Happy World Turtle Day!

Two small turtles rest
One snapper and one painted
We shared the same path

While on a walk the other day, I was surprised to see not only one turtle, but two. They were both the same size, about three inches long. They were quite far away from one another. When I saw the snapper, it didn’t move. I found a litttle stick and gently poked his leg. Thankfully, he moved slightly as if I was waking him from a nap. After walking around 20 more minutes, I came upon the painted turtle, which seemed a bit more awake.

How lucky for me to have seen these two turtles right before World Turtle Day! “The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world.” Click here to learn more.

Happy World Turtle Day! I ❤️ turtles.

Take a walk with a turtle. And behold the world in pause. ~Bruce Feiler

Shelf Mushrooms, Green Moss, and Hidden Bullfrogs

Apr26

Have you ever noticed shelf mushrooms living on the side of a tree? There are also some growing out of the stump in the picture below.

When leaves unfurl and grasses grow tall, the mushrooms will be veiled.

Green moss grows on a weary log. Neighboring greenery sprouts nearby, trying to catch up.

Hidden bullfrogs in the wispy marsh croaked a quiet tune. Louder notes might greet us, the next time we visit. 🤞

If one truly loves nature one finds beauty everywhere. ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Felt the Love!

Feb14

On May 19 last year, I cut open a watermelon, and look what was inside! Can you see the outline of a heart and how the inside of the heart is a slightly lighter color than the outside? Was it just a coincidence or was someone trying to tell me something? Of course, I felt the love!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

People look around you, the signs are everywhere.
You’ve left it for somebody other than you to be the one who to care. ~Jackson Browne

A Treasure to See

Dec27

It’s a strange phenomenon. Friends have experienced it too. When we see the leaves change to their vibrant colors and the temperatures begin to drop, we dig in our treasure chest of leftover yarn and take an inventory of our crochet hooks and knitting needles. Spending more time inside, helps us get creative.

This fall, the weather thermometers didn’t drop like they usually do. We were greeted with many sunshiny days, and my yarn closet was left unattended.

A few days before Christmas, I managed to stay tucked away in our cozy home. The temperatures stayed below zero for days. There were two more gifts that needed to be created during hibernation. Last year, I crocheted snowmen ornaments for my grandkids. I wondered if making ornaments for them would be a yearly tradition. The closet held plenty of red, white, and green yarn. I admired a reindeer ornament pattern, but the yarn closet didn’t contain those colors. A trip to a store would ruin my plans of staying in hibernation. Plenty of white yarn spilled out to greet me. I began crocheting a snowflake ornament from a pattern I found online. The next morning I woke up and thought, “What kid wants a snowflake ornament? Kids want something fun.”

Luckily, after scrolling through many patterns on Pinterest, I found a cute Santa pattern on the Crochet for You Blog. The ornaments were completed on time without having to make a trip outside to get more materials!

The grandkids’ smiles were a treasure to see, when they opened their packages to find the Santa Claus ornaments. 🙂

(This post is in response to #dailyprompt: “How are you creative?”)

Snow Painted Branches

Dec17

Sun beams break through clouds
To steal the coats of white trees
Snow painted branches

Lila and I had a slippery walk yesterday morning. The thick clouds and overhanging branches muffled the noise of distance snowblowers and snow plows. A few flurries fluttered down to greet us. When the sun popped out, I worried the branches would lose their coating of snow but the clouds continue to linger. Soon the wind or sun will steal away our world of “snow painted branches.”

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold. ~Aristotle

Joyfully Nice

Apr4

It wasn’t necessary to make a reservation today. Whoever got into one of the every other pews was able to stay. If the church was full, extra space could be found in the commons. If people arrived too late, they wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot. Luckily, my husband, our daughter and her family, and I made it in time and found space inside the church.

The sunny and warm day made it possible for people to dress in their Sunday best. Many wore a mask. Singing was allowed, where once it wasn’t. Today it felt right to be able to sing loudly with the blessing of family by my side. Even though our voices were muffled, the tunes reverberated through the church to sound as they had before the pandemic arrived. There were newer tunes mixed with the old. The older ones I hummed as a child until I learned the words. The newer songs are joyfully nice, but the traditional ones are engrained and bring me to the many Easters I’ve been able to observe. It was good to be able to celebrate Easter mass in a familiar way – a way that felt like coming home again.

Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to
strength and beauty and happiness. ~Floyd W. Tomkins

When a Person Befriends a Butterfly…

Jun5

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

This morning, I had a craving for a specialty coffee. I quickly ordered the Americano on the app on my phone. When I was in the garage, getting ready to get in the car, I saw a beautiful butterfly. She looked like she was stuck in the window pane. My little blow of breath on her wings confirmed she was still alive. A stick was close by. I gently nudged her and tried to get her to climb on board.

“Come on little butterfly, climb on the stick,” I said. “I won’t hurt you. I won’t try to hurt you,” I corrected myself. I talked in that high pitched voice that only butterflies appreciate! After a few minutes, she went on the stick. She seemed a little dazed. I wondered if she was exhausted from trying to get through the screen or possibly I woke her from a nap. She held on tight, as I took her outside and set her and the stick with the potted geraniums.

