April 17th, 2020

Alas, alas - nothing done today

nothing of any consequence, anyway!

I sat around reading mail and looking for pictures

to send to my niece in Washington

while my DIL who so kindly does handy things

with my vacuum cleaner

made the floors shine and the rugs became crumbless.

I found a few pictures of cousins

and cousins' offspring

and sent them off with the promise

to keep "pictures" in mind when family

comes once again to visit.

This evening I have been looking through seed catalogues,

anticipating a little planting spree when my order

finally arrives - they are saying 40 days until shipment!!

Well, that will be the end of May and the soil will be warm

and welcoming, especially for the nicotiana and

the evening scented stock, both of which I imagine, warmly,

scenting the summer evenings!!

The evening scented stock is a humble

flower during the day,

but in the evening the scent is glorious

and so full of memories of the my grandmother's

small garden.

I give a passing glance at the pea seeds

and the green onions

but it seems that I have reached the age

where it is required that I feed the soul

rather than the body!

I have rejoiced in a vegetable garden,

and he who tended it....

but now I rely on the local

Fruit stands or Farmers' Markets

for fresh summer veggies.

and have fond memories of the years

when I could garden passionately!!

Well, that was today....

Tomorrow I am going to wind that

intriguing towel warp!!!

My sore back willing............

Wednesday, April 14th, 2020

Most of the day I spent at the loom.

The wind was brisk and chilly this morning, so inside seemed a good place to be,  

but about tea time the sun had come out and the wind had gone into hiding,

 so I contemplated taking a cuppa out to the back patio,

 and giving Bruce the chance to have a little run around the garden.

All was warm and well, - enjoyed my tea, and the birds.

  A robin, a couple of goldfinches and a bevy of chickadees.

  I had my walker close by, so thought about taking a small stroll 

around the garden to see how the peonies and iris were doing, 

and if any of the lilies had pushed their stubby leaves through the ground.

Down at the bottom of the garden, 

in the raised bed,

 there is a lovely clump of deep purple and pink hellebores, -

 I have been keeping a small cut glass case filled with these blooms,

 close to the Beloved's picture,

 and thought to clip a couple of the blooms to refresh this small bouquet.

Off we went, - me and my walker and Bruce, who was still out keeping me company.

I set my walker beside me, leaned over and snipped off a stem 

with a number of blooms on it, - lovely!!

Evidently not paying enough attention to what I was doing,

 I leaned a little closer to the plant, and lost my balance.

Oh dear, oh dear, - nothing broken,

 but there I was, on the cement apron that leads to the garage, 

with a few spots that were hurting quite sharply. 

 I looked around, - ashamed to say that I was glad 

nobody was around to see me embarassing myself!!!  Ego!!!!!

I pushed myself up and limped into the house, -

only to find that the telephone was ringing.

 and on the other end was a kind and comforting male voice, who said,

 "Oh Mrs. Finch - you have just fallen.

Are you alright.?"

Well, of course, - I had my Lifeline on

 (which I try to remember every morning when I get up) 

 and though I thought nobody knew

 I had put myself in this sprawling position,

I soon found out that all sorts of people knew!!!  

As I reassured the Lifeline man I heard my daughter come up the hallway, - 

as one of the respondents she had also been phoned!!! 

 And my large and third son was at the door, -

 of course they had phoned him too!!

I am extremely grateful for the competency of the Lifeline People,

 and without hesitation would recommend 

that anybody who is ancient and lives alone

 should indulge themselves with this safety device.

When everyone had gone, -

reassured that their old Mother was O.K.,

 I put the Hellebores into the glass vase,

 and had a whispered talk with the Beloved 

as to what had just happened,

 and that I hoped he appreciated the flowers

 that keep him company,

 and the one who fell down, picking them for him

 and for Love

I shall look for bruises

and find the little jar of Apeaz salve

before I go to bed!

April 13th, 2020

The days are sunny

but the wind persists in its chilly ways

and I am dissuaded from

taking Bruce and the mobile cart

out for a spin.

Just down the lane.

Eyes are rolled and hands go up in the air

when I suggest 

I might go over  town!!!

Perhaps with good cause...

we are still keeping our distance

even (or especially) from those we'd like to hug!

So today I started to wind a warp....

a magic grey cotton that seems to shimmer

and a natural soft shade of white.

I have a delicious cone of white boucle, for weft

that I think would make wonderfully absorbent towels. 

I am getting a little ahead of myself

as both looms are still dressed.

