Good afternoon everyone. I had a wonderful time this past Sunday exploring the back roads from the city towards Sharbot Lake, it was a bright day, a bit of a chill in the air, but otherwise great. Too soon after a cold snowy spell, for there to be a lot of day trippers out. One of my finds, was this tree stump…. the colours, the recent cuts l seemed to dazzle with the afternoon sun.
These delights were found on a vacant lot of a house that is up for sale. 100 acres on a quiet country road (at an intersection) The house had seen much better days, nothing of interest to me, it was the location.. What was sad to see was that the yard around the house was a catch-all for debris and clutter. I had been drawn to the stumps because of the rich tones of the inner core. What ever happened to their tops, was not evident. So I assume, that the rest of the tree will serve a good purpose.
My husband was drawn to the old television satellite dishes. Some places tease me, and I want to hear their story. Others, well, they just don’t hold my attention. On this property it was the tree stumps.. they were my gemstones amongst the rubble. AND the QUIET. Further down the road ( a paved road, however it was well posted, that it was not a road that was maintained year round) we found this spot..
You likely had to have been there .. it was such a peaceful site. What we found was what was left of a building, that must have been part of the church that had been in this location. The lumber I didn’t think dated back to the 40’s but perhaps a makeshift building of sorts had been there and when that went, the community got together and put up the piece you see below. (1987)
How different life must have been life back when the church as in full attendance. 1893… the land in the surrounding areas you can tell had once been farmed. The further we drove down this road, with the quiet around us, and the beckoning open fields, the more the happy glow of discovery surrounded me.
Life is ever-changing, what remains a constant in life is the natural world we live in. It grows, flourishes, dies, and is reborn. The landscapes change, but the wonder of it all remains. GOD is living, GOD is life, GOD is Everything. and YES, GOD is LOVE
“Chop Suey” is a catch-all, means a little of everything. today was a chop suey day. I started this post with a couple of videos that had me watching them with great attention, although I can’t even tell you why. They appeared on my screen and, hey… I watched. since I never follow a recipe, I’m not sure, why I was so mesmerized.. however, you gotta know..I’ll be eating shrimp in the near future.
Wow a tree with branches. this was another of my “oh ” moments… the clear sky through the branches had me aiming up into the sky, there was a bird singing, and I was captivated by the song. You will note there is no bird in the tree.
Here is another of my “OH” moments, I saw the shadows and had to capture them, I parked and walked towards them, like I was being called by a voice I couldn’t ignore. They really caught my attention, the sun was over head in such a way, that the shadows reached out towards me.
So absorbed was I, that I had no idea that I had my friends waiting for me in the church wondering where I had gone, and what was I doing. So much so, that sweet Yumi (new to Canada from Japan, by way of Argentina) had come out in what had to be COLD for her, in only a sweater thrown over her shoulders. Her main language being Japanese, she smiled politely when I explained that I was enthralled by the shadows. she is so precious, I just love her. In a short time, she and her family have become such dear friends. Temperature was just around freezing today.
What is it that captivates, and captures our thoughts and imaginations, why is it that what is ordinary to some is so magical to someone else. Today I was for sure, in a zone … tha was mine alone. Yes I interacted and enjoyed conversations with friends and acquaintances I met along the way. But part of me was wanting to gather tools for my visual expressions. At the second to last place I stopped at, before heading for the grocery store and the supper ingredients, I walked around a corner and came to face with this picture.
Oyyyy hello…. I didn’t want to bring it home, but I did want to include it in my day. This one was unframed, Next to it, in a beautiful hardwood frame with a gallery light on it, was this picture, side by side they were. Perfect.
So different, yet part of the one. I had a good day, it was what I call a chop suey day. How was yours? I hope you had a productive and happy day. I am off to stir fry some shrimps… =^_^= did you guess already…
Namaste – Oyashikiri
I will stir fry them in garlic and black bean sauce..
shell them and eat them like popcorn at my leisure.
