The Joys of Country Living

For years I have wanted to have Mike Stone [of Stone Haven] lay a new surface of flat stones on the patio where we sit and drink coffee every morning; the one I laid years ago left much to be desired. Earlier this fall Mike started the job and with his first load of stone that he brought across the lawn went into the septic tank. Not far, he was fine, and so was the tractor but it meant that as soon as he finished we would need to replace the tank. So for the last week a huge cement tank sat on the front lawn, waiting. Yesterday Francois came and installed it. Today, as soon as the ground melts, we will start the rehab of the lawn. Fun fact...did you know you need to feed a new septic tank? Francois advised us to flush a kilo of chopped pork liver to help build the bacteria in the tank, we did. Ah, the joys of country living.

3 levels of terrace, all the gorgeous work of Mike Stone [yes that really is his name] 2015

Finally, flat stone on the terrace, 2015

the tank, 2015

the tank about to be buried, 2015

From Notebooks to Pop-ups

Here is a short article I was asked to write for Book Arts Canada: with thanks to Frances Hunter for her encouragement and editing skills. This is the longest essay I have written since university days and quite the challenge. You can click on the photos to see  /read in a larger format.

Book Arts Canada, page 1, 2015

Book Arts Canada, page 2, 2015

Book Arts Canada, page 3, 2015

The Frozen Pond

Dawn was wondrous this morning; there had been a hard frost last night and the ground was covered with glitter. The pond was frozen over, the golden early morning light bouncing across the surface. Within a few hours the ice had started to melt.

the golden light of dawn on the pond, 2015

trees reflected in the ice, 2015

patterns of ice on the pond, 2015

the pond ice beginning to melt, 2015

the brilliance of day, at the ponds edge, 2015

Housecleaning

Housecleaning is definitely not one of my favourite jobs, I always want to move out once it's clean so that the house stays clean forever; that being said seeing these reflections when I cleaned the fridge made me happy.

Dust If You Must 

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,
To paint a picture or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed,
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
Music to hear and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come 'round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not always kind.
And when you go and go you must,
You, yourself, will make more dust.

by Rose Milligan, with thanks to Martin and Hanna for bring this poem to my attention.

Cleaning the fridge #1, 2015

Cleaning the fridge #2, 2015

Cleaning the fridge #3, 2015

Waiting

I'm still waiting for the first ice to appear on the pond: meanwhile I'm loving the frost on the dock and the fact that we are still outside each morning having breakfast, wearing our winter boots and coats and warming our hands with our coffee mugs.

Frost between the planks, 2015

A lone maple key on the dock, 2015

A maple leaf caught between the planks of the dock, 2015

A Sneak Preview of Rebelles / Rebelles, 2015

The hanging is done, the labels are up and the show Rebelles / Rebelles at Galerie Arts Plus opens today with the vernissage this Saturday, November 7, at 2 pm. With forty one artists and over 300 small sized works; it's a great chance to add to your collection or dare I say buy Christmas presents for everyone on your list. Artists participating are Diane Lavarière, Isabelle Chartrand, Jean-Pierre Rivet, Hélène La Haye, Guy Parent, Sanders Pinault, Micheline Proulx, France Lamontagne, Francine Denault, Myriam Bardoul, Jocelyn Guilbault, Liz Davidson, Brigite Normandin, Monique Genest, Anne-Marie Dupont, John F Marok, Marie Bonneau, Françoise Lamothe, Lucie Daigneault, Peter Raymond, Johane Durivage, Danièle De Blois, Catherine Panchaud, Francine Potvin, Nicole Larivée, Josée Barrette, Carole Lebel, Denise Lamy, Michael Newman, Hélène Plourde, Marie-Claude Paradis, Claire Bienvenue, Nycole Julien-Gémus, Akycha Surette, Susan Surette, Richard Surette, Louise-Andrée Roberge, Brigitte Dahan, Katherine Godbout, Daniela Zekina, Peter Boyadjieff, Lucie Hébert.

Some of the work in Rebelles / Rebelles at Galerie Art Plus, 2015

Can you spot me, Rebelles / Rebelle, at Galerie Art Plus, 2015

Late Fall Colors

Every morning I walk out to the pond wondering if this is the morning the first ice appears. It's been a warm fall and I am still waiting, and in that waiting there is the enjoyment of watching the pine needles, shaken off in last weeks wind, form their patterns on the waters surface. Bright gold when they first fall the color has dulled and become more subtle.

Pine needles forming their patterns against the water lily leaves, 2015

The colors becoming more subtle, 2015

at the pond, 2015

Patterns of pine needles, 2015