This seasons’ dominant colours are grey and brown, which is not entirely bad. I feel more grateful, blessed, fortunate, for each dash of colour such as this, provided by our redbud this spring.
Grey and brown
Tag: grateful
Blessed and grateful.
The hibiscus is still throwing off blooms. With low temperatures in the single digits and highs barely reaching 20 by the weekend, it may be nearing the end of bloom season.
Nonetheless, I am blessed and grateful that it’s doing so well.
Loved.
I have always loved Lucy’s floppy ears, and am so grateful that they were not cropped by one of her previous owners.
I will (and did) gladly accept . . .
We went for a good walk at Rondeau Provincial Park on New Year’s Eve. What was a dank, dark, gloomy day at home became an agreeable day at the lakeshore. While some might have grumbled a bit about the total absence of snow, I will (and did) gladly accept what The Maker Of All Things saw fit to grace us with that day.
Promise fulfilled.
Before today, only four days this month had been mostly sunny. This mornings’ lovely dawn promised that today would be Day 5.
The promise was fulfilled. I was, am, very grateful.
Canadian Pacific Railroad Holiday Train.
The CP Holiday Train came to my part of the world today so I went to see. There are actually two trains – the Canadian train and the US train. This was the US train; on Monday it will begin making stops in the States.
This is the 21st year the train has made its journey to collect food and funds for local food banks. So of course I donated some food and money to our local food bank. The hook to draw people to the event is that a musical performer performs a short free concert at each stop. The performer(s) on this years’ US train is Alan Doyle (of Great Big Sea fame) and his Beautiful Band. The weather was not bad for the end of November – overcast, a light breeze, temperature about 33F or 1C.
I was fortunate to see the show, and fortunate to be in a position to donate for people in need.
Bitter; gratitude and compassion
We are enduring a bitter cold spell, the worst in several years. The ambient temperature is -22 Celsius and the wind chill equals about -35C.
This cold spell should abate this weekend. In the meantime I’m deeply grateful for our snug and safe little home. I’m full of compassion for the wild things which have no such safe and snug place to hole up, particularly the songbirds. So I’m compelled to generously scatter seed far and wide.
The colours of Christmas
Red – tomato. White – onion and garlic. Green – jalapeno, cilantro, lime (the juice of several limes). Sum = home-made salsa.
2017 was a good year for Faye and I. we have many things to be grateful for. We have our health. A snug home. Work we are nicely compensated for. Three good dogs in pretty good health. Family and friends.
I want to wish each of you, my readers, a safe and very pleasant Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, winter solstice, the season/event you choose to celebrate. Thank you very much for making time to making time to read, view, comment. I hope to continue making this place worthy of your time.
Honoured
Fitzi is illuminated, honoured, by a shaft of sunlight.
Wednesday is my scheduled day off from posting. I did not post last night, so this is a catch-up.
I may post irregularly for the next several weeks. Life intervenes. My next post may be tomorrow, or Friday, or another day. I encourage you to stay tuned, to check in.
Thank you to my WordPress readers who think enough of my work to make the time to click ‘Like’, to those of you who follow me; and to my FB readers who make time to read, like, comment. I’m honoured, and deeply grateful.
A journey ends, a journey begins
My journey with Stella has ended – in one way.
I prefer to not share all of the details of how and why. They are between me and Faye, Stella, our vet, and the Knower of All Things. It’s enough to say we are blessed with a vet who came to our home and helped us let go, with Stella’s head in my lap.
I adopted her over 13 years ago, discovered a new and deep sense of purpose. We learned from and trained one another. We prospered through the years of Avis and Moonpie becoming senior dogizens, being adopted by Corndog. We met Faye and I gained another new purpose. Someone to love and be loved by.
We let go of Moonpie, Avis, Corndog, and gained a new four footed companion – Achilles.
We moved to a new life, a new country, met new dogs – Rex, Kendal, BoJo, fosters Charlie and Lucy – and let go of them. Achilles is still here. We met yet another foster, Fitzi, and he has stuck. He’s the right dog at the right time.
I hope that Stella had a full life. Some people might have done more to keep her here longer. I believe it’s better to let go a day too soon, while she still had dignity, than a day too late.
I’m sad – for me and for Faye. Among the bargains I made when adopting her (that anyone makes when they adopt a dog or cat) was that I’d probably outlive her.
My sadness is tempered by gratitude for having years together, learning from and about one another. Deep gratitude to the family who trusted me enough to let me adopt her.
I don’t believe in the Rainbow Bridge. This isn’t a criticism of those who do believe, only a statement that I don’t believe. I don’t believe that Stella or any (every) dog I’ve owned will rush to greet me at the Bridge. She has too much good stuff to do, to spend eternity at my side. She’s too busy power-chasing squirrels and keeping them honest. There are too many rivers, lakes, and ponds for a duck wearing a dog suit to swim in. And that’s fine.
A journey ends, a journey begins. Stella is no longer here yet she is here – in my memory, head, heart, and soul. So she lives on.
previouslytexan 