brown & green

cgps

2009-07-03T10:47:00.006-04:00

the perennials in this container have been in there for about 3 years now. the container goes in the garage in nov until late april early may. last year the japanese painted fern was huge! this year the golden bleeding heart is, the roma masterwort well, has a lot to compete with and you can just see the flowers if you look hard enough, best to click on the image to enlarge it, but the dark green leaves i think look great too.

a container renovation may be in order at the end of the summer season, which... comes with some decisions. do i put new plants in the container? only leave the painted fern in there for next year, put the others in the garden? new beds would have to be dug other plants to be moved....which made me remember a post on garden rant that i read a little while ago...'Put down the god-damned shovel and stop moving the perennials around on every whim!'...hmm. maybe i should just leave it for one more year the reason, they are doing so well is, i haven't touched them for 3 whole years.....unusual for me, not much is left alone in my garden for long. why you ask? i have cgps, chronic gardening puttering syndrome. it goes like this... 'this would look better here, against that, with that, more sun, less sun' the big one 'i just want to go look'....a garden nursery visit sets my shovel on fire with excitement, it knows, she's weak she'll buy something and have to move 3 other plants along the way.
gosh, i love that feeling of shovel in hand, thrusting it into the dirt, then inspecting that dirt which in many places now is lovely, lovely soil if i do say so myself. before the abscence of worms now the proliferation, and some good big ones too boot! see how i instantly succumb? i just went into a complete state thinking and writing about it...

yes i have cgps, i am a chronic garden putterer.

just start...

2009-06-30T15:37:00.009-04:00

[axonometric; series of parallel lines; projection technique to create a drawing of an object by rotating it on an axis...in this case a landscape design. allows you to 'feel' what it might be like to be 'in' the garden]

hand drawing is possibly becoming a lost art in the world of design with the intro of auto cad computer programs. I think it also maybe something some of us take for granted, i know i did. my mind didn't easily make the leap from one dimensional corporate worker girl to tools in hand 3-d drawing very easily, and i definitely have a long way to go. i usually sat staring at the assignments a.k.a blank piece of trace or vellum for well...let's say, thank goodness the office and 30 rock run back to back. i know no t.v. while doing homework!

a few of us were offered an opportunity to take some semi private classes lead by the instructor from this class, she's an amazing landscape designer and i am so grateful to be a part of this learning process. Most interesting is she confessed to going through much of the same process, staring, internal chatter 'i can't do this, i can't think of anything'...last night she put us to the 'be loose' test.

[drawing a cross-section from plan; analyze views, vertical and hidden elements and internal structures just some of the benefits. placing people allows a person to relate to the design]

3 house styles, 30 minutes - design 3 relevant fence AND details, 10 minutes per fence. let it flow, connect the pencil to the paper then move it, don't think. i think most of us felt sick, oh my gosh why am i here, i can't do it....in the end we all came up with great designs. all different, all our own style and all of us loved it.
when i look at these assignments, i still wonder... how did i ended up doing these again? did i really draw these? where the heck would i start if i had to do them again? just starting is half the battle...the best lesson i seem to keep learning :)

what a day!

2009-06-24T12:24:00.008-04:00

Gillenia (Porteranthus) stipulata so willowy swaying softly in the breeze

Lavandula dentata candicans, spanish grey lavender with its little forget me not flowers and whorling petals puffing out from the top planted in a pot on the front porch

French breakfast radish harvested from the raised beds, washed with the greens left on for easy dipping in sea salt

Digitalis purpurea 'Camelot cream' flush with blooms now done for the season.

what an absolutely stunning day it is here...

the dirt on blogging

2009-06-18T11:15:00.007-04:00

landscape archictecture magazine 6/2009 issue - a good read this month...

i know some people think blogging is a waste of time, don't see the point, too busy, etc etc etc.
part of the courage i get to continue the pursuit of landscape design definitely comes because of the blog sphere i've recently jumped into. of course i get lots of love and support from the people who are closest to me however, i find i'm fueled and able to gain great knowledge by reading about others who live, gardening, design, sustainable living, handmade, home cooked life and all the other ideas, values, and great pictures! that may come along with that. being surrounded by like minds is important to challenge and affirm. yeah sure, some the blogs i read, well have nothing related to any of those things but i appreciate the glimpse into the joys, sorrows, simple days, pursuits, thoughts or just funny stories that are put out there.
it also allows respite from the 9-5 world we may live in that may not necessarily be inspiring our souls but allow us to fund the passions that we do blog about. how blissful is it for those of you who have achieved the live, blog, work, live life!
i guess this is partially why i call it notebook, an online version that helps me live, embrace and move with the core parts that well make me, me. and to the blogs, people out there who do the same thank you for taking the time to share part of you!

