Theology in a Tea Cup

It's Tuesday again and time to link up with all those lovely tea parties that whisk us away to a gentler, kinder place, where the pot of tea is always fresh, everyone is on their best behaviour, and all the world's problems can be easily solved over a steaming cup of Darjeeling or Earl Grey.  The only dilemma is whether or not to have a slice of lemon or a drop of milk!

Tea is being served at:

Martha's Favorites
Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations
The Plumed Pen
Lady Katherine Tea Parlor
Artful Affirmations

And of course, tea is being served right here.  Today, my inspiration came from a poem that I recently read.  I read it once, and then again, and then had to read it one more time.  Actually, over the last few weeks, I've returned to it again and again, and I am still pondering the meaning.

All day long

She has been arranging our welcome:

Scouring down the house,

Sweeping under beds,

Pulling out the old crocheted counterpanes,

Shining glasses and tableware,

Dusting sideboards and picture frames.

Now she sits in a deep chair

Till we come crunching down the beeches

To the door.

Nice, isn't it?  Sort of creates an instant feeling of coziness and love.  You just know that when you arrive at that door, you are a welcome guest!  But why has it caught my attention so deeply?  Well, it's because of the title.  Here ... I'll give you the whole poem one more time, but this time, I'll include the title.

God


All day long
She has been arranging our welcome:

Scouring down the house,

Sweeping under beds,

Pulling out the old crocheted counterpanes,

Shining glasses and tableware,

Dusting sideboards and picture frames.

Now she sits in a deep chair

Till we come crunching down the beeches

To the door.

Ah ... doesn't that title change the whole poem?  I'm enthralled by the idea.  I actually have no problem with the idea of God being a woman ... because I think God is a spirit being - neither male, nor female.  I also think that since God created both men and women, both genders are reflections of who He/She is.  Anyway, the poem really got me thinking, and this morning I began to wonder about something - if God invited me over for tea, which tea cup would She choose for me to use?

I decided on this one:

The pattern "Memory Lane" is by Royal Albert and consists of delicate blue forget-me-nots circling pristine white china.   I purchased this tea cup and saucer as a gift for my Grandmother for her 80th birthday.   Born in England, my Grandma was a great tea drinker and loved to drink her tea out of a fine bone china tea cup.  I wanted her to have something special to drink her tea from, that would be particularly beautiful.  When she passed away several years ago, the cup and saucer came back to me, and of course they really have become part of "Memory Lane" now because they always remind me of my Grandma.

But why did I chose this particular cup and saucer when I was thinking about that poem?   

Well, contrary to mythological beliefs, all grandmothers are not sweet darling little old ladies who never do anything wrong!  My grandmother had a temper.  She wasn't perfect.  She was human.  And although I'm sure there are many elderly couples who have nothing but goodness and light to say about each other, my grandparents could raise bloody hell, if you'll excuse the expression.  

One day when I was visiting, I happened to notice that my Grandma was using the Memory Lane tea cup with a different saucer.  She explained, with a rather odd look on her face, that the saucer had broken.  Looking at her hands, all gnarled and stiff with arthritis, I assumed she must have accidentally dropped the saucer and I decided immediately that I would get her a replacement.  I mentioned my intent to my Grandad later that day.  He told me Grandma didn't deserve a new saucer.  Apparently they had a big fight and she had thrown the saucer at him and that is how it broke.

I got quiet for a moment when my Grandad told me the story.  Then I looked him in the eye and told him that I was going to go ahead with my plan to replace the saucer.  I said to him, "Grandad, love isn't something we give because it's deserved, it's something we give because it is the very nature of love."  The thing is, I didn't love my grandmother less because she had temper.  I didn't feel she deserved the tea cup and saucer because she turned 80 but didn't deserve a replacement because she deliberately broke it.  I gave the cup as a gift because I loved her.  And love isn't supposed to be conditional.

That's a lesson I learned, not from my grandparents, but from my God.  See, I'd like to claim the idea of unconditional love as one of my own, but truthfully, I only understand a glimpse of it through the grace of God.   When I read that poem, I think of how God so patiently waits for each one of us to come and spend some time with Her, eagerly preparing in advance for our visit, longing for the moment when we arrive.  And She loves us unconditionally, each and every one of us, not because we have done something to earn it, but simply because God is love.

