There is a reason the conservation staff have put up “park closed” and danger/caution tape up blocking the entrances to the trails. They are dangerous. You can see the size of the downed trees, you have to be able to climb over or walk around them. AND there are still trees leaning very precariously at an angle, so much so, a tremor or wind could topple them.
See how this tree is leaning, half of the roots have been pulled out of the ground. I am very familiar with this trail, I was very careful making my way around. I did not venture away from the areas where I knew I could easily manouver out of the way of a falling branch/limb.
All was VERY quiet. I did get to have a visit with the duck .. he was alone.. the water was devoid of other birds/ducks, On my way out I met a fellow “wanderer…’ Bev and I had met some time ago, it was nice to catch up. she had been in the parking lot talking with the conservation officer that had come by to replace the “stay out” tape that someone had removed. I had to limbo under it to get out =^_^=.
a quote from the past
We are all here for a purpose. Please reach out and share your beautiful smile today. enjoy the pictures of a paradise dealing with “change’… the birds have begun to sing again, the chipmunks, and squirrels used to visitors are searching for the handouts that are no longer there.. but… time will rebuild.. workers will get to the different trails and the tidy up will happen.. Send positive energy to all the workers who are having to work long hours to repair/clean up and the many hydro /internet problems that still need resolving.
PL Precept # 20 Live maintaining equilibrium between mind and matter.
You can be with God by having a prayerful mind. Let’s pray for World Peace. We are all one big family. Let’s start by praying for the happiness of those around us.
Perfect Liberty 2022.11
Find compassion with others by thinking of things you have in common: ” Just like me, this person wishes to be well and happy” Then take a moment to send them some kind wishes.
a quide to mindfulness 3..22.
the night is dark, my thoughts simple
In the quiet as I sit in the evening shadow
I know the light in the room is You
I need only close my eyes to feel your presence
with gratitude and appreciation I allow the night to draw me in
There is a calm that wrapes like a balmaround my restless heart
When I allow my mind to clear of all that is shallow/unnecessary
It’s easier to adapt to something when we find it interesting. No matter how enjoyable a situation is, a slight change in our attitude can make it boring. Let’s face any situation with curiosity and enthusiasm.
Perfect Liberty 2022.10
Welcome to new readers, I would be remiss in not biding you a good day! It is such a warm rush of pleasure when I see that we have new members in our “community”.. When I read today’s calendar I asked myself the question.. “how am I adapting with the many changes that have happened in my life over the month of May.”
May was painful in many ways.. the anniversaries of my Mother’s passing, my husbands passing the major storm that left me without power for a week plus. I felt at times like a rubber ball being bounced over large sharp edged boulders.
if I was one of my warriors – this would be a selfie
Nature will continue to flourish and grow around the warrior … soon he won’t be seen the vegetation will become so dense. Time will work on the fresh wounds and soften the jagged edges. Reality – there is o going back.
Many of you have experienced simliar aches, even if the causes are comletely different – you know what it is to feel sadness that overwhelms. It is important to not overlook or try to diminsh that “fact”… The rebuilding is slow, and I now know can take not days and weeks, but months and maybe even years … to move comfortably into “now”.
Research has shown that there is a reason we love a sad movie. (sad film paradox) They talked and asked questions of hundreds and thousands plus people…. we like to be moved, to feel connected to what it is to be human, to be reminded of our inextricable connection to one another. Their study revealed a highly significant positibve correlation between sadness and enjoyment. This association is sequential. Sadness leads to feeling moved, which in turn leads to enjoyment.
Grief does not obey your plans, or our wishes. Grief will do whatever it wants to you, whenever it wants to. In that regard, Grief.. had a lot in common with love.
Elizabeth Gilbert
Tomorrow the 11th. is Ancestors Day, service will be at 10: a.m. if you are able to attend we will see you there, if you cannot attend, please take time to share a silent moment with us from wherever you are.
Start by thinking “Let’s do it” Once you decide to do something and putyour whole heart into it, things will start moving forward.
