A Lovely Spring Day in the Country

Waking up this morning around the time of sunrise and feeling the cool air as I took my dog outside, I realized it was going to be a lovely spring day here in the countryside. I’m at my folks place for the weekend.

A Country Sunrise

I love coming to the countryside and for me it is like visiting paradise. I love taking the time to enjoy the freshness of the spring air which smells heavenly to me, so fragrant with the rich vegetation. Everything is lush and green here. Flowers have already appeared, and on my walk today just through the entrance leading into the front lawn, after trailing my fingers along the wind chimes to make them sing, I saw daffodils (yellow) and narcissus (white with yellow centre). 

Entrance to the Enchanted Front Lawn (can you see the windchimes?)

Throughout the first field where the house and driveway are, there are many places with periwinkle ground cover and they are flowering right now with delightful periwinkle blue flowers. My dog Charlie, and I, do two rounds of the front lawn to start off our walk and also to just see what has been going on there. The large crab-apple tree in the front lawn has begun blooming. It is not fully blooming yet, but the rest of it will open soon. The blossoms are pink and when the whole tree is in full bloom it is a gorgeous sight. Near it, the forsythia shrub has been flowering too, with its sunny, yellow blossoms.

Crab-apple tree starting to bloom, forsythia (yellow) has also been blooming

We went on across the grass to the shrub garden, walking past the old wooden door and windows that are waiting to be made into a green house. Past the red currant bushes that were gifted from our old family friend who used to work with my dad many years ago and who has since passed away. Past the black locust trees that form a trail where I once last year saw a coyote. And into another path through the trees, dappled with sunlight. As we walk by the entrance to the stream, my dog perks up his ears and head and stares across into the second field. What scents of animals he smells or sights he sees that I’m not able to perceive I am not sure, but we head off to continue our walk through the first field, circling around the perimeter and coming back along the driveway. Walking down the driveway on my right hand side I spotted a rabbit, frozen still with fright and good sense. Charlie hadn’t seen it yet but then the rabbit took off in its rabbity manner scurrying and bounding away. My dog was on a leash and was not able to give chase.

Periwinkle

My day continues to be a lovely country day filled with throwing sticks for my dog, looking at and trying to correctly identify all of my mother’s plants and flowers that are coming up again this year, thinking about what I’m going to plant in my own garden next weekend. In many ways this has been an idyllic country day. I feel inspired and replenished.

Why I Love Collecting Things on Walks to Make Wreaths, Garlands and Arrangements

I went out on a walk through the trees and fields, and I gathered things that I could use to make garlands and wreaths. Not the evergreen kind with coniferous branches that are so popular at Christmas time, but ones that have grasses, and vines, and I was hoping also for wildflowers, and that celebrate the Spring season. 

By making wreaths and garlands to decorate our homes, I feel that I am not only celebrating Spring but also celebrating and rejoicing in life itself and the natural world that is too often kept apart and just outside our doors. But we can bring it inside and by placing a garland on a wall, a wreath on a door, we invite the magic and splendour of the natural world, of Mother Nature, to join us in our homes and to dance with us in what I like to think of as a whimsical festivity of the spirit and soul.

An act that is so often considered more just a rather casual and fun craft, such as collecting plants, vines, acorns, grasses, flowers etc. for making wreaths and garlands, can actually be seen as a magical age old ritual of becoming one with nature. Living in close proximity to these whimsical works of nature art is good for the soul.

Dried grasses, pinecones, and black locust seed pods

Dry grasses and black locust seed pods

Although I haven’t collected wildflowers today, I was able to find dry long grasses from the land near the stream, pinecones, and the seed pods of the black locust trees.  I set my sights on making a small wreath but as I twisted and wove the long grasses, I found they were just too dry and they broke very easily. I wasn’t able to make the wreath.

But I decided to use a plant pot that was handmade pottery that had belonged to my grandmother, and that had earthy brown tones, and I put together a rather natural looking simple arrangement using the dried grasses, pinecones, and a few black locust tree seed pods. It is looking more like the fall season than the spring season but no matter.

Arrangement with pinecones, dry grasses, and black locust seed pods, collected on my walk that day.

