“The wildflower wreath of feeling, the sunbeam of the heart.” — Fitz-Greene Halleck “Once again…welcome to my house. Come freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring.” — Bram Stoker * * * Fall colors offer welcome greeting — Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2018
“I know the lands are lit, with all the autumn blaze of Goldenrod.” — Helen Hunt Jackson “Sneeze-bringers and seed-bearers, full of bees and yellow beads and perfect flowerlets…” So writes poet Mary Oliver when describing the infamous goldenrod. To author Stephen King, they are “that most tenacious and pernicious and beauteous of all New … More Sneeze-bringers
“Take care of your inner, spiritual beauty, that will reflect in your face.” — Dolores del Rio “Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push—in just the right place—it can be tipped.” ~ Malcolm Gladwell * * * Beautiful world … More Wondrous
“When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there’s always the garden.” — William Affleck “Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time.” — Herman Hesse * * * Florence Griswold Museum Garden — Once described as a ‘veritable tangle of fragrant beauty,” Miss … More Sanctuary
“Just smiling at someone walking down the street can make the person’s day. It’s all about paying it forward.” — Mariska Hargitay To experience an example of what it means to make someone’s day, I only needed to step out my front doorway the other morning and encounter the surprise handiwork of nine-year-old neighbor friend … More Reason to smile!
“A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that it is what it is.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti * * * Unadulterated Beauty — Photo by Mary O’Connor © 2018
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” — Edgar Degas Aubrey, Ava and Olivia enjoy a summer afternoon watching an artist transform the gardens of the Florence Griswold Museum into a work of art. The three had just completed a tour of Miss Florence’s house, getting a taste of life … More Artists’ Colony
“If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.” — Georgia O’Keeffe Commissioned by Dole (then Hawaiian Pineapple Company) to paint a pineapple while visiting Hawaii, Georgia O’Keeffe fell in love with Hawaii’s lush plant life … More Visions of Hawai’i
“Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity.” — John Ruskin Also known as broom, thanks to its spiky and prickly spines, gorse has a more splendorous repute as reflected in the Scottish saying, “When gorse’s out of bloom, kissing’s out of season.” Few, however, pay much attention to such guidance, given the nearly … More Blanket of Solace
“Open the bloom of your heart and become a gift of beauty to the world.” — Bryant McGill * * * Beauty, tightly wrapped — Photo of lilac buds by Mary O’Connor © 2018
Life Is Full of Sweet Spots 