I wrote this poem as I thought about those first true warm spring days where the light, and sounds and scents all change and add such an excitement. And I am dreaming of those spring days now and that light, and the sounds and especially the scents. All are gone in winter….replaced by a different canopy.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Spring’s Song. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
As I was contemplating recent readings, the term Wild Child came up and this poem poured forth. It is autobiographical, and it is a song to all of us who are working on our inner selves. I offer it to all who are called or feel like a ‘wild child’ as I move into my 61st year.
And yes those pictures are of me when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Both pictures hold very fond memories, as I loved to swim, and go fishing. That was the first big fish I caught, a lake perch.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about The Wild Child. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I recently have been reading May Sarton’s, Journal of Solitude, and Brené Brown’s, Braving the Wilderness. Both books have been speaking to me of my path, my inner work. And this poem was born of that reading and work. It is how I feel myself evolving.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about I Flow Like Water. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Even with the vernal equinox coming this week in the northern hemisphere, the first day of spring never quite arrives according to the calendar. It shows up when it is good and ready…each year a different date. And this year winter is unrelenting, and March seems to be the new February, with cold and almost 4 feet of new snow in the first two weeks. Now we are frigid again with snow piles everywhere….no spring thaw in sight for weeks perhaps. So as I wait, I am thinking about what I am yearning for when spring finally does show itself in earnest.
The pictures are of native Bloodroot from my garden. They are one of the first native flowers blooming. You have to watch for their blooms, and savor them while you can, as they fade fast.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about the Yearnings of Spring. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
It feels good to write your name on this page….another year older, new numbers for this new year. And the new numbers come easily to my pencil and fingers. Most years, I will continue to write the old year, correcting myself numerous times as if I cannot let go….not fully accepting the change the new year brings.
But not this year, 2018. It is as though I have erased the old year and never want to write it again. I certainly never want to see it again~or so I think! Yet this new year looks foreign and foggy to me. I am not sure what to make of it, except it feels good; stronger with lots of promise.
So I begin this New Year with these thoughts….I will Tend this year lovingly for myself and others. A bit more kindness and love given. A bit less judgment and fear. Yes 2018, I am remaining open for you and all you will bring. Hopeful you will make sense and bring some order to this world.
I wrote this epistolary poemin my new journal as the New Year began. The flowers pictured here are commonly known as Amaryllis, scientific name Hippeastrum. Red amaryllis are often associated with the holiday season, and typically mean determination, beauty, and love.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear New Year. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2018. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
Another epistolary poem, in the series I am writing, from a letter I wrote in April of 2016. This poem was written on a morning of brilliance as the sun rose. I hope to post one of these a month. I will be taking time off for the rest of December….enjoy your holidays and I will see you around the New Year.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Dear Sky. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem after meeting this amazing animal. He is a rescue cat that my nieces fell in love with. He is thought to be part Persian and has an abnormally long tail. A kitten when they brought him home, and 6 months old when I met him. He made quite an impression on me, wrapping his long tail around my heart. And this poem came leaping out of me on the trip home.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about Percy-He Watches. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem came streaming out of me after I finally let go of my fears and attended a writer’s conference. I knew this was going to be a big step towards fulfilling my destiny, and that once I entered, and crossed the threshold, there was no turning back!
The pictures here are hummers visiting the garden this year…they represent pure bliss and joy!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up, Poetry Pantry, for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about taking back a life. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2017. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
“I believed then – in a deep, easy way that is impossible for me as an adult – that there was more to this world than meets the eye. Trees had spirits; the wind spoke. If you followed a toad or a raven deep into the heart of the forest, they were sure to lead you to something magical.”
~Jennifer McMahon
When we had the pond built, almost 20 years ago, we had high hopes that lots of critters would visit or make a home there. And we have seen our fair share of critters come to the pond….frogs, insects, turtles, snakes, birds….and the list goes on. The most consistent visitors making a home, in the pond, has been the frogs laying many eggs every year (see picture above).
But my favorite, yet elusive, visitor to the pond has to be the toads. Although we hear the toads, we only see them from time to time as toads are generally nocturnal. The American toad (Anaxyrus americanus, formerly Bufo americanus) is the species of toad found here. They love areas with moisture and plenty of insects…..which is exactly what you will find in our garden.
We heard the toads again in early April, and they seemed quite close each night calling with that amazing long, trilling sound. So imagine my surprise when we saw them not soon afterward…..
