THE GUARDIANS OF OUR INNER AND OUTER LIGHT

Back-to-back beneath the sun,

Two hearts rest where wild winds run.

One roars with courage, one hums with grace -

Together they guard this sacred place.

With beads that bind in colors bright,

They wear their friendship in the light.

And deep within, a flame does gleam -

A quiet strength, a sacred beam.

Let no harsh voice, no shadowed fear,

Crush the light we hold so dear.

For in that glow, our truth is spun -

Our guardians rise, one by one.

The seeds were sown for this post when I talked about the student teachers visiting our school when I was about 12. They introduced themselves by wearing traditional clothing and gave  talks while showing their own slides of home on the classroom projector. One of these students was from Africa, and she wore something very similar to this. I remember being in awe of not only her clothing but listening to her beautiful accent as she spoke about where she came from. I always wanted to visit Africa, but I doubt it will ever happen now. I am being realistic. 

That memory revisited, sent me on my latest curiosity journey. I watched a YouTube video, by chance, showing orphaned lion cubs, who years later met the original caretakers who rescued them. They had never forgotten them and it was always heartwarming to see their joyful reunions, human and animal still best friends.

Graphics and poetry created on Copilot with prompts from me.

THE THREE WISE MONKEYS

 ~Whispers on the Garden Wall~

Three quiet souls in fur and grace,

Perched upon a mossy place,

Where blossoms bloom and breezes play,

And kindness keeps the dark at bay.

One shields her eyes from sorrow’s hue,

She sees the world in skies of blue.

One cups his ears to hush the din,

He listens for the peace within.

One guards his lips from words unkind,

He speaks with heart, and soul aligned.

Behind them, petals dance in light,

A garden stitched with morning’s bright.

The trees lean in with leafy cheer,

To cradle truths we hold most dear.

So let us learn from paws and peace,

From silence where our hearts release,

That wisdom isn’t loud or grand,

But gentle, still, and close at hand.

Thank you for visiting, and 

I wish you all a happy and peaceful weekend.

(I explain what I want and Copilot does the rest, both graphics and poetry.)

PHOTOS INTO PAINTINGS

 After Sandra showed the photos she turned into paintings here, I was curious and did the same with ours. I don’t think they look like us, none of them do exactly but it was a fun playtime. 

We were married in my village church in December 1975. Even if you don’t like the painting results, hopefully you will enjoy the old photos. I have shown a lot of them before 

No explanation needed. 

We had this photo taken at Pennys in the early part of 1980. An impulse decision when we were walking by the store and saw their advertisement. A studio photo opportunity was in the future we thought, when our little boy was a bit older, but we just happened to come across it that day. I am now very happy we took it earlier than we had intended.

My dear other half says these 'paintings' aged him about 10 years. He may be right.

In the following photo son and I were visiting our family in the UK. One day they took us to the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. I remember taking this photo so clearly. We had just climbed up a very long path to the top of that very high hill, and it had glorious views all around.

The closest face likeness I think.

A navy ball back in the day, early 1980s.

I went with a friend to get the dress. I remember not being sure about it and thinking it too old-fashioned but she loved it, and time was marching on. I needed a dress after all the dilly dallying. I had looked at many already and I was getting tired of this dress shopping. I never liked clothes shopping. That hasn’t changed much!

The following is an event where later that evening we had been sitting at a large round table with other couples. As he was sitting down, hubs knocked one of the table legs and sent everyone’s glasses of red wine flying (story also told before). I have never seen so many ladies kick away from the table at lightning speed in perfect choreography! Fortunately, not one evening gown was splashed. They gave him the side-eye all evening, daring him to do the same thing as he sat down, but all had a good sense of humor. We still chuckle about it even after all these years.

My dress was altered in the copy below. The original dress had pencil straps and had a matching silky scarf around the neck, in a silky material with a pattern of small cornflower blue flowers. I loved that dress! The photo was fading though. I almost asked for large red wine splashes to be added, but that would have been a bridge too far and yes, having a bit of a chuckle.

My grandparents on my mother’s side of the family, on their wedding day. Not sure of the year, early 1920’s perhaps.

I never met my maternal grandfather, but my mother and he were very close. She used to tell me lots of stories, and I felt I knew him through those. I have passed a lot of them onto our son. His great-grandfather was a soldier.

The following photos were taken of my parents a couple of years before they were married.

I love these particularly and have had them framed for years. Dad served on HMS Jamaica for a time, but after naval service, was on the police force for 30 plus years. 

Their wedding in the 40s. 

And this one I added a frame of Cala lilies, the same as Mother's bouquet. Cala lilies were Mum's favorite flower.

Last two and a lot of water has gone under that bridge, says I with a smile.