I am glad to say my Grandma eventually came to an understanding of that Divine Love.  After spending the first 86 1/2 years of her life as an atheist, she became a believer in the last 6 months of her life.  And the amazing thing is God didn't love her less when she was an atheist than He did after she became a believer.  He loved her from the moment time began and will love her through all eternity.  Because God is love.

(The poem "God" is one I discovered in a book called Irish Mist written by Father Andrew Greeley.  I'm not sure if he is the author, or if it was written by someone else.)

Marvelous Monday - Life's A Beach

As some of you know, I started writing this regular blog feature "Marvelous Monday!" to encourage myself on this day of the week, when I'm usually grumpy and annoyed that the weekend is over, to think of all the many things for which I have to be grateful.  There's no antidote to grumpiness quite as effective as gratitude, so I figured I would take a little time on Mondays to "count my blessings" instead of moping around with the Monday morning blues!

I have tried to specifically be thankful on Mondays for things that don't only include weekend activities ... because really, if I'm only counting the weekends as blessings, then that just reinforces the whole idea that Mondays are to be dreaded. Today, however, I just have to say "Thank-you, Lord, for this amazing weekend!"  Because this past weekend has been absolutely wonderful.   The weather was perfect and the company could not have been better - yup, I got to spend some quality time with my beloved Mr. Magnolia!

Those of us in the Niagara Region are really quite blessed to live in an area with easy access to two beautiful Lakes - Lake Erie and Lake Ontario which are joined by the Niagara River, most famous for its stunning waterfalls at the point in the river where water flowing down from Lake Erie towards Lake Ontario, slips over the Niagara Escarpment and plunges down the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.   Where Mr. Magnolia and I live is only around 2 kms from Lake Ontario so we have access to that lake on a daily basis - but we are also very close to Lake Erie as well, so we often take the opportunity on weekends to make the short drive over to that lake.  It's amazing how the two lakes have their own very distinctive "personalities" - actually, all of the Great Lakes are like that - each one unique and beautiful in its own way.

This past Saturday we drove a little further than usual, to one of my favourite summer-time beaches in Port Dover, Ontario.  We started the day out by enjoying a delicious crepe breakfast at a new restaurant in Port Dover called "The Crepe House."   Mr. Magnolia chose the "breakfast crepe" which was filled with egg, ham, goat cheese and roasted red pepper.  I opted for the "summer fruit crepe" - a delicious paper-thin crepe filled with fresh blueberries, raspberries and peach slices, and then topped with a light drizzle of lemon curd and whipped cream.  Yum!

Don't you just love the way Mr. Magnolia's shirt matches
the table cloth?  :)

Port Dover is a really beautiful beach that is quite shallow for a long stretch out into the water, so it is very popular with families who have young children.  With the temperature in the low 80's (27/28 Celsius), it was a popular day at the beach - not too hot but still hot enough to make the water very refreshing!

We didn't go swimming, instead we spent some time "people-watching" and walked out on the lighthouse pier where a beautiful breeze blew the humidity away.

From the end of the pier, we enjoyed watching the kite surfers 

and the sail boats go by.

Then we decided to really "play tourist" and signed up for a one-hour boat ride of the river that enters Lake Erie at this port.  The pontoon boat was a smooth ride and the Captain gave us a great oral history of the area while we road along up the river.

We passed the few remaining commercial fishing buildings left over from what used to be a thriving commercial fresh fish industry .... 

 

And loads of waterfront mansions that are rapidly replacing the commercial buildings ...

Our lovely boat ride took us past a variety of watercraft from 

luxurious yachts to wee little kayaks ...

And then past some turtles sunning themselves on a log, indifferent to the fancy, or not-so-fancy boats that might go by ...

After the boat ride, we enjoyed a leisurely drive home followed by a brisk walk with our dogs, and then a delicious supper, not at any fancy restaurant, just at "Chez Magnolia" with fresh veggies out of our own garden to compliment the juicy steak - one of Mr. Magnolia's favourite meals!

Definitely a day to remember with a heart so full of gratitude that there's not a speck of room left for the Monday Morning blues!

