photo friday

picking the first fresh strawberries of the season over memorial day weekend!

thoughtful thursday

so said mary oliver and i firmly concur...

“You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body 
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
call to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.” 
― Mary Oliver

whimsical wednesday

we had a challenge for whimsical wednesday!  we were to create something using the color yellow, tissue paper, words cut out of a magazine, stickers and clear plastic (the plastic from packaging).

mine!  words in black on white and pictures in the color yellow were randomly cut from one magazine.  the tissue paper is light yellow (under the plastic squares), as are the stickers.  when assembling the collage, the words found their way to one another!

 of course i created something in my art journal!  

suz of www.craftinwithsuz.com shared her creation for the whimsical wednesday challenge.  she utilized a disposal cup lid, yellow card stock, yellow button, white tissue paper, butterfly stickers and words cut from a catalogue.  it's lovely.  it could be worn as a corsage!

not something you see every day!

a reader sent a photo for NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!  she was in california and found herself taking a photograph of the catholic church used in the movie, the birds.  the movie is 50 this year.

thank you so much for sharing, loyal reader!  the rest of you......  it's tuesday!  time for NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!  share your funny, unique, interesting experiences!

get ready.....

we're having a challenge this whimsical wednesday!  begin to gather and think about what to create with the following items:

*the color yellow
*tissue paper, any color
*sticker(s) of your choice
*word(s) cut out of any publication
*a clear piece of plastic, any size (hint: food containers or packaging for other products work well, easy to cut with a pair of scissors and using them is recycling)

miscellaneous

it's a long holiday weekend.  may all have great weather so everyone can be outside to enjoy the holiday that kicks off summer.

if anyone has a photo or something beyond the blog's comment section to share, email the whimsey project:       thewhimseyproject@gmail.com

photo friday

the bittersweet perching kitty decided to come back down!

thoughtful thursday

graduation! everywhere young people are graduating from all levels of education. according to the dictionary graduation is the successful completion of a program of study; an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred".  graduation signifies completion of one facet of life, but it also signifies the beginning of another.  the next step.  whatever that next step will be for the graduates, may the participants be fulfilled in the journey.  congratulations to graduates everywhere!

whimsical wednesday

it's plan a picnic for whimsical wednesday!  a real picnic, a fantasy picnic, any sort of picnic you might want to have.

my picnic is a blend of fantasy and reality.  since megan and jacob were wee i have been making up stories for them featuring a bunch of stray cats.  whenever these cats turn into the driveway of the farm in their old, worn pickup truck, an adventure is about to begin.  the stories often include a picnic and the main item of munchies is delivered pizza!  there could be no picnic that i could image that wouldn't include megan, jacob, the cats in the pickup truck and delivered pizza (including the delivery dude)!  the picnic i planned today will be an activity for us when they visit this summer.  

not something you see every day!

it's time, once again, for NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!  share your silly, crazy, unusual experiences with us today!

get ready.....

let's plan a picnic for whimsical wednesday.  plan with all new picnic items to eat and a new place to have a picnic.  plan a fantasy picnic that you'd take in a far away place or an imaginary place.  plan a picnic of all the usual favorites to eat at the most favorite picnic spot.  save the picnic plans for a later date, record a fantasy picnic in an art journal or have your picnic on whimsical wednesday!  whatever your plans and when, enjoy!

miscellaneous

the grass was cut before the red clover could bloom.  no worries, it's blooming in the meadow.

one of the mama kitties presented a single kitten for the first time yesterday.  cute, cute, cute.  seeing one causes me to wonder where the rest are as there is rarely one.  the neighbor called and announced kittens were on her porch.  those could belong to one of the mama kitties here.  it's amazing to consider, though, since the neighbor's porch would be quite a trek for a mama kitty to carry and deposit, one by one, kittens there.

a glance out the window became a session in observing a pair of turkeys, on the point, pecking, scratching, rolling in bare areas in the grass.  what they were doing was unknown but very interesting to watch.

mr birdie continues to sing, sing, sing about the nest he's created in the gourd birdhouse.  has he been successful in enticing a mate?  this has yet to be determined.  we're rooting for him!

photo friday

paris landing state park; perched on the lodge's fireplace.

thoughtful thursday

home is a small parcel of this very large earth. a section of this parcel used to be farmed.  now this section lies fallow.  recently someone asked what does the land do now that it is no longer farmed.  the answer was it does nothing. however, that response was inadequate.  the most accurate response would have been to state that nothing is done TO that acreage. the earth does what it does, without human assistance or interference, as the earth does not require the overt actions of humans to be what it is. often, it seems, the earth would do what it does even better if left alone by humans.  it's an (in)action that is working very well here at home.

