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

Summer Stills

Dan Hicks - I'm Sayin' Hello

It is about time I fulfill that promise of an update. I had waited for some new photos from a visit with my daughter and granddaughter but they left a week ago tomorrow. Summer is moving right along and I'm trying to cram every bit into it.

Spring was cold and wet on Prince Edward Island this year and there was an extremely late start to the summer sunshine. We've had some beautiful days but none in very long of a stretch. One hardly has to water the deck flower pots and that is usually unheard of. I've had a hard time getting them dry enough so that I can add the required fertilizer.

There is always a silver lining. Vegetable gardens and farmer's fields are very lush, green and growing amazingly well. My garden has been magnificent and most I've seen are. Not having to water anything is a time saver even with the difficulty getting flowerpots fertilized. It is nice to not have dead plants from too much sunshine.

The landscape is so beautifully lush. With some exceptions, farmers don't have a lot to complain about this year. I think there will be a great harvest if we don't get a wet end of summer and autumn. Too much of a good thing is not advisable here.


Baby ducks hatched on the pond this year on the mother's first try. Usually nests are robbed a few times before a duck is successful but this year, nature was kind. The ducks are big already, which is nice for a change. You know they will be so much stronger at migration time.


My usual cre8ive/art self is on summer break. Groups, mine included, quite often disband for the summer. Some years I am inspired to stay busy but not so much this summer. I made some earrings or a necklace when I had to but have not felt particularly inspired. I am spending time in nature whenever I can and continue to walk. Walking beaches is not such a bad substitute for painting, do you not agree?. Last year at work I filled in for an injured co-worker and basically missed the summer so I am enjoying this one very much. Rain never bothers me so even rainy days I spend some time outside.

I had another reunion with the roommates from my college days - from 39 years ago. We had our first one in Moncton two years ago in August and had such a good time we had another, again in Moncton. Next time, the event is taking place here. We have a really wonderful time together and find that we haven't changed a bit as far as our old habits. I'm still the one that is early to bed and early to rise with the others staying awake late into the night. It's really fun to experience.


My daughter and newest granddaughter spent a fair amount of time on the island in the spring and one week so far this summer. I have been happily baby-sitting when I can and am really enjoying being with a six month old. This little pansy has a beautiful spirit and still smiles and laughs more often than not. My daughter was blessed with this one.


We are babysitting a cat this summer too. Alma has been here more than a month and will stay a month or two longer while my son's house is renovated. We've all gotten along very well and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. She is a lot like Clarke in her looks but she is very tiny, whereas Clarke was a regular sized male. She likes to play in the middle of the night but no one plays with her so I am hoping she will give up on us and let us sleep.


Life is grand, as it should be. I have no complaints. My children, grandchildren and I are healthy and happy. We continue to experience friends and relatives passing on, as is the way, but new babies are being born too. We welcomed a new boy into our family this week, the first that continues the family name for this generation. To be mindful of every moment and live the best I can is all I want to do. I'm having fun doing it too. What's going on with you?

Spring Update

I noticed that my last update was over three months ago. I promise to bring something soon. For now, know that I am very busy, but isn't everyone at this time of year.

I live in a really beautiful place in the world and am pleased that I enjoy every day, cold and windy as many have been. In 1976, the year I moved here, it rained every day in June. I thought I'd ruined my life by moving to some Godforsaken land but July came and we had the most beautiful summer!

Soon, I will return with the requisite doting grandmother photo and a more thorough update.

Miss Happyness

It's time to do my most important and vital job as a grandmother and show you some pictures of my granddaughter. I have not seen her in person since the week she was born but her mother regularly emails me pictures, video and makes Skype calls. Isn't she adorable? She smiled and smiled in the birthing room and has been smiling ever since. Quite unusual, I think.


These shots were taken this week. She will be two months old on Saturday. She had her check up yesterday and got immunizations. She is big, tall, still very strong, and still very smiley. Her mother is incredibly lucky to have recieved such a happy child. We will see each other in the spring but not until then unless one of wins a lottery.

Until then I listen to her nursing and chatting with her mother while my daughter and I talk on the phone every day. She gurgles, talks and tells stories, an early talker like two of my kids and my other grandchildren. Most of all I love all these smiling shots that my daughter sends every day.

