tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21123931747838266352024-03-20T05:23:56.892-04:00SFJSustenance For The JourneyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-21566963118336019522011-09-03T08:43:00.003-04:002011-09-03T08:48:48.992-04:00From Garden to VasePhotos by Tracy Riley, 2011.
I took these garden photos during the month of August at a private cutting garden near Camden East, Ontario that the owners tend to passionately and open up on Saturdays in August as a fund-raiser for local Hospice organizations (one of which a family member volunteers with, another of which a family member was the beneficiary of this year during the last weeks of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-21433687568232184932011-08-07T17:22:00.001-04:002011-08-07T17:23:04.453-04:00Balloon Flower 2Observed this morning:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-88765001018255490452011-07-30T18:21:00.003-04:002011-07-30T20:27:35.393-04:00Balloon FlowerToday's feature will be the balloon flower with photos I took this morning.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-21821156481528893462011-07-28T08:53:00.001-04:002011-07-28T08:55:50.242-04:00Cherry tomatoesMy neighbour harvested her first four cherry tomatoes of the season earlier this week. She generously shared two of them with me. I feel honoured. (Needless to say, they didn't sit on the window sill longer than for taking the photo.)
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-2849792493031036792011-07-25T07:25:00.002-04:002011-07-25T07:29:08.708-04:00Laughter is a joyThis intriguing video, "may sing like no one is listening," by silbrownfsu arrived in my inbox and made me laugh out loud. I thought I'd share it here in case it might bring a smile to you as well.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-73318422450035659482011-07-24T15:01:00.003-04:002011-07-24T15:06:31.987-04:00The day lily is continually changingAlthough I said in my last post that the day lily flower blooms for one day before beginning to curl and dry, that is not to say that the beauty of the flower is limited to one day. Embracing brief moments when the wind was at rest, I took some photos today of blooms that opened on a previous day mixed in with blooms yet to open and blooms now open on their first day. I am reminded of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-68184889485280280882011-07-20T07:17:00.002-04:002011-07-20T07:22:00.963-04:00Day LiliesThe day lily was given its name for a reason. It produces flowers that bloom for just one day. The petals of the flowers that I greeted yesterday are curled up this morning and have begun the process of drying up to fall to the ground and nourish the soil. I took these photos last evening in my yard.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-23379510546106428572010-09-26T14:03:00.000-04:002010-09-26T14:03:59.198-04:00When you do want to throw something awayIt is a grey Sunday afternoon in late September--the kind of day that is just calling out for me to nap. I've opted to light a few candles and write instead--or as a start. You don't have to throw yourself away, Pema Chrodron wrote. The question might arise: "what do you do though when there are parts you do want to throw away or just wish you could?" What if you have a chronic health condition Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-58148662144379294902010-09-06T19:41:00.000-04:002010-09-06T19:41:42.008-04:00You don't have to throw yourself awayToday, I finished reading the book, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, by Christopher K. Germer. I feel quiet, with inner things, and not like writing much. However, I'd like to share with you a quote that Christopher includes near the end of the book. The quote is written by Pema Chodron, in her book, The Wisdom of No Escape and The Path of Loving Kindness:
...we can still be crazy after Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-79921858611784792562010-06-19T07:42:00.002-04:002010-06-19T07:46:58.222-04:00How safe is the stuff you put on your skin?Here is another on-line resource I'd like to recommend: The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. If you have a skin-care, cosmetic type product in the house and you "think" it's supposed to be safe, search for it in the database and see how it fares. You might be pleasantly--or unpleasantly--surprised.
For example, recently I looked up a body lotion/moisturizers I've been Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-39743566848658201382010-05-28T10:25:00.000-04:002010-05-28T10:25:04.148-04:00Environmental Working Group's 2010 Sunscreen GuideArrived this week in my inbox. You can check it out here: Environmental Working Group's 2010 Sunscreen Guide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-26560745822105558662010-05-16T20:45:00.003-04:002011-07-20T09:13:18.283-04:00Lilacs, Sweet Woodruff, and a Sunny Day in May...heavenly...
(When I walked outside this morning, I thought without thought: "this is heaven".)
