Amidst the Blooms

Late springtime flowers hug the old porch with fragrance and color.

'Million Bells' spills deep pink from a rustic pot.

'Henryii' clematis twining around the post.

Sweet English lavender dances with even sweeter roses.

Soft, cushy pillows tossed onto a vintage wicker sofa under an azure sky...

whisper of sleep.

'Walker's Low' catmint lining the brick walk fills the air with invigorating scent.

Shade deepens along the woods hem.

Frilly, feminine 'Josephine' blooms happily on the arbor by the porch.

Tree peony blooms nod heavily.

Their fragrance intensely intoxicating.

Sweet and ruffly 'Sarah Bernhardt' sighs in the warm sunshine.

Fragrant "Knock Out" roses budding yellow sunshine
and opening to vanilla ice cream.

Green embraces white.

Lanterns filled with fairy lights will glow softly with falling dusk.

A catnap amidst the blooms calls to me...

 ~ Blessings ~

Next week Friday (June 1), I'll be guest posting over at Stacey's beautiful blog, A Sort of Fairytale. She's been giving some fabulous house tours, and I was honored to be asked to share my shabby French-Nordic farmhouse with you.
You are cordially invited to join me there!

Linking to the parties on the lower right of my sidebar.

Just click on the buttons.

Garden Bliss...

Good morning, all!  ~

Want to see some real garden bliss?  Some fragrant, head swirling, floral eye candy - and a quaint little visitor to my garden?

After putting a load of laundry in this afternoon, I ventured out into the breezy sunshine to gather up the mail.  My walk to the mailbox, though short enough, always delivers some sort of photo opportunity waiting to be captured. Raindrops on petals, bees so heavy with pollen that it looks like they're wearing little yellow bloomers, a new bud, the pine trees sporting little green gloves of fresh growth, and a quaint little visitor that happened to stop by Heaven's Walk for the day.

So, take a deep breath.........Now close your eyes.........Breath out........

Now open your eyes (otherwise you won't be able to enjoy these photos *wink).

And enjoy some garden bliss.......

Lovely, yes?

As I walked past the front porch, I noticed a little gray something setting on the steps. Hmmmm....I looked closer to discover that what I had thought was a stone, 

was actually what I believed to be a little gray toad.

  Eyes closed. Napping in the sunshine. A picture of total contentment...

He sat there so quietly. Not wanting to be noticed. Not making a sound.

He heaved a big sigh.   

(Well...not really, but I imagined he did. He seemed that happy.) 

I was amazed how well 

he blended in with the pale, gray chippy paint on the steps. 

I thought, "How different from the blooms in the garden on the other side of the house.  Their colors shout to me to take notice, boasting their beauty, and seemingly 

very, very proud of themselves."

But here was this little guy.  

Small...unobtrusive...quietly and happily warming his tiny belly,

snoozing away the afternoon 

in the pale sunshine my front steps.

I wondered where he had come from.  From how far?  Had he made his new home in the mulch beneath the stairs? How did he know that his color matched the paint on the steps and that he would be safe there?

I sighed. How blessed I feel to be given the opportunity and the God-given awareness 

to catch moments like this in the world around me. 

I wish you blessings on this beautiful spring day - and I pray that you, too, will see something new outside your door today that you make you stop in wonder and gratitude....  :)

~ laurie

Ballerina skirts and lady slippers

Good morning, my Heaven's Walk friends ~

Do you remember as a child proudly announcing to your parents what you wanted to be when you grew up?  Teacher?  Chef?  Artist?

My dream was always to be a ballerina. I was mesmorized by the beautiful white flowing skirts that billowed and floated as the dancers leaped and twirled across the smooth wood floor, landing ever so lightly and without a sound. Their pirouettes and releves left me breathless.  Even the sound of the words that described their movements were beautiful to me.  Jette', adagio, arabesque, battement.  Sweet and feminine and romantic. I wanted their toned, shapely bodies.  Their perfectly arched necks and feminine hand movements right down to their fingertips.

(sigh!) Oh yes, I wanted to be a ballerina.

Today as I walked through my garden to gather some blooms for Heaven's Walk, I caught my white peonies pirouetting in the sun. Their pure white petals were large and silky and swayed in the breeze. Ballerina skirts...

I wanted to shrink myself down so that I could pull one of those flirty skirts over my hips and pirouette with them.

Their fragrance was intoxicating. They beckoned me.

I left them to dance their dance above their leaves of green.

As I rounded the corner of the garden, the Lady Slippers were hearing the garden music, too.  They were all lined up in perfect formation complete with their rose colored bell-shaped skirts and petite white slippers.They were dancing with the catmint.

They danced and whirled for me.

And I smiled.

Garden music heard by my ears only.  A private ballet witnessed by me alone.

No, my dream never did come true. But that little ballerina still lives inside of me, you know. Twirling on my toes in the sunshine with my head thrown back and my arms out wide.

And I am just as happy to be blessed with a ballet in my garden -

It's enough for me....

...for now...

Keep dancing.....

~ Laurie