Blossoming

 

You burst forward without warning nor pageantry, oh favourite bloom of mine. 

Your stay is brief but magnificent all the same, filling the air with your heavy sweet perfume, and teaching us to savour what is before us, and not to come. 

Your life however fleeting fills my heart to overflowing, and makes me happy, oh favourite bloom of mine.

I Am Thinking Of

Today's 10 minute writing prompt: I am thinking of...

I am thinking of so many things at this exact moment in time. The arrival of spring is upon up us – or so she would have us think. For the first time this morning I heard the squirrels having a turf war with the crows. Dogs barked incessantly in the background and a flock of geese flew noisily overhead. The ground was spongy, and snow covered most of the ground. I stepped in dog poop that was disguised as earth. That’ll be a pick-up job for another day. 

I marveled and how quickly the seasons change. They lure us in with promise of warmer weather and springtime just long enough to hammer us with a final dose of winter. Our taxes are due in a week. Springtime surprise, I thought as I see the recycle bin roll by. 

My to do list is infinite, even in this pandemic. How is that possible? I have to see my dad soon. It’s been too long. And my grandkids are probably not going to know me. I am feeling busy and tired but in a strange way satisfied. Daily writing has been a blessing. A reminder that there is something in every day of living worth writing about. It is easy to forget that. My pile of half read books beckon – don’t forget about us. And my puppy whines at my feet, also asking me to not forget about him. Just to make sure I don't, he snatches my rubber book and makes off across the kitchen. 

Fridays seem to be that day when we finally allow ourselves to let down, and let it all hit us. My mind overflows with memories, reminders, faces, ideas – genius ones at that – wishes and dreams. I am thinking that maybe I need to take a break from thinking for a bit. I wander down the hallowed pathways of my memories, excavating, those that I have left undisturbed for so many years. I do this when I am thinking about my mother. It always comes back to her. I miss her. But if I let myself, I can conjure up the warmth of her neck, her kind voice and her loving embrace.

And how is your Friday?

Gullible and Grateful

First day of April -- April Fools Day. And admittedly I got a little sucked in by a bogus article citing Elton John, Bob Dylan and Bono as the entertainment for a Safest Company Conference. I should have been tipped off with the mention of Charlie Sheen as keynote... oh well, label me gullible!

At least we have had a taste of springlike weather. And by taste, I am talking an "appetizer" sized taste - just enough to whet the appetite for anything other than cold and snow. We're weather weary here in central Canada and are desperately seeking sunshine and warmer temperatures. But I feel a little guilty about complaining when our maritime provinces are getting barraged by blizzards, even as I write this.

And as I get ready to sign off, I see that Chile got hit with an earthquake that registered 8.2 on the Richter scale. Even worse, the country is on tsunami alert. Mother Nature's cruel April Fools joke?

So my thoughts are with the brave souls dealing with adverse weather and unnatural disasters, and I will be counting my blessings and feeling grateful for my safe and warm home. Seriously.

Random Rattling

Sometimes there is so much to say - that I say nothing at all. Disjointed emotions,  revelations, epiphanies roll around my head like bumper cars - independently, unattached to words; content to remain unlabeled.

The long weekend opener of the season has come and gone, leaving a promise of sunnier and warmer days to come. The lilacs are spectacular, tapping on the window pane,  their scent - heavy in the air. I captured some and imprisoned them in a clay jug, but judging by the droopy sprigs, they seem to be rebelling. Spent holiday Monday removing last summer's plant corpses from the garden to give the new greenery a chance to thrive. My aging rose bushes lashed out at me as I tried to retire the brown and broken stems - and I have the scratches to prove it! The dandelions went more peacefully but the nasty thorny weeds showed me who's boss!

We've been immersed in precious new life and conversely, the struggles of an aging life. The newscast is riddled with stories of political corruption and man-made and natural disasters. Like a pendulum I swing from disgust and disappointment to shock and heartache at the destruction and losses; Boston, Bangladesh, Iraq, Hamilton, Texas, and Oklahoma. And just when you start to feel the "negative creep" ... stories of human triumph trump all and reminds me of the best part of humankind. Sometimes optimism gets buried under the noise, but like the resilience of humankind, it is omnipresent and just when we need it most, it rises to restore.

