What to do when you can’t do.

We take our bodies so much for granted until a pinched nerve stops the fingers from working properly, typing hurts, sitting hurts – then we realize just how much for granted we have taken of this wonderful structure we live inside.

Talk about surprised when the young doctor who walks into the examining room looks like he should still be in school and the physio therapist, you’re sure was playing hookey from school too.   Oh my, life and time has changed so much.

What is there to do when one can’t do?  Well, I’ve rediscovered the old bookcase full of wonderful old books written in the 18 and 1900′s.  Some too stuffy to finish but still, the feel of leather covers, dusty smell of in law’s cigarette smoke, the sound of proper English, wordy descriptions that fill the mind with something other than pain.

Then there are pictures on the walls. Our walls are full of Ken’s art, and I’ve never really spent much time just looking at them, noticing the detail of the rocks, the colour of the flowers, the tiny outlines that make it all three-dimensional.

And the fireplace – watching wood burn seems to awaken some primeval joy – heat, warmth, sound – comfort.  Listening is also a great pastime we seldom take time for, birds at the feeder, rain on the skylight, branches against the window and the sound of the phone letting you know someone has thought of you and wants to say hi.

Elbow hurts, fingers won’t work right.  Time to stop doing again for a bit.  There’s still lots to not do if I let my creative brain in on the adventure.

The Last Bouquet of theYear

Today I picked the last hydrangea blooms, filled the old blue and white jug to overflowing with shades from pale blue to deep purple.  I can not stop admiring them.  I know there will not be any more until spring and so they have become more valuable now, rare, less common place and I wonder why, when the house was full of fresh cut flowers all summer long I didn’t notice them like I do this last bouquet of the year.

Just a fleeting thought, but maybe, in this world of abundance we live in, we have become accustomed to having it all and we forget to notice and feel deep appreciation for each lovely gift we are given daily.

 

Being Here

Concrete parking lot.

Steel post.

How did a tree happen to be here?

But it is here,

growing as best it can.

Prognosis,

not great.

Future

not too promising -

still it grows, thrives,

doing the best it can with what it has

where it is,

being

here.

Old Friends

An old friend called the other day.  They were taking the circle route that goes through our town.  Their large motor home was not what you’d want to try to navigate our road with so we met them downtown for coffee.

I don’t understand how it works, but somehow an old friend, like a comfy old sweater, just fits into the day as if they’ve been around forever.  We talked, laughed, looked at the album of the 50′s I brought to share and no one would have guessed it has been years, many years, since we’ve been together.

She was one of my bridesmaids.  Before that she was the one who I rode bikes with, slept in the camper trailer beside, walked to school with, had my first babysitting job with, talked about every thing with.  We were in grade four together.  That was a long time ago and yet, there we were sitting together, laughing and bouncing our memories off each other as though they were just yesterday.  Now we’re grandmothers!  We’ve each faced what life handed us without judgement from the other, we’ve lost and won, grieved and celebrated much in our separate lives but somehow that childhood bond has never worn too thin.  We still recognize the girls we once were.  No treasure is worth more than one good old friend.   I’m so glad she called.

Living The Simple Life

There is nothing simple about choosing to live the Simple Life.  It takes courage to say no to all the things that try to complicate our time and our lives.

I’ve just finished watching a DVD series I borrowed from the library. (Did you know most libraries have sections full of DVDs, CDs and VCRs for you to borrow? How simple is that, free, watch them, return them.  No need to store them.)  Wanda Urbanska walks you through some great ideas for simplifying your life.  Some of the catchy thoughts she shared:

Less stuff = Less money to earn = Less work = More Time.

Make a shopping list and stick to it.  Don’t need it, don’t buy it.

Every time you bring something new into your home, take something old out.  Donate, sell or re-gift those things that you haven’t used in two years or more.

Clutter is a contagious disease. Say no thanks to things you won’t use, even if they are free.

Don’t get caught in the trap of miswanting.  What we thought would make us happy, does not.  When we have what we need, we have enough and are happy.  This is a decision and you need to tell yourself that until you believe it.

