Everything's Coming Up Roses

Have you ever had a day when you keep noticing the same phenomena over and over again, like a private message just for you?  I have.

Recently, I had a day in which the colour rose kept turning up…everywhere I looked.  I was awake early and saw the sun rising over the neighbour’s rooftop, rosy hues in the dawn sky.

The sunrise started me humming the tune “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”   I smiled and noticed my insides were bubbly and light.  It was a cheery start to my day.

Later it rained (as red skies in the morning foretell) and the sedums in the garden became vibrant rosy pink in the wet.  I smiled as I noticed them.  Felt happy too.

 

As the day was ending, sun and cloud mixed.  The rain had slowed and the hydrangeas in the front garden glistened with droplets and were edged with rose.

All day long the tune ran through my head and rosy hues popped up, not just in my own yard but everywhere I went.

Ever had a day when colours displayed themselves and music sang itself to you, over and over again?

I wonder why it happens.

Photos and words are copyright © Carol Steel.  Words in red contain hyperlinks and will take you to another site with additional information, if you click on them.

My Mother is Moving

My mother is moving…again.  None of us thought she’d be uprooted so soon after moving to the country in early summer of 2011.  But life never hands out what we expect to receive.  So, though it isn’t her choice, she is moving again.

She’ll be relocating to a condo in Riverview, sharing living space with my niece and her three children.  The move wasn’t their choice either.  Sometimes life drop-kicks you in the head and you just have to deal with it.

If my mother is one thing, it is resilient.  She will survive this move and this reorganization of her life, yet one more time.  It is likely harder on the rest of us as we worry over the details of her move and all the “what if’s” that pop into our heads.

But Mum is resilient.  And this move is where she wants to be, with her grand-daughter and three great-grandchildren.  She loves them more than anything or anyone and will be happy with the lively household they create. 

Perhaps at 86 years young, she is fitter and more energetic and more mentally astute than most women her age because she lives in a bit of chaos with folks who need her and love her.

Oh sure, there will be the usual. " I can’t find my toothbrush.  Where is the other black shoe?  I hear the phone, why can`t I find it?  Why is the turkey roaster packed with the sleeping bags?"  The ordinary "where is this"  of unpacking will be temporary, but eventually they`ll settle in, with most of the lost items accounted for or purchased anew.

While moving is hard work, it is exciting as well.  They'll be in a modern home with cherry-wood cupboards and dark hardwood floors, two full bathrooms, ample bedrooms and a front and back deck, just a 5 minute walk to the school, near welcoming neighbours and a fresh new start.

A fresh new start, that`s what all of the family wishes for them.  Yes, a fresh new start, far away from the angst of the past year; a fresh new start, a new beginning, a new home.

I wish for my Mum, for my niece and for her children a happy home full of laughter and love. 

Blessings as you begin anew.

Photos and words are copyright ©Carol Steel.

Family Visit

We’ve had children and grandchildren around, off and on for the past two weeks.  More off than on and less on than we’d like, but that’s the way it is when family comes home to visit.  They have to spread themselves around, visit all the members of the family.

And our family is a combination, a blended family, so that means even more visiting for them.

They’re heading back to Alberta soon and though they won’t fly out until Saturday, I miss them already. 

We had fun during the two days and couple of evenings they were here with us.  Yes, there were ice cream slops and sticky finger prints when they left.  But that’s all part of having lively children filling the house with dinosaurs roaring and cars running, creating chalk figures in the driveway, cutting craft snowflakes, drawing pictures and giving warm hugs.  The laughter and giggles and hugs were the best parts. 

Yes, the hugs and the smiles and the laughter, I’ll miss those, miss them lots.

There are toys to return to their boxes and a spill or two to wipe up, but that doesn’t matter.  What matters is that they came all the way across Canada to visit. 

What matters is…we enjoyed them so.

Photo and words are copyright © Carol Steel.

Visit to the River

Yesterday, we went to the Shediac River to visit

my sister and brother-in-law. 

The river was full, geese were flying overhead

and a cool fall breeze was shaking the trees.

We enjoyed the day, the company, the weather but

it was cool enough that Mum needed to wrap up

to keep warm.

Even though the sky was blue and the leaves were still green,

there were tinges of orange.

It was a lovely day by the river.

Photos and words are copyright Carol Steel.

September

September.  We are eleven days into September.  It is not quite summer and not quite autumn…not yet.  The number of daylight hours is decreasing.  The evenings and mornings are cooler, brisk and fresh. 

Breezes swipe crunchy leaves from the trees.   The flowers have slowed or stopped growing.   Berries are ripe; the grapes turning purple.  The mountain ash shows off its bright orange clusters.  Wood is stacked and drying. 

The list of summer chores isn’t quite finished and, depending upon the weather, may have to become spring chores.  Swings and play sets, playgrounds and sand boxes are empty during school hours.  Everywhere, everyone and everything adjusts to the changes coming, the arrival of fall.

September.  Month of endings and beginnings, lovely mellow days and crisp starry nights. 

Enjoy.

Words and photos are ©copyright Carol Steel.

What is it About the Water?

What is it about the water? 

Whenever we have the chance to explore the coastlines of the Maritimes, we do.  There is something nourishing and healing about being close to the shore.

We explored the Terence Bay area of Nova Scotia driving all the way to the end of the peninsula to Lower Prospect.  At the end of the road, we sat and watched people perching on the granite boulders, massive stones which are so prevalent along that coast.  We watched people far out in the Bay in their kayaks. 

We were careful not to cross private property lines, though there does seem to be something inherently wrong about people owning the coast.  Then again, I suppose if I had the money to buy a 300 to 700 thousand dollar property, I might be touchy about people crossing my property lines as well. 

But I don't and won't, so feel happy to be able to look, smell the salt breeze, and feel the spray on my skin as waves splash.

I do appreciate where we live, here in the Maritimes and am content to take photos and enjoy what is free to enjoy.

Because there is something healing and nourishing about being close to the water, isn't there?

Photos and words are copyright Carol Steel.

Text in red contains hyperlinks which will take you

 to another site with additional information,

if you click on the text.

Attention to Sunsets

Attention to Sunsets

We were away from home last weekend.  Each evening we sat, paid attention to the setting sun, watched the colours change, the shadows grow and felt the chill of twilight.

Trees became silhouettes as sunlight splashed gold on cloud bellies.  We saw pink and grey become orange and slate at dusk.

We watched the setting sun reflected on waters in bays and rivers.  We watched the sun, a molten disc, dip sizzling into the ocean.

This photo belongs to K and L Banks

We sat in the darkness as it closed around us and watched the full moon rise and the stars twinkle on.  Here and here and then another, and then more.

We were away from home last weekend and each nightfall was a spectacle.  Vibrant, peaceful, lovely.

Each evening was a gift.

Photos and words are copyright Carol Steel, unless otherwise noted.