Life Ain't No Ride on No Pink Duck

We've been in and out of rain showers for a few days here. This sweet image is so charming to me. Karen @ A Scrapbook of Inspiration offered it as a free image right *here.* It is from one of her many Pink Saturday posts, which are always not only lovely, but filled with lovely thoughts, too.

When I first saw the little girl in her pink-ribboned dress, I knew that Kathy at Shocking Pink Thread must've loved it because it fits the theme of her blog so well. That theme comes from one of Patsy Clairmont's quotes..."Joy must be the shocking pink thread in our tapestry..." Today, I found the quote it its entirety and laughed:

Joy must be the shocking pink thread in our tapestry because people seem stunned by the flamboyant stitch. When we exhibit joy during trying times, others view us as odd ducks, 'cause everyone knows life ain't no ride on no pink duck.

as taken from Contagious Joy by Christa Kinde.

On that fun note, let's look for the pink thread or perhaps even the pink duck!

(Clicking on the title of this post will help you get started. No, no! Good heavens, no! I am not calling Patsy Clairmont's web site a pink duck, though it could well be a pink thread.)

Edited to Add: Now what was I saying about joy in trying times? Overnight there have been some developments.

snow on forsythia

snow on lilac leaves

snow on tender new maple leaves in the forest

Breathing deeply here...okay, this might be an M&M breakfast morning.

Enjoy your Saturday. Hopefully, it's better than this...

Kathy's Gift

What a nice surprise! Noooo, it really was more than that when I received an unexpected package earlier this week. It was more like a reminder...just a little something to say I'm thinking of you and wanting to encourage you. In fact, those were the kinds of words that Kathy used in her email later. It worked.







It's a vintage book of essays by Helen V. Taylor about growing up in Maine. Kathy suggests that my family may want to read the book aloud...true, but I've been doing some advance snooping and I've found a paragraph that could be written about my life here at Haven.

As an old lady she was like a little sparrow. She chattered and chattered and much of what she said was about herself. She was curious about everything and when a team went by the house she quickly went to the window and stood to one side and told us details about the passerby...her gentle voice flowed on and on, around us and beside us, and she didn't often expect a response.

Yes, this could have been written about my grandmother, perhaps about many grandmothers. Nan has, given her front room location, the job of town crier. She is quick to let us know when the mailman has delivered the mail or the plow is making another sweep. She doesn't think that I can hear these things without her announcement. Too cute! Her favorite announcement is that John is home. Mine, too.

Mostly, it reminds me of a Laura Ingalls Wilder book being from the same genre. And the illustrations are so sweet. The chapter called "Maine Winter" describes nearly every winter I've ever known...

Winters in Maine were long and severe. Snow usually fell in early November and the ground was not bare until late March.

But my favorite is a little recipe from the same chapter. Next time it snows I'll try this and report back...

When soft clean snow had just fallen on the kitchen windowsill, Mother would let me open the window quickly and fill a bowl with snow. Then I sprinkled it with sugar and the juice of an orange. It made snow ice cream which had to be eaten fast before it melted.

You will find Kathy at Shocking Pink Thread and you'll be glad that you did!

A Fun Twist

Kathy at Shocking Pink Thread had a birthday and she gave me a present! Now isn't that a fun twist?





Dinner was on the table yesterday when John brought in the mail. I had worried about the lack of dessert and figured that I might just have to open a can of peaches, but those yummy little Reese's peanut butter eggs worked delightfully. Thanks, Kathy! The bookmark is beautiful and the little tag has also been made into a wonderful bookmark. What a great birthday party it was with wonderful birthday favors!

Has anyone read The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey? After just finishing one of Beth Moore's books written in a conversational style, we are finding Yancey's quite intense and thought-provoking, even mildly disturbing. That's good. We need to be disturbed from time to time.

In other news...



Yes, it's the end of sap season in the Maple Grove. I forgot to tell you that I was able to enjoy something that I've always wanted to do because of the sap collecting going on right next door. I was able to have a cup of cold sap to drink straight from the bucket. It was really very tasty and thirst-quenching. Some time, if I'm blogging next maple syrup season, I'll share more about this strange wish of mine. Sorry that we didn't document it! Just imagine my neighbor visiting one day and my sharing this long-held wish and even my considering borrowing stealing a cup in the dead of night. He laughed and said, "The time is now!" Yes, he's getting a gallon of maple syrup, but the sad thing is that he is allergic to it. I've never heard of that before.

John would like to thank you all for your sweet comments on his great-grandfatherhood. He's feeling a little old these days so he most appreciated those that included some surprise and shock that such a thing was possible. =D

I'm off to help take my grandmother to the doctor and for some tests today even in the rain, but I hope to be around later to visit. Enjoy your day!