Seeing my Shadow

Walking the dog today I encountered a view of my shadow - where it appeared especially dark relative to nearby shadows. Two things popped into my head - one that my shadow looked perfectly happy by itself and 2 that I think this is going to be a good year - the later was confirmed by my horescope...

Pressure causes stress but can produce amazing results. Saturn's influence has led you to a brilliant result, though you may not yet be aware of it. Encouraging financial opportunities are in the offing. You are far more fortunate than you can yet see. This will turn out to be a magical and wonderful year.

How creepy is that! Well, I'm praying that I can pull of the amazing results without cutting out too many hours of sleep and Shoot! I really should have bought that lottery ticket. I had sincerely considered it, but I was feeling too tired to try and track down someone to take my order at the ticket desk... still, the draw isn't until Wednesday... so perhaps tomorrow.

Today has been a day of quiet pleasentness - an awesome last day at my all time to date favourite job, a few quick calls to folk I haven't talked to enough in the last few years, nevermind weeks, a nice visit with friends, a pleasent walk with the dog and now a wait for my parents to return so we can have cake....

In the garden, the catmint has burst into bloom along with the white whirling butterfly gaura, the poppy, the thrift, the yellow columbine, and the freshly planted lupine (so far there are 4 purple, 2 white, 1 pink and one mystery coloured one, that I suspect is white.) I've also added a few coleous, a fern leaf bleeding heart, a yellow viola, and a showy evening primrose to the list. Soon to flower - the yarrow, one of the asian lilies, one of the echinacea and a few other things slipping my mind. So I have a few things to pop into baskets and a fair bit of mulching, but they are going to occur slowly over time.

Cheers,

Jennith

Watching for the signpost.

Gemini (May 21 — June 21)
A straightforward path will soon emerge to get you from here to the destination that matters the most. It may not be your ideal of routes, but it's the best one. And before long, there will be a very enticing branch in the road.

Here is my horescope according to the Toronto Star. I'm not superstitious, but these have been creepily uncanny for the last few months.

Right now my road is going straight up hill for the next 5 weeks as I pile on more tasks than are humanly possible. But I'm going to manage it all somehow. One of my favourite quotes is "When you reach the end of all you know, hope demands that you believe one of two things: that there will be ground to stand upon or you will grow wing's to fly" I believe I read it in one of Madeline L'Engle's books.

I'm not sure how I'm going to make it, but I'm determined to do it as gracefully as possible and be ready to turn the corner. Some days it would be nice if my life came with a map, but most days fate provides enough tools to get there and its kind of fun being surprised.

Anyways, I have some rugged hiking to do today. The photo (which might have been taken by Gabe, and most certainly was taken with his Camera) is highly appropriate on many levels. Surficially - we ended up in Tobermory by accident because my navigator refused to read a map or allow me to read a map. Subsequently we got lost (as much as one can on a road trip with no really fixed destination) and ended up snowed in in Tobermory. But lots of little things worked themselves out. We found a great place to stay and had a lovely dinner, we got to the park while the maintenance guy was in and he let us check out the display even though it was closed, and we got some really lovely pictures even if I didn't get to ski. On a deeper level, I found some signposts for the rest of my life.

So, Road - rocky and uphill as you are - get ready to be climbed because I am simply going to succeed by force of shear will if I have no other tools at my disposal. However - I won't complain if happen to grow wings or at least if you let me catch my breath at the top.

Aigh.

JP

In support of the "suck-it-up" paradigm of parenting

The term "discipline deficit disorder", used in this star article actually made me grin - as people always think I'm crazy when I suggest that kids should be expected to act like human beings and not be handed everything they want or be so over protected that they don't learn to cope with hardship.

As a former teacher, my opinion is usually considered suspect. Don't all teachers think that kids need more discipline? Don't worry - all these undisciplined kids will sue their parents for spoiling them, like as not in our society.

Anywho, enough tounge and check for me for now.

Jennith

Tears to my eyes

Admittedly, I read the news too often - whether the "teen killed at 16th birthday party" stares me in the face from the floor or I simply am perusing the front section on online version - I find that the news frequently leaves me feeling disappointed in my fellow humans. A few days ago, I found an article that actually brought tears to my eyes - and renewed my faith in humanity. The story was about a little girl who played hockey and went from being healthy to being diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer over the span of a few days. This is naturally a heart breaking story - nice family, nice kid - horrible thing to happen to anyone. What brought tears to my eyes was the overwhelming response of her community to help her and her family get through this. They raised money - other kids shaved their heads (again to raise money) but also to make her feel less bad about loosing hers to chemotherapy drugs. Its too bad it takes a tragedy to bring it out of us sometimes - but its there - the thing that makes us worth saving for all our ugliness and stupid wars - we have the capacity to do great good as well and sometimes the newspapers remember to report it.

:D

As for me, my daydreams lately seem unusually filled with plans for outdoorsy stuff and camping and canoing and hiking. I think Awenda in early may with all the trilliums in bloom would be nice and I really want to do some canoeing in Northern Algonquin Park. I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape the tackle the Cloche Mountains Trail - but I'd like too. Over the past year or so, I've been known to take a few hours and hunt through the provincial and national park system websites looking for new and interesting parks to visit. Maybe I'll get a chance to do Pukasaw (sp?) or Quetico or Sibley .... sigh in the mean time I'm going to work my butt off as much as possible so I can grab a few days here or there between my field work and literature review writing this summer and get some camping in. Any suggestions for good places I should try camping?

Cheers,

Jennith

P.S. I tried to post some paintings with this blog - no luck, then some spring flowers... still no luck... so blog without picture... sorry

And so the winds whirl

And so the winds whirl
And they sweep and they swirl
Through the leaves in the trees
Across the waves in the seas

Whipping my hair into tangles and mess
Reminding me to beauty that words can't express
Finding my soul in a forest of towers
Sky-scraping cement and task packed hours

Where is the viewscape that will make my heart soar
Draw my camera lens until I can't snap anymore
Where is the smell of mouldering leaves?
In my concrete cage, a part of me grieves.

But soon will come summer - and I will sometiems escape
To the forests and streams with their natural shape
Until then I'll glimpse, from the 401's trail
The magnifican escarpment on the far side of the rail.

Thoughts Meander Like a River

Just around the bend there is another eye-kind view
Although from where we stand, it is hard to see where to
Our thoughts meander like a river
Until our brains begin to quiver
But I don't mind, because I walk this trail with you

Missing Posts - Oh Where oh Where could my little posts be

Well, last time I attempted to post and nothing showed up - they reappeared several days later - WHere do posts go during that time is not for me to know - perhaps I don't want to know.