Off I went to pick up my mobile order. When I got home, the butterfly was still sitting with the geraniums. The sun was shining on her open wings. I hoped she wasn’t getting too warm, but then I thought the sun would do her some good. I went over to our little patch of milkweed and wondered if she would like some. The leaves were so big, I didn’t want to take any part of it away. Besides, it’s caterpillars that feast on those. It’d be better if she tried to find her own food, I decided. I traipsed back to the butterfly, and my shadow must have given her a fright. Maybe she waited for me to show me how she could fly. Up and up she went and floated away on a breeze.

It must be a lucky day, when a person befriends a butterfly. I hope she gets some good nectar.

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond. ~ Irish Blessing

Cheering Us On

Apr6

Lila and I saw this sidewalk art when we went on our walk this morning. It’s a new creation that appeared since our last visit. The creative designs greeted us just as we came out of the tunnel. As we approached the drawings, the birds’ songs seemed to get louder as if they were welcoming us. It was like the little creatures knew what I was reading and were cheering us on. It seemed like we were entering a magical forest. The birds quieted down as we went on our way to walk around the rest of the path.

Hopefully, these signs will cheer you on too!

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown

Thanks for the Love

Apr4

My husband and I planned on a big outing this weekend, because we were tired of eating at home. Isn’t everyone?! I suggested we order food from Pub 819. I had recently gone there and had their Yum Yum Bowl, which has marinated flank steak, kimchee, fried egg, yum yum sauce, green onions, and coconut rice. My cravings for it would not go away!

It was nice to get in the car and go for a drive. The neighborhood has been filled with people walking and getting fresh air. The roads were very quiet. When we got to the restaurant, we could easily find a parking spot right next to the front door. Usually the streets are lined with parked cars. Today, more people were on the sidewalks than there were cars on the road.

One car was in front of us. When they got their food, we pulled up to the spot where they had been, as we were following the directions on the sign by the front door. We called the restaurant to let them know we had arrived. A few minutes later, a young lady skipped out, holding a plastic bag tight in her hand.

“Two Yum Yum Bowls,” she said with a perky smile. Her blond hair was pulled tight and was gathered up into a ponytail that sat up high on the crown of her head.

“Yes, thank you,” I said, as I took the bag from her. I tried to mirror her perky smile. The smell of the Yum Yum Bowls drifted up into my face, even though all the contents were wrapped snug.

After we got home and opened the bag, I found a handwritten note, which said, “Thanks for the love.” We never got a note like that from a restaurant before. I knew that note would stick in my mind forever.

Kindness is the most tender and effective form of leaving a memory inside people’s hearts. ~Dodinsky

Right Out of a Story Book

Jun24

Train Trip to Lucerne

Traveling from Interlaken to Lucerne

How lucky we were to be able to travel along and have each step of our trip be more beautiful than the last. Now, even a short time after our travels, while looking at pictures, it’s like every photo was taken straight out of a story book.

As you can see from the pictures above, the countryside is quite beautiful. We traveled by train from Grindelwald back to Interlaken and then to Lucerne. Lucerne was the biggest town we visited, yet we were able to see a lot on our walks about town.

Lucerne Walk About Town River Ruess

Lucerne River Ruess Chapel Bridge

Lucerne Walk Around Town

Lucerne – Walk by the Lake

Lucerne Walk About Town

City of Lucerne

One great find was Lucerne’s parish church, the Church of St. Leodegar. It was built in parts during 1633 to 1639. There certainly was a lot of detailed work to appreciate here.

Lucerne Church of St. Leodegar

A very nice day of weather greeted us when we went on a boat ride on Lake Lucerne. Guests can listen to an audio tour where they learn about the castle, dragons, and some interesting legends.

Lake Lucerne Boat Ride on Saphir

Lake Lucerne Boat Ride on Saphir Palace on Hill

Lake Lucerne Boat Ride on Saphir

Lake Lucerne

We enjoyed our stay at the Wilden Mann, a historical hotel that has been in business since 1860. The other hotels where we stayed had been around for a while too, but those rooms had been updated and modernized. This hotel kept its historical flare.

Lucerne Walk Around Town Wilden Mann Hotel Where we Stayed

Lucerne Walk Around Town Wilden Mann

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant

The Wilden Mann has two restaurants: French and Swiss. We had dinner at the Swiss restaurant with traditional Swiss furnishings. The waiter took our order and then delivered bread and a tiny salad with fresh tomatoes and cheese. I also had the asparagus cream soup, which was not super thick, and came with a bit of mango salad. The meatloaf was served with a red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. My husband had the sausage with shoe string potatoes, and onions wrapped in bacon. We topped it all off with a chocolate cake dessert which was served with strawberry “soup” and topped with whipped cream and carmelized sugar.

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant – Little Salad with Fresh Tomatoes and Cheese

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant – Creamy Asparagus Soup

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant – Meatloaf with Red Wine Sauce, Potatoes, and Asparagus

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant – Pork Sausage with Shoestring Potatoes, Onions and Onion Sauce

Lucerne Wilden Mann Swiss Restaurant – Chocolate Cake in Strawberry Soup Dessert

Though it looked like our trip was straight out of a story book, the best part was exploring all these little towns and going on an adventure together. It was a great way to celebrate a special wedding anniversary. 🙂

An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today,
the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow. ~Author unknown