Christmas is on its way

back alley christmas
Originally uploaded by Darwin Bell

Wordless Saturday, almost :)

Emily Dickinson's Birthday Dec. 10

I know, I know, today is not Dec. 10 but on that day I will post about being interviewed about my writing life, by a blogger in the UK, so I am moving up this celebration of Emily Dickinson. I am sure Emily won't mind. 


On December 10, we celebrate the birthday of Emily Dickinson, and here is one of her charming poems. Ms. Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 and lived until May 15, 1886.
Born so long ago yet she seems like a fresh, kindred spirit, as revealed in her writing.
Here is one of her poems I have long admired.

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.


I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.

Another short quote from her that I like is "To see the summer sky is poetry, though never in a book it lie - true poems flee.
And a quote of hers that I love as I age:
We turn not older with years,
But newer every day.

Happy birthday early, Emily Dickinson.

Beauty the Horse

beauty on leave
Originally uploaded by paul+photos=moody

I wandered the net looking for some photo to share with you and found this one.
I adore horses, especially the heavy horses or work horses, and I found this photo. Her name is Beauty.
Isn't her coloring perfect, warm chestnut with flaxen mane and tail? She posed very gracefully too.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 
Originally uploaded by Ed Yourdon
I found this beautiful photo on flickr.
Here is a poem that says it all!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food and love and friends,
For everything thy goodness sends,
For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass, so fresh so sweet,
For song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven we thank thee.
written by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To all my friends worldwide, have a grand day.

Towhee visiting at my house

Eastern Towhee
Originally uploaded by Henry McLin

We had a fun visitor yesterday, eating the black hulled sunflower seeds on our patio. The seeds fell out of our hanging bird feeder, and a Rufus-sided Towhee enjoyed the feast.
I read that they live from British Columbia south to California, Guatemala and also live in Florida.
I think of Towhees as cousins of another of my favorite birds, the Robin.

Book review: All is Grace by Brennan Manning

Book reviews

“All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir” by Brennan Manning.

Brennan Manning is an honest author and a Christian, and I found his book “Ragamuffin Gospel” to be refreshing in insights about his own life and how Jesus loves us, just as we are. Manning’s “All is Grace” will likely be his final book, as his health is failing, and he does not flinch from revealing truth about his life, as he looks back to survey it.

Manning reaffirms that Jesus came for the bedraggled, beat up and burnt out, which is truly Good News, since we could all be better than we are. 
This book summarizes his life, which has been rich and full. Manning was a gifted priest and writer, fell in love with a woman and left his vocation as priest to marry her, and recounts his struggles as a recovering alcoholic. He formed a group of close friends to meet once a year, dubbed “The Notorious Sinners”. You can see his ability to laugh at himself here.
If you haven't read his "Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat Up and Burnt Out" I recommend you read that one too. Written 20 years ago it remains a best seller, and rightly so.
Thank you to the Amazon Vine program which provided this book for me to review.

In this, likely his final book, Manning reminds us that “Yes, Abba is very fond of you.”

Amaryllis, Time to Plant

Amaryllis / Ἀμαρυλλίς
Originally uploaded by pittigliani2005
I bought a nice fat Amaryllis bulb a week ago and planted it, for red and white color in my kitchen in December.
Now is the time to plant these beauties; just find a pot only a tiny bit bigger than the bulb. Ceramic is good because the pot weighs a bit so it will not topple over when the Amaryllis blooms.
I bought a Razzle Dazzle Amaryllis bulb, which will look much like the bloom in this photo.
Anyone else love Amaryllis?
Amaryllis come in a range of colors today, with even a lime green flower, and vibrant solid red, pure white, and salmon.
For photos my husband took of our crimson all red amaryllis, check my list of blog subjects on the right hand side of this blog and click on Amaryllis.