May 23, 2012 · 7:18 pm

A Midsummer Night’s Scheme: Part One

Dear Readers,

Almost one year has past since the Engagement of my friends, Jay Stewart and Kathryn Davis.  In order to celebrate the anniversary of this event, I have revised the original story and added images to enhance the text.  Coming soon:  Part Two, which will contain a new story:  the Wedding Ceremony.  Enjoy!

Coram Deo,

Margot

A Midsummer Night’s Scheme:  Part One

June 2011

Most Excellent Oberon, Your Royal Highness:

It is I, Robin Goodfellow, “that merry wanderer of the night,” who greets you.  I have returned from the Mortal World and I hereby submit my report of the clandestine operation, under your command, to join the Houses of Davis and Stewart.

Queen Titania graciously sent four of her “Fairies-In-Waiting,” to assist me in this secret mission.  Throughout this covert assignment, the Good Fairies and I remained cloaked and invisible to the eyes of the Mortals.  Therefore, the Mortals never suspected that we orchestrated every maneuver and strategy, in the scheme to join the two Houses!  [Me thinks: “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”]

Before leaving the Fairy World, your wise counsel prompted me to travel to Cupid’s Flower Field, to secure a vial of Love Potion Essence.  After the Fairies and I entered the Mortal World, we traveled to the two respective forest homes of the Young Gentleman, Jay Stewart by name, and Young Lady, Kathryn Davis by name.  As each of them slumbered, we touched their eyelids with a drop of the Essence.  When next they saw each other, the match was easily made!

Next, I whispered into the ear of Jay that he should propose to Kathryn, on a certain Midsummer Evening, in the Enchanted Park of the Ancient Oaks, which the mortals call, “Los Robles.” I influenced him to serenade the Lady, in the Park, under the branches of a tree, newly-planted and dedicated to the memory of the beloved Kathy, the late grandmother of Kathryn.

On the appointed Midsummer Day, I arranged for Jay and Kathryn to employ a carriage and dine together, far away from the Park.  As dusk approached, the Good Fairies and I covertly assisted the Mortals, in making preparations for the “Secret Proposal” and for the “Midsummer Revelry” that would immediately follow.

The weather being inclement, I whispered into the ears of Lord & Lady Davis that they should secure a canopy, to shelter and protect the “Secret Proposal Site” from the rain.  Next, I directed Lord & Lady Stewart and their two children [Sarah and David, by name] to spread a cloak under the canopy and on top of the damp grass.  Upon this cloak, they placed a leather case, which protected a musical instrument, rather like a lute.  Carefully hidden within the case was an heirloom ring!

Having finished these tasks, the Families Davis and Stewart departed from the Park and sought shelter inside the Davis Manor, situated next to the Park.  The Good Fairies and I kept sentinel over the canopy, while the Mortals, inside the Manor, stood in front of the windows facing the Park.  From this vantage point, the Mortals observed Jay and Kathryn, as they returned to the Park, in their carriage, at dusk.  With a bit of Fairy Dust, we cloaked the mortals so that they could observe Jay and Kathryn but not vice versa.

Jay serenaded Kathryn with a love sonnet, composed from his own pure brain and accompanied by the lute.  O, how the Sweet Lady appeared to swoon, as the words of the love song enveloped her!  How she wept tears of joy, as she heard his declaration of love!   How her heart melted, when Jay concluded his song with the last line: “Will you be my wife?”  He knelt before her, bestowing upon her an engagement ring, fashioned from a cherished heirloom from Grandmother Kathy.  Kathryn, without hesitation, accepted the proposal of marriage and vowed that “My heart is true as steel!”

We directed the two Young Lovers, through the driving rain, to the Davis Manor, to share the glad tidings with Lord & Lady Davis.  Upon entering the front door, they found the interior strangely dark and quiet.  So, we guided them to the entry of the Enchanted Secret Walled Garden.

When the two Young Lovers entered the Garden, how Kathryn did swoon again!  How her face flushed! How she laughed with merriment, when she heard a joyful, loud shout:  “Surprise!”  For there, gathered in the Garden, were the family members and closest friends of the Houses of Davis and Stewart!  The astonished Kathryn declared, “I am amazed and know not what to say!”

