Walking through woods on a fall day

Stupid old blogger isn't letting me caption things correctly here and i'm getting a wee bit frustrated so you'll have to just simply imagine what i would say about these pics - i took a drive in the country today and snapped a few shots of "fall" as i saw it... it turned out to be a great weather afternoon contrary to what the pessimistic forecasters were predicting and i was happy to be able to enjoy a little time outside in nature, absorbing the sights, smells and textures of fall in our little part of the world

S

Add caption

Country roads...

Mists shrouding woods as i drive by

Hurrying on my way past

Dulling the colours of fall that are starting to 

peek 

through 

the 

green 

canopy

Hues of amber, emerald, orange and rust

Rain washing away the dusts of the season

Bringing freshness to a season of hibernation

Now falling lightly, trippingly, teasingly

Then falling hard, deluging, soaking

And in the mists, spears of yellow goldenrod

bring sunshine to a gray day

Swatches of red sumac spearing through the gloom

I love fall, the miracle of dying away of the old self 

And the promise of new life

Seeds to be culled and harvested, preserved and hoarded

To bring green shoots in the dark earth come spring

3:40 am

It's 3:40 and most of my faithful and not very often lately satisfied readers are tucked in their beds, snoring and snurking away, dreaming of icecream, candy, fluffy white clouds and counting as many sheep as possible, whilst here i am, sitting up wrapped in a blanket, having all my paperwork done, not wanting to wake anyone up yet for bloodwork, the little noises of my co-workers giving me clues as to their whereabouts and actions, though truth be told, the nursing station i'm at tonight is a bit of a lonely outpost, the outrider of the ward and the boundary between our world and the rest of the hospital.  Truly, it does feel as if you are in a different world here...true that we can see the weather happening around us through our many big windows but in some ways, it feels so artificial and closed off that i'm always always happy to put on my sandals and let my toes breathe in the outside air, just as surely as my lungs do a big inhale when they are finally greeted with fresh air. 
Aaah, what's the point to all this?  Hmmm... well, no point at all... should i have to make sense at this time?  Nope, i believe i'm exempted from rationality and sensibleness.  So i might babble on for a while and see what comes up from the mixed up files of Miss Danielle E. Frankenweiler. 
September is a busy month.  It's birthday month in the Mussche and extended branches household and that means birthday parties and streamers and birthday cakes by the truckload.  Well, okay, maybe not that bad, but indeed all of us girls are born in September and now young Nate has joined us, making the month even busier.  But it is fun too... time to get together with friends and family and share times together.  I was able to celebrate my birthday on Saturday evening with friends and family - bit late i know but better late than never.  I asked everyone to bring a book with them, or at least the most interesting thing they had read this year... the rules weren't set in stone, people could, if the Canada Reads pick wasn't their latest and greatest read, bring their favorite kids book or even if that was too far, the cereal package they had read at breakfast or the bottle of windshield washer fluid that they had used that morning.  I think that most of us read at least something each day and i was just interested in what my friends shelves contained and where their interests ranged.  And they were far-ranging - from Christian fiction to Nikolski, from Red Green quotes to The Glass Castle and back again.  I was happy that people were willing to share their reads and i've made myself a nice list of what looks good to read in the future.  Thanks all!   And thanks for your company and friendship.  I might be in danger of waxing a little sappy here (does that even make sense?  I have no idea but i liked the words) but i am so happy that i am surrounded by such blessing.
I sometimes fear a bit that it will all be taken away and that only then will i truly appreciate what it means to be living how i do.  I was talking with a co-worker last evening and we agreed that we are richly blessed - I don't have to stay here like my patients do, I am not facing a life-threatening illness, I am surrounded by friends and family who love me, I have a home, a job and volunteer interests to be a part of, I can bike home at the end of my night shift without gasping for breath (well, maybe not that, heehee), I love and are loved, and so often, so often, i take all of this for granted.  So i guess it's time to smarten up and start thanking God for His all-surrounding love and power, for His peace and grace He shares so freely and for waking me up inside once again. 
That's it for now since the eyelids are starting to shut operations down here...

September 12, 2011

Walk softly and carry a big stick... or something to that effect!

