Inklings // April 2026

Happy spring everyone! 

Per last month's notes, everything here this month has been kittens, kittens, KITTENS!!! Four cuddly little orange striped fuzz balls.... 🧡 (Plus lots of dahlia planting, Bible studies, some wonderful visitors, etc. So yes... we've been just a tad busy.)

I also watched a new period drama that I'm over the moon about (more details hopefully coming in the future), started a proper reread of Jane Eyre, and am plugging along in War and Peace.

So that about brings things up to date.

I hope you're all having a lovely spring and, as always, feel free to join any time here until the next prompt goes up! 💜 

Rules:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back here in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on this post. That's it!

~

April's prompt is:

A scene with kittens in book or film

We've also been moving right along in These Happy Golden Years and, per the obvious, I just had to share this scene. Definitely one of my favorites! ;) 

"It was so crowded that morning that they could not find three empty places together. So Pa went forward to sit with the graybeards in the amen corner, while Laura and Mary sat side by side near the middle of the church.

"Reverend Brown was preaching earnestly and Laura was wishing that with so much sincerity he could say something interesting, when she saw a small plump kitten straying up the aisle. Idly she watched it pounce and play, until it wandered onto the platform and stood arching its back and rubbing against the side of the pulpit. As its round, kitten eyes looked at the congregation, Laura believed she could hear its purring.

"Then, at her side in the aisle, a small dog passed, trotting briskly. It was a little black-and-tan, with slender legs and a perky short tail, and its quick, business-like trot was natural to it. It was not seeking anyone nor going anywhere, but merely sight-seeing in the church, until it spied the kitten. For an instant the little dog stiffened, then with a firecracker explosion of shrill yaps, it leaped.

"The kitten's back rose in an arch, its tail swelled, and in a flash it vanished from Laura's view.

"The strange thing was that it seemed to vanish utterly. There was no chase, and the little dog was silent. Reverend Brown went on preaching. Laura barely had time to wonder, when she felt a slight swaying of her hoops, and looking down she saw the tip of the kitten's tail slide out of sight beneath the pink lawn ruffle.

"The kitten had taken refuge under her hoops, and now it began climbing up inside of them, clutching and clawing its way from wire to wire. Laura felt an impulse to laugh, but she controlled it and sat solemn as a judge. Then the little dog passed anxiously, peering and sniffing in search of the kitten, and a sudden vision of what would happen if he found it made Laura shake from head to foot with suppressed laughter.

"She could feel her ribs swelling against her corsets and her cheeks puffing out and her throat choking. Mary did not know what amused Laura, but felt that she was laughing and pushed her elbow against Laura's side, whispering, 'Behave yourself.'

"Laura shook all the harder and felt her face growing purple. Her hoops kept swaying under her skirts as the kitten curiously crept down them again. Its little whiskered nose and eyes peeped from beneath the pink ruffle, then, seeing nothing of the dog, it popped out suddenly and scampered down the aisle toward the door. Laura listened, but she heard no yapping so she knew that the kitten had escaped.

"On the way home Mary said, 'Laura, I am surprised at you. Will you never learn to behave yourself properly in church?'

"Laura laughed until she cried, while Mary still sat disapproving and Pa wanted to know what had happened.

"'No, Mary, I never will,' Laura said at last, wiping her eyes. 'You might as well give me up as a hopeless case.' Then she told them, and even Mary had to smile."

Love that so much. :)

You can pop your links below:

🌿 I can't wait to see what you all come up with! 🌿

Inklings // March 2026

Happy March! I'm going to try and hopefully prep the next couple of these a little in advance so hopefully April's can go up mid-month and May can be near the beginning of the month. That would be just marvelous. In the meantime, definitely feel free to post here right through April. 

The last month here has been one big round of excitement. Spring has well and truly sprung, and I'm so excited about the garden... including plans for a new cutting garden with more roses and dahlias. We also added four new pets, including Lila, a year old Great Pyrenees (she's so sweet and very much still a young dog). We got her as a companion for our other Pyrenees mix, Rex, and it's such fun to have two great big fluffy white dogs running round.

We also got three young cats. We've been keeping them in our shop building for a few weeks getting acclimated. Unfortunately, the gray fluffy female, initially named Cuddles, has been super shy and has totally gone into hiding and we've only been able to monitor her on the cat cam, so hoping she warms up soon. But the other two have been the friendliest purring kitties. The male, Oreo, is really very distinguished looking -- black and white, with the greenest eyes. We brought him outside today and he's been doing so well -- maintaining charge of the dogs, rolling round in the grass, napping, etc. Last, but definitely not least, Marmalade (the first one we initially picked out and who is super super sweet) is expecting kittens. So yes, I'll leave all that to your imagination. XD 

As I said, much excitement. ;D

I hope you're all having a lovely spring as well and, as always, feel free to join any time here until the next prompt goes up! 💜 

Rules:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back here in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on this post. That's it!

