FLORENCE BLUME

FLORENCE BLUME - A GHOST STORY

Before he died, Florence Blume was a solitary man who enjoyed living alone with his cats in his beautiful home in the woods. At the entrance to his house, he hung an old Irish proverb, 'Beware of people who dislike cats. It seemed to keep unwanted visitors and fake friends away. 

The isle of green was an easy place to fall in love with flowers. Florence knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. 

He was a professor at the nearby college and taught Botany. 

All his free time was spent tending the gardens surrounding his home, always in the company of his two cats, Maggie and Bat. 

Florence had a favorite flower, The Lily of the Valley, and his favorite season was Spring. One night, after dinner, while listening to his classical music and reading poetry, he came across a poem by Tchaikovsky, 'Lilies of the Valley '- He had discovered a kindred spirit who loved the same season and flower as he. The two souls had the same thought, after death, darkness, or light? Florence knew the joys of the earth; before and after his death.  




LILIES OF THE VALLEY -TCHAIKOVSKY


"I wait for spring. And now the enchantress appears,

The wood has cast off its shroud

And prepares for us shade,

And the rivers start to flow, and the grove is filled with sound,

And at last, the long-looked-for day is here!

Quick to the woods!—I race along the familiar path.

Can my dreams have come true, my longings be fulfilled?—

There he is! Bending to the earth, with trembling hand

I pluck the wondrous gift of the enchantress Spring.

O lily of the valley, why do you so please the eye?

Other flowers there are more sumptuous and grand,

With brighter colours and livelier patterns,

Yet they have not your mysterious fascination.

Where lies the secret of your charms? What do you prophesy to the soul?

With what do you attract me, with what gladden my heart?

Is it that you revive the ghost of former pleasures,

Or is it future bliss that you promise us?" excerpt from Lilies of The Valley was written by Tchaikovsky in December 1878 while he was in Florence.

Chopin Spring Waltz 1 hours ~ SNOWED INN

SNOWED INN

When the north star twinkles, expect stormy weather.

We are snowed in but not by snow but by an invisible enemy.

Home is where the heart is. Our focus is on family, friends, furry friends, and watching the birds visit the feeders you filled. In keeping positive, trying to understand life, we wait for Spring.




Peace... can only be achieved by understanding.

~Albert Einstein

The Little Prince 💜

Our little garden pet, Prince💜


“Always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Plant lavender for good luck. And fall in love whenever you can. 

Happiness is not about getting what we want.

It’s about appreciating what we have.”
Meet our little garden pet, Prince💜
Photo by@murtagh13@ghostales1957

ROSEBUD 🌹

To stay retired or go back to work? A question we pondered on in the last week, did we want to continue the long distance trek for a little while longer to reach the dream?
All the stuff everyone tries to achieve in their life, pay the house mortgage, save for retirement, have enough funds for the kids to go to college and have a reliable vehicle, we took care of and now should be the time we get to enjoy what's left of our life; but it's not always the case. There's is always the dream.


I have forever wanted to move, actually since 1986 and the place I always envisioned in my dream was a small cottage by the sea or in the wood with a wood burning fireplace but the passage of time has changed the thought, we need to look at what makes the most sense and not so much what the heart desires although the magic cottage has always been there in my mind and has never left so to make a decision on where to buy our next house is not that simple.


Yesterday, I sat in my living room by the fire and all sorts of thoughts went through my head and then I noticed the tiny cabin sitting on the wreath surrounded by forest on the fireplace mantel; it changed. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks or my mind was taking a trip to the past. I was looking into a glass globe of a quaint cottage covered in snow. I knew immediately where I had seen it before.


I have always loved old movies, especially for their beautiful stories, the cinematography, and music; they are treasures of the past that I have never forgotten.
Do you remember the snow globe from the Old American Mystery Drama Film “Citizen Kane” written by Orson Welles? I do, I remember it well. Yes, Rosebud was written on his childhood sleigh but Rosebud was really the glass globe with the small cabin symbolizing what truly mattered to Charlie, true love.


Love is more powerful than all the worldly possessions we could ever own. Orson Welles, himself had said in an interview that when he wrote “Citizen Kane” he intentionally made an attack on property. The acquisition of property and the corruption in association to it. And it made me seriously take into account just how much did I want that PROPERTY! Enough to sacrifice another few years of quality life? We don't know the future and we want so much from the one life we have, so when is it time to call it quits?


“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” ~ Orson Welles