 So my birthday dawned with a glorious fall day and after getting my tender tootsies pampered at the nail salon, we decided to give them in all their newly lacquered glory a good work out.  We parked the car at the top of the Escarpment Rail Trail near Bernie Arbour stadium and walked all the way to just past Wentworth Street.  Quite a hike as my blistered feet can attest to.  But we were in search of a Hamilton curiousity. See, a few weeks ago in the Streetbeat column of the Hamilton Spectator, there was an article about a little mini-golf course found in the woods just off the rail trail.  My interest was peaked to be sure and i had the article hanging on my fridge just waiting for the right opportunity to check it out.  Well, Timothy was a real gentleman and seeing as he just "happened" to have the day off, we spent the afternoon wandering down the rail trail armed with golf balls, peppermints and a putter.  A rather odd combination to be sure and we did get some funny looks - what are those people doing with a golf club in the middle of the woods?   Accompanied while we walked by our serenading each other with songs about railroads (it wasn't a super long list - i was stuck after singing several kids songs, a few spirituals and the Gambler by Kenny Rogers), we enjoyed the afternoon looking over the city and seeing the fall colours starting ever so slowly.

 The "Uli" steps - an ingeniously crafted set of stairs leading up and down the mountain brow - beautifully made and super functional!

Some of nature's beauty in contrast and shadow...

A little selfie... with the course in the background - we were pretty intrigued by the idea of playing golf in the woods and i said later on that it felt like we were part of a piece of nostalgia and culture somehow..

Proof that i actually was there - getting ready for my shot - this might have been the one i got a hole in one on!  Kinda fun!  But then i muffed up the following holes and gave up my commanding lead!

Sometimes odd angles are fun right?  Check out the huge hazard in the middle of the hole!

A hole in one?  Nah, just a close up of the 6th hole - our scores were neatly tied at 16 (on a 6 hole course!)

And the day was capped off by another neat sunset... we seem to be blessed with a plethora of beautiful sky scapes lately - i'm in constant awe.  Tonight's sky was like a Claude Monet painting - simply beautiful!

Another year is dawning...

So it's now 12:07 - i didn't wait up on purpose to blog until this time but somehow it just happened.  My mind's a bit full of thoughts and ideas to head to bed yet - plus i have to digest the slice of sweet chili chicken broccoli sundried tomato multigrain pizza that i ate cause i was a little hungry when i got home tonight.  Silly eating pizza that late but hey, it's my birthday and i'll eat if i want to right?? 
Yes, another year is dawning (or will in a few short hours) and it's hard to review what happened in the last year and to think about what this new year may bring.  For many people, September is a new year cause school starts again and the school life cycle dominates.  Having been out of school for some years now, i don't tend to run on that level but in some ways September is a new beginning month for myself and for a few of my dear family members.  My dear mother and sisters and i have shared this month for celebration, complete with poor Mom having to put up decorations and take them down each time otherwise it wouldn't feel "special" right?  Now we are joined by little Nate who will be celebrating his first birthday - hard to believe my littlest nephew is already almost one!  Crazy how time flies. 
And i do find the older i get, the faster things go.  You turn around and it's the weekend and you turn around and it's already Friday again - and maybe that's only slightly because that's the time i get to spend with Timothy but nah, that's probably nothing to do with it right?  We have been spending a lot of time visiting various friends and relatives and sharing time with them - we just got back from a great evening with Uncle Chuck and Aunt Carol - such gracious hosts and we had a lot of great laughs and good conversation.  Each weekend we learn more about each other and about our dear friends and family.  We truly are blessed with a wonderful sense of community and love and as people have commented before, it's hard to keep the smile off my face! 
It's hard to imagine where i was a year ago today - probably enjoying the fall weather with a walk in the woods - sounds like something i would like to do.  I find it hard to do a life review, even a year review - things tend to blend into each other and i can't easily tease out what happened when and where, but i do know that there have been so many blessings in my life that it's difficult to tally them all into a comprehensive list.  God has been gracious and overabundant in His provision yet again to an undeserving child and i just have to say a prayer of thanks and gratitude for His care.  He has watched over my family, adding to it in various ways and has enriched relationships with friends, has blessed me greatly with people to be a support and encouragement in so many different ways, has granted health and strength, life and breath for each day, has filled me with a sense of awe at the ways He works, at the paths that He leads me in - truly paths of life and blessing.  I would have to say that at this time last year from where i stood, i was feeling okay with being single for the rest of my life, that it was okay if that was His plan, as hard as that was to accept.  And then a few short months later, that was all set to change unbeknownst to me.  And i'm glad i was given that peace, that comfort that no matter what happens in life, that i am special to my Lord and am His child.  And then He poured out the cup of blessing again into my overflowing vessel and said "wait, I'm not done yet working out miracles and My plans in your life" and lo and behold a connection with an old gradeschool and highschool classmate has been transformed and we have just celebrated our ninth month together.  I give thanks for Timothy, for his life, for who he is to me and for allowing us to get to know each other so much better over this year and for the future plans that are in store for us in His master plan. 
I'm going to head to bed now since it's a half hour into my birthday and if i don't want to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, i'd better get some shuteye.. Tot morgen!