I was so surprised because we had never seen two at once, and certainly not in this amorous embrace. Of course in this position it was quite evident that the large rust colored toad was the female and the smaller the male. The female makes her home just outside the fence in a small garden we have, and we see her burrowing herself in for the winter, or uncovering herself as spring warms the ground.
We see the smaller male toads here and there, in the garden and pond and even some tiny young toads. But we have never seen the making of those little toads. Not wanting to intrude on these two, I took pictures and quickly left them alone.
It is interesting to note how the mating ritual takes place. Males go to shallow ponds, and call to females. When the female arrives, the male actually grabs or hugs her (the lady must be willing if the smaller male can grab the female twice his size) until she discharges her eggs. As the eggs come out, the male fertilizes them by discharging fluid with sperm onto the eggs. I actually witnessed her continuing to push out two long strings of eggs looking like a necklace of black pearls. See them draped all along the vegetation above.
If you look closely, you can see the eggs are covered with a jelly like substance in long tubes. The toads found the perfect spot for the eggs; shallow water with vegetation near the irises that had not bloomed yet.
Like frogs, once the toads lay the eggs they leave them to develop on their own. Eggs begin to hatch in a few days. The process can take up to 10-12 days before the eggs become tadpoles, and then they fully develop into toads in about 2 months time. American toads usually survive only a year or two in the wild although we have seen the large female here for a few years. Most tadpoles don’t survive very long becoming food for snakes, and frogs.
You can see the development of the eggs above over a 10 day period. We have not seen the toads yet, but they should be emerging sometime this month we hope.
Here are some additional facts about the American Toad:
Toads don’t cause warts, but the American toad produces a toxin that can be harmful if swallowed, or if it gets in your eyes. So be careful if you handle toads. We leave them alone.
When the tadpoles are ready to leave the pond they emerge usually in groups.
Tadpoles have several ways to keep predators at bay. They swim close together in schools, and stay in very shallow water that is thick with vegetation. We have lots of that especially around the cattails so perhaps we will have several surviving toads emerging soon.
Special Note: I wrote a poem about our toads and you can find it here….Ode to A Toad. The picture at the end of the post is of our House Wren feeding its babies recently. The wrens have fledged, but we still hear the Wren’s song in the garden.
What wildlife lessons are you learning as summer begins?
With this wildlife story, I am joining in the meme Wildlife Wednesday hosted by Tina@My Gardener Saysthat happens the first Wednesday of every month, and with Saturday’s Critters hosted by Eileen@Viewing nature with Eileenthat happens every Saturday. I am also linking in with Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every week. Please check out all these great blogs.
I leave you with another thought about studying nature. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-16. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
As spring (March 21st) dawned in the purply-pink sky, there was a perceptible shift in the air, urged on by the warmer spring weather. As we walked around the area and observed our surrounds, we were greeted by crowds in the trees, in the sky and on the ground; crowds of migratory birds who had returned here early to nest and raise their young.
Of course it was different when the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) came around in mid-February. The birds scattered to find warmth as it fell on the coldest weekend of the year with -20F temps and -40F wind chills. It was lonely and the trees were pretty bare. Now weeks later, the birds are showing up to usher in spring right on schedule….March 21st.
When we returned in early March from our trip out west, the weather had warmed a bit and the peepers were singing us to sleep. And when I walked around our pond, the first week of spring, I saw tadpoles swimming. The frogs are usually not long off. The first are usually the Northern leopard frogs (Lithobates pipiens).
Prior to the new birds arriving, I noticed the Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) were pairing off and looking around for nesting sites.
And American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), along with various hawks, were seen gathering nesting materials. This crow was ripping bark from an old vine growing in the meadow.
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) were also returning, in droves, in mid-March, littering the skies on their way to the lake across the street.
And many blackbirds descended upon us as spring started….Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater), andCommon Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula). A few Red-winged Blackbirds were back in February, but the raucous noise of the males returning to their nesting sites was a glad spring chorus in late March.
But I knew spring was here, when we heard the familiar banging on our front windows. Our female ‘crazy-toes’ American robin (Turdus migratorius) was back to claim her nesting site, our garden, for her third year. The banging meant she was back to fight the imaginary robins in our windows. You can read more about our journey with her here.
As I report on the events of the start of spring in March, April receded to winter with snow and cold. The robins were especially struggling, and you can read about their struggle here. They seem to have made it through and are now building their nest next door at the abandoned house.
