Embrace Life

anticipation | mercury in retrograde

(source)

Recently I've run across the phrase "Mercury in Retrograde" always said in a hushed tone that implies that only bad things lie ahead. Articles usually reference "how to survive" or "hold on tight" when describing it. Or, as it was put when I googled it "A regularly occurring, astrological event that gives New Agers an excuse for getting fired, wrecking their car, breaking a leg, or having an overall shitty day."

Alrighty then.

And, this happens a few times each year. For 2014, these dates are:

06 February to 28 February
07 June to 02 July
04 October to 25 October

The one thing I've learned on this "New Age" journey of mine is that there is never anything only good or only bad. There is always the other side. Tomorrow we enter into another phase of mercury in retrograde and I'd perfer to know what good it will bring rather than focus on the bad. Full disclosure: I've already experienced a challenge when Cole mistakenly forgot to actually give me my wallet which he was bringing out to the car to me as I dropped him off for the bus to Temagami. Translation: I haven't had a wallet since Sunday and won't have one until the weekend. The good? I now have a reason to be creative and use up the food in the freezer and the pantry! See - there is always a bright side.

The best phrase I've ever read about this time is that Mercury in REtrograde is good for all things that start with RE.

REnew
REflect
REvive
REmind
REsearch
REconcile
REview
REmember
REfresh
REbound
REcall
RElocate
REconsider
REelect
REfinish
REnegotiate
REcycle
REstore
REmove
REmodel
RElinquish
REmit
REliable
REminisce

and on and on ...

Of those words on the list there is nothing particularly negative or scary. So, I will focus on the possibility of RE and focus on the good things the time brings. Apparently this is a very good time to:

Clean out your closet. Be merciless. Really, this is a great time to purge anything - files, books, magazines, whatever needs removal just toss!

Move on. This is a great time to forgive and forget.

Embrace nostalgia. Put those old records on. Read an old journal. Reconnect with an old friend. Go swimming for the first time in years. Remember the things in your life that have brought you joy and then enjoy them again.

Edit and review. For writers and creatives this is a wonderful time to reevaluate past works and polish them up - or toss.

Write a personal manifesto. Apparently this is a wonderful time to reflect on who you are as a person and what you want to represent to the world.

Mix it up. If you don't like the flow of your living room, or bedroom space - or your cutlery drawer, rearrange things to suit you and your flow!

Dare to relax. Though communication at this time can be a challenge, release control and embrace any travel headaches and get away for a holiday. Or simply take a day to do what you love best - read, get a massage,

Reinforce routine. Or focus on developing the habits you want in your life: 8-hours of sleep, drink more water, eat more vegetables, read more biographies.

Finish. This is a perfect time to put a final end to things: projects, relationships. Anything you've been putting off should be finished off. For me this will include completing household files, collecting and returning anything that does not belong in my home, 

* * * * *

Remember that you'll want to be especially chill and relaxed during this time because for a lot of people things go completely bonkers. I'm told that Virgo and Gemini are particularly affected at this time - which means me and half of my children are expected to go a bit nuts! Poor Cole :(

A few things to keep in mind, things for us all to do anyway, but in this time we should be more mindful:

Back up important data.

Double check travel plans. Relax, part of the fun is in the journey!

Avoid signing contracts. A good time to review instead :)

EXPECT DELAYS and challenges and pack a magazine or book. Like everything in life, it's all in your attitude and how you choose to handle a situation. You know that old saying "this too shall pass" - it should be said in good times and bad times as they are both fluid and in constant state of flux.

* * * * *

I don't know about you but I think I'll enjoy this cosmic opportunity to reflect on the choices I'm making and determine what needs some extra care and attention. I liked how Danielle LaPorte described in one of her Desire Map videos that we, like the universe, are always expanding and contracting, but we never contract so much that we end up where we once were. We are always moving forward: expanding and growing.