This was from my birthday get together with the family a couple of days ago. I will be sharing regular photos as soon as I can put something together. We had a great evening with our son and daughter-in-law. Son took our photo.

I am feeling a lot better and thanks for all the get-well wishes. I will be visiting soon.  I have missed catching up with you all. 

Thanks Sandra at Madsnapper. It was fun to see what turned up.

And thanks for looking everyone. 

Wishing you a great day!

A POEM BY EMILY

The night is darkening round me,

The wild winds coldly blow;

But a tyrant spell has bound me

And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending

Their bare boughs weighed with snow.

And the storm is fast descending,

And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,

Wastes beyond wastes below;

But nothing drear can move me;

I will not, cannot go.

Spellbound by Emily Brontë

Emily Jane Brontë (July 30th, 1818 to December 19th, 1848), was an English novelist and poet who is best known for her only novel "Wuthering Heights", now considered a classic of English literature. She also published a book of poetry with her sisters, Charlotte and Ann, titled Poems by Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell, with her own poems finding regard as poetic genius. Emily was the second-youngest of the four surviving Brontë siblings, between the youngest Ann and her brother Branwell. She published under the pen name Ellis Bell.

In her comment Ginny, our blogging friend from Let Your Light Shine, mentioned that she looked up the meaning of this poem. Thank you Ginny, I took a look myself and found it very interesting.  If you click on this link it will give you an interesting interpretation.

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS FROM MONDAY, 12-23-24 TO SUNDAY, 12-29-24

Hello Everyone, here are our weekly goings on, with thanks to all family and friends who once again let me know how much they enjoy them, and to keep going, though it's a shorter one this week!

Monday, 12-23-24: I didn't get much done today. I woke up feeling very grotty and spent the rest of the day quietly. I had a bad headache and it was a PJ Day. I think I may have picked up a bug but Gregg was okay thankfully. I blogged a little and slept a lot (and I was fine by the next day).

I can’t believe it is going to be Christmas in a couple of days.

Gregg went out and picked up a big bag of ice-melt. It will be another chilly one tomorrow and promises to be icy.

Tuesday, 12-23-24: Cards arrived in our mailbox again. I am far behind. Invariably the card list gets smaller by the year, for obvious reasons at this age.  For me it is more of a challenge to get them written as my fingers don’t cooperate as well. I decided to only send out to people who send to us, unless they are at an age where it is very difficult for them and they still enjoy getting a card through the mail. Also, the price of stamps gets expensive by the year and again difficult when on a budget. There are electronic cards of course, which are very pretty and always welcome. I do need to update my card list. A few will be getting New Year cards. Next year, starting earlier!  

The day will be spent getting ready for tomorrow. 

It is icy out! Gregg put ice-melt on the drive and the path leading up to front door.  

Tomorrow the meal is relatively straightforward, so not a whole lot of pre-preparation. 

Can’t remember what we ate today.  I am writing this on the 26th. Playing catchup again.

We had son's company for several hours. Our daughter-in-law is a Cantor at her church and she sings her second mass at midnight. For her it is her job but it is also a labor of love. She has an incredible voice and her range is powerful. She can really reach those high notes. I always get emotional when I hear her. Music, especially the kind she sings, has that effect on me. She sounds like an angel!

Wednesday, 12-25-24 and Merry Christmas to all. 

I have already shared here what we did today and won't repeat.

Thursday, Boxing Day, 12-26-24: spent the whole day relaxing and eating leftovers, pottering and reading and generally being rather lazy.  

Friday, 12-27-24: a break from leftovers and around 2:00 p.m. we were ready to get out and decided to treat ourselves to a meal at The Silver Diner. Our waiter was delightful. It has been three years since my last visit, but father and son enjoy going every now and again. We both ordered the chicken pot pie and a cup of soup, the soup not needed but waiter asked if we would like to try, and we said yes please as we love soup and didn't realize how big that pot pie would be. I'm glad we tried it as we both enjoyed and said we would order this on its own next time. The pot pie was delicious but far too much. We didn't need anything for the rest of the day. Our first and last meal. 

I am still not that steady on my feet but held on to Gregg’s arm all the way. He managed to get a parking spot close to the entrance. Ten more days and I will have my first physiotherapy session. I am doing light exercises shown on several sheets of paper the orthopedic doctor gave me but would prefer being shown the proper way by a professional. How far I can stretch, that kind of thing, and I have a list of questions to ask.

It is our dear daughter-in-law’s birthday. Son took her out for a meal in Washington DC, and then on to The Kennedy Center for one of their performances. I will find out more when we see him on Sunday.  Here is a photo they took from inside the auditorium. There are several theaters in the building.

