Not my cats!

It’s been nearly a year since my daughter came home to live with us, bringing her two male cats with her. Now they come to meet me when I come home from wherever I had to go. My daughter keeps telling me Merlin thinks he’s my cat. Yes, they are adorable. Yes, they are very nice cats with personalities all their own. But they’re NOT my cats. Haha but I thought I’d share this very cute photo of them:

Merlin is on the left and Whiskey on the right

I have been M.I.A. for a while. Hubby was finally released from hospital a week ago and we have to leave for the city on Monday. I miss the community I have come to know on WordPress. Life has just been rather chaotic of late. Hopefully I will be able to interact with you all on a more regular basis now that all the craziness is calming down somewhat. Wherever you live on this beautiful planet, I hope life is treating you well.

Boys will be boys and so endearing

Life’s been tough and I don’t foresee an end in sight but from time to time I get a nice little break – like when my son took me off-roading last weekend. It was a lot of fun and I was able to grab a few photos I wanted to share with you all. I hope you will enjoy them:

Overlooking the river flowing through a golf course here on the edge of the city

A pair of Canada Geese with their goslings – always a thrill to see new life in the spring

another view of the river from another angle

Lots of brush, had hoped to see more wildlife but the geese were all we seen….in these woods live coyotes, black bears, lynx, deer, moose, foxes,and many more

My favorite thing to do is to walk in the woods, but off-roading allowed me to see views I would not have seen otherwise and it was a lot of fun. Still, I think I prefer walking, just because motorized vehicles can scare off the wildlife I hope to capture on camera. My son loves to take his vehicle off road. As I entitled this post: boys will be boys and I am glad I got to experience this with my son. He badly needed a bit of fun as well. His wife has brain cancer so it’s been a tough go for both of them.

Wherever you live I hope you get a chance to get out in nature for a bit. For me it is balm for my soul. Wishing you all an abundance of blessings, as always.

Another long hospital stay for hubby

Just a quick note to thank you all for your well wishes. At the moment my hubby has been in hospital for over two weeks and I don’t know how long it may be before he’s released. I visit him every day but I know the time is long for him. At present he’s only allowed two visitors (but not at the same time) as per hospital protocol. That applies to all patients, no doubt due to the coronavirus that continues to mutate.

I really do appreciate all the wishes for his recovery, but here’s the thing: he’s not going to “recover”. The best we can hope for is that he doesn’t get worse. I accepted that fact long ago. His issues are many and varied. All organs have been affected by the scourge known as diabetes. Such is life. He’s on dialysis three times a week, so, no, he won’t recover – not unless there is a miracle. And that’s okay, we will soldier on and do our very best to make life as good as it possibly can be.

I think of the people suffering all over this world, some in places that are war-torn, or that do not have the level of health care we enjoy here in Canada. We have to look for the blessings, always, and in this fact we are indeed blessed.

What’s great about my hubby is his unfailing sense of humour and ability to poke fun at himself. The nurses all love him. He likes to bake treats for his dialysis nurses when he is at home. Soon, I hope, he will be doing that once again. For now, we wait. We wait for the infection that put him in hospital to be dispelled. We wait for the cough that keeps him from a decent night’s rest to be diminished so he can at least sleep. We wait for his blood pressure to stop ricocheting from low to high and back again. and we live life day by day, much as we have for nearly a decade now. There are blessings in that, too. And perhaps a lesson as well, for none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, something, I think, coronavirus underlined very well.

Wherever you happen to live on this beautiful planet, I hope you are well. I hope you recognize the blessings each day brings, not least of which is the gift of life itself. Wishing you all an abundance of blessings, always.

When times get tough, the tough go for a walk (or something like that)

Yup, life’s been tough, no doubt about it. Poor hubby has spent the past week in hospital. He’s home again but we have to be very watchful that the infection that put him there doesn’t come back. I won’t bore you with details. So, I went for a walk to grab a few photos of birds, or so I hoped. The following images are a few I captured a few days ago.

I love the cutaways that allow nature to flourish in the city

So, I was hoping for songbirds but there were many ravens about, such intelligent birds

This magpie was busy making a nest

You know it’s springtime when the American Robin appears

There were plenty of these little blackbirds as well, singing up a storm

I stopped to listen to the robin singing so prettily

and this little sparrow perched on top of a fence on the walk back home

The cutaway was alive with birdsong and I enjoyed every moment. The birds have actually been waking me very early in the morn the past week or more. Such cheerful music to begin the days. All of the above birds are frequent visitors here, as well as chick-a-dees and red-winged blackbirds. I am sure there are many more species but those are the ones I see and hear most often. Wherever you may live on this beautiful planet, I hope you enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. Cheers!

Furry blessings

when life is challenging, and it often is, there comes our fur babies to comfort us and bring us joys, uplifting us, always….