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-88125436053652602742010-05-11T07:51:00.001-04:002010-05-11T07:52:03.707-04:00Steven Heighton's poem, ConstellationsThis is a poem that provides a beautiful image. Imagine placing glow-in-the-dark stars all over you, soaking up some light, then turning off all the lights and dancing in the dark--or watching someone else do a star dance. You can read the poem (and the specific story that goes with it) in his book, The Address Book: Poems. Thanks to my friend, S, for turning my attention toward Steven's work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-61493676484896867032010-05-09T13:50:00.007-04:002010-05-09T14:01:07.588-04:00Feelings About Mother's Day (and the Cultivation of Compassion)Today is Mother's Day. For some, it is filled with warm feelings, laughter, reflection, gratitude. For others, it might include almost none of the sort, but instead feelings of anger, pain, longing, loneliness. Grief might be felt and this might be a blend of feelings related to absence and presence, what was and wasn't, what is and isn't, what was and now isn't or now is. Mothers may have a wideUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-72923931319322818512010-05-03T18:57:00.002-04:002010-05-09T14:03:18.062-04:00A walk in the park (and the importance of green spaces)Today I went for a walk in the new park that is in development in Kingston along (a) concession between Alfred and Nelson. I came home. I thought, "Trees are the bees knees."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-14798793748814998932010-04-25T11:49:00.000-04:002010-04-25T11:49:47.656-04:00Electromagnetic radiation and healthDo you have a DECT cordless phone in your home? Wireless technology? Use a cell phone regularly? Live or work where wireless abounds? Have you read much about the research in these areas looking at the effects of these devices on a cellular level and concerns that have been raised about their effects on health? Curious? If so, here are three suggestions to get you started on your search:
1) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-2616123798547299002009-09-14T20:54:00.005-04:002010-05-09T14:03:53.630-04:00Two 2-Minute or Less Stories1. For my cat, a call to action: the opening of the fridge door.
2. Today at lunch for a treat, I decided to purchase a tea at a local Tim Hortons. Typically, I would make my own cup of tea at work if I wanted some, but I had forgotten to bring a small amount of cream from home. I ordered a medium-sized tea with bag in and with cream. I got: a white creamy liquid with no evidence of tea colour Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-43637527635793012102009-08-11T09:07:00.002-04:002009-08-11T09:13:48.480-04:00The Inner Life of the CellHere is a wonderful and inspiring 3 minute trailer to an 8 minute film that was made by XVIVO, a scientific animation company located near Harford, CT. I first read about the video at studio daily's website.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-31427297036616139512009-07-29T18:47:00.004-04:002010-05-09T14:07:09.594-04:00Jane Siberry's CityI pulled Jane Sibirrey's cd, City, off the shelf today for a listen. Perusing through the cd booklet, I came across text that touched me. I'll share a few excerpts:
"For to do something with careIs the closest thing to the feeling of love that can be foundIt is all I knowThis is protectionThis is the narrow bridge
And the hand that reaches out for the drink, the drugAnd it grabs a cloth Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-60345703675654519682009-07-28T20:04:00.002-04:002010-05-09T14:13:27.143-04:00Quotable friends"There will always be tea," as said today by M.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-42874911035659329852009-07-26T07:34:00.005-04:002009-07-26T08:30:39.012-04:00The documentary: Blue GoldAlso available at the Kingston Public Library is the documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars. This is a film by Sam Bozzo that also looks at issues of water--the necessity of water for life, and serious problems of freshwater depletion, pollution, corporate and corrupt government actions where profit and greed rules above people and planet. Like Flow, it is disturbing, frustrating, alarming, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-78127646450158207362009-07-11T16:26:00.020-04:002010-05-09T14:19:16.307-04:00The documentary: FlowI watched this documentary recently --with thanks to the Kingston Public Library for having it in their collections. For a description, visit the film's website: www.flowthefilm.com. The film raises much that is unsettling, deeply troubling, as well as things that are hopeful. I recommend it.
For those of you who visit the blog regularly, you might have noticed I've added a link in the sidebar Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-65853247072217437892009-06-28T08:01:00.006-04:002009-07-11T16:46:12.831-04:00Feeling and not feeling...Near the end of one of the chapters in Kay Redfield Jamison's book, An Unquiet Mind, and about three-quarters of the way through, she refers to a piece of music I wanted to follow-up on: "That night, waiting for my moody, intense Englishman to appear--needlepointing, watching the snow fall, listening to Chopin and Elgar--I suddenly was aware of how clear and poignant the music seemed, how Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-90585240121496384032009-06-16T07:56:00.006-04:002009-07-11T16:46:28.363-04:00Venn diagrams and a wonderful bookThis morning, I awoke early. Shortly after 4 a.m., I absorbed the quiet of the early morning accompanied by the beautiful song of birds, and the beauty of a crescent moon shining brilliantly in a clear sky. How wonderful.I did, also, go back to sleep. How glad I am, however, for that early morning awakening and time.Yesterday, I finished reading An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison, subtitled Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2112393174783826635.post-63599129913472741312009-05-22T17:55:00.004-04:002009-06-17T16:41:09.292-04:00the popularity of fresh flowersYesterday, two black birds wandered through the yard pecking for food. One flew away. The other, before departing, picked a sprig of forget-me-knots from the garden, like a small bouquet, then took to flight transporting it by beak. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0