Toys

Meggie,at Life's Free Treats was talking about a toy that she had for her young Grandson that made so much noise. It made me think of something that happened when I was babysitting my granddaughter one day. We were in the grocery store and she saw some paper cups that she just wanted so bad. I couldn't imagine why. They were pretty. So I agreed and she wanted to make sure they were hers. When we got home she happily took her cups and began to play with them. They gave her hours of happiness, cost very little, and made absolutely no noise at all. One of the best investments I ever made!!

It's Blooming

The Hyacinth Bean Vine is Blooming!! (click on picture for better view) This is the vine from the seeds that Janie in Texas sent me after Easter. It seems to be blooming earlier than usual this year. I have babied this vine. Tried to make sure it got a gallon of water every day in its pot. Didn't look after the other plants as much and it shows. LOL

Old Picture

A memory of a fun day at Jockey's Ridge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. (click on picture for a better view)

Someone's Treasured Old Book

Mary Marie by Elleanor H. Porter

I actually read a book over the weekend. I found this old (1920 edition) book, in a box of OLD books I bought from a yard sale a few years back, stuck in a corner of the closet. I dusted it off...(It is in very tattered condition)..and started to read.

This was a novel written as a diary by a young girl whose parents were divorced. At her Father's home she was Mary. At her mother's home she was Marie. I enjoyed the book!!

I know that the person who had the book before me, treasured it. There was only one page that was damaged. The person who had it before was very careful to keep the torn pieces attached to the page. She had straight pins holding the remnants to the page. The pins were extrememly rusty so I assume this page had been this way for some years.

When I find things, such as this, I start to wonder about the person who had this book. I can tell by a sticker inside the front cover that this book was once in a "Presbyterian Sunday School Library."

Had I read this book earlier, I wouldn't have had to wonder about the "hair wreath" picture I posted when I first started blogging. In the first few chapters this was discussed often as there was one in her Father's home along with a funeral plate. (Now I'm wondering about the funeral plate..LOL)

SEASONS

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the fourth in fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping withfruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time .
The following pictures are of the same place but taken during different seasons :