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What will you be when we are old and gray?
The savings bank of the squirrel and mouse,
For robin and wren, an apartment house.
The dressing room of the butterfly's ball,
The locusts and katydids' concert hall.
The schoolboys' ladder in the pleasant June,
The schoolgirls' tent in the July noon.
And my leaves shall whisper them merrily
A tale of the children, who planted me."
~19th C Anonymous~
She heard a chirp and a twitter, and when she looked at the bare flower-bed at her left side there he was hopping about and pretending to peck things out of the earth to persuade her that he had not followed her. But she knew he had followed her and the surprise so filled her with delight that she almost trembled a little.
"You do remember me!" she cried out. "You do! You are prettier than anything else in the world!"
She chirped, and talked, and coaxed and he hopped, and flirted his tail and twittered. It was as if he were talking. His red waistcoat was like satin and he puffed his tiny breast out and was so fine and so grand and so pretty that it was really as if he were showing her how important and like a human person a robin could be. Mistress Mary forgot that she had ever been contrary in her life when he allowed her to draw closer and closer to him, and bend down and talk and try to make something like robin sounds... ~ Frances Hodgson-Burnett~
On both sides of the house was a big orchard, one of apple trees and one of cherry trees, also showered over with blossoms; and their grass was all sprinkled with dandelions. In the garden below were lilac trees purple with flowers, and their drizzly sweet fragrance drifted up to the window on the morning wind...
Anne's beauty-loving eyes lingered on it all, taking everything greedily in; she had looked on so many unlovely places in her life, poor child; but this was as lovely as anything she ever dreamed.
L.M. Montgomery
~Anne of Green Gables~
Those words come from a poem that goes like this:
"There is nothing I can give you which you have not;
But there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take.
No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.
Take Heaven.
No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.
Take Peace.
The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.
Take Joy." ~ --Fra Giovanni, A.D. 1513
I first heard the words "Take Joy" from Tasha Tudor... she is an amazing lady, author, illustrator, gardener who lives in Vermont and has chosen to live her life as if she were living in the early 1800's. Her life has fascinated & intrigued me for years now. I've found much inspiration in reading little tid bits about her since she has mostly been a private person. The little information that I have learned about her has endeared her to me and her way of life. Here are some photos I wanted to share from a 1992 Victoria article...
I read on her website they do tours of her gardens! Well, maybe one of these days...:)
May you always find a way to "TAKE JOY" in your life, every day! Thank you for stopping in today!!
I feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful girls thru blogland...and thus, so many worlds have been opened to me...Thank you so much for sharing your loves, life,talents & your encouraging words! It really has touched my life and heart, more than words can express... lots and lots of virtual hugs to you all!