It's never too late to be who you might have been.
George Eliot

mustard greens anyone?

2009-06-17T08:46:00.004-04:00

yep we've been eating A LOT of mustard greens lately. i planted them in 2 containers and i swear its like a Mary Poppins bag, never ending. i have never eaten them before, they are a very refreshing change from the tiring mesclun mix available in groceries stores. But alas, i think they have to come out by their roots soon, one last feast (need to look up few recipes, i think you can saute it) and on to the next, a seeding of green lights swiss chard, a mini variety.

ah french breakfast radish, they look ready, its been a long while since i've grown radishes, let alone eat them. think i will wait til the weekend and pick a few choice looking ones, with a bit of salt or dip, yum. funny, i look at bunches of radishes in the grocer or at the market but never think of buying them, and i can't say that i've seen other people reach for them either, i do like to look at what people buy...bit of grocery cart snoop i guess.
there's something about growing your own food, it just seems to taste better.

i must need a nap...

2009-06-16T13:31:00.005-04:00

I’m not a good do it all person, definitely not a type A, if there’s a type Z I think I’m it. I mean I get things done, mostly, not without help, usually just in the nick of time. I like to putter, usually under the pretence that I’m actually accomplishing something. I would rather nap, that’s the Zzzz part, but usually I feel guilty so don’t. I don’t think Coal feels guilty, I’m sure he doesn’t always want to nap but seems to embrace it if he must.

He’s definitely a type A when the leash is pulled out, around his flying squirrel frisbee, and hunting down flies in the house, if he hears a buzz, he won't even eat (yes he is a lab), must get the buzz. Not sure if I have type A ‘things’, I definitely need more type A things... probably, well one would be good. I am sure the husband would put grocery shopping on my type A list. I seem to be particular about the amount of fruit and veggies we eat, writing here though it only sounds motherish, not type A. Sometimes, I wish I was more type A about like oh, career advancement, money or gosh darn it at least about what I profess to LOVE! But boy oh boy, there’s that relaxing and dreaming to do.

Coal needs to have a good ‘squeak’ with his squeaker toy every so often too, not sure if this is a type A characteristic or because his little peanut is left of centre… crazy little creatures. I am sure many dog owners know the popularity of the ‘squeak’ with dogs. I can see all the heads tipping to one side wondering where that glorious noise came from, love it. The husband and I revel in the simple joy he gets from a good squeak session; he’ll just lie in his bed squeak, squeak, squeaking away, when you look at him, he’ll look back and thump his tail, happy as can be, nutty guy. He used to tear out the squeaker with a type A focus, lucky if that 10$ toy lasted an hour, but this last little character we got him, well he just wants to plain’ol squeak it, not all the time just sometimes. We often get sucked into that joyful moment, when it happens, laughing wondering ‘what the heck does he get out of that?’ Grabbing, it squeaking it ourselves, it does feel good, then he's off to have a nap. Yes, back to the nap ….but I think I need to think about what's in that 'squeak' a little more.

the 'squeaker'...

under its spell

2009-06-05T12:20:00.005-04:00

i think this is stunning. when i first noticed it i didn't quite understand, i go over and stare at it almost every day now, locked in spell. i just LOVE looking at it, absorbing it. Red Snakeroot, its common name, beautiful, well for some reason i think it is.
my mind just empties, pure meditation, i just keep staring.......is that rude?

delecatable elixir

2009-05-29T10:01:00.010-04:00

a week's vacation, back to work, travel for work and boom its the weekend again.

i had a STELLAR vacation. all i did was garden. garden at our place, then my Mom's and back to our place.

