Dogs & December ...

He sat on the sofa basking in the sunshine, warming up.

We had spent a good couple of hours walking through the woods … I was picking up pine cones...

he was picking up scents :-D

Meeting up with a few younger dogs, he tried to catch up as they ran for balls running circles around him  …

His 10 year old legs prefer walking to running these days. I watch him with a smile on my face … what is it about your own dog? there is just none like them!

The white around his eyes, muzzle, chest and paws is more visible against his shiny black coat.

What a handsome boy he is!

Once home, I make a cup of tea & spend the remainder of the afternoon creating boughs to hang around the garden.

Cedar and pine cones simply tied with twine for the country look we love. Outside {and indoors} decorating is all finished now.

"my sunshine doesn't come from the skies. It comes from the love that's in my dog's eyes"

Brown eyes watching every move I make.

My Velcro dog x

"some people don't understand why my dog means so much to me.

That's ok, my dog does"

time flies ...

~hello~

I'm not sure where the time has gone …noticed that  more than a month has passed since my last blog post … stats show that you are all still stopping by for a visit … thank you x

I have been posting {almost daily} on my Instagram account however {link is on my sidebar}

Due to a rotating Canada Post Strike, I haven't added many Christmas themed items to my Etsy shop this year {although I have been painting … a lot!} … will take some photos & post those here soon :-) 

The Christmas boxes have made their way upstairs and decorating has begun … it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

d xo

Sunday serenity ...

an October afternoon

from my little corner of the world

As I walk,

as I walk,

the Universe

is walking with me.

Beauty

is on every side.

As I walk,

I walk with beauty.

~Navajo Prayer~

October hush ...

"all we have, it seems to me,

is the beauty of 

art and nature and life

and the love

which that beauty inspires"

~Edward Abbey~ 

It's one of those October days

where the wind is blowing, the leaves are dancing

it's misty and foggy and yet so very soothing and cozy...

You bundle up and head out to one of your favourite spots and walk … 

and although you've walked there many times, you spot something new and magical & smile

~ life is change … flow/grow with it~

embracing the seasons

into the wild 

similarities and yet each unique 

"promise me one thing

wild child,

never filter your soul

to suit a mould"

~Nikki Rowe~ 

a beautiful tangle

nature's weaving

"some are born to play it safe

others are born to live it wild"

~Nikki Rowe~

"life is a balance

of holding on

and

letting go"

~rumi~ 

Archer … let's take our hearts for a walk in the woods

and listen to the magic whispers

of old trees …

autumn stories ...

my favourite season is showing in my paintings :-)

acorns and changing leaves are falling off my paintbrush as quickly as the trees

there have been surprises in our garden

where the bees are still enjoying the cosmos

and a hummingbird stopped by the other day!

garden bunnies are nibbling the rose of Sharon

 our maple tree is dropping leaves

 revealing the nests that have been built in her

on morning walks with Archer we have spotted both owls and coopers hawks

regal and magical filling me with inspiration

and of course...

sparrows

enjoyed a get away to beautiful Old Montreal

to watch a hockey game

&

see

Sir Paul McCartney in concert!!!

forest walks

and the blessings of rainy days for quiet contemplation 

and before the garden is tucked in for the Winter, I've been taking coleus clippings 

which now sit in little jam jars on a sunny window

~my autumn stories~

***

"Everything is held together

with stories.

That is all that is holding us together.

Stories and compassion"

~Barry Lopez~

friday thoughts ...

"you're gonna be happy"

said life

"but first

I'll make you strong"

my garden is filled with happy, strong bees buzzing about

this summer I have been followed everywhere I go by dragon flies

~they are so beautiful ~ 

sweet little chip 

I never pass up an opportunity to make a wish

"they say

a person needs just 3 things

to be truly happy 

in this world.

someone to love

something to do

and something to hope for"

~Tom Bodett~ 

***

mermaids, magazines & making things ...

~gathering sea glass~

***

I've been gathering sea glass
and placing it in my hair
letting the wind decide
where it should settle there

With the light of the sun
each piece glistens and shines
warming my head
and soothing my mind

keeping gathered treasures
within reach
as I mindfully walk
a stretch of the beach

I reach up
and run my fingers through strands
looking for glass
to touch my hand

comforting,
reminding me what's real
with each piece
I lovingly feel

Filling up
all of this headspace
with treasures found
along my sacred space

Seems I've created a vessel
for the light to shine in
and isn't that really the place
where it must begin.
~deb dunn~

I know I have often shared here how fortunate I feel to live along Lake Ontario ~ where I can walk the beach on any given day. 

 Walking meditation * listening and in tune with the tide * taking my thoughts to the lake * cloud watching * feeling the sand between my toes * and gathering ... finding those lovely little glistening coloured pieces of glass ~ loved and washed and tumbled over and over again xo

It was only a matter of time 

that all this beach glass gathering

found itself in a painting :-)

hair blowing wildly

picking up pieces of glass

letting them land as they wish

"gather yourself

 by the seashore

and I will love you there.

assemble yourself

 with  wild things

with the songs

 of the sparrow

 and sea foam

let mad beauty

 collect itself

 in your eyes

and it will shine

calling me.

for I long

for a man

with nests

 of wild things

 in his hair.

a man

who

 will

 kiss

 the

 flame"

~jewel~ 

I love to spot birds on the beach

whether tiny  sparrows * * sand pipers * red winged blackbirds *  sea gulls  who always look to see if I have food :-) * to the large  commorants who I watch in awe as they fly above ...

my sweet friend Christine sent me the latest issue of Faerie Magazine all the way from Connecticut

because inside was a lovely story all about sea/beach glass

that she knew I would love {and I did}!

"mermaid tears" was a term I hadn't heard before, but fell in love with the moment I read

"did you know that if a mermaid happens to fall in love with a sailor, she swims alongside his ship in order to protect him? Mermaids become very attached to the men they love"

~made me love sea glass all the more~

hello September ...

hello September 

"each day comes bearing its own gifts.

untie the ribbons "

~Ruth Ann Schabacker~ 

looking forward to cooler temperatures * cozy nights * long country drives * comfort food* baking pies and cookies * walking though leaves * pumpkins * caramel apples * fall fairs …

"I've gone into the fields

to take what this sweet hour yields"

~Percy Bysshe Shelley~

have a wonderful{long}  weekend

d x