Closer look at the arrangement of dry grasses, pinecones, and black locust seed pods, collected on my walk that day.

As I worked, it felt good to use my hands to choose and arrange the natural materials. And when I was done, I felt a little astonished and very pleased that I had an arrangement that I was happy with and that achieved my wish to invite the magic of Mother Nature to join us in our homes.

I’m reveling in the moment of this early Spring day, which here at least, has temperatures that feel more like summer. Once the wildflowers appear this year and the new green grass grows, I will be able to use that with the vines I cut, to make the wreath that I am looking forward to. For now I have enjoyed making the pinecones and grasses arrangement, and feel gratitude that the winter days are behind us and the warmer days are here. Life is good.

A Snowy Spring Walk

Once again, Spring has arrived in my little corner of the world, even though in the countryside at my folks’ place, where I’m visiting this weekend, there is still snow on the ground. I love Spring! It’s a magical time of year, although so are all of the seasons in their own way. But there is something about the feeling of renewal and transformation of Spring, that speaks to me in my inner core essence.

Outside there is one lone crocus peaking up through the earth, and there is a fresh smell in the air that seems to be calling to my soul and encouraging me to wake up from my time of slumber and winter hibernation. “Get ready to LIVE!” it seems to be saying.

Early Spring crocus.

On my way driving here to my folk’s place in the morning, four wild turkeys had slowly crossed the road in front of my car. And this afternoon while out walking, in the snow I saw wild turkey footprints as well as deer hoof prints. We even saw a nest in a tree that looked different than a bird’s nest and then realized that there was something inside, likely a squirrel, but we didn’t go close enough to see for sure as we didn’t want to disturb it.

Wild turkey tracks.

The beauty of the trees here always amazes me, even though it has been more than thirty-five years since my parents moved us here when I was a child and I suppose some may say that’s time enough to get used to it. But it never fails to astonish me just how beautiful and awe-inspiring it is to be in scenery like this. There is an immediate connection to my soul and each time I walk amongst the trees: cedar, tamarack, pine, spruce, black locust, walnut, maple, sumacs, and more, afterwards I feel my well spring of energy is replenished.

Trees in Spring

During our walk we went by the pile of moss covered cut logs. The thick green moss covering them looks so magical to me and I felt that I was in an enchanted place. Some of the mundane objects that could be considered by many to be everyday sights have what I consider a special ethereal quality that to me provides them with the ability to transform a place that I am in to that of a fantastical magical place. I almost expected a fairy of old to pop out from behind one of the moss covered logs laughingly commenting on my stopping during our walk to admire the thickly carpeted green logs.

Moss covered logs.

I remember when I was a kid and then a teenager, going to the rock piles in the forest further back on our property. I knew the large circular piles of rocks had been gathered from the fields by farmers in the old days, and placed there to be out of their way. But I have always felt that the rocks have a mystical magical quality, which has been either imbued in them over the years or just something they have earned with all that they have seen as the seasons have gone by, and that they stand testament to. They remember. And it gives the rock piles a mystical quality of enchanted place.

Naturally, it is easy to feel connected with nature and for me to recharge my well spring of energy here when I go on walks. And I am very much rooted in a sense of this place. However, when I leave here and return to my own home, the feeling of peace, and connectedness is still there for me. The walks here and being in nature are good for my soul but also remind me of what it feels like to be alive and connected, not only to our mother Earth, but also connected to my own inner core essence. I work to maintain my mindfulness practices even when I am not in the countryside, and I pause sometimes to remind myself that the ability to replenish my energy, connect with nature, and myself, are not dependent on being in one type of place only but are mine to enjoy regardless of where I am physically located.

Soon the snow will be completely gone from the ground here, and the spring flowers will grow. Spring is fully here by the calendar but outside it is just arriving. In another week or two it will be much warmer and easier to walk around the fields and trees with the snow gone. I have happy thoughts of planning to come here and gather vines, grasses, wildflowers to shape into wreaths and garlands. But for now that will need to wait a little longer.

