Random Thoughts!

back yard trees

My favorite time of the year is autumn.  When I see the bright red colors on the maple trees, I SIGH.  I think it is because seeing its warm colors tickles me to the core, inviting a feeling of cheerfulness so deep it touches my soul.  It's like mother nature in giving them one last big hug before the deep sleep makes it blush excitedly. And late at night, in the warm autumn breeze, while walking Bodhi, I just want to laugh out loud thinking about how nature laughs silently.  What's that all about? 

Speaking of LOL, I catch myself when texting lol to someone and think, I didn’t just laugh out loud.  Why text that if it didn’t happened?  On the other hand, the  acronym for 'big smile' does not seem appropriate.  Furthermore, is anyone also sick of all these texting acronyms? I like old fashion communication, with all letters strung together producing a clear message.  Having to decode text messages is like talking on a cell phone with a intermitted signal.  It could result in dire miscommunication. Fortunately, my son is not into texting, yet.  Otherwise our communication would be too brief, and if you have teenagers you know communication with them is like pulling teeth. 

And maybe because he is still writing long hand, Andrew got 100% on his first English high school poetry test of this year.  He was beaming!   You know, as adults we need something like that to measure how well we are doing.   When was the last time someone gave you a 100%? 

zucchini pasta!

Earlier in the week I made a fabulous lunch, if I do say so myself.  I am trying to introduce more raw food into my diet!  I think this lunch entitles me to a good mark of some kind, huh.  People ask me why raw?  I say because all the raw foodies I know look fabulous!  Read this if you need convincing! I want some of that!  To date, I am about 75% raw.  But now that winter is coming, I’m feeling like I want “hot” cooked food.  Why are we so consumed with what we eat or don’t eat?

Our dog, Bodhi, a standard poodle, loves to go for walks, and really loves his treats.  Occasionally we run out of treats, because someone is giving him more than they should.  I won’t name names, but Andrew comes to mind.  When we are out of treats, Bodhi appears to looks forlorn as he sits by the treat cupboard waiting.  If there is anything in a package that makes a noise he thinks it’s treats.  So, I shake a little bag of chlorella, he sits nicely, and I give it to him, and he LOVES it!  

 

When I took this, I didn't notice the berry!

My final thought for now, before the snowfalls get out into the country and go for a walk.    

My Truth

Fearless Andrew when he was about 5 years old

Although today began with rain and it was quite muddy at the farmers’ market it was a beautiful fall morning.  I was happy to have Andrew accompany me and carry the heavy bag!

On our drive home I was thinking about something I read on TED, you can read it here.  A question, “What ten things you know to be true?” 

Here is my list

1.    Facing your fears will enhance your life

2.    True love is unconditional

3.    Gossip hurts people

4.    learning keeps your mind flexible 

5.    The sound of children’s laughter is sweet music

6.    To be a person of integrity, you must have it in all aspects of your life

7.    Chocolate is the elixir of life

8.    Friends and Family are important in all phases of life

9.    A smile is powerful

10. Reading transcends time and space 

Time Thief

Tick tock tick no time to ponder
texting and blogging

look at the clock can’t squander

Fb twitter google+ somethin

 emails to check perchance

damn social media dance! 

This Sunday 160 is inspired by SuzeMuse 
Started by Monkeyman 

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Saturday evening on a Walk About!

As summer morphs into autumn, which is the most beautiful of seasons, my son and I decided to go on an evening walk around the property.  The leaves on the trees are just turning color, and gracefully falling to the ground.  Not much yet, but enough to let you know that summer is on its way out.
(click on any of the photos to enlarge!)

We spied...

The generator. Which reminded me that I have to call to have it serviced before winter.  In my part of the world, when the power goes out in the winter, as it tends to do in the most inconvenient and coldest day possible, it is always good to be prepared.  This generator has saved us many cold nights!

Then we spied...

The wood pile.  Andrew said, I piled all that wood in Spring.  I think we have enough for a nice fire in the fireplace.  There is nothing sweeter than having our cup of hot chocolate on those cold winter evenings all cosy in front of the fireplace.

Then we spied...

The wheelbarrow and shovel.  Reminders that we still have more cleaning around the property before winter!  Like, putting the garden to bed.  Still have some wonderful chard for juicing, yummy!

And I spied... Andrew

hiding here...

and there!

Then we sat by the pond and enjoyed the sound of the running water...

But the birds on the river were making so much noise....

I really wanted to take a picture of this beautiful great-blue-heron, who has been so brave as to sit in the pond durning the week watching the koi and perhaps feasting on the frogs.  (this photo take by hubby on Friday!)

The pond is beautiful any time of the day...

You can barely see the great-blue heron next to the rock on the river.

In the evenings the pond is especially charming!  This time of the year is perfect, no bugs.

It was also a perfect evening for  sailing...

 we spied our neighbor sailing the calm water with barely no wind.

I really enjoyed my walk-about with Andrew. Who incidentally takes great pictures!  As well, as being pretty photogenic himself!

Easy, Fun, and Uncomplicated!

I love summer. I especially love summer weddings.  There were two weddings in my family this summer.  Two very different couples. One, a young couple embarking on their first wedding and the other, an older more mature couple, going down the aisle for the third time each. These weddings were as different as night and day from each other.  One was at a high-end resort hotel and the other in a community hall.  One wedding was very formal and the other more casual.  But something they both shared was stress, one more than the other, but stress none-the-less.  And both wedding parties had their share of drama. 

The anticipation leading up to the big day is so palpable you can slice it with a wedding cake knife.  The optimism, excitement, anticipation, and some old fashion anxiety tied together with a pure happiness bow that sums up weddings in a nutshell.  A mammoth ball of emotions!

