One Part Inspiration...

" Sure Glad That's Over "   My husband says he is going to put this statement on my gravestone. (Secretly I think he'd do it too...if it doesn't cost too much) Over the years, he has heard me utter this statement many times.  It is a bit of a mantra. Saying "Sure Glad That's Over"  may have to do with some project I have to focus on, with  a deadline looming, at which time I will have to have my act together (parties, recitals, presentations) and I feel overwhelmed by the details. I often say it when I am in the middle of a tunnel of activity and can't see the light of day. And sometimes I utter the statement when I have something to do that  I am dreading (dental appointments, music performances)  and know that I just have to muscle through and finish.  Sometimes the phrase isn't "I'm sure glad that's over", but "I'll be so glad when ____"  I caught myself saying this often in the process of renovati...

It is Thanksgiving Monday.  Time for my annual foray into a recounting of the cornucopia of blessings I enjoy.  I cannot start the list without thinking of our final move to The Pokeaway, which happened three years ago today.  So many changes have happened in the house and around the property, but I now feel at We enjoy so many fringe benefits that don't cost anything.  Sunsets, birdsong, neighbours who wave when we pass each other on our walk-abouts. I have been blessed with cupboards (INSTALLED!) which are new to us, but have been reconfigured to fit our space.  I cannot even begin to describe how much simpler my life has become to have drawers to open and close, and shelves to store pots and pans.  I love the colour as it makes my kitchen bright and cheery and a welcoming place to prepare and clean up meals. An added bonus is the Butler Pantry and small dishwasher which surprisingly holds lots of dishes and makes my life so ...

I haven't had a bath in three years.  I like to say that to people, just to see their reaction.  When we moved to The Pokeaway, we made the decision not to put a bathtub in the upstairs bathroom.  Our reasoning was that most people like to take a shower and we didn't really need one. We planned to put one in the ensuite.  - What I didn't anticipate was that the ensuite would be three years in the making.  Many times during these years, I have bemoaned the fact that I couldn't just hop in the bath when I felt like it. Most of the people who were close to me heard me mumble on more than one occasion "If I had a bathtub, I would be in it right now."  I would dream about it sometimes.  Bubbles.  Candles.  A good book.  Music.  It called to me, but like a butterfly, it eluded me. Friends offered to let me use their bathtubs.  Much as I appreciated it, I could never quite bring myself to call them up and say "Hey, just feel li...

Something I have always wanted to do is take a Floral Design Course.  The first year we were married, I looked into it but it seemed too expensive.  Other years, I looked into it, but the kids were too little, or their schedules would conflict with the hours of the course. This fall was the culmination of the dream.  I was waiting for the brochure to come in and it didn't.  The week after school started, I looked online to see if the course was being offered.  It was.  The start date was that same day.  I scrambled around and called my husband. He knew I'd wanted to take this course for a long time and right away said "Well, you'd better register for it". This was a sacrifice on his part, because the course ran on Saturdays, which would mean no pancake breakfasts for a while.  However he was willing to take one for the team and I ran off to register and begin the course. Right away, I knew I was going to love it.  I began learning abo...

Random thankful thoughts: Thankful for heat This year, for the first time in three years, we will have heat radiating from a heat source that isn't electrically oriented.   We made it through two winters of living here without a heat source.  And we have the Hydro bills to prove it.  Once the radiators were hooked up and running, my husband was so excited he turned the heat right up to 25 degrees Celsius.  It worked great.  The only problem was that it was one of the hottest days of the year already.  What we learned from this exercise is that the radiators heat up quickly and they hold their heat for a really long time.   We all took a long cold shower to counteract the effects of this experiment. I am already thankful for the heat.  I will not take it for granted.  

Today is Father's Day.  Time to celebrate the men in our lives, who love their toys, who use their creativity to create art from all sorts of mediums, who look at ordinary objects and envision something out of the ordinary, who give us big shoes to fill, who do the big jobs and don't complain, who speak into our lives with just the right words at the right season who go to great lengths to make our lives more convenient, who love working out details - both small and big.  Who are not afraid of dreaming big and then working away at their dreams, to bring them to reality. Here's to you, Men!

My husband and I have been catching up with "Letters from Wingfield Farms" on T.V. It is a one-man show. Ron Beattie does all the characters. And yet there is no mistaking which one has taken the stage. We enjoy watching because it is almost as if there is a video camera hidden on our farm and they are using us as material. The show is about a stockbroker named Walt Wingfield who scales back his job in the big city to do some part-time farming on a hundred acres in mythical Persephone Township, an hour north of Toronto. Walt gets to know his neighbours - all of whom have lived in the county for most of their lives. They endear themselves to Walt with their quirky ways and perspectives on life. These are the kind of people who have your back, in spite of their sometimes unconventional ideas on how to go about it. It is great entertainment, and making us want to be the kind of neighbours Walt enjoys. In many ways, it feels like we have landed in such a neighbourhood. Last year ...