Spring Renewal and Transformation – Taking Care of our Goddess Selves

Spring is a time of renewal and rejuvenation for all of earth. Not only the trees, plants and nature, but us as well. We feel the miracle of spiritual transformation even if we do nothing, the simple fact that it is spring gives our souls nourishment and renews us. We can help the process along by taking some simple actions.

1)      Begin our spiritual mindfulness practice again if we let it slide over the winter months. No guilt and no admonishing ourselves, just begin.  A spiritual mindfulness practice can be different for each person. Find what works for you. You may wish to include journaling, meditation such as sitting in silence, or using a candle light to focus on, chanting a word, or perhaps you prefer guided meditations. If you are in an organized religion and have a prayer book you may wish to use that, or if not then do reading / studying of a book on spirituality (of whatever approach speaks to you!) or on mindfulness or meditation. Meditations in motion such as yoga or tai chi etc. is part of a spiritual mindfulness practice as well.

 2)      Increase the amount of whole healthy foods we eat, whether we are simply eating more fresh raw vegetables or using our juicers or making delicious nourishing recipes.

 3)      Nourish our spiritual goddess within by enjoying ourselves and having fun. Whatever you find feeds that energy within you, find something and do it. Going for a walk in nature and simply looking at the renewal around you, smelling the fresh air, dancing, writing, art, using aromatherapy, going for a spa session….anything that works for you. Take exquisite care of yourself and practice the act and art of self-love and self-care. It can be as simple as curling up with a good book and a cup of your favourite tea, or some flower petals and bath salts and a soak in the tub.  The importance is in nourishing your spiritual goddess energy within, so that it grows stronger and you feel more YOU!

 Spring Affirmation

I feel that I am rooted in the Earth and growing.

There are buds on my branches that are new beginnings.

I know that I am connected to the Earth.

I am a part of the trees, water and soil.

Ancient and elemental, I am also new and young.

Breathing in, I know it is a new beginning.

An August Walk in Rural Ontario

It is August and I am savouring every moment of the late summer. On our walk this morning my dog and I were again inspecting the apple tree with apples that are too high up for me to reach. Many years ago my mum had planted the apple seed that grew into the tree.  

A rabbit ran past as we crossed the long country driveway and my dog, Charlie, was instantly engaged and on high alert. He was on a leash so could not give chase. As we continued our walk we did see the rabbit again, and this time it ran under the trees but I kept Charlie away.

We chatted to my mum who was in the front of the house just off the verandah, watering her plants. We chatted to my dad as he came around the corner of the house on his way to the tractor. The early morning sun was beaming through the trees on the front field. How beautiful this time of year is.

Charlie wanted to go with my dad so we followed him down through the grapevine covered arbour, and through the shrub garden with the lilac, honeysuckle, and red currant shrubs, then through the path that crosses the black locust trail until we came out into the wide opening on the other side. There was the tractor, my dad’s beloved old orange Kubota tractor that they got in 1987.  After a lifetime of hard work, and some repairs, it is still going strong. Well normally. Yesterday it had stalled in the field, this morning it got going, no problem much to our relief. As he had swung himself up on to the seat my dad had been beaming, and I remembered how much he loves just sitting on his tractor cutting grass, enjoying the simple chore.

Continuing on our walk, Charlie and I kept coming across single black feathers scattered here and there throughout the property.  I wasn’t sure if they were from the wild turkeys that were living previously in the shrub garden but were nowhere to be seen today, or if they were from the Canada Geese that had been scared by my dog the other day. 

I saw that the magnificent goldenseal are flowering and realized we are approaching the end of summer. Goldenseal have such beautiful golden yellow flowers. I have always enjoyed them. I have them in my backyard too, but I love seeing them, here in the countryside where they grow wild and I can admire them in all their splendour.

At one point the horse flies (triangular looking flies that bite) were very bad, and bothering my dog quite a bit. They seem to go for his ears. I kept brushing them off him. We retreated from the flies and the heat and humidity over to the cool of the trees.

As we walked toward the driveway and the front of the property, a small white car went by on the road. I heard the music from the radio as it drove by. And I thought that it was a lovely day for a drive in the countryside.  We made our way back to the house and Charlie and I went in so he could get a drink of water. He settled down to have a rest. And I put the water on for another cup of tea.

