FAVOURITE CANADIAN IMAGES OF SUMMER 2018

As Fall is fast approaching, what images did evolve over the summer.

Sunflowers everywhere.

Trip to Stratford. The Music Man was a good show.

Oh those market trips and fresh Ontario produce.

The beautiful town of Niagara on the Lake.

Winnery visits.

Retirement celebration with cake, specialty donuts and family.

A walk in a sunflower field. The trend on Instagram to get a selfie in a field.

A River Cruise with the club on the Grand River near Caledonia.

Those quilts at The Creek. Every year an amazing display of quilts. A very great Canadian tradition coast to coast. I just was able to see Ontario made quilts.

One square mini samples!

A granddaughter at Horse camp.

The array of summer flowers.

Finding beautiful butterflies in the garden.

Grapes growing on the fence at home.

Vinelands and orchards in the Niagara Region. A popular wine and fruit area of Canada.

Iris in the garden.

Buying ciambella for my husband.
Oh Summer. Fleeting away too quickly.
#summerincanada#ciambella#vinelands#Niagararegion#caledonia#grandrivercruise#summergardens#buttlerflies#retirementcelebration#orchardsinniagararegion#sunflowers#horsecampforkids#quiltsatBlackCreekpioneervillage#quiltsarefun#grapesgrowinginagarden#stratfordwithfriends#sunflowers#freshontarioproduce#summerfun#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara

SEPTEMBER AND FALL CLEANING

With still sunny skies but cooler weather, Fall cleaning is well under way. Closets, the basement and little areas like one shelf or a drawer. Hauling stuff to the garage- to store or to sell or just put on the curb. 4 bags of clothes to Value Village. 8 bags of yard waste this week So a feeling of going through the house is a good one. Cleaning also cleanses the soul. There is something about getting rid of stuff. The mind clears as stuff is cleared. The best feeling is when stuff finds a new home. Someone can use my old stuff. How about you? Any fall cleaning? What are your best tips for cleaning a home? Sometimes just if in doubt throw it out!!!
#fallcleaning#throwingoutstuff#cleaningthebasement#cleaningthecloset#rearrangingthehome#declutteringreallyhelps#ifindoubtthrowitout#cleansingthesoul

RETIREMENT BRINGS THE PURCHASE OF MAGAZINES

So I am finding myself subscribing to more magazines. A variety like the Walrus, Good Times -already had Canadian Living, Home and Beautiful and some off the shelves at the store. From Country Living to modern crafts, I am looking for themes and what interests people. What writers are writing! What is trendy! We have one daily newspaper but Adolph uses it for the sudoku he likes to do. Retirement is a chance to review and look and see what is out there in a bigger way than just the job and what comes through on the Internet. Reading from writers that really know how to write, use words and make the reader think.  I am a news groupie so watch news daily and check in on world events. Reading what is out there gives me a chance and opportunity to research so I can find some ideas on writing too. Writing and researching have always been a part of my life. This blog has given me so much latitude to write down ideas. However, perhaps it is time to take my writing to another level. I might try my hand at trying to write something for one of those magazines. There are sites online that include 1-3 page articles. So another avenue.  I want to write about my knowledge, expertise and the experiences of my profession while I still have those concepts fresh in my head. Of course, there is fictional writing that allows for more creative process. Genealogical articles are fine to write but they are factual, cite your sources, don't speculate and need to be clean. Fictional as you can fathom is another realm and may be fun. So back to those short articles and how each magazine likes their content to evolve. Have you tried your hand at writing? How is it going?
#purchasingmagazines#writingaboutcurrenttrends#writingaboutnewsworthyitems#freeingupmywritingenergy#readingtofindnewideasandtrends#magazinesarefuntoread#retirementgivestimetoresearch

NANA SAYS SCHOOL IS IN FULL SWING

For most parents September can be stressful initially. Once the routines are established and children are adjusting to their new teachers and settings, everyone can breathe a sign of relief. Lessons are underway. Meetings and social functions outside the home are happening. So school brings homework too. Parents can help with it but remember the homework belongs to the children. Make sure they do it and you do not do it for them. Children always benefit from parents or caregivers reading to them. So remember to read every day. Hearing the voice and the written word is always a good learning tool. It also brings some intimacy to family relationships. Slows everyone down.
Making lunches again is a daily activity or chore. There is lots of advice online and in magazines on how to make nutritional and fun lunches.Depending on the age of children, having them involved can be an important life skills. Preparing for the week helps too. Remember those wonderful standbys- the grandparents for support!
#schoolyear#parents#grandchildren#homework#readingtochildren#makinglunches#childrencanlearntobeinvolvedinfamilychores#grandparentscanhelp

SHADOWS REVEAL SO MUCH

On a walk to take some photos close to home, I noticed some many noon hour shadows. It had me thinking about the shadows in our lives. We all have a light side and a dark side. Light helps to cast our shadows.

Our shadows can be our secrets, our private thoughts! They can be our negative thoughts and parts of ourselves we really do not want to share with others. Our shadows!
#shadows#notsharingourprivatethoughts#lifebringsshadowstothelight#doyoushareyourshadows

TWO MONTHS POST RETIREMENT AN SOME REFLECTIVE THOUGHTS

I feel like the kid in the car on  a drive. Are we there yet? Having enjoyed the summer months as I normally do, September arrived. Parts of my home are getting the do over. The declutter. The reorganization. The getting ready to blitz this retirement thing. To get to the real creativity pieces. I had wanted areas of my life to be better organized before retirement but life got in the way. I am often asked how it feels to be retired? Well different but the same. Don't worry about Sunday nights getting ready for Monday and the work week. Putting some new routines in place. Each day to have a mundane task to complete so more fun stuff can be done. Searching for social events in a different way. Knowing that being home can be socially isolating and no facebook time does not cut it for social time. Talking and relating in a real way is always better. I have accomplished some things because having goals and projects have not left me. Some people seem to think that to do little and relax is what retirement should be. Boring! Good for a day here and there. I have many things I would like to accomplish still in life. Getting to writing more projects is a goal. Working on that genealogy stuff is so important. Fixing this house to think about the next place over the coming year is an important goal too. Supporting my family and husband in a variety of ways. Perhaps ask me in a year how I really feel. Everyone said I would be busier than when working. Really- replacing 50 hours a week that work involved. Perhaps a different kind of busy. But cleaning my house and garden is important but actually rather boring. So some busy is a necessary part of life. If I am going to be busier than I want it to be activities I chose to do and enjoy! #thoughtsonretirement#beingbusyinretirement#howdoyoufeelinretirement#newroutinestoeasetheboredome#funstuffinretirement#declutteringthehouse#nomoreworryaboutMondaymorning#don'tbesoicallyisolated#goouttosocialevents#goalsforthedayareimportant#

COMING THROUGH THE FOG

On my walk today, it was foggy. It made me reflect about times in our lives we feel we are in a fog. Through cancer treatment we can have a brain fog. Pregnancy gives a fog and forgetfulness. Sometimes trying to solve a problem keeps us in a fog. Wearing bright clothes helps others see us in a fog. Foggy days can be dangerous when driving as it is so difficult to see other drivers and cars. Planes have trouble landing in them. Aging can feel like one is in a fog. Or just really stressful times can fog the brain. The good thing is the fog clears and we can see clearly. Or maybe it is good we can not see too far down the road in life. How about you, do you feel in a fog today?
#foggydays#comingthroughthefog#brainfogfromchemotherapy#pregnancymakesusfoggy#stayingsafeinafog