Perfect Liberty 2022.8
Good morning, I am slowly getting my feet back on the ground after the big storm and being without power for 7 days …The city is still in recovery mode. I was speaking to a friend who lives in Oklahoma in the States, she was saying in her State they often have hurricans touch down.. and herself was without power for over 2 weeks one time. I just can’t imagine.. but it was nice to speak with someone who could relate to what I went through without a lot of explanation.
I had never ever experienced what I went through when this storm in May hit. According to news and articles written .. this city has not seen such destruction and upheavel in decades, it was said to be worse than the big ice storm we had. I did go through that, and I did have damage to property at that time, but this last experience (perhaps because I am older) I am not bouncing back with a hip horrah… Also so many around me, friends and acquaintences are still reeling.. AND so many are going to be dealing with the damages to their properties for a long time to come.
Due to this ..my response time to the backlog of e-mails and correspondence .. I apologize, but there was just toooooo much.. and a lot has been lost or deleted. I have been reading posts.. thank you all.. your pictures, stories, blogs.. all appreciated...
There are positive aspects in sadness… I am looking. Previous moments have taught me acknowledging and naming our sadness is critical in the “recovery”…. I’m working on that too. so saying I’m going to get dressed and head out for my walk. Yesterday I walked in the rain (wearing full protection,including a head/face net) the biting insects were out in full force. Humans had the good sense to stay home, all but yours truly…
Oyashikiri
For those of you who will “get” this. I have been visited by ravens.. they keep appearing close by me, flying past me, coming close and calling… ravens/crows I love them. they sense my need and come to encourage me.
Eyes wide and staring – mouth open in horror – what happened to the rest of me !!!!
Don’t let circumstances sway your decision. It does not help to overthink things. Sometimes we just need to make up our minds and move forward.
Perfect Liberty 2022.6
I’ve collected bits and pieces of this wonderful big old tree that was downed during the storm. I’m using some of the pieces in the storm art . (mixed media) I’m working on… so far.. I’m experimenting.. this tree had a long life, it was home to many many wildlife, insects, fungi, it will be missed.
….. when nothing is sure, everything is possible …..
I still have ths Dr. Hook song, Storms never last do they darling playing in my head, it just won’t go away. As I took my camera for its morning stroll it had been lying neglected for days on my work table, it happily let me play with different settings, I wasn’t really trying to do anything in particular, nor did I see anyrhing that had me intrigued.
Hello -is it me you’re looking for (Lionel Ritchie)
The best timing is when you notice. When you notice something, it is God sending you a message. Act right away so you don’t miss good timing.
These little gems are delighting the viewers by peaking up along the trails between all the many shades and hues of greens/browns/grays that are in view as I amble along the trail looking for wood to carve. I am searching out smaller pieces of wood that I can use on the “storm art ” I am visualizing and want to put on canvas.
After the storm there are twigs, branches, all kinds of debris to sort through.. the need is to slow my pace and explore each side of the trail as I make my way slowly along. Everyday I walk (sometimes the same trail) and every day it is always different.
***** Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful ****
Take action without thinking too hard. No matter how hard you try to foresee the future, you really don’t know how things will turn out. Do your best and see how it plays out.
Have a prayerful mind to love yourself and others. Open up your heart fully when praying to God. It will help you sort out our feelings.
Perfect Liberty 2022.31
The power came back on for me after being off for 7 full days plus. That was the beginning. Yes it was a great relief to have power back in my house. But something had changed, not only in the structure of the house, but in my “head”… my body had only aged 7 days… but the stress and anxiety of the many hours spent in a “kind of limbo” had yet to reveal itself.
Yesterday I did what I routinely do, I headed for the woodlands. I met an entomologist who is working on a research project on biting insects.. in particular yesterday he was going to tend his tents of horse and deer flies at the research station some two miles + down one of the gated areas at one of the conservation areas that I frequent.
deer flyhorse fly
He graciously allowed me to drive with him to the research station (he was concerned and wanted to make sure I knew I would have a long walk back) I assured him I knew the distance and had done it before. For me it meant I only had to walk back,. not the distance to get there and then back. I knew it was going to be a hot muggy day…. this area is an old road, some of it is old pavement, the rest of it is overgrown dirt road Actually all of it is overgrown, the area has a gate that is kept locked with only authorized vehicle and personnel having keys.
