Remember way back in March…when I wrote about my love for violets? I thought I’d give you a little update on how mine are doing so far…a visual update of course! Now you know how I like to float them with candles in a lovely bowls! Well, I’ve been dong plenty of that…with plenty of bowls around the house! LOVE it! It’s sooooooooooo The Fragrance of Her Name-ish!
There are probably pansies and violets pressed beneath or in nearly every heavy book I own, too! The other day, I opened up an old book (I had discovered I had two of the same edition of Alfred Noyes Poetry and was thinking I really only needed one…), when…voila! A lovely little bleeding heart blossom was pressed there in the pages! I haven’t had bleeding hearts (much to my heartache) since we left Washington! It was way fun to find it there!
So…just for fun…here are a few of the hundreds and hundreds of violets photos I’ve taken (and need to sort through) this spring! I just pulled a couple out of my file! But aren’t they adorable? What are you doing with your own?
Okay! Just thought I’d let you know where I stand on my “Memorize The Lady of Shalott” goal! It’s actually turning out to be not only easier than I thought…but more rewarding! I find that as I lay awake at night, or as I’m driving alone in the car…the poem lingers in my mind…soothes and relaxes me. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to have “The Lady of Shallot” wafting through your thoughts…instead of all the stress and noise that can often intrude there!
Also, I did want to share a profound discovery with you…on iTunes there’s an album called “Epic Poems”…“The Lady of Shalott” included on it is a beautiful reading! It completely opens your mind to Tennyson’s imagery, etc.! Now…although the man reciting it does a magnificent job…there are a couple of lines missing…so be careful if you decide to use it as one of your memorizing tools!
I’m glad so many of you have added the memorization of “The Lady of Shalott” to your own “Dreams to Do” list! I’m finding it to be just what I needed to refine my life a little! Keep me posted on your progress!
Good home-cooking and the soundtrack to the movie “Sabrina”….those are the two things I find that, when combined, make supper-time a relaxed and wonderful experience! I know it sounds crazy…absolutely too simple to be true…but it is true! A good home-cooked meal and the right music can change your evening meal into something your family really looks forward to.
I discovered years and years ago, that if I began playing some soft, soothing, relaxing music about ten minutes before supper…and let it continue through the meal…my family calmed, settled and enjoyed the meal far more than they did when the music was absent. When my kids were really small, our CD of choice was “Return to Pooh Corner,” by Kenny Loggins. (I also used this one at bed time…you wouldn’t believe the soothing effect it had on my little ones!) As our children got to be a little older (3, 7 and 10) I began using other CDs…the soundtrack to the Emma Thompson version of “Sense and Sensibility,” etc. But when I first tried the soundtrack to “Sabrina,” I knew I’d found the perfect dinner soundtrack! I even conducted some experiments to prove my own theory to myself…we had dinner without music, which resulted in a higher noise level of conversation, forks clanking on plates…even the venue of conversation is different. We tried dinner with something a little more upbeat, which resulted in everyone eating too fast and indigestion. Other instrumental or classical music worked well, but seemed almost too relaxing…everyone was always way tired after the meal. In the end, however, “Sabrina” is the one my family responds to the best! Oh sure, at Christmas we use soft Christmas instrumental, and I shake things up here and there with a wonderful Brian Crain playlist, the soundtracks to “Emma” or “Nicholas Nickelby,” etc, but “Sabrina”remains our ultimate favorite!
Dinner music is both a subliminal mood enhancer and a conscious one. It’s why good restaurants are cognizant of what they pipe over their sound systems. If you go to the Olive Garden and Dean Martin is singing “That’s Amore”…it literally makes your lasagna taste better! Am I right? If you go to a diner incorporating an old 50’s theme, with little juke boxes on the wall where patrons can pay a quarter and choose tunes from that era, the whole experience is different than if Bon Jovi (who I love!) was telling you, “You give love a bad name!”
The same thing works at home…when Sting softly croons, “In the moonlight…when the shadows play…when the thought of what could happen takes your breath away,” or the other instrumental pieces are playing…everything just quiets down. Cares, worries and stresses of the day seem to fade, and the family is able to focus on the joy of being with each other and enjoying a good meal.
As far as the home-cooking part goes…with the crazy schedules we all maintain, and the ease of “home meal replacement,” it’s often very hard to find the time, energy and desire to make a nice meal. When my kids were little, it was a lot easier…they weren’t so involved and I was younger and more energetic at the end of the day! However, I think it’s important, and I still try to cook a nice, balanced meal as often as I can. Still, I think whether you’re eating take out, or a nice pot roast with steamed carrots…or even mac and cheese…the right music can whisk your family away to a more serene and relaxing mealtime!
Oil lamps…I LOVE oil lamps! They add an ambiance to your evening…an atmosphere or romance and the past…of settling down and just relaxing. Of course, antique oil lamps are the funnest! Yet, they can cost a bit. I find you can achieve nearly the same serene scene in your home with one of the five to ten dollar oil lamps you can pick up in the candle section at Wal-Mart! The oil is there, too…not very expensive, and lasts a long, long, long time!
