Gifts of Nature From Today

I went and had a quick lunch with a friend outside at the park and spotted this huge hornet's nest on the ground.

Then after Andree and I brought supper to the four guys out in the field, we had to stop on the highway to admire the beautiful sunset. Pictures can never quiet do it justice though.

It was a great big huge ball of fire. Once it starts going down it goes super fast. Getting dark earlier and earlier now. Can you see my sad face?

To bed I go. I start at 9 am. and go till 9 pm. tomorrow. Better grab some zzz's.

This Morning's Blessings

The breathings of my heart, as William Wordsworth would say, is full of quiet contemplation and warmth from my day spend in good company yesterday. The joy of letting go of everything, a good time in the pool, the colors and smells of nature, and the text messages from Marcel this morning sharing the beauty of his early stroll in the outdoors.

I am appreciative of the work I have, but on mornings like this where I don't have to rush off early, I really enjoy being able to sit and relax by my happy lamp with my cup of Alpine Berry tea, while I munch on some granola and let my thoughts wander on the page.

I really don't think I'd have any problem with retirement.

Not that I can afford to do that - but just saying.

One of my daughters, after I texted her to wish her a good day and tell her I loved her, responded with, "Whoa, that's a surprise. Never hear from you lately." Followed by, "Shouldn't you be slowing down in your old age and not getting busier?"

Old Age! I mean really! Lol! But she's right of course. The white thinning hair, wrinkles, onion skin hands with veins popping out everywhere, are a witness to that fact.

If I go by what some people say, retirement doesn't necessarily equate slowing down, but then again, it all comes back to choices doesn't it.

Incorporating more "want to's" and less "should's" is high on my agenda.

Sunrise photos courtesy of Marcel

Sunday Meanderings

Like I said a couple of blog posts back - when I get into my paper journal I don't seem to come here and vise versa. Like I've said many time before, the days are never long enough it seems.

Speaking of days. Are they ever getting shorter in terms of daylight hours.

Fall is slowly wrapping it's arms of many colors around us. There's a very distinct earthen smell of fallen leaves, of dew filled undergrowth in bushes, and the occasional wood burning fireplace that greets us. Throughout the day flocks of geese are honking as they pass overhead in search of the next farmer's field to stop and feed in before they begin their migration South. Pick any road to go for a Sunday drive and you will see farmers scurrying around like squirrels and leaving a cloud of dust behind them as they race against time to bring in the crops.  

Shorter daylight hours is a little difficult for me. I get cabin fever and feel my battery draining much quicker than in summer. In Winter, when the sun is out and about, I'm usually inside working so miss out on it. But, this year I've got a back up system so I'm anxious to see if it will make a difference.

I got myself a Happy Light, better known as a natural spectrum energy lamp - a Costco special. I've already started to use it. Even if I still get sun on my back deck in the morning, it's usually too chilly to sit outside to do my journaling so I sit at my desk in front of my lamp instead. It's like sitting in the sunshine on my back deck, (well almost anyway). I'll see if it helps keep my mood to a summer level.

I was out on an early morning walk and it was fun to watch the sun struggle to peek out of the clouds.

This afternoon we enjoyed an outing to the High Prairie swimming pool with our friend Marcel. It was just what I needed for my stiff neck which was causing me pain down across my back and shoulders yesterday and this morning. A good soak from hot to cool water and back to hot again can fix a lot of aches and pains I tell you.

On the way to HP I had to stop and take another picture of these landmark buildings at the corner. You've likely seen me post similar pictures before.

 Every time I take a photo the shape of the barn has changed.

Sunshine Harvest & Mystery Person

Lots of gratitude around this farming community today. Sunshine with a warm wind equals a great big smile on people's faces, most especially farmers. Let's hope there's a lot more of that on the way so everyone can bring the harvest in.

I had a few hours in the latter part of the afternoon to do a little harvesting myself. Plus I even managed to finish cutting my grass. All of this in between seeing five clients. I'm a little pooped as a result but it's a good tired. I got to be outside in the sun for part of the day, sessions with clients went well, got all my paperwork done, plus I have a good book to lose myself in when I finish this post and crawl into bed.  

Hey, does anyone know this guy? He seems to think he owns my head space or something. The bugger is constantly popping into my dreams and interrupting my sleep then I end up fidgeting all night long.

Ready To Go

I feel as if I'm parting with a big part of who I have been, am now, and will in some ways, continue to be.

But I either have to stop writing or build an extension to house these 143 journals which  have occupied this chest and another huge trunk in another room.

I can't afford to build an extension and I'm not ready to stop writing, so off these go to their new home, The Donnelly Historical Society , bless their heart, have agreed to store these for me in their fireproof, humidity proof vault.

So here they are all boxed up and ready to go to their new home in the morning.

