…..WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICECREAM !  

FOR TWENTY THREE YEARS I HAVE HAD THE WONDERFUL PLEASURE OF MEETING UP WITH MY SISTERS FOR THE ‘GIRLS’ WEEKEND AWAY’. IT ALL STARTED WITH A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY WITH MY SISTER, PAMELA, AND MYSELF AFTER I FLEW HOME FOR MY ANNUAL ONTARIO TRIP.  WE HAD SO MANY LAUGHS AND IT WAS GOOD FOR THE SOUL.

WALKING AROUND MY NEIGHBOURHOOD I AM STRUCK BY HOW VERY ‘CANADIAN’ THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE APPEARS. IT SEEMS THE CHAIR OF CHOICE IS THE CLASSIC ADIRONDACK . I HAVE SEEN THEM IN SO MANY COLOURS, MATERIALS- PLASTIC, SOME WOODEN, SOME ADULT SIZED AND SOME FOR CHILDREN.

Mom, Dad… thank you.

THE NEW COVID RULES HAVE US WAITING. AND WAITING.

HOW ARE WE FILLING OUR TIME? WITH WHAT ARE WE FILLING OUR HEADS?

SOMETIMES I CAN FEEL LIKE ‘THE CAGED BIRD THAT SINGS’…

IT’S A DAY TO GIVE THANKSGIVING FOR OUR MOTHERS…THOSE WE LOVE NEAR, FAR, OR GONE BEFORE US. 

I CAN HEAR YOUR BUBBLING LAUGHTER IN MY HEAD AND THE SOUND OF YOUR LIGHT FOOTFALLS AS YOU WEAVE TOWARDS ME AT FULL SPEED.

WE SEEM TO BE HITTING ‘THE WALL’ . FRIENDS ARE POSTING THINGS LIKE : “I DON’T THINK I CAN TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS”. “I’M OVER THIS, I DON’T CARE ANYMORE”. I’M HEARING FROM OTHERS THAT THEY FEEL DEPRESSED .

NO BATHING SUITS BUT DURING THESE LAST MANY WEEKS I HAVE HAD FUN MEETING UP WITH MY FRIENDS FROM THE POOL. FOR YEARS I HAVE BEEN DOING AQUAFIT WITH THIS INCREDIBLE GROUP OF (MOSTLY) SENIORS AND WE HAVE ALL DEVELOPED QUITE A BOND.

WELL, I’M TRYING TO ‘COOK UP SOME KINDNESS’ AGAIN. THERE’S JUST SOMETHING CALMING TO ME ABOUT CREATING IN THE KITCHEN. WHETHER IT’S THE SIMPLE JOYS OF FEELING THE DOUGH IN MY HANDS AS I KNEED IT INTO FORM OR STIRRING THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER WITH THE ANTICIPATION OF WATCHING COOKIES OR BREAD RISING, I FIND IT ALL RATHER MEDITATIVE.

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF TEARY THESE DAYS? DO YOUR HOURS SEEM ENDLESS IN YOUR ISOLATED WORLD ? DO YOU WORRY ABOUT WORK? YOUR FAMILY?

DURING THIS LOVELY, RAINY MONDAY MORNING I AM REMINDED OF A SONG I SANG CALLED, “RAINING IN MY HEART”. (THE PHOTO ..ME IN PINK SINGING WITH THE UMBRELLAS CHORUS ABOVE)

IT’S NICE TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE TIME TO PAINT!  I CAN SAY THAT IS ONE GOOD THING ABOUT BEING FORCED TO STAY HOME… HA HA.

SPIRITLINE HAS BEEN ASKED TO DO AN ONLINE CONCERT TO RAISE MONEY FOR ROSEBUD, ALBERTA, THEATRE COMMUNITY.

THE PATTERNS OF OUR WORLD HAVE CHANGED.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST?

ONE THING I’VE DISCOVERED ON ALL OF MY WALKS IS THAT THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL PLACES TO SEE…AND RIGHT NEARBY!

SOMEDAY. SOMEDAY WE WILL LOOK BACK ON THIS TIME AND REMEMBER.

AS I ATTEMPT TO GO ON ALMOST DAILY WALKS I AM STRUCK BY THE LARGE NUMBER OF CHALK DRAWINGS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.

IT’S AMAZING TO ME THAT ‘ZOOM’ SHOWED UP FOR THE WORLD JUST WHEN WE NEEDED IT.