What Things? - Tuesday 4 Meme

It's time for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Questions about your life.

1. What makes you tired?

Loud and obnoxious people in a social setting or in a public space,  hot weather, shopping and too many errands or hard household work.

  

2.  What things do you enjoy in life?

Faith, family, a few trusted friends and the physical energy to do a few enjoyable hobbies.

3. How do you want others to see you?

As a kind, compassionate, honest and God fearing person.  Someone who will be helped when in needs and not just useful when others are in need.  We are all human after all and no one person can be the best on their own at all times.

4.  What things do you enjoy most and find most relaxing to do?

I enjoy many things and most of them are simple. These are in no particular order. I enjoy a good coffee, a warm, sunny day, birds in the garden, lovely flowers growing or cut, simple, fresh foods especially made by others, a nice sweet, a good song, a good poem, a good book. But all of these things are best enjoyed in the secure knowledge of a loving, Heavenly Father who cares for me, faith that I will see those of my loved ones who've gone on before me again, loved ones here on earth who make time to touch bases and show love even if they are busy and friends who do the same. I enjoy slow walks, sunsets, sunrises, green spaces, flowers poking out in places that seem impossible, travel to places near and far and someone with whom I can share all these things.

~~~

It's Been a Very Hot Week - Skywatch Friday, May 19, 2023

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

We have been experiencing extremely hot and dry temperatures over the past week and wild fires have broken out in several places around the province. Wild fires are also raging in northern Alberta and now into the province of Saskatchewan.

I stayed in as much as possible and only went out late in the afternoon. 

The first few photos were taken earlier this week at sunrise followed by a few photos taken at the park where I have my garden allotment. 

I was out for a long walk on one evening and stopped to rest at a bench outside of a coffee shop. This beautiful planter box was net to me. Isn't it a lovely sight on a busy street? That's what I love about my city. You'll find greenery and plants everywhere. Even on busy streets we often have small gardens planted by guerrilla gardeners.

 I hope you are staying safe and cool wherever you are.

Thank you for visiting my submission to

Skywatch Friday this week.

What Do You Think ~ Tuesday 4

  

writing happy things

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  It's so nice to have you here.

Let's talk about you this week.  Let others know your feelings and convictions. Give some advice and some wisdom.  And remember to visit the other contributors to get to know them and find out their opinions too!

1.  What do you believe the purpose of life is?  

When one is a Christian the purpose of life comes into clarity. We have a very brief time on earth. Our eternal home will come after our physical body dies, therefore the purpose of life is to make sure you know you are headed where you want to spend eternity and to live your life accordingly.  I want to spend eternity with God and his Son, Jesus Christ and the multitudes of heavenly hosts and the saints who lived and died throughout all the ages, including mybown loved ones. I also believe we have a duty to share our faith with others so that they too can learn about the salvation plan. 

2.  How do you handle stress ? What do you recommend to others who are stressed out?

We all face stress on a daily basis whether we realize it or not.  It affects us whether we are conscious of it or not.  As a result, I have learned many ways of dealing with stress and I employ them as and when needed.  For example, I pray and read my Bible, listen to uplifting music or read inspirational and motivational writings. I also go for a walk, speak to a friend, ask for prayer, do something with my hands, read a book or focus on breathing. When we are stressed we tend to hold onto our breath and our breathing can become very shallow or difficult.  Stretching exercises are also good for someone who experiences tension in the muscles due to high stress levels or physical ailments like fibromyalgia or arthritis.

3. What enjoyable things do you wish you could do more often? How would  it improve your life? 

I enjoy so many things but one thing I wish I could do far more often is travel. I love to travel far and wide to distant places and it can require more stamina, energy and resources than I currently have. Many of my relatives live far from me and I would love to take some long road trips to visit them too. Travel would improve my life because it makes me happy and happiness is good for one's health. The bible says that "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones".  Proverbs 17:22

4. Do you believe in God?  Why or why not?

I do believe in God. When we hear the gospel preached we have a choice to accept or reject what we hear as truth or fiction. I choose to accept the Bible as the true and inspired word of God and moreover to accept that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross and shed his blood to save me and all of mankind from sin and eternal damnation. I accept and believe in God and his Word through faith. 

Living a life of faith doesn't always mean things go smoothly and easily in life.  But even when going through difficulties and trials there are many scriptures that give comfort and hope. 

Two of the scriptures that have helped me countless times are the promises of God in Romans 8:28  "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" and Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us".

Double Headed Sakuru Blossoms

In the middle of April or so we had the first wave of cherry blossoms. But it had been quite cold and rainy so not all the tree blossomed. This week we are experiencing a second wave of blossoms. Most of these are the double flowered cherry blossoms.

They aren't blooming as prolifically as normal but they are beautiful nonetheless. Daily temperatures have been very hot this week but once the sun goes down it is still a bit chilly. I've been wearing sandals all week and the lightest clothing I have. It's a huge change from a week ago.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you aren't getting tired of my posts about blossoms. Soon they will be finished for the year once more.

