Getting To Know Me

When I was a kid of about 9 or 10, I remember one of my 'duties'
at home was to hang out the laundry. 

Coming from a family with 9 children you can just imagine

the amount of clothes that needed washing and drying

on a daily basis.

Mom and Dad always put up a weekly 'duty schedule' for us kids. They attempted to change 

it around as best they could to give us something different every now and then.

We had a big back yard and a long clothes line. I learned pretty quickly that hanging out 

clothes was one of the things I really liked to do.

Maybe it was  because it was a solitary task with no one else around.....being in a large

family doesn't always afford one peace and quiet. So this 'duty' was one I welcomed!

I never gave it a second thought until a boy from the neighbourhood one day was

watching me at the clothesline and said 'How is Mrs.Cuvelier doing today?'

I thought what is he talking about? I really didn't understand what he meant at the time

but I gradually got the idea that I was doing a woman's/girl's task.

And you know what? I could care less and thought his comment

was ridiculous. He would continue with the comments a few

more times until he saw that it wasn't bothering me in the least.

To this day I still enjoy the act of hanging clothes out to dry.

It can be a sort of art form you know.

And I am sure everyone has their own 'method' of doing it. I break it down into categories:

lengthy clothes first, then taper it back to the shortest being the last ones.....like socks.

Of course the whites have to be together if at all possible, as well as the towels, shirts

 and underwear......no mixing allowed!

Ron thinks I am a tad OCD about this, especially when I rush to the washer

ahead of him to get the wet clothes to hang.

And you know, he may be right!! But I still love the orderliness of it all.....everything

in its place. And it is a solo task making it quiet and peaceful.

So, there are lots of advantages that came from a large family setting and

especially one that had a 'duty list'.

I will forever be thankful for my parents for teaching their children 
about sharing the work tasks at home.

One Of Those Days

Ever have one of those days 

when you just wanted to stay close to home?

Not go too far into the 'maddening world'?

Yesterday was one of those days.....for the three of us.

The sun was bright, there was a slight breeze 

and said breeze was warm.

Ron set up the hammock. It was just one of those days.

And Sophie thought so too.

A Visitor In Our Front Garden

A couple of weeks ago we noticed a lot of activity outside our kitchen window one day.

There were two Blue Jays scurrying through the Mugo Pine carrying sticks and such.

They usually don't come that close to the house, 

so we were curious as to what they were doing.

It didn't take long to see that they were building a nest

 just above the path that we use frequently.

Here is the Mugo Pine and they have built in the upper left corner 

just below the Copper Beech limb. 

As can be seen in first photo I have been leaving some nuts on the iron railing.

They disappear very quickly and I saw the Jays land at one end and 'work'

their way across the rail.

I have had camera ready for two days now but have failed to catch them as of yet.

I will work on this and get a few photos of them coming and going.

Does anyone know how many eggs Jays usually have?

I don't want to scare them away but they seem to not be afraid at all. Very quiet.

Keep you posted.

Ode To The Dandelion

One of the sure signs that spring/summer is here is the much maligned  Dandelion.

I'll be the first to admit that I am one of the many humans

that do not want it in the garden but I love it anywhere else!

Especially a field of them! Maybe if I hadn't worked so hard

in the garden over the years, I'd feel different about them.

After I have eaten a few of their 'greens' in early spring,

that will be the last of them around here...till next spring.

How about you? Where do you stand on this? Do you

embrace Dandelions, despise them, or could care less?

Contemplative Monday

The following quotes is from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes from Pema Chodron'.

TIGERS ABOVE, TIGERS BELOW

"There is a story of a woman running away from tigers.

She runs and runs, and the tigers are getting closer and closer.

When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there,

so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. 

Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well.

She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine

to which she is clinging.

She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her,

growing out of a clump of grass.

She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. 

Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly.

Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament we are always in,

in terms of our birth and death.

Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life,

it might be the only strawberry we'll ever eat.

We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it

and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life."

Eclectic Tastes

Here are two 'greats' taking on a classic.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Saturday Morning Post

A great weather week....

Hitting the trail down at the beach.

Sophie waiting for us down on the sand.

Ron at the Northwest Arm in Halifax.

Sophie looking attentively at.......Mr.Orangie!!

Back at the beach....

Loving the chartreuse colour of spring trees.

Sophie going through the dune grass.

What gorgeous little puppy! I'm busy!!

Getting some shade.

Who's this happy fella?

Not afraid to stand out.

We finally felt it was time to lay Rita, our cat, to rest on her favourite spot under the maple.

She died in March 2005. Ashes can be seen up by the base of trunk.