October

Oh dear, slim pickin's this month in the image department.  So this month you only get 4.  And two are from last month!!  There are many moments I thought "I should pull my camera out for these...."

• for those great fall colours
• for that first hairy frost
• for that sunrise...yes, I see one once in a while. 

What a fast month!!
A month... 

• of new beginnings....
• of year long chronological adventures!
• of life direction/work  changes...
• of wedding invitation mail orders!
• So many things to give thanks for

 

September

And so we find ourselves in October...but a little lost in the details of life.
How does that happen?
A month of summer turning to fall.  Not losing but succumbing.  As it should be.
Of going deep into the forest.
Of seeing all my boys and girls.
And of toiling for many sunset hours on the deck...stripping, sanding, hanging out...
Of starting a challenging new study.
Of sweet friends and potatoes and coffees and art projects.
Of challenge and movement?
Of pondering new directions and relationships.
Eagerly anticipating the coming month and how life develops.
What will I write here next month at this time.
A life.
One month at a time.

August

Has August really come and gone and left half of September spent?
Time flies.
It's been a bit sparse in terms of photos for this month-in-the-life collection...but sweetly eclectic!!

It was a month of being around the house.
Of wet days. How many species of wild mushrooms can one back yard host?
Of wonderful cool, sleep with the window open nights.
Of gathering with friends for a night of live music in my living room.  Because that is where my heart wandered...
Of a stand up paddle boarding day with the four of us.  But no camera at the beach.  What?
Of buying stain for the deck that needs to be refinished so badly!
Of a fun outing to BFM and Concreations.
Of fun plans for a September camping trip and a date for eight or twelve.
Of getting the boys ready to go to....and go back to college.

And of doilies.

I am amazed at the intricate beauty in these antique bits of lace. So old.  So cherished.  I wish I knew the stories behind these amazing little pieces of art.  I wonder about the hands that made it.  The heart that gave it.    ...and the heart that cherished it all these years.  Even after it was covered with stains and the edges frayed and worn, it was still worth keeping. Much loved and precious.

Isn't life just like that sometimes?  

July

It truly feels like summer.
Much soccer was watched. Many games were won, and one was lost.
Much baseball is being watched!  How about them Blue Jays!
Summer is watching an Enduro race at Delaware! 
I convince my beloved that this will be fun! 
Summer is about sunsets, my hammock, and fresh tomatoes, bruschetta and salsa.
Much reading. Most memorable this month: Steinbeck's East of Eden.

June

A  month of ups and downs.
Of great joys, of great trials, and of holding the line steady.
Of the simple joy of the day's first cup of coffee, at home and in the bush.
Of encouraging and being encouraged.
Of trips to the beach, to the back country, home again and campfires in the backyard.
Of Grade 12 graduations and World Cup passion.
And of leavings and endings.
And also....new beginnings, learning to love these skies I'm under.

Shelter

We spotted this sweet mamma on a recent canoe trip in the Kawarthas.

Instead of swimming away or ducking under the water, as they usually do, this pair swam toward us.   The female sat high in the water.  They allowed us to get incredibly close, so close that we could see a little grey chick hanging on.  So close that we could hear the peeps of other chicks sheltering under her wings.

What an incredibly poignant picture that was for me.

To see this visual image of how God shelters us under His wings and covers us with His feathers when difficult things come at us and storms rage all around.(Ps 91:4)

He stands between, goes before, and He goes with us.

May

 In short, a prolific, lush month.
With time for a card. A walk. Quiet water. The garden. A 40 day journey. Soccer. And sunsets.

Sometimes you have to make time.
Time is fleeting.

 Life is really good this month.