Descanso Gardens!

Descanso Gardens

A sweet song for Spring 

in case you've been feeling "twitterpated"... ;)

The Japanese Garden at Descanso

I love springtime at Descanso Gardens. When my sister said she and Benjamin (my nephew) were coming to visit and wanted to go somewhere they'd never been, Descanso was going to be the perfect day!

We hit it just right for the lilacs! This was at the beginning of the season ... a couple of months ago!

With my buddy ...

We had a yummy lunch with a beautiful view of the wisteria ...

I've never seen the poppies so spectacular! 

My last post of Descanso was back in December for the Enchanted Forest of Light, but I've posted spring pics before.

Descanso Gardens with other Spring views ... HERE.

and HERE
and HERE
Clearly I have a fondness for the place!
To visit the Descanso Gardens website, click Here

At least once a day, stop long enough 

to allow yourself to be truly amazed by a tree,

or a flower, or the sunlight dancing on land or sea.

That is the sacred space, the place within us

where we are witness to the ongoing miracles of life.

And the more we are open

to truly seeing them around us,

the more we are able to truly feel them with us.

Miracles are everywhere,

all the time,

waiting to be plucked by our awareness 

into the makings of a happy life.

~Marianne Williamson

Blessings and light!

Rumi and Flowers

I have been a seeker and I still am,

but I stopped asking the books

and the stars.

I started listening to the teaching

of my soul.

~Rumi

Oil on canvas panel with gold leafing

Hope you all had a beautiful September! Here are some favorite quotes by the Sufi poet Rumi and some Sufi music with the poet Hafiz, to enjoy with the post! 

Wherever you stand, be the Soul of that place.

~Rumi

We are just a brush in the hands of the master painter.

~Rumi

The heart is the secret inside the secret.

~Rumi

I love my friends neither with my heart nor with my mind. 

Just in case heart might stop,

Mind can forget.

I love them with my soul.

Soul never stops or forgets!

~Rumi

You were born with potential.

You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideas and dreams.

You were born with greatness. You were born with wings.

You are not meant for crawling, so don't.

You have wings.

Learn to use them and fly.

~Rumi

Blessings and light!

Los Angeles ~ Signs of Spring

And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Spring has sprung here in L.A. ...

The accountant from my old commercial agency sells roses at the farmers' market, in Larchmont Village. If I show up toward the end, and she has extras ...
:)

Touches of pink are everywhere. Even through the glass at the pet store! Love this little chameleon!

Spring is when life's alive in everything.

~Christina Rossetti

Outside work ...

Oh! And I red about Daiso, this dollar-fifty store chain, and decided to scope it out. Turns out that there is one not to far from me, in a little shopping mall in Koreatown.

Almost everything is a buck fifty. I think I only saw a few other items for 3 bucks.

My best find were little stainless steel bento lunch containers, but these mini spice spoons and soft cheese knifes (at least that is what I am using them for!) below, were so cute and prettily packaged! Couldn't resist!

Cheap art supplies? What? Adorable.

I also bought some floral sponges that will be so cute in the kitchen. I am definitely going back! 

My grandma gave me this tray she found at the Assistance league thrift shop. Perfect for my little stones and crystals, and fits nicely in my bedroom window!

Never yet was a springtime, 

when the buds forgot to bloom.

~Margaret Elizabeth Sangester 

Speaking of my grandma, my sister and nephew came into town and we went out to my grandma's, in Whittier, to hang out and have lunch. Don't you love blossoming trees? I mean, who doesn't, but it really might be my favorite sign of spring.

Love this painting my grandma did!

I took the next two shots on another visit. Aren't these delicate, old, coin purses and bags lovely?

This silhouette is of my mom and done by my grandma. It hangs with 3 more silhouettes of my mom's sisters and are on the way up the stairs. They remind me of my childhood when I had to stand as tall as I could to see them, while trying not to fall down the stairs.

That night my sister, Ben and I headed to West Hollywood to Yoshi Sushi and then to see Cinderella at the El Capitan Theater. The next day, we went down to Exposition Park to see the Space Shuttle and then to Little Tokyo. I will save that for another post! It was a very busy 28 hours!

Writing this post, I've been listening to my Elton John mix. Here's one to share ...

Expect to have hope rekindled.

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.

The dry seasons in life do not last.

The spring rains will come again.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach 

Blessings and light!