The Next Chapter - Happy Friday!

The Happy Book for the Bliss group is still in Australia, in the meantime here's a bit of happy from my corner of the world this week:

From Random

Ya, what's better than Olympic spirit and cake??

A group of women in the building I work in have been going all out with Olympic spirit the last couple of weeks, topping it off with cake today served up by their mascot, "the Beav". Thanks ladies for a fun way to end the week! * o

The Next Chapter - Happy Friday!

Wicked Come Winter......

From Random

Oh, it gets wicked here

Such an evil time of year

So cold it brings you tears

Come wintertime

I'll come back for you my dear

When it gets wicked here

Come wintertime

("Wicked Come Winter" - lyrics by Matt Mayes)

Yup folks - January, she is cold!

* o

Wicked Come Winter......

Angels in the Snow

Some photos from my walk today - mild temps and light snow falling......

From Random

From Random

From Random

* o

Angels in the Snow

Another Tuesday Evening

It's been a beautiful warm and sunny day. The first week of September has provided splendid weather - much better than the entire summer. A cacophony of shrills greet me after work. The cedar waxwings are back, feasting on the berries of the ash tree next door and our hedge.

The Teen Man-Child and I feast on a supper of cold ham, sweet potatoes and a tossed salad. I eat slowly, clean up the dishes and then head out the door for an evening walk.

"Buffy", my iPod, plays the melodious strains of J. Phillip Newell's, "Sounds of the Eternal" as I head down towards the cemetery. Once there, I sit at my favorite spot, the small wooden plank between two trees that overlooks the bay and Doghead mountain. The wind is rustling through tree leaves and there's a haze
covering the town across the bay. The air is scented with that woodsy, damp leafy smell that signals autumn is around the corner.

I listen. I pray. I read from Caitlin Matthew's "Celtic Devotional". I stare out over the bay and watch leaves fall from the trees.

Audio Divinia. Lectio Divinia. Visio Divinia. Sensory Divinia?

Returning home I shower, light a candle and settle down to write. Another Tuesday evening slips away. * o

Another Tuesday Evening

Girl's Night Out

Yesterday I had to travel to the city for an eye appointment and my "BFF" came along with me. She agreed to be my eyes after the appointment for the couple of hours it takes for my pupils to go back to normal after those hideous drops that dilate them. I ended up looking pretty funny after the drops too - one eye didn't get as much as the other, and so one pupil was waaayyy dilated! We browsed a couple of stores, laughing at how stoned I looked, had supper and went to see "Mamma Mia" on the big screen. The movie rocks! ABBA music, a Greek Island, great choreography, a cute and funny story and Pierce Brosnan - so who could ask for more? (OK, so Pierce can't really sing that great, but damn he looks good anyway) And if you don't like ABBA, then you'd probably not like this movie. I wore out my ABBA eight track when I was teen (if that sentence doesn't date me at all). Best part? Meryl Streep totally nails "The Winner Takes It All" - wow.

We laughed, we cried, we had a blast and we both wondered why we don't do these girlfriend outings more often. Sometimes, we just have to kick ourselves in the butt, and drag us out of our routines!

(.....you can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life, see that girl, watch that scene....dig in the Dancing Queen!) * o

Girl's Night Out

Oh, those summer nights

We've been enjoying some fairly nice weather this August, the best night being last weekend. The temps were warm, the skies clear and the moon full. The perfect summer night. Made even better by the addition of a dozen or so of some of the the most awesome teens/young adults I know who hung out around our fire for a bit.

Oh summer nights......soon to be fall. I'm keenly aware of the passing of time and summer coming to a close. One more week and College Boy will be heading back to school. The days even now are starting to get shorter.

If I had seen the meteor shower a couple of weeks ago, I would have wished on the shooting stars for a longer summer. It seemed so long in coming and so quickly flown by. But nature knows these things are not to be. The seasons must change, the wheel must turn.

Do I sound a bit blue? Ya, I always hate the end of summer. * o

Oh, those summer nights

This Summer shall be known as....