Mercury in retrograde just gives us all an opportunity, if we are mindful about it, to measure our progress. If we all go with the flow and keep our sense of humour this should be a REwarding and REjuvinating time. We can choose to go through all our days that way. Sounds good to me!

 

Photo Walk | Appleby College

I am really enjoying my occasional photo walks. This time around I was joined by my friend Kelly who met me mid-morning at Appleby College, an almost 50 acre campus located right on the shore of Lake Ontario. I continue to play with my new Sigma 70-200/f2.8 and I wanted to see how it did outside. I'm very pleased! This is just a small sampling of the over 300 photos taken:

 

It took us about an hour and a half to walk the perimeter of the property. We started out in bright sunshine and ended on a rather dreary note, but the contrast of the gorgeous fall colours against the dreary gray background of the water and sky was stunning.

I'm looking forward to heading back, but it won't be for a while. Kelly has suggested Bronte Park where we can take shots of the animals. This could be interesting!

Welcome autumn ...

5 Things I'll miss about summer:

1. lazy days spent daydreaming and list making
   
2. visiting the seashore, happy sigh
   
3. the visual splendour of abundant gardens
   
4. teaching the boys how to BBQ the perfect steak
   
5. super long days of early sunrises and brilliant sunsets
   

5 Things I'll not miss about summer:

1. heat and humidity
2. noisy mowers, blowers & weed wackers
   
3. constant sponteneity and lack of routine
4. mosquitos and other creepy crawlies
5. neverending wet towels and open doors
   

Now, Mother Nature, bring on the sweater weather! I'm ready :)

Photo Walk | Bronte

A week ago, I was joined by my friends Jane and Kelly and we took a walk from my house to the harbour in Bronte. It was one of those mornings that didn't know what it wanted to be! I took my new point-and-shoot, a Canon S95, and used this walk to test it out. What do you think?

It turned into a glorious day with a lovely cool breeze, bright sunshine and not a bit of humidity. It was as nice a day as it can be.

I think the camera did well on her maiden outing.

Good friends, great conversation, lovely scenery and a bit of exercise. A wonderful Tuesday morning. Definitely something I plan to do again ... soon!

Sunday Morning | 004 Spring is Late

Spring seems to be late everywhere this year. The typical showers of April arrived in May and there is no sign in the forecast that the cold and wet stuff is going to give way to sunshine anytime soon. It won't keep me from taking photos, though!

 

Winter: Last Gasp

Oh, please let this be the last gasp. The first week of March and we've barely had a break from the snow covering everything.

I know I mentioned that Enviroment Canada announced we should expect three more months of winter, but holy smokes, I can't handle any more snow. I'm so tired of the white turning to black ground and the accompanying gray days. This is not normal for our particular area of the country.

Though, it has been fun to find photo opportunitites. These are the most recent photos from my memory card:

FOUND IN MY FRONT YARD

FOUND AT CORONATION PARK

I stopped by the park on my way from collecting Claire from timekeeping - she has been at the coldest rink in Oakville from 7AM to 11AM every Sunday since October - I'm learning to bring my camera as Coronation Park has some beautiful and often unexpected sights:

I have to say, as far as winters go, I'm happy we're prepared for the "bad" weather. I've spent the last few months seeing crazy weather - hail, ice and snow - in places like Texas and Florida where no one has snow tires or shovels and it has been more dangerous than simply inconvenient. It is startling to see full size vehicles play bumper cars on the evening news.

