The traditional domain of the Anishinoobg First NationsIn the area of Beausoleil First Nation.We met three scuba divers here, they described the Bay floor as rock for about 30 feet, then smooth, smooth sands. Moving from depths of 50 feet, to 90 feet, to 150 feet.A wonderful spot to sit and paint.Taken north of Penetanguishene, off of Peek-a-Boo Trail.Where town and country meet.The shores of Georgian Bay, on a beautiful autumn day.
When I was a teenager, we had this handsome, nasty, aggressive old Banty Rooster. He was a beautiful, boastful, prideful, arrogant individual that would attack me at every opportunity. Whenever I approached the barn, I would do so slowly, searching out every beam, every corner, every cervice, for that darn bird.
Not spying him, I would confidently enter, and then BANG, out of nowhere would he would appear. Rusty, adequately named for the brilliant bronze feathers that graced his scruffy neck, the bronze illuminating the blues, greens and reds that adorned his body, would fly at me, in all his glory, not relenting till I fled the barn for safer pastures.
restored and beautiful!
This old rooster is a hen, she is made of metal and cannot fly. I have lovingly recreated her into something completely new. She will find a new home, in the spring, amongst the trees in our garden.
A good friend of mine has loaned me a book called Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen. A beautiful picture book of amazing older women. Each elegant and refined, determining their own style and flash. Just like the recreation of my old bird, above, we continuously redefine ourselves, adding colour and glam, often creating someone completely different as we journey through the chapters of our life.
I remember going to the grocery store, when I was first married, and buying a head of lettuce. This, oddly enough, was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.
Unti then, for me, lettuce was something that you gathered from the garden and was eaten, in season, from early spring til late summer. Winter foods included kale, root vegetables and green beans from the freezer. Lots and lots of green beans.
I haven’t had a real vegetable garden in more than 20 years, and with a property with very poor soil; we live on a road with several gravel pits, we decided, this time around, to go with raised garden beds.
Our plan was to build two, 8 feet by 4 foot beds. Due to covid19, our local lumber supplier had a shortage of lumber and so, for the same price, we now have two 10 feet by 5 foot garden beds.
After constructing the bed frames we covered the ground with cardboard, then added a layer of old, decaying wood. On top of this we spread a ton of last year’s leaves. Topsoil, from different parts of our acreage then topped up the beds. A large bucket of old horse manure, from our wonderful neighbour @Hawks Landing, was blended into this top layer.
Today, our first crop of locally grown garlic cloves, carefully spaced to break my habit of planting things too close together resulting in very little produce, entered the ground. A blanket of straw from our favourite farmers market, Harris Farms, will keep these little bulbs warm and comfortable during our snowy winter months.
Our hope is that, next summer, we will be able to provide ourselves with fresh produce, with extra for our local Food Bank.
We’re planning on growing a variety of vegetables, but no green beans!
Reading my own writings, #54 on My List of 65 Things to do After Turning 65.
Last night, at Stage Three Saturday Night, a wonderful little song circle that has evolved from the temporarily closure, due to covid19, of Good Vibes Coffeehouse, I read some of my own writing.
Some of my poetry from the mid 70’s.
Seasons
The leaf, it lays there all shriveled and dead.
Upon it, snow will make it's bed.
Come spring, it will be nothing but dirt.
And a flower, will sprout and the sun will come out.
Pink
Some people think That I am just a dink. On a rink, wearing pink. With dirty dishes in the sink.
But in a blink I could make a stink. And call them a fink. Because that's what I think.
As I wear my mink Down by the rink. Neither of them The colour pink.
I Do Not Know
I do not know who you are. I do not know where you've been. I do not know what you've done. I do not know. what you've become I do not know how you are. I do not know how you got so far. So far, so far, so far away from me. I do not know why you came.
One Single Day
The dark crevices of my mind were waiting, waiting for me to step inside. To be devoured, or to be saved. Calling to me, 'Enter, Enter'
I stepped forth into a nothingness. A nothingness that knew everything. Voices began to call out from every corner of the darkness. Old memories sprang up as brilliant as rainbows, and disappeared, as quickly as they had arrived.