Are any of these emotions minimized if the couple is older and have taken the leap of faith before? I would say absolutely not.  Young or older, a wedding makes the world seem like all things great are possible.  A young couple and an older more experience couple both see the world through rose colored glasses and their emotions are reflected in that hue. A bride is never more beautiful as on the day of her wedding, don’t you agree? Her eyes hold the promise of a forever magical love.  

However, the stress of a wedding can result in the worst day ever for some couples.  It is my observation that the amount of angst associated with weddings can be correlated with the amount time to plan and the size of the wedding.  The longer the planning and higher number of guests, the greater the emotional ups and downs.  And more importantly, the more likely the couple is to continue with the wedding even if they have some reservations. There comes a point where there is no turning back.  However, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, the people who really count are the bride and groom.  Really, what is the point, do they really need to start off their marriage under such stressful circumstances? Even the weddings that unfold without a hitch are stressful until the I dos.  There is always a possibility that something can go awry.  


Still, committed couple should get married, and maybe the tasks associated with getting married will serve them well as they begin their journey together as man and wife.   

My advice is to keep it small and intimate. 

I remember my wedding day like it was yesterday.  I wasn’t nervous as I sat in my fiancé’s kitchen sipping tea, the sun beaming through the skylight.  We had plenty of time as we sat reading the paper.   The phone rang, his mother called to tell us she had our flowers and we realized we better get ready. 

We decided to elope and only a small group of friends were going to be in attendance.  I didn’t even tell anyone in my family until the night before, leaving them no time to fly in to attend if they wanted to.  Of course, I got the “speech” but really I knew it was because they had my best interest in their hearts.  The only people who knew about our plan were our cohort, out respective assistents who coordinated the event between our two cities.  They had the utmost discretion and no one was the wiser at either of our work places. Real loyalty. 

Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. We had a beautiful low keyed wedding.  I loved that we did it for us, (even if not a bit selfish), it was romantic and naughty sneaking around as we planned.  Although I admit, on the flip side, we robbed some family of celebrating this special day with us.  Still, we managed to eliminated all the pressures associated with having to please everyone, coordinating peoples' schedule, and not to mention the expense of a big wedding. 

And, we had money not spent on a big wedding to enjoy several exotic honeymoons in Paris, Hawaii, Australia, South America and Fiji over several years before Andrew was born.  So, I opted to forgo a big swanky wedding, and enjoyed instead a fansy assed eight course dinner at the Le Jules Vernes in the Eiffel Tower, Paris.  Dinner was spectacular! 

Our motto durning our short courtship was make it -  Easy, Fun and Uncomplicated!   Eighteen years later that is still our motto.  Wishing the newly weds an easy, fun and uncomplicated marriage.  

Summer Fun

I can't believe that it is August 1st. Summer is going by so quickly,huh.  Well, as usual July has been very hot and humid in Ontario, but I'm not complaining.  As long as there is airconditioning, the heat is good.

This summer we decided to holiday in Montréal, Quebec, and rented a lovely apartment in Pointe Claire. Pointe Claire is an historic village located on the West Island of Montréal.

Sometimes, a city holiday is just the thing to do, others go to the cottage for their summer holidays, but I enjoy what the city has to offer.  This particular holiday was the best of both worlds spectacular, tranquil setting, away from the city, but only a short commute into downtown Montreal.

Normally I don't see anybody first thing in the morning at home save for my immediate family. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed being around people and seeing so many people out jogging in the morning. I saw people with dogs, on bikes and even rollerblades. I could see this type of lifestyle being quite conducive to a healthy lifestyle and just wanting to just get out doors and to get physical.

Not to mention, the scenery in Pointe Claire along the river is so beautiful. It really calls for people to come out and enjoy it. I don't know whether it is just because the weather was fantastic, scenery was perfection, or if it's just people were on holidays, but by and large everybody was quick with a smile.

This holiday unlike our previous holidays which are packed with sightseeing and activities from morning until night, this was really chilled. We spent a lot of time reading, dinning out, and basically chilling by the river. Sometimes it's great to just be able to slow down and enjoy being together as a family without the distraction of a hectic itinerary.

The highlight of the holiday was our last night. We went to Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the Park. The play was at the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montréal, what a wonderful place for a Shakespeare play. The cast was superb!

I brought the camera but unfortunately the battery was dead.  Thus, all memories are stored in our head and no app for downloading memories stored in our minds, yet.  I am certain that we will return to Pointe Claire and next time I will check that I bring a camera that I can actually use, ugh.

I'm Back!

I’ve been an absent blogger of late.

Although, I must say in my defense it has been for good reason. My elderly mother had an accident that resulted in her being in hospital recovering from broken bones. I, along with family members spent many days at the hospital late into the evenings. Mama, (everyone who knows her calls her Mama) recovered from hip surgery. She is a trooper no doubt about it. It was touch and go for awhile but somehow she found strength and continues to improve daily.

Andrew's grade 8 grad!

That being said, life goes on. Because I was away I missed Andrew's grade eight graduation, Father's day, and hubby's birthday. I said to my son, sorry I missed your grad.  He responded, it's only grade 8, you'll be there for my grade 12 and university grads, those are the really important ones. He is so sweet!  I'll have to find a way to make it up to the men in my life. On the positive side, they were able to have some serious father son bonding time.

Being away from home was not all bad, it allowed me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my brothers and sisters.  While in Alberta it occurred to me that life there actually involves a lot of  staying up past midnight because the sun does not set until really late. I was in Alberta on the longest day of summer, June 21st. I swear, I could have played outside all night if I was not so emotionally and physically spent.

Now that the family crisis has passed and I am back in Ontario, I’d love to spend more time outside enjoying the summer. But alas, in Ottawa the sun sets before nine o’clock. Leaving me in the dark being consumed by blood thirsty tiny vampires (Mosquitoes).