I'm ready to see the tail end of this inconvenience and have some warmth seep into my cold and damp old bones!

the simple things | 10

glow

it has been dingy and gray around here for what feels like weeks on end. we were given about a half hour of sunlight, just before dusk, as dinner was being planned, and didn't have the heart to complain that it was shining in my eyes. my lovely claire went over to the window to block it for me and it was then i realized how she glowed in the light.

the most beautiful part? not only was it a play on light, but glow is part of her generous teenage personality, most of the time. for that i am always grateful.

the simple things | 04

patience

i know it looks like a pile of leaves, and it is. it is also a lesson ... to me.

every year I'm frantic to get all of the leaves put out for pick up by the town. hours are spent every weekend doing the raking and blowing and bit-by-bit all of the autumn glory is brought out by tarp-load to the front of the house. my family is tired, cranky and generally miserable - and i, being the nag who makes them do the work, get the brunt of their ire. not this year. we waited until the very last week the leaves could be left out for collection and i hired our lawn service to remove the leaves - all of them, one effort.

works for me. works for my family. simple thing.

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Autumn Goodness

We are just at the point where flowers and leaves are spent. Autumn is almost over and I see on the news that many communities are preparing for or have already received their first snowstorm of the season. Brr. Life in southern Ontario is often quite mild and I'm happy for it. Though, with hockey I do get to drive out of my warm bubble often enough to make sure I have a shovel and salt in the truck!

I will miss the colour of the season, but I'm happy to have captured a few bright images on wet and dull days:

Isn't that rose spectacular? I'm told it's an Iceberg Rose and it blooms from May through November. I hope to plant some here in the spring!

The result of taking a photo-a-day for the last two years is that my camera is never too far away. I'm able to get some great shots. Now if I could only figure out how to get some lovely foggy landscape shots while driving on the highway!

Grab your camera. Capture some autumn before it's gone!

My Best Shot Monday: Turning Leaves

There is a long row of tall sugar maples that divide our property from Tom & Heather's place. These maples turn a brilliant, blinding yellow at the hight of their change. This may be the last sign of green in our yard until next Spring. The temperatures are consistently low, plenty of wind and rain. Now with the time change, we have officially entered the dark days of ... well, dark days. I'll await the bright leaves, they should arrive this week, a final showy farewell to colour!

What is your best shot this Monday? Do you have a photo to showcase? Be sure to join in My Best Shot Monday, go here for details :) Looking for another fabulous challenge? Be sure to check out Celebrate Monday over on Flickr.

SOOC Saturday: Raindrop

Another "blast from the past" meme that I miss doing. I can't believe I have not shared a SOOC Saturday since June!

It's been wet and blustery - sunny and windy - here in southern Ontario with the temperature all over the place. When you leave the house you never know what to bring: an umbrella or sunscreen! There was a break in some wet weather for a few minutes mid-week and I noticed that my lilac tree was glowing in tiny raindrops. The effect was brilliant and I could not capture it - or, at least, I could not do it justice. I did manage to get some nice droplet shots, though.

What is your favourite SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) shot today? You can join in: here!

My Best Shot Monday: Water Drops

Our weather has been typical of autumn - breezy, gray and wet one minute and bright and sunny the next. The skies are always changing and the leaves have just started giving way from green to the more brilliant red and yellow. We've had to pack sweaters and raincoats and t-shirts just to keep up with the temperature changes.

What is your best shot this Monday? Do you have a photo to showcase? Be sure to join in My Best Shot Monday, go here for details :)

My Best Shot Monday: Open My Eyes

Last week, while waiting for Cole at his off ice training, I took a walk around the arena facility - around the outside. For the first time in six years I ventured past the parking lot and into the vast area of wild flowers and weeds that inhabit the space behind the back parking lot.

My best shot is one I've been trying to capture for a long time but couldn't find the plant - who knew I'd find it in a place I visit at least four or five times each week? Clearly a lesson in OPEN MY EYES.

This was my favourite:

Now that my eyes have been opened, I'll head back and take photos at a better time during the day ... high noon does not make for the best lighting, but not too bad.

Around the House: Overgrown

When we moved into our home a few years back we knew there was a lot of work to do, inside and out. Typical of where we live, the landscaping was done about 20 years ago and the idea was to fill everything in as quickly as possible for immediate "full garden" appeal rather than patiently letting everything grow.

