Watching the silver sea at sunset...

From Off leash Dog Park, Dallas Road,Victoria, B.C. 

...stretched so far and wide.

Shrouded mountains 
blanketed by cloud,

a grand illusion of 
distant horizons.

There are always 
mountains to climb

when sea winds 
blow away the mists.

For tonight, 
I'll take the illusion. 

Belief in time and distance
offers another chance to expand my soul.

"Your beliefs will be the light by which you see, but they will 
not be what you see and they will not be a substitute for seeing."

~ Flannery O'Connor

The night sky...

...is easy to look at.

Clear and clean.

The arc of the moon

rests gently in gravity's pull.

I am no scientist and am very grateful

that the silver moon is hangs in suspension,

brightening the dark night,

illuminating the world from on high as we sleep.

But, if you look very, very closely, 

you just might see......

Peter Pan sliding to a stop inside the moon's arc, 

leaning back, arms behind his head, 

legs a-dangle over the silver moon's tip,

and beaming a lopsided smile into our dreams.

“I often think that the night is more alive

and more richly colored than the day.”

~ Vincent Van Gogh

Up an old wooden staircase...

....thru' early spring woods

a world of wonder awaits. 

Moss covered steps

time worn, well travelled,

and damp with dew

take me higher 

toward opportunities beyond.

My choices as I travel?

To rest.

To step back.

To move onward....

“It’s choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.”

~ Jean Nidetch

A gentle day...

...learning to live.

Another day newly opened,

shaped and moulded by

my own dance and sway,

in time with each passing moment.

Nothing eventful or grand, except to me.

Nothing earth shattering.

Nor even a map to a buried treasure.

Just today....lived gently.

Learning, kindness and self care the order of the day.

“The delights of self-discovery are always available.”

~ Gail Sheehy

We traversed....

....the broad expanse of this month's book:

ROOM by Emma Donoghue.

We wandered between each others opinions and perceptions,

attempting to understand the author's meaning, possible reasons for placement and arrangement of words and ideas.

It was truly a book full of heartbreak, courage and 

the will to survive.

Conversation and laughter ultimately turned 

to dessert and coffee to complete the afternoon.

Thanks ladies!

“A capacity and taste for reading gives access to 

whatever has already been discovered by others.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

Memories of summer...

..and the Moss Street Paint In.

Just a block from home each summer, 

traffic is limited to walking

intersections are monitored

along the length of Moss Street from Dallas Road past the Art Gallery.

Throngs of people, some accompanied by their dogs, 

wander past artists and artisans,

perusing creativity in motion and on display.

Canvas topped booths with 

painting in all mediums,

stands of greeting cards and 

tables of jewelry,

buskers from the very young, teenagers and some more 'mature'.

Fiddlers - trios - or a lone guitarist.

a

This winter day really was a lovely walking day - 

cool, dry with no wind.

But I am so ready for spring and summer!

“In the depth of winter I finally learned that 

there within me lay an invincible summer.”

~ Albert Camus

A Cat Tale - Allow me to introduce...

....Mr. Wilson!

soundly asleep

as I will be in only a few minutes!

Purrrrrrrrrrr...

“Who among us hasn’t envied a cat’s ability to ignore 

the cares of daily life and to relax completely.”

~ Karen Brademeyer

Rhubarb Squares....

....with chocolate drizzle, strawberries and mint.

That's what I'm hungry for right now.

But it's after midnight

Time to sleep

There's no such decadence anywhere in my house.

Family memories hover around this delicious image:

my sister Betty and her farm kitchen full of goodies,

niece Ariel at the kitchen table printing out the recipe for me

on a card now tucked away in my recipe box.

Hmmm..... book club is coming on Tuesday....

A Valentine treat?

I'll sleep on it!

“For me, cooking is very connected

to my family and friends.”

~ Trish Yearwood