The bamboo and silk on the LeClerc

remind me that Easter is past

and it's time to get back to work...

and on the Glimakra I am playing,

and I don't know what the end result will be.

Colourful, if nothing else!!

Today I put that wonderful DVD I have

"Two Cellos" with Hauser and Sulic

and I played it a second time while I made cookies.

My daughter brought me turkey and dressing

and my DIL a lovely plate of ham and corn

and scalloped potatoes...

So I am quite stuffed, and hoping that by bedtime

I might have time for the  pumpkin pie and cream!

But perhaps I should leave that until tomorrow, -

age is inclined to leave the stomach a little delicate

if one overstuffs at bedtime!!!

And speaking of bed and treats

here is the little dog, "Bruce" telling me that

it is time to go out for his bedtime rendezvous

with whatever cats might be around,

and a couple of bits and pieces before he settles for the night.

He misses Callie,

as I do, too!

Tomorrow perhaps the west wind will have abated somewhat

and we might be able to dig and scratch around

in the garden!

April 11th, 2020

Sitting out on the back bench

sipping tea

with a tad of brandy to help me recover

from making lemon pies

for Easter.....

when I caught sight of these

lovely deer, having an afternoon stroll.

As a matter of fact

there were half a dozen of them,

but these two were more attentive

and aware.

And in view of the camera....

I snapped a few pictures of the lovely

red stubs of peonies, that are growing

by leaps and bounds

and promise that they will be in full bloom

by Queen Victoria's birthday

on the 24th of May.

(this picture is from the back garden on 10th)

The apricots are in bloom.....

and the forsythia.......

the quince is pregnant with bud

and will grace the garden

with their prickly branches and their gorgeous colour...soon!

Helen Shideler

The daffodils are budding and blooming

This is an old picture from

the hill garden - alyssum is not here, alas.

but the little clumps here

are just as delightful.....

Just the other day I saw two very small woodpeckers..

smaller than the red headed woodpeckers

that sometimes visit here,

 lovely harbingers of spring!

Along with the Robins, of course.

I keep both doors open,

and the spring air wafts in and out

along the hallway.

Off in the distance there is a willow,

still with its glowing golden branches

before the leaves burst forth.

This is the first place I have lived in

since our marriage that doesn't have a tremendously

huge and wonderful willow,

although my daughter does nurse a curly willow

in her garden across the lane, -

one of the many that Charles rooted from a branch

of the curly willow we had in the hillside garden....

the others line the driveway leading to the house

where we lived,  and have grown tall

and willowy (what else) and make

a lovely entranceway.

 Here is the willow on 10th,

with a swing

and a grandchild!!!!

What a lovely life it's been -  and is!!!!

Old friends / dear friends

Tonight I had a lovely chat

with an old friend!

She wasn't an old friend when I first met her

at the McTavish Business College

where we were both preparing ourselves

for the business world

and secretarial duties.

Norma's family lived in Vermilion

so she was batching it in one room in Edmonton

while she attended college.

You know how it is when you meet someone

and immediately 

there is an affection and a realization

that this is a kindred spirit!!!

We were only close in companionship for a couple of dozen months

but it is a friendship that has lasted

since those long ago years we were both in our late teens

until now, - when we are both

well into our nineties.

The phone calls that put me in touch with her these days

bring back so many memories

of the times we spent together in those early years....

lunching together, haunting gift card shops

and china and linen stores.

hiking by the Saskatchewan River

with frying pan and pork chops

(as an aside, I was hiking with Norma when I met Charles and seduced him

with pork chops and fried potatoes and niblets)

Norma and I were both part of a group of girls

who regularly hosted dances for servicemen/

(where she met her future husband)

It is a friendship I treasure

and am so grateful for.

The oldest friend I have alive!

And the dearest one left......

Friday, April 3rd, 2020

The sun was warm but the wind was chill

You know how it is with an April day..

When the sun is out and the wind is still

You're one month on in the middle of May.

Robert Frost

We aren't far enough along into April

for the spring blossoms to be out,

but up in the hills there are buttercups

and small white daisies..

and you know that if the buttercups have arrived

they bring robins with them

and soon there will be lilacs

and daffodils and tulips

and the bridal bush will be glorious with its

pure white flowers.

and the forsythia will forsake the bathtub 

and brighten up the rest of the house

with its golden blooms

Today was not April's most charming....

A chilly wind and a dull sky

that deterred me from taking Bruce out for a walk,

down the lane.....where we probably

wouldn't meet anybody and have to stand six feet away

to talk to them.

