A small stone from the Similkameen

August 5th, 2011

Towards the East the hills stand green and comforting,
but from here in the bottom of the valley
they are laced with urban poles and wires.


I turn my eyes to the North where they are still
pristine and untouched
and I am once again delighted.

A small stone from the Similkameen
August 1st, 2011

And through my kitchen window

the sun lights a pathway through towering trees

whose branches reach out to touch me, gently,

and I could be lost in the nearness of this urban forest.

A small stone from the |Similkameen
July 31st, 2011

five a.m. and I open the door to fresh air,

a bowl of red raspberries, nestled in a tray of salad greens,

a bouquet of garden flowers and a fragrant spray of pink sweetpeas.

All say a secret welcome to a friendly neighbourhood 

and a kind, creative neighbour.

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 30th, 2011

Timidly trying out the new home

she spends hours under the covers

at the bottom of THEIR bed...

but then she discovers the garden!

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 29th, 2011

Muscles and sinew gnaw at my energy
I shall go out an snip at the roses
and watch for new buds of renewal.

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 26th, 2011

The lavender daisies
have spread themselves indiscriminately.
Underneath lies the Christmas Rose, resting in the shade.

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 25th, 2011

The fortress crumbles momentarily
and she cries bitter tears,
but joy is irrepressible.

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 24th, 2011

 the organ sounded,

the people sang,

and the organist at least

felt quite exhilarated with hymns of praise

played at a merry clip.

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 23rd, 2011

I saw the moving van

and knocked on her door

to tell her what joy her lovely little garden has brought me.

Some nice bit of friendship passed between us

as she moves out,

and I move in.

Small Stones from the Similkameen
July 22nd, 2011

My pretty blue 'witch's' globe

hangs in the doorway of the computer room.

I take it down,

wondering if the enchantment will disappear

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 21st, 2011


She is small, and kind and dear to my heart
and she comes bearing gifts.
Two glowing gems.....
Strawberry jam for breakfast!

Small stones from the Similkameen

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011


A flock of pigeons
wheels and turns and wheels again
Transient diamonds, catching the sunlight in flight.

A small stone from the Similkameen

The pale pink lily stretches up through the climbing rose
reaching, reaching
for sunlight and warmth.

A small stone from the Similkameen
Monday, July 18th

a small sip of orange brandy,
its amber sweetness swirling in the glass
makes getting supper a little giddy, totally relaxing.

A fairly small stone from the Similkameen
July 17th, 2011

I stride through the jungle,

machete in hand, preparing

to log the delphinium stalks.

Tender new shoots push through the rich earth

promising an October display.

Who will cut them back next year?

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 16th 2011

The days grow short and I grow giddy.

I watch the practical, the treasured and the frivolous

disappear into boxes - duly marked.

Will they surprise me when they once more appear?

the cat sleeps atop a lidded Mexican basket, full of straw hats, - his and hers.

Oblivious......

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 15th, 2011

The pages are brittle and faded.

I pack once again my mother's petit point graphs

and from the walls the pictures she stitched......

forever treasured.

Small stones from the Similkameen
Thursday, July 14th

The phone man cometh
and once again I am servant
to its shrill summons

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 13th, 2011

This early hour is dedicated
to snipping faded roses,
regretting yet their numbered days

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 12th, 2011

a mild day -
gentle showers
and a rippled pudding sky

Another small stone from the Similkameen
July 11th, 2011

one lone red poppy

rises from the gravelly road

bravely claiming her place in the sun

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 10th

I turn the last page,

read the last word, - 

close my eyes and sigh,

a thoroughly delectable book

A small stone from the Similkameen

The first cherries....

sweet and firm and

luscious in their rich red ripeness

Should we wonder at the early morning birdsong?

painting by Brian Smith

A small stone from the Similkameen
Friday, the 8th of July

As the sun rises
the long shadows gather -
a morning breeze stirs the flowers,
sways the tender young willows

Another small stone from the Similkameen

I lean in close to inhale the fragrance of the lily.
The golden pollen brushes against me
and I shimmer - in patches.

A small stone from the Similkameen

Waiting for the sun to rise
the horses' tails twitch
through the windows of their shelter.
It is the time of the Mosquito

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 5th, 2011

I see the grass, sere and crisp,
and the roses, drooping their thirsty leaves.
My heart responds....

A small stone from the Similkameen
July 4th, 2011

The first flush of roses fades
while the lilies open white waxen petals
behind my back

Similkameen Stones.

A very small stone to describe my present state of acceptance

Whistlling in the dark
I find the path
to contentment

Another small stone from the Similkameen

Small round bales,
green cored and golden rimmed.
Circles of sunlight
in a freshly mown field.

A River of Stones

A small stone for the 1st of July, - cool in my pocket and polished idly between my thumb and forefinger.

Turned upside down

and inside out -

the winds of change blow fresh

and promising.

A small stone from the Similkameen

May 28th, 2011

angry words
grieving hearts
assuaged with love

Having received this award from Libby, at by The Wobbly Dum Dum Tree

I am feeling pretty chuffed, despite not knowing quite how to

go about doing the things that are now required of me....

Well, I think the rules are that you must write seven  interesting

(or not so interesting) facts about yourself,

and then choose four blogs to which you must pass on this Versatile Blogger Award.

Here are the facts, - just the facts, Ma'am.

I am ancient, and have been married to the same man for sixty-six years, - clickety ckick!

Time passes quickly when I am in the garden, mucking about.

Also at the computer, - doing the same thing.

Now that life is not so hectic I play the piano every day, which always

includes a little Scott Joplin for my husband.

I am a weaver with a warped loom, waiting for a weft, and I have not yet faced

the reality that weaving probably requires more energy than I have now, and my

stash of wool and silk and linens is never going to get used up!

I treasure a little solitude now and then.

And even more I am grateful for still being curious and aware.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hard to choose only four blogs that deserve an award for being versatile.......

1.   The Homestone who blogs on the many and varied flora and fauna you meet up with living in the 

midst of a meadow in the Cariboo region of B.C.

2.  Gourmet Gardening Girls whose writer has a zillion tips on gardening for the novice

and the expert.

3.  Life as I Know it which makes me feel young again and brings back precious

memories of having a houseful of children,  with all the fun and frustration and love

associated with this period of life.

4.  From the Back Pasture chosen with an ulterior motive, hoping that

it will inspire the writer to tell more of his wonderful tales.

Versatility -

the spawning of

a curious mind.

A snall stone
May 12th, 2011

Fragrant apple blossoms;
sweetly reminiscent of
romance and a wedding day

The Olalla

A River Stone

May 9th, 2011

The virginal Olalla
picks its way across the hills,
slips down the talus slide
into the valley below.

Time, you old gypsy man

A river stone
May 7th, 2011

The hands approach twelve.
Press harder to distill
the last of beauty.

a River Stone

the Elephant's Ear

wears pink blossoms

tucked discreetly

A River Stone
April 22nd, 2011

Early morning and the air is cool.
Down the hill the apricot
.... a froth of blossom

Compost

Rich, black and crumbly,
paradise
 for lovely fat pink worms

Thursday, April 14th
A small stone

A meadowlark,
invisible to searching eyes
sings paeans to the morning.

Slow Spring

The leisure with which
the rich red peony stubs
emerge from slumber

and the slow ballet of leaves
opening in tiny increments
to their glorious greenness

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Tiny new leaves
add a verdant shimmer
to the curly willow.

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

In the pasture
thirty three robins
hop, stop, cock an ear...
listening for worms.