1000 km and a very special visit

watching her sink into owen's strong arms

still brings hot tears to my eyes

listening to her explain all about how she feels about her new home

still brings hot tears to my eyes

cuddling in the morning after she woke up and came to find us

still sleeping, but quickly awakened by her soft "ta-ta wake up"

still brings hot tears to my eyes

listening to the wonder in her voice as she asked

"you drove all this way to see ME? why?"

still brings hot tears to my eyes.

it was worth every kilometer we travelled

and we will do it again and again

pretty images from my week...(holiday edition)

there is beauty everywhere we look.

i love finding it:)

happy weekend!

words i hear...

i don't often blog about my job

but this is too good to pass up...

yesterday i wrote down random snippets from this little girl

she didn't know i was listening or recording

this is her inner dialogue...

enjoy!

"i just want to see myself"

it's like a dream - a dream come true"

"i want to dress up my own self"

"a very perfect fit for me"

"oh look at how pretty I am"

"whoo..so creamy"

"i'm gonna rescue myself- i'm gonna save my own self"

i wonder what happens to our confidence as we grow older?

hmmm..

"it is something to be

able to paint a particular

picture, or to carve a

statue, and so make a few

objects beautiful; but

it is farm ore glorious

to carve and paint

the very atmosphere and

medium through which

we look. To affect the

quality of the day- that

is the highest of arts."

-Henry David Thoreau-

this girl and quote go together perfectly when i remember our Ontario experiences

she was my perfect side-kick

and i love her for that!

deadheading

my garden is heavy with blooms

and i spent some time

deadheading yesterday.

the finished blooms were snipped off

carefully leaving behind unopened blossoms

and the plants stood a little taller when i passed

by them with my scissors.

snip.snip.

i started to think about my life

which i often do when alone in my garden

and i reilized

that deadheading is a way of extending the life of a plant

and my life as well!

when i snip away at the blossoms that are finished blooming

i send a message to the plant that it isn't finished yet.

keep growing

keep blooming

keep being beautiful

don't set seed yet.

and for myself

keep growing

keep blooming

keep being beautiful

don't settle yet.

deadheading is a dilemna

if i leave the spent flower

it will turn into seeds which i can collect and plant next year.

if i snip it off,

the plant will continue to be  bright and beautiful

providing food and enjoyment.

as for me-

i deadhead.

i want to extend the life of my garden as long as possible

and i want to extend my life as long as possible too

which means

i need to do some deadheading

regularly.

perhaps it's as simple as

letting go of the past

taking care of myself

or perhaps it's more complicated

getting down to the root of what is going on for me in certain areas of my life

all i know for sure is

that when a plant has been deadheaded-

it stands taller

reblooms and lives alot longer

and that is waht i want for me.

love is a beautiful thing.

whether it is shiny and new

or slightly worn and comfortable

when a family can come together

and create a day of joy

for a very special couple.

our holiday was in many ways

epic.

images and thoughts to come

i am sure.

the power of a chicken

i am a firm believer in the power of being outside.

this is no secret.

but sometimes i doubt myself and wonder

if it really makes that much of a difference.

well,

combine outside with chickens

and a plaid jacket

and there is joy.

there is laughter.

there is connection.

you can see the stress roll off of her shoulders

and the years drop away.

there is something

that goes on with us when we head outdoors and really

experience it fully.

chickens help with that.

especially ones that let you hold them.

leaning over the railing of a boat

being pelted by Niagara Falls

help with that.

laughing so hard as the water streams down your face and your hair

and you can't do anything but accept the fierceness of the spray.

i still split into a wide grinned smile just thinking

about that little boat ride.

worth. every. penny.

and the chickens - no wonder she doesn't eat them

they seem to have bonded.