Thank you, my Darling for sending the beautiful smiles that brighten each day. You are doing an awesome job with the sweet, wee one. This one's for you. Share some with my granddaughter too:

Lila Downs - Besame Mucho

A New Generation

I am a bit tardy with checking in as I said I would do, but I find the decision to end regular posting was the right one for the time being. I have a grueling work schedule and am okay with that but it does make a post here next to impossible.



You may have guessed by now that I have an announcement, which is as good a reason as any to get back here with an update. I have recently had the extreme pleasure at attending the birth of my third grandchild. Though I had attended births before, this was a more amazing experience as I watched my daughter become a mother.

I stayed with my daughter's new family for a week afterward to help but ended up falling in love. This new little girl has stolen my heart. Her middle name is mine and I am so honoured and proud. I find her the perfect start to a new human being.

Dan Hicks - I'm Sayin Hello

Kate Poole - Gone But Never Forgotten

A selection of songs that remind me of Kate.

John Prine - Angel from Montgomery
Nanci Griffith - Turn Around
Martin Sexton - Amazing Grace

My Lovelies are Lovely

It Comes Full Circle

Better In the End - Changes

I telephoned my sister on Thursday night saying that by reading my blog, especially now that I update so infrequently, she would never know what was really happening in my life if I did not call her. It made me think of how little of my real self is shared in this space. I've not talked very specifically about my jobs, my arts, my everyday family, or my social life. I prefer to remain anonymous.

My aim with the blog was always to play music. Music so inspires me when I'm cre8ing! Since I practice three art forms, I was always working on something, with music generally playing in the background. I love to share the great music I find and it seemed like a good fit. Also, the blog was to eventually show my painting, glass and jewelry. In my bid to stay anonymous I realized this wouldn't be possible so have shown none of my work except for some windows.

Playing music on a blog has changed very much too since I joined the blogging world in Feb, 2006. Blogs get shut down now for copyright infringement and though I don't share the views of the powers that be, I would not want to be shut down.

Barbara Cohen and the Little Lizard - Changed

I have had a soul jarring week. On Wednesday, after extensive surgery, a good friend was told that she has a very short time to live. Another very close friend passed away on Thursday. I've just returned from her wake. This morning I talked with one of my aunts for the last time, I'm afraid. Because she was so weak, she was able to talk with me only a few moments. I feel a little stunned to tell you the truth. Three people who have long been close to me, I will never see again.

A week like this leads to evaluating our time. It can't be helped. We are reminded of the fragility of life and the short time we are here; what can suddenly appear around the corner - like a Mack truck, in some cases.

Blind Willie Johnson - In My Time of Dying

I've come to the conclusion that since there is so little of me here, I really shouldn't be here, taking up cyberspace. I had big changes in my life more than a year ago when I went to occasional postings rather than the previously almost daily postings. It has been really tough to get here at all this summer with my double workload and I stressed about it. I don't need the extra stress so I think the blog has come to a natural but rather quick end. I may drop in with something from time to time and will keep the account to link to the other blogs.

Martin Sexton - Will It Go Round In Circles

I can not believe this. In a final edit, I went back to my first blog post to look for the date to add to one of the previous paragraphs. This is the first paragraph of the first blog:

It has been a very strange week. Every day last week, I heard bad news. One person was in a terrible accident after visiting her father in hospital after he had a heart attack. A friend from NYC lost her partner of many years, a friends son OD'd on pills at a party, my daughter's friend had emergency surgery, and another friend is looking after her dying cousin's child.........and to top it all off two people I know died. What a week!

I take this as a sure sign that this blog really has come full circle. This is the time to let it go.

Half Man Half Biscuit - Good Night Irene

Weathering the Weather

The weather is the main topic of conversation around the Maritimes these days. Not only are we in the midst of an intense heat wave but we are expecting to be directly hit by Hurricane Earl on Saturday. I've had two days off this week and made it a point to enjoy the summer weather because with my intense work schedule these last few months, I had basically missed the season.

Today I went to the beach and the above photo is the first thing I saw when I got out of my car. I didn't have time to get a better shot of the eagle and was happy this one turned out at all. I arrived before noon and as the sun is lower in the sky these days, the beach was actually in shade and there was a lovely breeze. I took a nice long walk as the tide was low and it wasn't really suitable for swimming. It was, in one word, glorious. I planned to go back for a swim this afternoon but did not rise to the occasion. It is really stifling with a temp of 30 degrees and high humidity.... plus I am waiting for company.

