Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tuesday's This and That


My very first coneflower has bloomed!  I'm so excited to see they survived the harsh winter and the plants are healthy and loaded with buds.

 
The Stella's are blooming now, too.  The flowers are really loving the rains we've been getting.  As is the grass, which is making the yard mowing a never-ending job, it needs mowing as I speak.  See in the photo above how tall the grass in the pasture is?  It needs mowing and the hay baled.  We wait on our neighbor to do that when he has time. 


I won't complain about the yard work after the long, cold winter we had.  Too much.  Not after I find some knee pads to wear so I can easily kneel on the ground to pull weeds without my knees aching so much.  I need to get my pitiful looking zinnia and sunflower garden weeded.  Soon as I find something for my knees.     


Yesterday was one of those days that seemed like a good day to read.  I picked up a Gladys Taber book and read a few chapters.  Her books are akin to eating comfort food for me and they immediately transport me back in time to a simpler way of life. I love the word pictures she paints of her life at Stillmeadow and her love for nature and animals.  Her writing is much like talking to an old friend about birds, the weather, gardening, pets, cooking and living the simple life.  Do you have a book that you love to read that transports you into a place of peace and comfort?  I'll leave you with a quote of hers that I like.
  
“Perhaps, after all, our best thoughts come when we are alone. It is good to listen, not to voices but to the wind blowing, to the brook running cool over polished stones, to bees drowsy with the weight of pollen. If we attend to the music of the earth, we reach serenity. And then, in some unexplained way, we share it with others.”  ~Gladys Taber

Happy Tuesday to you!

xo Cheryl

30 comments:

  1. I LOVE Gladys Tabor's quote!!! Your flowers are so beautiful, and so is the butterfly.

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  2. You take lovely photos! I really like the quote from Gladys Taber, thanks for sharing it.
    Best,
    Sharon

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  3. gorgeous blooms. love all the colors. so vibrant. ( :

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  4. love those cone flowers and i want some of them... that second photo is just gorgeous with all that brilliant color. i agree with that quote... i love to sit in the swing in the back yard staring at the trees and flowers and the pool reflections and feeling the gulf breezes... palms flowing in the breeze calms my spirit

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  5. Nothing like colorful garden flowers to bring me some cheer . . .
    Ours are just beginning to pop all over!
    Thank you for sending the "treats!"

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  6. A lovely quote to start the day with. I share your love for Gladys Taber books. I have several that I read often and every time I do it's like visiting with an old friend.
    Your flowers look beautiful and so healthy. I'm heading out to deadhead my Stella's after my coffee cup is empty.

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  7. Oh my,....beautiful colors and beautiful flowers. You have much to be proud of with a flower garden like this...
    Thanks so much for sharing today..... Flowers always make me have a cheerful heart...
    Enjoy the day!!

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  8. Beautiful, beautiful blooms! Thank you for sharing your green thumb with us!

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  9. Oh I love Coneflowers, one of my fav's. Everything looks so fresh and pretty, beautiful pictures, Francine.

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  10. Awesome! So glad that your coneflowers survived the winter, and what a reward....beautiful blooms!!

    I love your flowers, and gardens, and I can relate about the never ending weeds. Still beats snow~~~*grin**!

    Coreopsis is one of the happiest flowers, and it always reminds me of my husbands grandmother. They were her favorite, and one of the first plants that she gave me.

    Guess I've been living in a cave, because I've not heard of the author that you mentioned. I am heading over to Amazon to check on her books.

    Hope today is a happy day for you.

    Kerin

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  11. Wow, your flowers are so pretty and lush looking, Cheryl!
    With the Winter we had, I am surprised to see I have anything still living here.

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  12. your yard is looking GREAT! good luck getting knee pads or one of those soft boards you move around with you.

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  13. Cheryl, You have a green thumb. Things are so pretty there. I have not seen any buds on my cone flowers. but a couple lilies did bloom. xoxo,Susie

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  14. Cheryl, Your flowers are beautiful. My grass is growing with all of the rain that we have had. Some scary weather to boot along with it. I never lost my lights but some did. We have some of the rivers flooding up here. It is raining this morning, but at least it is a gentle rain. Have a wonderful day. Hugs and Prayers from your NW Missouri Friend.

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  15. Your flowers are ahead of me ( coneflowers etc ) but I hear you about the never ending grass mowing! Have you ever read any Jean Hersey books? If you like Gladys Tabor you'll like her too ( I've gotten mine used, online )

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  16. Such a wonderful quote. I love it. Your flowers are beautiful.

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  17. Pretty....such bright vivid colors to grace my eyes today. Wow....around here, yes we have flowers blooming but sadly it's beginning to dry up in the heat....again!!! Dazzling photos..

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    1. ps....checking out your Friday Randoms post just now to catch up a bit. LOL on the censorship. Made me spew my soda.

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  18. Lovely quote..I will have to find one of her books to read. Your flowers are lovely!

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  19. I am not sure I have anyone I read just for comfort. However, I used to always check out the library's audio version of All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg and listen to it either at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    I hope I can remember to look up Gladys Tabor...did I spell it right? Anyway, may check our library right now while it is on my mind.

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    1. Her books are pretty old, but our little library has a couple so maybe yours will too! She spelled her name Taber, with an "e". :) Let me know if you find one and how you liked it!

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  20. Just checked...nothing digital at library or Amazon...but would swear I have either read or looked for Still Cove Journal. But, both libraries I got to at least have a couple regular books!

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    1. I just saw this comment after I replied above! I have read one book about Still Cove and it was very good, but I prefer the Stillmeadow books, but that's just me!

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  21. Cheryl..your flowers are beautiful!! Love that butterfly too! Oh..Gladys Tabor is my favorite....I can relate to her every word..as if she were talking to me today!What an amazing writer she was! The Book of Stillmeadow is probably my favorite!

    Blessings,
    Gert

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    1. The Book of Stillmeadow is one I haven't got, so I ordered it yesterday. I'm looking forward to reading it and more so after hearing it's your favorite which means it's extra good!

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  22. Beautiful color combinations you have chosen for your flowers. I have never read Gladys Taber, but I very much want to based on this and others' recommendations. I agree that quiet is often preferable to the tv or radio.

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  23. I try not to complain about summer too, but I always succumb. Always.
    Yay for your coneflower...so pretty!

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  24. Your flowers are so very bright and beautiful, Cheryl! Yes, after a most lingering and icy winter, summer, along with all of its features, even back breaking weeding, is a blessing! Thank you so much for introducing me to Gladys Taber and her whimsical words; so enjoyed this excerpt of her work and will definitely keep her in mind for my next good read!

    Have a lovely day!

    Poppy

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  25. Lovely yard Cheryl! I have to say I am ready to dry out a bit.. :)

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