Rain, rain, go away,
And come again another day,
When I brew and when I bake,
I’ll give you a little cake.

Stay dry!

Mama Lisa

PS You can tell it’s raining where I am and that I’m considering baking something yummy!

We took a walk today in Walt Whitman’s woods in West Hills, on Long Island, east of New York City.  I highly recommend taking an autumnal hike or stroll if you can.  Then you may feel the truth in Whitman’s line, "As to me I know of nothing else but miracles". There’s much beauty out there.  Here are some photos I took in Walt’s woods, followed by his poem "Miracles", and then recordings of two people reading the poem.

Miracles
by Walt Whitman

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim-the rocks-the motion of the waves-the ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

*****

MP3 of Miracles read by Jeannette Selig

MP3 of Miracles read by Mark J. Wilson

We visited a very kid friendly nature preserve today with a lovely garden.  The gardeners there were in the middle of planting a sensory garden, as a nice addition to their main garden.  A sensory garden should have plants that stimulate each of the five senses: smell, taste, sight, sound and touch.  Sensory gardens are wonderful for children to help them learn about the five senses.

Sight is easy in a garden…

So is smell.  They were planting mint…

Taste is pretty easy too.  They were planting blueberry bushes…

The sense of touch is pretty easy too.  You need to have safe plants to touch near the pathway.  Different textured leaves work nicely.  I noticed they were planting some ornamental grasses…

Now sound in a garden I find interesting.  They were planting something called Clethra Hummingbird.  The gardener I spoke to said it makes a crackling noise in the Fall.

Even if you don’t plant a full sensory garden, you can use these ideas in your garden, around your yard or on your balcony if you’re in an apartment, even on a windowsill.  It’s just another way to be creative in your life and think of things another way!

Check out Sensory Garden for Kids for more on building a sensory garden with children and Sensory Gardens which talks about other reasons to create a sensory garden (i.e. for healing, socializing, etc.)

Enjoy your gardening experience with all your senses!

Mama Lisa

Hi! I’m a Spanish girl who is preparing resources to teach English to Spanish children. I’m looking for rhymes about seasons and I have a problem. I cannot find a short one of Spring.

If anybody knows one, please, tell me!
Thanks.

If anyone can help out Rebeca, please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks!

Mama Lisa

PS FYI I did find this nursery rhyme riddle about all the seasons:

In Spring I look gay,
Decked in comely array,
In Summer more clothing I wear;
When colder it grows,
I fling off my clothes,
And in Winter quite naked appear.

Scroll down for the answer..
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
A tree!

Ayako wrote, "We walked under the flow of cherry blossoms in the park.  It was beautiful!"

Close up of the cherry blossoms.

Ayako continued, "Lots of people enjoy sitting and eating ‘bento’ (their lunch)."

Ayako wrote, "We hiked along the road hearing the twitter of Japanese Bush Warbler.
I like the feel of spring!"

I asked Ayako what the Japanese Bush Warbler sounds like and she wrote, "Hearing the twitter of the Japanese Bush Warbler is a sign of Spring in Japan. They sing like ‘Whoo Who ket kyo’!  It’s a unique twitter."  Later Ayako sent me this YouTube video below she found to hear the bird’s tweet.

Ayako wrote, "Small purple flowers in the park. They are pretty."

Ayako wrote, "Cherry blossoms in this school playground are really beautiful!  It’s common that there are lots of cherry blossoms in school playgrounds in Japan."

Thanks so much for sharing these great photos with us Ayako!

Check out these posts for more about Cherry Blossom Viewing and Festivals.

You can also hear 2 well known Cherry Blossom Songs on Mama Lisa’s World:

Sakura – Cherry Blossoms

Sakura Sakura – Cherry Blossoms (Song #2)

Enjoy the season and try to see Cherry Blossoms blooming near you if possible.  It’s worth the effort. 

Mama Lisa

Song

APRIL, April,
Laugh thy girlish laughter;
Then, the moment after,
Weep thy girlish tears!
April, that mine ears
Like a lover greetest,
If I tell thee, sweetest,
All my hopes and fears,
April, April,
Laugh thy golden laughter,
But, the moment after,
Weep thy golden tears!

I’m talking about the Loughcrew Megalithic Cairns in Ireland.

Michael from Newgrange.com sent me this:

"At the 5000 year old Loughcrew megalithic cairn T in Ireland, the rising sun on the mornings around the equinox illuminate the passage and chamber."

You can see cairn T being lit up on March 20th of this year in the photo below.

When you stop and think about it, it’s really amazing that mankind was able to work out the placement of the sun in this detail over 5000 years ago!

Check out Signs of Spring the Big Picture to see photos "from Stonehenge and Mayan pyramids to Dutch meadows and Texan beaches" that show different signs Springtime is coming in the northern hemisphere.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

It’s wet and slushy here in New York. But my daughter got off the school bus today and jumped right into the puddle at the bottom of our driveway!

You can purchase Jay Rouse’s Arrangements online by clicking the link.

Click the following link to hear another piano arrangement called December by George Winston.