Have a Wonderful Day in Every Way

"And this, our life, exempt from public haunt, 

finds tongues in trees, 

books in the running brooks, 

sermons in stones, 

and good in everything." ~William Shakespeare

Artist~Charlotte Bird

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMvzwOMfUbE
I love elephants

Man's life is laid in the loom of time

To a pattern he does not see,

While the weaver works, and the shuttles fly

Till the dawn of eternity.

Some shuttles are filled with silver thread,

And some with threads of gold,

While often but the darker hue

Is all that they may hold.

But the weaver watches with skillful eye

Each shuttle fly to-and-fro,

And sees the pattern so deftly wrought

As the loom moves sure and slow.

God surely planned the pattern...

Each thread the dark and fair,

Is chosen by his master skill

And placed in the web with care.

He, only, knows its beauty,

And guides the shuttles which hold

The threads so unattractive

As well as the threads of gold.

Not till each loom is silent

And their shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the pattern,

And explain the reason why.

The dark threads were as needful

In the weaver's skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

For the pattern which He has planned."

~The Loom of Time/Author Unknown

"Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. Then, it will be a really good day." Louie Schwartzberg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpmc99HrfDk

Where my Son taught in South Korea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9asPfeAtvQ

Fun


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcEklK4ysQk
Kale Chips

"I’ve done something right if my kids only look at another kid sideways because of the superhero on their shirt rather than the color of their skin." --Andy Herald, HowToBeADad


“Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate
And though I oft have passed them by
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.” ~J.R.R. Tolkien 


"A lot of walking away will do your life good. Walk away from arguments that lead you to anger and nowhere. Walk away from people who deliberately put you down. Walk away from any thought that reduces your worth. Walk away from the failures and fears that stifle your dreams. The more you walk away from things that poison your soul, the happier your life will be." — Dodinsky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pU0fkwL8yA
A thousand suns

The Bathing Suit

The Bathing Suit

When I was a child in the 1960's the bathing suit for the mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift ad they did a good job.

Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman has a choice- she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia- or she can wander around every run of the mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of florescent rubber bands.

What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors AKA the fitting room.

The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lyrca used in the bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch rockets from a slingshot, which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks as any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.

I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I gasped in horror. . . my boobs had disappeared!
Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other. At last I located it flattened beside my seventh rib.

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me wiling to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, "Oh, there you are", she said, admiring the bathing suit.
I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.

I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring!
I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with raged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane, pregnant with triplets and having a rough day.
I tried on a black number with a midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning.
I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear them.

Finally, I found a suit that fit... a two piece affair with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse type top.
It was affordable, comfortable, and bulge friendly, so I bought it.
My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured.

Sadly, when I got home, I found a label in the suit which read--"Material might become transparent in water."
So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too... I'll be the one in cut off jeans and a t-shirt!

This makes me laugh more and more each year

Chin Deep has lots of excellent recipes
http://www.chindeep.com/2014/04/28/lasagna-soup/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDIjEyZ3zTI

For this rainy day

Oprah now has her Chai tea at Starbucks.............
Cha Cha Cha

Follow your passion.  It will lead you to your purpose.
Oprah Winfrey

Hold on to what is good,
even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if I've gone away from you.

Pueblo Indian Prayer

✫.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫ ✫.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════════
No matter how good or bad you think life is wake up
each day and be thankful for life.
Someone somewhere is fighting to survive.
═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════════

Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness.
~William E. Gladstone

Flower Power

http://www.citygirlsearching.com/

Beautiful flower market in Seoul

Yangjae Flower Market in Seoul is one of the largest in Korea. It is divided into several different zones, from whole sale to retail, it also has auction house and a whole floor of silk flowers, ribbons and other flower arranging items

I used to have a teapot like this and used to love

the fllowering tea bulbs

Update from my Son

Made it out of Reno and tested out our new tent at 10,000ft with snow and heavy winds. She held up nicely, although an investment in some down sleeping bags would've made for warmer toes. Off to Mt. Whitney and a few nights in Death Valley.

(¯`♥´¯) 

`*.¸.*♥ღϠ₡ღﾟ The five W’s of life: Who you are is what makes you special. Do not change for anyone. What lies ahead will always be a mystery. Do not be afraid to explore. When life pushes you over, push back harder. Where there are choices to make, make the one you won’t regret. Why things happen will never be certain. Take it in stride and move forward.
— Unknown

Flowers are a symbol of peace and love

all photographs from Facebook and pinterest

If flowers can teach themselves how to bloom after winter passes, so can you. ~Noor Shirazie (Springtime) ⋱ ⋮ ⋰ Have a.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ ⋯ ◯ ⋯ BEAUTIFUL ,*´¯`.¸¸.☆ ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ .,*´¯`.¸¸.☆ Day my  Lovely FAMILY and  FRIENDS ♥ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════

Keep your thoughts focused on the positives, and bring
joy into your heart....
♥♥

Vagrant Pansies

They are all in the lily-bed
cuddled close together
Purple, yellow cap and the little baby blue.
How they ever got there you must ask the April weather.
The morning and the evening winds
the sunshine and the dew

~ by Nellie M Hutchinson

Thanks to my sweet friend Carolyn for this verse.  Please visit her lovely blog

http://draffinbears.blogspot.ca/

Love you sweet friend

After the long and brutal winter we had 

we all welcome the beauty of spring

sunshine and the colour therapy of flowers.

