“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label poem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poem. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2016

A New Year Soon Begins





The moving song below was performed on one of the Christmas specials I recently watched.  I was first drawn in by the beautiful melody and then the lyrics.  

I was unable to locate a recording to post, but I hope you enjoy the lovely, but bittersweet lyrics. They reflect my feelings about this past year and the new one that is almost upon us.  It's a nod to the past and a glance towards the future. Let's hope there are more bright moments and fewer dark days ahead. So while our futures are still unknown, perhaps if we all hold strong together we'll get through it.





Thou Gracious God


Thou gracious God, whose mercy lends
the light of home, the smile of friends,
our gathered flock thine arms enfold
as in the peaceful days of old.

Wilt thou not hear us while we raise
in sweet accord of solemn praise
the voices that have mingled long
in joyous flow of mirth and song?

For all the blessings life has brought,
for all its sorrowing hours have taught,
for all we mourn, for all we keep,
the hands we clasp, the loved that sleep.

The noontide sunshine of the past,
these brief, bright moments fading fast,
the stars that gild our darkening years,
the twilight ray from holier spheres.

We thank thee, Father; let thy grace
our loving circle still embrace,
thy mercy shed its heavenly store,
thy peace be with us evermore.


Words/lyrics - American Poet - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. 1869 
Music/English Folk Tune - Wareham


Monday, April 4, 2016

The Dancing Bunnies

Spring is here! Yesterday felt like spring, warm sun and light breezes enveloped my back yard! It was so pleasant after the cold brutal winds we'd had the day before. The air had been scrubbed clean and the only scent was of spruce and pine mixed with the warming earth.

I've been using the image of dancing bunnies for awhile now in my Etsy shop and decided that they were so cute that I would add them to my blog too.  I thought I remembered a poem about dancing bunnies and I found this one by English poet Elizabeth Coatsworth.  This poem happens to be about dancing in the winter, but I know they also dance in the spring, summer and fall, because I've actually seen them!

Dancing Rabbits

We who play under the pines,
We who dance in the snow,
That shines blue in the light of the moon,
Sometimes halt as we go.
Stand with our ears erect,
Our noses testing the air,
To gaze at the golden world,
Behind the window there.

Suns they have in a cave,
And stars each on a tall white stem,
And the thought of fox or night owl,
Seems never to trouble them.
They laugh and they eat and are warm,
Their food seems ready at hand,
While hungry out in the cold
We little rabbits stand.

But they never dance as we dance,
They have not the speed nor grace,
We scorn both the cat and the dog,
Who lie by the fireplace,
We scorn them licking their paws,
Their eyes on an upraised spoon,
We who dance hungry and wild,
Under a winter's moon.

Elizabeth Coatsworth




 


While I've not seen bunnies wearing bows in my backyard, I have seen them jumping, running and playing with each other and with the squirrels. Even though the cute bunnies grow up to be hungry rabbits I still love seeing them and forgive them their transgressions while feasting on my tulips!

Have a lovely week my friends! 
I hope you're enjoying some spring-like weather wherever you are!
~~ Diane ~~

 

Monday, February 1, 2016

The Hunger Moon

Welcome February...




In February there are days,
Blue, and nearly warm,
When horses switch their tails, and ducks
Go quacking through the farm.
When all the world turns round to feel
The sun upon its back...
When winter lifts a little bit
And spring peeks through the crack!

Dorothy Aldis


  
Poem and artwork (by artist Robert J. Lee) borrowed from my personal collection of vintage books and book art.

February is sometimes referred to as the Hunger Moon due to the difficulty obtaining food at this time of year. Of course that was before supermarkets and Costcos. However, me must not forget that there are still many people that do not have enough food for their families.


Food insecure—At times during the year, these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food.

  • 14.0 percent (17.4 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2014. (source)



Another more common name used now days is the Snow Moon, for obvious reasons, the snow piles that get even higher in the month of February.

In fact we are expecting more snow this week, just a little bit, most of the heavy snow is going to blanket the states south of us. We still have yet to see a real blizzard here this winter. I'm actually a little disappointed!

