Dreamflower's Mathom-house

I decided to take these pictures today, since our Capitol pear is in full bloom. The sky is overcast, and even though the temp is in the low 60s, the wind is awful, and between the humidity and the wind chill, it feels like 40s.




This is the little tiny garden bed at the corner between the sidewalk and the driveway. As you can see, the hyacinths are in bloom, the tulips are coming up, as are the chrysanthemums. The little johnny-jump-ups on the lefthand side I bought at the nursery a couple of days ago.
My butterfly stepping stone needs to be washed off.



Another angle of the same bed. The angel is a solar light, and looks very pretty at night.

This is such a fascinating interpretation of the Twenty-third Psalm:

I'm a halfway decent driver most of the time; I obey the speed limit, try to avoid tailgating, and stay in my own lane. But I sometimes think of the occasions when I wasn't a good driver, when due to tiredness or brief inattentiveness, I do something stupid and disaster is narrowly averted. I've been known to nod off at the wheel (at least once swerving across the opposite lane and almost into a ditch); at least twice, I have forgotten to turn my lights on at night until someone blinked their lights at me; I have a tendency to rush yellow lights, and sometimes I only come to a rolling stop at stop signs. And I'm sure there are other times I've made dangerous mistakes. Yet when someone else makes a narrowly averted dangerous mistake, such as pulling out in front of me, I tend to get angry.

Tonight, I came across the following anonymous poem as I was trying to find something for my Lent post. It kind of put things in perspective.

Prayers for Strangers

Yesterday I didn’t drive well;
I made a bad mistake.
Thank you God for the stranger
Whose foot slammed on his brake.
All day today I prayed for him,
As I prayed for many more
Who were quick-thinking at the wheel
And saved my life before.

There’s no other gift to give
To a stranger you don’t meet
Than to offer prayers for him
And lay them at God’s feet.

So every time I think about
Some driver who was skilled
And managed to undo a threat
That could have been fulfilled,
I say another prayer
For those strangers I don’t know
Who were wide awake and ready
When I was dim and slow.


Read more: http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/4058/prayers-for-strangers/#ixzz41QF7ipZW

This is from one of my very favorite illuminated manuscripts, dating from the eighth century. It is what is called a "carpet page", from the Lindisfarne Gospels. It contains intricate knots, mazes, spirals and zoomorphic images. One of these days I hope to perhaps make a copy of this page.



It's only one page out of all the pages: the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, all written in a meticulous Celtic uncial script and beautifully illuminated with the same sorts of intricate designs seen on this carpet page.

Historians generally believe it was all the work of one monk, Eadfrith, who took two years to do it all. Imagine the dedication and love of the work it took to do this day after day, and the creativity and devotion that led to such beautiful designs, all of it dedicated to the Creator of All.

Here is a link to a larger and clearer image.

Well, a lot of people on my flist have been doing this, so of course, I have to do it, too!
baranduin added a question, so I will too!

1. Do you live a house, a condo, or some kind of apartment?
House

2. Do you rent or own?
Own

3. What’s one thing that you would change about it if you could?
Add a little more square footage to each room, a second bathroom, and remodel the kitchen. Only the last one may happen one day, unless we either win Publisher's Clearing House or the lottery.

4. Would you like to move?
NO! Moving is a lot of hard work, stressful and painful and things get broken or lost. Besides we are finally getting to get the garden the way we want it, and you can't move gardens.

5. Do you read the answers of others before answering yourself?
Yes, most of the time.

This question was added by baranduin
6. How do you eat Oreos?
Fill a glass with ice cold milk. Crush 2 or 3 Double Stuffed Oreos into it. When they have mostly sunk to the bottom, fish them out with an ice tea spoon and enjoy! (Regular Oreos work too, but I like the double stuffed best.)

And here is MY question:
7: What household chore do you actually enjoy doing?
Folding laundry. There is something soothing in reducing a pile of assorted items into orderly squares and rectangles and rolls that will fit nicely into drawers and cupboards. I am very particular about the way certain things are folded; it's the one chore my DH doesn't do (except in an emergency) because he knows I will re-do it. Since I've been sick, he's caught up all the dirty laundry, but now I have a pile of clean I haven't been able to finish yet. Maybe tomorrow. I love folding napkins...and rolling up washcloths...and using that new method of folding T-shirts so they will stand up in the drawer...