End of Year Ramble

 I've been working on a New Years Eve post for a week and have erased two day's drafts.  They contained photos of my grandchildren and gloom about losing my 97 year old friend and neighbour of 29 years among other losses.  I added then subtracted; deleted, started again, revised, added, subtracted, deleted again. Then I found this old draft that had never been published. I had been on the verge of leaving for a trip it seems four or five years ago. I had left to upload music to the server and link it to the blog but something obviously distracted me from that.  Here's to a look back on New Years Eve in a non-traditional way.  

Things are still the same.  I am working on a CD as I write this.

"This is my last post for awhile unless I can sneak in an early one tomorrow. I'm off on a three week trip to see three sets of relatives. I've been packing all day and have only last minute things for tomorrow.

I keep packing lists. I have one filed for craft shows, one for traveling out of the country and adventuring on your own, one for camping, one for teaching stained glass courses, and one for general packing. I file them away and use them but always add specific items for each trip. The current list has teddy bears, paint brushes, and catnip pillows; three items not on the general list but necessary for this trip.

My son is picking me up at the airport and his little children will be asleep when we arrive at his house. I will have to be strongly encouraged not to wake these sweet little humans. Actually after this weekend of missing precious sleep, I know I will not wake them. I am going to preschool the next morning. I will probably be presented at show and tell as a fossil. This is with the granddaughter who said to her brother when they visited this summer, " Show K your funny face, Grandma."

I'm making my last CD, number eight. I did not leave quite enough time for so many so they may not be perfect which is my aim with eighty minute playlists. I still have till tomorrow to finish this last one so there is hope. A CD has to have the right flow and feel for the theme. When I come up with two songs for the blog I sometimes have trouble. You can imagine it is much harder to come with eighteen or so.......that work perfectly together. Also each one is for a particular person. For instance, my son likes male vocalists more than female. It's something you take into consideration. I always ask people what they did not like rather than what they did like.

Today's songs are able to have a wide range as the person to be gifted with this CD likes a wide range of music. Jazz, blues, folk, country, pop, alternative, singer/songwriter, dance and trance; this person likes it all. It's also important to take into consideration where the music is listened to. Is the person sitting in their car, their house or the beach.

Anyway, here are two cuts off this last CD that are not placed side by side: No One Knows by Asa and"


Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. - Alfred, Lord Tennyson


Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever. - Mark Twain

   

I wish you all an excellent 2013

May your New Year be filled

with health and happiness.

May your cup be never empty

and your troubles only few.

I owe you some grandchildren photos.

Trans forming

 Peek a boo

We are deep into autumn and winter is soon upon us. It is Remembrance Day and thankfully we had good weather.  Churches changed the times of their services to accommodate those gathering at the cenotaph  for Remembrance Day services at 11am.  There was a huge turn-out, larger than ever before.  We missed the usual bad weather associated with today by one day, as yesterday the whole of the Maritimes endured a terrible storm. I certainly had things blown around my place, ferry service was stopped early in the day throughout the region, and it was truly awful. My compost bin got blown down a hill and in such weather it was hard for me to get it back up and home.

I had a great event happen recently.  I babysat my almost 22 month old granddaughter while her parents were attending a destination wedding.  I had the time of my life.  We have the same bed time and I woke at 5:30, her about 6:45. We got along just wonderfully and had a great time outside.  I got tons of chores done in between running through and being buried by leaves, climbing mountains, riding a horse, (some of these things are imaginary) walking with a stroller, and laughing my head off.  I truly had one of the best times of my life.  I broke no mummy rules and fed her like the horse she ate like.  Her mother was the same way.  She always ate more than the two boys.

I took her out for her 1st Halloween, got photos of her with her 2 month old brother down the road at Poppy and Nanny's, and to five other places, three of them relatives, two friends.  It had been quite a few years since I had taken a child out for Halloween. It was really fun and I got to eat all the junk because she wanted only the apple and orange.

In this shot she is holding her pig and getting off her horse. Each time she got into position on the horse, she yelled, at the top pf her lungs, "Hold on!!!" Then she would jump off, run down the hill both of us laughing, then up the hill and do it all over again.

Most of all we sang and danced.  She can carry a tune and I had taught her to hum three months ago so it was easy to get her singing along and dancing to music that wasn't the normal kid's music.  I taught her choruses and we danced till my arms got tired which was often.  She is heavy!

