A Long Week.

This last week has been super long and tiring. But so rewarding at the same time. I'll likely write a few short posts to share the many different pieces. For today, my lavender win! We were at Costco late in the day to visit the garden centre for the first time this year, thinking it wouldn't be too crowded. With the new restrictions in place, space in retail stores is limited again. It was a big surprising to pull up and see a lot of cars but the lot wasn't packed like on a weekend, which we always avoid. As we walked up to the store, we realized there was no lineup as we anticipated. Score! So we grabbed a cart with the idea that we could stroll through, looking at plants and choosing a few favorites, like my lavender pots for the front veranda. And then we thought we'd stock up on some food items since we were there already. As we walked through, it seemed quiet. 

Until we got to the entrance to the garden centre. And then we spotted why the aisles were quiet but there were many cars .... the lineup to get in to the area was packed and the line snaked around the corner almost to the front of the store. Yikes! I had such high hopes of getting my pots today. No worries, we'll come back another day. But I thought that it couldn't hurt to ask if they have any so we know if coming back is a good plan. I went to the front (no husband, no cart, just little me) and found the sweetest employee who was letting customers in as others came out. She greeted me with a sweet smile so it felt okay to ask if there was lavender and if there are times that are better to come back to shop. She chatted with me for a moment, reassured me there was a good stock of my pots and I thanked her and turned to walk away. A few steps in and I heard her say "is it only lavender you need?" As we've potted 138 different flowers (perennials and annuals) and have many more seeds to plant in the ground, truly, yes, it was only my 2 pots I was hoping for. I walked back and said yes, and she said "hang on!" She disappeared for a second and then came back and turned to the people in the line up and said "this lovely lady only needs to pots of lavender. I've asked a staff member to go grab 2. Is everyone okay with this?" I cringed for a second as I hadn't asked for this gesture of kindness but the line up all answered with "yes of course." Wow! And then the other employee came around the corner with these 2 pots above. Better than I've ever seen and she was even proud she had chosen the "2 best" ones she could find. I was almost teary with the kindness of the staff and then the crowd. As they placed them in front of me, I turned to those in the line up and thanked everyone, and I was met with smiles and nods. I was so thankful and the staff told me they were more than happy to help out. With smiles all around, I picked up my precious pots and walked away thinking "in all this crap right now, a moment of kindness that made my heart swell." I found my dh a few aisles away and he was surprised to see me walking towards him with 2 pots of sweet lavender and the biggest grin on my face. 

Aren't they the most beautiful pots of lavender? It's English and will look amazing on the front veranda. I have Munstead growing in pots and at least 4 of another kind starting to come to live out in the front garden. My dream one day is a tiny lavender "farm" and we're on a way to making that happen in time. I love the end of the season when these will all be big and ready to harvest. Drying the buds and hanging little bunches of lavender around the house makes the time going in to caring for them worth all the fuss and bother. 

Do you have a favorite plant you love to grow each year?

Are your garden centres or nurseries super busy again?

Namaste my blogging buddies.

Enjoy this beautiful Friday.

~ Chy

Dreary Rain.

We had 2 days of rain on Friday and

Saturday. It was so welcome as our

region has begun to have fires due to

the dry landscape. The first day, I did

love the coolness and the sound. The

second day, it was much darker and

quite gloomy, or dreary as I've titled

this post. Out came our new tea pot

and the coziness of our cottage set in.

But once the rain had stopped, we

enjoyed the most amazing Sunday

with warm air and blue skies. And

blooms everywhere! Maybe you can

see the bright green little buds in the

picture above. Today, it's another blue

sky day but now the green is vast.

Do you love rainy days?

Or are they dreary and cold?

~ Chy

Fluffy Wings.

I just had to post this sweet print I

came across today on FB. Reminds

me of so many of my grieving moms

and their efforts to retain anything

of their baby or child who has died.

A mama holding on to angel wings.

Namaste.