When my kids were little, we’d light the oil lamps now and then…just for fun. During thunderstorms…if the electricity was interrupted for awhile…we’d just light the lamps and sit around together watching the storm or telling stories about great great great grandpa and his time as a wounded soldier in enemy territory during the Civil War…or how great great great grandma came across on The Trail of Tears, etc. It’s a wonderful way to shut out the world and just relax…to enjoy some peace and quite and to linger in serenity for a time.
A couple of years ago, my friend, Gina and I were enjoying an autumn adventure together…just moseying through a little town called Manitou Springs. In was early November and the crisp fall air revived out senses as we wandered in and out of the little shops lining the streets.
It was a memorable day…in so very many ways…but the moment we both hold as most dear…was the first moment the lovely melodies of Brian Crain tickled our ears. We stepped into one of the little shops and were immediately struck with a feeling of serenity…by the unique beauty of the music playing over the store’s sound system. As we approached the counter to inquire about the music, we both gasped with delight as we saw a little display stand holding a CD, with a sign that read, “Now Playing.” We gasped because the cover of the CD playing was very autumn-ish…and you know what autumn-groupies we are! The CD was called (of all things), “A Change of Seasons” by Brian Crain…and we HAD to have it! There was only one copy…yet as we lingered in the store…we saw a CD display case with several other Brian Crain compilation collections on it. In the end, Gina bought “A Change of Seasons” and I purchased one entitled “Morning Light.” The rest, my darlings, is history!
The music of Brian Crain as since inspired me in so many ways…touched my life, the lives of my family and friends to an extent you cannot imagine! I own everything he has ever released…listen to his profoundly beautiful creations for hours on end! It weaves an ambiance of respite and joy throughout our home…evoking serenity, smiles, and feelings of hope and inspiration. Music like this soothes our tired minds…lightens our heavy hearts…calms our children and teaches them to take the time to bathe in tranquility.
Youtube only had a few Brian Crain selections to choose from…and although “Sunrise” isn’t necessarily on my “Top 10 Brian Crain” songs…I think it will give you an idea of what I’m talking about. Sit back and close your eyes as you listen to Brian perform, “Sunrise.” Give it a couple of repeats and you’ll see what I mean…he literally soothes your soul.
It’s time! Time for one of my very favorite things in the world…violets and pansies!! I LOVE violets and pansies! Every year I grow as many as I can, in as many different varieties as I can find! Furthermore, not only do I grow them…I pick them, float them, press them, gift them…you would not believe how far reaching the gentle beauty of violets and pansies can be! Therefore, in preparation for many lovely things to come…don’t forget to pick up some violets and/or pansies this weekend! Over the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing several things that incorporate these two beloved flowers …so just in case any of my little violet/pansy ideas strike you as worthy of trying out…plant a few varieties in a container or in your flower bed!
I have to admit, violets are my favorite! I found 22 different varieties of violets just at Wal-Mart alone this year! I’m really interested to see what this rather crimson looking one does!
And, after nearly 8 years…I finally found what I lovingly refer to as “Chevron Violets” again! Chevron violets (I’ve ordered a book and hope to find the real name of this variety) are some of my very favorites! I found a wilted, dying little start for this variety years and years ago at…you guessed it…a gas station in Ferndale, Washington! I wasn’t even sure they would make it…but within a few weeks they’d overcome their harsh beginnings and blossomed into some of the most beautiful violets I had ever seen! I’m sure you recognize them!
Here are a few other varieties I picked up this past week:
Pansies are also a favorite of mine…you might want to pick up a few of those, too! (With pansies, I like to look for the prettiest or most unusual varieties I can find!) Then when the time comes we’ll both have plenty of violets and pansies to work with!
Here’s a fun little secret fact: I love violets and pansies so much that a friend of mine used to address her letters and envelopes to me like this:
Marcia at Pansy Fields
Isn’t that just soooooooooo Anne of Green Gables? I loved it!
Violets and pansies are beautiful old-fashioned flowers! In our beloved Victorian era, violets symbolized “faithfulness”…pansies symbolized “loving thoughts.”
I encourage you to scatter violets and pansies throughout your home this spring and summer! Let their beautiful, cheerful colors linger anywhere you can! Waking up to see how my violets are blooming literally starts my day off with a smile and a sigh. It’s the little things like this that can lift our hearts!
Remember way back in March…when I wrote about my love for violets? I thought I’d give you a little update on how mine are doing so far…a visual update of course! Now you know how I like to float them with candles in a lovely bowls! Well, I’ve been dong plenty of that…with plenty of bowls around the house! LOVE it! It’s sooooooooooo The Fragrance of Her Name-ish!
I have to admit, violets are my favorite! I found 22 different varieties of violets just at Wal-Mart alone this year! I’m really interested to see what this rather crimson looking one does!