"The Summer of the Skunk"....or..."One Skunky Summer". Yup, the dog got nailed again. Worse than the first time requiring three baths so far and several days of trying to get "that smell" out of the house. Seems our dog is a slow learner and has not yet learned to compute the equation - Black and White Striped Kitty Like Animal = Very, Very Bad Smell. Cats are just so much smarter.

On a Funnier Note

File this one under "Stupid Things People Say". Recently we acquired the lot next door, after our neighbour of twenty years tore down his old house and sold the property to us. He's moved on to bigger and better things, and while we miss him as a neighbour, we are definitely happy for him regarding the wonderful happenings in his life. And so our yard has gotten bigger, and John has been busy building a fence and putting in grass seed and now he has a lot more grass to cut. This being a small town, the usual rumor mill has been working full shifts with people speculating on just what will be done with "that property". Today I overheard the funniest conversation yet. I'm standing at my open livingroom window when I hear this couple outside the yard on the sidewalk.

Her: "Must be nice to just suddenly acquire a whole 'nother yard, eh?"

Him: "Ya, like they just took it right over." Pause. "Maybe they paid for it."

Ya think?????

Quick, somebody call the police. Apparently I'm a yard thief. * o

This Summer shall be known as....

And the Universe laughs...

So, remember yesterday's post? The "something wonderful will happen today"? Remember how I said that I knew that even with the wonderfuls would come the awfuls? You know, life is full of goods and bads?

And so the Universe laughed and tonight - my dog just got nailed by a skunk. Right outside the open livingroom window. Yes folks, we are smothered in Eau de Pepe LePew right now. And said dog, a lab, is ironically afraid of water. Bathing him to get rid of the smell was a job and a half for College Boy. The dog will be sleeping in the porch tonight.

I think I still hear the Universe chuckling......something wonderful this way smells.... :) * o

And the Universe laughs...

I spent my birthday....

yesterday at this gorgeous place, with my "bestest" friend. We were attending a watercolor workshop, taught by Biljana Baker a local artist. It was a gorgeous day as you can tell by the photos and so much fun. Learned lots I didn't know about how to use watercolors, some brush techniques, and using masking fluid to create a resist. Biljana is an amazing artist with a wonderful warm personality - you could tell she was enjoying herself. I really love when someone who is teaching you is also passionate about what they are doing. That enthusiasm just overflows to the students! Add a gorgeous location with tons of atmosphere, and overall it was a pretty good day. Later that night we relaxed around the fire pit at my place with friends and family. Everyone surprised me this year with artsy presents - brushes, markers, stamps, a mosaic stepping stone kit, a heron sculpture.....I was totally spoiled. High School Boy, home for the weekend, made the birthday cake which was yummy! And there was plenty of sunshine, something so desperately needed around here.

(photos - Quebec Lodge where the workshop was held, the awesome view from the lodge, Lynn and me) * o

I spent my birthday....

The Last Day of June

It's 9:30 in the morning and I am sitting out on the deck, eating my breakfast, still in my jammies, enjoying the cool morning air, the sunshine, the birds singing - totally awesome after all the rain. I love that I have until Wednesday off from work. I love that I have been sleeping in, being creative, and following the rhythms of my own time.

It's mid-morning and I'm making another cup of tea. I am content, and lazy, and still not dressed for the day and I don't care. It's the end of June and it has taken me long enough to get here.

photo - blue sky and my beloved oak tree doing it's own form of sun salutation * o

The Last Day of June

Life in a Northern Town

One of the things I enjoy about living in a Very Small Town, is we can do things you can't in a big city. Like last night, which just happened to be one of the nicest evenings we've had yet this spring (finally!). We lit our first fire of the season in our outdoor pit, and sat around with CollegeBoy who is home for the summer, and just generally enjoyed the warm sunshine, the evening birds singing and the conversation. High School Boy even graced us with his presence for a little bit. Then, as the evening light turned dusky and the coals were just right, we roasted wienies for a late snack and went inside to enjoy a movie. Life doesn't get much better than that. * o

Life in a Northern Town