And finally “Inhale Peace – Exhale Fear”

Simple, right?  Like everything else in life, it’s what we feed that grows.  It’s what we tell ourselves over and over that we come to believe.  I for one am practising gratitude, thanking God for that which I have – beauty surrounding me, people who love me, enough of everything I need, enough to share.  It’s simple enough to say thank you and somehow thanks opens up our hearts to what is important.  It isn’t what we have, it’s who we are or who we are becoming.  Simple folk, living a simple life.  That’s what I want to be when I grow up.

Spring Cleaning

I’ve washed and folded all the woolens and tucked them away in the old trunk.  I was surprised at how tidy the front hall looks now without all those bulky clothes hanging around waiting to go outside.  Now my favourite gum boots with hand painted flowers on them stand in a puddle a of drips after our walk through the trails yesterday.  Something about spring inspires one to fold up the dark, heavy thoughts of winter and allow for the occasional shower of tears but mostly spring is about cleaning.  Pulling dead leaves away from new shoots emerging, carting wind strewn branches back to the woods and cleaning the windows of winter’s fingerprints.

I like what someone called the Mount Vernon method of cleaning.  Apparently it is based on the system used to keep historical buildings spotless year round.  Start at the front door, working your way around each and every room, dealing with every item, shelf, knick knack and surface.  Wash, dust, sort – putting back only that which you love – those things that are useful and beautiful. Carry along a bag for giving away, a bag for garbage and a basket for things that need to be relocated.  At the end of your energy,  place  a precious ornament there, right where you stopped.  Take the give away bag to the thrift shop next time you go to town.  Put the garbage in the can and relocate those things that belong somewhere else.  Next time the cleaning mood hits, carry on from where you left off, moving your lovely marker around the rooms throughout the house.  Soon spring cleaning will become second nature and you will only be surrounded with what you love and what you use.

Why do we hang onto things we never liked like some strange need possesses us to remember a friend’s penchant for ridiculous gifts or rub into our self thoughts that we don’t deserve beauty or order or an uncluttered life.  Just because someone gave us a gift, is not a reason to feel we must keep it or use it forever.  We can gift that thing and that memory to someone else who needs it or likes it or wants it and fill the space it left with something we love.  Or leave that space full of emptiness.  I’m learning to love empty spaces more,  spaces for  dreams, ideas, poems yet to be written.

Soon the garden will be full of organic vegetables to share, fresh fruit for jam and canning, flowering abundance to enjoy and inspire.  And maybe, this year, my home will also be filled with only that which is lovely and useful.

Spring Gardening Tips

Today it really feels like spring!  No rain, no wind, no clouds – a whole day to play outside in the garden. I’ve been watching Gardening DVD’s for inspiration or for something to do when my muscles are just too tired to do anything else. I copy every tip I hear or read onto 3″ x 5″ index cards. I have stacks of them overflowing with enough good ideas to last a life time.  I thought I would share some with you, maybe inspire some digging in the dirt or at least dreaming about doing so.

If your kitty likes to garden too, this will make sure it gets the point – stick round wooden toothpicks in your pots, pointy end sticking out of the dirt enough to make an uncomfortable sitting spot.  Also old used teabags sprayed with muscle spray and buried around plants will deter kitty coming to that spot.  They don’t like the smell.

Spray a band of WD40 or smear a band of vaseline around the outside of a large pot to keep slugs and snails from crawling up and into it.

Line terra-cotta pots with a plastic bag. Make a hole in the center for drainage. It won’t dry out as quickly as clay pots tend to.

An old apple corer makes a great dibber for planting little seedlings.

Paint over your plant labels with clear nail polish. That will make sure your labels can be read right through the season.

One banana skin per rose bush will feed it all the nutrients it needs. Chop up the peel and bury around the rose bush in the spring. We’ve been doing this, eating a banana a day is good for us too.

I’m going to try this one with the climbing rose on the new pump house. Just a dab of silicone seal on the wall, wait a few minutes for it to dry some, press the rose stem into the silicone, voila – it will stay put. Can’t wait to try this, I have tried everything from staples to twist ties to keep my rose on the wall and nothing has been very satisfactory.

One more and I hope you’re heading for your garden because that’s where I’m off to.

Grated soap is a good squirrel deterrent sprinkled where you don’t want the cute little critters.

Happy Gardening!