TIME FLIES WHEN YOU KEEP BUSY!

I guess it's been awhile since I was here!

I honestly can't believe how busy I have been this month.  I was really dreading fall and winter - you know ... being finished with gardening season, stuck in the house and all that.

But that has not happened.  I certainly have not been stuck in the house - I am out every day to work at the Post Office and if not that, for my morning walks.

It's the "stuck" in the house time, that is the busiest for me.  I am making gifts to put in my Christmas Cards, I am knitting mittens for a whole bunch of children in my life, I am still harvesting, packaging and labelling seeds from flowers I dried from the garden.  And then if I have been just a wee bit bored, I decided to seriously de-clutter my house including my studio.

The studio has seen a massive purge of craft patterns.  Those that were copied from sites on the Internet over many years, have been either sent to the blue box for recycle, or passed on to others.  I also have a pile of vintage and purchased patterns that I am going to sell once I get my Etsy shop back up and running after Christmas.

Then there is time spent teaching piano students, and now I have also committed to play the organ once a month when Gary leads the service in the beautiful little country church in Waldersee Manitoba - which just happens to be the church my Mother attended as a child and until she married my Dad and moved away.  It is also where many of my family on Mom's side are buried, including my grandparents.

And as always - the camera is always the busiest!

Whatever would I do without my sidekick!



                                                           Morning (this morning)

Evening (last week)

Crab apple tree ( taken from my kitchen window)

Beautiful little Waldersee Church

(Christ Lutheran)

THE 300 BLOCK OF BRODERICK!

On Tuesday I learned that one of my favourite residents in the Personal Care Home here is town had passed away the day before.  She was 90 years old, and had Alzheimer's -  very advance stage, Alzheimer's, and yet she was so precious to me.

She loved to hear the piano being played.  She would be slumped over deep in sleep, but when I started to play the piano her head would come up, she would smile the most gorgeous beautiful smile, she would start "conducting" with her arms, and she would sing.    It was like watching a beautiful rare blooming flower coming to life and opening right before your eyes.

She sang beautifully, and over the years that I have known her, I got to know the songs she knew and loved best.  When she sang, there was no trace of Alzheimer's disease, no trace of the woman some thought she had become - there was just her and the music.

She wasn't from this town, in fact she was born in Winnipeg, just as I was.  During the past few days I have been thinking about that so much for some reason.  You know -  the how, and the why we live where we do, especially when it's not where we started.  The where will we end up at the end of our lives?

So this morning, once again I had a really great long walk.  This time I headed west along the highway where I could see the mountains.  Again, I thought of her... and along came this poem.

So here's my walk - in picture, and in my mind's thoughts...

Wishing you all a beautiful, thoughtful day!

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ON THE 300 BLOCK OF BRODERICK

On the 300 block of Broderick

One cold October morn;

I walked alone towards the west,

I was completely torn.

The day was new, the air so fresh,

Much beauty did I see;

But as I walked quite brisk, I’d say –

My heart held little glee.

A bunch of things ran through my mind,

As the sun began to rise;

Thoughts of people, place and things,

And thoughts of my demise.

Demise, you say – it isn’t so;

And very right you’d be.

At least I hope that is the truth,

It’s not for us to see.

I thought of growing old one day,

And where that would occur.

Would I still live in this sweet place?

Oh – That I would prefer.

This place somehow  - it gets to me,

It soothes my troubles so;

There’s not another place around,

Where I would want to go.

How come these thoughts, this chilly day?

They really aren’t the trend;

Maybe because a recent death,

Has fallen on a friend.

So on that block on Broderick,

My step turns now, quite light;

Resolve to think no more on this,

And hope it turns out right.

2018

Dale Graumann

"THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS!"

The new photo on my header was taken very early this morning on my morning walk.  I was able to get a long walk in this morning, the walk that takes me along the east side outskirts of town.  Part of my walk is in town, and the other part where the picture above was taken is right along the CN rail line on the road coming into town.

As you can see it was early, the street lights were still on.  I think it was about 7:45, it was also quite cool, and there was the odd ice pellet being driven by a very gusty North wind.  Lucky for me I was walking South, so the wind was at my back.

The school buses were out, but not much else moved.  I could hear the geese.  They are deafening over in this part of town, because they overnight at the town retention pond which is just on the outskirts of town.  They were making noise, but they hadn't started to take to the air yet.

All in all it was a great morning to walk, if I had thought to take my big camera I would have walked all the way to the highway and around to the west side of town, but I was returning from work, so I only had my cell.

I took this picture as well...

Okay, so I decided to have a little fun with this one!  Maybe tomorrow I will continue walking further down this road until I come to the highway.

