Thursday, May 27, 2021

Gratitude #52

1. It's no secret that I love yoga. This morning (Wednesday) is a full moon morning, make that a Full Flower Super Moon morning, the closest the moon is to the earth this year (Farmers' Almanac). I love the moon, especially when it's full. It is also a lunar eclipse, visible in certain locations. In the Ashtanga yoga method, we don't practise on full moon days, as one is a little more vulnerable at that time, and the risk of injury is heightened. However, I didn't practise on Monday, so it felt right to just do my sun salutations, which take about 10-12 minutes, and are a wonderful full body stretch. As I was doing them, I thought, you know, I love sun salutations.

2. I like this quote.

3. I love the smell of rain. It's an earthy primal sensory bubble for me; it is the colour green; it is a nurturing, a cleansing, mmm. It seems especially pungent after a string of very hot days.

4. I like my temperature quilt. It is such a fascinating graphic of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks to blogging, and my several Southern Hemisphere friends, I have (mostly) lost that aspect of my ingrained ethnocentricity (maybe there's a word for location-centricity).
We've had lots of red the past two weeks, even burgundy with a 30 and a 31C (86 and 88F) day. I spent a day picking apart the month of April and the first part of May to insert the Mango I decided to use instead of the other orange that was too close to the Grunge. It was worth all the aggro.

4. I read five books this month for a total of 22 so far this year. My unstated goal is to read four a month. The Forgotten Daughter by Joanna Goodman was absolutely excellent, a story about love and morals and principles and compromise and true understanding of another person. It also examines the need for vindication, and what lines one would or would not cross for one's principles.
Now, however, I must go back and read The Home for Unwanted Girls, which tells the story of a Duplessis orphan. My. God. This is another dark, horrifically dark, chapter in Canadian history, that I knew nothing about. Again it is the Catholic church at the root of the evil, well that and money. The Quebec government, under Duplessis, realized that more money came from the federal government for mental institutions than for orphanages. So from one day to the next, basically, they converted all the orphanages into mental institutions. What to do with those orphans? The doctors were made, by the church, to 'test' them and declare them mentally deficient, so they'd be placed there along with actual mentally ill patients. This way they were free forced labour. They were not educated or nurtured; they were physically, sexually and mentally abused. Who were the orphans? Mainly babies from unwed, or teenage mothers. And the nuns (church) believed the babies carried all the sin of the parents and were less than human. 
Untamed by Glennon Doyle was another excellent read. I highly recommend it.

5. Spring did not disappoint this year. Many of these are from Instagram, but worth reposting here:
May 2 - Forsythia beneath a towering magnolia, one of the biggest in my loop

A favourite little path to the lake--not happy that it's blocked, but the people who live either side of it will let me go down  the rather steep embankment on their properties should I desire it.

May 4: I love my street, and the carpet of pink, like a fairytale, isn't it, when the magnolias start to loose their blossoms.

May 11: the cherry or ornamental something trees were stunning this year

6. I love Lake Erie, as everyone knows! Lots of wave action on this day:


And then like a mirror on another!

We took Rufus to Seacliff Beach, my favourite beach, for the first time about a week or so ago. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. (Covid advantages) There are wonderful walks from the marina to the beach, and along a large pier (he's on it looking out below). He was not a fan of going in the lake, even to get a favourite stick!



7. I just love the zen animals bring to a home.

Rufus is showing Xena that she can be a lap dog too! When she's ready, of course. He has continued to be an absolutely AMAZING big brother to her, allowing her the space and personal space she needs right now. She has 'claimed' his beloved Poang, and he is totally okay with it.

8. This pose CRACKED me up.


She is definitely coming along and trusting us more and more. It helps that she is so food-centred (terribly underweight when she was first rescued).
9. This morning. I love how she comes right up to the phone, and she will do this with a kiss too.
We are seeing improvements in her reactions to Bella as of last night: Bella walked by twice and she just watched her without lunging and barking. Kudos to sweet (tough) Bella for persistence. I'm sure she's cursing us for bringing another canine into *her* home for her to have to train!

10. I like sales, and I do hope you've taken advantage of the 20% off everything going on at Connecting Threads. (affiliate link) It runs through May 31.
There is a code, SEW4SUMMER, required. You can use it multiple times.
Free shipping at $65 for US and $85 for Canada. In my cart are these two wide backs, a beautiful Moda Grunge and a Maywood Studio daisies print, which is available in primary colours too. I plan to check out the Clearance section yet. Yes, it is also another 20% off....


With blogger suddenly not allowing any photos to upload, I have now finished my order, and I cannot wait to get my hands on my purchases! I snagged another great multi-colour wide backing for an RSC quilt, along with yet another from the Clearance for my temperature quilt. It was $12/yard! A wide backing!

I had hoped to leave you with a magical moment photo with Rufus and Xena that occurred while I was writing this post on our upper deck, and which lasted over ten minutes. I took two videos and a couple of photos. She ended up resting her head on his forearm, and when he laid himself flat on his chest, he adjusted his left arm, leaving his right, with her head on it, totally still. It made me think of the boy putting his arm around his new girlfriend for the first time, and, although it starts to go numb, he keeps it there. 😍 She clearly has decided he's to be trusted.

10 pm Well finally many hours later, blogger is now letting me upload, so here it is. I did put it on Instagram so some of you have seen it.


Linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color where there is a wonderful gang of us who post these gratitude posts each week or month, whatever you want! I'll be back tomorrow with a finish!

9 comments:

  1. I love, love, love that sweet photo of Xena with Rufus. And the pink carpet under the magnolia tree is definitely magical!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful collection of photos, the pink carpet to the Lake just gorgeous! But number 8 was my fav!

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's great to hear how Zena is adjusting. Your spring pictures are so lovely. After the snow earlier this month, our magnolia did not recover as nicely as yours. The blossoms stayed on but they were brown and droop. The tree seems fine, but we really missed that blast of fresh beauty. Happy days Sandra!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fun to see all the photos of your pups; I got a chuckle out the Xena in the chair, looking completely relaxed (although the legs hanging looked a bit uncomfortable) - LOL. You have lovely surroundings for walks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's clear to see that Xena is beginning to experience the love that flows through your home right down to the other resident pets. Perhaps there will even be a mutual tolerance between Xena and Bella. It was nice to see the review of all the beautiful springtime blooms. It's raining here (much needed) but also in the low 40's (F), not needed. At least the rain will make it possible to dig in the garden and get more plants in the ground. It's Memorial Day weekend here in the US and the crappy weather in these parts will keep the crowds down.
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sandra! Love this post of gratitude. Especially Rufus and Xena. What a pair they are! Oh, I can just see Bella waltzing by. It won't be long and Xena will forget all about those older bad experiences with all the love and support she has with you. She is definitely chair challenged! ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  7. Looks like a beautiful spring in your area, Sandra! Love your photos of the trees and the lake. Your new girl, Xena, looks like she's going to be so happy at your house! Good boy, Rufus, for being so welcoming, too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post. I love all the nature photos. I think it would be interesting (and perhaps sobering) to compare temperature quilts from a single location over time.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such great gratitudes...yoga, nature, dogs, and fabric! We were going to do a temperature quilt challenge in a bee that I am in but covid fizzled us. I love seeing yours and those hot days so early this year - frightening.

    ReplyDelete