Adorning the branches of the Garden Oak Tree were [what the Mortals call] “Fairy Lights,” which, along with the candles on tabletops, illuminated the Garden, performing the office of the moon, which was enshrouded by the hazy clouds.

Ah, me! Such merry-making ensued!  Each Mortal raised a glass, to toast the Engaged Couple and to wish them joy!  Then, a few of the Mortals took “photographs,” which, through some sorcery, captures images through the means of a small box with a magic eye.

I orchestrated the rescue of the refreshments from the weather, as the Mortals transferred them, with Fairy-like energy and efficiency, into the Manor, where all the Mortals dashed to escape the rain, thunder, and lightning.  There, the revelry continued, the likes of which I have seldom observed, outside of the domain of the Fairy World.

The Bard observed, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” And, in faith, I thought that the inclement weather might have beaten us. Yet, on this Midsummer Evening, Zeus, the god of thunder, was no match for Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

I entreat Your Highness and Her Highness, Queen Titania, to be present, yet hidden and veiled, to bless these two Young Lovers, at the Ceremony of their Nuptials, on the Evening before the Dawn of the New Year.

Your humble servant,

Puck

 ~Written by Margot Blair Payne, February 2012.  Revised May 2012.

Image Credits for Parts One and Two:

The author gratefully grateful acknowledges:

The Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare, for the generous loan of the concepts and quotes from three of his great works of literature:  “Much Ado About Nothing,”  “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Romeo and Juliet.”

The artistic genius of Arthur Rackham and Thomas Williams, who provided the illustrations.

Other image and photo credits:

http://www.theatrepeople.com

http://www.shadowness.com.

Carson Chapel, Calloway Gardens.

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May 16, 2012 · 6:20 pm

“I Left My Heart . . . In San Juan Capistrano . . . “

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Stephen & I returned recently from a trip to California to attend the wedding of our niece.  While there, we visited Mission San Juan Capistrano, which is one of the finest in California.  We would like to return and visit all 21 of the Spanish missions, which dot the California coast.

 

Stephen & I: April 2012 at Mission San Juan Capistrano

This recent trip made me very nostalgic for my childhood years in California:  there were blooms and foliage everywhere, no bugs, no humidity, the temperature was perfect, the sky was overcast, and there was a lovely breeze.

Walking along the beach [below] on the Pacific Ocean brought back my childhood years, when I lived only four miles from the beach:  The sharp smell of the sea salt air, the sea gulls, the lagoons, the tide pools, the cliffs, the kelp, the surfers, the coldness of the water.  Yes, the water is COLD so not very many people enter it without wearing a wet suit.  Also, the sand is brown, not white, because the sun is not as intense as in Florida.

Beach at Dana Point, near San Juan Capistrano

The majority of the restaurants offer outdoor seating on brick patios.  It seems very Mediterranean and befits the perfect climate.  Sarducci’s Italian Restaurant was built inside an old train depot:

El Adobe Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano is housed inside a very old Spanish structure, complete with a dungeon, which now serves as a wine cellar.  I am happy to report that,  after a 40 year search, I found the perfect Chili Relleno at this restaurant:

And, oh yes, the wedding and reception!  I must point out that, in the photo below, I am NOT wearing a white bonnet with red flowers.  The distracting item you see is a dome-shaped floral arrangement on the table behind us.

April 2012:  Wedding Reception of my niece, Michelle Blair to James Foltz

I am not much of a traveler but I  had such a wonderful time that I did not want to return home!  The California weather was so invigorating that, when I returned home to Tallahassee, I admit that the humid heat felt oppressive.  However, I perked up when Stephen reminded me of the freeways, congested traffic, and high cost of housing in California.

Here are two additional reasons that I am glad to be back home:

Benjamin:  Age three years, eating homemade ice cream on Mother’s Day 2012.

Lucy, age six months, on  Mother’s Day 2012.

Coram Deo,

Margot

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May 16, 2012 · 9:34 am

Portals Into Places of Enchantment

Dear Readers,

I must confess that I do not like to lend books, especially my hardcover books.  I will sometimes lend paper back copies.  As everyone knows, to lend a book is to prepare to say “Goodbye” forever to that “dear old friend.”