Flowers are food for our souls

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════

~✿ ░S░W░E░E░T░✿ ░M O N D A Y ░ ✿~

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════..


http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2014/04/26/hundreds-bid-farewell-to-taylor-public-school/

Memories of my old Grade School Dr. H. D. Taylor on Campbell
A thousand wonderful moments shared come to mind

Evening calls
the sweet aroma of pinion wood
drifts through the air
as the magical feel of twilight
descends like a mist
And just for a moment
so brief you hardly notice
time stops
And in this moment
like an old photo in
a keepsake album
we're together
with no worries no tears
no aches no pains
no obligations
to attend to
just the two of us
together
while time stands still

~ poem "While Time Stands Still" by Michael Traveler, author of Michael Traveler, author of Postcards from the Past 

"A great attitude becomes a great mood. A great mood becomes a great day. A great day becomes a great year. A great year becomes a great life."

Books

http://www.amazon.com/The-Charms-Miss-OHara-Hollywood/dp/0615987311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398544412&sr=8-1&keywords=the+charms+of+miss+o%27hara

For more details visit the author of this book on the blog in my sidebar An American in Budapest

Sounds fabulous


I am reading the book

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening
by Carol Wall and enjoying it

I plan to read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

and also see the movie when it comes out

You're never alone when your reading a book. ~ Susan Wiggs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8lmVUhGbp4

Aloha forever

Music Beautiful Music

One of the first things we should do in the morning is:
Listen to music!
Dr. Daniel Levitin is the author of "This is Your Brain on Music." He says when we listen to music first thing in the morning, our music-related neurons start firing to the beat. That boosts our alertness and focus. ...Even better, playing an instrument in the morning wakes up your whole brain, improving your ability to make decisions. 
Maybe I'll do both and play the piano along to something on the radio....I've been practicing "Happy" by Pharrell.
From the John Tesh Site on Facebook

♫
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiRZ7YQKUgQ
Spring Chill Out



✻ღϠ₡ღ✻
(¯`✻´¯) Blessed Day

`*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.. ♥
Before you leave the house, you need to make up your mind that you’re going to stay positive and enjoy the day no matter what comes your way.
You have to decide ahead of time.
_Joel Osteen

┃. ┏┃┃┃┏┛⋱ ⋮ ⋰
┃. ━┛━┛┏┛⋯ ❤ ⋯
━┛. . .❤━┛⋰ ⋮ ⋱
I have never met a person
whose greatest need was anything other than real,
unconditional love.
You can find it in a simple act of kindness
toward someone who needs help.
There is no mistaking love.
You feel it in your heart.
It is the common fiber of life,
the flame that heals our soul,
energizes our spirit and supplies
passion to our lives.
It is our connection to God
and to each other.
~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross~

♥“The true way to live 
is to enjoy every moment as it passes, 
and surely it is in the everyday things around us 
that the beauty of life lies.” 
~Laura Ingalls Wilder~
*☆*
__/ '\__☆.• R℮ÅCℍ ℉Ớґ Ṱℏ℮ SṰ✫Åя$ •.☆
`'*☆*´ *☆* Δᾔℊ℮ḽ *☆*
/.•*•.\¸ ☆ Δᾔ Ḏ ☆ Ð R℮Δ Ḿ ☆


(¯`✻´¯)
`*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
“With everything that has happened to you,
you can either feel sorry for yourself
or treat what has happened as a gift.
Everything is either an opportunity to grow
or an obstacle to keep you from growing.
You get to choose.”
~Wayne W. Dyer

♥♥♥♥♥♥AMAZING!!! This parrot is in fact a female model who posed for 'world body painting champion' Johannes Stötter. 

The Italian artist spent weeks planning the transformation, taking four hours to paint his subject with ink.

The model's arm forms the parrot's head and beak, and her legs form the wing and tail feathers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0z_fEDJl1A

Beautiful wind machine

(¯`L´¯)✿Live simply.
.`•.¸.•´(¯`O´¯)✿Love generously.
******.`•.¸.•´(¯`V´¯)✿Care deeply.
************.`•.¸.•´(¯`E´¯)Speak kindly.

 Laughter is timeless, Imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.





So Sweet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK4pl9CN8Lo


To Me, the greatest part of an adventure,
vacation, or day outing is the joy of coming home. 
“The simple things 
are also the most extraordinary things, 
and only the wise can see them.” ~ Paulo Coelho

This quote from theologian D. Elton Trueblood is lovely:
“A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.”

Friday Love

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything” 
― Katharine Hepburn, Me: Stories of My Life

*•ღ☆ღ¸¸.•*¨*••.ღ☆ღ¸ .•*¨*ღ☆ღ¸¸.•*¨*••.ღ☆ღ¸ .•

A few pictures from Easter Sunday over at our relatives home

and all photographs courtesy of the lovely Frances

Thank you 

So wonderful to share many memories meals and good times with all of you 

✿Surround yourself with people who make you happy. (ˆ◡ˆ) People who make you laugh, who help you when you're in need. People who would never take advantage of you. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through..

