Yes, it's real.

The other day, walking home from an appointment uptown, I passed a building with a multitude of tiny roses clinging to the branches of one of the bushes there. 

I couldn't resist taking a couple of photos, and must admit, I couldn't resist the temptation to steal one. 

When I got home, I put it into a little vase and set it on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. I figured, with my pair of my brass swans standing guard, it could serve as a little reminder of hope. 

But the little rose wasn't quite enough to bring the miracle I'd been hoping for. 

My sister-in-law, a New Yorker for many years, was hospitalized with the virus on January 8th. Shortly thereafter she was put on a respirator and moved to the ICU where she was monitored. 

She had no underlying conditions. Was never a smoker.

With help from her son (and Zoom), at least we were able to say I love you, I love you. 

But yesterday we received word that her heart finally gave out. 

If only the people who claim this disease is a hoax could be part of our story, they might be able to let the truth sink in. 

This killer virus is real -- sadly, all too real for us. 

 

Two men I love

Two of the men I love the most gave me the same gift for Christmas. A book about love, written by an author (a man) I love. 

Today is also the birthday of two other men (one an author) that I love. 

A day for reading about love, thinking about love -- not a bad way to spend a day. 

A lesson in black (and white)

That's the beautiful Nadia, wearing the saddest face around. She's been missing her master, our beloved brother Tom.

But today, with a new blanket of fresh snow on the ground, when she came along with me on my walk around the farm, she decided to get silly.

First, she buried her snout (probably sniffing out a vole or some other interesting tidbit), then when
she popped back out, this was how she looked.

As is so often the case, it's the dog who has something to say in way of offering comfort.

By the time...

No, I wasn't one of the people who made it to the festival that's come to be known as Woodstock -- an event that opened fifty years ago today. I knew a couple of folks who did make it there, and still know one who managed to get her face into the movie (though she's not thrilled about how she looks -- in the aftermath of the rain, in the mud).

Upstate New York felt too far away from where we lived in Northern Ontario. Besides, we didn't have a car. Oh yeah, and tickets for the three days of the weekend-fest sounded like such a rip-off at a whopping fifteen bucks. Whoo-ee. 

It seems kind of a shame that the anniversary event had to be cancelled, though maybe there'll be some kind of guerilla music fest sprouting up later this weekend, some kind of commemoration of the good vibes of the times. Like the poster says, it was all about Peace (and, of course, love too) -- both items we could use more of every day. 

A special person

I know, I can be a bit silly when it comes to remembering all these birthdays. But this one is for one of the most special people in my life -- the one I believe actually loved me unconditionally.

That would be my gramma, the one I called Mayme.

In truth, I don't think she would want to be around, considering she'd be turning 117.

Still, it might be time for me to light that candle and make a toast to her.

Fare thee well to someone dear

This is a photo of our wonderful uncle, Octavian, standing beside his beloved linden tree -- a tree that provided many offerings for the herbal tinctures and salves he made.

This morning, we received news that Octavian had died. But oh my, this was a man who knew how to live!

When he raised a glass of wine in cheers, his greeting was nearly always an enthusiastic 'Happy Birthday!'i

Because he is a strong believer in the existence of a wonderful afterlife, I find myself needing to wish him a "Happy Birthday!' with hopes that he has indeed been born into the place where he hoped he would be.

Romantic or what…

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a brand-new book of love poems!

The Wild Weathers, edited by Ursula Vaira of Leaf Press, offers a roster of poets both known and lesser-known. Daniela Elza, Patricia Young, Susan McCaslin, Janet Vickers, Susan Iannou, Vaughan Chapman, Peter Trower and many more – but there’s no point in merely listing names. Instead, step in and take a bite of one of the poems.

Sample these, the opening lines of Elsie Neufeld’s meditation on a lifelong relationship:

Love, 34 years in the making, is more than
a tongue in the mouth, it’s all that holding
your tongue when one or both have said
too much: you always, you never, I can’t
stand it; you’ve heard yourself say it, and
worse, believed it, but love is an act, a play
on grace….

Try writing some love thoughts of your own on this, the day we all have an excuse to get romantic.