may 15th was a year ago that my Dad died, i was a little stressed about it. a year is an arbitrary date that seems to be set after a tragic even in which, apparently, most people have told me 'you will start to feel better'. i am not sure about that but ...i celebrated by doing what my Father loved to do, which was garden. part of that was planting a vegetable garden, his real passion was being a farmer on that family farm he grew up on. i loved it when he talked about 'the farm'.

in the mini raised bed is corn, sweet of course, valencia orange tomatoes, basil, french breakfast radish, mini carrots and a few giant vanilla marigolds started from seed, for pest control. although the sugar maple towering above was trimmed last year, i'm still not sure we'll get enough sun for the veggies especially for the corn but we'll see and it sure is fun to try!

ah now the pots (these are only a few, i might have mentioned before i have a bit of a pot obsession) there are mustard greens, tender swiss chard, rosemary, oregano, lime mint, peppery cress and edible flowers like nasturtium, YUM!

gardening is for me a delecatable elixir, physically, emotionally, it excites ALL my senses, makes me feel completely a part of the natural world, but most of all it connects me firmly with my Dad and with that softens the deep deep sorrow of missing him.

a nowhere garden post

2009-05-13T12:23:00.012-04:00

i love that this johnny jump up has found a spot in our lawn to call home.

the Rainbow Leucothoe doesn't seem to be too happy, too much sun and heat for spring? does it need a better spot?

the Gold Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart' is thriving in its planter, just planted last year and has doubled in size! the Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium goeringianum 'Pictum' just to left under the Bleeding Heart (hard to see but if you click on the image it will open and enlarge) isn't as robust as last year, i think i put the planter out too early and it took a bit of a hit from the cold, i am sure it will recover. the green leaves of the Astrance rouge, Roma Masterwort are just starting will give some nice texture and contrast and teh blooms will add some late summer colour.

the last of lawn bulbs, Muscari and short species tulips...the cable running across the tree root isn't that appealing is it? i keep meaning to rip that out ... it goes absolutely nowhere....

Autumn Magic in Spring?

2009-05-12T11:44:00.005-04:00

'Black Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa - Highly adaptable to a variety of soil conditions, the black chokeberry will complement any landscape. Attractive small white flowers in spring and glossy, deep green foliage in summer. Particularly effective in the fall with clusters of blackish-purple fruit and wine red to purple leaf color, this 5' h 3' w shrub is hardy to zone 3. 'Viking,' 'Elata' and 'Autumn Magic' are excellent selections.'

we picked 'Autumn Magic' i wanted a shrub that has great fall colour and berries that just love to hang on into early winter, originally when i researched shrubs most said that the berries on this one attract birds, but as i dug deeper i also found notes that said they only eat them as a last resort, so we shall see. i think it's a beauty and can't wait to see it flourish. we planted it in the back corner of the larger raised bed. that's one down. it looks a little lonely right now, what else what else, i think it needs some low growing evergreen surrounding it and on the outer edge, then perennials intermixed.

did i mentioned probably 50 bags of dirt are loaded in that planter, along with a fair amount of leaves...everytime we went out various kinds of manure and mix was on the shopping list! i love dirt.

the glorious raised bed

2009-05-05T07:46:00.003-04:00

'we're not just going to grow vegetables are we, i don't want to be a farmer you know' said the husband. 'well i already planted a row of corn' said the wife. 'oh well i like corn, it looks cool' the husband said and so he became an urban farmer. big outdoor project number 1 completed, he's a really good husband.

the backyard; when we moved in 5 years ago was already completely devoid of life and has no grass. shadowed by a large sugar maple (Acer saccharum) on the left and a crimson king maple (Acer platanoides 'Crimson King') in the yard backing onto us the previous owners had laid patio stones throughout the whole backyard along with the deck, only a vinca vine grew quietly in the back corner, the dog quickly took care of that though. happily i was able to salvage some struggling plants and relocate along the front of the beds to soften the look.
we're not yet sure what plant life will go in these lovely cedar raised beds, we still have to lug copious amounts of dirt to fill the larger one. but we're thinking small shrub(s), perennials, some herbs, plant life that attracts birds, bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, if there is any in our area oh and some veggies to be sure.

