Brimming With Good Luck

A COMFY CHAIR with a cushion for my back reminds me that I don't have to go far to know how lucky I am. Although it is easy to dwell on a glass half empty, today I simply can't ignore a glass that is more than full of small comforts. Almost nothing that surrounds me was made by me ... yet here it all is, providing for my every whim and need.

The angelic figure created by a friend inspires me at a glance.

It's a mystery how much synchronicity was involved in the musical instrument (above) coming to me, along with its owner who turned out to be my husband eventually. Not only can I strum an unfinished tune, I can turn a dial to make music blast from a radio speaker (pictured) that I didn't assemble and the workings of which I don't understand.

I rely on schemers and doodlers from all corners of the world every day. Engineers, architects and electricians responsible for a tangle of cords and wires brighten life in a myriad of ways.

At a glance I am reminded of our beloved family pet who has since passed away and the talented little girl (now a grownup) who created Penelope Puddle as a gift to me. How strange to appreciate but not know all those who took part in designing, painting and piecing together the ornate frames that contain so many of my special memories.

My story follows the stories of those who struggled and toiled. Some never got their full reward but each life had its portion of goodness.

How remarkable and fortunate that nourishment sprouting from plants and trees is handpicked by hardworking strangers and then driven to neighborhood stores before landing on the kitchen table.

In generations past, lemon meringue pie was made from scratch. But thanks to modern bakers I will never meet I can savor this sweet cloud without having to break a single egg or squeeze a tangy lemon.

How many hands did it take, and who built the equipment that forged the metal, to make a whistling kettle so I can sip a soothing herbal brew? What army of workers processed the tea? Who produced the tiny bags I dunk into a cup of clean water that freely pours from a nearby faucet?

How many dozens of hands did it take to make the cap I wear to keep the sun off. Who wove the purse my keys disappear into? Who invented the coat hanger where I hook my umbrella to easily find when it rains?

The universe conspires in countless ways, with the help of others and even ourselves sometimes, to make life flow easier. The glass half full is barely noticeable most of the time but every once in a while I ponder the “little” things I take for granted day in and day out.

It's particularly clear that nature provides when I go outside and find the tiniest creatures also get their share of luck to survive.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Flying High ... But Not For Long

WINTER IS DEAD, I thought, until a sudden blast of wind appeared. It howled through the trees, snapped branches and swept the agitated sea onto the shore. The sky over Crescent Beach was a cloudy blur the day after the storm when the powerful winds started to sputter.

A cheery kite optimistically set off into the air where it bounced and swayed for several minutes. But it wasn't long before the wind stopped puffing and the kite fell gently to the beach floor.

When it landed in a headstand on the sand, it seemed a bit embarrassed.

A soft breeze blew the hapless kite onto its back. It's unblinking eyes gazed at the endless sky where it once soared so wonderfully high.

What goes up must come down ... but it is good to know that what comes down can go back up again.

Postscript 20/03/2016: Thanks to blogger Sallie at Full Time Life I learned the wide-eyed character depicted on the kite is a Minion appearing in several animation movies. Minions are followers that live to serve a master, which through unintended consequences, they ultimately destroy. They are super cute, lively, talk gibberish and can be seen in action HERE.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Wings & Other Magical Things

YOUNG AND OLD alike were giddy with delight at the sight of a human fairy that miraculously appeared during a recent holiday event called Enchanted Nights at Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver.

I joined my niece there just as the late afternoon sky dimmed and a luminous haze settled in. This whimsical start to the New Year was her nice idea.

The long line to get indoors moved slowly giving us time to view the beauty of bare branches draped over the changing pastel pink and blue horizon.

A mood of anticipation hung in the air as we hovered over the edge of the hill and looked down from what is said to be the highest point of the city.

Despite the wintry chill, someone wrote a warm "hello" in a dusting of snow.

As dark seeped more deeply into the evening commonplace ponies transformed into unicorns offering adventurous children magical rides.

Steaming hot chocolate was available to take a bite off the cold.

The large dome looked golden from the outside but when we went in ...

the ceiling was infused with purple and multicolored lights. Moon glow and starlight shimmered in the leafy nooks below.

Birds seemed resigned to hundreds of people pointing and chattering excitedly along designated pathways.

A stream of visitors through their cozy Conservatory home was a common occurrence for these exotic creatures that grew into their wings naturally.

Never too old to pretend, we looked in awe for the crafted miniature things that were cozily snuggled into the branches and foliage.

Creations of wood, ceramics, metal and glass were scattered throughout. Melissa Hume, Benjamin Kikkert and Corey Cote were part of a team of artists and helpers who worked hard to make the enchantment feel real.

Fairy dresses hung prettily on clotheslines.

Balloon rides were available for those small enough to fit in the baskets.

Sometimes art mimicked reality ... and sometimes reality mimicked art.

Glass creations looked like frosty icicles.

Flouncy leaves took on the appearance of wings.

The show delivered on its promised wonder-filled experience.

Our voyage was one of the imagination where ...

fairies ruled the land, played on swings and became artists.

My niece was reminded of the Friendly Giant, a Canadian television show from several years ago, and I can see why. Although we giants were far too big to join the fairies for a cup of tea, a spell was cast and we were refreshed.

Our journey through childhood seemed to suggest: There's no need to wait for wishes to come true to find that spark of magic all around and inside of you.

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Secret Whisperings From Our Gardens

The Secret Garden movie that I watched earlier that day replayed in my mind as I photographed flowers in my backyard.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden," the young heroine said in the story.

Music (play video below) from the movie sent me adrift into mysterious realms.

If you look just the right way past the misty veil, you might catch glimpses of different realities.

Even the most fleeting spark of intuition or smudge of scientific study suggests nothing is quite as it appears to the human senses.

When a breeze whispers into the lobe of a leaf or a storm roars like an angry beast, it is clear there is much more to know about our garden home.

The true nature of existence and how life began is the world's greatest secret, sprouting multiple theories.

I liked how the author of the original story, Frances Hodgson Burnett, focused on the wizardry of it all when she brilliantly wrote:

"Sometimes since I've been in the garden I've looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden - in all the places.”

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Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms