Only a post for myself.... thank you. No need to read. Scroll through.

 

Betty presented in grade 1.  All of her work was displayed with the other peers of her grade throughout the halls of Capitol Hill Elementary.  I was given a hand crafted invitation to the event.  Later on I was informed that both grandparents were also requested and would be attending.  Lastly I was informed that I should be there.

Her work was spectacular.  Her pride was infectious.  I took photos through the hallways and it was a joy to see her hard work. 

I didn't dwell on the crafted image of her as she grows old, but I was wondering if this photo seems a bit too familiar.  

When I am 100 years old...

I will be weak.  So I will ned a cane. and My hari is as White as a Snow gril.  My favaurrte things to do is drink hot Chocalate and orange gose and Lemondade.  I will be a movie Store.

I began this trail of thoughts this morning with a small video that I watched on tiktok.  It showed a huge mother elephant, spinning herself round, grabbing at the rear legs of a new born baby, and encouraging it to find those muscles so that the baby would learn to walk.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLEx9fEU/?k=1

It reminded me that I am working very hard to succeed in my career.  I am being fed respect and power and I enjoy the responsibility and the ownership over my work, but nothing in that building is more important than tugging at a little childs legs.  

I can't expect someone else to do it.  Whatever the act is, whether it is tugging on them, pulling on them, listening to them, or sitting still with them, I am the one that the first chance is given to.  It might happen somewhere, or by someone else, but it might never happen.  

I now in passing, think to myself that Michael might need more time.  I reflect and I see that with no complaints and no presentations, he might be hiding that he unknowingly needs more.

You had green glasses, your daughters wear them lovingly.  But did you have red glasses?  I love you so much.  Everyone else misses you.  But I miss you too.  Its been an hour of sobbing into my pillow and holding back the noises.  I thought that I was past it.

I passed through the photos of you, and in the long ago, you had red arms on your glasses.  I found a photo that reminds me that you were silently grabbing at my childrens legs, even 3 legs at a time...  I didn't always see it.  I see it.  I love you.

Lastly, while getting to the red glasses photo I passed through the photos of you at Seton.  I didn't know that those visits to Seton I was trying to capture photos of my children with their dying grandfather as a gift to me.  But looking back I see that you were there teaching me how to love those that are dying.  You held his hand, you read to him, you showed me how to be with you when you were dying.  You gave me so much that I didn't even know I was being given.  

I'm going to go swimming and wash some of this off.  I don't' yet know how to suck back a tear and think about something else....

Lessons my mother tried to teach me

Mother's Day is often complicated.  Trying to manage my first mother's day without a mother has reenforced this idea.  This day is complicated.

To scratch the surface of Mother's Day is to recognize that mothering is messy.   Just ask anyone who calls themself a mother.

Mothers are born because of relationship.  In fact, they only exist because of relationship.  Mothers exist because two people are connected or linked - be that through birth, adption, fostering or choice.  

We cannot really understand mothers without understanding relationship.  Relationships are complex, delicate, ever changing and shifting.  It is only in relationship that we feel all the normal emotions of living--joy, pain, friendship, sorrow, pain, hope, fear, anger, disappointment, pride and love. 

So as I feel all these feelings today, celebrating motherhood, I give a nod to the efforts of my mother to teach me what she thought was most valuable.  The value of relationship.  She lived a complex and full life in relationship with others.  Her relationships weren't always perfect, but they were real and meaningful.  She brought her authentic self and wasn't afraid of the work, challenge, and pain of relationship.  I think that is because she also knew that in relationship we would feel the most love, joy and connection.  

This Mother's Day, I give thanks for the things my mother taught me about relationship.

My mother was deeply moved by these teachings from the Anishinaabe.  "The Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers, also known simply as either the Seven Teachings or Seven Grandfathers, is a set of teachings that demonstrate what it means to live a 'Good Life.'"

You can learn more about it here

Below are images that represent the Teachings of the Seven Grandfathers and Grandmothers.  A gift to my mother.

TEACHINGS OF THE SEVEN GRANDFATHERS AND GRANDMOTHERS

SHARE LOVE

SEEK WISDOM

BE BRAVE

BE HUMBLE

SPEAK TRUTH

SHOW RESPECT

BE HONEST

I'll just try three more perfumes

 We went shopping for new PJs for micahel at the bay. Bay days, 30% 0ff!!!!

As I walked inside memories came flooding back of sitting at the perfume counter having to smell left wrist, then right wrist.  Which one is better?  

Almost as beautiful a smell, the fresh air while going back to the car. Funny the places that trigger memories and smiles. 

Yard Work

15 minutes in, and  needing a break?

It was another morning for yardwork.  It was not so tough raking up the leaves on the bottom deck, but the amount of willow and blackberry growing at the edge?   

Well, that was a bit tougher (trying to reach over to clip things without tumbling over the edge.

Yes, I will admit that Arta was a superior being.  I did find myself reflecting on her unstoppable energizer bunny approach to taking care of the land.

As I was taking the break, I noticed the smell of smoke.  Both Steve and I followed our noses to discover that Uncle Dave had started his own burn pile a few lots over!  Why not take advantage of it, we thought!   So Steve came to help me with gathering up leaves.  And he took a bit more agressive of an approach to the work.

loading up a tarp with leaves and sticks

We loaded up the tarp, and dragged the pile over to Dan's lot (where Dave had the burn pile going).  Dave had all sorts of tools there (including a leaf blower he would use to pump up the oxygen on the fire!).  Wonders indeed!  

Who doesn't love a little fire? 

