Last year, I joined the wonderful women from Is This Mutton, MK’s Adventures in Style, Deb’s World, Grownup Glamour, and Frugal Fashion Shopper for a global writing challenge. Later, Suzy from The Grey Brunette, Sue from Living Well after 50, Leslie from Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After, and I joined in on the fun permanently! I chose this month’s theme and can’t wait to see what all of the others have to say! On top of the wonderfully different opinions and thoughts, the writing itself is wonderful! I hope you’ll visit all of these blogs because you are going to be amazed at, not only the diversity of the ideas, but the stories of each person. There’s also a link party at the end of this post!
If you want to participate…
I borrowed this listing from Deb as she’d already done the work (thanks, Debbie)! If you’d like to join in, we post on the third Thursday of the month. You can link up with me or with Gail, Sue, or Debbie.
- July: Blogging (Debbie)
- August: Holidays/Vacations (MK)
- September: Favourite Things (Jill)
- October: Schooldays (Penny)
- November: Confidence (Gail)
- December: My Year in Review (Sue)
Surprise…
When I proposed the idea of beauty for this month’s Global Writing Challenge, I wasn’t thinking of physical beauty at all. I would never, in a million years, give anyone advice on beauty or skin care regimes. I can tell you mine, and you’ll think I’m a complete nutter! You would, however, be really bored because it’s just a series of cleansers, serums, and moisturizers!
Trees, wonderful trees…
In the nine years since we moved from our home up north, I’ve grown to appreciate how wonderful it was to have lived in a rural area. We lived on about 1.25 acres and, at one point, had planted well over 100 trees. When we moved, there were probably about 75 or so. There were maples, crabapples, pines, spruces, birches, and my personal favorite, a weeping willow. Now, there are probably less than 10. It was devastating the first time I drove past and saw all our lovely trees gone. But, I digress…
So beauty…
I know there are times I come across as rather shallow and concerned only with clothing. I mean, I love clothes and always have, but I think, if I had to choose, I’d always go for a yard full of trees over a closet full of dresses. Perhaps, I can say that because I know we have probably hit our limit with five whole trees on our condo lot. But, I am always surprised by the beauty I can find just walking out my back door or taking a drive on a cool autumn day.
Let’s rock and roll…
Let me introduce you to my obsession with rocks! I used to teach a unit on rocks…let’s see if I can remember the kinds we taught…igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary! Hey, I did it! I don’t know why rocks appeal to me so much, but I love finding the ones with stripes and interesting specks. One year, when the kids were young, we had gone to Tennessee with my mom. We pulled over to the side of the road and went down and played in the river. Nigel and I captured a beautifully rounded piece of river rock. It was quite large and took both of us to carry it to the car. When we moved, we tried to bring it with us, but it cracked. Rather than destroy it, we left it behind. Given what happened to our trees, I wonder if that rock is still there.
A little more…
Nigel’s brother, Ish, once lived in a house built into a hillside. There were all kinds of large rocks covering the side of the hill leading down to their garage. We captured this beauty and dubbed it the “Brain Rock.” Luckily, it is not too heavy, and it has moved from Ish’s house to our house up north to our last house to this one. When we first moved into our last house, the neighborhood hadn’t been finished. We would take the truck (AKA the Money Pit) down the new streets and dig out interesting large rocks. Unfortunately, when they built our condo, there weren’t any large rocks to be found.
Even more…
I love to build cairns with the many different rocks I have. They fall over; I rebuild them. Nigel has suggested over and over that I just glue them together. He doesn’t understand part of the charm is finding that perfect balance over and over again. The cairn that is lying there in three pieces is often that way. I wasn’t sure why until the other night. A robin has built a nest in the wreath on the front porch. She often perches on that cairn and just flies away when it falls apart!
A wee bit more…
This is my favorite cairn. For many years, it was only three rocks high. Nigel suggested, just the other day, I should build it up higher. So far, it has stood the test of time, and I’ve only had to rebuild it once when I knocked it over. It’s a weird hobby, I know, but I love the beauty of this primitive type of sculpture.
