On a quick run to the village today, I saw two separate groups of deer – perhaps two dozen in all. This time of year, they are seen frequently, foraging in the open as the weather improves & the supply of food in the woodland is exhausted from winter feeding.

I still get a little thrill each time I see these graceful creatures. We sometimes spot them in the open field across the road from the house, or in the hay field out beyond the back of our property. They don’t come near our house too much – I think the scent & sound of the dogs keeps them away. So I don’t have to worry about losing my garden to these ruminants.

Others aren’t so lucky. Read the rest of this entry »

In the cities of the northern hemisphere, early April’s milder weather often brings an end to wearing boots – especially for adults who won’t be playing in the mud.

I remember that I couldn’t wait to get out of winter footwear & place my daintily shod feet in new spring shoes directly on dry pavement. Or wet pavement, for that matter. It hardly made a difference unless there was snow – and it was actually accumulating. Oh, I suppose there might be a few who still actually wear town bootswith the stiletto heel & fine leather uppers.

Spring footwear in the country, though, is a different game altogether. Read the rest of this entry »

For the rest of my week, see my blog at the Grace in Small Things site.

1. MozBackup recognized all my files somewhere on my hard drive & restored all of my e-mail user detail & history.

2. Our friend, Jim, who knew about MozBackup.

3. Mud puddles to splash in.

4. The remaining half (no longer remaining) of the Swiss Chalet family pack from Friday night.

5. Sunshine all day even though rain was predicted!

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in Grace in Small Things .

Technorati Tags: Swiss Chalet, MozBackup, Grace in Small Things

Last night we were storm-stayed again–for the third time this month. Isn’t that a charming term? We’re made to stay inside by the storm.

In actual fact, all the doors are snowed in at least knee high and the path to the car is drifted to my chest. (If, indeed, the car is out there – we can’t see any sign of it anymore.) So storm-stayed we are.

All of our friends in urban, commerce-driven Read the rest of this entry »

Having read Joseph Boyden’s amazing Three Day Road, I was more than eager to read his second novel Through Black Spruce

Three Day Road was set during The Great War, a time period I particularly enjoy reading about. And, of course, the ending left every reader wondering what had become of Xavier Bird.

I was disappointed when I opened Through Black Spruce, as it is set in the present day and so seemed completely unrelated to Xavier. Nonetheless, Boyden pulled me in with his skillful prose that paints pictures in just a sentence. The first chapter ends Read the rest of this entry »

1. Gulp! The chance to give thanks EVERY day for the next year.

2. New rainboots – purple with white flowers!!

3. Being able to squish through the mud in the dooryard without worrying about my boots.

4. A friend’s gift of Bailey’s coffee flavoured liqueur.

5. Strong & spicy chai latte at the Mercantile.

Technorati Tags: Sunrise Mercantile, rainboots, Baileys, grace in small things

*Part of the GiST project http://graceinsmallthings.ning.com

Yesterday I left you with the cliffhanger of where we go for our coffee fix, as Canadians with no Tim Hortons coffee shop anywhere nearby.

If we’re on the go, the Needs convenience store has carafes of several kinds of coffee on tap all day. We’ve adopted the local favourite of half coffee and half cappuccino as our usual cold weather drink.

If the situation calls for some sit-down time, Read the rest of this entry »

We moved to the country from a large Canadian city, which statement to any Canadian means we had ample opportunity to get coffee and doughnuts from Tim Hortons*.
So common are these shops, that I’ve even heard a large double-double & a dutchie from Tim’s called the Order of Canada. (In actuality, it’s a large coffee with double cream & double sugar, along with a large doughnut (without the hole) with raisins.)

That the city we moved from was Hamilton, Ontario is a double whammy. Every Hamiltonian knows Read the rest of this entry »

I read Success magazine every month at the suggestion of my business mentor. The articles are short & punchy; in fact, several features are only a paragraph or two. That makes it a lot easier for today’s busy professional to grab useful tidbits from its pages.

The regular “1 ON 1” column in the April 2009 issue asks the question: “What are some everyday ways I can give back more to the people in my life who matter most–family & friends?”

Denis Waitley, sought-after speaker and best selling author (including Seeds of Greatness) suggests this:
“Take the time to send handwritten notes to those you care about. Text messages, voice mails and e-mails are convenient, but expedient. Be different. Send a card or note by regular mail.”

I couldn’t agree more! The novelty has long worn off e-cards. Hand-written cards, Read the rest of this entry »