I hope that warmth comes soon

as I understand Covid19 doesn't care

to be around when the weather is hot!!

It gets quite lonely when you

can't have someone in for tea!

Well, I have a great mess of blue bamboo yarn

to untangle in the morning,

when I have a good hold on my patience.......

And when it is done I will have a lovely

blue and yellow warp to put on the LeClerc,

and that should make me feel quite comfortable

about accomplishing something

besides doing the breakfast dishes!!!

Perhaps the sun will shine, too.....

This and That

March 31st, 2020

The last day of March, and this diffident month has 

gone out like a gentleman!!

A nice day, - sunny and fraught with the promise of spring.  

Green grass, - five small tulips, one daffodil 

and a lawn awash with violets.

Just as I finished my lunch

my son-in-law came to tell me

that there were deer in the meadow 

across from the back yard fence.

If I still moved "in a flash"

I would have been out the door that quickly.

But even though I moved more slowly

there they were...

two lovely dark deer

I am not sure why their coats are dark

but it probably has something to do with

the season.

They had come up from the dry creek bed,

through the bushes that line their home ---

wherein the sap rises

and the bushes are beginning

to have that lovely rosy spring glow.

I have been told that there is a little fawn, as well

but I have not seen him/her yet.

Just as I have not seen a Robin this spring...

Lots of chickadees, but I watch in vain

for a sweet red breast.

My son tell me that the orchard is full of them,

up on the hill.

I remember that Charles and I used to watch them in the spring,

as they crowded into the fruit trees

where the fermented apples hung, unpicked.

So I suppose that's where they are now!!!

Tippling at the bar!

(This, of course, is a more sedate robin

but I was not able to get a picture of the rowdy sippers)

When Bruce and I came in

I was faced with half a dozen tea towels

which had been washed and pressed

and their hems turned up with a hot iron,

but still lacking the stitching to ensure

the hems stayed in place!!!

Here they are off the loom

and stretched out in the hallway,

flanked by the rest of the winter's weaving

and before they were cut apart.

I started hemming while I watched the news

but was soon dissuaded from this

as the news, as usual,  was so depressing.

It pays only to indulge in the

news the bulbs and the new flowers bring, - 

that spring is approaching as usual

and despite how we mess things up

nature will have her way with us, eventually!

Take care 

in spite of all the weirdness

it is still a wonderful world!!

And we still have fickle April to advance

us into May, that glorious month........

Remembering Callie 

My evening companion

who curled up beside me

with one paw on the computer........

who had been our dear furry cat

ever since she was a kitten

and David, our grandson, brought her to us

as a Christmas present, fifteen years ago.

She stopped eating a few days ago,

and then, the other night as I went to bed.

 I stopped to stay goodnight to her.

A few minutes after I had pulled up the covers

I felt her presence on the bedside mat;

leaned over and patted her head.

She mewed, softly, and we both went to sleep...

Unfortunately, she  didn't wake up,

and in the morning I gathered her dear furry body

in my arms, wrapped her in a towel

and laid her in a basket.

Our youngest son dug her grave.

We buried her at the end of the long flower bed,

and soon I will plant a white rose

over the spot where she is buried.

I am missing her, around my feet,

nestled in beside me in the easy chair,

and in the evening, here, lying on my desk,

next to me....

We had such a nice friendship,

a sweet understanding!

A lovely day, weatherwise!

Sun shone, sky was a beautiful clear blue, -

with a touch of sun-lit clouds to complement 

and all sorts of little stubs poking their way through the black earth. -

scarlet, green  and white -

all promising to reach up and blossom into

daffodils,tulips,  anemones, iris

and the gorgeous shades of white, pink and wine

that the peony buds are hiding.

Callie, Bruce and I went out into the garden

for a while this afternoon.

(Unfortunately we missed the family of deer

that have taken up residence in the creek bed across the meadow,

but my daughter told me about them,)

five beautiful and elegant creatures enjoying the bits of new grass

I will watch more carefully tomorrow.

Bruce was his usual inquisitive self

but Callie found a spot in the sun where she could stretch out.

She is not well these days, and I fear

that she might be the first to succumb to old age,

here in the Old Folks Home.

Two sixteen year olds among the animals,

(which is getting elderly for dogs and cats - not ancient, but elderly)

And then there is the ninety five year old

who keeps things in order, more or less!!

We all keep busy and active, -

Bruce spends his time guarding the window and the front garden

from stray cats who come to investigate

the bird feeders - best barker in the neighborhood!