~ Chy

Mother's Day.

 

To all who are mothers with little ones, Happy Mother's Day. To all those with now grown up babies, Happy Mother's Day. To all those who are mourning the loss of a precious baby or child, I hold you dearly in my heart today. To those who are missing their moms who have died, or those who have a mom who cannot clearly remember that today is special, you pain is known by many and I hope you know we all think of you as well. Today is a beautiful reminder of where we come from, who we strive to be and who we become. But it can also be bittersweet. Be gentle to those around you as they navigate a million and one feelings on a day like today. 

No breakfast in bed for me this morning as we are 8 months in to Intermittent Fasting, so no eating in the morning. But lunch was amazing ~ leftover pasta from last night's feast that we ordered from The Olive Garden. I wasn't sure if mine would be okay on the 2nd day but it was actually even better than last night. We had a small sleep in and then I had a workout in our little gym. Showered and listened to dgs's radio show. Went outside to take the covers off our outdoor furniture and sat in the sun for a bit. So grateful for the rain we've received for the last 2 days. Everything is magically green again. The trees have leaves that seem to blossom even more, every time I look up to look at our landscape. Soon we won't be able to see our neighbors house next door. We did a walk around the yard, sat in the sun and made our landscaping to do list, pottered about in the greenhouse, got the Adirondack chairs out from the potting shed, along with some of my bigger pots, ate lunch, and we've been sitting outside every since. Dh has just gone in to do his workhout, so I might go in and work on a project OR write a bit more of my grant. It's due next Saturday but I'd like to send by Thursday at the latest. I work on it a bit each day so it's not so daunting. Our landscaping to do list is quite long but we had a bit of sticker shock when we received the 1st of 3 quotes back ~ $52,000 to do all we hope to accomplish in the next year. Yikes! For now, we'll wait for the other quotes but likely will end up either doing it all ourselves or breaking it down and letting someone else do the big we feel are out of our league. I was surprised that dh's first reaction was "ya, no, we can do it all!" Proud of how far he's come over the years in taking on these tasks instead of paying someone else. He's feeling pretty confident that we could do it all, except for re~grading the front path and re~gravelling the driveway. I agree on both those points. The rest is a lot of work but manageable. And much more reasonable in cost. I love projects so not worried that it will be too much. But it will definitely be a later completion date as we spread it all out. Wish us luck as we put our energy in to creating beauty!

Quiet afternoon planned, then a call to wish my mom a beautiful day, dinner and a favorite show or 2. I hope your day is just as you hoped, or filled with love from those around you if it's a hard one. Every day, we miss our little ones who died at birth. I know the feelings that surround loss during special days. Take good care of yourself today. 

Namaste!

~ Chy

Birthday Girl.

Yesterday was our daughter's birthday and it was a day

filled with love and good memories, gifts and cake,

candles and light. She was greeted with warm wishes

at her preschool where she teaches and from family

and friends in person and online throughout the day.

Her request for dinner was "breakfast" and we ended

the day with a small cake. On the weekend, we'll do

it again, with her favorite ice cream cake and another

gift or two. A second birthday in lockdown but we

are all so thankful for her sunny smile and her energy.

Happy Birthday sweet Chynna~Jade!

~ Chy

Lazy Sunday?

We have worked hard to make sure our Sundays are laid back, even lazy. Or at least we've attempted to get this in to place. But then we do our workouts in the morning and have energy. So what happens when you have energy? You start doing things that turn your "lazy Sunday" in to a work day! Really going to have get better at NOT using Sunday as a work day. Yesterday, after my workout and shower, I spent a couple of hours mixing up soil less soil, then planted 80 cups of flower seeds for the garden ~ Canterbury Bells, Sweet Peas, Delphiniums, Soapwort, Batchelor Buttons, Foxglove and more Lavender. Can you imagine if they all germinated and bloomed? Fingers crossed this works. The rest of the day was laundry, emails, writing, a founders meeting for our radio station, working on the beginnings of a Strategic Plan, then making a list of grants to write this month, and finally, a short video to honor "International Bereaved Mother's Day" to post. A good day and the only thing that kept us indoors for most of it was the cool air and the rain that was here and there. Today has started out with a full sky of blue and no clouds. Hoping it warms up so we can be outside later. Meetings this morning and then time for catching up on projects for the rest of the morning. A meeting this afternoon with a community that would like to increase programming for their residents. Tonight? Maybe writing. Or read my book. Or watch a show that we've PVR'd. We'll see.