When we moved in, that first summer we cut everything back and pulled out a number of plants. I thought our first go-round was pretty ruthless. 

Then I remembered, everything grows!

This was taken last week:

Full heavy blooms on the Rose of Sharon, so gorgeous especially on gray and rainy days. Totally not good for the plant, but it did make for some really lovely photographs in the last couple of years.

Now?

That's more than a bit bare! When those gorgeous blossoms all ended up in the woodchipper I was sad; but, relieved as well. We may just have saved the plant and it will have many more years to share her blooms.

We don't have a large property, but last week it was full to bursting with plant life. Now it is, in contrast, a bit barren. I'm resisting the temptation to fill it up, after all, that's how this trouble started in the first place!

[For those wondering: Louis left himself three projects (plus the surprise rebar found in the back garden). There are three stumps from pine trees that were planted poorly (the burlap and metal were never removed) and the men left about 3 feet of stump for Louis to worry back and forth out of the ground. I shake my head. Just one more unfinished project, but Louis just seems to need to leave himself something to do. Sigh.]

Now that the demolition is done, I think we'll leave any planting until the Spring. It will give me time to research what might compliment what is left, and give me some time to mull some ideas I've been considering for a while. I'm not much of a gardener, but I do enjoy designing gardens.

In the meantime I'm in search of new photography subjects!

My Best Shot Monday: Siblings

Over the weekend we had a little visitor that inspired Claire to grab her camera and run outside. A very familiar sight around here. She jumped up on a chair and put her leg on the railing. Cole jumped out of his chair and went over to keep her steady.

I am so proud of him, unprompted, showing her that kindness. (Any of you with more than one kid knows how it warms your heart when your kids show that they can be thoughtful toward each other.) I'm also proud of her for not freaking out and shoving him away! 

A bit of context for the shot, what in the world was she looking for in the tree:

Can you see him there? The little owl over her shoulder?

 

This is the photo I took earlier showing our little visitor. IHe's been living in the cedars in the back yard and we've seen him a few times. He comes to visit every once in a while standing on the stairs outside the back door. He's pretty fearless and allows me to open the door to take photos - and Claire was pretty close, too.

I love that we are surrounded by opportunities to take in nature, in it's natural habitat. Now if I could only get a photo of the beaver who spends some time in our back yard!

SOOC Saturday: Hydrangea

You know my kids haven't been cooperative when SOOC is floral. Mind you, I really enjoy taking photos of all the gorgeous varieties I see in my travels around town. This week the hydrangeas are all in bloom in just about every entry container in town and they are stunning. So delicate:

A nice break from hockey photos, eh? Or rugby? Or football?

This is our May long weekend, affectionately known as the May-Two-Four. The olders were out of school all day Friday and Cole started his "Prospects" hockey tournament. No one goes back to class until Tuesday. For the olders it is the start of exam season. For the youngers it is the start of the annual wind-down.

I hope you enjoy your weekend. I also hope we get a break in the weather to enjoy a BBQ or two!

Cheers!

SOOC Saturday: Lilac

Earlier this week it was windy and wet with a forecast that it would continue. I didn't want to miss taking a photo of our budding lilac tree. The wind was wild, but I think the movement adds to the photo :)

What is your favourite SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) shot today? You can join in: here! 

Team-Up Thursday: Look Up

Shirley chose our assignment this week: look up. We've had typically Spring-like changeable weather and the clouds have been rolling in and out with frequency. I didn't want to miss a shot of it. I managed to wait for a few minutes without any rain and captured the shot on the left. The weather in Illinois is clearly nicer than in Southern Ontario! I love how in Shirley's photo there is a hint of the bright blue skies above.

If you are enjoying these assignments and want to see more, head on over to the Team-Up Thursday Flickr Gallery and check out oodles of diptych examples. If you want to join in, you can visit Melody or Megan and let them know you want in on the fun!