whimsical wednesday

for whimsical wednesday we are writing in our memory books or notable notebooks.

my entries were in the memory book.  entries because i wrote about mother's day and my eleventh wedding anniversary.  a very special day that created a very fond memory.

not something you see every day!

it's tuesday!  and when it's tuesday it's time for NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!!!  share your funny, unique, interesting, quirky experiences with us today!

get ready.....

this whimsical wednesday is memory book or noteable notebook day!

for those new to the whimsey project, a memory book is any notebook in which to inscribe random memories about your life.  doesn't matter the topic or time, just something you have thought of and want to preserve on paper.  a notable notebook is any notebook in which to inscribe random information that fascinates you; quotes, lyrics, ideas to name but a few categories.  enjoy!

miscellaneous

we have hummingbirds!

a birdhouse made from a gourd was a gift from friends.  it was hung last fall.  now a wee birdie is working to make it a home for a little family of birdies.  welcome!

it's been raining a great deal since the grass was cut the first time.  therefore, the grass is once again getting full of wildflowers.  the red clover, a favorite, is among them.  hopefully the clover will bloom before the grass is dry enough to be cut.

if you have a photo to submit for photo friday or activity for whimsical wednesday or something else to share beyond comments on the blog, email the whimsey project:     thewhimseyproject@gmail.com

photo friday

windy submitted this friday's photo featuring the world's largest rubber duckie!  here's the link:

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2013/05/the-worlds-largest-duck-arrives-in-hong-kong/

thank you, windy! rubber duckies, even huge ones, are adorable!!

thoughtful thursday

friend:  "thank you for the thank you note you sent me.  you didn't have to do that."

me:  "you are welcome.  and.  yes, i did.  i have impeccable manners."

manners (kindness, really) makes the world a much happier place!

whimsical wednesday

it's get ready for mother's day this whimsical wednesday!

my preparations included sending homemade cards to a few ladies that are special to me.  they don't necessarily mother me but i admire them as mothers and decided to tell them as much.  my mom, of course, was sent a homemade card.  and my daughter received a phone call from me wishing her a happy mother's day. she's a wonderful mother and i wanted to let her know that i appreciate how well she takes care of and loves my grandchildren!  she was surprised to get a mother's day call in the middle of the week.  she told me she enjoyed it thoroughly and was very glad i called.  me too!

not something you see every day!

when tuesday rolls around, it's the day for NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY! share something funny, unique, interesting, hilarious!  looking forward your NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!

get ready.....

whimsical wednesday will find us doing something to honor our mothers for mother's day on may 12th!  think  more broadly than your own mother.  remember your grandmother, aunts who were like mothers, friends who mothered you, mothers of friends, godmother.  make cards, make early telephone calls, an early lunch date or make plans with a mom for mother's day.  each mother's day should be just right for her.  (and you!)

miscellaneous

it's been raining for the last few days.  it's the type of rain that people enjoy and feel soothed by; slow and gentle.  great weather for sitting on the porch, sipping tea and soaking in the beauty of the earth; especially this time of year when the world becomes colorful.

the strawberries are blooming!  there will soon be fruit!

no hummingbird sightings as yet.  and certainly no baltimore orioles.  but the gold finches are now bright yellow and ever present.  and such a variety of birds munching at the feeders; including one of my favorites, red winged blackbird.

trees in bloom: dogwood, redbud, hawthorne.

wildflowers:  spring beauties, may apples and many others i can't identify by name but enjoy so much when they appear.

the grass was cut.  the scent of freshly cut grass is heady.  of all the wildflowers that were growing in the grass, only the dandelions remain.

if  you have something to share with the whimsey project, a photo, an idea for whimsical wednesday, email the whimsey project at thewhimseyproject@gmail.com.

photo friday

mango kitty loves to nap amid the vines of bittersweet!  

thoughtful thursday

sam lefkowitz:

"when asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty, my response is i am thankful i have a cup."

whimsical wednesday

it's may day on whimsical wednesday! we are celebrating may day in any way we wish, preferably with flowers.

my whimsical wednesday may day activity consisted of sowing daisy flower seeds on a bare spot by the dock.  the seeds were randomly scattered after a rake was applied to the earth to gently loosen the soil.  after the seeds were in place, the area was covered with a thin layer of potting soil.  we'll see what emerges! if any flowers grow, may day flowers will last longer than may day!

what did you do to celebrate may day this whimsical wednesday?