Snow in Summer and Other Simple Joys

Frank and I have been up at our new place for the past couple of days. There's so much to learn about our home, our surroundings, the wildlife and our own everyday life. I'm not here full time yet as I still have to return to the city to continue readying my house for sale.

In the short time that we've been here, we were greeted by a great blue heron upon our arrival, have watched an osprey fly by with a fresh catch, were serenaded by a family of loons (I can hear their haunting call right now as I type) and have had countless close encounters with hummingbirds and chickadees.

Yesterday morning, I watched the sun rise over the forested hill across the bay. It was beautiful sky and of course, I took photos so that I could share it with you, but Frank's laptop is being fussy about communicating with my camera and so they will have to wait until after my two week stay here is over, and I head back to the city to continue prepping for the real move. In the meantime, I'll offer some photos which I took around Frank's previous place a few weeks ago.

On this warm, summer day, it snowed in southern Ontario...


There's something especially nice about a sunny day after the rain. Perhaps it's partly because the many puddles duplicate the beautiful surrounding, providing us with even more of Mother Nature's finest.






They say that the early bird catches the worm. I think this female red winged blackbird would have to agree.






I suppose there were some worms involved in this boy's day also.






Seeing that he had competition, the Great Blue decided to fish elsewhere.






The daisies stood all fresh and crisp to welcome the day.






And tiger lilies seemed to open and soak up the warmth of the sun.







This dragonfly had seen better days but he seemed to know when to stop, rest and have a sun bath.






These clouds looked rather innocuous.






And yet it snowed for days - at least a week.





Cottonwood seeds. They're in the forecast every year.

I hope you enjoyed my snowy summer day. More photos coming up soon.

Upon Reflection

"The trees reflected in the river -- they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne




"No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see."
~ Taoist proverb




"Water reflects not only clouds and trees and cliffs, but all the infinite variations of mind and spirit we bring to it." ~ Sigurd Olson




"One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human."
~ Loren Eiseley




"A reflection on a pool of water does not reveal its depth." ~Unknown Warrior




“Every path has its puddle” ~ Proverb




". . . imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for." ~ Douglas Adams




"Ultimately, our future is like a mirror. Whenever we face it, it always reflects what we left behind."
~ Marilyn vos Savant