Honestly, it reminds me of a painting I saw in the Louvre and I sure wish I could remember what it was! Rubens, maybe? She definitely has a Rubenesque thing going on here!
Now, what is more joyful that jumping into mud puddles with total abandon? This is our Toddler Twosome in a photo their mom took and said I could share.
I've seen them happy before, giggling, playing, laughing. But nothing beats this! (I wish I could share the video of them doing the jumping in the puddles -- in, over, running through. I've never seen them more delighted.) I hope they had the hose out to hose down those clothes before they went in the washing machine. Maybe the boys, too!
For a few short moments you may forget you live in a world that has been turned upside down with illness and loss.
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| "Clytie" by Lord Frederick Leighton, Leighton House, London. (Wikimedia Commons) |
Back to business, with my office assistant, sleeping on the job! Again.
What is giving YOU joy these days?
As I've said before, playing in puddles is one of my favorite childhood memories. I loved to be barefoot and squish the mud between my toes. Felt wonderful. The boys are just so happy in their play. Ah to be a child again. I enjoyed the storyteller - her accent is wonderful. Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteThe sun shining, the fresh green leaves on the trees, spring flowers....all joyful.
ReplyDeleteWalks are giving me joy! Chatting with friends on zoom gives me joy! Just reading your post gives me joy! Oh that Lizzie! And the pure joy of jumping in the mud. Now I haven't watched the video yet, but off to do it now. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of your furry friend - that's cattitude at its best. And little boys always love puddles and mud, my grandchildren always enjoyed such pastimes as kids, and now they are soldiers. Enjoy your week, I'm off for an afternoon nap. Hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteComing to your blog always gives my joy. Laughed at Lizzie giving you a May West line. My dog gives me joy even when he's being a pain in the butt. And my window crystals that on many days deliver rainbows all over the house give me joy. Right now it's bright and sunny but it's snowing and I can count over twenty rainbows on my walls.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your joys! We need as much as we can witness.
ReplyDeletebe well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Your joys brought me joy too! Especially the boys - fearless mom, I might add! Loved the story of Clytie, and am enjoying exploring more of the mythology on the internet. My joy is in cooking, using groceries well, and long walks almost daily. Have a good day, Jeanie!
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at Lizzie, cats can get into the weirdest positions. She does look like a Rubens model :)
ReplyDeleteI must take photos of Fluffy when he decides he has to sit on my computer keyboard just as I'm typing.
So much fun to jump into mud puddles :)
In a Word ~ Nature! Despite the toll the Pandemic, Poor Leadership, unprecedented Loss, Global Turmoil and Fears of what the Future has in store brings... when I go out and behold Nature, in all Her Glory, I can't help but Feel Joy! Nature is recovering from the sometimes toxic Footprint of our Species, while Mankind must be Still and Pause. My Hope is that we will become better Stewards of Her in a Post-Pandemic World... if not, it will make the trials and tribulations of a Pandemic Virus pale by comparison!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Jeanie. I do adore sweet Lizzie, and she has such expression and attitude. Those little boys, they are thrilled with what they are doing. They have not a care in the world.
ReplyDeleteJeanie, I am grateful for every day that passes and no signs of sickness. When I can get in the garden, it is such a happy place and it won't be long before peony bloom time. That always makes my heart pound a little harder. However, we have had considerable rain and it is still quite chilly. But, I know spring will eventually make its way over the mountains.
Have a lovely week and stay well.
❤️
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI miss the days when I could watch my children playing, puddles were so fun after the rains. I look forward to grands someday - I hope you're staying well and sane during these strange times...
Jeanie, those little "puddlers" are the cutest things I've seen in awhile. What fun, we need children around us at all times. I enjoyed the story. What a treat for the littles to see and listen to. She makes it all sound so real..Lizzie is quite the character..Take care and stay well.xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteThis post! Made me smile, for sure -- thank you!Love those puddle stompers!
ReplyDeleteThe reference to Rubens, though, sent me off on a wild goose chase. Closest I could find was Titian's Rape of Europa (https://titian.org/rape-of-europa.jsp), which has the angle of repose, but maybe not the "I just ate a mouse and boy am I happy" expression that Miz Lizzie shares...
Hello,
ReplyDeleteAdorable photo of the grandchildren playing in the puddle. Your Lizzie is looking intent and comfy. Thanks for sharing the links, I will check out the video. Take care, enjoy your day and week ahead.
