Friday, April 3, 2020

Hope Springs Eternal

Welcome to Panoply! We are safe and sound as of this writing, and I am grateful. Hope springs eternal*, so allow me to share my current happy places, in and around my home, as part of a virtual, socially distant gathering of friends across the country in an "Easter's On Its Way" roundup. Hey, we bloggers have always practiced social distancing, am I right?! A special thanks to Amber of Follow the Yellow Brick Home in Kentucky for hosting and reaching out with the invitation to spread optimism and light across the country! 

The view below is a recent, hope-filled sunrise seen from our living room. I have a growing cache of photos I've taken from this view during our first year of living here. They never cease to amaze me.
If you've come over my friend Carol's blog, Bluesky at Home, you've already gotten a feeling of joy from her own style of Spring in Texas. Here in my home state of West Virginia, I have been closely following the signs of spring and new life around me for the past several weeks. Flowers throughout the neighborhood have signaled everything is working for good. That is my mantra. Everything is working for good.
Our Spring entry, pre-coronavirus style. A pansy door wreath and door mat remain until late Spring flowers begin blooming.
Our Spring entry, coronavirus style. Do you see the difference? Sanitize before entering!
Our condo opens to a spacious living area, encompassing living, dining and cooking spaces. Most heavier textiles of Winter have been swapped out, and lighter weight pillow covers and throws in. My Blenko studio piece, "Arches", in a color combination of pawpaw and cobalt, take the spotlight. Just a few hints of Easter and Spring are evident in faux florals and small vignettes. 
On the sideboard and small glass curio/drink stand behind the sectional, bunnies, eggs and florals make their appearance. They are happy signs of Spring and rebirth for me. 
Across from the sideboard, my fireplace nook and ledge have chicks with carts (seen recently, here) parading in front of a bunny with a basket full of eggs. The Old World bunny prints and copper pitcher are vintage finds. Reflecting in the glass of the fireplace you can see hints of my Easter table.
In the otherwise neutral space, my Easter table is set with an explosion of color. A floral teapot and stockpot rest on the cooktop nearby. With an open space such as our condo is designed, there's only room for so much color, and right here is the place! It makes me smile every time I pass by (a lot!).
My office space is my personal place of retreat, where I either work at my computer desk, or sit in the chaise lounge situated diagonally across from my desk to read. An Easter bunny pillow and felted robins in the window say it's Spring. Thank you to my friend Jeanie who crafted my robins.
I'm keeping things light in the bedroom with just a few seasonal pillow covers. The sheepskin rugs stay for now. They feel so soft, and are such a comfort on chilly days and nights. We all need comfort.
Lastly, the laundry room is my work space for household duties. I keep my baker's rack with garden items here: a vintage alphabet needlepoint of wildflowers and garden girl lithograph, my garden photo melamine plates, vintage crocheted potholders by seasonal color, harvested lavender, and other garden baubles.
The shelves hold useful remnants of gardening days past, and hope for days to come.
Hope springs eternal.* Take a walk. You'll see what I mean.

Thank you for your visit. Be sure to stop by my friends' posts linked below. It'll brighten your day, I'm pretty certain. Debbee's Buzz is up next, and comes to you from Pittsburgh, PA, so you will literally be hopping from one state to the next. Enjoy!
*Note:  "Hope springs eternal in the human breast" was written by Alexander Pope in 1732 in An Essay on ManSee this uplifting article from Psychology Today, written by Saul Levine M.D. in 2016 for more. It is as relevant today as in 2016. 
Rita C. at Panoply


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