Oldest brother brought the raccoon trap back this afternoon and I’ve baited it with two marshmallows. One of the raccoons climbed the bird feeder pole near the lady den window last night and emptied one of the feeders. Greased the bird feeder pole late afternoon so if he or she is out wandering around for snacks they’ll just have to go in the cage to get a marshmallow. Seems a shame to risk being caught just to eat a marshmallow, course I might do the same thing for a pack of Doublemint chewing gum.

Another overcast day with layers of vanilla and grey clouds racing across the sky. All the clouds held hands today, not giving the sun a chance to shine through a break in the cloud cover. The wind was banging out loud tintinnabulations from the wind chimes and the bamboo were doing a choreographed conga dance in the back yard. The bamboo stalks were getting a workout with their dancing. Lots of male cardinals frolicking in the bamboo, their crimson plumage so beautiful against the green of the bamboo stalks. The male cardinals just latch their little feet on a slender branch and ride the bamboo like an amusement park ride. I love watching them. The wind ruffles their feathers and combs. Never seen a female cardinal ride the bamboo stems. Maybe they don’t like their feathers ruffled in the wind.

Did not see one peek of the sun today. I braved the cold and sat in the swing briefly, timing my porch pondering to the time of sunset, but saw nothing but late afternoon sky packed with layers of vanilla and gray somber, shadowy clouds, traveling with the wind across the horizon. I wondered what color gown the sun would pick to wear on a gloomy day like today, when her pageant of sunset was hidden, only to be seen by Mother Nature and Father Sky.

I decided the sun would choose to be dressed in a luxurious evening gown of hot pink taffeta, embellished and shimmering with silver crystals and golden sequins. The gown’s long ruffled train, fitted tightly and dropping from the sun’s tiny waist, would flare out across the horizon and paint the sky a blazing flame-pink hue. Walking down the stage, the train of her gown would pale on the horizon to a light peach glow. As the evening’s gloaming came alive, Mother Nature would brush the sky with watercolor strokes of peach and apricot matching her layers of paint to the color of the sun’s taffeta gown. Maybe I’ll see a sunset tomorrow, a gift ending another day of heaven on Earth.

Father Sky tucked the hidden sun in tonight, under her velvet vanilla quilt of clouds, and went to perform his task of waking the moon and stars. He drug the moon and stars out of the thick heavy clouds into the quiet navy dark of the nighttime sky, letting the stars punctuate the night sky canopy as they danced in the moon’s ethereal glow. I always see romance in the dark night sky.

Been reading quotes today. Never get tired of them. Always looking for one that inspires me or makes me think. I love this quote by Henri Matisse. “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” There are so many simple things in life that we see but don’t really see them for the gifts they are. I’m thinking of a dandelion. I see a beautiful little bright yellow flower but some see a pesky weed. I know they are really invasive but I can enjoy their blooms, appreciate their beauty, yet understand that they have to be dealt with.

There are so many wonders in life, so many surprises, so many gifts. We need to try and look at these changes as flowers and not as weeds. If we are pessimists, we travel through life just seeing weeds, waiting for weeds to sprout up and overtake our beautiful gardens. We can’t see all the glorious blooms for worrying about weeds that might invade our lives. If we’re optimists, we can see flowers where others just see weeds.

We can use our faith and our prayers to make gardens out of the weedy chaos that’s just a part of the human experience. Sometimes we get so caught up in this fast paced world we don’t see or acknowledge the flowers in our lives. Look around, you probably have more blooms in your garden of life than you realize. Be thankful for your blessings and don’t worry about the weeds. God will take a care of them.

“Happy are those who sing with all their heart, from the bottoms of their hearts. To find joy in the sky, the trees, the flowers. There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” — Henri Matisse