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
~Chinese Proverb

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiRZ7YQKUgQ

Spring Chill out Cafe Del Mar♥


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMD1hYuAL40

Beauty of Hawaiian Hula Dancers
Aloha forever

Our beautiful family member Sarah and her friends

spell out LOVE♥

Love is all you need♥

┃. ┏┃┃┃┏┛⋱ ⋮ ⋰
┃. ━┛━┛┏┛⋯ ❤ ⋯
━┛. . .❤━┛⋰ ⋮ ⋱
I have never met a person
whose greatest need was anything other than real,
unconditional love.
You can find it in a simple act of kindness
toward someone who needs help.
There is no mistaking love.
You feel it in your heart.
It is the common fiber of life,
the flame that heals our soul,
energizes our spirit and supplies
passion to our lives.
It is our connection to God
and to each other.
~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross~

Have a Fabulous Day in Every Way

http://fusion.net/culture/story/korean-plastic-surgeries-good-patients-certificates-now-prove-618812

Korean Plastic Surgery

Go out and enjoy your day in every way

".Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ ✿.(ྀ ⋱ ⋮ ⋰ .ི৲)⁺.⋯ ◯ ⋯ ´¯`☆.¸.☽´´¯` ¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ When a Fairy Smiles a flower grows!!!"

Ruby Tuesday

*❥*ŔƐƇĪṖƐ F✿Ŕ A♥HAPPY HƐART❥
♥ღ~ 2 cups of Love,
♥ღ~ 1 cup of Friendship,
♥ღ~ 1 cup of Gratitude,
♥ღ~ Add a dash of Laughter,
♥ღ~ Pour into a Soul ~ღღ
ღ♥ღ мєтнσ∂ ღ♥ღ
Stir daily with Happiness, Humor and Patience.
Serve with Warmth and Compassion, Respect and Loyalty.


Northern California treated us to some snowy mountains, an intimate encounter with a family of 3 brown bears, and these beautiful falls all in a day!   Message from my Son as they are now visiting Northern California

Above photograph courtesy of my Son and his wife

¯`✻´¯) "Beauty is a light in the heart."
.;¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ϡ₡ღ.¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ϡ₡ღ.

http://www.boredpanda.com/zoey-jasper-rescue-dog-baby-portraits-grace-chon/

Such Sweet Photographs

~It is impossible to bless 
and judge at the same time~ 
´~Pierre Pradervand~

"April promised lilacs
And tulip gifts of gold.
She promised gentle raindrops
And wildflowers colored bold.

April promised pathways
Strewn with emerald green.
She promised panoramic views
The likes I've never seen.

April promised rainbows
And blue skies overhead.
She promised perfumed breezes
And roses ruby red.

April promised springtime
In all her majesty;
And I wasn't disappointed,
for she gave these gifts to me."
~Promises of Spring by Nora M. Bozeman

~♥~ A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck. ~♥~

Earth Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” —John Muir

Happy Earth Day! 

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you…” 
— John Muir naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness.

When we speak of nature it is wrong to forget that we are ourselves a part of nature. We ought to view ourselves with the same curiosity and openness with which we study a tree, the sky or a thought, because we too are linked to the entire universe.

~ Henry Matisse

Earth Day: Today & Every Day

"When we say the Earth has created life, we know it's only possible because she contains within herself the whole cosmos. Just as the Earth is not only the Earth, so too we are not only human. We have the Earth and the whole cosmos within us. We are made of the sun. We are made of the stars. Touching this true nature of reality, we can transcend the dualistic view that the cosmos is something greater than ourselves or different from ourselves."

—Thích Nhất Hạnh, from "Love Letter to the Earth"

Yosemite National Park

Earth facts for Earth Day:
* The Earth moves faster than a speeding bullet. A rifle bullet travels 1-2 km/sec...The Earth travels at about 30 km/sec (18 miles/sec)!

* The Earth is the biggest of the terrestrial planets in our solar system. Meaning it's rocky, as opposed to a Jupiter-like gas planet.

* Earth has something no other planet we know of has: a lot of water on the surface. It’s about 71 percent water by area, dominated by the Pacific Ocean, which covers 60 million square miles of the surface. That’s nearly a third of the planet.

Thanks to The Slate for the facts!

As read on the John Tesh site on Facebook  

http://lovesouthkorea.tumblr.com/

Both above images from For Those who Love South Korea

Keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/nail-salon-dangers-book-23404524

Check out the salons very carefully before you get a manicure or pedicure.

there are moments that change everything
that stand out as if a shaft of light has broken through
and is shining down upon one special moment in time
and when it does you best slow down pull over
and breathe it in because my friend
it may never come again

~ poem "A Moment in Time" by Michael Traveler, author of Michael Traveler, author of Postcards from the Past


The World would be so much nicer if more were guided by this"


Don't pass judgement. Extend love.

“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” 

― Rachel Carson

“Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: 

If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, 

life and living need not be so hard.” 

― Psyche Roxas-Mendoza