My precious fur baby cut her foot, the vet gave us an antibiotic cream to put on it. She suggested a cone to keep Callie from licking it. Nope, not happening, cones freak her out. She was not impressed with the infant sock I taped to her injured paw but at least it doesn’t freak her out.

Magical Merlin loves to hide, especially in paper bags ❤

Whiskey is ever hopeful of a small share in whatever we’re eating

and then there’s Tuuka, a Min-Pin and the pride of my daughter-in-law and my son

We don’t have any human grandchildren but Tuukka (our eldest), Merlin, and Whiskey are fair stand-ins. They bring so much joy and laughter to our days.

Heaviness

It’s been a rough go for a while, but since Christmas even more so. If you are carrying heavy burdens, please read no further, or if you do, don’t take on my problems. I just need to unload and my go-to is writing. Many of you know about my daughter-in-law’s cancer diagnosis and many know my hubby has not been well for a long, long time. We’ve had two death in the family the past few months and now my brother is also facing a health crisis. So, yeah, life feels heavy at the moment. I am hoping by writing it out I can let go of some of that heaviness. I love my family and I hate to see any of them suffering. I hate to see anyone suffer. Coming on the heels of the pandemic it feels so much harder.

My daughter bought me a meditation CD, which helps a lot. I am not one for complaining, for the most part but really, universe, enough is enough!

I’ve been fairly quiet on WordPress for a while now. And now you know why. There are so many truly wonderful people I have “met” here and even though it is a virtual relationship I am grateful to the people I interact with on a regular basis. My apologies for my silence and inability to comment on all your posts. I do hope life is treating you all kindly. Already I feel the burden lighten somewhat. Forgive me for using this medium to unload. I hope you’re all doing well and finding joys in abundance. Thank you for sharing my journey, albeit virtually.

I am reading Corrie Ten Boom’s book, “The Hiding Place” yet again. I find so much solace in it and I am grateful to have it. If you’ve never heard of her, research her story. She is one amazing lady, truly inspirational. and if she can rise above the cruelties of concentration camp during the Second World War, then I, too, can persevere, with God’s help.

Wishing you all an abundance of blessings, always.

Mothers’ Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

Taking a moment out of a busy day to wish all the women who are mothers, nurturers of life in any form, a wonderful day. Here in Canada we are celebrating mothers and I wish a very Happy Mothers’ Day to them all. Wherever you live and whatever you’re doing I wish you well. I wish you bountiful blessings. I wish you enough – enough of whatever it is you may need today. Cheers!!!

Shield

Today, Creator, I am grateful

For all the times you shield me,

Protect me, guide me, enlighten me

Shadows come as light grows

Help me to dance peacefully

With my shadow side

Help me to recognize

That even in darkness

You are near

Carrying me through the dangers

That lurk

Protecting me, always

Creator, God, Divine One

I thank you

For shielding me

In my weakness

And nurturing me

Until I gain strength and wisdom

From you

My rock and my shield

My nod to Luke Skywalker and company

I remember going to the theater to watch Star Wars – the original movie. It was quite an experience and the messages surrounding social justice and the horrors of war were presented in ways that were quite palatable to my teen-aged mind. I never watched the sequels, even though I absolutely loved it. Why? I don’t have a reason, I just didn’t. It was a wondrous bit of cinema – totally new and different at that time. One of these days I am going to binge watch the whole Star Wars series. I feel I am missing out on a lot and I do want to become acquainted with Yoda and the ewoks look adorable! In the meanwhile this is my nod to the mega film. Yes I must end with this, for otherwise it would be no nod at all: May the force be with you!

Dreaming

Sometimes dreaming can be a beautiful thing, other times, not so much. I awoke this morning after a “bad” dream. I woke feeling very negative because of the dreams I had. It took a little bit to shake off those feelings. Sometimes it takes real effort to shed negative thoughts. I still need practice, truth be told. But I did it! I am grateful for dreams though, even those we call bad dreams or nightmares, while they are far from pleasant they do bring lessons. I used to have a dream dictionary and back at that point in time these things were quite popular. It takes a lot of self discipline and a lot of time to decipher what the dreams mean. Between work and home life I simply no longer have that luxury but my dream this morning made me reflect on its meaning for me. I haven’t quite figured it out but I will continue to hash it out. If I come up with anything worth sharing I’ll let you know.

Human being are curious creatures, aren’t we? Always searching for meaning, for reasons, for answers. Sometimes there isn’t an answer. Sometimes we just have to accept what is. Sometimes we must accept the mysterious as is. I’m okay with not having the answer. I don’t always need to know “why”. Today I will trust my higher power with the big questions and give thanks for the peace that I am enjoying in this moment.

Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I hope your dreams bring you joy, peace, and all things good and life-giving.