Good morning everyone. It’s always so lovely when you drop by.

I’ve noticed that when I’m surrounded by nature, I feel better…instantly. The pine trees, large grassy areas and the lake always, always, always make me take a deep breath and let go of the stress. Lately, though, I’ve been wondering why that is.

I was watching an old TV series on Netflix the other day called Rectify. The main character, Daniel, is a guy who was wrongly accused and spent time in prison. When he gets out into the light of day, he struggles ...

Truth be told, I am feeling a little tired and cranky this morning.  Too hot as well which may be the source of my problem.  A couple of weeks of heat and humidity that has driven us to turn on the air conditioning later in the day might be the source...the ceiling fans in every room just can't keep up and I've rediscovered that unless you are directly under them, they don't cool you off. I have a wide range of tolerance for heat and cold so if I'm feeling it, then I know it ...

Ontario's provincial flower is in bloom and it is lovely. The white trillium.  It is the state wildflower for Ohio. It is also called wood lily and snow lily.

Happy Mother's Day to all celebrating! There is no doubt becoming a mother is one of the great enterprises of life.  And if all works out, a lifelong journey at that.
I really liked this little poster that a friend circulated on Facebook.



Wearing his summer coat, here is the rabbit we think overwintered in the backyard. We see this fellow sometimes on the trail closest to the house.  I took this photo from a great distance and you can see he is lifting his nose and getting a smell-perhaps me. He immediately turned and hopped away.

The post Silent Sunday appeared first on Lori Kennedy Quilts.

Our colder weather warnings have turned to wetter ones.  Yesterday was horrid with threats of snow, snow pellets, freezing rain and then rain.  This greatly added to the burden of those suffering floods in parts of Ottawa. What is happening along the Ottawa River where waterfront mansions as well as the humble homes of earlier homeowners there being equally affected by the flooding reminded me of a line in a poem. Something about dwelling in cots and with the wonder that is the internet I found this...Whatever course of life great Jove allots, whether you sit on thrones or ...

This would be a good day for the Kitchen Drawer Police to visit me.  I spent my domestic pursuit time today cleaning out the four big drawers beside the sink.  How does it ever seem a good idea to keep take-out packets of soya sauce there?  Or pens, or rubber bands, old toothpicks, plastic spoons, or coasters. When I have perfectly good designated areas for all that stuff.  In a hurry, I guess.  But in retirement should I ever be in that big a hurry.

Another thing I did was make Hubby a cake.  Honestly we are still celebrating his ...

St.Patrick's Day is behind us and Easter lies just ahead.  The season is definitely shifting. The light is more luminous and the strengthening sun is working its magic on ice and snow.

One of the red squirrels who has kept us company all winter long..

Weekends at the end of rush around weeks are so nice.  My big work project for the year had things due this week, those got checked off the list on Friday.  My Guy spent his week overseeing the 5th grade science demos for 16 elementary schools (850 students).  I worked both the morning and afternoon sessions on Thursday, then helped with break down and clean up. The demos are a lot of fun, but it was a mental work out keeping the larger groups engaged and out of trouble during my demonstration. How the teachers handle a class of 26 ...

I wonder how the early pioneers did it for we are not long from those times here in Ontario. Their marks of old stones for fences zig zag through this property still.  Their triumph over nature in the true sense of the phrase puts our complaining about winter weather- a snow storm today, into perspective especially when I read detailed accounts of their agonizing experiences settling Lanark county.

As  you may know we are surrounded by woods here and this allows us to get up close to nature.  Here is an instance that was very close.
 I glanced out the ...

"Wisdom comes with winters," said Oscar Wilde.

Here I am another winter on my hands and hopeful the wisdom continues to mount, LOL.
Frozen over now, we walk across the wet land area and I think of the frogs that caused such a racket there all spring and summer. How deep in the mud have they had to sink to survive this, I wonder.

Taken at our pond at the height of last summer before Miss Heron sauntered through!

Sometimes something extraordinary happens here, and very rarely do I get to photograph it, but this day was special.  Long time readers will know about the wild turkey we call Clarence, and how he comes by every few days for a handout.  His cluck-purr is wonderful to hear, and he preens a bit for us to get a few bites of whole grain bread.  On this day, I noticed him in the meadow through the kitchen window as I was cleaning up, and there was another visitor with him.

I grabbed the camera to get some pictures, realizing with the ...

In the garden, there is much to do this time of year.  There is ongoing clean up with falling leaves, and some plants need to be dug and stored.   The flower beds will get a covering of mulch, making sure to keep the rhizomes of the irises clear. If you compost plant materials, this is a great time to add to your bins.  October is also the ideal time for planting bulbs for color next spring.  If you plant by the moon cycles, this weekend (19th-21st) is the most favorable for planting above ground crops, which I assume would include ...

Wildlife at our place has been prolific lately, with what seems to be autumn migrations in full swing.  I was very surprised one rainy morning to open the curtains and find 14 female turkeys in the front yard.  A large flock like this had two males with them last year, but this group was all girls.  I stepped outside with a slice of bread to see if they would like a bite.  Only two were brave enough to come up and see what I was offering.  They ate all the bites I gave them while the others just kept an ...