Sometimes there is so much to say - that you just start typing and magically the words attach themselves to  emotions and revelations that are rolling around your head - and you are surprised!

Fast Forward

Frigid temperatures finally gave way to Spring, coaxing trees and perennials out of hibernation. Days tumbled into weeks since my last post - the busy-ness of life, shifts and changes all compressed into a sliver of time. My parents divested themselves from their life in Florida and came home. Our grand lady Doris got sprung from her retirement residence and is happily back living with her only daughter. We celebrated my sister's 50th birthday in true famjam fashion. We welcomed the nineteen year old daughter of my west coast cousin for a visit and played tourist with  her. AND I have a brand new niece AND an ecstatic MIH!

Where to start... I've been on overdrive with reflections and emotions rolling around my head and heart. I will share the best way I now how... in pictures.

Got the Fever

Deep breaths. You can smell springtime... or is that optimism? This is an ugly time of year with the gray monotone landscape, naked trees and dirty remnants left from the snow. It's the dreary that will soon transform into lush, colour and fresh.  I drove into the city to see Harmony yesterday. Signs of spring were everywhere and the transition - just beginning.

Fresh laundry waving from the line; bikes freed from winter storage lined up and ready; and the parks vibrant with frisky dogs, sports teams and scampering kids. A few hours in the sunshine and  thrive of the city and I've got the fever. Bear with me... it is a seasonal affliction that will recede when the fragrance of lilacs and apple blossoms hang heavy in the air. Here a few captures from my weekend of visiting (note the humongous pancakes that our dear Doris wolfed down for breakfast - and then charmed the restaurant owners to the point where they don't charge her for her food!).

Doris and her Saturday breakfast at the diner

Spring Tease

I am not sure if the temperature indicator on my dashboard is a blessing or a curse -  I mean, at sub-zero "springtime" temps, isn't ignorance bliss? I had to chuckle when I heard the radio hosts talking about the rumoured lynching of the groundhogs that had predicted an early spring. In our neck of the woods his name is Wireton Willie. But hey, can we blame these furry fluffballs if Spring has turned out to be a tease?

She shows up in living colour; pulls us in; flirts; toys with our weather sensibilities and then disappears. Hide and seek. She'll be back by the end of the week and after a few more grand entrances and flamboyant displays to satiate her need for attention, she'll settle down and stay for the season.

Spring is a short - but much anticipated - transitional season with only a small window of opportunity to make an impression.

So if you are listening Spring, we love you and want you back - for good. Enough is enough. Truly!

Springtime Stroll

Spring was lurking just outside the window waiting to be discovered and greet it head on, we did! I snatched my camera and hubby and I jumped into the car and headed towards the lake shore. We took an old fashioned Sunday drive -- on Saturday. The sky was the perfect hue of blue and the sunshine demanded cool shades. We drove along, following the lake, content to drink in the sights of people eagerly unpacking springtime, content to follow our whimsy.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves walking the Toronto waterfront. We watched enthusiastic boaters free their vessels from their shrink wrap;  the ducks and swans flit and flirt; and an endless parade of dogs, runners, and bikers stream by. It was evident - there was an epidemic of spring fever raging through the city.

After a long winter of house arrest, we are more than ready shed the shackles of isolation, cold and dreary for sunshine and warmth. And so we strolled along hand in hand, breathing in the fresh and renewed, and snapping pictures as we went. It was a good day, a reminder of promise and new beginnings. And here are a few of the pictures I captured as we walked.

Spring and Sprung

Awoke to brilliant sunshine flooding the kitchen, and a beautiful springlike day; perfect for executing "Plan Spring Her". My ninety-five year old step-grandma has been under quarantine for the Norwalk virus for more than two weeks at her seniors residence. Sick residents have been confined to their rooms with their meals delivered. While the healthy seniors are able to eat in the dining room, all activities are cancelled, visitors are prohibited and the place is pretty much in lock-down. Doris has been a trouper through it all, responding to my "it's terrible"s with a gentle, "oh well, what are you going to do. It could be much worse". No complaints. She has stayed upbeat and optimistic but enough is enough. Time to spring her!

