Quiet Pleasures of Home


While I puttered around my little garden, my  Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear sat on the porch, yapped and tinkered with his doll occasionally yelling "To infinity and beyond." I revisited my pink and  white Bleeding Hearts and as usual, my delight seeing them knew no end. They are so delicate and so at peace with their environment sometimes swaying with the wind and the  musical chimes. Let alone the fact  that yesterday was prophesied as doomsday, my bleeding hearts hung from their stems like regal princesses unfluttered by non-sense  news, one can't help but smile to see them.

Zach prefers these white bleeding hearts to the pink one

 white and pink bleeding hearts together---they're simply beautiful!!!!

  Buzz Lightyear guarding the unchartered planet...
(In the background, a pot of snakeplants I bought from Home Depot---this will be divided into 4 pots and will be enjoying some part-sun-part shade in the summer. I am really preparing them for the next winter to be put inside the house as my air cleaner and additional oxygen supply.)

Moving on to my Lily of the Valley, I marvelled at the tiny simple bell-like beauty that it is, emitting  a fresh faint smell that makes one feel envigorated. Just like Jesus (as He is called the Lily of the Valley) the humble plant quietly grows lush and flourishes in the shade just like He does in our hearts when we pursue Him.  I remember a song I learned in church:

                                  Everybody ought to know (2x)

                                  Who Jesus is...
                                  He's the Lily of the Valley
                                  He's the bright and morning star
                                  He's the fairest of ten thousand
                                  Everybody ought to know.

Then I was surprised to see that the wild columbines have actually budded and opened up. These were seedlings I transplanted from the Poconos and I did not expect  them to appear this spring. This is another flower that is so delicate and simply gorgeous usually gracing moist woody areas. They are amazing in how beautifully these plants  seem to live serene lives not caring  if they will be  appreciated or not. They  just live to beautify and  relish life.

Having been inspired by the many shapes I saw in the garden, I went in to conitnue celebrating my quiet and peaceful life. I thought of  making bread with my hands and enjoy the simple pleasure of handling dough and forming it into something that extends my  enjoyment and appreciation of anything plant. What else could it be but the beautiful artisanal fougasse (leaf-shaped bread)? Hmm..again reminds me of Jesus who's called The Bread of Life. A lot of lessons can be learned from these interesting biblical  analogies. Take a look at my fougasse:

 This reminds me of the big holey leaves that used to climb up our humongous mango tree back in my childhood.

 My husband likes the taste of artisan bread---rustic and hearty dipped in olive oil infused with herbs.

I also made two potato loaves for Zach's lunch sandwiches in school.This always gets nutella for a spread.

So there...the simple pleasures of life on ordinary weekends. Truly, life can be celebrated even in peace and quietness, no fanfare, no best bargain buys from mega sales--- just family, home and little ordinary things that can be enjoyed without having to spend a wad of money. And you can sit back and relax with a warm cup of tea (or  mango-spinach smoothie ---Zach's preference) and a slice of artisan bread with nutella spread on it----among the flowers. What delight!