A Peachy Day at Follow Friday 40 and Over

It's Friday again!  The weekend is almost upon us and today is Follow Friday 40 and Over, a wonderful blog hop hosted by Java over at Never Growing Old.  So hop on over there and check it out!

Today, I'm serving all of my visitors a special smoothie .... a peach smoothie!  I've been making them every day this past week for Mr. Magnolia and myself.  He has his own auto repair shop and works very hard.  This summer has been an especially hot one and so I love to bring him a nice cold refreshing drink in the middle of the day.

The hot weather has been wonderful for our peach crop ... all that sunshine brings out a really high sugar-count in the fruit.  To make my peach smoothies, I peel 6-7 good size peaches, throw them in the blender with a splash of orange juice, and a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream and voila!  That's all it takes and we have wonderful peach smoothies to enjoy.  

I hope you all have a "peachy" weekend!

Ro

The Butterfly Dance

I've always been told that there is a silver-lining in most clouds and that good can come of even the most awful experiences in life.  So I suppose it should be no surprise that there have been some surprisingly good things that have resulted from my dear cat Tiger's accident (for those who may be new to my blog and want the background story on Tiger, you will find it HERE).

Because Tiger was wild for the first 8 months of her life, and because she is still basically an outdoor cat, my husband has really encouraged me to take her outside every day so that she will have the "morale-boost" of feeling grass beneath her paws and being able to sniff fresh air every day.  As a result, I too have been experiencing a morale-boost!  Spending at least an hour outside twice a day, just squishing my own toes into the grass and sniffing fresh air of my own while I'm watching my little cat, I've found such a renewed love for the outdoors.  So, I am truly enjoying the experience of sitting outside on our porch swing, or on a lawn chair, with one eye on my little cat to make sure she's safe, and one eye either drifting shut in the sunshine, or else watching the birds, bees and butterflies fly by.

And speaking of birds, bees and butterflies, yesterday morning as I sat with my cat, something amazing happened - something, I would have totally missed out on if I'd been inside.  The butterflies began to dance!  One after another, the butterflies began to arrive and soon our front lawn and the flowers situated there became landing posts for at least a dozen monarch butterflies.  They danced in the air, they feasted on flowers, they drifted and spun around, only to land one more time for a banquet of flower nectar.

And there I was, caught in the middle of their dance, bubbling over with delight at what I was seeing!  There were monarchs on my right and monarchs on my left, monarchs above me, and monarchs chasing down near my feet.  And all at once as I began to laugh with joy, I discovered I was no longer a spectator, but a participant in their dance!  They landed on my head and swirled around my face and danced off again to twist and twirl together in the sky.

For three-quarters of an hour I danced with the butterflies, me and my camera - because YES for once I actually had my camera with me at just the right moment!  I'm convinced Tiger thought I was losing my mind.  She looked at me quite cross-eyed when I returned breathless and enraptured to sit by her side.  But what an amazing experience to be transported for a brief moment in time, into a butterfly's world!  I don't know if the butterflies will be back tomorrow.  I suspect they are getting ready to migrate and that is why they were so active today.  But if I never see them again, I am so thrilled I will always have the memory of this butterfly dance!

This last picture has nothing to do with butterflies, it's a picture of the full moon rising over our house last night.  I've taken it especially for Purple Cow to thank her for bringing the full moon to my attention and to let her know I really was thinking about her watching the full moon way over in Greece while I was watching it here in Canada.  And who knows, a full moon is a rather magical thing, so maybe it is linked in some way to the magic of my butterfly experience today.

Tea Time Tuesday

Well, it's here again ... Tea Time Tuesday over at Martha's Favorites, Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations, The Plumed Pen, and Lady Katherine Tea Parlor.  Don't you just love a tea party, complete with beautiful china and beautiful friends with whom you can enjoy it?

Today I am showcasing a lovely little tea cup I picked up at a yard sale a few weeks ago.  I have always been partial to pansies, so this cup immediately drew my attention where it was sitting amongst a pile of old china and glassware.

I really love everything about it from the shape of the cup, to the fluted edge of the saucer.  And the colours of the flowers are so very pretty.  You can imagine, I was quite excited to purchase a Royal Albert in perfect condition for only $1.50!  (Have I mentioned just how much I love to go to yard sales?!)