Scheduling Time for Creative Activities

My number one tip for carving out time for creative activities, is to schedule it in and stick to your routine. If you just have a vague idea that at some point you will get something done, it probably won't get done anytime soon. By making an appointment with yourself, and writing it down in your calendar, appointment book, or entering it into your phone or scheduling system, you are more likely to stick to it and actually accomplish it. This works! Especially for those of us who juggle many demands on our time and competing priorities. 

If you need to do something over a few sessions or on an ongoing basis, try to schedule multiple sessions at the start, or to set it up in your system as a recurring appointment. If you just do the creative activity once, then you may not go back to finish it. However if you schedule it in for the first of the month every month, or every weekday at 7:00am for 3 weeks, for example, then you are more likely to accomplish the task.

By having regular appointments at the same time every day or week, you can accomplish a task such as creating content, writing a book, creating an online course, painting, crafts, photography, or other.

Even just waking up one hour early and writing for an hour each weekday, will reap results in the longer term. Six months from now that will be120 hours that you will have spent working on your project. By doing it at the same time every day, you are establishing a routine that makes it become a habit, and much easier to stick with.

Take action:  What are some times in your schedule where you can fit in an appointment to spend some time on one or more of the creative activities that are important to you and that make you feel more balanced and connected? The length of time and the way that you choose to spend it are up to you. Schedule it in now in your calendar or phone or whatever system you use for planning your time. For example: on June 25 in the morning I'm going to go on a hike in the countryside with my family. Or once a week on Friday nights at 8:00pm, I will have a bubble bath with aromatic oils and then write in my journal for 20 minutes. Schedule and establish your routine of creative activities, and you will enjoy the benefits!

You may also like: 7 Tips on How to Have a Beginner’s Mindset.

Starting a Morning Routine

Having a morning routine has been a life saver for me at times throughout the years and is always a reliable way to ensure that I am starting the day off “right”. My version of right, that is.  Each person can tailor their morning routines to what works the best for them and depending on how much time they want to spend on it. A morning routine is the pattern of things that you do when you wake up in the morning, and it includes your tasks, habits, rituals etc. which can set you up to start the day off the way that you like to.  It can leave you feeling balanced and grounded, and morning routines have also been known to increase productivity, and reduce stress even later on, during the workday.

Meditation, prayer, a gratitude list, affirmations, visualization, journaling, a daily planner page/schedule, these are all good options for choosing what to incorporate in one’s morning routine. There can be other activities, habits, or rituals that you feel will work best for you. What is working for someone else, may not be the right fit for you, so you can try out different options and combinations of the activities and habits and find a “routine” or pattern and order that suit you and your lifestyle, goals, and needs.

As I love to spend time outdoors in nature, and walking with my dog, who of course also loves and needs the exercise, I incorporate a walk with my dog into my morning routine. Affirmations, mindset work, and meditation are also part of my routine. And before I plan out my day time schedule, I take a moment to write down at least three things that I am grateful for. On weekends or a day when I have time for a longer morning routine, I also incorporate some journaling. I remain flexible and do what works best for me, and don’t admonish myself if I don’t adhere to all aspects of what I had planned.

Here are two sample morning routines, for you to use as examples only. You will need to try out different habits, rituals and activities and combinations of them, and play around with the timing to find the pattern that suits you and your chosen lifestyle the best.

Morning Routine Sample 1:

Meditation, Affirmations, Gratitude journaling: total time approx. 20 – 30 minutes or whatever suits you.

Walk outdoors or workout.

Morning Routine Sample 2:

Gratitude listing (list 3 – 5 things that you are grateful for), visualization mindset work (visualize yourself achieving your goals), meditation or prayer: total time approx. 15 – 20 minutes or whatever suits you.

Plan out your schedule for your day while enjoying your morning tea/coffee/hot water with lemon/smoothie or whatever your favourite morning drink is.

