Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sitting This One Out


I saw gulls sitting like this two days in a row in different areas while I was driving. I got this one shot in the first of those spots before they all flew off. I couldn't stop for the second. Birds are gleefully gathering and singing their spring notes everywhere I listen. Spring is surely in the air.

I have been praying for rain and at last it is here. The ground is so thirsty. With no snow cover over the winter to speak of and a dry autumn, our soil needs every bit of moisture it can get. The rain does a good job of adding moisture to the air too, after the drying cold of winter, and cleanses the earth of winter's debris. I've always loved the rain but do not like to live in a rainy climate. I like rain to be just right in all it's forms from light to heavy. Moderation is good in all things, I always say. We do get big variations here in the Maritime provinces with dry springs, wet springs, dry summers, wet summers and so on. You never can tell. But I'm thankful it's raining today.

My main walking partner is moving away again. We've not been walking much anyway this month with my heavy work schedule and her getting ready to go away but I'll miss her and our great hikes in the PEI woods or at the beach. Soon enough, gardening will be added to the list of outdoor activities which gives a bit of a workout but is not a replacement for walking. Walking in country air brings that endorphin high so easily and for my type of energy there is just no better fitness provider.

What I do when prayers have been answered is give gratitude. Because I can't carry a tune and can't play a guitar I'm having Ani Difranco give you an example. Just substitute the word rain somewhere in there and it's from me. Gratitude live by Ani Defranco... I'll definitely be dancing instead of walking for at least one more day till my other walking partner comes home from her jaunt in Mexico. Cha Cha by Balkan Beat Box reminds me of Mexico and is a perfect dance song for working out with rhythms.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Second Chances



I must tell you about my bad luck/good luck day. On Tuesday I have to be in a community about twenty minutes away for a painting group at nine am. When I woke it was really foggy outside. After a cup of coffee had rearranged my braincells back into their usual cre8ive condition, I decided to rush my shower and breakfast (forgetting medication) leave a half hour early and get some shots at Pinette bridge and harbour and maybe a few other spots if time would permit.

When I arrived at the first beautiful foggy location, I got out of the car, turned my camera on and discovered I had not returned the memory card to my camera after removing photos the night before. It would not make sense to drive back home for the card as I would then not have time to stop to take photos. I was very disappointed but it didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the view. I made the best of it and relaxed for a bit taking in the sights. I drove slowly along my route enjoying the beautiful foggy landscapes.

I left painting group at noon and much to my surprise, it was still foggy. I went home, made lunch, and went to visit a friend who was celebrating his ninety-fifth birthday. When I left there it was still foggy so I went home for my memory card then took off for a repeat drive down the coast. The fog wasn't as thick or as widespread as in the morning but there was an added benefit of the sun being out everywhere that it was not foggy. As a result you can see blue sky and fog in some photos. I also got to photograph some geese in a river.



I had to rush around again to get to work but to the cre8ive me a quick supper of leftovers was worth it. I got some very nice shots, some that have been posted on my other blogs. We rarely get this type of fog here. It usually burns off by ten. I was quite accustomed to all day foggy days when I lived in Saint John, New Brunswick for several years. Constant fogginess was the reason I left there for here that thirty-some years ago.

A day like Tuesday can make your heart sing which this tune always does for me. Tchavalo Swing by Hot Club of Cowtown is an awesomely hepped up song that I include on lots of dance CD's. For someone who prefers a slow melody here's a song that tells us that days come in all kinds. It is Jeffery Foucault and That's the Way the World Goes 'Round. I believe it's a John Prine song.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Spring or Not


Where has the time gone! I see I've fallen behind here again. I've not many days off and when I do they are filled to the brim. I can be here today only because a planned visit was canceled. My friend could not come to see me so I went to visit another friend which was extra special because it was unplanned.

Being very busy with work has meant I am missing some of my favorite activities such as walking and taking photographs. I am unable to show photos on Shutterchance that are current. I had a week of last summer's, beaches, then flowers and this week, grasses. It's okay, just not my normal routine. Beache scenes, flowers and grasses have a way of making you yearn those scenes, and not stay in the present. Spring has sprung around these parts and the moment has been lovely and deserving of being captured by the camera. My daffodils are through the ground, the snow is disappearing, the evenings are lengthening and there is a general warmth in the air. It's great to be alive.

Spring is a truly lovely season and is captured beautifully by a song of the same name by Richard Shindell. I'm optomistic for spring's speedy return but accept we will likely have a bit of winter weather to contend with yet. It's traditional for us to have our St. Patricks Day storm and have had storms even later. I have a song for that event too. If Winter Weather returns, Fats Waller's great song of the same name will be perfect.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Marching It Is


It's March and winter is melting by the moment. Western PEI had storm conditions this morning but here in the East we had a bit of rain. The sun broke through this afternoon. The West's bad weather was fortunate for me as it turned out. Yesterday I broke a filling off my tooth and this morning found my dentist completely booked. Within a few moments of calling, the front desk staff called back with a solution. Someone from the West had an eleven o'clock appointment and was very happy not to have to make the long trip into Charlottetown over this morning's slushy highways.

After the unscheduled dentist appointment I shopped for groceries and ran a few errands so did not do what I had planned for today. I rarely get a whole day to paint but had managed to on Saturday. It was quite motivating and I had broken a few roadblocks. I planned to follow up today with many new cre8ive ideas. Instead I'm here. Isn't it funny that my whole day changed after a broken tooth. An unscheduled blog post came into being. I now have to work every day until next Tuesday. Perhaps I should jot down those cre8ive ideas as in eight days, I'm bound to forget them.

While I was painting this weekend I burned a double CD. I haven't named it or did the artwork yet but it will have an Olympic theme. At present it is entitled Feb 2010. I have playlists of many hours but don't often burn double CD's. It is really good! I have now started a new one which if burned will encompass many CDs. I am saving it under All About Art but that may change. Here are a couple from it: Straight Lines by Dawn Landes and Baby Blue by Rachel Pearl. Sunlight by The Youngbloods is so far the first cut. Sunlight was what inspired the playlist. The first song will change many times before the end. I'll add it as an old familiar for the old '60's music lovers. Ralph?