Take Joy!…and Squeal with Delight!

Posted by Barbara Techel

Take Joy!...and Squeal with Delight!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take Joy! ~Fra Giovanni

I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but feel exuberant joy watching everything come to life with spring upon us.

Walking out my writing cottage door at lunch today, just after we had a soft rain, I squealed out loud, and said to Gidget who was tucked under my arm, “Oh look, Gidget!  The Willow Cherry tree has begun to blossom! I must get a picture.” 

In that moment I felt my love for Tasha Tudor bubble up again to the surface, imagining her delight in her exquisite garden that she too felt every spring.

This week in my newsletter which comes out on Sunday I wrote about the Wild Woman within each of us — Tasha was definitely the epitome of that!  She is one of my mentors because it is what I strive to continue to embrace more and more everyday…to walk to the beat of my own drum…

and to Take Joy! in all the simple pleasures life has to offer.

—

I recently learned of a Wisconsin Chapter for the Tasha Tudor Society. I was so excited to receive a response from the woman who organizes events in WI to celebrate Tasha Tudor letting me know I’m now added to her email list. I hope to attend an event in the near future!

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Frogs Message to Clear the Muddied Energy

Posted by Barbara Techel

Frog's Message to Clear the Muddied Energy

I love oracle cards and using them as a tool for guidance in my life. If you’ve been following my blog for awhile I believe you have a sense of that as I love sharing what I discover along the way.

Because of my love of animals and continuing to learn what I can from their wisdom, animal oracle cards are ones I turn to often.

Today I chose to use the Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson to draw a card before my yoga practice. As I shuffled the cards I asked what I most needed to hear today and Frog card was the one that presented itself.

I’m concerned about a health issue with Gidget which I just learned of yesterday when I took her to the vet. Right now I’ve opted to wait a week or two to see if anything changes before making a decision on what to do next.

While I don’t want to specifically say what it could possibly be as there is a 50% chance it isn’t, I’m working on myself of not living in a place of fear around this concern, so I can make the best and right decision for Gidget. So, alas, I have some inner work to do.  🙂

So Frog’s message is what I needed to hear. In part Frog says:

If Frog hopped into the cards you chose today, its “ribet” may be calling in the cleansing you need. If you were to look at where you are today, would you use any of the following words to describe your condition: tired, overloaded, harried, frustrated, guilty, itchy, nervous, at a loss, empty, or weakened?

If so, take a break, and allow yourself to bathe in the waters of Frog medicine. This could mean a long, relaxing bath, disconnecting the phone, yelling “stop,” or taking in deep, cleansing breaths.

The key thought is to find a way to rid yourself of distractions and to replace the mud with clear energy. Then replenish your parched spirit, body, and mind.

Decisions are best made from a place of clear energy and a process I began yesterday afternoon. With Frog showing up today in the card reading, it is another confirmation of what I need to continue to do.

And so it is.

—

Update:  Five minutes after I shared this post on my Facebook page, my friend Dawn shared this photo of her new little pup, Deshka, resting with her frog toy this morning. Coincidence?  Nope. Frog is definitely talking to me today. And how about that Deshka? Could she be any cuter?!

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Spring Garden Walk has Me Thinking of Tasha Tudor

Posted by Barbara Techel
Spring Garden Walk has Me Thinking of Tasha Tudor
My dwarf lilac tree full of buds!

“It’s exciting to see things coming up again, plants that you’ve had twenty or thirty years. It’s like seeing an old friend.”
― Tasha Tudor, The Private World of Tasha Tudor

It is has been close to 60 degrees this weekend, though the wind has just shifted putting a bit of a chill in the air again. But ah, yes, that is spring – such a tease it can be!

Today I walked in my landscaped gardens which will be one year old next month. And I couldn’t help but think of Tasha Tudor. I discovered her about five years ago and became utterly fascinated with her way of life. She was a children’s book illustrator, lover of nature, tea, flowers, corgis, goats, birds, and living to the beat of her own drum. She lived a simple life and what some would say was a hard life for there was always something to be done around her property. But that is what made her thrive.

As I walked my gardens I felt the spirit of Tasha. I know I’ll have to get my books out again that I have about her. Even though I’ve read them oodles of times already, I’m feeling called to get lost in her world that I find to this day to be be magical.

Being outside and appreciating all that nature gives us is when I feel the spirit of her swirling in the wind. I could ride high on that feeling forever.

Mr. Finch right outside my writing cottage window

To see the buds blossoming on trees and shrubs just fills me fresh up with such hope – and reminds me of what is truly important. These simple, sweet moments of beauty.

My Cherry Blossom Willow tree should blossom soon
Mr. Squirrel drinking from the bird bath

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