Seeing through the Mist

“The most fortunate are those who have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy.” ― Abraham Maslow

 

The above quote was given in one of the recent meditations by Oprah & Deepak. It resonated with me since this is what I was attempting to say about myself in my last blog. The capacity to appreciate is a gift and not something that one somehow develops, at least that is how it seems to me. Although I cannot say that I have ever experienced ecstasy in nature I have very much felt the other 3 sensations of awe, pleasure and wonder and all with the added zest of humour. 
I had a lovely lunch with some ladies that I do not see as often as I would like but this visit brought back to me how very powerful socialization is in order for one to keep their mind in perfect balance. Relating to others in a meaningful way is so rewarding and enriching and a long dismal winter can sometimes deprive us of our social contacts (most especially when we are retired and no longer going to work, seeing folks on the bus or train and then interacting in the workplace). I wonder if others who are retired have experienced this awakening to the value of their social circle? I truly hope that all my friends and readers have absorbed my advice with respect to the 6 pieces of the retirement pie. I didn’t invent this criteria but found it during my early research and have found it very valuable and in fact TRUE WISDOM.
Staying grateful somehow just makes everything more positive and endurable. Having wonderful people around one (physically and through media) is a bonus that never goes stale.

Grace and Gratitude

Thus begins 21 days of meditation, finding grace through gratitude. Often I feel that it takes me several days of meditation to get the true thread of the theme of each meditation. “All good things bring gratitude” is self-evident, one would assume yet how often do we receive things, say thank you and then forget about it. The feeling of gratitude barely touches us. Is that because we are so rushed to get on with the next thing or is it because we don’t actually feel gratitude?

It is a staggering sensation to have to wonder about our emotional centre, to wonder if we are somehow depraved in that regard! This is one of the reasons why I am truly grateful that Oprah and Deepak offer free 21 day meditations approximately 3 or 4 times a year. Currently we are working on Grace through Gratitude but in the past we have touched on Belief, Light, Fulfillment, Peace, Hope, Desire and Energy. And those are only the ones that I took notes on!

Some kernels of wisdom from the past “begin to harness the power of belief to heal the past and bring forward a future of wholeness and fulfillment”, “once we believe in ourselves we can believe in wonder and spontaneous delight”, “I am in harmony with myself” and “I am never stuck when I live in the present”.

And this last is really how one should live their life – in the Now.

What is Happiness?

So what does happiness mean to you? Do you get a warm glow inside when you think of something pleasant and is that happiness? Do you laugh out loud and think “I am happy”? Is happiness a state of mind or a feeling? Is it both?

You’ve likely heard the saying “happiness is a puppy”, sweet and simple, however here is one doctor’s definition of happiness:

“What's your definition of happiness? Research in the field of positive psychology and happiness often define a happy person as someone who experiences frequent positive emotions, such as joy, interest, and pride, and infrequent (though not absent) negative emotions, such as sadness, anxiety and anger (Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Happiness has also been said to relate to life satisfaction, appreciation of life, moments of pleasure, but overall it has to do with the positive experience of emotions.”

I can say that I have frequent positive emotions and for the most part I only get angry when I listen to lying politicians or those who believe the lying politicians! Oh, and when they start a stupid story line on my soap opera!

Happiness is living in a country where we can have free expression (unless you happen to be the Attorney General . . . but that’s a story for tomorrow). In Alberta we are blessed with clear skies so that we reportedly have more sunshine days than any other province. And sunshine, well that is true happiness!

Laughing Medicine

Yesterday’s thoughts missed something important, in fact vital.  Being able to laugh is critical to positive moods, great energy and utter relaxation.  Best of all, if you can laugh at yourself you are well on your way to happiness. 

I don’t know much about other people’s family dynamics when it comes to humour but I fully appreciate my family’s ability to laugh at ourselves and to continue jokes for decades.  When my youngest brother was still a teenager he had a part time job at Safeway as a stock boy.  One evening he was filling the cookie shelves and spotted the fig newton cookies.  Now this was a cookie that my father liked but as my mother did not care for them she would seldom by them.  When Erik saw them, as he related the story to us, he said “fig nut” as his lightbulb moment.  Naturally he bought the cookies but for the rest of the family, his expression of “fig nut” has become our lightbulb moment quote.  Yeah, I know, you had to be there!

