Ancestors’ Day – the 11th of each month. Through this ceremony we express our gratitude for the love and virtues of our ancestors … MAKE TODAY A “GIVE BACK DAY” We can live our daily lives owing to our ancestors, our elders and the work of our predecessors. Above all, kindness for others is the best way to give back.
You all know my passion and love for crows, ravens, and now we can add the grackle… what some often call, blackbirds. The common Grackle is slightly more stretched, they are taller and longer tailed t han a typical blackbird and the adult male will have an iridescent bluish head and bronzy body in good light.
this photo from internet. male on left, female on the right. I have been spending mornings with these birds, they come when I arrive for their share of peanuts and corn. What interesting behaviour they have. Especially when it comes to making their presence known in the community. They will stand up to the bluejay and dive bombing competition can get fierce if they zone in on the same coveted peanut.
What I found most interesting was that both the blue jay and the grackle have taken a liking to the special bird butter that I put on the tree limbs.. (it gets smeared on, much like putting icing on a cake) I put on only about a tablespoon in this one area, and then further up the limb where there is a pocket in the bark, I tuck in some more. They wait in the tall branches of neighbouring trees… while I spread the butter.. if I’m slower than then usual, I don’t know I get distracted by a chipmunk pulling on my pant leg for a peanut, or one of the wild turkeys chest bumps another turkey and I have to move out of the way… they (the birds) can get very vocal.
Today the parents brought their young to the feeders.. what a joy that was. I got to see them even closer than I did the other day. =^_^=
Perception is important … take immediate action once you suddenly perceive, You might discover something important in what you perceive.
Perfect Liberty 2023.9
Living where I can spend time with and in nature, is such a blessing. Have a wonderful start to a new week everyone! Life is to be enjoyed,
Young family out for their morning stroll and breakfast
“Thank you” again and again.
It feels great if someone tells you “thank you”. even many times. By repeating this, become a person who comes up with the word “thank you” naturally. (PL 2023.8)
This doorway is to the Abby Saint Benoit in the Eastern Townships (Canada) … Many moons ago when I was touring through Old Montreal, and Quebec city lookin for interesting architecture, I came across an old Abby that was actually open, it was years ago .. church doors were open, you could walk in to meditate/pray… it was always an awesome experience… to be able to sit on an old sturdy well worn and polished bench… depending on the time of the day… you could even smell the wood polish used to clean and polish the pews.
Sadly such times have come and gone, seldom can you walk up to a church door and just walk in. (Sundays and church days are exceptions) This Abby is in the Eastern Township south of Montreal going towards the American border…. this is a much visited area by avid readers of the Canadian mystery writer Louise Penny, who uses the charming community as a backdrop for her murder mystery series (Chief Inspector Gamache Novels)
Make Happiness with willingness. People who like to make an effort can enjoy anything. Those who spare no effort for anything and anyone know the joy of making art. Make an effort with willingness.
Always be humble. If you work on things with the attitude of asking a favor, people around you will advise you what they have noticed. There is something in fact you are not aware of that you do
Sitting in silence, I sometimes get a visit from voices from the past. Always when I am on my computer at my work station, I get unwanted ads and visuals about – aging and how to look younger, … I ask myself, what is the obsession with looking younger, we are born to grow and unfold into the beautiful energies we become. In nature, the fruit trees, the flowers, perennials, they come back in the spring looking young and fresh, they blossom with beautiful flowers, then some share/ give us their bounty, visuals can be breath taking, and the taste delight on our tongues… hmmmmmm.
Have you lost “simplicity” in your life?
Are you still trying to “find” your”Self”?
What do you see when you look in the mirror? I greet the “me” I’ve become most mornings when I begin my day, and again at night when I say “goodnight”… Have you taken stock of “YOU” today, Do you “like” the person that looks back at you when you face a mirror.
Be big hearted. In fact, what you are concerned about might be something you don’t need to be concerned about. Interact with people without worrying too much
I found this one day, simply staring up at me as I carefully picked my way along a deserted part of the beach. I have a vague idea of where i was… if I close my eyes I can still hear the water washing up along the shoreline. I had taken a “road less used”, it was far from the area that was usually crowded at this time of year with people seeking a bit of nature. (this was an area easy enough to reach within the city, but where i had gone was behind the building that wasn’t open cuz it was a holiday) I notice that people will tend to stay where the “majority” of visitors gather. The road I took was used by “service” personnel, or trades people who come to work on the buildings. You know the kind of areas that during working hours it is busy with a lot of in and out of people working at what needs doing, they are not there for the view.
So no tourists, birders, nature lovers here, just me, myself and I, wandering along a baron beach, where the bleached driftwood and I shared the afternoon sun and lazy meanderings of the small birds that flew past. I remembering being treated to the sight of ducks floating down past me towards the open water of the lake. When I come across one of the pictures I’ve taken of the “personalities ” I meet in my travels, it is always a happy memory.
Today in PL we have service – 1st of every month, Day of Peace. Through this ceremony we pray for World Peace and dedicate ourselves to live as peaceful human beings in our own worlds, which includes our home, schook, work and community. Service today is at 10:a.m.
In Canada it is also Canada Day, there will be festivities all across and around the city. Celebrate, enjoy .. stay safe.
Yes,there will be service tomorrow Sunday as well.. 10:a.m.
Chris took this back in June 2012, or at least that is when I first encountered this find of his. when I saw it, I was so taken with the creativity of the artist’s sculptures he’d found. I remember thinking at the time, that the artist had to have had vision.. the picture has always stayed with me, I often see trail bike riders enjoying the woodland trails, wondered if I would love the feeling of traveling through the woods with the canopy of trees overhead and all around.
The idea appealed to me, yet at the same time, I love the slow wander through the various endless vignettes I find when I am enjoying the calm of an unpreoccupied mind when I give my mental faculties a rest as I tune into my surroundings while practicing mindfulness exercises.
Get things started with grit. If you work on things in daily life with the attitude of “let’s do it” you will feel a power to accomplish things. People around you will rely on you
Perfect Liberty 2023.
Tune into your surroundings. Try narrowing your attention to something very small, i.e the woodgrain on the bench where you are sitting, a blade of grass….. acknowledge just how being in the outdoors bring you peace of mind – disconnect from the hectic world you are often surrounded by.. find yourself . try the exercise for 10 minutes. find the sense of true calm.
— We may not be able to change those around us – but we can change our reaction to them —
When we encounter a situation or “person” that creates in us a negative or upsetting reaction, pause, take a moment to reassess your reaction. We all have moments where we have to readjust our “thinking/reaction” to a colleague, in-law, family member, whoever could be a total stranger. This is an exercise in becoming more adept at communicating from a position of awareness rather than one of defensiveness.
Develop new ideas through your imagination -softly and flexibly. If you could find a way to add a twist you will have more joy,
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.