Stay safe and warm wherever you are, 
and thanks again for stopping in to visit! 
If you are able to donate to your local food shelf this month, 
I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it.

~~ Diane ~~




Thursday, April 9, 2015

Once Upon a Time



We have April showers.  The rain is pattering on the roof and when I step outside I smell the sweet scent of spring earth .... the smell of the garden waking up after its long winter slumber. The Fairies are awake again too, and they sometimes sneak in and bring little presents.

I found one hanging out next to the bottle of Port wine. He looks to be holding up some kind of little snack. Don't mind if I do little Fairy friend. The sound of rain on the roof, a wee bit of Port and a snack. It's a nice way to spend the evening.

I remembered that somewhere in my image files I also had a sweet little Fairy poem with an illustration. Probably ripped from some old magazine long ago, I love the illustration and the poem.  I uploaded it to my Fairy Pinterest board and wrote the poem out so it's easier to read.






Once Upon a Time by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman illustrated by Childe Hassam circa 1900







Once Upon A Time

Now, once upon a time, a nest of fairies
Was in a meadow 'neath a wild rose-tree;
And, once upon a time, the violets clustered
So thick around it one could scarcely see;
And, once upon a time, a troop of children
Came dancing by upon the flowery ground;
And, once upon a time, the nest of fairies,
With shouts of joy and wonderment they found;
And, once upon a time, the fairies fluttered
On purple winglets, shimmering in the sun;
And, once upon a time, the nest forsaking,
They flew off thro' the violets, every one;
And, once upon a time, the children followed
With loud halloos along the meadow green;
And, once upon a time, the fairies vanished,
And never more could one of them be seen;
And, once upon a time, the children sought them
For many a day, but fruitless was their quest,
For, once upon a time, amid the violets,
They only found the fairies' empty nest.

by
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

illustrated 
by Childe Hassam

 

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (October 31, 1852 – March 13, 1930) was a prominent 19th-century American author.  Frederick Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was a prolific American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. In 1882, Hassam became a free-lance illustrator (known as a "black-and-white man" in the trade), and established his first studio. He specialized in illustrating children's stories for magazines such as Harper's Weekly, Scribner's Monthly, and The Century.




Remember if you come upon some Fairies in the garden, tread softly, 
you don't want to frighten them away!
~~ Diane ~~






Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Hello March


Time goes on. The days are growing longer again and March has arrived with the promise of spring. We still are bound by the cold winds and snow, but soon we will welcome the first blooms of a native flower called bloodroot.

Such an awful name for such a pretty flower. Named for the red sap that leaks from the roots when cut, it should have a better name....  March Miracle, or Miracle In Snow perhaps, because it will bloom even at the coldest temperatures and with snow upon its leaves. The Latin name is Sanguinaria, which isn't much better.  So by the end of the month or at least by early April, we will see the flowers starting to bloom.

The Poem below is from one of my favorite vintage children's books, Poems for Boys and Girls illustrated by Marjorie Barrows.  I hope you enjoy this somewhat melancholy, yet hopeful poem. Thanks to Debra's observation, I have provided a link for more about the author of the poem, click on her name to find out more.








The Night Will Never Stay
by

The night will never stay,
The night will still go by.
Though with a million stars
You pin it to the sky,
Though you bind it with the blowing wind
And buckle it with the moon,
The night will slip away
Like sorrow or a tune



I hope your week is full of peace and love.
~~Diane~~



What are the signs of spring in your area?


*click for more about Eleanor Farjeon

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Auld Lang Syne





Remember this old gem of a song? This tune is familiar to most of us and I'm sure you faked your way through the lyrics quite a few times. There are several versions of the song and I found a bit more about it on the somewhat accurate Wikipedia site. Read on.....

Robert Burns sent a copy of the original song to the Scots Musical Museum with the remark, "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man."  Some of the lyrics were indeed "collected" rather than composed by the poet; the ballad "Old Long Syne" printed in 1711 by James Watson shows considerable similarity in the first verse and the chorus to Burns' later poem, and is almost certainly derived from the same "old song".
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
On Old long syne.
CHORUS:
On Old long syne my Jo,
On Old long syne,
That thou canst never once reflect,
On Old long syne.