You see what I mean?  I can laugh at myself even as I visualize folks reading this and thinking “now what’s so funny about that?”  Humour is in the psyche of the believer.  (right, I just made that up too).  In our family we only have to look at each other upon uttering a certain word and we can start giggling.  Some words bring out loud guffaws.  Film quotes can create whole dialogues that end in laughs.

We are also very forgiving when we poke fun at each other because we can laugh at ourselves.  I am not sure how one develops a sense of humour but I am pretty sure that it can be done.  Our brains are amazing machines as long as we give them the exercise that they need.  So go on, get a laugh on!

A Little Bit of This & That

I spent time this weekend working on my lessons and then I put some of what I learned into practice.  I can pretty much say that I am sure to Ace Retirement but in the meantime I am having a terrific time in pre-retirement wherein I am getting the most out of my work day as well as my weekends, vacations and after hours.  Naturally I find the spring, summer and fall the most invigorating of times while winter sets me into the doldrums.  I believe that is due in large part to sun deprivation and so I am hoping that when I am home all day that I will be able to get outside more frequently in the wintertime to enjoy the sunshine and thus build up my enthusiasm for winter as well.

       As the countryside turns green, warm and more occupied I find that my spirits lift tremendously and as I stroll around the malls, streets and hallways I notice that people around me generally have that same uplifted quality.  Is it any wonder that people in tropical areas are so friendly and happy when we meet them on vacation?  And yet, they continue to discover that Danish people are the happiest people in the world, why is that I wonder? I don’t believe it is because they are “taken care of from cradle to grave”, not at all.  I think they are predisposed to be more easy-going in life, generally speaking, as well as being satisfied with less. 

       The other day I had 2 mule deer roaming about the acreage and they did not get overly excited when I stepped outside.  They looked at me for a long time, then went back to nibbling on the grass and slowly they wandered around to the other side of the bushes.  Perfectly laid back and very Danish.  My kind of critter.

What Does Happiness Look Like?

Do you ever question your own happiness?  Or do you just take your day as it comes without considering whether you are happy or not?  Is happiness relative?

       When I have the luxury of really browsing in a book store I will look through the self-help section with considerable interest.  I am astonished at the variety of books on subjects that perhaps would never cross a person’s mind if it wasn’t brought out front and centre by a new guru’s book.  This isn’t to say that the topics aren’t relevant, if you happen to be considering a simple life, life without additives, happiness, depression or what have you.  As I have mentioned before self analysis does not come easy to me.  That does not mean that I am not constantly analysing myself, but I always find it rather disconcerting to sit down and answer multiple choice questions about myself since (1)  I can usually figure out what the “right” answer should be and (2) one’s mood is always changing so how I feel is not going to be the same today as it is next week.

       So what does happiness really look like for anyone?  I would hazard a guess to say that perhaps the overriding key is “no money worries”.  I believe it is pretty difficult to be happy if you are worried about paying bills.  I don’t mean that you cannot have moments of happiness while you are in debt, but I mean that sort of contented happiness that is with you always.  So the question then becomes is happiness contentedness?  Well, no.  Um, maybe.  Partly.  See what I mean?  Happiness is as simple or as complex as we make it.

       Are you happy today?

Does Money Equal Happiness?

Yesterday I might have left you with the idea that happiness is equal to the amount of money you earn.  But we all know money doesn’t buy happiness.  But money can buy peace of mind and having the sense of security that your house is paid for and there is a nest egg in the bank for your retirement certainly gives a person a sense of ease.  A person who needs to worry every day about making ends meet is not going have that same sense of ease, or “happiness” that a person with some security will have.

       So, yes, in a way money does buy happiness.