Later when it is cooler I am planning to clear off the deck in preparation for the hurricane. It is the only chance I'll have to do it. I am hoping we don't get a lot of damage. When the leaves are still on the trees like they are now, more damage can occur. Since I am surrounded bytrees, I have a concern.

Here are a couple of songs to remind you of the rainy, windy weather we may be experiencing here on the coast in a couple of days. Hurricane Earl is nearing the US east coast at the moment and so if you're down that way it is appropriate for you today. Here is Jo Dee Messina with Bring on the Rain and lovely Odetta with Blowin' In the Wind. I will accept whatever comes our way as I'll be prepared enough, I hope. Whether we are hit straight on or not we will, nonetheless, get lots of rain and wind.
Hurricanes are circular. Martin Sexton is one of the best performers I've ever seen live. The song may not be exactly weather related but it is a bonus song for today - Will It Go Round in Circles.

To Look and Listen

The harvest is work for some.
Hear it!

I'm not harvesting but I'm working too.
Too much, some would say.
Hear It!

I'm not complaining but I would like to
come by here (and there) more often.
Hear it!

I hardly have time to listen to music but manage somehow.
Hear it!


I'm taking a few moments to share it with you.
Hear it!

Enjoy the end of August, folks.
Hear it!

Mid August in PEI

What a glorious day off I am having; one that would make anyone glad to be alive! I slept in an hour this morning, getting up at 6:30. Both cats were standing over me willing me to wake up. Last time I'd had a day off they woke me when I hadn't set an alarm clock for 5:30. This morning I think they may have remembered my displeasure and tried telepathy instead of meows.

John Mayall - Wake Up Call

The weather forecast was perfect for what I wanted to do, so off I went with a plan. I left at 9:30 to go picking chanterelles. I took my camera and stopped for lots of shots along the way and on the return. I walked six kilometers on my hunt which I was so pleased to be doing though if my walking partner had been here I'm sure I could have walked much longer. Have I ever said the woods are my very favorite place to be?


The chanterelle crop is just beginning so most of the mushrooms I got were small though I did get a few big ones as well. It has been excellent weather for fungi production so I'm optimistic this will be a good season for both mushroom photos and tasty chanterelles. On the way home I dropped off some of the harvest to some friends who enjoy chanterelles.

After lunch I went to visit a good friend who is confined to a nursing home. We went for a drive which he really enjoyed.We several times so that he could look at things that he likes to see and for photo ops for me. I picked up fresh veggies from a farm stand and will be preparing them soon along with a feed of my delicious foraged treasures.

Catie Curtis - Sweet Life

Our countryside is simply stunning these days with the grain harvest just getting underway and second growths of hay being cropped . Oats, barley, wheat, rye, and the other seed and cereal grains are turning our fields into a multi-coloured patchwork that just urges me to get out into the countryside to gaze at the beauty. Big straw bales are dotting the hills and a drive through the country is medicinal, good for what ails you.

Colin Hay - Beautiful World

The tides are not great for my weekend off but tomorrow I plan to spend some time at the beach anyway. Maybe I'll go for a swim.

Update: I wish you could smell my supper cooking. I have fresh beets, fresh chanterelles, fresh yellow beans and fresh raw cauliflower with a garlicless dip. I am yet unsure if I am going to heat up some beef sausage after the chanterelles are done. I am in heaven, am I not?

Quickly into August

Would a few photos count as a post? Would I be forgiven? I hope so because that's all the energy I have left today.

Reid Jamieson - Fields Of Gold

Though it happened completely spontaneously, I picked blueberries on Saturday morning. My whole weekend was like that - doing unplanned activities and the planned activities never happening. For some reason the photo of blueberries is showing in portrait instead of landscape. Hmmmm.

Life Can Be So Nice

I had a great time playing 'find the kitty' with Kenz in the trees. I have a much harder one if you're interested.

Josh Rouse - Summertime

My favorite flower in my garden is blooming. I don't even know the proper name of this lily but I love it like no other. Anyone else know? I know it's name ends in D'oro but can't remember the first part.

Have a good week everyone. I plan to post next Tuesday if not before, with words, not only photos.