~

March's prompt is:

A scene in a heavy rainstorm in book or film

It feels like we haven't had rain for weeks and then this evening it's been raining steadily. Such a good sound...

Also, in the little moments between things this month, I've been thinking a lot about Jane Austen. Themes of all sorts. 

Of course, as those two thoughts exploded together in my brain, I immediately started thinking of multiple Austen rain scenes -- romantic, emotional, heartbreaking, intense, even hilarious (though technically the certain Muddy Petticoat Scenario we're all thinking of takes place after the rainstorm... but that's ok, we're flexible around here and I'm totally happy with saying it could still fit ;)). 

All that said, I'm going to go with Willoughby rescuing Marianne in the '95 Sense and Sensibility.  

Definitely wanting to rewatch the entire film one of these days (which, of course, would make me want to rewatch the '08, and most likely it'd become an entire If You Give a Mouse a Cookie saga... xD).

Have you seen this adaptation?

You can pop your links below:

🌿 I can't wait to see what you all come up with! 🌿

Inklings // February 2026

Happy Saturday! I hope you're all having a lovely weekend.

I'm getting so excited for spring here. :) Do you have any exciting plans for this upcoming season?

As always, feel free to join any time here until the next prompt goes up! 💜 

Rules:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back here in your post.

2. Make sure to come back and leave a link to your entry in the box on this post. That's it!

~

February's prompt is:

A poignant moment between old friends in book or film

I've been thinking a lot about friendship of late... And then in a surprising coincidence -- at the eleventh hour, coming home from an outing this evening -- I was listening along in War and Peace and the following just leapt out at me. One of those wow moments where I just had to sit with it for a minute and feel the emotion.

I'm dropping you right into the action below, but I think you'll be able to catch the tenor and tone of what's happening. Let me know if the verbiage pops out at you too. 

From Tolstoy's War and Peace:

"The count came waddling in to see his wife with a rather guilty look as usual.

“Well, little countess? What a sauté of game au madère we are to have, my dear! I tasted it. The thousand rubles I paid for Tarás were not ill-spent. He is worth it!”

He sat down by his wife, his elbows on his knees and his hands ruffling his gray hair.

“What are your commands, little countess?”

“You see, my dear... What’s that mess?” she said, pointing to his waistcoat. “It’s the sauté, most likely,” she added with a smile. “Well, you see, Count, I want some money.”

Her face became sad.

“Oh, little countess!” ... and the count began bustling to get out his pocketbook.

“I want a great deal, Count! I want five hundred rubles,” and taking out her cambric handkerchief she began wiping her husband’s waistcoat.

“Yes, immediately, immediately! Hey, who’s there?” he called out in a tone only used by persons who are certain that those they call will rush to obey the summons. “Send Dmítri to me!”

Dmítri, a man of good family who had been brought up in the count’s house and now managed all his affairs, stepped softly into the room.

“This is what I want, my dear fellow,” said the count to the deferential young man who had entered. “Bring me...” he reflected a moment, “yes, bring me seven hundred rubles, yes! But mind, don’t bring me such tattered and dirty notes as last time, but nice clean ones for the countess.”

“Yes, Dmítri, clean ones, please,” said the countess, sighing deeply.

“When would you like them, your excellency?” asked Dmítri. “Allow me to inform you... But, don’t be uneasy,” he added, noticing that the count was beginning to breathe heavily and quickly which was always a sign of approaching anger. “I was forgetting... Do you wish it brought at once?”

“Yes, yes; just so! Bring it. Give it to the countess.”

“What a treasure that Dmítri is,” added the count with a smile when the young man had departed. “There is never any ‘impossible’ with him. That’s a thing I hate! Everything is possible.”

“Ah, money, Count, money! How much sorrow it causes in the world,” said the countess. “But I am in great need of this sum.”

“You, my little countess, are a notorious spendthrift,” said the count, and having kissed his wife’s hand he went back to his study.

When Anna Mikháylovna returned from Count Bezúkhov’s the money, all in clean notes, was lying ready under a handkerchief on the countess’ little table, and Anna Mikháylovna noticed that something was agitating her.

“Well, my dear?” asked the countess.

“Oh, what a terrible state he is in! One would not know him, he is so ill! I was only there a few moments and hardly said a word...”

“Annette, for heaven’s sake don’t refuse me,” the countess began, with a blush that looked very strange on her thin, dignified, elderly face, and she took the money from under the handkerchief.

Anna Mikháylovna instantly guessed her intention and stooped to be ready to embrace the countess at the appropriate moment.

“This is for Borís from me, for his outfit.”

Anna Mikháylovna was already embracing her and weeping. The countess wept too. They wept because they were friends, and because they were kindhearted, and because they—friends from childhood—had to think about such a base thing as money, and because their youth was over.... But those tears were pleasant to them both."

~

Ahh, Russian novels... I tend to procrastinate starting them and then (with the ones I've read, anyway) they become a life milestone and event in their own right... Such a way with words! 

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🌿 I can't wait to see what you all come up with! 🌿