When we first got married we saw a performance of Swan Lake, an incredible memory. I saw Madame Butterfly and the Mikado with friends, different occasions. Gregg and I went to a Randy Newman performance. We haven’t been there in years, but I am very happy our son and daughter-in-law are enjoying it now. The next photo is somewhere in Washington DC. They love going to old bookstores and I love the look of that old building.  

Saturday, 12-28-24: It is already 5:11 p.m. and the last light is in the sky. No breakfast but we had a very nice leftover beef sandwich a short while ago. Neither of us are very hungry. Grazing will be the way to go for the rest of the day. Nothing exciting but a pleasant day nonetheless. Reading, pottering, more reading and more pottering, and talking in between, and away the goes the day.

Sunday, 12-29-24: Our son wasn’t able to visit this morning as he is nursing a sore throat at home. He sounded very poorly on the phone. 'Tis the season for coughs, colds, etc. Feel better soon son!

Gregg went to the supermarket and for breakfast he bought doughnuts, and a coffee for me. It was a lovely treat.

A late lunch. He surprised me with a very simple meal. Usually, he enjoys a little more pizzazz but today he said he fancied boiled potatoes, cabbage, and heated up a dish of baked beans. The only condiments were salt and pepper, and vinegar for the cabbage. Very plain! So nice to have such a simple meal after all the bells and whistles this past week. 

It is 63 degrees right now and no birds. We put the seed down they like too. What's going on birdies? Must be a spa day for them!  (One dove turned up later.)

This is where I end my week and my thanks to everyone who reads it. Have a great week!

(As blogging friends have asked in the past how I do these signatures and such, the art I used at the beginning and end of my post today, was requested from CoPilot. I also used Paint Shop Pro to put our Christmas photo in the frame on the top right of the photo. It is always fun to do. Besides saying my hobbies are blogging, photography and cooking, I also like tinkering on Paint Shop Pro, a program I was introduced years ago when I joined a stationery group online. This is going back to my first days on the Internet.)

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - SCOTTISH ANGELS AND RED DEER

 Having shared Autumn Angels last month, in December I am sharing ones with an international vibe. 

Today I went to Scotland but only online. I wanted an animal to accompany our angel, so I did a search on finding ones that could be found in Scotland. They mentioned the Red Deer, so here they are. 

I also asked for information on this beautiful animal, and the information said in the UK it is their largest deer. With its massive antlers it is an unmistakable icon of the Scottish Highlands but can be seen in northwest and southern England too.

In the Autumn males produce large, branching, rather magnificent antlers in the rutting season. They live on moorland and mountainsides, as well as grasslands near to woodland. 

They can be seen in deer parks throughout the country. They mainly eat grasses, sedges, rushes and dwarf shrubs like heather.

The Red Deer has a dark, russet-brown fur, with a paler buff rump patch and a pale tail. They are common in Scotland, particularly the Highlands and Islands. Also found in the Lake District, Exmoor, the New Forest and Thetford Forest. 

A male red deer is called a 'stag', a female deer is called a 'hind'. The most characteristic of a male is the impressive, branched antlers, which can measure up to 45 inches in length (115 centimeters) and weigh as much as 11 lbs. (15 kg), though the average weight is closer to 2.2 lbs. (1 kilogram).

 Within a few weeks of shedding old antlers, new ones will begin to grow. They are covered in a soft skin called 'velvet', which nourishes them with blood vessels. Antler-growing is an energy-intensive activity and stags often lose weight during this process. They shed them annually, usually at the end of winter and new ones will grow in the spring, up to 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) a day. 

The size and number of points on a stag's antlers may not be a reliable way to determine their age. A fully mature UK red stag (male red deer) typically weighs between 200 to 570 pounds (90 to 260 kilograms), depending on the habitat and season, with the largest individuals reaching up to 750 pounds (340 kilograms) in prime condition. 

Stags from English woodlands are generally larger than those found on Scottish hillsides. On the other hand, a female red deer (hind) is significantly smaller, usually weighing less than 330 pounds (150 kilograms). 

So, even though I have no real pictures of these beautiful animals, it was very enjoyable finding out about them. There are a number of websites online you can browse through if you put "Red Deer Scotland" in your search engine, with great photos. 

I spent a week camping in Scotland with friends when I was 23. I am not sure I will ever get back there but remember Scotland for the beautiful scenery and the hospitable people.

Thanks for looking and I hope your day is a great one.

PEACE ON EARTH

I made this with a new collage app downloaded on my iPad, using AI to ask for Angels holding a Dove of Peace which I put in each frame, wreathe and earth graphics from pixabay.com placed in the center, and using Paint Shop Pro to put them altogether. It was an enjoyable project and very meaningful to me for this time of the year. I hope you like it. I am thinking of transferring it to hard craft paper sometime and turning it into a Christmas ornament.

Thanks for looking. 

I hope your day is a great one.