anti lawn evolution

2009-05-01T10:15:00.010-04:00

yep, that's right i don't care about our grass, there i said it.

last year we spread some eco lawn seed to help rejuvinate our little space, roughly 6 feet wide and 15-20 feet long, shared with our neighbour straddled by a big ol'tree. it helped and is lovely, but i needed more, no mono lawn for us so...in went the crocus which have come and gone, but their grassy striped leaves look amazing especially with a breeze blowing. the snowdrops & grape hyacinths are just popping up and the short blooming tulips with the sharp curly leaves are on the brink. last year a johnny jump up decided to make its home here somehow knowing its an anti lawn and decided to thankfully reseed itself, i can only hope for more. yesterday the white dutch clover seeds were scattered just before the rain and last weekend cash was thrown down for woolly and minus thyme after attending a ground cover lawn seminar at richters herb farm. lucky things are hardening off waiting to be planted.

its going to be busting at the seams and i hope looking like a magic woven carpet full of texture, colour and smell this year. though i LOVE using our push mower it may have less and less to do. i would love to say i have a plan particularily since taking the landscape design courses, adding more structure to the little space would help, the random flower bed in front doesn't quite do it for me but for now its all about the plant life, simple as that.

anyway my main contactor (the husband) will be busy with the backyard redesign projects :)

A-

2009-04-29T11:12:00.004-04:00

ah the big assignment, when the teacher showed us, i said, 'yeah right!'. we were all given the same structural layout; our task to apply the design, hard surfaces, structural elements, planting etc the black and white was handed in as one assignment, next was to apply the colour and ta da the final plan. although this was the 'big one' we had assignments due each class, my favourites are actually the felt marker and ink drawings we did, cross sections, trees, axonometrics (what?).
now what? right i promised myself to enjoy the proces, stay in the moment, let it go where it needs to go, easier said the done, i really loved it and already miss it. :) glad to have some time to blog again though! looking forward to visiting you all!

please stand by

2009-04-06T15:38:00.002-04:00

Two more classes to go....I have taken an unexpected hiatus from blogging which I dearly miss, school, home, work well it just became all abosorbing! Looking forward to getting back and paroozing all the updates!

helimkuu

2009-03-02T09:49:00.004-05:00

February, in latin februum means purification. I never knew that, yet have always felt that it is my renwal month, instinctively. In Finnish the month is called helmikuu, the month of the pearl. It`s described this way because when the snow melts on tree branches it forms glistening little droplets that freeze again seemingly dressing the trees in pearls of ice. How beautiful.
February always seems to pass so fast for me, its a time to reflect, transition, in a way cleanse myself to fully receive the coming year and it feels good.
Thank you February.

doh!

2009-02-25T12:57:00.004-05:00

Note: Herringbone pattern box is empty.

I have my graphics class tonight, in the landscape design course I've enrolled in. I have been working on the #*)@^ (aka herringbone) box for 4 days now, I've drawn 17 other patterns and textures of the 18 needed representing decking, brick work and just plain grass.
I graduated with decent grades, I work on multi million dollar projects, I pay my bills on time, I have even participated in some fairly impressive renovations on my house. So WHY can't I create a herringbone pattern! I feel like I'm looking at one of those dizzing patterns that everyone else can seem to easily see the 'bird' in, 'can't you see it, can't you see it? it's right there?!' I can't see it! I tell you I can't!!!
Doesn't the universe know that its stuff like this that keeps me from blogging and paroozing the blogsphere in general? Oi!

tulips

2009-02-22T20:11:00.010-05:00

8 days, has it been 8 days? Actually I have been acutely aware that its been more than a week since my last post. Its not hat I haven't wanted to post or had nothing to say, believe you me! Stuff rises to top, floats to the bottom and blogging unfortunately was, you guessed it, at the bottom. I couldn't see the forest for the tress, but all I had was this Pampas Grass or Cortaderia selloana picture to evoke that feeling...heehee, I'm sure you get the point.