So there you have some of our first spring visitors. I will update you on more spring critters next month….April warmed, and the critter activity has been busy! What signs of spring are you seeing in your area?
With this wildlife story, I am joining in the meme WildlifeWednesdayhosted by Tina@My Gardener Saysthat happens the first Wednesday of every month, and with Saturday’s Critters hosted by Eileen@Viewing nature with Eileenthat happens every Saturday. I am also linking in with with Judith@Lavender Cottagewho hosts Mosaic Monday, and Michelle@Rambling Woods for her Nature Notes meme. It is a great way to see what is happening in nature around the world every week.
I leave you with another thought about the lessons to learned from the singing birds. Feel free to download the photo and share.
All original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-16. Any reprints or use of content or photos is by permission only.
April springs are unique and special. The weather shifts from cold and rainy to warm and sunny, even within the same day….trying to settle. This year it has been very unsettled. The blooms continue to pop up more and more throughout the garden decorating garden beds throughout….much like presents with bows.
The flowers here are pretty spring bulbs known as, Chionodoxa, or Glory of the Snow.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog.
I leave you with a few additional words about April spring. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
One of the first flowers to pop up, in early spring, are the yellow trumpet daffodils. I look forward to seeing their cheery faces. This poem was born from observing them bloom. And even though mine were buried for 4 days under snow, they have perked back up, and are smiling in the 70 degree sun!
The pictures here are of the daffodils that bloom in my garden in early April.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday. This week’s theme is ‘a drop of sunshine’; what gives us more sunshine than the first daffodils of spring!
I leave you with a few additional words about rejoicing in spring. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem in spring 2012, when I was starting my vegetable garden. Seeds have always mesmerized me as they have everything in their small capsule to make a plant, flower and fruit. Quite a miracle that little seed.
The pictures here are of seeds I started indoors, last winter and spring. They were planted out when the weather was warm enough. And I will be planting seeds directly in the garden soon when the weather warms, and the garden season starts again.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday. This week’s theme is spring, and our views about the season.
A perfect way to start off spring is to read RURAL’s spring issue. I am honored to be contributing again to this amazing online magazine, the creation of Jen@The Light Laughed. I hope you will drop by and read all the amazing articles….and best of all it is free.
I leave you with a few additional words about seeds waiting to grow. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
One of the first bulbs to bloom, early in my garden, are the snow crocus pictured here. They shout spring with splashes of color all over the garden. Wishing everyone a joyous Easter!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Please visit to read some more wonderful verse.
I leave you with a few additional words about first spring crocus. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
March means spring is on its way…even if the weather is cold and snowy. We know it isn’t far off. And as spring approaches, the bulbs start to pop up with the snow’s retreat.
With our unusually warm weather, the snow retreated already and bulbs are up. I am renewed each spring as if my life has the beautiful gift of starting over…..nothing is the same, and I am ready for all the new wonders about to be shown!
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday. I am not sure if this poem fits with the ‘Faith, healing’ theme, but the new growth of spring is my healing…it is where I find my spiritual place!
Please visit these fabulous poetry blogs to read some more wonderful verse.
I leave you with a few additional words about retreating to spring. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
This poem was also written in late fall 2011. As the seasons change, I observe the subtle and not so subtle shifts in nature. Winter has some of the most stunning and colorful sunsets and sunrises. The pictures here are of the sunset seen from my garden as autumn shifted to winter.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedand Gillena@Versesfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
I leave you with a few additional words about the fire in the sky. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
I wrote this poem in October after attending my niece’s wedding. The first 2 lines were a song in my head, and the rest just came after. I was playing with an idea for a form, to work the first line of the next stanza from the words of the last line in the stanza before. It was a challenge, but fun. And I rather like how it turned out.
The pictures at the beginning and end of the post are of my niece, Christina, and her husband Colin, Mr. and Mrs. Murtagh. The mosaic is my parents’ wedding picture from 1954, and my wedding picture from 1997. In my wedding picture, my mom is pictured far left standing, and my niece was the flower girl. She was 10 years old.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog, and Sanaa@A Dash of Sunny for her Prompt Nights every Friday. Thanks for the invite Sanaa! Please visit these fabulous poetry blogs to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
I leave you with a few additional words about a new life. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
“Making the beginning is one third of the work.”~Irish Proverb
As the year was coming to a close, I decided to wander out to my meadow. Really a sanctuary garden, wild, with native plants, a couple of birdhouses and trees. It lies just beyond the fence. It is a place of quiet, curiosity and peace…where I can commune with nature and wildlife.