And I need a lot of “dear old friends” because I enjoy reading and writing on a wide variety of topics.  I want all my “dear old friends” to be within arms’ length.

Some books are so dear that they will never leave my library:

Cross Creek, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is one of these.

I told my grandson this week  that, if you have books, you will always have a friend and you will never be lonely.  Later, I thought to myself that, beyond friendship, certain books are portals into “places of enchantment:”  Cross Creek is a fine example.

Enchantment, chant, cantor, canticle, chanticleer:  some of my favorite words!  Each of these words share a Latin root word: “cantere,” which means to “to sing.”  Enchant means “to chant [sing] a spell over”  or  “to delight to a high degree,” or “to impart a magical quality or effect.”

I have previously written about Places of Enchantment.  Click the link and you can read about how one  lyrical book forged a special relationship between my father and me.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

In 1996, my son, Garrett, surprised me with the gift of a hardback copy of the 1942 Edition.

Ten years later, in 2006, I gave my father a paper back copy of the book.

And the rest, as they say, “is history” or, in our case, it became “family history.”

 

The illustrations [“decorations”] by Edward Shenton, perfectly capture the enchanted quality of  Cross Creek, Florida — the setting for the book:

In case you did not read the link above, here are some quotes from the book.  I hope they capture your imagination and entice you to read this delightful book about an enchanting place.

“I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.”

“ . . . If there be such a thing as [collective or instinctual] memory, the consciousness of land and water must lie deeper in the core of us than any knowledge of our fellow beings.  We were bred of earth before we were born of our mothers.  Once born, we can live without mother or father, or any other kin, or any friend, or any human love.  We cannot live without the earth or apart from it, and something is shriveled in a man’s heart when he turns away from it and concerns himself only with the affairs of men.”

 “ . . . It seems to me that the earth may be borrowed but not bought.  It may be used but not owned.  It gives itself in response to love and tending, offers its seasonal flowering and fruiting.  But we are tenants and not possessors, lovers and not masters.  Cross Creek belongs to the wind and the rain, to the sun, and the seasons, to the cosmic secrecy of seed, and beyond all, to time.”

~~~All quotes are from Cross Creek, the memoirs of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1942, Scribner’s

 


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April 30, 2012 · 6:15 pm

How My Garden Grows: Two



My Front Garden Walk: April 2012

Front to back: 

Rudbeckia “Herbstonne,” Dietes [African Iris], Euryops [Bush Daisy]

Garden angel, two bird bath stands flank a mister [fogger] stand [barely visible]

Dear Readers,

[Note: After you read this entry, click How My Garden Grows: Three.]

“White Coral Bells, upon a slender stalk;

Lilies of the Valley grace my Garden Walk. 

Oh, don’t you wish that you could hear them ring? 

That will happen only when the fairies sing.”

~~~A Nursery Rhyme Song, source unknown

Initially, I wanted my Garden Walk to have a theme of Nursery Rhymes and Songs.  I began with the rhyme above but I discovered that Lilies of the Valley are poisonous!

So, instead of the Nursery Rhyme Song theme, I decided to create a “Prayer Garden” with a special emphasis on babies, children, parents, and families.

As I work in the garden, I pray for  couples who desire to have children yet struggle with infertility; for parents who have lost babies through miscarriage or stillbirth; for parents who have suffered the loss of a child;  for families who struggle with health problems; for adoptive families; for children who are lost or missing . . .

In the morning, I turn on the “mister” or “fogger” and the water fills up the bird baths.  As I sit on my Front Porch steps in the morning, I can watch the songbirds splash in the water.

By the way, my philosophy of “good” gardening is similar to my philosophy of “good” parenting:

I carefully nurture both my children and plants, until they are firmly rooted and established.  Thereafter, both children and plants receive my “benign neglect” and, quite naturally, may appear to struggle.  Once they are “pushed out of the nest” toward independence, however, they thrive.

The child/plant metaphor continues, as I go to “Native Nursery” to view the young plants. However, here the metaphor breaks down, as we do not choose our children as we choose our plants.  It is the Triune God who bestows upon us the blessing of children.