The best thing that happened this past week actually happened to my pal at Finding Sirius. I am just over the moon, a dog with two tails, tinkled pink happy for her!!! Is it weird that the best thing that happened to me actually happened to her?!
I love it when good things happen to really great people and she's good people.

little hands

2009-02-14T09:16:00.004-05:00

A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware:

And to teach, by his own example, love and reverence to all things that God made and loveth.

He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast. ~ Coleridge

I love this poem, I love the little hands that made these sweet tokens of love, a love chain, a painted heart and a heart shaped stone found and given.

People profess to not need a special day that has to remind them to love, but I am grateful for days like this, days that love can gush unabashed for all.

91 sleeps!

2009-02-13T14:33:00.031-05:00

What is it about getting something in the mail that is not a bill or worse junk mail that delights me so much! This little delight almost surpasses the excitement I felt when I was just a kid and finally got my Tony the Tiger grow chart in the mail from all the Frosted Flakes box tops I saved!

I participated in a Garden Girl give a away and these little gems are what I received. Cymbopogon Citratus, Lemongrass, open-pollinated, heirloom seeds! Although my garden needs a complete overhaul, I had planned to add more edibles and herbs to my little urban plot this year including in the many, many containers that fill my garden every year. These seeds fit the bill perfectly, I love lemon, its a plant that I likely wouldn't have thought to grow on my own and the green grass will look spectacular swaying in the new chocolate glazed pot that was so thoughtfully given to me for Christmas! The planets clearly aligned.

Last year Scarlett Runner beans graced bamboo poles (and our plates) in the front and backyard, the bees buzzing with joy, chives were scattered through the annuals and perennials for quick snipping and mint flourished on that ant hill where nothing else would grow and tasted oh so delish in every beverage I could stuff those leaves in. The 3 pumpkin vines that were randomly planted along the back fence just grew and grew and grew weaving their way all around the backyard creating the most amazing jungle. The vines had so many big cheeky orange flowers I thought my porch would be filled with jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween, but it was all for show we ended up with not one pumpkin from that patch! A small beginning but a beginning none the less, and boy oh boy this little seed packet has sure gotten me excited in anticipation of the garden adventure this year! How many sleeps til the last frost date...only about 91!

Zzzzzzzz

2009-02-11T13:13:00.005-05:00

A rare moment. I love to watch him sleep, snoring, whining, growling and chasing squirrels, feet running and tail wagging kind of sleep. A sleep that curls him up so tightly I feel like I could could pick him up and just plop him in my pocket, if he wasn't 90lbs that is.
There's something so satisfying knowing you've given your dog the kind of day, the kind of home, the kind of life that sets into place such a peaceful rest. Then doorbell rings...

spring and homework

2009-02-08T20:54:00.005-05:00

Today spring was on the ground

and in the air

and I was inside doing my homework.

old school

2009-02-05T10:42:00.008-05:00

I love tools. My Dad gave me a toolbox when I got my first bachelor apartment. When I was a little girl some of my most favourite memories were going to the lumber yard and hardware store with my Dad, the smell of wood and Old Spice, that's my Dad! My husband commented once 'how the heck do you know where everything is in a hardware store?" as I quickly found all the plumbing parts and pieces we needed to install our new sink in our renovated kitchen. My son absorbs lines from movies and the Simpson's, I absorbed where all the stuff is in a hardware store when I was kid.
Apparently most landscape designers use software programs to produce plans these days, but the course I am enrolled in is teaching us old school. Yesterday's lesson was in architectural lettering, and with that comes and array of new tools that I have never heard of or used! Hooray! Unique pencil leads in a variety of sizes, lead holders, a special lead sharpener, rulers and t-squares, and the Ames lettering tool which draws the guidelines for the lettering and the paper, oh the lovely paper vellum and trace, love it! The instructor makes it look oh soooo easy, but I know I will be practicing long and hard on this assignment this weekend, recycling box get ready...

silent spring

2009-02-03T11:18:00.010-05:00

I've never read the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson...are common birds going the way of the Dodo, extinct?