Photos above: my sweet Holly Hobbie plant pot from my childhood that I'm potting a sweet tiny plant I've been nurturing. Will do an update photo later with the finished look. And below that .... dinner from last night. So good! And the best: leftovers for lunch today. Mmmm ....

Wishing you a beautiful Monday!

~ Chy

Right Here. Right Now.

Today, around the World, bereaved mothers are being held and cared for as they remember their sweet babies, or precious children, who have died. The week before traditional Mother's Day is International Bereaved Mother's Day. An opportunity to create awareness and seek support, this day is filled with broken hearts, copious tears and heart wrenching memories. Today, my family remembers our precious little ones with love: Bretton, Ciara, Birkley, Cabriola, Cambria, Beau, Cree and Bentley. Forever in our hearts. 

What I'm wearing .... my grey snow leggings, a soft deep rose hoodie, grey socks and my teal slippers.

What I'm reading .... I'm about half way thru "No Ordinary Life" by Suzanne Redfearn.

What's happening in my kitchen .... Sunday dinner is cooking ~ chicken with veggies in a stir fry with sauce and rice.

What's outside my window .... sunny but super cold. It did rain earlier today but the wind has died down and now the sun is brightening the day. Lovely ending.

What I'm thankful for .... good health and inspiring projects.

What I'm smelling .... dinner cooking ~ smells so good.

What I'm hearing .... the tv and the fan on the stove. And talking. There is always talking in the cottage. I will forever cherish the sound of loved ones voices.

What I'm crafting .... finished the 2nd phase of our "grow op" of veggie seeds and today, annual and perennial flowers.

What's on my mind .... worries that I don't want to think about today. I'm trying to learn to set things "over there" so they don't cloud my mind 24 hours a day. It's slow going but I'm determined to get there. 

Words to live by .... "Love is all you need ...."

Wishing you a beautiful week. 

~ Chy

Budding May.

Happy May 1st! I'm getting so excited that our Earth, our landscape is starting to green up. But it's so dry that it's taking a bit for the buds to open. We need some really good rain. It did rain a bit here and there yesterday and even some the day before. But nothing that even Gary the Gnome was able to capture in his little measuring vessel. I can see rain in the forecast for next week. We'll see if it comes true. For now, the trees are budded and ready to go, and we are seeing life in the gardens. Small but there. I am so excited.

Today is going to be a tough work day. Typically I have our kids grief program on Saturday mornings and counselling in the afternoon. But I worked yesterday at hospice, and today i was just going to do the kids program in the morning and take the afternoon off. We now have a resident who will die this afternoon so once the kids program is done, I'll drive in to the big city and be at hospice for the family and the staff as this loved one transitions from life to death. A sad day but for this resident and his family, the ending they hoped for. Once everything is done there, I'll come home and do some notes, and then close my book for a few days. 

We bought the wood to make the decking for our shed, and we're hoping to get that sorted tomorrow with the final decision of where it will sit and then getting that spot ready for the build. I'm not working out on the treadmill today as my legs are very achy but I am going to stretch this morning before my shower and then do my weights later today. It's a blue sky day at the moment, so I'm sure a bit of time in the sun on the deck will occur as well. 

Hold your loved ones tight. Give them some extra love today. Life is short. Embrace it all right to the very last breath.

Namaste my blogging buddies.

~ Chy