       Money aside however, there are other aspects in a person’s life that can make or break happiness regardless of money.  Throughout a person’s life choices need to be made, from making friends, to saying no to drugs or alcohol, to valuing virtues, to treating others well and the list goes on and on.  Some people have the misfortune to live with depression or other disorders and to that I do not pretend to have honest, true or correct answers.  But for those not suffering from these problems, they can have a choice in whether they want to look at the glass half full or half empty. 

       Is it a choice?  I’m not sure, but I believe that a person can make an effort to change their mental processes when it comes to being happy, satisfied or discontented.  I honestly believe that this is a choice when a person becomes an adult, if not before.  In this modern world we live in we are provided with a vast amount of free information that can help us to “Live Our Best Life”, to quote Oprah.

       A person doesn’t have to be a Sad Sack – at least, I hope not.

On the Bright Side of Life

After a few days of ranting it’s time to turn over a new leaf and look at the nicer side of things.  Canada has received a very nice forecast from Environment Canada for the fall weather, above seasonal temperatures for most parts of the country.  Economic growth is slow, but it’s still growth.  The harvest has been good in most parts of the country due to a nice warm summer.  In fact, I have been very grateful that we are in the last days of August and still haven’t had frost.  How good is that?

      There’s all the good things in a person’s private life; family and friends who socialize and laugh together.  The fact that we live in one of the safest countries in the world.  The fact that we have food in our grocery stores and schools that function.  Hospitals with terrific doctors and nurses.  Things we generally take for granted.

      But somehow, it’s always easier to complain than to say thank you.  I’m a month early, but I am saying thank you tonight.

After a few days of ranting it’s time to turn over a new leaf and look at the nicer side of things.  Canada has received a very nice forecast from Environment Canada for the fall weather, above seasonal temperatures for most parts of the country.  Economic growth is slow, but it’s still growth.  The harvest has been good in most parts of the country due to a nice warm summer.  In fact, I have been very grateful that we are in the last days of August and still haven’t had frost.  How good is that?

      There’s all the good things in a person’s private life; family and friends who socialize and laugh together.  The fact that we live in one of the safest countries in the world.  The fact that we have food in our grocery stores and schools that function.  Hospitals with terrific doctors and nurses.  Things we generally take for granted.

      But somehow, it’s always easier to complain than to say thank you.  I’m a month early, but I am saying thank you tonight.

Happiness is Productivity

Mother and I have spent the last two days working like slaves in the yard.  Yesterday we first hauled a bunch of stuff out of the family room, pending the arrival of new furniture, and then we proceeded to gather up all the garbage that had been strewn about in the garbage.  We had a bit of a setback when I heard some scurrying in the back and lo, there was  skunk hustling from one side of the garage to the other.  We then worked very carefully on only one side of the garage, fearful of getting skunked.  Once that was done, we took a break and then we began painting the lawn furniture.  At the end of it I took the recycling up to the depot and returned with ice cream sundaes.

       We sat on the deck and praised ourselves, at which point Mom said

“Happiness is feeling a sense of accomplishment.” 

I smiled.

       So much for trying to get an answer from her with penetrating, intellectual questions. 

Optimist vs Pessimist

So I had to stop in the middle of my story yesterday because I thought I would run my theory by my mother.  The next thing I knew we were transported to her youth and how she felt about being glad or unhappy.  The conversation took the usual circuitous route and ended up in several gopher holes before we got back to whether or not she thought people were either an optimist or a pessimist by nature, not by life.

      The conversation went something like this.

      “So do you think you were happy as a child despite growing up in an occupied country?”

      “I never thought about being happy.  Everything was just normal and we were all happy.  My parents were happy with each other and so were my aunts and uncles.”

      “But were they happy in themselves, not with each other”  I patiently asked.

      “There wasn’t all this divorce going on.   People married because they liked each other and didn’t just pick the first person they who asked them, thinking they could change out later if it didn’t work out.”

      “But my question is, were they happy in themselves?”

      Long pause, thinking in progress.

      “They were happy because they liked each other.”

      Now I had to think about how to get her out of this gopher hole.