Steve making sure the fire got air

Yes, there are lots of green twigs in there!

While this could never compare to the great burn pile of 2020 (can someone find the link to the photos?), it was fun watching the colours of the smoke and the flames.  

Three big loads later, and we called it quits.  Muscles had a good workout.   

The 'after' shot?

And if you want to see the video version?  Here it is!

April 20th at the lake (a photo essay)

clouds scattered across the hill tops

Yesterday gave us a whole swath of weather options, some sun, some rain, some hail, some clouds.  

In the evening (while Steve was watching soccer with Glen and Janet), there were many clouds laying on the tops of the hill.  I anticipated we could look forward to another of those beautiful silvery/grey days.   

And when I opened my eyes at 6am (Arta's bedroom walls surrounded as they are by windows), it seemed I was right: the hills across the lake had completely disappeared.  And yet, by midmorning, things had shifted, and the blue sky re-emerged. 

Here are some photos and videos taken on a stroll down to the lake.  First, a short video capture taken from the road just below Moiya's.

I had too difficult a time trying to cull the photos, so feel free to tell me which ones capture it best!  :-).   I am sure you can imagine yourself standing right where I took the pictures.  These three are the same shot, but I was just increasing the zoom (I was imagining watching the old sesame street, with grover running back and forth shouting "Near" and "Far")

I really love how that one line of cloud is stretched across the bottom of the mountain, and how amazingly reflective the water was at that moment.  I also feel like the reflection of the point on the right (Johnson's Point) looks almost like a fish head, mouth open).

Here is another video, to give you the horizon, from down on the beach.

I love the early morning sun casting shadows down the beach

don't you want to swim out to the dock?

We dragged some chairs down to the water's edge to sit there for a while, listening to the waves lap in (and the sounds of bird conversation).  Want to spend 30 seconds sitting there with us?  Then check out the video below.

Penny did get some time chasing the ball into the water.  She will go grab it, but with a bit less enthusiasm that was the case with Kiwi the wonderdog!

One of the unexpected things (a bit less pleasant) was seeing a number of clearcut sites on the other side of the lake.   Here are three shots, with a gradual zoom in on the clearcut itself.

At first I wondered if they were ski runs...

presumably the trees left behind help prevent erosion?

I don't love this view...maybe it is not so great to have a zoom on the camera?

Glen did talk us through all the things they look at in clear cuts, and the questions about how to do them in less 'icky' ways.  

OK.  One last shot.   Here is a fallen tree on the beach.  It is not 'two' trees, but just one, that has split up the middle over the winter.   Pretty cool!

A little bird in the grass

As I was looking out Arta's bedroom window towards  Johnson's point, I noticed a rustling movement down by the compost bins.   I pulled out the camera (with its awesome zoom function), and got a closeup of this little bird.

At first, I thought it was a robin, but the colour looked a bit off.  

It was obviously looking for tasty treats in the leaves around the compost bin.  I caught a couple of video shots...a bit hard to hold it in frame, since I was zooming in.   The longer clip bumps around at the end since Penny jumped up on me to see what I was doing!

I flipped around in Arta's bird book, trying to figure out what it was, but to no avail.  I finally posted the picture to facebook, and a friend came back with the answer!   

Here is a link to more info, if you want to read more about this little bird (or listen to its birdcall).

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Varied_Thrush/overview#

Easter Long Weekend at the Lake (April 15-18)

(I posted this over on my Vancouver Island family blog by accident, but it belongs here....so... sorry for the repetition!) 

Steve, Alex and I spent the weekend at the lake.  We arrived Friday night before the sun was fully down, so got to enjoy the deep luscious blues that come with the end of the day.  

The view from Arta's/Doral's deck

As we were driving through Salmon Arm, I could see the moon nearly full in the sky.  But as we got to the lake, it was hidden behind the mountains.   

Peeking out at the top of the hill

As we got unpacked, I kept sneaking out the front door to see if the moon had finally crested the hill.   Finally, it was peeking out, but not yet high enough to rise above the level of the trees.   Still, it made for some beautiful photos!

The edges of the leaves look like a swarm of birds or bats circling the moon

New leaves on branches backlit by the moon

Here is a 15 second video clip (where you can see the branches moving).   In the background, you can hear the noise from the stream!

Here are a few photos of the stream in the morning light.  

You can see that the stream is way more full than usual.  I am guessing it the showing the magic of the spring thaw and run off?  I think that also explains the noise!   Here is a video clip.

I also started channeling my inner Arta, and found myself starting to pull weeds and rake leaves us.   What is happening to me?!  

Raking up by the raspberry canes

uh... now i have to move these to the compost pile?!

after the raking, these little flowers are visible in the lawn

and the little clovers are not as big as my pinky fingernails

Here is the garden before.....

dried remains of the bee balm

And here it is again after a bit of work (note the wheel barrow!).  This gardening stuff is harder than expected!

The little daffodils doing work with no help from anyone else!

But it was beautiful to be outside:  the sky was filled with light, and the air tastes delicious.   Still... the lower lawn might have to wait a few more days (muscles getting sore!)

Maybe i will save the bottom lawn for tomorrow?

We took a trip into town so Steve and Alex could go for a workout (I was doing no such thing after the gardening festivus).  The view on the trip into Salmon Arm was beautiful... the water was as clear as glass.  Check out this photo (just before Canoe):

Or, if you want to join us for 30 second video of the road trip?

By Sunday night the clouds started to roll in, foreshadowing the possibility of rain ahead.   Life in a northern rainforest?  :-)