Yesterday was a day of sun and cloud, being a work day, this boat launch area was quiet, in the summer months when we dive by, it would be difficult to even find a place to park. We stopped here to let the dogs have some outdoor fun.
This was the colour of the day, yes sunshine is nice, but I love the rather subdued and subtle shades of an over cast day, if every day was sunny, we wouldn’t get to see the full palette of Mother’s Nature’s diverse and endless inventory of wonders.
Here is another Found? or Lost? for you….
While visiting a Tim Hortons (on the American side of the border, I came across the above dime and penny, laid out just as you see them … I didn’t touch them.. I looked and found it interesting that someone would just leave them on the vanity, especially sitting there so neatly. Were they in hand, and just laid down while hands were being washed… Maybe a child had them, and left them when they were being tended to by a parent.. I didn’t know… but I wasn’t going to disturb them, so, I took a picture.
Life is interesting, fun and intriguing, how we accept our daily challenges and adventures is up to us.. Accepting, enjoying and letting go of moments.. is a life long challenge, sometimes it is easy sometimes it is not…. knowing that whatever it is, it is OUR life. Yours and mine… I’m just so happy knowing that you are part of my world, In loving, sharing, caring, the exchange of ideas, thoughts,sights and sounds,.. WOW… what gifts.
A difficult climb yes, it is rated strenuous, the hike itself to get there and do the full trail is 41 miles (65 km) and will take approx. 5, 6 days, depending on how you like to “wander”. It is the Drakensberg the highest mountain range in South Africa. It is not a defined trail, there is a variety of terrain, and sights to see and experience. Cascading rivers, waterfalls, along with some prehistoric drawings..
This was my slice of adventure Sunday, when we drove along the river, and found this quarry. Yes I’d love to climb that chain ladder, the idea is exhilarating, however, at this moment, I was exploring a part of Quebec, and the rocks here.. they drew me like visual candy… It was exhilarating to stand in the cool crisp air, make my way as far as I could into the area and capture the strong character of some of the boulders.
Every day we are faced with choices. Some are small, and routine, done on a regular basis, like when we shop for food. What we are looking for will determine where we go to shop.
What appeals to one shopper will be passed by, by another. I have waited while a customer before me, goes over every bag, weighing it, turning it so that he/she is able to see all produce in the bag.
Even once we’ve picked out the product we will take home with us, no two people will cook that one product in the same way. That is why there is such a great variety of restaurants as well. Though they may offer the same basic dishes, how they are cooked and served, could be oceans apart. When it comes to food, almost everyone I know, is willing to try something different and will dig in and enjoy a cuisine from a different culture. Diversity is a welcome change.
Why then, do we draw a line, or seem to be so black or white, when it comes to choices we make about our social environment? Or cultural divides? A very close someone in my life, will eat carrots, but when they came out with “designer” carrots, (different colours) he balked, why…. cuz they didn’t look the same, blind folded, they would taste the same, but……. Another friend told me her husband wouldn’t eat the new blue potatoes, why… cuz they didn’t look like a potato……………………………………………?????????????
A child is innocent, loving, trusting, … they make us all smile with their smiles, and their genuine responses to being loved. What and why do we change as we advance in years. What changes us. WE are shaped by the choices we make in life. Choose wisely. Put your full makoto (sincerity) in all you say and do.
Guess who went to bed and didn’t plug her cell phone in to recharge, first two guesses don’t count. Usually no big deal, however, in an efficient mode these past months, I’ve been doing a tidy up. You know how we can get when the season is changing, especially from winter to spring. “We never use our land line” said I. let’s get rid of it, we both have a cell phone, that will work out just fine.