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday today. Enjoy your weekend.

The Party ~ Tuesday 4

Another week has flown by and we are already staring a new week in the face.  Time for  Toni's Tuesday 4.    

Everyone loves a party.  Imagine you are arranging a party or an affair for a friend.  Perhaps a home wedding or a milestone birthday.  Share with us your best ideas please.  Money is not a concern.

1.  a. What is the occasion?  

The occasion is a wedding. 

    b. Will there be a theme to the party?

There will be a spring theme, assuming the wedding is in the spring season.  Colours for the theme will be in pastel shades of rose, pink, lavender, creams and whites.

2.   Will there be music in the background or perhaps a hired band or DJ?  What music will play?

There will be beautiful classical music in the background selected for the ability to create a sense of elegance, grace and calm. Perhaps there will be some other music that is prepared for weddings and receptions.

The music of Pachelbel Canon in D will be played as the bride makes her way to the floral arch to meet her groom. 

3. Describe how you will decorate the house for the party/wedding.

The wedding will be held on the patio and the entire home will be festooned with tall, elegant and extravagant floral bouquets. Some will be selected for fragrance but nothing too overpowering as some people have allergies.  On the patio itself there will be bountiful flowers all around the perimeter. There will be a floral arbor under which the bride and groom will stand for the ceremony. The arbor or arch will be something like in the photo below minus the bouquets at the bottom on each side. Instead those lower arrangements will be arranged all around the patio and indoors.

4. What kind of foods will you serve and will it be finger foods or a sit down meal? Catered or home style?  What kind of cake?

In keeping with the simple, yet elegant nature of the wedding we will have finger foods catered by a company known for healthy and elegant finger foods (click the link for some examples). There will be a variety of both hot and cold foods to ensure people have what they would like. There will be wedding punch to drink and toast. There will also be a beautiful yet simple cake with ivory frosting and more flowers all in white and off-white such as in the examples below. I like the first cake but the floral arrangement in the 2nd photo.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about the wedding plans. Please be sure to RSVP.

At the Community Garden ~ Skywatch Friday

 

These photos were taken a week or so ago. The day was overcast but warm enough as you can see by the people sitting on the lawn.  Since then we've had a mixed bag of weather and today was very hot. Tomorrow we are anticipating another hot day. The park was so crowded today in every area. People, including me, have been waiting for the warmer days.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today. Enjoy your weekend.

Skywatch Friday ~ April 21, 2023

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Welcome to beautiful Vancouver, BC!

It continues to rain and be quite cool here but every now and then we have a break in the sky and the weather. I haven't been out for a specific time of capturing cherry blossoms due to the inclement weather and being otherwise busy. But I've been fortunate to get some decent photos on some of my errand days. I hope you enjoy them.

 

I'm also adding a few photos from a rainy day.

I've also been enjoying some reading. Some of the recent books of note include the following:

A fictional account, based on facts, of a governess to the late Queen and her sister Margaret.

The Valley of the Birdtail is a non-fictional account of a small Indian reservation and an adjacent town in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It's an extremely interesting and well done account of the situation of Indigenous people in Canada, some of the historical problems and injustices, race relations with the 'white' population and some of the current reconciliation issues and potential ways of relating to one another.  The book was co-authored by an Indigenous law professor and a non-Indigenous lawyer who was a former student of the professor.

Cottage by the Sea is an easy read by Christian author, Debbie Macomber who is a number 1 New York Times best-selling author. In this story, the protagonist, Annie Marlowe, goes to spend time at a cottage rented by her family for summer holiday when she was a teen. She goes there to get away from family tragedy and to seek healing.  She finds healing and more.

I'm currently reading the two books in the photo below, starting with The Summer I Met Jack. It's a great read so far. It's a fictional account of how a beautiful Polish refugee (Alicia Darr) met, dated, got engaged (and unengaged) to John F. Kennedy in the 1950s while he was a Senator. It's based on fact but obviously the author wasn't privy to all the intimate details of the relationship so it is fictionalized. Similar to the book above, In Royal Service to the Queen.

Last, but not least, I completed a wonderful book called, The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, Canadian murder mystery writer extraordinaire. In this story, a stranger is murdered and found in the Three Pines bistro and antique shop. Olivier, owner of the bistro is immediately a suspect but the novel unfolds in a very intelligent way before the final conclusion is revealed. Chief Inspector Gamache begins the search for the murderer.  His investigation ultimately leads him across the continent from the Province of Quebec to the Province of British Columbia. There in the former Queen Charlotte Islands (now known as Haida Gwaii) we finally learn what the brutal telling is and it's connection to the world renowned painter, Emily Carr. Believe it or not, this is the first book I've read by Louise Penny. I tried last year to read one of her books and I wasn't able to dig into it before it needed to be returned to the library. I purchased a thrifted copy of The Brutal Telling and will gift it away to someone locally as I now do with most of the novels I buy.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today. Have a wonderful weekend.