Animals All Around Me

Does this same thing happen to you?

Do you ask your little one to use the mezzaluna

to finely chop some fresh herbs for the salad...

and a wolf shows up to finish the job?

Happens all the time around here.

Wolves do wonderful jobs chopping herbs I must say.





And Guinea Pigs do wonderful jobs

at eating fresh mesclun too.

Rain

After a long stretch of too hot days,

nothing feels more welcome than the rain.

It quenches everything it falls on.

It gives life to all who drink it in.

It refreshes a tired spirit

and awakens the soul.

Rain.

Sweet rain.

Quiet Contemplation::10

Can you think of a nicer place to take swim lessons?

This is Pike Lake Provincial Park.

A 15 minute drive from our town.

She swims at 9am every day this week.

On Monday we saw a doe with two fawns.

Today we had to stop to let

a mama duck and her 7 ducklings

waddle to the other side of the road.

And when she is finished her lesson

we walk over to the beach area.

She almost has the entire place to herself.

Me, I sit on a blanket in the shade and watch.

Here she is entering the water as a penguin, of course.



And after about an hour I tell her it is time to go.

This mama can't take the heat anymore.

And just as I say it,

another mama with another daughter

sit down on a blanket a little way from us.

She sees Athena, runs toward the water shouting

at the top of her lungs,

"Do you know that dinosaurs are reptiles

and that they lay eggs? My name is Tyrannosaurus!

Roar!!"



So I sat back on my blanket,

picked up my book,

 (Anne of Green Gables if you must know)

and settled back in.

I knew I would be staying for just a while longer.

Quiet Contemplation::9

I am a bird watcher.

I have been for some time.

I try to be a bird photographer.

I have tried for some time.

I am most definitely not.

What I have learned over the years,

especially when a rare species visits the yard,

is to just look at it.

Watch it carefully.

You never know when and if you will see it again.

Most importantly do not run to get

your camera because if you do,

the bird will most surely be gone

by the time you get back.

(this Rose-breasted Grosbeak stayed around long

enough for me to snap a picture through the front window pane,

which is another thing that doesn't work too well.)

Quiet Contemplation::8



Today I am 47 years old.

I am a woman

wife

mother.

I am a daughter

sister

auntie

friend.

I love the outdoors

nature

the moon
and yoga
and my canoe.

I like the smell of

evening scented stock

old fashioned roses

and onions frying in butter.

I listen to classical music,

Josh Groban

Randy Travis

Fleetwood Mac

Simon and Garfunkel.

I read mostly

non-fiction

home school books

and nature stories

(like Thoreau)

I love to eat

SOUP!

and to drink

red wine.

I adore my family.

I have 1 husband

4 daughters

3 sons-in-law

3 (soon to be 4!) granddaughters.

I love my life.

Quiet Contemplation::7



It is wicked hot outside.

Supposed to be this hot for at least another week.

Too hot for weeding the garden even.

Nothing to do but play chess on the deck.

She is quick to learn.

Knows a Rook can only move rank and file.

Can anticipate the L shaped moves of a Knight.

Loves sliding her Bishop on the diagonal.

It was a nice afternoon.

Quiet Contemplation::6

Winter.

Lots of sunshine.

No need to slather chemicals all over your child

so she won't get eaten by bugs and burned

by the sun.

No spiders and flies in the house.

No sand on the kitchen floor.

Just pure loveliness.

Winter.

(I'll bet some of you living in the US during this heatwave would agree.)

Quiet Contemplation::5

I have been thinking that I should slow down.

Stop working so much around the house.

Stop filling each day with a to-do list that leaves me exhausted.

But then I just do the same old same old day after day.

Today I awoke with an achy back.

That didn't stop me.

I was out weeding the garden.

I just had to. It was super windy and I

knew there wouldn't be any mosquitoes.

An hour later my hips, knees and elbows hurt.

I could do no more.

I had an Epsom salts bath.

I did an hour of gentle yoga.

I had lunch and then read my

Taproot magazine.

I took a leisurely walk with Athena.

I sat on the hammock swing.

I guess if I won't do what I know to do

my body will make me.

Some lessons are harder to learn.



Quiet Contemplation::4

We are back from a busy long weekend.

It started with a birthday party in the city.

Time to put on a pretty dress and gloss up her lips.

Later we headed back to our home town for a reunion of sorts.

We don't all get together very often.

Lately it has been once a summer.

It is so nice to catch up.

The neices and nephews are growing so fast.

It is more noticeable when you don't see them often.

Good kids.

My sisters.

My mother.

I like them.

Each is unique.

My brother.

Quite the character.

Red glow in the dark pants.

Really!!

My girls were there too.

Of course, they are the best.

My son,

 ( I like to call him that although he is my

son-in-law)

Great guy.

It is so nice to be back home.

Even Paul agrees.

We love seeing the people

but we hate the travel/hotel bit.

Although she did love the jet tub in the room.