Almost

So this morning i had an early start... grabbed the paper, a sandwich and some money and headed off to do some Saturday morning garage saling.  I must admit to being disappointed by the lack of ads in the paper - i think i found a bunch more just driving around but i had thought that the Labour Day weekend would yield better results. 
So my morning was an "almost" morning...
I almost bought a few Harry Potter books (but the guy was asking too much and they were water damaged...silly boy!)  I almost bought some old records (but i didn't know what which were good ones anymore)  I almost bought a glue gun (how do i know it was going to work and the man still wanted $5 for it... i was being cheap, i'll admit it!).  And I almost bought a big pink stuffed elephant (but decided in my infinite wisdom that it was not something that i needed for my happiness and joy in life). 
I suppose we're getting to the end of the season but i do so like poking around and trying for that ultimate bargain of the day - i'll have to settle for last week's deal of two children's lifejackets and a bunch of books for $2.00. 

3:51 am

Alrighty then, long, long past due and with all my dear readers having abandoned ship and headed for more fish-ful waters, here i am at long long last.  It's 3:51 a.m. and i'm listening to the sounds of snoring on one side of the hall and quiet and peace on the other side - aaah, blessed sleep.  I'd love to be sleeping at present but alas and alack, i must remain awake to care for my charges.  Thankfully, this shift is going well (where's some wood to knock on??  Just kidding of course!) and i'm looking forward to a weekend again.  It's super hard to believe that it's already the weekend - i just turn around and there it is...that's a good thing but it's just hard to think about just how fast time flies.  I realized the other day, i'm definitely not very good at relaxing - always seem to see some job somewhere or something to do or write or call or clean up.  Oh, don't get me wrong, i certainly can wile away time with the best of them - watching movies or tv programs from the library, but in general, i think i'm usually a fairly productive person. 
Take yesterday, well, okay, Wednesday for an example - sure it took me a little while to get going in the morning, but when i got going, it was good.  It's the year when all the important documents in my life are due to be renewed - License, Health card and Passport.  That takes a bit ot thinking to get all the important IDs together to get that all sorted out.  So i had my hair cut on Wednesday afternoon (all 45993 of them actually) and then since my hair was looking kinda good, i decided to get my license and health card pics done.  Fortunately for me, there was a Service Ontario kiosk right down the road from my hairdresser's and right down the road from that, there was my photography place so i got my passport photos done too.  I have no clue if they'll look any good after the effort (and i thought kinda clever working out of the situation) but it was worth a try - the norm would have been showing up with my hair all over the place and looking like a rat's nest and having to live with that lovely image for the next four or five years.  Aaah, it's a bit of a game eh, see how bad we can make people look on their photos...That's probably good right?  I wonder if customs officials think it's amusing how bad passport photos are - "Hey Bill, check this one out, doesn't look anything like the real thing!". 
Plus, in the veins of efficiency, i finally got my funding request completed to get reimbursed for the oncology exam which i wrote in April.  It's a fair chunk of money and the paperwork was fairly complicated to get it all right... an original of this receipt, a photocopy of that, fill out this form online and then print it out and send it all in - and then would it all fit in one envelope - the nice Canada Post lady was quite helpful and let me get away with a bit of a pudgy envelope (i did my level best to squish it down much to her amusement).  So now it's a wait and see game - but at least that's all done - and in order to do all that, i had to install my new printer - another interesting endeavour involving me sprawled out on my office floor trying to see what step came next - but in the end, it was all good and my $9.00 printer is working just fine - who knows how long it willl last but that only time will tell.
Anyhow, that's about all the blabbing i can do for now because my poor eyelids are drooping and i should probably go and check on my patients (a good excuse for getting the old bones moving!)  Tot ziens!