What I have found intersting is that a fallen tree is no longer just a damanged tree, I have walked the area for a long time now, I know the trees, when I see them hurt and injured, I “feel” it. As I walked back after being shown his project, and had a brief intro into the research he is doing, I headed back, taking my time … I don’t often walk down this far during the heavy mosquito season. He did show me what he uses to ward off the little critters, he lathered the product liberally all over his neck face and head. They were in great abundance out in that field… My “Off” worked for me, but I was covered from head to toe, long sleeves, long pants, hood/ hat, gloves… as I walked the sun smiled down on me… letting the full force of the heat/humidity add to my ambiance.
No skeetos bothered me, even when the discomfort of the heat finally got to me and I took off the gloves, then the hood, then the hat.. thankfully a playful breeze dropped by to give me a bit of a break. It was draining. there were birds cheering me along, I even saw a hawk, he swooped by across my path, startled me.. he appeared out of nowhere and then vanished just as quickly.
I have a lot of angst to sort through. My thoughts/feelings are jumbled and I am bordering* on being exhausted. My wonderful long time friend who helped keep the generator going during the power .. outage.. when we talked last night.. said he too was feeling the “imbalance” in his life. He didn’t loose power … but spent his time driving back and forth to my place trying to keep my fridge cold to save my insulin. The generator we had was old and sounded loud, it was loud… how he sat working it for days on end it beyond me.. he was a real trouper.
He had to manouver past the fallen trees, accidents, (traffic lights were out in so many places) plus he had his family to worry about, (they had come in contact with covid) No one really got to sail through this disaster without being affected.
Another friend send me this picture.. I do not know what the words say… does anyone out there know?
Enough for now. I have another delivery to make for the food bank. If you are in an area that is dealing with the aftermath of this last storm… please… if you can help….. it would be greatly appreciated.
Good morning, the news and media are full of pictures of the destruction and havoc caused by the storm, I’m sure many of you have googled or seen on the news the ravage dealt the province when the storm hit.
This is the large tree that was uprooted at the church, thankfully it did not fall towards the church or the seniors residence.
insurance nightmare
What to do………… What can be done …..
PL Precept #1 – Life is Art. this is a challenge for sure. We can only go forward. We cannot rewrite the last weeks.
PL Precept # 4 Being annoyed imits your expression. Tough one, how can one not feel the stress/anxiety that this force of nature has delivered. So many people are still without power.. yes.. you read that right, especially those living in more remote areas of the province, or outside the central core of the city.
PL Precept # 18 Each moment is a turning point
What can we do. The storm has forced us to sit up and take notice. Even those of us who now have power, we are left to cleanup, clear up, face the daunting task of rebuilding .. finding our “balance” our sense of “normal” … of course nothing will ever be as it was. somethings are gone forever.
It is important to remember that while we are coping with whatever “issues/problems” that have been put in our “in” basket… there are men and women who have been working around the clock .. rebuilding, rescueing, repairing and doing their best to make the city and our homes safe again.
” Let’s have a humble mind. Once you think, “That’s good enough” you become blind to the opportunities to be more creative.” PL day 30 of 2022 calendar
While I made the many trips up the stairs with the food that was wasted .. trekking down the laneway to the recycle bin.. (today is garbage day).. I thought… “ok, you are getting exercise, this will add to your daily step count”
Then I was inspired to get a big box and fill it with staples from my over stocked kitchen cupboards to take to the foodbank this morning..
What can you do today to help someone else…
The skies seem overcast and gloomy.. have not heard the weather forecast for today…. I hope the weather holds so that the construction and hydro crews can continue to work in safety…
TAOIST Life is Art (Perfect Liberty precept #1)
contact info.- via blogs
--- there are two energies, Yin and Yang = ONE
---to have balance we must live each moment
of our lives.. with Makoto (sincerity)
The only constant in life is change. I am grounded in the reality of Living.
This is true, in all worlds. RL or virtual. I am me and only me.