In a previous post I asked the question 'were are the birds?', and in this issue of Canadian Gardening magazine I got the shocking the answer…
The North American Audubon Society reports, quite some time ago, a decline on average of 68% of common birds, yes common birds, not over the course of a 100 years but, in the past 20, 30 or 40 years, our lifetime right here right now. The article states that in U.K. the common sparrow is now on the endangered list, what!? Shocking really to say the least, basic needs that’s all they require, not cars, not the latest and greatest or funky cool gadgets, or 4 home depots and wal*marts all 10 minutes from our house in any direction.

Most agree that even the smallest of urban lots (just like mine) can provide all these little creatures need;
Little spaces to touch down on, shrubs and trees
Food, especially in the spring when the pick’ins are slim, I have never tallied my spend on bird seed but would hazard to guess that's its less than I spend on coffee.
Shelter and a place to nest, quite simply a home
hmm, amazing how trees & shrubs can easily accomplish all of the above in one fell swoop if need be
And of course water to drink and bathe in

Maybe in my garden it could be as simple as changing the seed, to lure them back to help them flourish.

Most of us who garden easily provide habitats, knowingly and unknowingly, for many creatures. The natural world is the sum of its parts meant to work in whole we see it everytime we're in the garden, a lovely relationship and in my relationship it includes the birds and yes even the odd squirrel!

juggle, juggle, juggle

2009-01-30T11:19:00.020-05:00

Ah, work, school, work, home, work, kid, work, husband, work, dog, work, family, work, friends, work etc etc... of course this is in no order of importance.

I definitely try to not lead a complicated life, I tend to not over book with events, commitments, visits and activities but the daily grind of basic responsibilities sometimes just completely takes over, who's in charge I say! By the time I get home from work (2.5hr commute each day, yuck! who signed up for that gig!) then feed our growling tummies, complete all the sundries duties that come along with the usual routine, yes I have a very helpful posse, then its 8 o'clock and in winter that might as well be midnight for me! All this to say, is why I haven't opened my notebook and wrote a word, or even surfed another blog in a week or more. I did check theweathernetwork.com on Wednesday because of storm though, woohoo.

I've probably read every book out there on how to live the life you've always wanted, usually a peak inside peoples lives, is that voyeurism? One account that resonated with me was a story told by a man who grew up only knowing 'life and work, work and life' they simply flowed in and out of each other blending effortlessly in most moments. Growing up his family lived above the restaurant they owned, he only knew that life was work and work was life they were one and same, coming home from school was coming to the restaurant. Most recently I read a book called Edge Seasons by Beth Powning, it permeated my being, as she lyrically flows through her midlife and reflects partly on such a life built, the struggle, the journey, the changes that come.

Yes, I have actively taken the pen and written my own story, really chapters of my life; I've been a personal trainer, floral designer, caretaker of a 3 acre country home, and various other jobs, like making car jacks and being a personal assistant to a Vet's wife, I dug the gardens, cooked meals, looked after the horses and chickens and on occasions helped in the Vet office. All this in an attempt find my recipe, my blend of life and work, work and life. I loved each for different reasons and relish having had the good fortune to live those moments.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for having my job in these challenging times, what it brings financially and the interesting yet demanding projects I work on, I do try to be patient and appreciative of the here and now, this moment. Yet… ‘It’ seems to always live inside me, a vital part of me that whispers quietly at times…. then it wells screaming without making a sound inside me, my heart, my eyes, through my veins, a yearning for something more, but really......its for something less.

snow horse

2009-01-22T20:05:00.014-05:00

Magic, it was pure and simple magic. Made of snow ....yet, so completely and utterly alive to me, hours fully engrossed in world created by this magnificent creature.
A creature of this kind required a special kind devotion, one that only a child could lovingly give. Mounds and mounds of snow hay and icicle carrots gathered then offered to this mythical beast, they were piled high around him to ensure a full belly and a frisky heart. Climbing upon his back, your small body would have to work with all your mighty might to steady his eagerness for what was to come or he would surely bolt. Once in the saddle all it took was a quiet whisper, so soft, so low, imagination that poured so naturally into your words 'now run, run! faster, faster over the clouds and to the stars!' the wind on your face, the sun glistening on his gloriously snowy mane, your cheeks blush pink with joy on those crisp winter days. All this joy from an equine god that seemed to just erupt from the earth out of the piles of snow that fell from the skies... what feeling, what an adventure, what a memory,