Still talking nature…
Of course, you have probably already guessed I love plants, too. Lowes (my go-to for clearance plants) had these bamboo plants on clearance for $1. I grabbed seven or eight of them, poured decorative rocks into glass jars, and put in the bamboo. I am not good with bromeliads, but this one seems to be doing well! Now, I can grow a snake plant. I had one that was just huge and gave it to my youngest son when we moved to the new house because I just don’t have the space for big plants. I love how the addition of green plants adds natural beauty to the inside of my home.
More…
Beauty can be found in cultivated plants as well. My Susan Williams Ellis rose bush from David Austin started the spring covered with buds. It bloomed, and then nothing for a few weeks. I wondered if that was going to be it for the year. But, I just need to learn the virtue of patience. It’s once again covered with buds and blossoms! And, it smells heavenly! Last year, I planted sweet potato vines in these big clay pots, but I went with rubrum this year. You can’t see them, but there are also pink and white begonias underneath all that glorious purple grass! I had this huge pot in the last house filled with a vining plant. I had no space for the planter, but I thought it would look good filled with something striking. That middle coleus is called Fishnet Stockings! I think I may have lost one or two of my painted ferns. I think the feathery fronds are perfect against the boring mulch!
Finally…
Beauty can also be found in unusual things, right? One of the first things I stressed about when we were building the condo was lighting in the front hallway. It’s quite large with a 10 foot ceiling. I picked out this chandelier and love the way it throws shadows against the ceiling. That brings us to this cute little pony bank. I don’t know what it’s made from, but my dad found it at the dump one year. That surely makes it an antique because Dad’s been gone for 50 years this July. I was a little girl when he brought it home. I wish you could see the spider webs around its legs…yes, I find spider webs beautiful though I hate walking into them! I love metal garden sculptures and picked up this cute little bird with its nest at a summer art fair.
Wrap it up, Marsha!
You would think, since I came up with this theme, I would be a little more cohesive. As per usual, I struggled a bit with getting my words down. I took photos of things I found beautiful. Then, I wrote around that. I do believe in that old maxim, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I mean, I’m sure most of you find nothing remarkable about a bunch of rocks stacked on top of each other. But, that is the beauty of the prompt, right (see what I did there)? As always, there is no one way to interpret the theme so I can’t wait to read the posts of the members of the Global Writing Challenge! So, can we talk? What form of beauty would you have written about? Do you find beauty in the rare and uncommon? Or, are you drawn more to the idea of beauty as it applies to our personal selves? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World and A Fresh Cup of Coffee. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop (Esme’s Salon) and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, and Sue. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!
What others are saying…
Suzy “delves into the journey of self-love and embracing authentic beauty, wrinkles and all. Find her over at www.suzyturner.com.”
Mary Katherine “reflects on the importance our society places on “beauty” for women, and how she wrestles in her own life to balance having gravitas and glitter at the same time…”
Gail from Is This Mutton “looks at the concept of beauty over the ages and how women still suffer to conform to society’s expectations.”
Debbie “Debbie has asked some special women in her life for their thoughts on beauty, which may be cheating in some ways but…their words are all heartbreakingly beautiful and make for inspiring reading!”
Jill from Grown Up Glamour says she’s “looking at it [beauty] in many forms.”
Penny “looked at beauty from all angles (because there are so many aspects of this idea of beauty) and decided to write mainly about the history of eyebrows!”
Sue says, “explores beauty in all forms and discusses how we can thrive by putting the focus on our inner beauty as well as the beauty that surrounds us.”
Leslie “shares some of the things that make her world a more beautiful place.”
And, now, it’s your turn!
If you’d like to link up your Personal Style posts, you may link up here, at Gail’s, Sue’s, or Debbie’s blogs!
