Wisdom

 If you inherently long for something. Become it.

If you want a beautiful garden, become a gardener.

If you want mental stimulation, change the conversation.

If you want to be valued, respect your own time.

                                                            ... inspired by Victoria Erickson

Me On A Monday - April 26th

              Good Morning On This Fair Monday Morning.

Currently Did Enjoy:  the first red tulips of the season. I enjoyed watching how tight the buds are until about 10am when as the morning sun warms them, they open fully to embrace the day.  I enjoyed for two days until the playful destructive black squirrels snapped the heads off to enjoy as a snack.  I could say many things, none pleasant, so I won't, for now.

Currently Anticipating: the growth of my rhubarb plant.  It likes were I transplanted it two years ago.  Last year I got about 6 stalks from the plant, enough to make my orange rhubarb loaf; excellent with tea for an afternoon book reading session.  I am anticipating I'll get more than 6 stalks this year, enough to make at least two orange rhubarb loaves! One for now, one for the freezer.

Currently Thinking :  that this photo of our Ontario flag, destroyed by two playful destructive black squirrels, is SO representative of how I feel life in Ontario is right now - in tatters; COVID variants, we have 4, vaccines roll out is improving ... I'll say no more.

Currently Awaiting: from the library, 3 DVDs of the first season of The Ambassador, starting Pauline Collins.  It was aired in Britain 1998 - 1999.  The referral came from the librarian that knows our taste & preferences.  Have any of you seen?  Thoughts?

Currently Crafting:  towards my goal for 100 Day Project, more cards & more scrap book pages.  I have on order from my favourite scrapping store, Two Scrapbook Friends, some supplies in anticipation of NSD this coming weekend. I will be pulling out the stash already started for my pages of COVID-19, Pandemic, Lockdown life.  My plan with these supplies is to get caught up on this particular album.  I recently found some great ideas on Pinterest.  For those of you using Pinterest, just key in Pandemic and/or COVID & you'll get 100's if not millions of ideas.

 

I'll leave you with this thought ...  "as you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters always point in the correct direction"

Wisdom

 

You Are A Fine Piece Of China.

Don't Let Anyone Treat You

Like A Paper Plate.

...Southern Love & Blessings

Me On A Monday - April 19th

  

Good morning everyone. 

Currently Watching: I did watch the funeral of Prince Philip on Saturday. So well done, I think he would have been pleased.  

Also on the watching, part 1 & 2 of The Secrets She Keeps. Laura Carmichael of Downton fame is quite good in this . On pay for movies, we watched The Courier, with Benedict Cumberbatch.  We both liked & I would recommend.

Currently Participating: in several Zoom health related workshops, so far they have all been more of a one-way workshop, you can submit questions via the Q&A function of Zoom, but there's no conversation from participants.  All part of the privacy guidelines.  These workshops have been put on by the local family health teams.  I've participated in Anxiety-Dial It Down,  Mindfulness, Part 1 (part 2 is next week), Moving Beyond COVID, which is made up of a panel of health leaders including our regional Public Health Officer, she's excellent at giving facts both medical & scientific. Dr Mercer is a good reality check.

Currently In The Garden:  the weather has turned rather chilly of late, & the forecast is for snow on Tuesday night.  Things in the garden are growing with the sunshine, some daffodils & tulips are in bloom, which is so encouraging.  I started my morning glory & sweet peas from seed & the little heads are poking through the dirt.  We got a quote from our yard man to either re-seed or put new grass sod down on one side of the house when it is almost nothing but dirt.  I was taken back by the cost.  While re-sodding is a quick results, I wonder how long the good looks would last.  The reason we have a mud/dirt bowl, is that the neighbour we share lawn borders with, does not do anything to keep his lawn healthy.  Last year because of a regional Japanese Beetle outbreak, grubs took over but our side yards.  While we cannot use pesticides, which would kill the little buggers quickly, we can use natural things, like spraying live Nematodes to eat the grubs or Milky Spore, which is also a bacteria that will kill the grub if they are the Japanese Beetle (which these are). But if we are the only one doing, it doesn't do much, but neighbour man won't spray the Nematodes or Milk Spore; he doesn't understand that these are living things, not chemicals, he refuses to discuss.  SO, I am leaning towards the re-seeding with white clover rather than grass.  White clover is sterile so won't go crazy & take over, plus it is cheaper than grass seed & doesn't require the same amounts of water to keep in green & growing.  At this point anything would be an improvement.

                                                🙏🙏🙏

So another week of lockdown is upon us, which was originally  scheduled to be over end of April, but our Premiere has added two weeks to the original 4 weeks.  Ontario is really struggling with rising cases of the B1 variant, the demand for ICU beds & ventilators, along with a medical care system that is breaking down in exhaustion. Match this up with a delayed shipment of vaccines by 10 days, well it equals dark days ahead.  I'll say no more for now.

