Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of September. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed.
--Art Wolfe
Rather an apt quote for this month's gratitude post.
1. What a glimmer this was!
This wee moth was having a daytime snooze in one of my mandevilla vine flowers. Wouldn't you love to be tiny enough to have a nap there?!
Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of March. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. My apologies that this was not out on Thursday, but where did May go?
1. For the third year in a row, we attended a couple of Jane's Walks in Windsor. Jane’s Walks celebrate our local communities: "neighbourhoods, and the people who live there.” This year Windsor’s festival, the last weekend in April and the first one in May, was the fourth largest in Canada, pretty good for a smaller region. One of the two we did was in Butterfly Lane, a nondescript back lane in Walkerville, which is a neighbourhood in the east end of Windsor.
Homeowners gave permission for artists to paint on their fences or garages.
Local artists did the beautiful butterfly artwork in the lane to raise awareness of brain injury in their community. There were many beautiful pieces.
Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of November. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton
English author, philosopher
Creator of the character Father Brown
1. The sky a couple of days ago at sunset caught my eye and never mind gave me a glimmer; it set my heart on fire! This is without any kind of filter, and it still does not do it justice how jaw-dropping vibrant the colours were. If only I had taken my phone out with me when I first stepped onto the back deck to look up--a big flock of Canada geese were flying over at that very moment , silhouetted against this fiery backdrop. By the time I ran back into the kitchen to grab my phone, they were over the next street away.
I posted it to Instagram the next day, and an even better shot was sent to me by my friend Mieke who lives right on Lake Erie's shore. We live about ten houses up. Look at this:
Looking southwest over the lake; used with permission.
I asked her if these magical sunsets are because the sun is lower at this time of year, and she said she thinks that's part of it but also because of the evaporation from the lake, there are a lot more clouds. This reminded me of a comment from the caption of the catamaran we were on in Key West years ago, a sunset cruise. When clouds were building up and everyone was starting to get disappointed, he said that sunsets are actually better when there is cloud because the light bounces off them. I think a quilt shot might have to happen here, and Mieke has said to walk on over anytime!
Holy moly! One hundred gratitude posts (brain emoji). My first one is here, written on May 8, 2014. This was before it was a 'thing', and it was an idea I'd had all on my own. I like, no I love that I have done this for so long. I keep thinking that each year I should print the twelve posts I write and put them into a booklet... There, I've put it in writing, so I will investigate!
A grateful heart
is a magnet for miracles.
--Unkown
Welcome to my post of glimmers (of joy and wonder) and gratitude for the month of October. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
1a. I've been often in the "I hate humans" mode because of Gaza, of world leaders' NOT doing their job, of the rampant destruction of our planet, because of greed, and of the pervasive negativity... However, our recent Maritimes trip had me several times thinking how much I love humans, and how no matter what province we are from, we have common ground on many levels.
Cavendish Beach PE
At one charging station in Quebec, we couldn't get our Chargepoint user card to work in the Circuit Éléctrique charger. These Quebec chargers do not accept credit cards either, something that we think needs to change, as other networks do this as well. A gentleman came up to us and asked, "Y a-ti-il un problème?" to which I responded, "Notre carte ne marche pas; la machine ne l'accepte pas." and then he continued in English and when he couldn't get it to accept our card, he said, "I can do something else..." He did something on his phone, held it to the card reader, and voilà! Charging started. When we realized he had prepaid for a charge, I said I had cash and turned to the car to get it but he stopped me, saying no it's just fine, not to worry, and off he went! It got us to 75%. MacGyver figured out that the balance on the Chargepoint card, which is a prepaid system, had gone below $5 and he hadn't realized it to reload it. All went well after that learning moment. But what a kind human.
The last leg of our trip was spending two days in Halifax.
Fishermen's Cove Dartmouth
Fishermen’s Cove is an adorable little spot near the mouth of the Halifax Harbour, a beautifully restored fishing village. Unfortunately MacGyver and I did not communicate properly and he took us there first thing on Sunday morning when they weren’t open until noon (autumn hours). He is Mr. Efficient when it comes to planning a route, which I totally appreciate, because I am the same. However, checking business hours for shopping is not high up on his list of priorities. Still, there was a silver lining to my disappointment at not finding something unique and handmade to take home: the lack of people meant that I got a couple of pretty sweet photos of a quilt that’s going into Make Modern next spring!
