One Part Inspiration...

In my programming, I am into Springtime activities.  It goes along with putting away the winter clothes.  Let's not think about songs that have snow in them.  Let's bring out the songs of hope and new plantings. Today, our afternoon group took a song called "Springtime in the Rockies" and changed it up to "Springtime in the Valley". It turned out to be so much fun.  We started by talking about the difference between the spring we are experiencing and what the rest of the country is going through.  Apparently it has been the worst winter E.V.E.R. in some parts, with a new load of snow arriving just this week.  One man mentioned that his son who 'lived over there' said there was 9 - 10 feet of snow piled up - and that was BEFORE the new snowfall arrived. Meantime, in the Valley, we have: and and the sound of Much as we try not to rub it in, we cannot relate to the feeling of going out for a walk just to see if there is a ...

Early in January, my daughter and I were talking back and forth on our phones.  She told me that she was planning to take a cake decorating course.  I said "Oh fun!" and her next message changed the course of my winter evenings.  "Do you want to take it with me?" I thought about it for a couple of minutes and then spontaneously said yes. It has been a blast.  I have learned a lot.   This particular lesson was how to transfer a shape onto the cake and decorate in the middle of it.  It involves parchment and tracing a shape with gel.  If you look close you will see that I was trying to make a cupcake shape on the cake.  You don't see it?  Don't worry.  It's not there.  I started trying to freehand it and realized that it looked nothing like the transfer would have if I had actually used the gel to trace the cupcake shape.  So I smoothed it all over and practiced using the star tip instead.  Goodbye cupcake. Hello avan...

When we were making plans for the Christmas season, I had to make a hard decision.  Staff party, or accept an invitation to attend an AHL hockey game from the comfort of box seating.  It didn't take too long.  The invitation, to watch the game and see how the other half lives, won. What made it even easier is that the hosts were people with whom we'd enjoyed a long-term friendship.  Our kids are similar in age, and we share other bits of history with them.  It had been a long time since we had socialized.  [Don't worry, we didn't forget how.] The game started at seven, but the invitation said to arrive at 5:30.  Dress was casual, which was nice, because it was a Friday night, and usually I'm in my jammies by 5:30 on Fridays.  [Don't worry, I didn't wear jammies.] We were treated to nachos and ribs and drinks and lots of junk food.  So far, so good.  We met the other game-goers and got acquainted with them.  Every fif...

Sometimes I just feel spoiled rotten.  And I love it.  At the end of the school year, one of my piano students made me this stepping stone.  She is the author of the quote on the stone.  I left it in my living room for a long time, enjoying the thoughtfulness that went into making it.  Once I was confident it had set enough, I put it in my garden.  Another day, a friend of mine came over for part of the afternoon.  She knew that I was going through a rough patch, and brought me these flowers and a bucket of blueberries from her mom's garden.   How fortunate I am. 

We start by stopping for ice cream. It's our little tradition. We don't mention it on the way up. But on the way back, when we have safely delivered the working boy to camp, one of us says: " Are we stopping for ice cream? " and the other responds with a smile of acknowledgment that the thought had already crossed their mind. There are two places from which to choose. We always go to the one on the left. My husband's choice. He likes tradition and it just wouldn't be the same if we turned right. He always asks for the same flavour - Chocolate Chip Mint. I like to experiment. Within reason. I'm not interested in Green Tea Ice cream. And I don't want Bubblegum either. However, Tiger is high on the list and something Chocolately is not far behind. Afterward, and since we have no kids and no place we have to be, we meander home through the back roads. We comment on houses we like. Barn colours which don't fit. And the unusual crops peopl...

Yesterday it rained. And rained. And rained. Later on, just for fun, a thunderstorm was thrown in. I was about to complain about the rain, when I looked out the bedroom window and saw this. That's a raindrop on the window, in case you are wondering. I stopped to enjoy the brilliance of the tree, just doing what it does in the fall. Does anyone look at it? Does anyone savour it's magnificence? I imagine it probably goes unnoticed more than it's beauty is pointed out. Mindful of the lesson, I went to the other window - the one in the bathroom - to observe this: More beauty. This time, the reds of the tree, and the pump house contrasted with the tree farther out in the field, which was offset by the changing colours in the blueberry field. I looked for a long time after I took the picture. The rain had dulled the sky, making the colors of the trees and the fields pop (as they say in all those decorating shows). Standing there looking at all that beauty, made me thin...

Friday comes with A big sigh. A quick look around confirms There's lots to do. I have little energy to complete the tasks. Instead, Here I sit. Leaving it for another day.

There was some terrific thunderstorms a few nights ago. I woke up often, listening and trying not to get all bent out of shape that my precious sleep was being interrupted. I drifted in and out, and then when it was light, I looked up at the clock on the wall. It said 7 a.m. Getting out bed at that hour is my habit, but I decided to stay in a few more minutes and enjoy the luxury of keeping my eyes shut. Finally, I got up at 7:20. I couldn't put it off anymore. I hopped into the shower. I used the peppermint shampoo which makes my scalp tingle, and helps me forget wishing I was still in bed. After toweling off, I walked into the bedroom and looked at the clock radio. It said 6:30 a.m. That's what I get trying to read"Down Under" clock so early in the morning. [The "Down-Under" clock was a very special wedding present from dear friends in Australia. All the numbers are backwards. It even ticks backwards. So when you look at it, you have to really make sure th...

This week has been one of reunions. It wasn't planned that way, but two friends from my high school years were in town, and I was able to connect with both of them on seperate occasions. I know I said that I wouldn't attend my high school grad reunion, but these kinds of reunions are are a treat for me. The first was a message from a gal who hung out with my sister. [You might recall I liked to hang out with my sister's friends. She was one of them.] She and I had some adventures together and over the years, we have seen each other occasionally - always with the sweet anticipation of a great conversation, in which we alternately talk about deep issues, and share laughter over the absurdities we saw in life situations. She is a person with great insight. Even though our contact has been occasional since high school, whenever we have gotten together (often it has been the three of us - my sister, her and me), I have always been amazed at her ability to perceive and define the...

Those of you who have been with me for a few seasons, know there are few things which have an immediate effect on my blood pressure than dragging out the yellow file in which small bits of paper have been thrown for the past year. I dread sorting through the piles, deciding which of them will make it to the next stage of doing my 'taxes'. (Or "Take-ses" - depending on which side of the desk you are sitting on). When this season comes around, I have to gear myself up to get the job done. First I start by throwing some laundry into the washer. Subliminally I hope the drone of the machine will dull the pain of all that counting. If that doesn't help, I stack the dishwasher and clean out the glove compartment. Then I recycle the plastics and making sure all the garbage is emptied. Finally, I decide I can no longer procrastinate, and I drag the folding table into the office, and sit down with the yellow file who will be my constant companion for the nex...