My personal new year has recently started........

 

well.......that's what I like to call it.  I always feel that a birthday is a new year, filled with hope, given to a person to explore, live, and enjoy each new day that comes along. We hope it will be a complete full year, yet we are never promised tomorrow......just the day we have at hand.

With that being said, I have decided to spend each day this year.....seeking out some kind of joy.

Whether that day is good, bad, sad, uncertain......freezing, extremely hot, or pleasant with each hour, 

I am going to seek the joy in something about that day.  

I started off the first days of my new year pumpkin shopping.

The joy these wonderful globes give to me each year at this time needs no explanation to anyone who sees them. 

I decorated the porches...

and just these few ......brought me joy.

another source of joy........I do not mention much......

is my vintage shop where I sell vintage dishware, glassware, and embroidered linens.

(in photo: Homer Laughlin Blue Dawn 1948)

My shop sits out on our property and it is very rural........there is never much traffic that drives by.

I always need to post on social media and leave boxes with signs that have printed arrows along the main road to lead customers to my shop. For anyone who is interested in lovely dishes and such

you can visit my Facebook page to see more at this link 

Yesteryear

Drops of joy.....rain.....came to us this whole past week.  It rained solidly for 2 days causing much of our roads to flood.  Much of Texas actually got this much needed moisture.

Now the flowers are still in bloom

Their colors bring much joy.

The moss on the old crooked mesquite trees always shows up so much better when wet.

up from the ground other surprises emerge.......this mushroom looked like this 3 days ago

Imagine my joy and wonder when today, it looked like this!

Another source of joy is the wild birds that come along to feed...... There is not a day that isn't filled with the sound and song of wild birds around our home. Throughout the year they come in different shapes, colors and sizes.  Some live here naturally, some fly in with storms and soon fly away. 

This group of quail have held my attention for the past 2 months

I counted 27 in this group.

When they first appeared......the mother was in the front.......leading a long line of little feathered babies that looked like the size of ping pong balls......and the father kept at the back of the line.

As you can see, they have all grown well.  They come quietly and leave just as quietly and quickly.

Another source of joy is my sewing/embroidery.  After a day of cooking, cleaning, and doing whatever it is that needs doing, I find joy in retreating to my creative corner to stitch the late afternoon hours away.  

I hope this finds that you are having pleasant days filled with your own kind of joy.