Adventure

'Life is an Adventure, or it's Nothing.' Helen Keller said that. That's always been my motto too. I'm ALWAYS up for Adventure. So when Mazda asked if I'd drive down to New Jersey to pick up a car, I jumped at the opportunity. Ten uninterrupted hours of driving, getting to listen to my book - wonderful! I just love getting to drive for Mazda - it's the only way I'll ever get to drive a brand new car. Zoom zoom.

Now, living with the sense of Adventure, as I do - always ready, willing and able to do anything & everything, I figured that I had learned some stuff. Like 'TRAVEL LIGHT'. We really don't need half the stuff that we drag along with us on any given trip. We need far less than we think we do. Getting away from all the accumulated 'stuff' that surrounds us leaves room to allow the new & fresh into our space & time.

So, off I went yesterday, with particularly little, figuring that I'd just be driving all day & turning around & driving right back. As it turns out, the vehicle that I'm bringing back isn't ready - not even sure at this point when it will be. I hadn't factored that possibility into the equation.

So ... revised 'Life Lesson' about travelling light. Perhaps not quite THAT light. I have no book to read, to put in time & the batteries for my audio book are just about dead. I have no 'work' to do - like needle felting or the zillion other things that I could be/should be doing. And I have no decent shoes, so I can't even go for a walk. Since I figured that I wouldn't really be getting out of the car much, I only wore those goofy flip flop things. Here I am - ten miles out of New York City, perhaps with a day that I really could go on an awesome adventure & I have no decent shoes.

But then again, I do have my credit card & they do sell shoes - so there is my theory of having the opportunity with adventure of allowing 'fresh & new things' into your life. I just might get to go Shoe Shopping today:)
They do sell books too. And as far as 'work' goes - give my head a shake - that would just be downright silly. I am having an Adventure.

Missed the Mark

Premature. That's the only way that I can explain it. Maybe it was the full moon that caused Katie to go into labour a whole twelve hours early. At any rate, he missed the mark. If he would have had the good grace to wait just a little while longer, he would have been born on my birthday - which is the expectation in keeping with our Special Day Arrival record. He wouldn't have been the first donkey to arrive on my birth date. I guess he just didn't want to share his day with another Jackass. Or as it were, two.

He arrived in all his fuzzy glory on Sunday, August 2nd ... the second birth that I've missed this year while I was in Newfoundland. He's darling & sweet & tiny - and unusually furry for a mid-summer baby.

I think I'm going to have to call him 'Mister Mark' - because he did.

Pete, Cole & Mark ... my Three Donkey-sons.

Rock Therapy

When people ask Brian what he does at our place in Newfoundland, his answer is: "There's nothing to do, and you won't get it done." Indeed, the day seems to fill itself without pre-planning. It 'unfolds'. Often, as the gals who come out during 'Summer Chick Time' will attest, a 'quick trip' to town will become a full day's journey which takes us to unexpected places & lasts well into the night. At all times, we are prepared and open to adventure & possibility - keeping a variety of footwear and clothing in our 'mobile closet' (my van).

My first companions were my sister, her friend and my aunt. We were delighted to see lots & lots of icebergs still around which stayed until July 28th. The 'Fun, Fish, Folk Festival' was on, so we attended a multitude of parties & concerts - usually having to hit three or more events on a single day. We started each morning with coffee on the porch of Oz, and enjoyed some wonderful'sharing circles' in a candle lit Oz. It was quite rare for us to be in bed before 2 am. We partied, we fished, we sang, we 'mummered'. At 92 years old, my amazing & incredible aunt caught her first cod fish & got 'screeched-in', becoming an honourary Newfie.

I too caught my first cod. I generally leave the fishing to everyone else, under the guise of allowing my visitors to have the experience because I'm there more often. The truth is more in the fact that, although I loves to eat them, I'm not a fan of taking their little lives. I'm the monitor in the boat who says: "That one is SO little - he should go back so he can grow up." or "That one is SO big - he should go back because he's avoided being captured all this time." Six summers & this is the first time that I actually caught & kept a fish. TWO in fact, which we proceeded to turn into our fifth meal in a row of fish chowder. It was a huge deal to get to be there during the 'food fishery' - we did not miss a single day of enjoying the succulent, mouth watering treasure of the sea, caught right out there in our backyard.

