All Things Bright and Beautiful
The Shenandoah Valley is one of the loveliest places in the world. I call it ‘the Shire’, for good reason. Given the darkness spreading in America, my aim is to share the simple goodness and beauty that still exists in my green valley.
“God made the country, and man made the town.” ~William Cowper, The Task
(Image of our farm pond by daughter Elise)
“To a brain wearied by the din of the city, the clatter of wheels, the jingle of street cars, the discord of bells, the cries of venders, the ear-splitting whistles of factory and shop, how refreshing is the heavenly stillness of the country!” ~Olive Thorne Miller, 1895
“I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand.” ~Leonardo da Vinci
(image by Beth of old red barn that’s now white with cosmos and sunflowers)
(Daylily and larkspur wet with rain by Beth)
“Anybody can be good in the country.” ~Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
“It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something.” ~Charles Dickens
(Silver Checkerspot Butterfly in Garden by Elise)
“The sunrise and sunset of each Summer’s day,
The song of the birds and the flowers, so fair,
And all the beauties of Nature everywhere.” ~~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham, “A Leaf from Memories’ Book” (1940s)
“As much as I converse with sages and heroes, they have very little of my love and admiration. I long for rural and domestic scene, for the warbling of birds and the prattling of my children.” ~John Adams
(Elise herding geese–image by Beth)
(Geese in my front yard–image by Beth out the second story window)
“Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid nature.”
~William Cowper
“The city, no matter how small, is corrupt and unrepentant, while the sun shines brighter in the country, making people more wholesome.”
― Lori Lansens, The Girls
(Bright garden nook by Beth)
(Ferney asparagus and flowers covered with rain in the early morning by Beth)
“Let yourself fall in love with something that simply makes you happy. If there’s a place for it in your heart, there’s a place for it in your home.” ~Mary Randolf Carter
“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
(Garden, yard, and old barn)
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: country life, farm pond, Gardening, geese, old barn, The Shenandoah Valley 