What a beautiful post, Marsha! I see beauty in so many things, especially the natural world and I didn’t even think to write about that! I, too, think that stacks of rocks can be beautiful! I had no idea they were called cairns though…the first time we discovered them was while on holiday in Canada, they were all over the place and we were intrigued. We ought to try and build some for our new garden.
It’s funny that the Weeping Willow tree was your favourite because when I was a young girl, my best friend and I used to hang out at our local park and our favourite spot to play was among these two amazing weeping willows. We adored them! And a few years ago, I went back to that same park and the trees were still there—I was so delighted!
I love the photo of your little dog, he really is beautiful!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Thank you so much, Suzy! I’m sure most everyone thought I’d write about beauty products, right? I’m not sure when or where I discovered cairns, but I love them. There’s a woman who lives in the village where I get facials. Her house is bright purple…the last time I was there, she was out working in her garden (which is amazing). So, I stopped and talked to her for quite a while. She has amazing cairns. Hers are small rocks, but they are stacked 10-12 rocks high. She said people will touch them thinking they’re attached, and then the whole thing comes tumbling down! She just laughs and rebuilds them.
I have always loved weeping willows and was so happy when we finally planted one. It was just getting to the size to hang out in and not be seen when we moved. Needless to say, it was one of the first trees they chopped down. I just can’t get over people cutting down beautiful and perfectly good trees…I’m a little passionate, aren’t I? I will tell Jack you think him beautiful…it will make his day!
Thanks again, Suzy!
Oh I love metal sculptures for in the garden too. That bird nest one is so cute! And I love rocks too. Every time we go to England, 3 times a year, I take stones from the beach. And put it in our garden, that’s our England spot.
Thank you, Nancy! I love that you have an “English garden of rocks!” We have a neighbor who has these huge flower sculptures in his front garden. I keep asking Mike if he thinks they’d notice if the flowers suddenly disappeared!
Oh my goodness, Marsha! Beautiful post. You are definitely one of the most interesting bloggers I follow. I never knew what a cairn was … now that I do I must have them in my garden. Your mention of rocks takes me down memory lane. When I was in seventh grade science class, we were all given a box which contained samples of all of the types of rocks you mentioned — igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary! They were each in their own little compartment. Let me tell you, I LOVED that box. It was fascinating. I guess that’s why I collect rocks today. I’m with you about trees — I love clothes, but there’s nothing like a beautiful (and the older the better) tree!
Beth, you made my day! I was in tears (of happiness) when I read your comment. Cairns are so easy to make, and you have the choice of whether or not to make them permanent with glue or not. I like the rebuilding even though Mike thinks I’m silly and should just glue them! But, I get different combinations whenever I recreate one! Our instructional center was clearing out stuff and throwing it away so I grabbed onto some of those kinds of boxes for my students. It’s funny what we remember, isn’t it? Oh, and trees…I could go on and on about trees. Have you read the book, Harry’s Trees? It’s beautiful!
Thank you again, Beth, for the lovely compliment!
I’m quite keen on rocks too! Every time we go to Skiathos I look for “my” rock on the beach. I always think I’ve found it, although there are a lot that looks the same. You would be fascinated by the cairns which are all over the Lake District, marking summits and hard to find paths. I love old trees and wonder what they have seen. Great prompt!
How fun to have a rock in Skiathos! I love finding strangely shaped rocks and then working them into my gardens. Hmmm…I love that…wondering what those old trees have seen. I’m afraid the trees where I live are being knocked down for more and more warehouses and apartments. Someday, that’s that will be in this area with only little trees on everyone’s little plot of ground.
Thanks, Gail! I’m glad you liked the prompt!
I love plants and trees too! Our last home had quite a few and about 8 blue spruce succumbed to a fungus. It was so sad to chop them all down. We planted a lot of catalpas before we moved and when we drove past a year ago-they were growing really well! Thank goodness! I’d be so sad if the new owners had cut them down. I love your cairns. That is a beautiful idea! I need to do that in a few spots.