        This is the version we generally sing here.


         

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
for days of auld lang syne?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my jo (friend),
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak' a cup o’ kindness yet,
for days of auld lang syne.

source 



I've included a few favorite versions of the song on my SoundCloud playlist on the top right, scroll down if you'd like to hear other versions.



from Music Through the Year
Ring out the old, Ring in the New!






from Music Through the Year

Old Father Annum

Old Father Annum on New Year's Day
Picked up his bag of months and years,
Thrust in his hand in a careless way,
And pulled a wee fellow out by the ears.

"There you are," said he to the waiting crowd,
"He's as good as any I have in my pack,
I never can tell, but I hope to be proud
Of the little rascal when I come back."

~ Leroy F. Jackson









Happy New Year to All!

However you celebrate, I hope it is Merry and Safe!
See you all soon!
~~Diane~~




Sunday, November 30, 2014

Christmas Fairies

Well here we are! It's December and the holiday rush accelerates! Oh I do wish I had a few extra Christmas Fairies running about that would help me with the decorating and preparations for the Christmas festivities! Instead I have an inquisitive helper who would rather play with the garland than help hang it (Guy)!

I love the vintage image of the fairy below, whipping up some beautiful holly out of her magic Christmas kettle.  I do not know who the illustrator is but I find it quite adorable!  The equally lovely poem below is by author Lewis Carroll.





Christmas Greetings from a Fairy to a Child

Lady, dear, if Fairies may
For a moment lay aside
Cunning tricks and elfish play,
'Tis at happy Christmas-tide.

We have heard the children say -
Gentle children, whom we love -
Long ago on Christmas Day,
Came a message from above,

Still, as Christmas-tide comes round,
They remember it again -
Echo still the joyful sound
"Peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Yet the hearts must childlike be
Where such heavenly guests abide;
Unto children, in their glee,
All the year is Christmas-tide!

Thus, forgetting tricks and play
For a moment, Lady dear,
We would wish you, if we may,
Merry Christmas, Glad New Year!

Christmas 1887 ~ Lewis Carroll


Thank you all for visiting! 
I'm looking forward to checking in on all of your lovely 
blogs to see what you've been up to! 

Happy Holidays ~~ Diane 


 

Friday, January 31, 2014

The Playhouse

As a child, did you ever have a playhouse or treehouse?

When I was little, about 7 or 8, I had an actual house for a playhouse. Our family farm had a one bedroom house set several hundred feet away from the main house behind some trees. It had been built back in the early 1900's for the farm-hand to live in. It had no indoor plumbing, but it did have a sink (the water was caught underneath in a bucket). There was a hand pump outside for water. It also had an outhouse. The house was occupied most of the time up until the mid 1950's and then rendered vacant for a decade or so.  It was finally sold to a neighbor and was moved and turned into a small lake cabin.

During it's vacant period, my cousin and I transformed it into a very fine playhouse for a couple of summers. My cousin was older than me and was good at improvising, we scrounged a few odds and ends from the house that my mother let us have. The cats and dogs were our kids and we had a grand old time in there. We did lots of pretending and dreaming there, many fantasy cakes and cookies and fabulous fun was had!

We were already re-purposing and recycling before it was trendy and I don't think we ever uttered the words, "We're Bored!" once. It was the best playhouse ever!  I think my mother loved it; we were not underfoot and she knew we were safe and occupied!

The sweet little poem below sparked my memory of my playhouse, I hope you enjoy it and the cute illustrations by Lois Maloy.




Tell me about your playhouse! ~ Diane



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Coming of Snow

Thanksgiving is here and snow is soon to arrive just in time to throw a snag into your travel plans.  Yes, I know, it was just a few months ago that I was ranting about being sick of snow, but I am over that now. I really am thankful, for Snow!






Many of you have already had your first taste of snow and we here in Minnesota ready ourselves for the real snow storm that will inevitably occur sometime soon.