We are lucky in the Maritimes to have had a decent fall.  We got the rain we sorely needed but no major storms (or hurricanes) and none of the cold or snow that the west has received. It could all change very quickly so tomorrow is the day I will finish my fall chores. I will not have the pleasure of rolling down hills and riding horses during tomorrow's work but will hold my most recent time deep in my memory and heart.

I am posting on An Island Walk again, one photo a couple of times a week rather than three every day. I do post every day on my Shutterchance blog.  I am passing on a special link to you today. You'll thank me later. Bflat is going to have you havin' some fun! I could go on and on about this and the source and my love for this concept. Cre8ivity at it's best! I watched the sponge my granddaughter was and lead her on make believe and pretend adventures with our music, toys, and imagination.  She is a new muse and how exciting is that! I'm still cre8ing every day, keeping active in many, many ways.

After a hot, dry and beautiful summer, the beginnings of autumn are upon us. From my back door I watched first one tree turn red, then a blush creep into a couple more. Suddenly there are orange trees and some of such a brilliant gold that it takes my breath away when the sun shines through them. My sunflowers are still providing beautiful bouquets and all of my pumpkins are ripe.

One thing I am reminded of in the early days of September is giving birth for the first time - thirty-five years ago. Yes, my oldest child has just turned thirty five. Since I was not young when giving birth to him, I have, with my superior math skills, deduced that I am in fact old. I feel good but there is no denying the calendar. I don't know why I have always been most reminded of my age through my son's birthdays rather than mine. His 16th was more traumatic to me than my 40th.

This son and his wife gave me my first grandchild just in time for my 50th birthday and in less than two years gave me my second. They have the perfect boy and girl family. They live half way across Canada so I don't often see them often in person but we phone and Skype frequently.

Five or so years later my daughter and her partner started their family with a beautiful little girl. They live only three hours away and spend quite a lot of time here. This family has just given us a new and perfect little boy. My granddaughter looks just like her dad and has since birth. The new little fellow looks just like my daughter. I think that is pretty neat. I've spent quite a bit of time with him since in his three short weeks of life; he has been to the island twice and I went over to the mainland when he was first born. I am in love with the little bean.

His big sister likes him just fine too. She has given his bottle a try, his soother a suck and shared a lot of her toys with him till she realized he didn't play with them. I think she'd like him better if he would share his food with her - like she shares her food with the dog.


It is a busy household but both kids are healthy and content and eat and sleep really well. A twenty month old is a constantly going concern and luckily my daughter has abundant energy. She is an amazing mother and getting along great with the task. Here she is making a funny smile and the blurry toddler shows what I mean about being on the go.


Even though I have aging children, four grandchildren and am old, I don't feel old. I am very healthy and live a life full of colour and cre8ivity, loving the beauty of the land and nature close up.  I am most at home in the woods and after a day spent deep in the woods this week, I feel like I'd been on a week long vacation. I would be going today too but rain is forecast.  It's off to the paint brushes then.

Any Rain To Spare?

I am sending a plea for rain. I know folks in England who would gladly spare a few liters. I would trade a bit of the heat we are having to them as well; but for only a few days at a time. Even things out a bit. We are parched here in the eastern part of PEI. I spent a week in Nova Scotia and it was perfect - hot days and rainy nights and a rainy day. PEI got only a little of the rain from that system.


Grain has ripened early and combines are already on the land. The grains are very small from lack of moisture at critical periods in the growth cycle. The resulting low weights from the upcoming harvest will make it more expensive to feed cattle and make flour. We've never experienced such dry conditions in the Maritimes, not in my lifetime anyway.


One upside of the hot dry summer has been flowers. There has been no rain to mess with them and blooms have held beautifully. My vegetable gardens have poor yields because I did not water but pots that have been watered have done really well. The lilies are out right now and my favorite is this pale beauty that has blooms beautifully every year. I don't know the name of it anymore but it is an outstanding flower.


So, If you have any rain to spare, face Atlantic Canada and blow some in. The ground and everything on it needs a good bath.

Summer Fancies

It's long past time for a summer update don't you think! I do apologize for my neglect in updating here but I've been as busy as the proverbial bee. I do maintain a daily presence on my Shutterchance blog where I get some feedback from the community that has formed there. I am nearing my 2000th post in that space.