From Ingonish we headed on to Chéticamp on the Cabot Trail, hoping to do the world famous Skyline Trail that day, but if not, then the following morning. The parking lot fills up fast, and when it does, they close the trail, and the fines are very substantial if you park on the road and walk in. Once 30 or so vehicles depart, then they will reopen the lot. However, this first window for us happened to be a pretty cool day (high of 13-15) within a cluster of gorgeous warm (low 20s) days, so when we arrived at around 11:30, there was plenty of parking to be had! Before we arrived we made a few stops.
Green Cove
Colour and texture, bracing wind and powerful pulsing surf, a mesmerizing cocktail.
When planning the Cape Breton section of our Maritimes trip, MacGyver confessed he was a little anxious about the charging infrastructure as it's pretty remote. Never did we think we'd be more concerned with the charging of the human body infrastructure!
Now if a human could live on the non-stop feast that was before our eyes over the past two and a half days, then we'd each have been stuffed to the gills. My heart was aching almost 24/7 with the utter splendour.
Ocean view at the top of the 23-storey high Freshwater Lake Look-off Hike
We love to go a bit off the beaten track, so to speak, when we travel, opting for secondary highways as opposed to major ones. This gets us more in touch with the real landscape as opposed to the manicured, everything-looks-the-same landscape of highways/motorways/interstates. These lower speed limits are where EVs really shine. Because we are going at speeds around 80-90 kph as opposed to 110 on the major highway, the car goes through less energy. It’s also in the automatic mode where it’s learning the driving habits so it maximizes energy use in that way too. Remember in one of my W-EVnesday posts where I wrote that my husband said it’s basically a smart phone on wheels? A great analogy.
The colours of fall continue to mesmerize me
This is Highway 6 in Nova Scotia, a little bit west of Pictou.
Other than my Gratitude and Glimmers posts, I haven’t really mused much of late. I never wanted this blog to be only about quilting, but have it be a place to share bits of my life and thoughts in my brain. I started this blog 12 years ago this month so it seems fitting I should post a little bit about goings-on which, as you can see by the title, is currently a trip.
Yes, that is Three Pines, and yes, that is Knowlton, hometown of Louise Penny, and yes, we stayed the first night just outside of Knowlton in Lac Brôme Hotel (highly recommend).
Three Pines is really a state of mind. It’s where we live when we choose to be kind.”
Welcome to my post for the month of all things I like and for which I am grateful. You can find links to more posts like this one at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color. Glimmers are the little things that give me a frisson if you will, of joy or happiness or excitement or all three.
1. This is the fifth time we’ve been to Cuba but the first time we went to Cayo Coco. What another beautiful place! Here are just a few photos, none are photoshopped for colour. It truly is this eye-popping, saturated turquoises and blues.
Damage from last year’s hurricane brought in sandbars and rocks that were not here before. It’s very shallow for a long way out. You can walk forever along the shore, kilometres of beautiful beach.
Still struggling some days at finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness, a lift to my spirits. Being grateful has become a habit though, and I snap photos all month long as reminders of these glimmers. Gratitude does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
1. I like this sign I saw on a dog walk in Kingsville earlier this month.
I readily admit that I have had a bit harder of a time lately in some ways finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness. Being grateful, however, has become a habit, and it does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.
1. This one makes my heart sing! About a year ago, an Etsy customer, Wendy in Boston, messaged me after she'd bought my pattern, Grace, asking if I thought she could reverse the pattern to make two quilts that fit together, like a friendship necklace, she said, for her niece's twin baby girls. I loved the idea and sent her a colouring sheet in reverse image. It is now a part of your download for the pattern. She sent me this photo last week!
The twins are now about ten months old. Wendy did the smooth-edge heart. Instructions for the smooth or jagged (broken) heart are included in the pattern.
