Monday Moanings - June 10, 2019

A Saturday road trip down through Niagara wine country for a much-anticipated celebration of all things family - Mother's Day (late), son and daughter-in-law's wedding anniversary (recent), and Father's Day (early) - was blessed by bright sunshine and perfect temperatures for strolling. We enjoyed our time together in Jordan Village. Getting there and home again? Not so much.

In my memory bank, this drive was always a delight with glimpses of Lake Ontario, forests and farmland, before the stacks of the steel factory in Hamilton announced the entrance to Niagara region where the best apples, peaches, pears, and plums grew, where now grapes have joined the bounty on offer and wineries flourish. But now the route is hemmed in by condo's, business parks, mega-malls, and the roadway is clogged with traffic. True, there is the express toll road that one can use to avoid much of the congestion. It is fast and efficient but mind-numbingly boring. This drive is just not fun anymore!

Image by Jarosław Igras from Pixabay

It's enough to make me want to stay home - almost. It is enough to make me want to find alternate routes, to explore roads less traveled at a more leisurely pace, a way that allows for glimpses of grand landscapes along routes that offer passage through small villages and towns dotted with roadside markets. I want the travel to a destination to be half the fun. Something akin to a dodgems gauntlet is not it!

Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

All of which has me pining for a paper roadmap, the ones that gas stations always had for sale behind the counter and reeked of gasoline and oil. The ones that could always be found in the car glove compartment underneath the flashlight (aka receptacle for dead batteries), the first aid kit and the tissue box. The ones that required serious effort to refold properly. These maps were direction finders, adventure guides and marvelous visual textbooks of geography. My smartphone or tablet just doesn't cut it. Not even the widescreen of my laptop can unfold the wonder of those paper roadmaps.
I found this one (1996?) stuffed in a side pocket of the driver door of our car. For $2.95 the whole of Ontario could be at my fingertips.

Then there is this Cadillac version which laid out the roads in grand detail for $19.95. Also stuck in the side door pocket.

Fewer trucks, fewer cars. The open road and the possibility of a surprise around every corner!
Those were the days.



©2019 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - June 6, 2019

image: Canada Remembers - Facebook

The Act of Remembrance

They shall grow not old, 

as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, 

nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun 

and in the morning 

We will remember them.

image: GG Julie Payette - Facebook

The Commitment to Remember

They were young, as we are young,

They served, giving freely of themselves.

To them, we pledge, amid the winds of time,

To carry their torch and never forget.

We will remember them.

Monday Moanings - June 3, 2019

Groan...

What to write when a body is aching, protesting not just every movement but every thought? I want to go back to bed, but even that seems to require too great an effort. I've already got a triple shot Americano in my mug.


To what do I owe this lackluster Monday moaning? In a word, sunshine. Yes, that's right, sunshine. The weekend was full of it, albeit a little muted on Saturday but brilliant on Sunday. All the huge outdoor work that had been left undone due to rain, cold and overcast weekends screamed for attention and we were happy to give it.








 The man and I decided to clear out the deadfall in the forested part of our land.

Logs were cut (his job), hauled 200m to the woodpile (my job), split for firewood (mostly my job), and stacked (his job). Phew! Is it any wonder that I'm a little slow this morning? On the other hand, it did feel good to spend the days outside rather than hunkered down inside. It felt good to be in the presence of the pings, chirps, and buzz of nature well out of the range of electronics.

The land outside my door is awakening to this late Spring with gusto!
Blossoms galore!
     Apple...

     Choke Cherry...

     Wild Strawberry...

Birds galore!

     Baltimore Orioles...

     Hummingbirds...

     Goldfinches and Pine Siskins

     Indigo Buntings...

     And Lord and Lady Cardinal enjoying a wee smooch....

A little moaning seems a small price to pay for all things bright and beautiful in the sunshine.

©2019 April Hoeller

Monday Moanings - May 13, 2019

Here I sit, legs tucked up inside my wagon, reluctant to kick off into a new week. I'm going to need a push, maybe more like a boot up the backside. It's as dreary an internal landscape as it is outside my door today.

I'm tucked into an old heavy cardigan as I write this, a mug of steaming chai within easy reach. And I confess that wore my winter jacket earlier this morning when I went into town. I'm thinking it's a good day for a curry - something fragrant with the promise of warmth and exotic flavours so very unlike the damp gloominess of the day.

Spring - where are you? A year ago, at this time, it was short-sleeves, hats and sunscreen weather. A year ago, I went fishing on Mother's Day. I got a whole mess of rainbow trout with a little help from my fishing buddies and the fact that it was a trout farm. Not only that but Spring was busting out all over and pollen was in free-flow.