      “Would you say you were happy-go-lucky rather than someone who worried about every little thing in case it would go wrong?”

      “I wouldn’t say that I was happy or thought about it at all.  I just didn’t worry.  But I was responsible.  I was always careful about not getting into trouble or breaking a leg.”

      From there the conversation drifted to her confirmation and how her self confidence grew when her father told her she was the nicest girl in the class, with the nicest dress.  Afterwards she was walking ahead of some boys from her school and she overheard them say that she was the nicest once at the confirmation.  Somehow in all of this I gathered that self confidence was part of her happiness.

What is Happiness?

What is happiness? 

In one sense it is simply being relieved of care.  When one is under particular stress all that would make them happy is “not having a care in the world”.  More often though happiness is a state of being uplifted.  It is said that serotonin is one of the key chemicals in the brain that affects whether or not we have depression.  Going one step further if you have plenty of serotonin one is likely to be a happy person.  But even if you have a lot of serotonin if you have too many worries happiness will be elusive.

Happiness is not the material world, those are pleasant things to have and naturally if one has money it is one less worry a person has.  If one has a good boss that is another stress gone.  If one has good relations with one’s family, again, no stress there.  If a person has one good friend, they are rich in what matters.  If the sun is shining, the world is smiling.

Attempting to write about happiness I find myself pondering what makes me happy and I find myself saying that as long as there are no complications in my life any small thing will make me happy.  Even if there are concerns looming, if I can put them away for a while, then I can be happy watching my pets groom themselves or looking at my flourishing ivy plant.  Just a little effort can bring a person happiness.

I recommend you try it.

April is here, is spring far behind?

      I’m back from 5 days away in NYC and I’m glad to find that the weather here is as nice as in the east.  The tulips and cherry blossoms were out in full force and yesterday we had this fantastic misty type of rain that does wonders for the complexion and depending on your hair, it can get very curly.  Here my day lilies are coming up in the front and my tulips are showing about one inch above ground.  But at least there wasn’t any snow on the ground when we landed.

      Living in Southern Alberta is very challenging when it comes to weather because we never know if we should get excited and start pulling out our spring or summer things because we can get hit by frost or snow in any month of the year.  But this year it does seem to me that I feel the weather has changed for the better and we are going to have a mild spring and summer.  When I reflect on the past few springs that weren’t, well, I can only say that I hope I am right.

      So what does a person do when a mild spring is on the horizon?  Haul out the potting pots, the potting soil and start going over the seeds.  Uncoil the outdoor hoses and start sprinkling down the trees and grass.  Start inspecting the flowerbeds and raking up the leaves that somehow didn’t get raked last fall.  It’s too early to feel the heat coming out of the ground but I can see little green specks of this and that coming up.  That’s promising.  Walk around the property and start hauling dead branches and twigs to the wood pile and at the same time determine which trees need chopping down or just a trimming.

      Spring is a time of bustling activity and anticipation of warm days ahead.  Oh, and did I mention, it’s time to get out the running shoes and start jogging again.  I knew there was a catch somewhere.

Sunshine, Butterflies and Happiness

Do you get spring fever?  Me too.  Finally I begin to get that surge of energy that has me asking “what should I do first?” and none of the options involve food or watching TV.  That’s a sign of spring.

       I think yesterday I hit a real low driving in to work but this morning I am feeling that upward surge that is telling me that spring is just around the corner.  Sure, I can expect another burst of snow before we finally start to see the spring rains and green grass.  Already I am seeing geese on the curb side downtown which is always a harbinger of spring.  I get a kick out of looking out for them (in years past when I was a passenger, of course) and then spotting them on high rise rooftops or window ledges.  Twice I’ve seen some adorable geese leading their gosling either across Hwy 2 and the other time across the YWCA courtyard, impervious to cars, pointing people and protesting ducks.

