park, making the hills look like they have a fresh dusting of snow. But today is the first time I’ve ever really looked at these…
Astonished
“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” – Mary Oliver I’ve noticed that the older I get, the more astonished I become with the changing seasons. Have I seen daffodils before? Yep. Did I still gasp and say, “Wowwwww….!!!” when I first saw them blooming in the park this morning?…
Happiness is…
…a warm puppy. Happy National Puppy Day! Yes, Finnegan is two years old. Yes, I still consider him to be a puppy. He is a constant source of joy and I can’t remember what I did without him.
Many happy returns
“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.” Today is National Flower Day! Personally, I think flowers should be celebrated every day, but I’ll take any excuse to make a floral run. Wouldn’t it be great if we could create a day for all of our favorite things? I…
Ultimate trifecta
Thought of the day: So March 20 is the first day of Spring…and International Day of Happiness…and Fred Rogers’ birthday. That is a whole lotta goodness loaded into a single day. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Perfection? No doubt about it.
Showtime
Sometimes the transition is the best part of watching the sunrise. You get the slightest hint that things are warming up, then…showtime.
Everyone
“Be brave because you are a child of God. Be kind because everyone else is too.” I’ve noticed something about myself lately that bothers me a lot. I have a really bad habit of assigning character traits to people based on a single behavior that I’ve witnessed – especially people that I don’t know well…
Whoo’s there
Check out this spectacular visitor to my back yard over the weekend. He first dropped in late Friday afternoon, his arrival announced by a flurry of irritable crows and bluejays squawking and bouncing about. When he showed up again on Saturday, he had an even crankier antagonist — a very large red-tailed hawk. I couldn’t…
Sunday Smile
“Earth laughs in flowers.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson And Finnegan is here to remind everyone that laughter is contagious.
Many Thanks
“Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.” – Mark Twain I’m on the cusp of a new trip around the sun. Age has definitely brought about some changes – especially in recent years. A few new wrinkles…a few new pounds…a few new aches and pains…weird sleeping patterns. Sometimes it’s kind of…
Stand here. Or here.
Same result either way.
That’s all
Just a beautiful bloom in early morning light. I figure any bloom giving this much gloriousness deserves to be seen by more than just me.
hey there, friends 