I also found another delightful piece of china at the same sale.  Unfortunately, it is not in perfect condition, but I fell in love with it anyway, and at 75 cents, I thought it was well worth the asking price.  However, being a little bargainer, I asked if they wouldn't mind taking $2.00 for the cup & saucer and plate all together.  I got lucky and they said yes!  Never hurts to ask, does it?  :)

As you can see, there is some damage in the glaze on the plate, but there are no chips or cracks and the design is really lovely.  It's marked Royal Winton on the back of the plate and has a number 7 in gold.  I'll have to do a little bit of research to find out more about the pattern.

Don't they look cute together?  And just look at those sweet little treats sitting there beside them!  You'd never guess, but they're actually little lipgloss containers!  Aren't they adorable?  I found them recently in a small boutique and couldn't resist purchasing them, with the intent of using them as a wee little gift for someone sometime.  

There are actually four of them in the package, each one looking "good enough to eat"!  They are made in England by a company called "Natural Products Ltd." and labelled "Naughty but Nice!"  And why am I giving you so much information about these cute little lipglosses?

Well, because I just can't resist giving them away to someone, that's why!  It occurred to me yesterday that I now have 100 followers.  Definitely a reason to give something away.  So, anyone who comments on this post in the next 7 days, will be automatically entered into a draw for these cute little lipglosses.  And because I love to give things away, I'll probably tuck a little something else into the package as well, before I mail it off to the lucky recipient.  

Hope you're all having a wonderful time visiting tea parties today!

Blessings, 

Ro

The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.
Heda Bejar

It is possible to give without loving, but it is impossible to love without giving.
Richard Braunstein

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill

Marvelous Monday!

Oh, it has been a really crazy busy time here in the Magnolia household ... I apologize for getting side-tracked from regularly blogging last week and hope this week I'll be a little better at staying in touch.

Today is Marvelous Monday ... a windy cool day here in Southern Ontario.  I'm not complaining though because we have been enjoying such a wonderful hot summer that I don't begrudge a few days here and there of cool weather.

On this Marvelous Monday, I am especially thankful for my cat's recovery!   On Saturday, my little Tiger just seemed to turn a corner in her recovery and suddenly we looked up to see her walking almost 100% normal!  She's still "wobbly" so Mr. Magnolia says she walks a little bit like she's had too much to drink, but she's actually standing up completely on her back legs when she walks now so she no longer looks like a raccoon when she walks.  She has been only able to hold herself up about 3/4 of the way on her back legs up until now so she has been walking with a strange rolling, hunched-over gait.  I can't begin to tell you the feeling of joy that flood through me when I saw her stand up totally normal on Saturday and start to walk with like a healthy cat!  Every time I see her standing up properly now I get the same flood of joy in my heart.  I really didn't think she would ever walk normally again!

So on this Marvelous Monday, I'm very grateful to all of you for your prayers and kind thoughts towards my cat, and hope that somehow each one of you will able to see a little miracle in your own lives, to give you hope and cheer your hearts.

Blessings,

Ro

"I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it."  

Abraham Lincoln

Thank God for the Aztecs!

I have to admit, although I am a Christian and I love to read fiction, I rarely enjoy Christian fiction.  Honestly, I just find it is often incredibly insipid (think sappy stories about life on the prairies) or overly preachy (I'd just as soon go to church and hear a sermon thank-you-very-much!) and rarely do I find it an enjoyable read.  However, I came across a book in our local public library recently that was categorized as "Christian Fiction" that had an intriguing title "Chocolate Beach" so I thought I'd give it a try.

Well, first off, I have to warn you that if you're looking for a really deep novel that will change your life, this probably isn't it!  But, in it's own charming way, Julie Carobini's light-hearted approach was exactly what I was looking for in a book that I could read on a nice hot day, lying on my porch swing, enjoying the breeze and pretending the constant sound of traffic from the six-lane highway just a mere kilometer away was actually the song of deep blue waves rhythmically pounding on a golden sandy beach.

And though I wasn't expecting it, the book actually got me thinking deeply ... well, at least as deeply as one can think on a drowsy summer day anyway.  The thing is, some of her points hit home, just not in an overly-intense way, but more in an "Ah, I recognize that in myself" kind of way.  Like when her heroine, "Bri," realizes that she is spending more time worrying than she is praying, and when she gets all caught up in trying to change the exterior without acknowledging that the internal probably needs more tweaking.  And of course, who can't relate to the notion of "break-up brownies" - that absolutely necessary "go-to-dish" for all those broken-hearted and in need of the ultimate comfort food?!