I've been having an outright great summer. The weather has been perfect for an avid outdoor naturalist like myself for getting out and about. Every day has been filled with fair winds and sunshine . We are extremely lacking in rainfall so I would never say the weather has been good. Each day has been hot and dry since early or mid June. I experienced a five minute rainfall at a friends house 10 days ago that we did not receive here. Conditions are extremely dry and agriculture is suffering, even home gardeners like myself. We need some rain and soon.

The weather has been utterly perfect for the beach which I have taken great advantage of. I have been enjoying it immensely this year. I got to go to the beach twice with my two grandchildren from Ontario. That was extra special.



The whole family was home for a family wedding; the first of 'the ..... cousins' to get married. We had an awesome time at the wedding and we had a big family dinner on the following day. All three children and their partners and all three grandchildren were around the table. It was the highlight of my summer to say the least. I will be welcoming another grandchild in early September so the next time we are all together will be a first in our family again. These are exciting times.


Besides hanging out on the beach every chance I get, I have also been painting and crafting, making art, taking an average of 200 photos a day, as well as the usual daily schedule. I am wearing my camera (and maybe myself) out and need a new one but can't afford a luxury like that. I've taken lots and lots of flower shots this summer so to leave, I will share one with you, as a reminder of my wish, for some rain. This shot was taken after the mentioned five minute shower I witnessed twenty miles from here last week. I hope you are all having a great summer too.

 Spring is well underway here on Prince Edward Island and it's about time I gave a shout out.  It seems that I catch up once per season.   Life is rolling along well enough here in the hollow. The frogs are lulling me to sleep at night and the birds are singing me awake in the morning. I've had a grey heron visiting the pond.  Islanders are used to seeing great blue herons and I've never heard about the grey herons coming here.  I am pleased this cousin is finding my pond homey. New Blogger is not allowing me to put the grey heron shot in the center, where I would like it.



The vegetable garden is well underway and spring seems a bit early in some ways.  We had major frosts every morning last week so I won't be fooled into buying tender plants or planting tender seeds yet. I've spent quite an enjoyable bit of the spring hiking in the woods.  I had bouquets of Mayflowers on the kitchen table and everyone who came in thoroughly enjoyed sticking their noses deep, deep, inside, filling themselves with a perfume like no other.

Everyone is the family is doing well.  We are all weathering changes in our lives and growing along the way.  This little sweetie is talking a blue streak and reads to Baxter and her Mom and Dad.  She can say her name which is three syllables and can say part of the alphabet.  She just turned 16 months and is still a happy, happy person, the main personality trait she was born with.  She is expecting a baby sister in late summer.

I am painting a lot. Since mid winter I've watched the Decorah Eagles livestream and used them as a muse to paint an eagle that turned out really well. I always have lots to do and spring brings even more.  I'm as busy as a wet hen, as they say, as I'm sure you are too.  I am still photographing, painting, making jewelry and glass pieces and staying a cre8ive one.  Happy spring!


 
Again, Blogger won't let me put this picture in the center.

Mid Winter Chat

A short update in a winter that is hardly a winter at all. We've had a couple of snowfalls, a few cold nights and not very much ice at all. It has been good for commuting, except for the price of gas. It feels like spring is on it's way. Robins have returned. Foxes are roaming and filling up, getting ready to birth and the days are noticeably lengthening.

Update: Started writhing this at the end of January. Winter snow, rain, freezing rain, ice, sleet, ice pellets, and wind have arrived since the first of February and it is now wintery. Yesterday though, was 7 degrees, sunny and springlike. Gas prices are still going up.

Rain and Snow

We lost our dear, sweet Kenz, AKA Ms Mackenzie, on the 2nd of February. She was up and about even on her last day, going outdoors in that cold winter day three times. She was 13 in August, middle aged, hardly an elderly cat. Her sister Bella, even though a little overweight, seems in fine shape yet.

I have lost several important people in my life this winter as well. I am taking a day off work for a funeral tomorrow. Winter is hard on the weak, frail and elderly. My friend who is being buried tomorrow would be 97 on his birthday in March. A ripe old age with minor medical problems. Quietly went. Another friend went to sleep after a game of cribbage with her son. Then quietly went.

Losing friends and acquaintances is a continuing theme in our middle years. New babies keep entering our families and lives though, showing that life does go on, the planet keeps turning. Life goes round and round.


At 13 months, my sweet granddaughter is still a delight. I get juicy Skype kisses and sweet babbles when we talk on the phone each day. She has just started walking and I am really looking forward to seeing her in person in the spring.

Come In From the Cold