       Another sign of spring is busy car washes even though this winter I’ve washed my car more often than I have in the last 4 years (due to the constant slush on the roads).  I’d like to say that this weekend will see me polishing my windows but instead, poor me, I will be packing and organizing my trip to NYC.  Yes, I am off to the Big Apple next week and am feeling very excited about seeing my first Broadway show (“Wicked”).  This time we have an extra day just for site seeing and my friend and I have been looking at the website trying to decide how we can be most efficient without crippling each other!

       I am happy to say that I believe I am out of the winter doldrums and well on the way to being active again.  Thank Mother Nature.

The Joy of Life

When you see children playing in the school yard or out on the street you can see their joy of living.  They are out having fun.  It isn’t often that you see adults having the same level of fun just by being outdoors.  I’ve been wondering how to get that level back into my life.  I know that part of it means being outdoors for longer periods of time simply to get the Vitamin D from the sun.  But the rest of that energy in the fun, does that come from the exercise?  I rather think so because I know when I have been working out I find I have energy that carries me along for several hours afterwards.

       All the research on longevity indicates that the one common factor in older people is their joy of living.  While I do wake up with a positive feeling I have noticed that during the winter months I don’t have that level of joy that I think is essential to making life worth living.  Now it’s time for me to start experimenting with moving positiveness up several notches into Joy.

       A huge part of why adults lose their joy is because they get into ruts, they slug along making a living, doing their chores and they forget about taking care of themselves.  The dreadful thing about all of this is that we all know the truth; we are supposed to eat health, exercise and stay fit.  So, why don’t we listen to all of the advice?  I believe that a very big part of this failure comes from simply being stuck.  It can be very hard to pick oneself up by the bootstraps and give ourselves that big kick in the butte to get moving and doing.

       It’s March, we get one more hour of sunshine on Sunday when we turn our clocks forward, and Spring is just around the corner.  It’s time to do some Shake, Rattle and Roll to bring that Joy back into our Lives.  So let’s do it!

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Reader’s Digest has a regular section titled “Laughter is the Best Medicine” which has a number of humours anecdotes. Last night I had a teleconference with my writing coach and a meditation expert (Pragido Dove) talking about laughter meditation as part of our writing process. Let me tell you that it was the most interesting experience I’ve had in a very long time. Imagine that laughing for 30 seconds and then being silent in meditation for 30 seconds could bring about a positive vibration that lasted for the rest of my evening (another 90 minutes before lights out) and even as I lay in bed waiting for sleep I felt fantastic. Not only did my body feel wonderful but I could really feel positive energy in the room. It was remarkable.

Now we’ve all heard that laughing is good medicine, that it can release a lot of tension in our body and make us feel better. My family has a great sense of humour and we laugh a lot when we get together so I never thought to actually try laughing alone and then begin a meditation. I will tell you right now – try it. What can it hurt? The sensation is something you will never forget and will want to embrace again and again.

Are you afraid of the meditation process? All I did last night was close my eyes when Pragido instructed us to and just breath. I hardly had a chance to think about anything (and that is good because you are supposed to NOT think during meditation). I was sitting on the floor doing the laugh and then the meditation as I do think that is the best way to feel loose and relaxed. You can start with just 30 seconds but you can do a one minute, five minute, and so on up to as much as you like but you should do an equal amount of the laugh and the meditation. To start the laughing process, in case you find it hard to do, you can stand up with arms raised above your head and shout yahoo three times and then begin to laugh which makes it easier. Who can resist laughing at one’s own actions? I was simply sitting on the floor and shouted out the yahoos which worked great for me.

Go to www.discovermeditation.com and from there Pragido has a link to Laughing Buddist Network which is free to join. I am not a guru after my little session last night but let me tell you I AM A BELIEVER. I have never felt so wonderfully POSITIVE. After the teleconference I did my little writing practice and it was all about the conference and how positive I felt. What I’ve written this morning is brand new – that is how enthusiastic I am.

Karen thank you for a life altering experience! You are the most amazing writing coach ever. Check Karen out at www.frontroweseat.com

When I'm happy the butterflies come out!

TakingFlight--- again

Taking Flight

Early morning and I am just wondering what I should write about. Anticipation? Have you had enough of that with all my other trips and interesting events? No? Oh good, because here we go again.

