End of Summer Gardening

Gardening days are limited - snow could arrive at any time...


I haven't done a lot of outdoor work the past few months due to a knee injury - torn cartilage in my left knee. I'm starting to feel better (though no kneeling or deep knee bends allowed!)











Bending over, I cut back perennials that no longer have flowers or seeds. As I remove the dead growth, I notice a few remaining flowers in bloom!

I take as much pleasure in discovering these scraggly late bloomers...
















... as I do the first flowers in early spring.

(A garden is always full of surprises!)

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day ceremonies today - here in Ottawa - will be especially sad. We will be thinking of not only those who fell during the two World Wars (and the more recent wars Canadians have fought in).

Last month's tragic drama at our war memorial site brought the reality of a soldier's death close to home...












It is still fresh on our minds.

Making Hand-Painted Christmas Cards

I've never been organized enough to create my own Christmas cards, though I do try to type up a letter and enclose it in a card. (One of my co-workers wrote her family newsletter in the form of  a poem!) Now that would be impossible for me.

If you're hankering to be creative in a new way, here is a short You-Tube video that shows British artist Billy Showell painting a simple Christmas card - one worth framing and keeping forever! And she makes it look so easy!

Let me know if, after viewing it, you decide to give it a try. I'd love to see a photo of the result!

Walking a Labyrinth

Walking a labryinth is "a sacred walk" - according to some - so I approached my labyrinth walk at the SSJD convent in Toronto, not sure what to expect.

I didn't notice - until I was well into the labyrinth - that there is a threshold stone. Was I supposed to pause at the threshold? I don't know if I did...

There is a lot more walking involved than I originally expected - the labyrinth path moves back and forth, and sometimes around. I must admit, when I was half way through my journey to the center, I became a little impatient to finish. The wind was cold. But I did finish - walking in - then followed the reverse path out.

(The wind did make me pick up my pace!)




These are some of my thoughts as I walked:

1. Is this what life is like... you seem to be getting close to the "prize" [or goal] - only to be taken from it?

2. There are a lot of outer walks circling the labyrinth - giving the "big picture" view.

3. Walking requires attentiveness - you're often looking down.

4. It takes a lot of patience - it's longer than it looks.

5. The path is narrow: You have to walk alone.

6. It's fun! Like a game... You can leave at any time [unlike a maze where you are trapped].

7. Determination keeps you at it.

8. In all these ways, it's a lot like the "walk" of faith.

This labyrinth is supposed to be a "prayer labyrinth"... whatever that means. I'll have to look into it and try it again - on a warmer day!

Back to Toronto - to Hear Phyllis Tickle

Last Saturday found me back in Toronto - back at the guest house of the Sisters of St. John the Divine, an Anglican order of nuns.

I was there to hear Phyllis Tickle, a writer, editor, teacher... and dynamic speaker, who entertained us with her humor while teaching us church history. (I'm looking forward to reading her book, Emergence Christianity, about where the church seems to be moving.)






 

It was a thoroughly enjoyable time! (Here she is, signing some books.)

While at the SSJD convent, I walked their labyrinth for the first time. (It was covered with snow my previous weekends there.)

I don't remember ever walking a labyrinth before. I've read that labyrinths are not really Christian - their history dates back to ancient religions. I also remember reading that a labyrinth is shaped like a human brain.

I'm not sure what the purpose of walking a labyrinth is. But after walking in - and out - I went indoors and wrote down my thoughts while walking.

Tomorrow I'll share what I wrote.

I Want It NOW!

Strange the memories that stick with us for a lifetime, while so many others (equally trivial) are long forgotten...

One memory that has stuck with me since childhood is my mother and me walking through a department store in early spring. There on a racks of new summer clothing I caught sight of a pastel pink and blue checkered skirt with a matching pastel blue blouse... The whole outfit shouted: SPRING! And I wanted it...

Let me try it on, I begged my mother... (Meaning, I want it... now!)

My mother, who preferred to sew clothing, wanted to continue down the aisle. I refused to budge. She replied angrily: When you want something, You don't want it NOW - you want it RIGHT NOW!

I was taken aback by her words. (Perhaps because they were true...) And they have stuck with me since, probably because I haven't changed... I'm still impulsive and impatient - I hate to wait!

I have always perceived this to be a negative personality trait (albeit, one I was born with)... A "perfect" person would be patient, willing to wait...

However, when reading about the "cellarer," the person in charge of dispersing goods in a Benedictine monastery, I am struck by the fact that Benedict (in his rule) says to give people what they need without delay.

In her book, Seeking God, a commentary on Benedict's Rule, Esther de Waal refers to the demoralizing bureaucratic habit of keeping people WAITING, which is a power struggle... If people need something and they are owed something, they shouldn't be demoralized by needlessly being kept waiting...

Looking back, I don't remember why my mother was trying to put me off. I suspect she was hoping that - if she got me out of the store - I would quickly forget about the clothing...

But I persisted... and got what I wanted! In fact,  the outfit was a favorite for many years.

But now, looking back, instead of viewing the experience as a private revelation of how annoyingly impatient I can be... I add: Yes, I'm impatient - but impatience gets things done!

Repurposed Plastic Shopping Bags

I have a young friend who calls herself a "frugalista." I'm probably one, too! I hate to toss out anything that can be re-used or re-purposed.

That includes plastic bags, especially sturdy ones.

I was recently looking for creative ways to use them and - through a Google search - discovered they could be crocheted into shopping bags... Two websites with instructions are the Canadian Living website. And another entitled Kayla K's Thrifty Ways!

I'll pass this on in case you, too, have bins full of plastic bags! One of these days I plan to give it a try, too!