a rainy sunday

DD and DH are on the boat for the weekend.... I came home a bit early to finish some painting chores. Unfortunately... most of these are outdoor painting chores and of course there is a thunderstorm right now. I was able to drag a few items into the barn to paint; but the deck and back step... I cannot move - perhaps another time. Fortunately though, I was able to paint a bench and hang up new bird boxes as well as tidy and sort the back deck and front porch:

A Faerie Garden

We love going for meandering walks in the forest.. in the hopes of finding some evidence of Faeries... I am also hoping to encourage faeries to live closer to home.. so we are trying to make our own garden a little more 'faerie-friendly'...

Skiing season is over for another year - sigh! But A rocked it. Putting away the ski equipment until next winter - but here's hoping we have more snow for the 2012-2013 season!

New Winter Sport

Last week... I took a day to work from home and kept DD home with me -- she needed a quiet day to catch up on rest (yes... we are wayyy too busy) and I needed a quiet office to catch up on work.

Grandma came over to look after DD for a bit in the afternoon; and the two devised a great outdoor game - Ice Bowling! Seeing as there is NO snow - which means no tobogganing or skiing or snowshoeing or footprint tracking... a new game was in order!

Ice Bowling offered a great way to utilize our abundance of fire wood with our over abundance of ice and voila -- an afternoon of fun and games!

Christmas!

Here I am in my polka dot pajamas, catching up on last minute work, DD is downstairs watching Dolphin Tail, the snow is gently falling outside my office window.... all seems calm and right!

I have finished my Christmas shopping, almost everything is wrapped, the Christmas Tree looks amazing and the house is cozy, warm and festive.

And again I was able to buy all Christmas presents locally and ethically. It was a great challenge... an easy challenge thankfully... we did do some LLBean orders... although they do source ethically and give back generously...so all is good!

Merry Christmas -- here is to a better 2012!

Random Thoughts

Some Random Thoughts: Why I love Living in the Country

A local dairy farmer, on a quiet, dusty side road near here leaves the gates open for the cattle to wander across the road in the morning to their main grazing pasture.... and then the cows make their own way across again later in the afternoon toward the barn.. in time for milking. So nice to see!

Peaceful... it is so very peaceful here this morning. All I can hear is a rooster crowing in the distance

My daughter loves catching frogs and we seem to have an endless supply and a dizzying array of species to choose from!

Our apple trees are full to bursting. Trying to keep up with picking before they all rot on the ground

Went for a run yesterday across the back fields and the sun had turned the recently harvested wheat to a lovely golden shade. Love it!

My neighbour left something for me to pick up.. she just called to say she has left the door open and I can go over anytime

I love star gazing

Playing croquet in our big back field

I love the smell of freshly cut hay

Our dog Chelsea is outside without being tied up, fenced in or shocked by an invisible fence

I cut my lawn and field with a big green John Deer Tractor

I walked the dog this morning in my pajamas

I always hang my laundry on the line outside and love to hear the crisp sheets flapping in the wind. Nothing smells as good as line dried sheets!

The cats are free to come and go as they please

Sitting on the porch at night as a cool breeze freshens the air and our conversation floats across the meadows

The Monarch Butterfly

Two days ago, en route to meet up with friends at the beach, Lu and I came across a poor, crumpled Monarch Butterfly. She was still alive and had one wing that was only slightly damaged... the other wing was a wretched mess.... but we picked her up anyway. Lu begged me to keep her, to try to save her. I knew we probably only had a few hours with the poor insect.. yet I agreed anyway - so hard to say no to those imploring, vivid blue eyes.

Luckily for the Monarch - whom Lu had named Mona - we had a lot of fruit in the car for our beach picnic. Lu made a little nest in my upturned straw hat for Mona...while I passed back grapes and some pieces of apple. Lu was awe-struck to watch, up close, the Monarch feeding on the fruit. We also stopped for juice to offer our little patient - Mona gratefully sipped on lemonade and apple juice, as well as from our offerings of fruit, which Lu had scattered on the inside of my once favourite hat - the hat that had become Mona's home.

I found a shady spot at the beach to park the car, yet still expected Mona to be "gone" by the time we got back. Lu excitedly exclaimed that Mona had fluttered her wings and was still feeding on the apple pieces upon our return. Once we got back home, Lu brought out her butterfly cage - which previous to now had housed frogs, beetles, worms and a moth for short periods. We quickly went to work to fill the cage with grass and leaves, a milkweed flower, sliced strawberries and a capful of lemonade (Mona's favourite).

It is now two days since we found crumpled Mona at the side of the road... and she is still with us. I am amazed at her strength of will and her inherent beauty - regardless of her injury. It is sad to think that Mona will no longer be able to soar through the back fields, to flutter from flower to flower... to rest in a shady spot... but we have at least given her a few more days on this earth with Lu hoping upon hope she will lay an egg. I am sure Mona is too traumatized to grant Lu her one wish, although this has been a wonderful learning experience for my inquisitive five-year-old who has been so gentle and kind to our bruised visitor.

I just hope Mona stays around a bit longer to continue showing Lu the wonders of nature and the power of her determination.