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Sit and remember
Memories are powerful. You could even say they are like a superpower (Meik Wiking in the Art of Making Memories goes so far as to say so). I tend to agree. If you take the time to focus, to nurture a happy memory, it can transport you back to the specific moment. The feeling of the moment returns. Puts a smile on your face. I am fascinated by the things that can trigger a memory. A smell triggering a fond childhood memory. A taste. The call of the loon reminding me of the cottage. A song making me want to dance like I’m in my 20s. Returning to a meaningful…
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Harvest Salad
I enjoyed my first harvest today. A little harvest. Fittingly. It’s been four weeks since I finished planting our smallest little garden, and I am amazed at how much bigger everything is. The plants are flourishing. Thriving. Thank you sunshine! My painted rock labels are now buried within the lush greenery. It has become my morning routine to check on the little garden at the side of my house. Assess the progress. Water if needed. Mound the soil around the potato stems. Weed. Inspect. Play in the dirt. Sniff the basil. Rather spontaneously, I picked a bunch of green lettuce and purple kale this morning. Small clusters, still young. The…
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Alone Time
Imagine you are in Florence. In the popular Uffizi gallery. Standing in front of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. It’s the one with the Goddess herself standing nude on a large scallop shell casually covering her unmentionables with her arm and flowing auburn hair. The painting is famous. People come from all over the world to see it, or buy a replica on a souvenir. There is generally a crowd gathered around the masterpiece. Necks stretched to get a peak. In this instance you are completely alone. The room is empty. Serene. This a moment in Stephanie Rosenbloom’s book, Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities and the Pleasures of Solitude.…
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A happy souvenir
There are so many wonderful things about visiting a wine region. The glorious sight of rows upon rows of tidy grape vines. The musty smell of grapes as you tour a winery operations. A fun tasting with a friendly server. However there is one feature I am most appreciative at this moment: the tangible souvenirs you take home to enjoy later. And that is exactly what I am doing now. Savouring a memento from one of my visits to the Twenty Valley this fall. If you are imagining me sipping a wine, this is completely understandable. A fragrant rosé or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc are excellent choices on a warm…
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Our smallest little garden
The tiny green sprouts are poking out. It all started early April. A friend sent me a photo of her raised garden beds. She was starting a backyard garden, maybe I can too? Her sunny plot is in California. Mine could not be so ambitious. Nonetheless, my dreamy aspirations grew larger watching the Biggest Little Farm. Thankfully, the Halton Environment Network organized a helpful webinar on Starting your own Garden. This was the practical advice a first-time gardener like me needed to get going. Here’s the basic process I followed: Step 1: Find a sunny spot It’s the west side of our house. We have a very small patch of…
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Spotting painted rocks
Do you have painted rocks in your neighbourhood? Neighbourhood walks are the norm these days. Local is very local. So finding a new discovery on a familiar path really brings joy. Words of kindness. Cute creatures. Pretty flowers. Inspirational messages. The rocks are tucked along the path amongst shrubs, resting on stumps and nestled in tree trunks. Hidden just enough to make you slow down and take a closer look. Some have simple designs. Others are more intricate. They all make me smile. I don’t know who has planted these thoughtful ornaments. Thank you for sharing your positivity….and artistic talents! I hope you have these little drops of kindness in…
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A river of flowers
Peering down into the valley, all I can see is the earthy forest floor. Nothing remarkable. Mainly shades of brown. Decaying leaves, tree stumps, dead branches. I hear the faint hum of Bronte Creek in the distance. So far the path at Bronte Creek Provincial Park has followed the top of the ravine. It looks like a steep climb down. Down I go. Into the valley. At the bottom it’s marshy. The dirt path morphs into a boardwalk. On either side, the shallow water is still. Not even any gulping frogs. I continue along the boardwalk. There is a faint echo with each step on the wooden planks. I look…
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The emblematic trillium
The trilliums are blooming. Unlike the lichen prevalent throughout my neighbourhood, I have roughly a two-week window to catch these trilliums. A limited time to witness these short-lived blooms blanketing the forest floor. The white trillium is Ontario’s official flower. This much I know. The iconic petals embellish our driver’s license and health card. But what else could I discover about our provincial emblem? Let’s see. The trillium became the official flower in 1937. It grew out of a movement during World War I to chose a national flower to plant on the graves of Canadian soldiers overseas (though a national flower was not chosen). I headed over to e-laws…
