Seagulls and Lake Michigan’s surf by E.A. Schneider
Hello, dear pond readers, long time no see. This winter has been busy and I have not been able to be here at Technicolor Lily Pond as often as I’d hoped. In addition to real life demands, I’ve been doing some sewing, some cooking, taking some pictures, reading, and I’ve been busy writing. I’ve also been playing a lot of various tabletop games and exploring that world. In 2017 I have many big, creative plans to keep doing more of all of those things and hopefully I will be able to not only accomplish them but also to share them here at the pond with all of you. Here’s hoping!
Thanks to recent world events, I have a lot of feelings that will probably surface here at the pond. Nevertheless, I still want Technicolor Lily Pond to be a creative, fun space at the end of the day that can inspire as many people as possible in positive ways. In that spirit, I would like to share with you a poem that has been on my mind over the last two weeks. Thanks to my poetry loving mother, I have a few different poems rattling around in my head to turn to for comfort in times of stress (thanks, Mom!), but, this particular poem is one I first encountered at the Milwaukee County Zoo as part of their Language of Conservation Project and it has become a treasured favorite to turn to in times of uncertainty. I found it on the Internet thanks to the Scottish Poetry Library and have linked to their page below. Enjoy!
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry
As you face the challenges of your week wherever you are, dear pond readers, I hope that you can take a moment to look on something wild whether it is a creek or a song sparrow or a squirrel, breathe, and find a moment of peace.
What are you hoping to accomplish in 2017, dear pond readers? Any new books you’re hoping to tackle or novels you’re hoping to write or recipes you’re hoping to try? Please, leave a comment below and thanks for stopping by the pond today.
technicolorlilypond 
What a lovely blog post! Let us also remember, amidst all that is unquestionably concerning, that January and February are the months for planning one’s garden, even if one has a window sill, a garden of any size is an opportunity to embrace hope. As Lady Bird Johnson observed, where a flower blooms, so does hope.” And as for those of us who are not blessed with gardening skills? Well, at the moment this pond visitor is working, in counted needlework, a lovely version of what else? A beautiful Scottish thistle, symbol of stalwart, dogged, resistance to whatever threatens all that’s natural and lovely. A whimsical dandelion may be next for this needle artist. In any case, keep smiling simply because you still can. “A smile may just confuse your opposition long enough so you can plot your real escape” –Ellen M. Hall. Or, how about this helpful advice? “When sad or blue, learn something new!” (or read something new?)—Laura Mae Saunders Millichamp