You may be able to find an extra 20 minutes in the morning which you can spend on your new morning routine or perhaps you choose to wake up an hour early and go to sleep earlier the night before, in order to spend time on a longer routine. I hesitated to list the samples because it is ultimately up to you to find what works best for you, what is do-able and will meet your needs. It is better to do even just a few minutes of a morning routine than to have such a long one planned that you aren’t able to do it and  you end up skipping it all the time. You could also start off just incorporating one new habit or activity into your morning at a time in order to get used to doing it regularly. Then perhaps a week or two later add in the second habit or activity etc. Or if you are the type of person who prefers to just start doing the full morning routine that you have planned out, and that is how you are motivated, that works well for some people too.

If incorporated regularly as part of your day, a morning routine can benefit you by helping you feel more balanced and grounded as you go about your day. This also benefits our loved ones as we are able to be more fully present when we are with them. It can also reduce the stress that may crop up later in our work days. Morning routines give you some time for yourself, and will help you re-connect with your inner essence. The most important aspect is that it shouldn’t be another chore but is something to be truly enjoyed and is for you to savour the bliss of the moment.

And if you have never written or used affirmations in your daily practice before, and would like to find out more, you may also like: Give Affirmations a Chance

Colour Meditation

When it comes to meditating using colours, there are a few approaches that come to mind. One is to look into yourself, for example, into your heart, and see what colour is in your emotions there right now and to meditate on that. Another approach could be to choose a colour and meditate on that colour, visualizing it and objects that are that colour as you meditate. Some people study the association between chakras and colour, and some attribute certain qualities and properties to each specific colour.

As you know, your choice of colour to meditate with, will impact your mood and emotions. Using colour in your meditation practice also can provide a new focus and refresh your practice in different ways.

Here is a very simple colour based meditation that could be a starting point for further explorations.

Breathing slowly with deep slow breaths that begin and end in the stomach, say the following words to yourself in your heart.

Breathing in, I am calm

Breathing out, I am grounded

Breathing in, I am present,

Breathing out, I am at peace.

Focusing on your heart,

Feel your emotions that are there.

Now visualize the colour of them in this moment

See the colour of the emotions in your heart and how you feel right now

Continuing the deep slow breaths, enjoy the beauty of the colour as it reflects your moment

What does this colour symbolize to you?

Is the colour changing or is it staying the same?

How do you feel right now?

Watch the colour of the emotions in your heart as though you are viewing a beautiful object.

If your emotions are changing as you sit with your feelings, the colour may be changing.

If you desire to be more relaxed and calm, the colour may change somewhat but be accepting of any colour.

Enjoy the beauty of it, the nuances and subtleties of it.

Sit with your deep, slow breathing and enjoy the visualization of the colour, allowing it to envelope all of you throughout your body, until you feel ready to open your eyes.

If you feel moved to do so, you may want to make a visual representation of the colour or imagery that you saw, using paints, markers, pencil crayons, or whatever art medium you choose. You can also choose collaging and cut and paste images from magazines of objects or scenes that are that colour.

And you may also like my blogpost on: Four Ways to Strengthen Your Intuition

Art as a Healing Tool: The Health Benefits of Creativity and Mindfulness

Back when I was a university student studying art and art history while holding down multiple jobs and volunteering, I was pleased to find that my creative activities helped me to de-stress. My roommates were surprised that even during exam time, they could find me in the evenings sometimes sitting and working on knitting a cushion cover! Or cooking my dinners from scratch, which is a creative activity for me that not only helped me save money and prevented me from gaining the famous freshman fifteen, but helped to relax me. Knitting, drawing, painting, doodling, photography and even my performance art, video art, art installations, and acting classes and writing, were all creative outlets that supported me in my mental health and well-being.

Knitting

Decades later as a middle age woman with a full time career and also my own blog and business, I creativity and mindfulness activities are still my favourite way to destress. My activities have grown to include gardening, walking in nature and forest bathing, baking, writing poetry, and writing guided meditations, as well as journaling and listening to music while doing crafts. Watching a movie or show can be fun but for me is not a way to relax and bring myself back to a balance. When I want to replenish my wellspring of energy and reset my balance, I choose from the creative and mindful activities.

