A Mother's Day Wish

A Mother’s Day Wish
- by Michelle (me)

Time to honour and to say a big thank-you
To our Mothers, Grandmothers and our Great ones too
Not to forget those special women in our lives
Our neighbour, our aunts, our sisters and friends
Whose love and kindness knows no end

These special women have guided us through our years
From infants to adults, with much laughter, some tears
Watching over and guiding, always keeping in mind
To be considerate of others, and always be kind

For our world is made a much better place
When one is taught through compassion, gentleness and grace
These traits of a Mother are synonymous and true
As a beacon of light that guides us through

My Mother’s Day wish is full of love
To our Mothers, Grandmothers and our Great ones, now above
To our children, their children, and generations yet to be
A Mother’s love knows no bounds when it comes to family
I embrace you with warm and gentle loving arms
And wish for your happiness…..thank you dear Moms

Joy's Tulips

I love tulips! They are so pretty, vibrant and such a cheerful introduction to Spring. Most of our cheery tulips vanished to foraging deer, they seem to delight in them as well! Oh dear. I was lucky to have the opportunity to take a few photos of Spring tulips at my mother-in-law's house. Thank you Joy for sharing your beautiful tulips.

I want to dedicate this blog entry to our Mothers and to the special women who have influenced our lives. Thank you to our Mothers for their unrelenting love, kindness and wisdom throughout our lives. We would not be where we are today without your guidance and encouragement. Thank you Moms for keeping the peace, giving advice when needed, providing a shoulder to cry on and for sharing so many happy times together. We look forward to so many more happy times ahead! We love you!!

Happy Mother's Day from all of us. Michelle

Flowery Mosaics for Monday

Here are a few pictures for Mosaic Monday. I put these together from recent photos, plus a few of my older ones. Thank you for visiting my website. Happy Monday and week ahead. I will be adding more photos and stories this coming week. Please visit my other website "Relics and Tales" where my father-in-law and myself are putting together stories of true events. It is very different than this blog and a little unusual, we have many interesting stories ahead which we will be adding to it.

Please visit the Little Red House for more mosaics from around the world. Thanks again. Michelle

I love Hellebores

I love hellebores. They are such an interesting and beautiful plant which add a very special touch to the garden. I have a few which I purchased over the years, many from a yearly Spring plant sale held in our community, where the prices were unbeatable - this made it very tempting for me to buy more than one plant! They are hardy and the deer don't bother them.

Here are a couple of close-up pictures. Their colours are truly amazing.

Lemon Balm - Growing Like a Weed on the West Coast

It is that time of year again where everything in the garden is sprouting like mad. One plant I want to write about here is lemon balm - it is growing everywhere in our back garden. I don't like to yank it out because it is such a special plant, it smells so fresh and makes a healthy tea. I read about this plant, its medicinal and soothing qualities and I am absolutely thrilled to have this growing in abundance. Both Richard and I love teas, we are 'tea toddlers' during the week and usually drink organic herbal teas. I am anxious to make our own from what grows in our own back yard - mints and lemon balm are a good start. There are oodles of websites on herbs and teas - if anyone has recommendations on this subject, I welcome your input. I welcome knowledge and advice from other gardeners, herbalists and organic growers - I am always learning and there is so much more to learn! I will also share with you my 'tea toddling' stories!

Here is one site I found (there are SO many websites on lemon balm) ...click here to view.
Tomorrow I will venture out to our back garden to add a few photos here. I am off to bed now....feel very sleepy after herbal tea......night! Thank you for visiting Mich's West Coast Journal. Michelle

Lemon Balm

The deer were kind and left us with one tulip!



Lemon Balm Tea

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups lemon balm leaves, fresh
• Honey or other sweetener
• Water

Preparation:

Bring 8 cups water to a boil, and add the leaves. Reduce heat and allow to steep for about 15 minutes. Strain leaves out, and then add honey or other sweetener to taste. If the tea is too strong, add a bit of water to thin it out. Pour into an ice-filled pitcher and serve. You may want to add a sprig of mint for garnish.

Gumboot Mama

This journal entry is a little different than most. I am having some difficulty here as I will not be adding colourful flower photos. There will be more opportunity to add nature's beauty in future postings. I want to write about 'gumboots' - a silly subject but rather delightful too! The other day I was looking at my gumboots and thinking what great companions they are to me. My gumboots, or wellies, are there for me when I need them - I slip into them before heading outside and they keep my feet warm and dry on those nasty wet days. I have even ventured into town wearing them! How can I forget some years ago, my son was horrified to see me wearing gumboots before our trip to town - the look of shock and embarrassment was too funny. My son, Stephen, pleaded with me to change my shoes. I did change them as I did not want to embarrass him. When on my own, I don't worry what others may think - gumboots, big woolly sweater, and wind-tousled hair - call me 'Gumboot Mama'!

Well, I wrote another poem, inspired by my boots of course! I would like to share it with you. Thank you for viewing my website, I really do appreciate it when you pop in to visit. Michelle

"Gumboot Mama"
by Michelle (me)

I’m a gumboot mama
And I am proud to say
I wear my gummies at work or play
With dress or slacks they wear so well
Town folk call me the country belle

My son embarrassed, how can it be
When we travel to town, wellies and me
Oh please Mama, change your shoes
Dressy or casual, I’ll help you choose

I’ll wear a parka, long, past the knee
Don’t feel embarrassed to be seen with me
Please son walk along my side
Not behind or in front to hide

Comfort and warmth is what I seek
For no other shoe can truly beat
These green rubbery boots of mine
Which match my woolly dress just fine

My feet stay warm, my feet stay dry
Through puddled lanes and marsh nearby
On muddy grounds the bottoms stick
They squish through layers of mud so thick

One time my boot it stayed behind
Bare foot slipped out, it felt unkind
On ground so cold, so damp and deep
The oozing mud and dung of sheep

The fields and lanes will soon be dry
Too warm for wellie friends and I
We’ll soon depart, a sorrowful thought
But we’ll meet again, when it’s not so hot

For now let's take a walk to town
In cool morning air of early dawn
Kind gestures and smiles from town folk I see
For the gumboot mama, green wellies…. that’s me !

Please teach me the gumboot dance!

Gumboot dancing, which originated in South Africa, would be a wonderful dance to learn for us west coast folks that enjoy wearing gumboots. Click here for a small glimpse of 'gumboot dancing'.

For a brief history of gumboots....please click here. Thank you.

Pastel Lights for Mosaic Monday

Happy Easter everyone! It is a beautiful Monday morning and windy storms are behind us now. I have not posted to Mosaic Monday for a while and thought I should catch up and say hello. We had a lovely dinner with family last night and I would like to express how much I appreciate and love our families. It is a time to reflect on loved ones and dear friends and to be thankful for those near to us. We recently lost a very close friend, like family to us, it has been a very difficult two weeks since his passing. This person was so dear to us all, we will certainly feel a huge void in our lives without him. There is a Native American saying that "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" (Dakota), and this dear friend left huge tracks in all of our hearts, happy tracks of kindness and sharing. May we all leave happy tracks and be remembered for our good deeds, a smile, helping someone in need or just being there to listen to others. Most of all, take time to be happy with those we love.

Please visit The Little Red House to view beautiful mosaics from around our world. Thank you and happy Easter from the west coast! Michelle