These creatures were made oh so lovingly by my Dad, he had an irrepressible need to create, to imagine, in snow, in wood, in metal and in the earth in the form of a garden.

winter poetry

2009-01-21T09:53:00.011-05:00

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
~William Blake

winter whimsy

2009-01-19T20:42:00.020-05:00

Winter inspiration for your garden?
Landscape Architecture featured this design called HtO, with the bright yellow umbrella's in their 12/2008 issue, the design was meant to bring people the water's edge, mission accomplished. In the summer its pretty popular needless to say, planted only with glistening bronzed bodies! When snow blankets the sand that lies beneath not much draws people to the water's edge but how can it not? The bright sassy umbrellas are surely just toying with us on a grey January day, daring someone, anyone to pull out a beach blanket throw it down and revel in the glory of the moment, what kid wouldn't think that was the bestest and silliest thing ever to do! The canoes stacked liked candy sticks in an old fashioned candy store, cotton candy, lemon and cherry soo yummy! The picnic tables iced with snow and the trees strung with their party lights patiently waiting for the band to start playing.
Winter is a wonderland.

winter

2009-01-16T11:21:00.006-05:00

-12C, feels like -22C (10F - 7F). There's always somewhere colder somewhere warmer, but this is what it looks like where I am right now, here today. The swans and ducks below the window are relishing the small area of open water graciously provided by the jets that keep the water from freezing around the boats used for summer tours and parties. A small look of just one moment through my eyes.

the 'REAL' notebook

2009-01-15T16:14:00.014-05:00

This is my 'real' notebook. I received it as a gift and think it represents me quite well. I've just gotten into this blogging thing but I've always kept some kind of notebook. I have been passionately following and finding many of your blogs for quite sometime now, learning and yearning, so many of you are...well just stellar! I am trying to figure out how to share comments, (I've been shy) add your links, get the ';amp' for ampersand out of my sign name, stop changing the layout and colours, so addictive! and just share in this great experience called blogging, my online notebook.
I call it my notebook rather than a journal because I like to 'write' everything in it, grocery lists, recipes, observations, quotes, happenings, doodles, random thoughts, my never ending 'wanna read' book lists, tape and glue pictures, ticket stubs, Popsicle sticks, my never ending ideas, wishes, whatever and anything. I love to feel the pen, marker or even a crayon skim across the page as it makes wonderful shapes and letters that transform themselves into words and images, memories held for all time.
When I look back at my notebooks its always a journey, who was that person, why did I write that down, oh my gosh I forgot that happened, or why the heck did I tear that picture out of a magazine and save it, yuck! But what I really see are threads, threads of who I am when I think I don't know me, threads that weave through from one chapter to another, family, friends, the animals in my life, plants planted, values, dreams, what is true and what is important, a life, my life and the lives around me.

landscape design

2009-01-14T15:29:00.012-05:00

Starting class tonight! I decided to start taking classes in an area(s) that interest me, for once with no end goal, no real plan, no career growth, that's what I say out loud anyway! And this program is not at all related to what I do in my current 8-6 and sometimes checking in at 9 p.m. bberry always on and weekends too job. I enrolled in a Landscape Design program, this is the 3rd course I've taken in the program so far, I completed both Horticulture I and Plants I in Dec. Plants I was really all trees, 72 in total and no 'plants' but an extremely interesting albeit tough course.
Well I'm really excited about this one, tonight's course is Graphic Fundamentals, old school drawing, planning and design. In the previous courses I just loved the teachers and people they were all so passionate, it's contagious.
Well, I really hope I like this one and what I really hope is that 'it' likes me!

where have the birds gone?