I won't give away the plot line, in case you all want to read the book, but suffice it to say that one of the external changes that Bri attempts, is to learn how to cook, and she starts by attending a seminar on cooking with chocolate.  Smart cookie, eh?  I mean, if you're going to learn cooking, you might as well learn how to cook something delicious and chocolately!

Being an avid cook, I found myself quite interested in the menu at the seminar:  satiny chocolate soup, glazed chocolate potatoes, sumptuous chocolate chili and chocolate cherry fondue!  Yum!  What's not to like about that?  I've heard of chocolate chili before and have been meaning to try making a batch myself, so after finishing the book - yeah, another good point is that it's a pretty quick read - I decided that it was time to attempt to cook some myself.

Now unfortunately, Carobini's book did not contain any recipes, so I went surfing the net and found a few to choose from.  The one I landed on contained no fresh veggies beyond one onion!  This just seemed really wrong to me - chocolate and chili are both soul foods to me, and soul foods just can't come out of a can alone! And right now my garden is over-flowing with fresh produce just waiting for me to slice, chop, and cook, so I switched things up a bit and below you will find the "tweaked" recipe I ended up using.

The result was an unbelievably satisfying spicy chili, with a subtle dark, earthy taste of chocolate that gave incredible depth to the dish.  I am not 100% happy with the final result but I am now totally hooked on chocolate chili and intend to keep practicing until I have the perfect blend of ingredients.  If any of you have a good chocolate chili recipe you'd like to share, please send it my way.  As for "glazed chocolate potatoes" ... well, I haven't tried those yet, but they just don't seem quite as intriguing as the satiny chocolate soup that is probably going to be my next experiment!  And in the mean time, I'm sending up a huge prayer of thanksgiving for the Aztecs who were smart enough to realize the value of chocolate!  I can't imagine life without it!

Chocolate Chili Recipe:

Brown 1 lb of ground beef and 3 medium sized onions, drain any excess fat, put beef/onion in mixture into slow cooker.

In frying pan, with some heated olive oil, gently soften 4-5 good sized sweet banana peppers and 3 jalapenos that have been rustic-chopped.   Once done, add to the slow cooker.

Rough-cut 5-6 medium sized fresh tomatoes.  Add to slow cooker.

Crush 3 garlic cloves and add to the slow cooker.

Add the rest of these ingredients to the slow cooker and give the mixture a good stirring.
- 2 (15 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can of kidney beans
- 1 (15 oz) can of black beans
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- some fresh oregano chopped fine
- 2/3 cup of semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

Cook on the highest setting of your slow cooker for a half-hour, then reduce to cook for at least 3 hours more.  The longer it cooks, the more flavour will be released into the mixture.

Tea Time Tuesday!

It's that wonderful day of the week when our thoughts turn to the refined notion of tea parties, lovely china, and good friends to share them with!  Martha over at Martha's Favorites, Sandi over at Rose Chintz Cottage and Inspirations, Wanda Lee over at Plumed Pen and Lady Katherine over at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor are all hosting tea-themed memes!  What a great way to meet new people and enjoy viewing the unique tea things that each person has so thoughtfully included in their blog.

Today, I am featuring two of my favourite tea cups.  For some reason, I find myself always drawn to Aynsley china.  If there are 10 tea cups to view at a thrift shop, my eye just invariably seems to go to the one in the lot that is an Aynsley!  The two tea cups I'm showing you today are both the same Aynsley pattern, although they have different background colours, one being blue and one being pink.  Apparently there are others available too, and I would love to add to my collection some day so I have one of each background colour.

I love the fact that while there is a small landscape on the outside of the tea cup, 

the largest, most beautiful landscape is hidden inside!  

The bluebell pattern is so lovely, a landscape pattern with soft blues and rose colours, it never fails to evoke the soft cool Spring days one would find in England.   After emigrating to Canada, one of the few things my Mum missed about England was the long Spring weather.  Here in Southern Ontario, Canada, things get hot fast and from one day to the next everything changes dramatically in the Spring.  My Mum used to tell us stories of walking in a forest carpeted with bluebells and it always seemed the most magical of places we could ever imagine!