But fear not my friends, a sure sign Spring in the land rolled onto our street this past Friday morning and right up our driveway. Yes indeed, the annual truckload of next winter's firewood arrived, all 5+ tons of it. With air brakes sighing, the familiar white truck rolled in from the highway, right on time.

John, from John's Firewood, has the routine down pat. In one fluid movement, he backs his rig in from the road, lines it up with the woodshed, then tips the bucket. With a ground-shaking rumble three bush cords of split hardwood tumble out. He pulls the rig forward, gives the bucket a good thump or three to shake any last bits out and pulls back onto the driveway.

Job Done in under three minutes!

And there's more good news! The birds are emptying the feeders at a great clip and they have been joined by the hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles.

So if I ignore the weather, Spring is coming along in just about everything else. That's a good thought for this Monday Moaning. It might even be enough to push me into this week with a smile and a renewed hope for sunshine.

Cheers!

©2019 April Hoeller

Monday Moanings - May 6, 2019

Sunshine and warmth on the same day- TWO days in a row!
The Baltimore Orioles are back!

The snow tires are off and stored.

The BBQ has been fired up ...

and performed beautifully.

There is no possible lament on this day, at least not one from this hand. Too many days I have allowed the news of the day to rob me of joy. I have no illusions that the litany of complaints, warnings, and outrage will stop any time soon. But I celebrate the gift of warmth and sunshine both yesterday and today with great joy and blessed relief.

Splendid weather, that profound lifter of hearts and spirits, is full of grace, an unmerited yet highly desired gift - for an hour, a day or even two days.

Deo gratias!

©2019 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - Thursday, May 2, 2019

... according to the calendar, but the weather gods seem to have had different months in mind lately. March-like ups and downs buffeted by winds typical of November bringing snow, freezing rain, sleet, and heavy rains have dampened spirits and caused massive flooding. Fortunately, my part of Ontario has been spared while points to the north, east and south have not been so lucky.

The prophets of weather now point to the good stuff coming in mid-May. They said the same thing about March and April too. Eventually, they will be right and I will dance with the sheep, chickens, cows, pigs, and ducks of May.




But all is not grim and dreary in my world. I am just back from my annual five-day writing retreat along the shores of Rice Lake.

I had three simple goals for my time away:

     Rest

          Re-set

               Write

And I scored the hat trick - I accomplished all three! In spite of the weather, (which wasn't all bad as one can see in two of the photos), or because of it, I got the job done. I wrote a few new segments and re-worked six chapters. 

I was in the company of an inspiring group of writers. Our collective creative energies powering us all through the twists and turns of our stories. We were well fed and 'watered'

But most of all I was nurtured, cajoled, and even spurred when needed to get on with the writing. I am indebted to Ruth E. Walker and Gwynn Scheltema-Anderson for offering such consistently great leadership. Namaste...

©2019 April Hoeller

Monday Moanings - April 22, 2019

It's Earth Day!

This morning I was drawn into the enchanting music of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" Is there any more appropriate music for Earth Day? I don't think so. Bubbling joy, insistent hope, and awesome wonder seem to dance together.

Is there any more appropriate music for Spring in southern Ontario struggling to assert itself? Don't think so either. Tentative delight, sour setbacks and heartfelt desire move forward in a steadfast march, Spring chanting, "I think I can, I think I can..."

The old Shaker hymn that is integral to Copland's tone poem reminds me:










'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.


When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

 Joseph Brackett (1797 - 1882)













"Protect Our Species" is the slogan of Earth Day this year. At first glance, it seems that there is nothing simple about this task at all. It feels overwhelming!

Galapagos Tortoise

Sure, I can sign petitions, re-post to Facebook and retweet on Twitter all the calls to action; I can donate support to local and national initiatives. But perhaps the first best thing I can do, the best personal action I can take and the simplest is to make environmentally responsible choices at home today and every day.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - as challenging as it is to reduce household single-use plastics; as tedious as it is to sort through my discards, castoffs and refuse; as inconvenient as it is to find and then get to reputable recyclers of electronics, metal, window glass, Styrofoam packing blocks and other obscure trash; as frustrating as it is to understand the curbside recycling rules and schedule - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

There is more of course to protecting species at risk here at home. I endeavour to make my garden bee-friendly and I let the dandelions bloom - they are such a joyful yellow!

So much to do; so little time...

                    ...many hands make light work.

©2019 April Hoeller