To-Don't

I am a list girl. At any point in time, I have at least three going. One for this, one for that and another for those items that don't fall onto either of the previous. Most times I write these lists to get things out of my head....things that I think are crucial and don't want to forget to do.
Today I feel they are a curse. They are a reminder of the things I haven't done and not a visual of all I have completed. Today I am not in the right headspace for lists...I do happen to be in the right headspace for swinging, playing in the leaves and rolling down hills. Those kids - they are so smart.

Another photographer's debut

Papa plays in a local band called Fiftymen...not named after the number of members, but as far as I can tell...a beer of choice.
They played a weekend gig at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, Quebec. Here is his handiwork....






In case you were wondering, I was at home doing the everyday stuff....and dealing with a really really noisy neighbor that brought my needlefelting abilities to new heights.
Happy Halloween all.

This moment

...playing along with SouleMama and her "this moment" series

An old soul

I find it such an interesting phenomenon....how does a change in the seasons especially the shift from summer to winter invoke such a strong sense of communion with the rhythms of the natural world? I have essentially been raised a city girl, with exception to a small amount of time spent in the country during my childhood....why would I feel such an urgency regarding getting ready for the winter times ahead? It's not like I have to put food away to survive the winter. I do what I can as far as preserving the small harvest we are lucky enough to reap on our tiny city lot. Yet I feel a pull that I can't quite put my finger on. I want to enjoy the times of hearing the wind blow the leaves and watch the geese begin their annual trip to more sounthern climates. It feels special to be able to do those things.....if I close my eyes I could be living 100 years ago and the same things would be happening right now.

House love

From the moment I walked in the door, I was preoccupied with looking around at everything. Some houses lend themselves so easily to that....mostly those of the older variety...those built with love and care using resources from the surrounding land by those who would inhabit it. So much beautiful attention to detail. A house built to be a home.






They welcome you in and make it hard to leave. Not just the house, but the people in it too.

Horse love

While I spent a seemingly endless amount of time at my grandparent's farm while younger, my children have not been immersed in the country living lifestyle I had hoped they would. We are lucky enough to live in a city that has a large farm in it's centre (Canadian Experimental Farm), however, trips to the "farm" always leave me feeling a bit saddened that that is most children's farm experience. Contact with the animals is quite restricted and the fact that it is called the "experimental" farm leaves me wondering what they experiment with.
On the journey to our weekend in the country I found myself wondering whether the girls would be bored...skittish around animals...afraid to get dirty, the list went on and on. My worried thoughts mostly applied to Raine who is 13 and has spent pretty much all her life in the city. Turns out she was just as filled willing to jump into the moment as Hazel and the adults. She fed the horses, walked through the fields with the dogs, picked veggies and loved every moment of the day with camera in hand. What a happy mama I am. And a lucky one to boot.
Here are some of her horse shots.

The view through the eyes of a 13 year old...

We spent the weekend visiting family in beautiful horse country in Southern Ontario. If this place wasn't 6 hours away we would be there every weekend! Raine went a little snap-happy, but let me say that it was hard picking the best...there are so many.
Tomorrow, the horse series.
Thanks Aunt Susan and Uncle Ron. Your spot in the world is so lovely and peaceful.