And speaking of cool Spring weather, we had a wonderful break from the hot, steamy summer weather yesterday, with the arrival of a sudden downpour.  Even the cicadas stopped their incessant buzzing while the rain poured down in sheets, drumming loudly on the porch roof while I sat serenely on our swing, so enamored with the raindrops that I found myself setting aside the book I was reading so I could enjoy the spectacle of a rainfall.  Once the rain had lessened, I snuck inside to grab my camera.

Follow Friday!

Yup, it's the weekend again!!!!  Yipee!!!  And that means Follow Friday 40 and Over is happening over at Java's Never Growing Old blog.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you really must.  Her posts are incredible, her sense of humour wonderful, and she is absolutely inspiring!  I just know you're going to love  her.

For those of you who have been following the story of Tiger's attack and recovery, I wanted to give you a little update.  For those of you who are visiting today, the "readers digest condensed version of the story" is that our shop cat snuck out one night a couple of weeks ago and got attacked by a dog resulting in significant injuries.  Fortunately Tiger is getting stronger every day.  She is using both of her back legs now, although she is only able to hold herself up about 3/4s of the way.  She is walking .... well, sort of shuffling ... and able to hold herself up to use the litterbox now.  All of these things are amazing when you consider what she has gone through.  I'm starting to encourage her to walk more now that her wounds are healed, but she still has to be kept away from stairs or any elevation changes as she could injure the hip that was operated on if she jumped down on it.

My husband has made a little pen for her outside so she can enjoy the grass and watch all the birds, bees, and butterflies go by.  I sit outside with her twice a day so she can enjoy the outside.  I'm nervous of leaving her there alone so I stay with her - we frequently have dogs show up on our property and I think it would frighten her to death right now if a strange dog just suddenly showed up and she was in a little pen that could so easily be knocked over by a bouncy dog even if it had no intent to hurt her.

Here's a picture of the little sweetie in her "pen" - she loves to lie there and look up at the sky and sniff the grass and she walks around in her pen, shuffling her way from one side to the other.

I can't wait for all of her fur to grow back in so she will really look like herself again.  If I take a photo of just her front half, and from the right direction so you can't see the area shaved under her chin, then she looks perfectly like herself!

Well, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Blessings, 

Ro

White Wednesday

Out for a drive a couple of weeks ago, I spotted this door and just had to stop and take a picture.  Simple and sweet, it called to me, causing me to wonder what type of people live there, laughing and crying, living and toiling, ordinary people no doubt - but hopefully they experience moments of great contentment as well, the kind of contentment that their door seems to symbolize.

"There are no words more simply sweet

than Home and Love."

Robert William Service

Following White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage.

Tea Time Tuesday!

Well, it's Tea Time Tuesday over at Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations and Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites.  Can't wait to spend some time today checking out all the lovely tea cups that everyone will have posted!  So much fun.

Today, I am featuring one of my tea cups that really isn't my favourite!  It's just not exactly my particular taste, however, I wanted something a little bolder and wilder to showcase today for a specific reason.

My bougainvillea is blooming with riotous colour thanks to all the wonderful advice you bloggers gave me about keeping it alive and well.  

It's just so stunning right now that I thought I would choose a teacup that would look great with those incredible blooms.  But a delicate little tea cup just wouldn't do!  So instead, I chose this one ...

It's bold and a little bit sassy and not really like my usual taste at all, but still I couldn't resist it when I came across it at an estate sale a few weeks ago.

On the bottom, it says "HAND PAINTED" and "MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN" with a crest that says "TRIMONT CHINA" in the centre.  I have no idea if it has any particular value, but I quite enjoy having it in my collection and it's bold yellow colour and big design just seemed to match the vibrant colours in my bougainvillea.

Here's one last look at the saucer ...

Quite something, isn't it?

Blessings,

Ro

May Flower:

Pink, small, and punctual,

Aromatic, low,

Covert in April,

Candid in May,

Dear to the moss,

Known by the knoll,

Next to the robin

In every human soul.

Bold little beauty,

Bedecked with thee,

Nature forswears

Antiquity.

Emily Dickinson