How cuddly this kitty cat is! To answer your question after those beautiful words Jeanie, what gives me joy these days at home are my great blogging friends like you. I have found back my love to blogging when this lockdown began and I thank the Lord for internet connection because I don't just get to communicate with my old classmates and family, but also get to know and read about you my blogpals. Blog hopping and seeing new comments on my blog makes me so happy and pushes the boredome aside. For that, I thank you for frequently visiting my blog and for posting on yours because these simple things make me happy :)
ReplyDeleteWoW! that was just what I needed ~ I was transported and mesmerized in her tale ~ Loved it! thank you ~ I'm going to look up the art and the website too. Oh how I love those two in the mud ~ Bless mom's heart that she has to clean them up, but it's so worth it! so sweet ~ I remember those days fondly, the days of abandon ~ One of my favorite pictures is of my oldest daughter (at the age of 2 I think) in nothing but rain boots with a watering can watering the garden ~ just precious times! Blessings on your week ~
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this list, and the pictures, and thanks SO MUCH too for mentioning Vanessa's Leighton House story! She was so thrilled to get the link!!
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Lizzie as a Rubenesque beauty made me laugh out loud, that actually describes the scene to a T!
And I share your delight at the photo of the two little grands having fun. Can imagine how cute the video was. It is good for the soul to see the happiness of little kids at such simple things, and with no awareness of any problems there might be of getting messy. I was reading a lovely autobiography today in which the author remembered the thrill of playing in a rubbish tip when she was small. I find it hard to believe my mother let me play in rubbish tips at age 5 because she was very particular. Yet I have a very clear memory of playing in some place where people dumped household goods when I was that age, and it was near our house. And also being told not to go there, but i still followed along with my friends - most were older than me! I recall it so well because I have never forgotten the amazing thrill of finding a saucepan which was a real grown up saucepan, to play with. (And if it had a hole in the bottom, I really didn't care). I felt then like I would feel now if I won the lottery! :) So I could empathise with your grands' muddy joy. All that mess and water and you could stamp as much as you liked!
Both Lizzie and the boys seem to be enjoying themselves. The boys in the mud as boys usually do and Lizzie just being herself...a wonderful kitty! Janice
ReplyDeleteLizzie is a beauty worthy of a Ruben sitting. I saw the photo of the darling boys enjoying the mud puddle on Twitter. Oh how wonderful to be an innocent child with not a care in the world. Many a lesson could be learned from watching children. I will visit your link now. Thank you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteI cracked up when I saw the first photo of Lizzie posing. I don't think I've ever seen a cat in quite that pose. The grandchildren sure do seem to be having a ball in the mud puddle. It reminds me of when I was much younger and we kids liked to run through the muddy puddles too. I wonder why that is enticing to kids? I just know that I like the feel of squishy mud through my toes, lol. I'll definitely check out the video you've shared. Have a wonderful evening dear Jeanie. Don't let your assistant get away with too much sleeping on the job, lol. You can't be expected to do all the work. On 2nd thought, those kind of assistants generally prefer to call all the shots, lol.
ReplyDeleteLook at that Lizzie. She reminds of Sweet Belle.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your three joyful things:)
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Our pups love mud puddles. What's not to love?
ReplyDeleteLizzie certainly looks like she is posing. ANd she even looks comfy doing it. I'm with you about jumping in mud puddles. It makes me want to go out and find one and jump. Oh pure joy. Thanks so much for all kind comments Jeanie. They are much appreciated. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteWhat was the Twosome experiment for? They're so serious learning something, lol.
ReplyDeleteOopss, your office assistant needs a cup of hot coffee :)
Thank you for sharing your joy, Jeanie.
I have never been a mud puddle person. Rain, yes, mud, NO thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love Lizzie's pose. I've never seen either of the boys pose like that, so that made me smile.
Jenny's daughter has a lovely voice and is almost magical. It's such a sweet accent. She had me from the "Once upon a time" phrase. She is a great storyteller.
There is joy and beauty to be found in even the darkest hours if we only open our hearts and minds, and you have surely opened yours. Love the muddy toddlers! I hope they weren't too pickled under all that wet muddy clothing!
ReplyDeleteDeb in Wales
Awwww.... Lizzie is the cutest!
ReplyDeleteI sadly never had a cat. Do they really sleep so much, do they really destroy so much? Reckon they are like people, different characters, right.
The second pic sure made me laugh, thank you! :-)
That was the first story a got told professionally and yes, such an English accent!
I think in Germany we don´t have story tellers, at least not when I was young!
Accents are so funny, too.
I have to admit, the internet, blogs, FB help me a lot. Coughing again like crazy, I rather stay home.