2009-01-12T19:54:00.006-05:00

We filled this feeder just before Christmas, and its still full. Sure we see the odd squirrel as always lope along the fence, and just the other day 'the' two morning doves huddled on the fence for a few moments. But where are my Chickadees, Junco's, the odd screaming Blue Jay and the Hawk that came swooping in last year and grabbed a morning dove for breakfast to all our surprise!
I like to blame it on the all the development around us, the farmers field literally on the other side of the houses in this picture will be gone by Fall 2009, so it said in a flyer sent a few weeks ago, thanks for letting me know. Did you know that there is a Beaver over there, Pheasant, Crane or Heron, Deer, all to be pushed out. Or is it that there is just too much to tolerate, development, noise, is too cold, too mild, not hungry because everyone feeds the birds? In the spring we see 'our' Cardinal couple happily feeding their baby, a annual event this year they had two!
I really hope that 'my' birds will come back.

Apparently Walt Disney said this was his favourite song,
it certianly influenced me.
from Mary Poppins 'Feed the Birds'

Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs.

Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do.
Their young ones are hungry,
Their nests are so bare;
All it takes is tuppence from you."

Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag.
"Feed the birds," that's what she cries,
While overhead, her birds fill the skies.

All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares.

Though her words are simple and few,
Listen, listen, she's calling to you:
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."

the end and beginning

2009-01-09T08:37:00.003-05:00

Although we hail in the New Year, either resolving or inspired to start anew, I like to move into the New Year with quiet reflection. January is my quiet month. I find December too busy to think about the future and by the time Christmas festivities are wrapped up and tucked away, I'm spent!
I am not sure what I 2009 has in hold but will take my time to reflect and see what influence I can have.

Merry Merry!

2008-12-24T20:19:00.003-05:00

This is us last Christmas, I found the hat and yes he did go in the water!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Dad, I love you and really miss you, see you in the garden. xoxox

giving

2008-12-23T18:48:00.003-05:00

My good friend gave me this. It brought me joy, it warmed my heart. Its handmade including the picture taken by her and a quote from the book 'Edge Seasons' by Beth Powning. Its a lyrical read of her mid life, of everyday life.
I am finding Christmas this year... well, difficult. Not only because its the first Christmas without my Dad here but because one is not often given a heart and soul thougthtful type of gift. We give and get gift cerificates, a lot, from what I can see. Why, because most of us have more than we need and most of us can't figure what the heck to get for someone anymore. I've been thinking a lot about gift giving this year, although these times are 'challenging' I just heard on the news that sales are yet again exceending the previous year, yet charitable donations are down, go figure. Next year I think I may politely ask and that I'd be happy if a donation was made to a charity or cause personal to me.
The gift from my friend wasn't the true gift in my eyes her friendship is the true gift, one that brings me much joy and I am truly thankful to her for that.

joy

2008-12-22T20:03:00.013-05:00

Coal LOVES the snow, he's a lab and of course loves the water too but he's different in the winter. He buries himself in it, he stands and absorbs it, he feels it all over. My husband mostly walks him now, I got out of the rhythm being away while caring for my Father and can't seem to find 'my' rhythm again.

When I look at these pictures at this time of year, I see joy, pure and simple. I look at these pictures and I crave what he feels, I miss being a part of it. I need to be a part of it again.

I want to get back to JOY, but starting is the hard part.

hound

2008-12-19T13:12:00.019-05:00

Sometimes life is black and white...

first

2008-12-17T04:43:00.003-05:00

My Dad died, everywhere I go this is what I want to say, I just want to blurt it out, so I am saying it here in my notebook, this diary of life. My Dad died, he died May 15, 2008.

It was horrible, it was tragic and I'm hurting, he didn't hear the Doctor tell him, I told him. I put my hand on his chest, as close to his heart as I could looked deep into his being and said it. He almost cried, I almost cried.

My Mom is doing pretty well, from what she tells us how she engaging life. People ask me how she's doing, they're caring, kind. I'm not always doing well, gripped by overwhelming grief. I'm told the first year is the hardest, the first Father's Day, the first Thanksgiving, the first Christmas...

My brother and I cared for Dad at my Mom and Dad's home, for his last 8 weeks. It started months before that, it was a long hard road, but so quick looking back, because at one point we thought we won. When I went back home, to my home after the wake, I went to work in the garden, in the garden I wept, I wept deep down through. I felt my Dad everywhere, I felt him in the dirt, in the trees and plants, in the air and silence all around me. My Dad was a farmer in his heart in his soul. I miss my Dad. I really love being in the garden.