I never tire of the view.

What a week this has been! We made the big move to The Pokeaway, and are slowly finding our way through boxes and make-do survival skills. Here are some highlights, in case you are interested: We have carpet in the upstairs, which made it nice and cozy. My dear sweet husband worked most of one evening installing the internet, so that I can play `writer in residence` I have a shelf set up in the pantry and have my essentials in there. And I have a little wash bucket for keeping the dishes done up. And there`s a couple of tables to help with food preparation. Our bedroom suite is all set up. I crawl into bed each night and sigh happily. I love my bed. Thank you God for my bed! It is a little tricky getting dressed, since our window looks out on the street (and they can look in the window too). But we are learning to be tricky. My laundry has been in full production. There`s a lot of things to wash. Some from all the packing up. And some is from everyday wear. ` We have a d...

Today is the Canadian Thanksgiving. Time to bring out the Treasure Box and look to see what's in there. Sometimes the treasures have thorns. But the value of the treasure is so great, it is worth going through the thorns to appreciate the beauty. You probably know by now, that part of my job is to plan services for special occasions. One of these was the Thanksgiving Service. It is always a bit of a guilty pleasure for me to look up readings, and verses, and songs that might fit the occasion. To end the program, I chose "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again" by Jeremiah Rankin. This verse especially spoke to me: God be with you till we meet again; when life's perils thick confound you, put his arms unfailing 'round you; God be with you till we meet again. I don't know about you, but life's perils thick confound me at times. Whether they are of a personal nature, or happening to people around me, I sometimes find myself shaking my head at ...

Last night, there was a big sleep-over birthday party going on. I thought I'd be smart, and avoid the crush of people and go to my room, and try to Blackberry-blog. This requires quite a bit of patience because all the keys are very small. And there's a little thingie which your thumb has to pass over, so it will click on where the cursor should be. Not to mention that the screen is small, and the letters are even smaller, and although you can zoom in, it zooms out very fast, and soon, you're not sure what letterx you have prexerd. Then suddenly the thingie passed over something that made the decision to 'post' and the message came up "Congratulations, you have posted successfully!" WHAT??!! No, no! I hadn't even wrtiten anythnga yt. Oh well, it was too late, and there wasn't enough memory on the Blackberry to easily see what had happened, so I thought I'd wait until this morning to sort it out. I'm so thankful for technology!

I come from good stock. I have good genes. I inherited them from my mom. My mom was very good at finding deals. She got the a kick out of finding something she could enjoy, without paying top dollar for it. She passed that gene onto me. It is a latent gene. I didn't know I had it, until I was running my own household. Mom found deals in many places. One of these was the local thrift store. She liked to drop in,on errand days. I was often with her. The problem for me, was that the store was right on the main drag. I was so embarrassed that Mom dragged me to these places. I was a teenager, more concerned about my perceived reputation, than the thrill of the hunt. We lived in the part of town, where the most # of millionaires per capita resided. And I was terribly afraid that one of them would see me walking in there with my mother, and that, whatever I wore to school the next day, they would think I got it there . If Mom insisted that I go in with her, I would glance around, befor...

It's Thanksgiving time again. Yay! I have been looking forward to my little project -my "Treasures Box of Thanksgiving". I will enjoy sorting through it this week to share with you. As I look back over this last year, I am truly amazed at the path which I have travelled. A year ago last Saturday, we got access to "The Pokeaway". And now,we are just inches away from moving in and making it 'Home Sweet Home'. Every time I am there, I love to stop and listen to the quiet. There are birds singing. There's a big toad who trys out his bass tones every once in a while. Sometimes the cows add their voice to the chorus. And the sheep let us know they don't want to be forgotten. It is one of my favorite things. While it was hard to be thankful at the time, I am grateful that I don't have to look at other people's junk. My husband insisted we get rid of it, and that was a great decision. And although it was stressful to watch the hous...

My Dad has been here visiting working. He offered us "ten working days". He's put in way more hours than that. And I keep telling him not to work so hard, but he is a little stubborn and won't listen. I wonder if he knew what he was in for, when he arrived. Mostly, he's taken on the light work. Nothing major. He tucked in all this insulation - from bits and pieces we'd stacked up in the cubby. Then he insulated the cubby, while he was at it. (He might have to change his name to "Gumby") Lifted layers of flooring from the kitchen. Rescued the floor boards and piled them up. Then pulled up these boards in preparation for the plumbing. You know, little stuff. Nothing strenuous. Every once in a while, he takes a break to go and chase the sheep back into the pasture, where they should be. Then he takes up the shovel/hammer/nail puller again, and away he goes. And every day that he returns to the condo, he repeats the same phrase that my optimistic husb...