Since I am able, however, to choose plants, I research the best “bulletproof” North West Florida native plants.   I ignore any plants that need any special care beyond the basic  “sun, water, and soil” requirements.

I give a new plant a full year and, if it cannot endure the extremes of temperature and moisture during the year, it has to make way for a tougher plant.  

If I plant in the fall, I coax the new plants along but, as winter approaches, I remind them, “Now, no one is going to come running out here to cover you up with a sheet, if a cold snap threatens – so, you will just have to tough it out!”

Stephen built for me a raised bed for the Front Garden Walk, where perennial evergreens flourish.  Our “Natchez” crepe myrtles are thriving and, during the summer, they provide a canopy of shade for the Front Garden Walk.   We do not prune them; we allow them to grow [to almost 20 feet] and we enjoy the shade and lovely cinnamon bark.  We  enjoy the blooms but we object strongly to “crepe murder:”  this describes the practice of gardeners who severely prune the trees, caring only for the profusion of blooms, which appear above the sad, ugly stumps.

For my garden, a plant must offer something beyond transitory blooms:  I derive pleasure from the four-season interest of the overall shape and proportion of the plant and the texture and color of the foliage or bark.  If the plant attracts songbirds, hummingbirds, and butterflies, then that plant is an excellent candidate.  If the plant also requires no staking, pruning, spraying, or fertilizing, then it is, indeed, a winner.

And that is How My Garden Grows . . . I’ll share more specifics in this series, including suggestions for “bullet-proof” plants for NW FL.

Coram Deo,

Margot

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April 3, 2012 · 8:41 am

The Suffering Servant

Monday in Holy Week

Almighty God, whose dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other that the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

Preface of Holy Week

Tuesday in Holy Week

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an
instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life:
Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly
suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior
Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of Holy Week

Wednesday in Holy Week

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be
whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept
joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the
glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Preface of Holy Week

220    Collects:  Contemporary

From the Book of Common Prayer


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April 1, 2012 · 4:44 pm

A Poem for Palm Sunday

Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem by Hippolyte Flandrin c. 1842

The Donkey

BY G. K. CHESTERTON

When fishes flew and forests walked
   And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
   Then surely I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening cry
   And ears like errant wings,
The devil’s walking parody
   On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
   Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me:  I am dumb,
   I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
   One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
   And palms before my feet.

Source: The Collected Poems of G. K. Chesterton (Dodd Mead & Company, 1927)

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March 31, 2012 · 9:12 am

Lifeless Branches

Palm Sunday


“So it is ourselves that we must spread under Christ’s feet,

not coats or lifeless branches or shoots of trees,

matter which wastes away and delights the eye only for a few brief hours.