I pulled up right in front of the building and walked past the glaring red stop sign warning me not to enter. Doris was ready and waiting by her door and after a quick sidebar on whether to take her walker, we opted to travel light and she took my arm instead. Minutes later she was on the sidewalk inhaling the first breaths of fresh air she'd had in weeks. She turned her face upwards to the sun and sighed a long contented "what a perfect day". Yup - it was just like spring.

We were two girls on the run - Thelma and Louise - racing up and down the aisles at Walmart, Doris tightly gripping the cart as we sped past avocados, up the bread aisle, over to the dairy section. We paused only to debate the merits of soap versus body wash before checking out. Then it was on to the diner for lunch. I opted for the all day breakfast and Doris downed a luscious Belgian waffle with whipped cream and copious cups of hot tea. She charmed the waitress and we got first class service and lots of free refills.

We chatted about old times and husbands. She told me the stories behind the rings on her fingers and how much she missed her husbands, especially her first. Her face softened as she spoke and for a moment I could see the young version of Doris, a girl in love with hopes and dreams.

She fought me on the bill but I won, telling her she could get it the next time. She smiled coyly and as we bid our server goodbye, she said "see you next Saturday dear". I think we have ourselves a new tradition.

She bubbled all the way home, so happy and grateful for the outing and a little visit. It reminded me that it doesn't take much to make her happy, and having her in my life makes my life brighter. And for that, I am so very grateful.

So today, on a beautiful spring day, Doris was sprung. And tonight, we spring ahead an hour.

Spring, sprung, and spring.

Hope Blooms

Season of possibilities with hope spilling forth in every bud and bloom. Springtime, the most anticipated season, my personal favourite, hostess to Easter and usher to summer.

Our home will soon be filled with the young and elder members of our tribe and the walls will reverberate with chatter, debate, and boisterous laughter. Doris will turn down her hearing aides to deafen the simultaneous cross-table conversations, and we'll be serving up heaps of love with the turkey and ham.

Tomorrow is Good Friday and we will raise our glasses to celebrate our family and remember those who  are missing at the table. I can't help but reflect on those who are alone, ill, or unable to fully enjoy the beauty of springtime, Easter, or Passover. If I could, my table would stretch to infinity and seat every one who needed some love, company or just a laugh. And if they were lucky, they too would come with hearing aides to subdue the din.

Wherever you may be, whatever your faith - and even if you have none - I wish you a wonderful weekend. And Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those of you who will be celebrating. And let's agree to keep hope blooming.

Celebration, Attitude, and Gratitude

I had a great day! It started off a little precariously when the power went out at 6:30 this morning -  after my shower thankfully. I had grand plans to make the most of my day off with an early, productive start so reading by candlelight wasn't exactly what I had in mind. When the power finally came on 110 pages later, I heard the washer and coffee maker start on queue, just as I had set up.

I have been struggling lately with an ailing shoulder (thus the blogging cut-back) and generally feeling lethargic and crummy. After a much needed attitude adjustment, I ditched the pity party and charted a plan for my health and well-being. The result - a great night's sleep and a revitalised outlook. In a nutshell, I woke up on the right side of the bed!

I met the day like a whirling dervish and did four loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathrooms, cleaned the kitchen, connected with my MIH, and stopped off to buy flowers for my hubby's grandmother's 91st birthday - ALL before meeting my MIH for lunch.

We had a great catch-up before we headed over to the birthday party, which was held at the long term care residence our grandmother lives in. She is blind and immobile and tends to slip back into German, her native language, when she is in a crowd. Although she couldn't see the family who had congregated for her special day, she could feel their love with every hug and hand hold.

After a humongous helping of strawberry, banana vanilla cake and a few hours of family time, we bade her a fond farewell and left her to rest in her room of stuffed animals and flowers. I couldn't help but marvel at the longevity of her life. For someone who survived incredible hardships and health problems, she managed to live out a full life.

Hubby and I took Fritz for his evening stroll through the forest and this time I went armed with my good camera, determined to capture the emerging colours that are signalling the wonder that is to come.