A day from the past came to be Like a movie. It showed everything that had occurred Then spun quickly, into reverse and stopped, at the very beginning. Slowly, it began to move forward. But different than before.
Earlier this summer, my sister invited me to join her and an inspirational artist group called Shibui Found Image Art Live. I finished my first piece this week.
The concept is to find what is there, much like finding something in the clouds, it is solving a puzzle. Once you find what is there you follow the lead of the images to create Shibui’s stories; by creating what the foundation suggest. Peji Nunes
Evening light…
With a sheet of watercolor paper, and a new colour palette, I began my journey to become a Shibuist. Applying all of the colours on my palette to my paper, I watched the colours mingle and flow, blending to create their own colour combinations.
Morning light…
When the paper was dry, I began searching for and finding faces of all shapes and sizes.
Morning
The more colour I added to the paper, the more faces appeared.
It’s a happy, peaceful feeling, finding all of these little faces.My husband likened the finished product to Alice in Wonderful.
I’m hoping a story line will develop as more pages are created.
People who create Shibui Found Image Art are called Shibuiest. Pejic Nunes.
Pickling has been a passion for probably a proportionate period of my person. Pickling with personable, pleasant, people, adds plenty of pop to the process making the preparation more pleasurable and ‘pesto’ a packed pantry!
Packing cauliflower, perhaps picked at pre-dawn, into prepared pickling syrup is not only probable but profitable as a flavourful favourite feast for a fabulous friend.
Processing proper peppers, red and green, with purple onions and pointy celery, sprinkled with pure pickling salt and boiled in a pretty potful of brine, packed into pretty pints provides for a properly prepared platter for a private BBQ parade.
Just when a Caterpillar thought it’s life was over, it became a butterfly.
Symbolism in Native American Culture.
The dragonfly spiritually embodies the stripping away of negativity that holds us back, helping us to achieve our dreams and goals. Dragonflies are the keepers of dreams, the energy within that sees all of our true potential and ability. Dragonflies inspire spiritually and creatively, they help us on the path of discovery and enlightenment. They remind us that anything is possible.
I was finally able to take part in a social distancing gathering with my peers of twenty years.
The dragonfly and the butterfly symbolize the people we are and the work we have done.
All of these things, we gave to the people we worked with.
I am very thankful to have been a part of this compassionate, caring, inspiring group of women.
The Butterfly symbolism works as a representation of resurrection, change, hope, endurance, and courage to embrace the transformation to make life better.
Number 77 on my list, Sixty Five Things to do After Turning 65. Experience @Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit.My father, born in the Netherlands in the early 1900’s’ talked about, and would on occasion demonstrate this method of sowing seeds.Van Gogh lived, for a few years, in the same province that my parents grew up in. Living very close to where my father’s family was located. I’ve always loved The Potato Eaters. Maybe it’s because I share the same maiden name as the women in the painting.Two Portraits…. My daughter’s Van Gogh stage coincided with my return to my first, full time position since before she was born. Her painting adorned my desk for more than 20 years.Totally immersed in 600,000 cubic feet of colour….
When life with covid19 is bringing you down, and you are needing something beautiful and refreshing to fill that void, finding that something in nature is the perfect thing to do.
We found a lovely, little reprieve with a trip to a newly discovered local lavender farm @SouthBayFields LavenderFarms.
Rows and rows of deep lavender…
It was a very relaxing hour or so of meandering amongst rows of different lavender, from pale mauves to deep purples. With tall, smiling, bright yellow sunflowers bringing that much needed perfect break.
Loving the scents and sounds….
There were enough people present to meet that much needed human contact, but few enough that masks could be removed allowing in the wonderful, fresh scents of the farm.
This was a fee free afternoon, but we did make a purchase at the little tent which included some lavender oil. The lavendar oil will complement my homemade bug deterent made with @doTERRA citronella and lemongrass oils.So beautiful!
Groovy Tales of a Well Adult 