Monday, March 17, 2025

Finding beauty, and some show and tell...

The sky still rains, the ground is still soaked, the submersible pumps in the front and back yards run their rhythm of on/off all day and night to remove the endless water from around the house, and yet life continues normally most of the time. 

The wet season is normally easing off around mid-March, but this year it is revving up again, though we had about nine days of scorching dry heat at the end of February which helped dry out the ground eventually. With so many weeks/months of heavy downpours, overcast skies, deep thunders and lightning flashes across the night sky, its easy to feel a bit grey yourself. The best thing to do when that happens is to look for beauty in the midst of the gloom. 

It was wonderful to get four hours without rain this morning, and I quickly hung out the washing, praying for God's grace to see it dry before the skies opened again with the next pounding of rain. The temperature is still hot and very humid, which helps to dry things when you only have a short window of time. 


Washing hung on the clothesline is a thing of beauty to me, and as I get to do this almost year round, I know I'm very blessed. 

I'm still sad about the demise of our once beautiful, and huge, poinciana tree, but we cannot do anymore than has been done already with regards to chopping the remaining limbs and trunk until the dry season returns. 

If you've seen my tree before, here it is...



...and all that is left after the monsoon last month.


But my goodness, it wants to grow still...


....so we may have to consider another option, such as cutting it right back low on the trunk and seeing what nature can do. Lots of think about, and pray about. 

The yards are overgrown from months of rain, and even though you cannot see, when you walk on the ground you sink down into a lot of water that simply has nowhere to go as the ground is already saturated. Now, I could let the 'woes' get to me, but I choose to look for beauty amidst all that's been overtaken by weeds, or drowned from too much water, or plants simply struggling to keep going.

I pruned my roses just before the monsoon, and apart from my pretty yellow rose that couldn't cope any longer, they're surviving....even blooming. I have them all in pots, as they will all die if I left them in the ground, but how blessed I am to have all but one fighting on. This is one of my long stemmed reds...


...and here's a few other pretties that have coped well. 






I'm also blessed to see the basil, spring onions, chives, sage and mint doing well! The basil and sage are planted in a few places around the yard, but all are doing well. I thought I'd lost the mint and lime balm, but they've decided to come back with gusto. Beautiful. 











No matter what, it's important that we see through the grey days, whether they be weather related or something else, and intentionally go looking for the simple beauties that are always there to be seen, but too often overlooked. 

The weather will be hot and humid for quite a while yet, but eventually things will cool down when winter arrives in June. Every winter I re-read Laura Ingalls Wilder's "The Long Winter" but I'm starting early this year reading one chapter each night before bed. It's my favourite of all her books, and I think it's for a few reasons.

1. It's a real winter, unlike the temperate one we get here in the tropics.
2. It's a lesson in resilience by real people who lived a real life. 
3. It's a lesson in resourcefulness when times are dire. 
4. They keep the faith, and they do all they can to look after themselves and help others in need.

What's a book you re-read each year? What do you love about it?



SHOW & TELL

I lost a lot of emails with show & tell photos last year when we had to fix my computer, but I do have a few Show & Tell photos to show you now that were sent to me by lovely women who made some of my designs. 

First, there's Ann Boudrot's version of the Simple Days quilt, all completed...she says this is her favourite quilt, and you know, it's mine too, because it was designed to celebrate the simple life I love. Didn't she make it beautifully! She even added lace inside the final border...



Next is Irmgard Jacob's version of the "Joy in the Ordinary" quilt, which was my block of the month pattern for 2024. 
Her colour choices are so warm and homely, like a hot cocoa on a late autumn afternoon. I love it! 



And thirdly I have Cathi Hurtubise's bordered block from my ongoing free stitchalong, Promises of God. The photo she sent was tiny, so it's not easy to see well, but it's beautiful!


If you'd like to join in the free Promises of God stitchalong, you can download the first three patterns HERE

If you'd like to sew Simple Days, the pattern is HERE...
and if you'd like to sew Joy in the Ordinary, it is HERE

Hopefully by the end of the week I will have completed a large downloadable Bible Study for you, as a gift. In between deep cleaning the house, refreshing my sewing/office space, general homemaking and trying to tame the garden between storms, I've been putting this study together in the hope it will be a blessing, and praying it will glorify the Lord. 

But right now, it is late, and I'm off to bed. God bless you dear ones, and always remember, look for the beauty around you and let God enlarge it in your heart. 

Hugs and prayers,

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I look forward to your blog everyday, and when you have sent one, you make my day! I am so, so glad you are back. I really appreciate you, thank you and love.

Susan said...

Looking forward to the Bible Study. Praying you don't have any flooding.

Anonymous said...

I’m definitely looking forward to the Bible study and thank you!

Tracy said...

I don't read it every year, but the book I have probably read the most times is The 39 Steps by John Buchan. It is a good thriller and, although it is very much of its time, it is also timeless in the way the hero, Richard Hannay, is resourceful and resilient when up against forces much bigger than himself. I can see why it was a great favourite amongst soldiers during the first world war.

kiwimeskreations said...

I so enjoy your blog posts Jennifer. We have had some most welcome rain here today - we were close to drought conditions... there is more rain due, and then fine again, for a few days...
My favourite read is the trilogy about the Children's Crusades by CJ Baker.. I don't often reread books, but I have read this series at least three times.
Blessings
Maxine

Anonymous said...

Wow those quilts have made lovely use of your panels.
Penny in the UK

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, I’m really looking forward to your Bible Study. Blessings Gail.

Allie said...

Girl, I'm so familiar with those grey days - but unlike you, we have no flowers to get us through it, unless we buy them, lol! Your garden looks so lush, but oh that poor tree. The books I've most reread are the LOTR trilogy, every year since I was 9 years old. Although not the last couple of years - I've rewatched the movies instead. So good!

Remembrances said...

I am so looking forward to the Bible study!
You are so right, I believe that we all do better when we look for the beauty in every day rather than focus on the gloom and doom. I was able to impart that to some people who were in the waiting room at a local surgery center yesterday and it was such a blessing to be able to do so. We were all there waiting for a loved one to come out of some sort of heart surgery and at first each of us was in our own little world with a book, handwork, a phone, etc. to distract us. Then I started a conversation with a lady near me and soon we were all involved telling stories of our past, our loved one, a book we read or something, and I noticed how much brighter the room was and how much happier everyone looked. It was such a blessing!

Karin
Phi. 4:13

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Jennifer for your inspiration, your patterns and your photos, and much more. May you have a blessed day!

Lin said...

Nature is amazing in the way it keeps on going. Lovely post |Jennifer. xx

Joanne said...

Hi jennifer,
It's amazing how naure recovers after a storm . Beautiful garden photo's ! Such colour and the scents I can almost smell frm here :)
Hugs, take care,
Joanne

Annabel said...

Jennifer I read the Long Winter and it was so educational. I dont think I could handle it again! When things got desperate it was so stressful! When Pa got really skinny... I sure will not forget it and I kept it. It made me understand what a lot of ladies call "the hungry gap" and it explained to me why my USA friends are so good at canning!xxx

Anonymous said...

The Persian pickle club by Sandra Dallas. 5 times so far. Ots like visiting with quilt friends every time.