Carpet of Purple

We have a long narrow back yard. One with a perfect view of Lake Ontario. One with an imperfect lawn: it is filled with purple weeds. Though, because of those weeds, until early May it will be the prettiest lawn in town:

 

Much like most things in my life, it is in the imperfection that beauty lies:

I'm so glad when we had the discussion last summer that we finally decided that the lawn is the lawn. We have no ego invested in having "the best lawn" nor was I ready, or willing, to rip everything up and replace with a swimming pool or any structure that would obstruct our view of the lake and the tree.

I'm happy to have a lawn where my kids play Frisbee, whiffle ball and enjoy hours on end on the slip 'n' slide. They go outside and sing - loudly. They play swords and blow bubbles. The badminton They ride their bikes to make it over to the trail. They forever send balls, birdies and frisbees into Ben's back yard. The lawn is completely chewed up by the beginning of June! The kids are happy, and best of all, worn out.

I'm happy to have a purple lawn. Even if they're just weeds.

I like our pretty purple weeds.

They're perfect. Perfect to me.

NSD & SOOC Saturday

My lovely friend, Holly, is hosting a group of ladies up at her new home in Belfountain in celebration of National Scrapbook Day. I would have loved to join them, but there were already a bunch of plans underway and I couldn't figure out how to juggle everything with Louis off to a Coaching Clinic in Richmond Hill for the whole day today. I do hope the ladies are having a wonderful time and that I get a chance to take them up on the invitation at another time!

Today is the start of the Lain Ehmann hosted LOAD challenge for the entire month of May and I'm thrilled to be participating! My recent A Week in the Life project definitely provided plenty of photos - possibly enough to keep me going through the entire 31 days of layouts! Not only that, but Sketchapalooza6 community has already started chatting away and we all anticipate the first sketch to be unveiled on Monday. The 20 sketches over the month will be so helpful to get my LOAD done. So exciting! Two better groups of encouraging and creative ladies cannot be found, they are fabulous!

Since I can't make it out to Belfountain today, perhaps I'll spend time, in between chauffeur duties, in the studio putting my LOAD layout ideas together. And, who knows, I might just put the finishing touches on my A Week in the Life project! Who knows, if the rain holds off, I may even get them photographed and posted. Fingers crossed :)

As for SOOC, earlier this week I took a bit of a tour of the olders school campus and captured some lovely memories of our early Spring:

 

 

My favourite of the photos above is the pink flowers - almost translucent in the sunlight. While walking to the rugby game, on Thursday, it was sunny just as I passed that tree and through the game, then the clouds rolled in. A total of 791 photos were taken! I may be editing forever :)

Have yourself a lovely Saturday!

A Week in the Life: Reflections

It was a very strange sensation waking up this morning and not turning over and grabbing my camera!

I learned a few things over the course of my week. The primary one being: I have learned to be open to change. The way my schedule mapped out on Monday is not the week reflected in my A Week in the Life. It is not a better or worse week, just different.

I am working on editing my photos. I take 99.9% of my pics horizontally and the project is set up to better accommodate vertical photos. I knew this going in, but couldn't bring myself to turn the camera around! 

Once I get the kids off to school it should be a quiet day with Louis at the warehouse with "the client". The project became so much more than how it started. I'm thrilled with the small elements, I know I will love the results. I'll share once I have it done!

In the meantime, I took photos of the big maple each day. I think it represents my week perfectly: not too many big changes, but huge growth enjoyed.

MONDAY:

SUNDAY:

I will never get tired of my view.

Did you participate in A Week in the Life? How did you grow?

SOOC Saturday: Scarlet

As my friend Lorraine can tell you, I'm not a fan of birds. But I am a fan of colour, and song:

There is a maple outside our back window. Last week there was a cardinal sitting atop that tree singing it's little heart out. Hard to resist taking a photo of that!

What is your favourite SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) shot today? You can join in: here!