 

Wisdom

 

A Young Man Said  "Erasers Are Made For Those That Make Mistakes"

A Wise Man Replied " Erasers Are Made For Those Willing To Correct Their Mistakes"

Attitude Matters.

Me On A Monday - April 12th

Good Morning.  I trust that everyone had a good weekend.  

Today's post is not what was originally planned.  What I originally wrote Saturday morning, was a rant.  A rant about COVID, a Shutdown moved to Lockdown & people still not getting it.  But I decided no one wants to hear my rant because I certainly am tired of the COVID news.  Anyway, Ontario went quickly from shutdown to lockdown-stay at home orders on April 8th for 28 days.  It's our own fault.  I hear my self quoting Argus Filch of the Harry Potter series, "I want to see some punishment".

SO instead today, I'll start with expressing my condolences to the Royal Family on the loss of Prince Philip. He died on the 99th day of 2021 at age 99 years.  

One of my personal "contact" times with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was through the Canadian Pony Club.  Every year the pony club organized the Prince Philip Mounted Games, which was a series of mounted equestrian games for the under 18 years of age & within each of those regional pony clubs, the winners joined the provincial team to play in the Canadian championships & then on to the Commonwealth Pony Club games.  Prince Philip did attend one year in Ontario.  Alas I was not part of the playing team that got to meet with him.  I was one of those designated as a barn runner, stall mucker ... we were the unseen team.  Still it was great fun.

Currently Celebrating: The dreams of many a little horse crazy girl; congratulations to Rachael Blackmore & her horse Minella Times for being the first woman jockey to win the Grand National.  Elizabeth Taylor from the movie, National Velvet, looks from heaven with a smile. 

Currently Watching:  finishing up season 2 of Folye's War & beginning Wycliffe. Thank you Eileen for that referral.  I do have a little rant; I wish the library system would list the individual DVDs in order of story.  

Currently Disappointed: the package of pink & white daffodils that I purchased last year & potted up, are proving to be mis-labelled.  Lovely none the less with their white petals & golden cups, although I feel disappointed there are not pink cups as promised.

Currently Surprised: by all these tiny blue flowers in my garden.  I cannot remember the name of the flower (bulb) but I am grateful they have multiplied & help to ring in spring with their tiny blue bells.  I am also surprised at the number of blooms appearing on my sole surviving Hellebore.  It looks a little muddy from the Sunday rain showers.

Currently Crafting: I am trying to keep up with the 100 Day Project by scrapbooking ... using a new to me die that cuts out a mini clipboard for a journal spot.

 & card making... the first card is a window card that I made following online instructions. The three brights were a c.a.s.e. from my Stampin Up demonstrator.  The others were just free thinking from ideas on Pinterest.  *(c.a.s.e. = copy & share everything)

I leave you with this quote, which made my chuckle, although I don't personally have any issues with Monday.

"Monday is like that person who showed up at your party, uninvited.  You allow it, but honestly how rude."

Wisdom

 

It's Not The Load That You Carry

That Weighs You Down,

It's The Way You Carry It.

C.S. Lewis

Me On A Monday - April 5th

Good Morning.  I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Easter weekend.  

Currently Wishing:  we had left overs of Friday's pasta dinner.  It was SOOO good.  A stuffed butternut squash  ravioli.

Currently :  As of Saturday, April 3rd, we in Ontario are in a 28 day shutdown, which is not to be confused with a lockdown, well at least according to the experts.  A shutdown means that businesses can be open but with limited in person shopping, no eating at a restaurant, take out only & no personal services. And we are to stay home unless we need to go out for essential things, like work, a doctor's appt.  We were told by our Prime Minister & our Premiere to not gather with those outside of our immediate household over the Easter weekend, but from what I saw on Sunday, it seems our little village was exempt from that rule.  I'll say no more for now.

Currently Reading : The Jane Austen Society, a pleasant & easy read.  I would almost describe this as a beach read.

Currently Watching:  Season 10 of Vera, we picked up the DVD set from the library on Thursday & enjoyed 1 of the 4 episodes every evening over the long weekend.

Currently Missing: the smell of Easter Lilies.  I cannot have at home as the entire plant, even the pollen, is poisonous to cats.  I always took long deep sniffs of the Easter Lilies adorning the church, but alas no in person services allowed.  This comes from our diocese bishop who is not allowing us to return as yet to in person services because so many of the individual churches that make up our diocese are in the hot zones of the third wave with the B1.1.7 variant very rampant. 

So I instead adorned my dining room table with fake red tulips - again cats ...

 

Currently Anticipating: the real red tulips, which are NOT in bloom as yet. Every thing is still brown.

 

And just like that, we begin another week.  I am working on the SPSH list, which will again be a list that takes in to consideration that some of us may be in areas of restrictions and/or a return to lockdown conditions unless of course you live in Ontario were it will be shutdown ...