Thanks, Laura! We had a beautiful ash tree in the front yard of that house, too. One year, it got these really strange growths on it, and I figured it was that dreaded emerald ash borer. Turns out there are male and female ash trees. We had a male, and he had gall. We treated him for it, and he was making good progress. One of the last times I drove past, the new owners cut him down. He was gorgeous in the fall…I will never understand why they cut all those trees down! If you put up some cairns, I’d love to see them!
I find yarn beautiful. I will spend hours pawing through all of my yarn because it brings me joy.
But rocks? I have to say, you’re probably the only one that wrote about rocks. Yet you made your case and I love how you stack them.
XOXO
Jodie
Hahaha!!! Yes, I love rocks. Mike thinks I’m a nutter for it, but he’s come to grips with it. When they were developing the last stage of our neighborhood (the last house, not this one), I was always out looking for good size rocks to bring home. I love yarn, too, but mine is all packed away in tubs because I just don’t have the room for it anywhere else. I miss being able to pull open the double doors to my craft room just to gaze upon the beautiful abundance there.
Thanks, Jodie!
Marsha what a fabulous take on your prompt. Although I need to pull you up – you are not shallow if you like to take care of your physical appearance and are interested in fashion! That said, I agree there is so much beauty that surrounds us and yet we don’t make the time to appreciate it fully. Thanks for a great prompt and I’m enjoying reading everyone’s interpretation. Have a lovely weekend x
Thank you so much, Sue! I appreciate you saying I’m not shallow. I know I’m not, but I think I may come across that way at times. I love this writing challenge. It’s always so interesting to see what everyone thinks!
I love cairns too. The structures are so neat.
I do find beauty in things other people don’t – like old barns or buildings that are falling down. I always wonder about the stories of the people who used to live in them or own them. I used to photograph them all the time and make my parents or husband pull over so I could take those photos. My mom actually found them beautiful too sometimes so she didn’t mind stopping.
Oh, you and I just might be soul sisters! I love the odd and the abandoned. There’s this beauty about them, but I didn’t have time to take a drive to try to find anything like that. There aren’t many country roads around here that don’t end up in nothingness or heading to Indianapolis. I love that your mom found the buildings beautiful, too. I doubt my mom would have found any barn beautiful as she was raised on a farm and couldn’t wait to leave it!
Thanks, Lisa!
Oh wow what a fab take on beauty. I mean beauty is everywhere, just everywhere and rocks are lovely. As for cairns – how goo d are they. Metal structures and shadows on the ceiling – you’ve got a very good ‘eye’. It was a great theme this month, Marsha, thank you so much 😊
Thank you so much, Penny! I knew, when I suggested the prompt, I wasn’t going to write about typical beauty. I had wanted to get out and get some photos of tumbledown buildings because I find them to be so beautiful. One of my first Instagram photos was of a block bridge covered in snow. I just find those things beautiful.
I really love this!! One of my first posts on beauty (I write about it A LOT) was trying to explain the beauty I see in the trucks in the Dakar. They literally take my breath away with their awe inspiring beauty as they fly thru the dunes, the agility and the sand spraying…it’s elevating (to me, emotionally). I could watch it all day, mesmerised. So I totally get you weren’t even thinking about looks, and I can see it could be applied to rocks (tho I’m not sure I see it…may cliffs for me?) Good take! #Tellusabout (One thing, you need to link your post even as a host because I would have missed it, just commenting on the posts linked)
Thank you, Lydia! There was so much more I wanted to say, but I just couldn’t find the words. I think beauty is like that…it’s almost undefinable because everyone sees things so differently. Oh, I do love looking at cliffs. I had meant to include photos of the Grand Canyon, but my post was getting rather long. Thanks for reminding me to link my own post! I sometimes forget to do that!
Thanks for the beauty prompt Marsha , it was an interesting one . Beauty is all around us but sometimes remains unseen .
I love your cairns and yes they are beautiful and have meaning for you. Your cute little dog is just adorable and beautiful in my book.
What a shame all the trees were removed from your old property , that’s what worries me about moving , having my garden decimated.