SOOC Saturday: Sunrise

This was the view out our back window when I came down to make coffee yesterday morning. I love the hint of pink in the sky and the silhouette of our big maple tree.

What is your favourite SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) shot today? You can join in: here! 

Team-Up Thursday: Spring

I was thrilled to receive an invitation from my good cyber and IRL friend Shirley, who is an incredible photographer, to participate in the Team-Up Thursday challenge offered over at Shutter Sisters last week. The idea we came up with was to capture an image representing "spring" and send it to Shirley to create a diptych of the two images we shot.

This is the diptych we created:

Shirley's shot is on the left, mine on the right. A great example of the pace of Spring in the US Mid-West and Southern Ontario! You can follow along these exercises on Shirley's photography blog: here.

This was a fun exercise. We're going to continue on with another theme to be posted this week. What about you? Are you in for the challenge? Need a bit of a creative kick-start? This was a lot of fun.

My Best Shot Monday: Droplets

We've had a couple of rainy and cold days here. Ah, Spring.

What is your best shot this Monday? Do you have a photo to showcase? Be sure to join in My Best Shot Monday, go here for details :)

My Best Shot Monday: Deck in Winter

We've escaped most of winter somewhat unscathed by cold weather and snow. Last week, and maybe that of the week before, was really the first reminder that we were having it easy! I walked out our kitchen door and turned to take photos of the sunrise and realized this one of those every day views I never capture. So here is my real obstructed view :)

What is your best shot this Monday? Do you have a photo to showcase? Be sure to join in My Best Shot Monday, go here for details :)

SOOC Saturday: Lake Light

Winter is a wonderful time to live by Lake Ontario. It has so much personality and there is always something to see. On Thursday, the pink on the left side of the window, grabbed my attention from the kitchen:

 

I walked down outside, camera in hand, and managed to capture a few shots:

 

The colour became very vivid. Today SOOC means wonky horizon!

The light made for some really interesting reflections off the buildings in Toronto:

None of these photos fully capture the saturation of colour experienced. It was just gorgeous the pink, orange, yellow of the sky meeting the dark blue and green of the lake. 

What is your favourite SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) shot today? You can join in: here! 

Winter Solstice: Only lighter from here!

Image found here.

As a proud Canadian, I admit I am obsessed with weather. The Weather Network is represented here on the blog, I get text updates 365 days a year, I know what to expect short- and long-term. Weather watching is one of the great past-times of my people.

The days leading up to December 21st each year have to be the hardest. From the first day of autumn through today, each day gets shorter and more dismal. Officially the winter solstice occurs at 12:47PM today. This is a day to be celebrated, the darkness is done. We are about to gain light again! It may get overcast and grey, but it won't get dark.

Sunrise: 7:48AM

Sunset:  4:44PM

Hours of Daylight: 8:55

and that's the worst it can get, it only gets lighter from here

I'm sure there are some kind of ancient rituals or traditions I should read up on and integrate into my joy on this day. THIS is my winter day of celebration. Over the years I'm becoming far more a "naturalist" as it sets well with my Buddhist-leaning beliefs, and far less a participant in the obligatory-guilt-infused practices of Christmas. (Shh, I do my very best to keep that to myself and make every effort to not mar my children and will continue to do so until the big guy in red no longer makes his annual visit.) 

It's a big week or two of light for me: the light of the birth of my first child, the light of the winter solstice, the light of Christmas, the light of hockey tournaments and the light of New Year's. Whew!

Do you have any time of year that rings most true to you? A day or time that makes you feel all settled,  quiet and complete? Share with me!

My Best Shot Monday: Still No Snow

It's wet, but still no snow. Well, no measurable snow. No snow my kids label as "fun".

So we're waiting.

My kids are anxious for a white Christmas. I only remember a couple when growing up. I do remember how special they were.

I hope they get their "fun" snow for Christmas.

ETA: Head over to my friend Char's blog: here, and enter to win some goodies! Today is your LAST CHANCE!