I can access them or decide to remove them anytime I like. If anything should happen to me, my partner and my daughters can access them. If they don't claim them, then they are to remain untouched for the next 50 years. After that they can become public knowledge or I can have them destroyed.

I was surprised to learn the Historical Society would accept to store my journals since it's certainly not history stories I've penned within the pages of those journals. But, it is my story and I suppose serves as a history of what I've lived. A window into an ordinary life with all it's ups and downs and highs and lows. Would interest some and bore others.

Dinning Out

There's nothing like a good old wiener roast with friends. 

Add roasted marshmallows, a walk to the lake, a game of cards, and lots of good laughs, and what more could a person ask for?

 Wieners on the grill, beans warmed up in the can, raw veggies, plus...

 some sweet treats!

Two at a time mind you and just the right amount of hot coals,

Here we go...one for you and one for me.

 It's not a clean lake but it still looks beautiful.

 Now back to the house for a game of cards. 

A fun evening, but all good things must come to an end.

Between Clients

Sometimes it sucks to run your own business but sometimes I count my blessings that I don't have to answer to anybody but myself and I can set my own hours, (more or less).

Plus, I can decide how much of a break I will take in between clients and what I do with my break.

Sometimes I just take a few minutes to get some fresh air and soak in the sun. Other days I go for a walk. Today, it was a walk. Of course, it helps that the river walk is right smack behind my office.

It's gorgeous in those hills right now with all the fall colors. Wish it would last for a few months but knowing it won't I am taking advantage of every moment I can to get out there.

A snapshot can't capture it all and is never the same as the real thing ....but still.....

Come Walk With Me

10 am. Journal Entry

I just came back from a walk with Pumpkin. Poor old girl. She's getting on with age. Just like her 2 owners no doubt. I will write for a bit then I will head out for a walk of my own. A little different than walking at a cat's slow pace.

I started boxing my journals this morning to get them ready to store in the fire proof vault at the Historical Society building here in town. I had a very unexpected emotional reaction to boxing up the first 50. All kinds of feelings came rushing at me. It was like a tidal wave knocked me off my feet.

In my mind I was setting out to accomplish a task and that was it, but it quickly turned into a surge of - longing for more time to write, a realization that years are going by faster than I'd like them to, and recognizing that there are writing projects that I started and abandoned and some I never started on because life got too busy and that made me sad.

There's a question that keeps popping into my mind from time to time and that question is, what if I knew I only had a short time left to live? What is it I would wish I had done more of? What would be my biggest regret? It certainly wouldn't be to have worked more. It would be to have spent more time writing, walking, exploring, quality time with people I love. Those are the things that have always mattered to me and that matter to me even more now.

The other realization - only I can make those choices.

Time to go for my walk before my day with clients begins.

 Yup, I like my pace better than walking with Pumpkin. I should try putting her on a skate board and pulling her along when I go for my walks.

   Mr. Grasshopper sat there and posed for me. I think he was trying to show me his good side.

Lots of mushrooms out there with all the rain we've had lately. Cute little family in this patch.

And on tonight's walk......

What a beauty that moon is in all her splendor. I could have walked with her all night.

Not A Pretty Picture

Here's my beef for the day!

The estimated total cost of alcohol related harm to Canadians is 14.6 billion per year.

And the average age at which people start drinking is - 15 years old.

And what do we have on every street corner?

HELLO WORLD?

Does this make any sense to you?

Enjoyable No Drama Kind of Day

Pumpkin and I got to spend a bit of time outside on the back deck today. Her in her chair and me in mine. I actually took time to rest, read, write and walk. The makings of a perfect day.

I got a lot of nitty-gritty stuff done too. An on-line training session, washed clothes, changed the company bed, did dishes, made supper, drained and cleaned my water barrel, opened up the trap doors under the house so things would dry up under there. Went for a long walk. Booked a hotel room for an end of October getaway. Took care of some emails. Did a bunch of journal writing which led to my brown Egyptian style journal biting the dust. One more to stack and store in the cedar chest.

I'm good though. I have a back up supply waiting for me. I chose the Inukshuk journal to use next. A handcrafted one made by a local crafter that I got as a gift last Christmas. Looking forward to seeing what kind of  thoughts fill those pages.

I realized something while I was out walking this afternoon. Canada geese can fly a hell of a lot faster than I can walk. Big flocks of them were heading West. Maybe they were on their way to an important convention somewhere.

Never Doubt

I'm wondering - what most people do when they write blog posts, stories, novels or memoirs. Do they write the title first, like I just did here, or do they write what they have to say, and from that figure out what the title should be? Let me know what  you do. I'd be interested to hear.

~~~

We had a lazy Sunday morning here. Mother and daughter sat on the couch and Andree, (mother), showed, Nicole, (daughter), how to crochet while Pumpkin glanced their way and proceeded to go right to sleep. Nicole wanted to learn to crochet so she would have something to do to relieve stress. Personally I can't think of a more anxiety creating, stress related activity, but each to their own I guess. Give me a pen or a keyboard any day, but don't put a needle and thread, knitting needles or a crochet hook in my hands or, believe me, both you and I will be highly stressed.