Last night I had a lovely evening with Barbara who cooked a fabulous dinner of soup and casserole finished off by a Swedish flancake (bought at Ikea – I don’t want to make her TOO fabulous!) How many of us working ladies get to put our baking talents to good use anymore? I for one am so tired when I get my weekends that I just want to deal with the immediate housekeeping concerns and then enjoy the weekend with family and friends. So when I see some of my girlfriends bearing homemade goodies to our meetings I wonder “how do you find the time?” with admiration and despair for myself.

But back to the main story. After dinner we drove back to work to pick up my suitcase. Barbara parked behind the French Maid (my carpool buddy will love that) while I went by security using my super duper secret code. I felt like a spy. I was moving fast. Zip zip and I was rolling that suitcase back onto the sidewalk and we were off. It was about 8 p.m. and Barbara said she must stop at the Safeway. Just the little event of shopping for a few items in the evening is a big deal for me. When I get home from work the shops are generally closed so I cannot do the normal things other people have time to do in the city. You probably take for granted that you can run to the grocery store or Walmart for something you might need at work next day. I cannot even book a massage, nail care or hair appointment. I can get my hair done on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the other small town north of me. But only if I get there at 6 so when the bus is late, forget it.

We got back to the apartment and had some more tea and talked until 10:30. What luxury to be up late talking to a friend! We watched excitement across the street where there were a half dozen fire trucks and smoke coming out of the Staples store. Oddly, no sirens were going but eventually the smoke disappeared though we never saw the hoses out. It was fun to watch the city from a penthouse apartment (from a huge balcony) but it was still too cool to sit there for long.

This morning I am counting the house to Macy’s. That will be our first visit and will likely take up the whole afternoon and evening. Visa, be prepared for action!

Friday with Sunshine

It’s a day off Friday, the best kind of Friday and despite errands and doctor’s appointments I will be having a fun day shopping with my fashionista stylist. Six more sleeps and I am off to San Francisco for the REAL shopping but Kelli will be showing me what sort of things I should be looking out for so I won’t get carried away and buy something that is all wrong for my shape. She really is awesome and I only wish she could go in my suitcase.

Every single person I have spoken with that has been to San Francisco loves it and most say it is their favourite city so I am really hoping that I will not have built my expectations so high that I will be disappointed. In my mind San Francisco is one of those quiet towns that are glamorous in an unpretentious sort of way. It’s not big and bold like New York or Los Angeles and yet it is world famous and filled with things to do and see. One of my favourite western TV shows was “The Big Valley” starring Barbara Stanwyck and the “big city” in that show was San Francisco. I think maybe Palladin from “Have Gun Will Travel” was also based in San Francisco but I didn’t really watch that show until I was older (in reruns, of course). When I was 14 I read a book called “Milestone Summer” and the character ends up taking a trip to San Francisco and I pictured her shopping along the streets looking for furniture. That’s my early exposure to this city. You’ll have to stay tuned to my impressions in a week or 10 days.

So how is it that at 58 I am only seeing the USA now especially given that I’ve had a lot of exposure to various cities and have longed to see New Orleans (yes Richard Simmons, I wanted to go there before I knew it was your home town). Frank Yerby’s early books were staged in New Orleans and I read every single Yerby book before I turned 20. Have I mentioned my parents’ were very liberal in allowing us to read whatever was in the house? I read “Pride’s Castle” when I was 14, “The Saracen Blade” at 16 and when I discovered more books in the library it was a free for all until I was done. He did write a few more after I was 20 and I have read those as well but they were not nearly as good. And by the third book Silvia and I had already figured out his formula. Tormented man becomes more tormented by loving two women who are complete opposites. Occasionally there was a third or fourth and despite being ugly (sometimes) he was too irresistible not to be loved by these gorgeous women.

Anyway back to American cities. Another city I have always wanted to see is Williamsburg, Virginia again because of several novels. In fact one really old mystery is set during a southern garden tour and that really appealed to me. Garden tours? Do they still do that? Apparently yes. Into the bucket list for that one!