Welcome to my monthly Gratitude post. All month long I note little things that make me smile, that me feel gratitude, things that I like or love. Several of us write these posts; you can read more at LeeAnna‘s blog Not Afraid of Color.
1. I love dogs. When I was in Alberta at the beginning of May, visiting Brianne and Brady, one of the things Brady requested we do is meet up with my niece, Brianne's cousin, Sheila. She has three little dogs, cute little characters, who love going to the off-leash dog park in Edmonton's River Valley. It is a massage for the soul and spirit there: dogs of all sizes, shapes and ages, running around, just being dogs. Some chase balls, others chase each other, still others just amble or race along behind or in front of their owners. There is a huge field where they can run around, there are trails through forest and bush, and there is the river where they can swim. It's a paradise, and always leaves all four of us, well all seven, counting the three fur mops, just so content and at peace.
Good morning. Yes, I did not write this up ahead of time because I wanted to write it from where I am: the incredibly beautiful Catskills of New York. This was the view out our bedroom window this morning.
That is through the window (as you can tell) with my iPhone, no filter. Clearly, it down't do it justice, and clearly, that view takes your breath away. Mountains are on the other side of the cute little cottage we are staying in. We have mainly come to visit our dear friend John, who has appeared from time to time on the blog with his beloved dog, Brandy, now over the rainbow bridge. I am excited to explore, and watch for more photos here and on Instagram. Can you imagine how pretty it is in spring with those apple trees in bloom? We are staying in Janette and Eddie's (friends of John's and now of ours) cottage on their beautiful property.
I thought I'd pop into your inbox this week with a little update. It seems I don't feel the urge to write nearly as often these days, and I don't want to only write when I have a finish, so here's what is going on in my world since I got back from Alberta.
Fall is gently making itself present here. As I look out my sewing room windows I see the Norway maple about 50% yellow, and the red oak maybe 10% gold and red. I love the enflamed look it gets, as it turns in small 'chunks', not a gentle all-over that creeps, nor an outside-in turning as do the softwood (I think?) maples. I see deep forest green with 'hits' of flames, just breathtaking every single time I see it, which is all day long. The English oak on the far right, and the Linden just to the left of it haven't started to change. If I look way up, à la The Friendly Giant, which clearly dates me to a Canadian child of the 60s, I see the black walnuts have just started to fade to a paler green.
Welcome again to my monthly post of gratitude. If you'd like to read more uplifting posts from around the globe, head to LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color where she writes a weekly post, and others link up theirs. It will definitely lift your spirits; often these things we all note are simple things, don't cost much, if anything.
1. I am grateful for a very wise and experienced dog trainer named Maggie Mason, highly recommended by my friend Liz. About three weeks ago we went to her, at our wits' end with Xena. Walking her had taken a severe downturn, she was still charging and barking at Bella, and she was so fixated on the truck. A ride somewhere in it seemed to regress her, and she would withdraw, become aloof and anxious. Well. The one-on-one time with Maggie was invaluable in that she gave us a couple of pointers, was able to observe Xena and evaluate her, both outside and inside her facility, and said that although it was clear she'd been very abused, she knew there was a very good dog in there. I had realized within a few days of having Xena that she'd been on a chain for probably most of her life; her paw sensitivity and dexterity with her legs when the leash wrapped around them, and wherewithal to extract her leg(s), even literally doing a little handstand to hop over her leash (we'd kept her on leash in the house for the first several days as she acclimated to us and us to her) had made it click. Well, Maggie observed from the way her neck skin wrinkles from time to time that she had not one but two or possibly three chains around her neck... Maggie gave us some puppy training stuff to work through, since she figures she never really got to be a puppy, and said to call us in a few weeks when she should be more ready for training.
Well. The next day I suggested we walk together, all four of us, instead of one of us taking Xena, and one taking Rufus. MacGyver reluctantly agreed; we don't walk well together. My natural pace is much faster than his, and the dogs often play off one another which aggravates his rather short fuse of patience. So, off we went. Well, not quite like that, as Xena did NOT want to leave the house or 'her' truck, but with some liver treats (Maggie said treat, treat, treat), and the fact Rufus was leaving too, as well as both of us, she did come along.