But we have clothed ourselves with Christ’s grace,

with the whole Christ

— ‘for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ’ —

so let us spread ourselves like coats under his feet.”

~~~Andrew of Crete

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March 30, 2012 · 1:11 pm

“To Keep a True Lent”

Dear Readers,

Following the Ancient Church Calendar,  we are entering the final days of The Lenten Season.  Palm Sunday, two days away, is the beginning of Holy Week.

Holy Week includes three days:  Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and The Great Easter Vigil [Saturday].  These three days comprise The Triduum and offer three Evening Worship Services:  we consider them to be one seamless observation.

For more information on Lent, Holy Week, and Worship Services between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, see http://www.saint-peters.net.

It is not too late to observe Lent!  If the Lenten Season is new to you, as it is to me, I offer a poem for your reflection.

Coram Deo,

Margot

To Keep a True Lent

by Robert Herrick

 (baptized 24 August 1591 – buried 15 October 1674):  17th-century English poet

IS this a fast, to keep
The larder lean ?
And clean
From fat of veals and sheep ?

Is it to quit the dish
Of flesh, yet still
To fill
The platter high with fish ?

Is it to fast an hour,
Or ragg’d to go,
Or show
A downcast look and sour ?

No ;  ‘tis a fast to dole
Thy sheaf of wheat,
And meat,
Unto the hungry soul.

It is to fast from strife,
From old debate
And hate ;
To circumcise thy life.

To show a heart grief-rent ;
To starve thy sin,
Not bin ;
And that’s to keep thy Lent.

Source:
Herrick, Robert. Works of Robert Herrick. vol II.
Alfred Pollard, ed.
London, Lawrence & Bullen, 1891. 240.

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March 30, 2012 · 11:51 am

In the Garden of Darkness

Dear Readers,

View the video clip below or go to http://www.saint-peters.net and listen to or view the sermon, The Glory of God, by Fr. Michael Petty.  

The Reverend Doctor Michael Petty

Listening or viewing will require only 18 minutes and 30 seconds of your time and I guarantee it will be worth both viewing and listening.

Dr. Michael Petty, delivered his sermon, The Glory of God, on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, 2012, at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Tallahassee, FL.  A brief biography  is below.

It has been my privilege, for over 10 years, to be challenged by the teaching of Fr. Petty.  He is both my mentor and friend.  In addition to being a brilliant theologian, he is also one of the most humble and devout Christian disciples that I have ever known.

Notice the focus of the sermon:  Scripture.  [No  jokes, no personal stories, no “fluff.”]

[Correction:  There are two phrases of witticism.]

For the next several days, I will focus on the themes of the Paschal Mystery.

I will resume the themes that I have introduced [Worldviews; Healing Gardens] after Resurrection Sunday.

Biography from http://www.saint-peters.net:

Fr. Michael Petty is a native of West Virginia and grew up in Houston . He was educated at Austin College (B.A.) and Vanderbilt University (M.Div., M.A., Ph.D.)

During his over twenty years of ordained ministry, he has served a large suburban congregation, a campus ministry at a medical school, and a hospital chaplaincy. He has served as Associate Rector for Adult Education since St. Peter’s was founded in 2005.

In addition to pastoral ministry, Fr. Petty has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Perkins School of Theology (Southern Methodist University), Nashotah House Theological Seminary and the Center for Biblical Studies in Tallahassee.

He is the author of A Faith That Loves the Earth: The Ecological Theology of Karl Rahner, published by the University Press of America.

He is married to Sara Clausen and they have a son, Graham.

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March 26, 2012 · 6:22 pm

How My Garden Grows: One

My Front-Porch Garden:

From front to back and from short to tall:

foliage of “Lamb’s Ear,” yellow blooms of Rudbeckia “Herbstonne,” “Indigo Spires Sage” — all under a bower of Crape Myrtles [Natchez].

Dear Readers,

[Note: After you read this entry, click How My Garden Grows: Part Two.]

I have previously written about Places of Enchantment.  Creating a garden, small or large, is like creating a place of enchantment.

At first, I began gardening for my enjoyment and exercise.  Over the years, however, I turned to the garden — for solace, beauty, and quiet — during various difficult stages of my life:  the empty nest, the topsy-turvy chaos of restoring a 65-year old home, the death of my parents, and my bout with breast cancer.

Immersing myself in the pursuit of gardening is, in itself, a healing process:  I receive, from the bounty of Creation, the warmth of the sun, the cool refreshment of the nourishing water, the touch and smell of the earth, the fragrance and color of the blooms, the various shades of the foliage, and the sound of birdsong.  I choose to think of nothing, except the task at hand, while I suspend worries and anxieties for a few hours of welcome respite.

However, I am a very practical gardener:  I have developed “Margot’s Get-Real Gardening Tips” that I will share with you so that you may spend more time delighting in — and less time toiling in — your garden.

In the near future, I will share these tips.  Here are some photos from my gardens, to inspire you.

Proviso:  My “Garden Tips” are for the Southern gardener:  specifically, North West Florida!  Over the years, I have battled the heat and humidity and have, finally, submitted to it — and I know the best plants to withstand our Southern climate.  

My Front Porch Containers:  mostly annuals.

My two sisters, Susan and Amy, designed these lovely combinations.

Container Pot of either Portulaca or Purslane:  A truly “bullet-proof” bloom for the summer.

My Kitchen Porch:  A shady respite.

Front Porch Container

Another View of My Front Porch Garden:  from left to right:

blooms and buds of “Purple Coneflower,” “Indigo Sage,” “Lily of the Nile” — all under the shade of Crape Myrtle [Natchez]

Amaryllis [from bulb]

Coram Deo,

Margot

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