“Do your little bit of good where you are;
it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
― Desmond Tutu
These bougainvilleas were in their full glory when I spotted them from the bus, so we just had to stop and bask in their vibrant color. They bloomed in a corner of this park, partly hidden from view by the bus stop but vibrant nonetheless, quietly prettifying their corner of the street. It reminded of how little acts of kindness and goodness that are seemingly insignificant in the bigger scheme of things can matter right where we are, even if the entire world is oblivious to it.
Aren't they glorious?
“You've got this life and while you've got it, you'd better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone's hand like you will never get another chance to, look into people's eyes like they're the last you'll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there's no time left, jump if you feel like jumping, run if you feel like running, play music in your head when there is none, and eat cake like it's the only one left in the world!”
― C. JoyBell C.
So while shopping at one of the grocery stores last week, friends decided to buy a box of cake mix which we put to the ultimate taste test yesterday. This was actually the first time where I was in the immediate vicinity of baking supplies and equipment and I did more than just eat and go "This is ammmaaazzzing! More please!!!"
I got to hold the mixer until "Chef" R pushed me aside while saying that I was doing it too slowly for his taste, and I also got the pull the thing out of the oven when it was done. Since I'm no baker, I consider these as definite accomplishments on the road to total domesticity.
Thanks to my friends for forcing me to participate! All went well, even after a few minutes of arguing between M and R about how ugly it looked with the wrong frosting (the frosting packet that came with mix was conveniently misplaced during the entire frosting debacle, and turned up when it was no longer needed. Evil, evil frosting packet!) Thankfully, the cake turned out great and tasty and thanks to C, we all now know what a Bundt is. Great way to spend the afternoon, to say the least.
(And Fei Fan got a haircut, because that's how dogs roll in the summer.)
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
― Henry David Thoreau,
Walden
I've always been a fan of walking. There's nothing like the feeling of seeing places and knowing that I have walked their grounds, padded over their cobbled streets, their smooth pavements and even skipped over their wet and muddy potholes during rainy days. Walking makes me feel that I have put my stamp on that part of the world and now I can continue on to some other unexplored territory. And don't even get me started on the health benefits of walking! If not for achy joints and poorly-chosen shoes, I could probably walk all day!
But last weekend's walking session made me think like maybe we overdid it with the walking bit. I don't know how far we walked, but the hubby's phone pedometer clocked us as having walked a total of 1400 steps that day. That's a lot of walking. In fact, we walked so far that we fell asleep on the bus home and almost missed our stop.
However, in the middle of all that walking we finally found the park that JP always wanted to visit. Like most parks in this city, this place is gorgeous. And huge! It boggled my mind to think that the park sat in the middle of a busy highway, since it was quiet and peaceful inside. One of these days I might just hop on the bus with a good book in hand and spend a few hours here.
“You are brighter than the sunlight and bolder than a rainbow.
You are the reason spring was created in the first place.”
― Toni Sorenson
Spring comes with the flurry of flowers opening their delicate petals towards the light, and the sun's ray's shine just a little bit warmer. It's also a great time to go out and enjoy the outdoors. This city is full of activities to do outdoors and for this day, it's strawberry picking!
Granted, the drive was long, since the strawberry farm is located on top of a mountain park, but it was so worth it. The park is huge and marvelous, with trees of different colors lining the winding asphalt roads. The air is also cleaner, more fresh and a different, natural kind of cool. Getting to the farm is an adventure in itself. Located in a valley, there are rows and rows of white greenhouses where the berries spend their time ripening, just ready to be picked and eaten.
So glad to be able to tag along with a friend who's was gracious enough
to have us. Running after her little one as he enjoyed peeking inside each greenhouse before bravely stepping inside and crouching beside the first red and plump berry he could find was surprisingly very fun! Places like these make me wonder at all the goodness the earth provides and the creativity of the Artist for giving us these natural pleasures as the seasons change.
