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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Home Sweet Home

I bought a bag of clementines today! I got home and placed them
in my blue flowered bowl and the sight of it immediately took me
to an old poem that I love. The poem mentions marigolds in a
favorite blue bowl. Well, I'm fresh out of marigolds in December but
the color here is the same! I love this poem because it reminds me of
myself. One of my very favorite things to do is puttering around
my little home and making it a welcoming, comforting place for
all five of my guys. I love it when they come home and the place
looks nice, something in the oven smells terrific and they feel loved.
I imagine any of my five men and our little home when I read this....
The Blue Bowl
All day I did the little things,
The little things that do not show;
I brought the kindling for the fire
I set the candles in a row,
I filled a bowl with marigolds,
the shallow bowl you love the best.
And made the house a pleasant place
Where weariness might take its rest.
The hours sped on, my eager feet
could not keep pace with my desire.
So much to do, so little time!
I could not let my body tire;
Yet, when the coming of the night
Blotted the garden from my sight,
And on the narrow, graveled walks
Between the guarding flower stalks
I heard you step: I was not through
With services I meant for you.
You came into the quiet room
That glowed enchanted with the bloom
Of yellow flame. I saw your face,
Illumined by the firelit space,
Slowly grow still and comforted.
"It's good to be at home," you said.
Blanche Bane Kuder 1882-?

30 comments:

  1. I can feel the warmth and coziness of your home as I read this poem.
    Always tending to the needs of others, caring with a passion.
    You inspire me !
    Hugs,
    Jo

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  2. smiles. what a wonderful verse...and tip othe hat for making a home as such...

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  4. Jo...somehow I just know you are the same way. Your home looks lovely.

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  5. I am not familiar with this poem but I agree with you that it evokes some very sweet memories. AND I love clementines!!

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  6. Oh I love that poem, Betsy. I've never heard it but immediately I relate to it and the message it brings.


    Your home, your touch, your five men ~~What a lovely place you make for all of them. I know you count them your blessings...but you my dear are the "blessed glue" that puts, love, aromas and peace in a house full of your special men!

    Loving you today, Betsy.

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  7. It is these kinds of things that really do make a house a home. Thanks for the poem, just so sweet! :D

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  8. I LOVE that. I have never read it before. There is nothing so sweet as to "come home."

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  9. I haven't heard this poem before! love it! I know you bring love & cheer to your home...you are such a loving, caring woman!

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  10. Thanks, Wanda. We moms/wives really do set the tone, don't we? I'm constantly reminded of that. :)

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  11. Aww nice to see a bit of colour in the bleakness of winter too. I love blue and white. Funny how we call things by different names. I sent a recipe to a friend in LA recently and he msg'd that he couldn't get coriander. Apparently it has a completely different name over there. Clementines look like what we call Tangellos, I'd be stuck in a US grocery store!

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  12. Baino ~ oh yes...we call it cilantro. the seeds are called coriander here! :) Love both, btw.

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  13. Ooohhh...lovely. I hope your five men show you that they appreciate it. There's only me here, but it's still worth making a warm welcome to come home to.

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  14. Tangellos? I've never heard of that but I bet you are right. Clementines are like little tangerines.

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  15. I LOVE LOVE LOVE clementines!! And just the perfect size! I think a lot of folks are discovering this year how important all the little things are. A home should be a place where its family can come to relax, feel the warmth (of love as well as temp) and truly be who they are. Sounds like you have one of those homes! What a blessing for your family!

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  16. What a beautiful poem. I've never seen it before, I'm going to look for more by the author. I love the lines "And made the house a pleasant place, Where weariness might take its rest". I've been reading your blog for a little while now and always enjoy it. Thanks for sharing this today.

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  17. Kathleen ~ let me know if you find any more good ones by this poet! :) And thanks for commenting...I love to know who's reading and it's always fun to meet those that comment!

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  18. Beautiful poem, posted by a beautiful lady. Making a house a home is an art and a service of love.

    The clementines are beautiful with the blue!!

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  19. Awww...thanks, Tanna. You are SO sweet! :)

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  20. Betsy it is so heartwarming to read your posts and all that you do to make your 5 men feel loved.

    I imagine your home is a gathering place for lots and lots of friends.

    I bought a sack of clementines at Sam's and they are delicious...now do I have a blue bowl....?

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  21. Thats pretty! I love a warm and cozy home too.

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  22. Lovely photos and a lovely poem, and your five men are very lucky to be so loved.

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  23. What a lovely poem, I've never read it before. Thank you for sharing it strikes a chord with my own daily desires in homekeeping.

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  24. Lovely poem! I love all the things we do to make our houses...homes! Special and warm!! It does take effort...but when they come in the door and sigh. It is all worth it!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  25. Oh, the poem is beautiful! Betsy, you are one of the people I think are truly worthy of that verse.

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  26. Wow, that is a perfect poem. So you it seems too.

    Truly that gift of homemaking and hospitality is a gift itself and one so often overlooked by those who enjoy its fruit the most.

    I;'d love to experience that. how incredible for your family. I didn't really have that growing up much as my mother was always gone working and would get back after we were home but at least, ad importantly so, i knew she loved us and that alone meant so much--you then add the sweet cherry on top each and every day. Don't ever feel it is slight. It is immeasurable a mother's and wife's devotion as such. I congratulate you, dear Betsy.

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  27. I like what dear Wanda saya above, "the blessed glue"--yes, sticky indeed.

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