Thank you so much, Jill. I loved reading everyone’s posts. It’s so interesting to see how everyone interprets the prompt. Jack is a character. You can set a clock by him…he knows when his afternoon snack is, and he knows when it’s time to crawl in bed for a bit of telly! I cannot tell you how upset I was when I saw how they had cut down all those trees. They also tore out the fence which enclosed a small portion of the backyard and was beautifully (in my opinion) landscaped. If I had known, I do know I wouldn’t have sold to them. Actually, I wouldn’t have moved at all!
Thanks, again, Jill!
Never, ever would I say you are shallow! You don’t come across that way at all and the short amount of time I spent with you IRL I feel confident that you are the real deal – ha!!! When I saw the post title I thought you were going to be sharing beauty products – now who sounds shallow???
I am really overcome by natural beauty, especially when I travel or spend time outdoors. I find myself wondering if the people who live in a certain place appreciate the beauty. When I am on my walks in my neighborhood I never tire of the landscape, especially around the lakes. The greenery is stunning!
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! It’s funny how many people have said something about me being shallow! I guess I just meant that as a fashion blogger, it may seem I’m only concerned about clothes. And, thank you for your beautiful words. They mean a lot to me.
I truly think we can find beauty just about anywhere if we look hard enough. Like you said, though, if you’re always there, you just might miss it. Our neighborhood is so new and so small that I hate to gawk at everyone’s house and landscaping! I’m sure they’re peering out their windows and wondering what the heck that woman is looking at! One neighbor has the most gorgeous lavender rose bush! I have to stare at it as much as I can because, if I remember correctly, it only blooms once a season.
So tickled to learn more about you and your favorite beautiful things. And I am thankful you weren’t thinking of this prompt as one where we address our favorite products and beauty regimen. Good grief, that looks like little more than soap and water for me!!
The cairns!! Didn’t realize stacked rocks had a name. We come across them all the time hiking. I love trying to find just the right ‘next rock’ to add to the top. Had not thought of putting some around in my yard. I think you are onto something there.
And that sweet pony, cobwebs and all. Such a special history behind that horsie. Hope your kids realize its importance and significance. I keep telling my daughters about the significance of the potato masher and wooden rubber band gun I have on my bookshelf. Hope they are listening.
I am sorry so many of your trees at your former home have gone the way of the paper mill. Or fireplace. When we were in KY last weekend, I just fell in love all over again with the GREEN and the trees and the flowers. We just cannot grow anything here. This year, in our sixth month of 2024, we have had less than one inch of rain. For the whole year.
You and I would have a time, hiking and building rock towers, I mean cairns. And enjoying a good book under the shade of your old weeping willow. My old favorite was a mimosa that I left behind at my little house.
Hahaha!!! I figured lots of people would think I was going to write about beauty products. But, I’m so fickle when it comes to that. I change with the wind (or the pretty packaging)! I have had this love for rocks for years, but it wasn’t until our last house that I started making cairns. Mike thinks I’m nuts for not just gluing them together, but putting them back together after they fall is half the fun! I don’t think I’ve ever told the kids about the pony bank. I probably need to figure out which kid to give it to, and then tell them who found it, where he found it, and what all! I do know those trees weren’t burned in the fireplace because it was a gas log! But, who knows, they probably took that out! Less than an inch…wow! We get that in a really good rainfall. Right now, we desperately need rain because our yards are parched. But, I’m not going to water it, or those little blades of grass will expect it!
Oh, gosh and golly, we would have a wonderful time, chatting, laughing, and getting into all sorts of scrapes, I’m sure!
Thanks, Leslie!
My husband loves building rock sculptures too Marsha, so I can relate to your lovely little hobby! Your post was loads of fun and a different type of beauty, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We all come at the prompt in different ways which makes it fun to read!
Thanks so much, Debbie! I was afraid everyone would think they had to write about beauty products. But, like you wrote, everyone always finds a different angle for the prompts. That’s what I love about it!