Callie is busy searching for well hidden spots

to hide in, where I can't find her without a half hour search, -

or when she deigns to come out of hiding in answer to my call.

Somehow she appears!!!

Mysteriously!!!

I have yet to find her hiding place....

but she spends a lot

of time in the weaving room.

keeping me company

The lady who regards herself as The Boss

is often at the loom, -

sometimes when she should be

sweeping and dusting!!

But we are all happy with what we choose to do,

and look forward to April,

when the little scarlet buds of the peonies send up green shoots

and the lilac tree bursts forth in bloom.

In the meantime we stay close to home to avoid COVID-19

and content ourselves with telephone chats.

March 17th, 2020

The days march along

(unintended pun) 

And we have now reached St. Patrick's Day

which was always acknowledged in our family

in honour of my mother-in-law's "O'Callahan"relationship.

The smidgin of Irish always added

a little bit of spice to our life,

Charles having inherited much of the

Irish charm and wit.

And that Irish diplomacy that makes it possible

to tell a man to go to hell in such as way that

he looks forward to the trip......

I have great fondness for such Irish authors

as John O'Donahue, Chris Arthur and

Seamus Heaney.

I find many pencil marks in my copy of

Chris Arthur's "Irish Nocturnes" -

a wonderful book of essays...

"thought provoking and immensely readable"

it says on the back cover.

I have given away my copy of his "Irish Willow"

thinking that I would immediately replace it...

(and I shall)

 Kennedy in the Literary Review says of his writing

"sheer pleasure, a swim through the waters of
consciousness of a man clearly fluent and knowledgeable in the
essay form, full of information and opinion,
fact and personal observation, a book that rewards
in many ways, virtually in every sentence."

In an essay on memory Arthur makes this observation...

"one of the most hurtful aspects of growing old is the
recognition that one's memory is failing, and it can no longer be
relied upon to cup and transport its precious cargo as securely
as it once did.......... Forgetting a face, a name, an occasion
and knowing that it has slipped invisibly from memory
into nothingness, is to feel the breath of finitude close upon us,
offering a foretaste of our certain future........"

Well, if we are going to be just history then it does behoove us

to make the story comforting and just a little inspiring.

🔻

Time to go to bed now, but I will hopefully awaken

in the morning and be diligent about this task

of making good and meaningful memories for other people, ---

to those who come after us

March 11th, 2020

I am nursing a cold!

Not a bad cold, - but not one that I would be happy to pass on, either.

Family who come to say hello stand well back, in the doorway.

Others phone - "How you doing, Mum?  If there anything you need?"

Smart thing to do,  and no, there isn't anything I need.

The flavour that permeates the house comes from the dab of Vicks, 

melting away in a simmering pot.

Every once in a while I get up and go and weave a bit, 

to keep my creative juices flowing.

Otherwise I sit and read, blow my nose, and listen to music!!!

I am well into re-reading Loren Eiseley  (The Immense Journey)

and the music I listen to is anything that comes over the TV music channel.

I would like to once again hear Hauser and Luca on the DVD I have, - 

"Two Cellos"

but I have been there before, - switching around from TV to DVD, 

and it isn't always successful!! 

 I have to be strong and hearty to deal with it if things go wrong!

This is not the morning for it, with the box of kleenex handy, 

the heating pad warm on my back and 

the tea, honey and lemon my favoured beverage.  

I am loath to leave my nest in the easy chair.

A miserable day outside!!

If I have to be in keeping with the weather

this is the day for it!!!!

Tomorrow may be sunny

and perhaps my nose will stop dripping

in concert with the rain outside, today.

Then I will go out in the garden with Bruce and Callie

and see how the daffodils are progressing

and if the crocus are in bloom 

March 5th, 2020

Bicycles, etc.

 I was sitting despondently at the breakfast table,

wondering what I could concoct that would return me to my usual

everyday energetic and cheerful self,

despite my stiff neck!!!

In order to distract myself from said stiff neck, and the blues that accompany it,

my thoughts turned to early days, when I was full of pep and bounce!!!!

As I contemplated those days a boy rode by on a bike, on his way to school,

and I remembered, nostalgically, the bicycle that was part of my early teens,

and my transportation to school, a mile or so away, 

there being no school buses in those days....the Thirties, Depression Years.

On the corner of Alberta Avenue and 92nd street there lived an older couple

dear to our family, - "Grandad" and "Granny" Green.

Grandad had a bicycle shop, and Granny had a heart of gold!