I just drained the last few drops of wine from my glass, Fritz is asleep on my feet and I can't help but feel contented. Life is good. Actually, it's great. And that is yet another reason to celebrate.

Unseasonal Greetings

We are in the midst of a heat wave! That's right - weeks of continuous warm weather and sunshine that really has no right presenting itself mid March. Not in these parts anyhow. It is as though the climate from Florida has crept up and snuck across the (U.S.) border - far ahead of the rest of the snowbirds!

And yet we are afraid to let our guard down and fully enjoy for fear of that winter will go on one last binge, terrorizing us with (God forbid) a random blizzard or ice storm. It's an unkind tradition, and we don't take it well. But the bulging buds on my lilac tree and the blooming daffodils I spotted in the forest yesterday seem to quell all skepticism and convince me that spring has unpacked and settled in, and that winter dissolved quietly into the night weeks ago with not even a goodbye.

And so I am embracing this gift of glorious spring without restraint. What will be, will be. But in a true act of faith, I have packed up the woollies and all things black and gray (mostly) and replaced the space in my closet with my spring and summer clothes. I am expecting smooth sailing from here on in.

And the only tickler in all of this unbelievably unseasonal weather is that it is not natural for this region - or any region in Canada. And the global warming issue stands silently in the corner.

Spring Break

It's spring break and although I am not in college, I am definitely loving the spring break we've been experiencing the past few days. The temps have soared way above normal for this time of year, the sun has been shining in all its glory and the air is fresh with a hint of promise.

I meet more smiles on the street; people are walking with a spring in their step; and is seems as though the world has moved outdoors. Lovers walk hand in hand and nuzzle on park benches; dogs on leashes playfully go nose to nose; and sun lovers crowd sidewalk cafes.

It's dark when I leave for work in the morning but the hours of daylight that remain at the end of my day energize me -- and remind me most of what I love about our changing seasons. Spring has arrived early - an unexpected but welcomed guest. I only hope that Winter got the memo, and stays away!

Blossom

The persistent rains have left lush in their wakes and a freshness in the air. Today the air is heavy with the perfume from the lilacs that have newly bloomed. Lilacs are my most favourite ... along with the apple blossoms. The slushy hues of lavender and pinks that line the street for just a few days are spectacular eye candy. And that the blooms last for such a short time makes them that more special ... like precious gems... to be enjoyed immensely, intensely and fleetingly. 

A perfect reminder to live presently, fully in the moment. 

Season Opener

It's still raining and grey today, but not as much as it was yesterday when hubby and I made our first visit of the season to our cottage. The mission was simple: make ready our cosy little hideaway - drop the water lines into the lake; connect the water pump; free the mattresses from their protective plastic; make the beds up; get the indoor plumbing working; stock the fridge and medicine cabinet for the weeks to come - rain or shine. So of course, nature tested us and we did it in the pouring rain, with the ground around our cottage so saturated and muddy that I practically canonized my hardware grade black rubber boots.

My expectations were low; I wasn't sure how the uninsulated cottage would fare through the frigid Canadian winter. So when I opened the door and was met with fresh smelling air, not a hint of must or damp, and a neat little cabin with all packets of mouse poison totally untouched - it was not only a relief but a spot of happy.

I sung as I fitted the fresh organic covers over the down duvets, plumped the pillows and stocked the fridge. I peered from the kitchen sink down to the lake and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of hubby, hood pulled up over his head, rain teeming down as he maneuvered himself with paddle in one hand, the water lines in the other, trying to find the optimal spot to drop them in. It was comical, and when he appeared proudly in the doorway, soaking wet, water rolling off his clothes and nose, we both had a good laugh about it. I snapped the budding trees, the red and white trilliums that so beautifully carpeted the forest floor and the desolate landscape that will - in a few short weeks - contrast with the summer variety.

We came and went in the same day; the cottage is ready for our return next weekend and will certainly be more hospitable than she was this weekend. This was a sampler of good things to come. Lucky me; lucky us. We are living our dreams with more joy than sometimes I feel I deserve. But then I remember ... there is no such thing.

Trying to coax the old snapping turtle off the middle of the road.