And it was here, while I snapped pictures of the dried and tattered plants, that I realized I had a full and abundant life. I was lucky to be alive, to have relatively good health, a partner who gave me support and unconditional love, and family and friends who were still there for me.
I started to think about the upcoming year. What would it hold? What did I want to accomplish, how did I want to live out this next year of 2016? I had recently adopted my word for the year, INNOVATE. And I was thinking how this word would guide me.
I was also thinking what color this year would be. I have been working with the Colors and Numbers, by Louise Hay, since 1998. Each year has a number, unique to you, that matches with a color. And when we tune into the color of the day or year, we can find more harmony and flow in our lives. I have found this to be true, and I enjoy the colors. Before I tuned into colors and numbers, I was wearing too much of one color especially black or gray. This exploration of color was much more creative and fun.
You don’t have to believe in colors and numbers to have fun with it. And when I explored this year for me, I realized it was a Personal Year 4. But not just any 4, a 22/4. Meaning, when I added my birthdate and this year, I got 22. The color for the 22/4 year is coral. And its significant meaning, Greatness. And when I coupled it with my word for the year, Innovate, I saw a wonderful synchronicity developing.
This 22/4 year, superior accomplishments could be achieved…maybe writing and
publishing that book….it has been on my mind of late. It is also a year where I can have success, if I work on big plans for the good of the community. It is said to be a powerful year. A bit daunting and exciting, and definitely a year to Innovate.
As I tried to make more meaning of all of this, I decided this might be the year to create a manifesto. A manifesto is quite simply a written declaration of my intentions, motives, or views. And I am making mine for one year. Not really goals per se, but more how I intend to live this Innovative life in 2016.
Creating a manifesto, is a work in progress so I hope to refine it as the year progresses….check in and see how I am doing. And hopefully make this a yearly practice, if it helps organize and further guide me.
As I Innovate my life in 2016, I am living a life:
Seeking out new destinations to explore
Inspired by creativity
Spent in the arms of nature more often
Of new experimentswith growing, cooking and eating new foods
Of new habits that facilitate innovation, creativity, health and happiness
Moving more each day; stretching my body, mind and spirit.
Of gratitude and abundance
Of courage showcasing my talents to the world
Connecting with more people, more often
Of beauty surrounding me inside and outside my abode
Tuned into my creative channels allowing them to come forth and flourish
Serving my spiritual and intellectualneeds
Do you have a guiding word or phrase for the year? Maybe a manifesto? How have you decided to embrace the new year?
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Special Note:The pictures here are from my meadow at the beginning of winter.
I leave you with a few additional words about Innovation. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2016. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
We are embarking on a new season here, winter. It starts with frosts and freezes, and then wet snowflakes until finally the ground succumbs to its icy way. This poem was written in late fall 2011 to celebrate the shift to winter.
Tomorrow starts my Seasonal Celebrations meme for winter. Check out my post at Gardens Eye View, on Monday, and join in the celebration of the change of seasons, no matter where you are on earth. I also invite you to read an excerpt of my Winter story in the latest issue of RURAL magazine.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
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Special Note:The pictures here are from the first frost in my garden in late October.
I leave you with a few additional words about my frozen world now seen in nature. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.
As I was contemplating the strife of life and the tragedies in the world, I was feeling sucked in…becoming enraged, hopeless and fearful. And in an effort to pull myself out of this and look for a solution, these words came pouring out. I believe we need more compassion in this world, but first we have to start with empathy….both will make a huge difference in the world.
I am joining in with Poets Unitedfor their weekly poetry link up for poets who blog. Visit them to read some more wonderful verse.
And I am joining in another wonderful meme at A Spirit of Simplicity. It is called Tuesday Afternoonwhere Kara celebrates a nice slow day in a busy week. Check out her blog and the meme on Tuesday.
If you enjoy reading this blog, I welcome you to share it with others. I enjoy spreading the blog love, and I appreciate all who come and read my blogs.
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Special Note:The pictures above are of the full moon in October right around Halloween. Below is the almost full moon from the same month.
I leave you with a few additional words about reframing my outlook on life. I welcome you to download the photo and share it.
All other photos and original content is copyrighted and the sole property of Donna Donabella @ Living From Happiness, 2014-2015. Any reprints or use of other photos or content is by permission only.