It was not just shiny new bikes that Grandad sold, - 

he was a whiz at putting together old parts and pieces, and with a magic wand.

a few screws and a fresh coat of paint

he produced bikes that all could afford in those 

economically tight years.

Mine cost $5.00, and was named "Bonaparte"

in honour of the way he came into being!
I think that Granny's Golden Heart probably influenced the price!

Besides school Bonaparte took me on many a cycle ride, 

one in particular with my dear friend and kindred spirit, N.K.

- on this adventure out Oliver way from Edmonton.

We took our knitting -

I believe I was making a sweater for my father, 

which he wore as a vest as I never did finish the sleeves.

Bonaparte was passed on to my sister (five years younger)

who also used it for school.  I wish I had a picture..

he was such a sturdy steed!!!

Where his "Bones" eventually laid I do not know.

I got involved with an Air Force officer, - married him and left home

for adventures in another province of Canada.

Our transportation there was a 1933 yellow wire-wheeled Chev Coupe!

I

We were so young!

March

Came in like a lamb.......

A sunny day

the snow remaining morphed into 

snow white clouds languidly strolling

across a brilliant blue sky,

and Bruce and I went out and picked a few

of the delicate blossoms on the hellebores,

It is said that tomorrow will be sunny.

the grass will be greener,

maybe a few violets will open their lovely petals....

and the robins are back!!!

Can Spring be far behind???

Ash Wednesday
February 26th, 2020

The sun is shining again today, and the sky is that lovely soft blue

of spring time.....

The catkins outside my window are growing fatter and a little more lush,

marking the time as spring steps closer 

and the sun grows warmer.

I think to ask someone to bring the summertime table and chair out 

of its winter hibernation in the garden shed,

so I can take my book and a cup of tea outside

and contemplate the garden, and the hellebores, still covered with snow.

It is Ash Wednesday!

I see the cars gathered around the Roman Catholic Church

and lament that there is no service across the street

in the Anglican Church....

no ashen crosses on our forehead

but still, the day causes me to meditate a bit on Lent;

its meaning and what it accomplishes

in the lives of those who commit to those forty days.

I wonder if the days of Lent, before its Christian origin,
were observed as a time of purification,
or if the fasting that is part of Lent
arose because of a lack of food after a hard winter
and before summertime filled the larder again?

In place of a quiet service
I read parts of T.S. Eliot's long poem
"Ash Wednesday"
and think about Lenten Days and how best to make
them meaningful, and rich in their sparseness

And I listen to Stjepan Hauser  and Luka Sulic
and their beautiful rendition of  "Benedictus"
once again!!!

February 24th, 2020

Monday

The first day of the last week of Faint February, and I spent it firstly

at the loom,  beaming on a towel warp, - then at the end of the Hoover, purging rugs,

and lastly in an easy chair, reading, and listening to music.

I have no guarantee that March will be a better month, - it does not have

a good reputation here in the Similkameen, but surely it will have

more character than February, which has been so dull and uninspiring!!!

The one big snowfall we had has not melted away in the sunshine,

but rather has turned to large solid ridges of snow that line the village

roads and make parking very difficult.

Not that I am parking anywhere, since I have not driven since my

license expired a few months ago, and I am not brave enough

to go to the nearest city and take a driving test to renew it.....

somehow I don't think the license inspectors are too

interested in helping the aged to roam the streets in a motorized vehicle,

and so I plan on gaily joining the horde of cart drivers

in this retirement village, with Charles' big blue machine.

As to what I am reading....  I am enjoying

Alexander McCall Smith's new book - "The Department of

Sensitive Crimes"  which I find a delight to read...

from the dust cover.....

Alan Bradley (bestselling author of the Flavia de Luce series) says

"with astonishing heart and mind, Alexander McCall Smith

launches a bold and original series.  With The

Department of Sensitive Crimes, he invents a new

and compassionate genre:  I didn't know whether to

laugh or cry, but in the end I did both.

aside - the Flavia de Luce series is also a delight to read.....

The other book I am reading is another of Robert McFarlane's.

This time, instead of the Underworld,  he "accounts legendary

mountain ascents with vivid descriptions of his own forays

into wild, high landscapes". Great Book!!

Within it he quotes Keats...

"I stood tiptoe upon a little hill

...I gazed a while and felt as light and free

as though the fanning wings of Mercury

had played upon my heels.  I was light-hearted

and many pleasures to my vision started...."

The music I listened to was Hauser the cellist.

Absolutely gorgeous!