Speaking of which, I just read an article about a Longview resident who adds a new item to his list of 100 whenever he completes one so that he is always motivated and excited about something. I think that is a great idea so if I ever get around to making an actual list I will have to keep it going. More short list for today, while short, is demanding so signing off for now . . .

Sunshine Lollipops

We’ve had about 24 hours of sunshine now and there’s a touch of dryness near the top of the house but I am not holding my breath for a cure to flooding quite yet. I had a close call today with the septic tank acting up and all I could think was ‘I am getting too old for this’. But my mother came to my rescue, driving my brother’s truck and she looked so cute when she got out of that big old thing. I have the best mother in the world.

Yesterday Mom made me kramerhus which is a Danish dessert, it’s sort of a meringue like cone that you put jam and whipped cream into – mmm mmm good. After 3 of those I sort of went into a coma of delight and rested my tummy for the pork chops and cream sauce that came later. Then we watched this horrid movie “Wall Street 2” which was slow as molasses in January and fairly predictable. However, I had a wonderful day with my Mom and my brothers.

June is my favourite month of the year. I feel like it is finally summertime when my birthday rolls around and I must say I only wish that we could all have a 3 month sabbatical to enjoy the summers. Why can’t work just go on hold for the warm weather? Do you remember how anxious you were to grow up and get out of school? Ah to have those summer vacations again. I should have been a school teacher, just think of all the days off they get. I keep telling my nephew that I will be watching him to see how much he really works as a teacher.

My but I am not being inspired to write today. I think I had too much sunshine and fresh air. I just want to lay in bed and read something mellow. I’ve got this fun new book to start “A Short History of Tractors in the Ukraine”. I need a laugh. I’ll keep you posted.

Girfriends' Retreat in BC

I’m having breakfast at a high table overlooking the lake and straight ahead of me I see the birdfeeders and currently there is a tiny blue headed bird that I will look up in Marie’s fancy talking book on birds. I think it is a mountain chickadee. It’s very pretty. Last night we could hear the wild beating of hummingbird wings as they dipped into the feeder. They are so tiny it is just incredible to watch them. I’ve landed in a little piece of heaven where everything is lush and green and the birds are singing to beat the band.

Marie has made her deck so warm and welcoming but she had us keeling over with laughter when she told the story of visiting her neighbour and coming home thinking “I have deck envy”. Only Marie could say something like that and get away with it. But she was right on it and my eyes fall on lovely potted plants with adorable hummingbird solar lights. Charming little accents on the tables, like a seabell in white or a potted gerber daisy in soft pink are restful to the eye.

As always I am the first one up, out the door for my agonizing walk up and down hills at 6 a.m. turning around because I’m exhausted but I will fob the gal pals off with the excuse “it was starting to spit”. LOL I declare that the hills in B.C. are steeper than anywhere else because I did not have THAT much wine last night to incapacitate myself to the extent of getting winded on a mere driveway. I’ll have to post a picture of the mere. (Remember the story where the grandpa says “You didn’t get beat by a mere girl?” And the kid says “Girls aren’t so mere anymore” or words to that effect . . .) Seriously Marie has one killer of a driveway, going up and down that a couple of times would equal a one hour walk, I’m pretty sure!

Walking along and admiring all the lovely gardens I have to say that I have tulip envy. I kept wondering “how do they get them to grow so tall?” Mine are tiny little pygmies and frequently fail to bloom. I am doing something wrong but I don’t know what. I’ll have to ask Gill she’s our horticultural expert in the group. Whenever I come out here I muse for a while on the possibility of having a second home here but it would be for the gardening and then what would I do with the house all winter? No, I must persevere with the challenges of Southern Alberta gardening and accept that lushness is never going to be one of the features of my garden. But I did get an inspiration to seed violas in my east pathway, it will look charming and simple as well as blending in with the purple irises.

I can hardly wait to get into my own garden but in the meantime I am enjoying the companionship of some wonderful girlfriends, even if they are sleepyheads!