Good idea, right.. the hands free phones stationed all over the house for ease of access, went bye-bye. I admit there was a feeling of relief as one more item on my want to do list, got a tick mark beside it. For every action there is a reaction. I had my cell phone number changed to the main home phone number, so that worked out fine, more or less. Calls I got for “the husband” simply were rerouted to his number. BUT what happens then when our phones are not nearby, and we don’t hear them ring (ah HA! I got a blue tooth thingie, and I can answer mine from most parts of the house as long as the phone is within “striking” distance ,1,2,ever 3 rooms away .. NOT if you are not wearing the bluetooth
Or if you are busy working on some project, like making greeting cards for the Church sale coming up in June (18th) and you are working with a sticky glue, that sticks to you, but not the card stock!!! The handy hands free that used to be by the desk is gone, your phone is in need of a change, and your blue tooth gadget is ??? somewhere on your other desk in the clutter there.
That golden moment when you remember, your new set up, the cell phone has call answer and voice mail, YAY, so what your fingers and hands are full of sticky glue, you phone will take a message. All I need do, is find Hubby to get the SSS (Skin so Soft- Avon) great for taking away sticky stuff .. I’m sure somewhere there will be a website that will tell you of all it is claimed to be good for. For us, it’s getting the glue/sticky off.
Hanging out, chilling, doing whatever comes along… it took me awhile to achieve this.. I grew up when being idle meant you had nothing to do, therefore, a parent seemed to feel it was necessary to find you something to do. And/or, during the academic years, one was supposed to be studying and applying what time we had to achievements, goals, etc.
I am grown up now, and I can scratch my own back. (should I need to). We leave tomorrow for a road trip, therefore, I will not be sharing time with you till my return. I could I guess take the electronic gear I require to stay in touch, however, I’ll be busy collecting and shuffling my thoughts and ideas, so that when I come back, I’ll hit the ground running. Besides I’ve learned in life, that friends who are true, will be there for you when you need them, Since I have learned to like myself, I now appreciate and value my friends even more. You understand, how important it is to “let go” and live, love.. Love is being alive.
You’ve seen this guy before I like to keep him handy, cuz he reminds me that taking time to chill, is alright, and the more you allow time to nurture your inner Self, the stronger, and happier you become. I like being happy. Sharing with you makes me very happy, Have fun, enjoy the coming days, let your creative energy soar, I look forward to catching up when I return.
There are times when you travel down a back road, that the country side beckons to travel just a little further, and even lures you down a long forgotten,overgrown dirt road. Just enough width for you to slowly inch your way, so that the brush doesn’t leave a trail on the side of the vehicle, and your muffler if you are lucky, will make it intact, till you find a place to turn around.
You see signs of previous activities, but little else, the farther you go, the land opens up, and you see nature the way it is intended to be enjoyed. No parking lots, and fast food shacks, just the outdoors.
We were able to find a place to park off the single road we’d been on, and made the time to climb the embankment and sit a spell.. The dogs loved it, even though they had to dive, they swam and played, enjoying the freedom of being in that space and time, just as we did. What is it about the human race that we all want to travel to foreign lands, and only feel that we’ve been on a holiday, if we fight the traffic to the airport, wait in airport lobbies, and sit like sardines in metal contraptions that fly us through congested skies. To arrive in an exotic place that isn’t home, (to us) rush around to try to see everything there is to see, then tired and over spent, we head home. Back into the crowded airports, stand in line to go through customs, maybe even be detained. Then on arrival back home, we still have to get to our homes.. only to be faced with a pile of mail we have to deal with, maybe a good night’s sleep, and then we are back at work, dealing with the backlog of “stuff” that was what we wanted to escape with our well-earned holiday.
When really, not very far from where you live now, just by driving off the main roads. you will find a wonderland, that is pure, unpopulated by commerce and just a little farther, down the road waiting to be discovered.
Every time we venture off the tedious road of routine, we allow our “selves” to really holiday. A holiday is when we re-energize, re-group, reconnect with the person we are. Nature is the only true balm for the “soul”
Namaste – Oyashikiri
Pictures were taken in the Province of Quebec, near Rubert and Lac Peche
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.
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