It might seem desolate to some of you, but truthfully there is nothing as restful as walking down a country road.  You can just let your mind go wherever it wants.  Nothing is claiming your attention but the placement of your feet one foot at a time.  There are no horns, no sirens, no people, no exhaust fog, only the occasional friendly wave from someone you might not even know as they pass you by.

That twenty minute walk was the best thing I could have done for myself today.  Hopefully tomorrow I can make it longer.

I leave you with these most appropriate words - for a day like today - for a walk like this morning's...

A SLUMP AND A GIFT!

I must admit that I have been in somewhat of a slump for awhile now.  I can't seem to focus on anything! 

I know we all have days where we feel this way - sort of useless and down, but my useless has lingered far too long.

It started when the weather turned rainy and cool in September.  I guess after four months of almost solid sunshine, the dark, damp, cloudy weather would affect one's psyche... but it's more than that.  Since the rain and cloudy weather, and sometimes snow has been lingering now for almost five weeks, I haven't been able to be outside to do any of my "normal" fall activities.

I miss the outdoors, the garden, the birds, even the work of keeping up our property.  I really miss the activity.  I especially love fall clean-up... Days where I would have spent my whole day outside, cleaning up the flower beds, planting spring bulbs, putting away my yard lights and ornaments, sorting out the garage and shed... that kind of thing.  I miss working outside with a hoodie on, having fresh air blowing on my skin...

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I have done none of that.

What I have done is start projects that I don't really want to be working on - knit slippers, blankets, socks...

I have started recording movies - lots of movies... and I have watched far too many of them as well.

I've been cooking, baking - and eating...  With no way of working off the calories.  Not Good!

I have been doing a short morning walk to and from work,  but long walks with or without my camera have been few.

Today I made some lists...

A Christmas Card list, and a gift list... and...  A Christmas Card gift list!

Do you want to be on the last one?

Here's how:

If you want to receive a card, with a handmade by me gift inside, all you have to do is this:

1. Be a registered follower of this site... you will see the button on my front page to the right... click follow.

2.  Leave me an email or a message with your name and address  at:

erndalesnmore1@gmail.com

Or if you read my blog from my Facebook Page, send me a message on Facebook.

It's that simple...

Don'y forget to FOLLOW...

And Thank You for helping me get through this rather frustrating slump that I am in... I do appreciate it!

A PERFECT CAMERA DAY!

The progression towards winter couldn't be more beautiful than it is this year... at least for us here in the Riding Mountains.  We continue to have rain, but last night there was a little bit of snow mixed with it, so this morning everything looks like it has been dusted with powdered sugar.

I used both cameras this morning, just because I could.  Both cameras being my iPhone and my SLR. 

Alberta residents have been hammered with heavy snow, and lots of it.   It's a mess out there, and while I do like snow, even I would agree that it is much too early for the white stuff.  However without a bit of it, I wouldn't have been able to snap these awesome pictures early this morning.

I have begun to drag out all my unfinished knitting projects of last winter, and I have even finished a few of them already.  I am getting a nice silk/wool blend of yarn from my friend Diana, to make some beautiful soft socks for a gift.  I am not a fan of knitting socks.  I find knitting with 4 needles a bother, but for a special person I will endure.

So those of you getting the big snow storms, hunker down, make some chili or soup, put the tea on, get out your favourite movie, or your knitting needles, and just cozy in and enjoy your snow day.

We have no control of the weather, but we do have control over how we deal with it.  I choose to embrace it, grab my camera and just let Mother Nature do her thing.

So here are today's images, taken about an hour ago.

Keep warm and safe everyone.

 

KISSED BY JACK!

Isn't this beautiful?  To me the flowers look like antique paper flowers, or something artificially made to look like they have been around forever, sitting in a vase in some Grand Old Lady's Boudoir.

How fanciful of me - they are of course, my very own summer Zinnias, beautiful as they were all summer, equally beautiful now after they have been kissed by Jack (Frost).

Jack has been busy in my gardens.   

He has planted his lips on all of my annuals,

And even some of my perennials. 

It is a bit early, even for here... but in a crazy sort of way, I am sort of happy.  

It was my intention to pull all these Zinnias's out as I did most of the other annuals, but I don't think I am going to.  I might be making more spring work for myself, but I think I am going to leave them right where they are, just as they are.  

My hopes are they will stay upright, and contrast with the white snow all around them this winter.  They will be a remembrance of summer when summer is far from our memory.   Come spring, hopefully they will shed their lovely seeds upon the ground below and seed themselves into a brand new season.

That is my wish on this first day of October.

A promise for another season of beauty  - be it winter, spring summer or fall.

It's all beautiful!