I have little doubt that I shall be receiving an impassioned email from Rick, at any moment, bemoaning the fact that he is not at the very top of the list of things that bring you joy, the apex, the summit, the pinnacle. No doubt he is gnashing his teeth and beating his breast - and other serious stuff like that. Perhaps he is even contemplating getting on his bike and riding off into the gloaming. Just as long as he doesn't grab his AK47 and roam the streets of Lansing like the other yahoos we saw on TV. Your next post, Jeanie, had better be an ode to Rick, a sonnet to superiority, a rant about the ravishing rogue. Nothing else will do!
ReplyDeleteThat may be my favorite photo of Lizzie, ever. It's so full of catitude. She's clearly thinking something like, "What? you think I ought to be elsewhere, doing something else? Think again, Sweetie!"
ReplyDeleteOh Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie....
ReplyDeleteWhere do I even begin?First of all, thank you for visiting Nowhere! It has now become a once in a year gathering for an occasional birthday,but to see you there this morning with our dear Penny, the Dutchess and now my husband, what a joy.
I think these times have taught us how to count again. To count what makes us truly happy.
Well my dear, we are in a fine mess but messes always have a way of teaching us something and after this is over, may we all come up renewed and ready to go out again to sparkle.Be well and safe!
♥
ReplyDeleteWe have to hold on to the things that bring us joy right now, Jeanie. And Lizzie sure is one of them for you - such a loyal cat companion. That photo of your grandsons playing in the mud is priceless. What a great picture their mom took. You must tell me about the paining, I'm curious.
ReplyDeleteHold onto your joyous things, Jeanie. They will get us through this terrible time.
~Sheri
Sweet, loving the cat pic.
ReplyDeleteOh that is a happy and fun photo. Despite the fear that we are living through at the moment when I see my garden coming to life and hear the birds singing I feel hope that soon this terrible episode will be gone. The Clytie paintings are beautiful. It's always a pleasure to see your dedicated assistant :-)
ReplyDeleteJeanie, I am sorry I am so late, but gardening has been calling. Lizzie always steals my heart, she truly is living the good life. Boys and mud puddles go together, this image brings big smiles. Happy Thursday!
ReplyDeleteThe upside of this Corona virus is it has made us all appreciative of the little things, everyday things that we often don't take time to really enjoy...I really have enjoyed having so much time to be creative, with no where to go, it's like I've gotten a gift of time! I will check out the story time and links you mentioned! That Lizzie is too cute :) And the mud puddle, omg, that's a nice mom that would deal with that!!
ReplyDeleteJenna
We are all definitely finding joy in these moments. We are resilient!
ReplyDeleteI love love love the Toddler Twosome photo of them enjoying the mud!! How fun!!!!
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
ReplyDeleteHi.
ReplyDeleteSleeping on the job. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteYou just can't beat splashing in puddles or kicking fallen Autumn leaves …
ReplyDeleteThat is a great photograph... I'm still smiling :)
All the best Jan
Lizzie is absolutely adorable! Such a beautiful kitty!
ReplyDeleteLove your joy makers Jeanie! What's bringing me joy these days? My hubby and our sweet Mitzie of course, plus I am enjoying finding tasty lock-down recipes to share with people. We've been enjoying plenty of sunshine as well which is always a bonus! Love and hugs. Stay safe! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love Lizzie’s seductive pose! Too funny!! Glad you caught that on camera. She has quite a personality!
ReplyDeleteMolly is a good mom for letting her boys jump and make a mess! Not every mom is willing to deal with the clean up (like maybe not me - eeks). I bet they had the time of their lives though!!
I can see why those things would give you joy. Also, I love puddles almost as much as the toddler twosome... Something my nephew and sister-in-law discovered soon after meeting me, to his delight and her dismay. ;)
ReplyDeleteThree things giving me joy: my petkids, books, and ocean breezes coming in through my window.
Lizzie has a Rubenesque position, that's so right. She is so cute, I love seeing pictures of her.
ReplyDeleteThe children having fun in the mud are very cute too.
The whole idea of the post is really lovely too.
Lizzie has such beautiful eyes. The photo of the little ones actually has me wanting to jump in mud puddles now. I guess that is the lack of fun going on giving me that desire! We are enjoying our front porch. After living in our home for more than 1.5 years, we finally bought 2 rockers and a table for the front. They arrived last week and we have used the almost daily!
ReplyDeleteYour last picture reminds me of a quote I read just today: “A home without a cat — and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat — may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?” - Mark Twain
ReplyDeleteI do feel that my home is lacking that way, and I appreciate you sharing your cat :-)