From that very walk, it was a revolution in her behaviour and progress. A lightbulb went on in her head. It's been uphill ever since: she is much less reluctant to leave home, she is HAPPY as she trots along, tail up in the air, wagging, she's smiling in that wrinkled cheeks way that bulldogs do, we don't have to treat her as much on the walk, and her at-home behaviour has markedly changed. She's more affectionate; she comes OFTEN to give us kisses, sashaying her hips, wagging her tail, all wriggly; asking us to sit with her on the dedicated quadruped loveseat, she lets us hug her for short periods, LOVES my nightly jaw, cheek and head massages, even rolls back for short, very short, belly rubs. It's like she has established in her doggy mind that we are a pack. She seems, little by little, to be realizing this is her HOME. She's even instigated some play with Rufus, she has regular zoomies (mostly outside...), and she's actually sort of figured out how to play with a ball! Before, she'd just look at me, like huh? What is that? Why are you looking at me like that? Go get it if you want it.
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.
I know we say it each month, but it seems only two weeks ago that it was the beginning of April, the start of my annual QAL, and my birthday, and here we are with one day left in the month! April is one of my favourite months of the year. Although the up and down weather can be frustrating, in general, it is such a month of hope and promise.
Top row: First week of April beginning with April Fool's on the 1st - no fools, snow! March had been beautiful and all kinds of spring flowers (many posted on Instagram) were thriving, like the squill and daffodils and the white magnolias, with the pale pink ones beginning to open. I was even in the pool on April 7, enjoying the summer-like temperatures.
Bottom row: April 18, my azalea was glorious, as was our pale pink magnolia, at its peak, when, on the 21!!! we got even more snow. We've lived here a total of 14 years, and other than a few whirling flakes through the air that melted as soon as they hit the ground, we've not seen snow like this. I was able to cover and protect the azalea but not the magnolia. It melted within the day, so it was good for the grass and roots of plants! Not so good for Sandra's spirits however.
Once again the end of the month is nigh and it's time to gather my 'likes' for the past month and link up at LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color.
"When I'm grateful, I live in Three Pines."
-Louise Penny, from an interview at the end of Bury Your Dead
1. I am so grateful for these books. I'm grateful for authors, period. Living in another's world, be it fictional or real, is nourishment for me, on all levels, mental, emotional, spiritual and physical. You may think huh? Do you walk/run while reading, Sandra? Well, tbh, if the book is an audiobook, occasionally I will listen as I walk, one earbud in so I can still hear my surroundings. However, I prefer to listen to my surroundings when I do walk, so listening to books while walking is the exception, not the rule. But if reading sustains, no, nourishes, enhances, my mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, then it is a given that physical health follows, for me.
Sidenote: This was the second time reading Bury Your Dead. The first time I read it was over a decade ago. It was recommended to me by my good friend, Marianne, a prolific reader. She introduced me to the Gamache books, and said how good this one was, and that it had won more than one award. However, it's book #6, and at the time I had no clue about the first five, so although I enjoyed it, especially because of all the places in La Belle Ville (Quebec City) with which I'm familiar from many school trips there with my students, much of it had been entirely lost on me. I got out of order by mistake, reading #7 before #5, and then once I'd finished #5, I knew from having read #7, how important it was that I reread #6 now I knew.... you with me still?! So I reread it on audio book, loving every word (though I'm still irritated at the mispronunciation of some of the French by the narrator, but I digress).
I've mentioned before that I write my gratitude posts off and on throughout the month, adding things or taking photos along the way. So the above two paragraphs were written a couple of weeks ago. As I was adding to this post on Thursday, what came up in my YouTube suggestions when I went to do another meditation? This! I've only started it (it actually starts about a minute, slightly more, in) but I am in LOVE! I want a mask like Danny's that says, " I'm F.I.N.E." (snort!) Think I may have to make myself one!
Update: I've finished watching the interview, worth every minute of the hour. Knowlton is a truly beautiful town, like so many in eastern Canada, such history, the houses, the buildings, ahh, so be sure to pay attention to the video and don't just listen while you sew. 😉