There are many articles and books written about the health benefits of creativity and mindfulness and people have been becoming more aware of this. Creative and mindful activities including art and meditation but also many other activities, can help with your mental and physical help, pain management, stress related health issues, etc. If done with other people, they can also be ways to reduce loneliness and connect with others which is in itself something that can support better physical and mental health. By keeping us mentally alert and helping with stress, creativity and mindfulness activities can be good for people of any age looking to start learning a new skill. These activities can stimulate many different parts of the brain and positively affect your cognitive function. It’s never too late to take a pottery class, or learn to crochet or take a painting in watercolours class outdoors in nature.

Art is a healing tool.

Taking action is an important part of making a change or starting something new in your life, and whether you are more interested in enjoying creative pursuits through art appreciation or in creating something yourself, it is good to make a choice of how you will start and take the next step in your journey of creativity and mindfulness. Decide what your start and next step will be, when you will do them. Schedule them in and watch them be achieved. Even if you are just calendaring in a 20 minute music appreciation session every evening when you will listen to music, or you decide to write in your journal every morning for 15 minutes, or perhaps it’s a weekend activity for you, by scheduling it in and routinely keeping to it, you will be able to begin to enjoy the health benefits of creativity and mindfulness.

Forest Bathing

Also read my blogpost on gardening as an act of creativity and mindfulness: Gardening is Creativity and Mindfulness.

These Dog Days of Summer

Up here in the northern hemisphere we are in the dog days of summer. Although we may envision dogs lying about lazing in the sun, the phrase dog days of summer refers to the days of July and August when the star Sirius rises alongside the Sun. Sirius is part of the Canis Major constellation which means the Greater Dog. With the star Sirius being so bright, the ancient Romans believed that it gave off additional heat and the days from early July until mid-August became known as the dog days of summer.

On a walk yesterday morning on my folks’ property, my dog and I enjoyed inspecting an apple tree which now has medium size green apples on it. They were too high up for me to reach but I took a photo and continued on. We made our way through the grapevine covered old arbour. There were mosquitoes and horseflies flying around us and landing on my dog’s ears and head and so I was continuously brushing them off of him.

Apple Tree

Grapevine Covered Arbour

As we approached the shrub garden, I vaguely wondered if there would be coyotes there. Just then I saw movement, but instead of a coyote it was a wild turkey family. My dog gave a low bark. One of the adult turkeys flew up a short distance into the lower branches of a tree and the other turkeys including the small ones, rushed off into the trees. It was beautiful to come across them on our morning walk.

Seeing red berries on the honeysuckle shrub, I recalled the lovely red currents that I had enjoyed earlier this summer and which were from the same shrub garden. I wasn’t sure if the honeysuckle berries were poisonous or not but I’d never heard of anyone eating them so I didn’t dare try.

Honeysuckle with Berries

We ambled over to where my father was cutting grass just off the driveway and had a chat and then continued on to one of the trails that we love. It runs near the front of the property and then down along one side. However that day, there were many spider’s webs across the path with spiders in them, and I ended up brushing the sticky webs off of myself despite ducking and dodging as many spider webs as I could as we walked. After we emerged from the trail out of the trees, I felt that the heat and humidity were starting to get to my dog, so we returned into my folks’ house where he could drink the cool well water.

A Walk with my Dog

I love these summer days and walking with my dog, usually early in the morning or in the evenings to avoid the worst of the heat. I love the roses that bloom in my own garden and going outside to my backyard to pick the lemon balm and spearmint that grow there and which I love to eat with my morning fruit. My nieces visited me last week and I was able to show my younger niece how if you rub the lemon balm leaves with your fingers it smells like lemon, and the spearmint leaves smell like mint. Passing on any information about gardening and plants to younger generations, and in turn learning myself from the older generation and more experienced gardeners, makes me feel good and reminds me that I have roots that run deep and strengthens my sense of interconnection. 

I feel that as I get older time speeds up too much and the seasons pass very quickly.  Knowing that all too soon the weather will turn cooler and fall is fast approaching with winter hard on its heels, means that I am savouring every moment that I can of these lovely dog days of summer.