The shovels stand in the corner of the garage accessible when needed. Some sand is ready if we get a bit of ice. My husband and I handle snow the old-fashioned way, with a shovel. No power, just the quite scrape of the snow shovel on the sidewalk. 



It really isn't such a difficult job and I love shoveling at twilight when the air is getting still and the sky is turning from pink to purple. I love that time, when it is so quiet, and I often stop shoveling to rest and just listen to .... the silence.  When all is done, a cup of hot cocoa makes it all so worth it. Looking out at the backyard and seeing the soft snow while cradling a warm cup in my hand is a beautiful feeling. 







I found this lovely poem that gives a sense of this time of year, the end of autumn, right before the snow.....



Variations: II 
 
Green light, from the moon,
Pours over the dark blue trees,
Green light from the autumn moon
Pours on the grass ...
Green light falls on the goblin fountain
Where hesitant lovers meet and pass.

They laugh in the moonlight, touching hands,
They move like leaves on the wind ...
I remember an autumn night like this,
And not so long ago,
When other lovers were blown like leaves,
Before the coming of snow.
  Conrad Aiken

 

I want to say that I am thankful for many other things,
but I am especially thankful for all of the wonderful people who
visit and comment here.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

White Horses

Some days you are just lucky. I had a day like that last weekend. My husband and I were driving to an apple orchard outside of town and came across this lovely sight. Three gorgeous white horses in a pasture.

My husband stopped the car and I got out to take some photos. The horses were not interested in me too much, I think they may be used to people stopping and taking their pictures. Only one raised his head to look at me and then they went back to their beautifully choreographed grazing.




































I'll get to the apples next time, because I thought these gorgeous creatures deserved their own special post. I even found a nice poem to go along with today's theme.







White Horses

Let us ride white horses,
And pray the silver sand,
Beneath the hooves,
Hold us in high esteem,
And carry us loftily,
To mingle with the stars,
And dance on sunbeams,
Which tumble gracefully,
On a dusty wooden floor...


 

*** I hope you are enjoying your week.  I will be back in a few days with apples and maybe a recipe! Who knows! See you soon on your blogs!
 ~~ Diane ~~

 

Monday, February 18, 2013

I Have Promises to Keep . . .

Many of you may look at this and think it's way too late to be posting winter poems, well technically speaking, spring does not arrive for another few weeks.  Actually spring arrives on March 20 this year.  If you live in the northern climes as I do, then it may not feel or look like spring until mid or late April. This marking of time has got me thinking though. Thinking that I better get may act together! No more hiding under the covers and hibernating till spring arrives, I have much to do!


illustrated by Lois Maloy
After checking my never ending To Do List and realizing that I was not crossing anything off, but only adding things to it, I decided I needed to take a blog break to catch up.  I find that blogging, writing and reading other peoples blogs is much more enjoyable that say doing my shop inventory or getting our taxes organized! However since I can not put them off any longer I will be taking a couple of weeks off of posting to my blog.  I may still stop in and visit on other blogs, but as the poem says, 'I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep', so no guarantees!


Take care everyone! I will be back in March sometime.
~~ Diane ~~




Friday, February 15, 2013

A Winter Walk . . .

Come with me on a winter walk.  We start in my own backyard and travel through a
large naturalized park nearby.  ~ Diane



Nature is full of
genius,
full of the 
divinity 
so that not a
snowflake
escapes its
fashioning hand.

~ Henry David Thoreau





















Linked with A Piece of Heaven

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

February Nature Notes . . .

Image by Edith Holden from The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady

The cold depths of our winter all too often bring depressingly low cloud cover like we have today. The sunlight struggles to break through and make up for all the energy lost during the long, dark nights. Today the sun is nowhere to be seen, the sky is a flat white, no clouds, no blue skies. The Roman mythology goddess of Spring, Flora herself appears to be locked in ice!

It's nice to know that she will eventually make her spring time appearance in April, even though that seems so far away. While I wait for her, my thoughts will be wandering and for the next week or so will be occupied with red hearts and chocolate candies. Thank goodness for Valentine's Day!