~~~

I went for two walks today and both times I had to wear gloves. The cloud cover combined with a NW wind made it pretty nippy out there. In fact on my 2nd time out and about, I had to pull up my hoody as I was walking straight into the wind plus it started raining. I grumbled and swore at how we can't seem to get through one day without some kind of rain shower or wicked downpour.

Then, just as I decided I was wet enough and it was time to turn around and start making my way back home, the sun descended below the cloud cover and poked it's nose out as if to say goodnight before going to bed, Cold and wet and doubting my sanity for being out there, I decided to turn around anyway.

And the minute I turned around, boom.....there it was! A great big huge rainbow visible from one end to the other.

So that's why I was out there walking in the rain. I was meant to witness this beauty. that's why. I should have never doubted.

The only way to capture the whole rainbow was to take 3 different shots.

~~~

Doris Grumbach said, "Without silence words lose their meaning." 

I totally agree. Silence honors words and honors the speaker of those words. 

At least that's the way I see and live it. A silent pause allows, acknowledges, and invites more. 

If I keep interrupting you when you're speaking, how can I hear you, and how will you feel heard? 

There's no doubt about it in my mind. Without silence words lose their meaning, both for you and for me. 

Dying Beauty

"It's so strange that autumn is so beautiful yet everything is dying."

A quote I posted on my Inner Pathways Facebook page that grabbed my attention and held it captive while I chewed on the deeper meaning of these words. This morning, when I stepped outside and a whiff of fall came up to greet me, I was once again reminded of this quote and how relevant it is to what is already beginning to happen.  

The air is much colder, the sun less intense, and a thick blanket of morning dew covers everything in sight. Already a few leaves have turned yellow and orange and tumbled to the green carpet below. With each passing day now there will be more and more until the green becomes a sea of gold.

This afternoon I attended a memorial service, or more accurately a gathering of friends and family for a very informal celebration of life, for a long time resident of McLennan, Fligh Lt. Don Fish.

Informal as it was, I was touched by words spoken, stories shared, greetings and hugs exchanged, and how even in death, there is beauty and something of that person that lives on in those who remain.

9 Days Worth

Okay, well I won't bore you with every detail of the past 9 days but I'll give you a few highlights.

Reason for not being here - many and varied. You're probably thinking I'm going to say I've been too darn busy. True. But also true, is that I miss my paper journal and that's where I've been hanging out every day/night lately

Wish I could swing both my paper journal and the on-line blog, but I can't seem to manage both. The clock ticks it's way into the wee hours of the morning and by then my ever-ready battery runs out. I can no longer keep my eyes open or think straight so something falls to the wayside and it's either the blog or my journal.

No matter how many things you have on your "to-do" list," my honey says, "there are still only 24 hours in a day and some of those you have to spend sleeping." She's right of course and choices have to be made.

......
Look what I caught sight of on my way to Peace River yesterday. I turned North on Highway 49 from Donnelly Corner, and there he was, sitting as proud as could be on top of a power pole. The eagle is my totem animal - my spirit guide. I even have a pendant of an eagle on my gold chain that I always wear.

I had, the night before, asked for a sign to come to me to let me know if I was on the right path with a business decision that's been churning around in my head. I choose to believe that this majestic bird, who is rather rare around these parts, came to give me my answer.

....

I brought a few of my sunflowers inside today. In between the nippy frost bites, the heavy rains, occasional hail, and blasted winds we've been getting around here, I figured I'd better bring some of those smiley faces inside since I don't get to be outside to enjoy them half as much as I'd like lately.

......

It's been a busy enough week with work and stuff. Life is always interesting with my kind of job. I wrote in my journal the other day that what I enjoy most about counselling is that I get to experience an accelerated intimacy and bonding that most people take a long time to get to. In my interactions with clients, I am allowed to cut to the chase and dive into the core of things, which, of course, is what I enjoy and find meaningful. I've never been much for small talk.

A few days ago we got the opportunity to take a drive to Jasper with a couple of friends. It was a fast, unexpected, overnight trip but a wonderful one even if it was brief. It made me realize just how much I've missed the mountain air, the forests, clean water, and the snuggling, nurturing feeling I get from travelling in the Rockies.  

And, of course, a ride through the mountains is never complete without seeing some animals along the way. So beautiful. They make nature come alive.

This is how nature speaks to me. The mountains say, be still. The sun says, fear nothing. The animals say, pay attention. The flowers and trees say, notice everything and breathe. The moon and stars say, you never die.