My second set of visitors were three of my Sistas in Creativity & Adventure. We too, filled our days with concerts, visiting, fishing and beach combing. We started with being invited out to breakfast on the very first morning. The hydro must have gone out during the night as the clocks were blinking in confusion. We got the time from Pauline's cell phone & added the required hour and a half, rousting the other two so we wouldn't be late for our 9 am date. As we headed off, the van clock indicated it was 7:35 am, but since we were dressed & ready we chose not to believe it. Turns out it was accurate & we learned that a cell phone automatically changes with the time zone. We also learned that good friends with a sense of humour will still welcome you with a hug & laugh when you get them out of bed an hour and a half early.

Oh yes, we shared many laughs and many memorable moments. We celebrated my birthday on 'the edge of the world' ... Brimstone Head, Fogo Island - one of the designated 'four corners of the earth'. We saw whales & carribou, we had a 'Hen Party', we made new discoveries & new friends. We released ourselves from the rest of the world - no television, no radio, no newspaper, no internet, no cares. Oh how I wish that every soul could have such an opportunity to be refreshed & renewed with 'Rock Therapy'.

The Wedding

A few days have passed since Ashley and Andy's wedding & I still can't wipe the smile off my face. We are all walking around on a total high.

It's such a delight to have your daughter get to have exactly the wedding that she has dreamed of. I can't think of anything that can possibly be any better, in terms of the most perfectly Happy Day. So many friends and family together, celebrating and being joyful, surrounding that wonderful young couple with such love and support. It just made your heart sing.


Ashley, of course, was a beautiful bride - she was the picture of grace and poise. Andy was handsome and charming. Gibson was adorable beyond words.

The greatest joy for me was to have all four of my wonderful children and three precious grandbabes there - healthy, happy and having fun.

As expected, the morning brought a major downpour, complete with a black-as-night sky, as I ran with flowers into the tent. The forecast was dismal, but Ashley had envisioned her day with sunshine, so we held on to that hope. Not far from us, there were high winds & hail that would have wreaked havoc with our decorations, which graciously bypassed us.

The impending storm split - taking major winds & even tornados to both the north and east of us, leaving us with clear skies & beautiful, welcome sunshine. That in itself had everyone happy and joyful.

The ceremony was lovely - very moving and beautiful. A Matron of Honour, Maid of Honour, 4 Bridesmaids, Best Man, 5 Groomsmen, Ring Bearer & Flower Girl ... every one of them a special person in the lives of the Bride & Groom. Live music added to the charm, with the Bride walking down the aisle to 'It's A Wonderful World' on the sax & guitar. As they left, the group sang Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic'.

The afternoon was absolutely beautiful and perfect for the guests to have a relaxing visit. Then, as if on cue, as the last person entered the tent through the reception line, the sky opened up. With the noise and the force of the water, it was as if we were sitting underneath a waterfall - a special effect that surprised and delighted all. The sun shone through that & when it was over, a full, unbroken rainbow appeared right behind the tent. A most perfect stamp on a purely mystical, memorable and magical day.

Boys and Curls

There I was, sandwiched between a brother who had thick curly hair as a baby & a sister with beautiful long hair, done in ringlets. Not enough to be branded as the Middle Child ... throw in poker straight hair, cut short into a 'pixie cut'. I always knew it was not because it was an attractive style - it was confirmation that there wasn't a thing anyone could do with my hair as it was 'straight as a horses tail.'
I've coveted curls for as long as I can remember.
When I met Brian, my Mother was impressed with his gorgeous, wavy hair, but she professed that it was 'totally wasted on a man'. I had hoped that he could pass some of those genetics on to our children, but oh no - four heads & not so much as a hint of a kink in one of them. Their hair is thick and lovely ... but alas, no curls:(
Two more shots at it with the arrival of my first grandson & grand daughter. Beautiful, adorable, gorgeous children, but again - nary a curl between them.
Well - can you just imagine how delighted I am that our littlest guy's hair is arriving with curl upon curl. They're especially abundant when he gets up from his nap or after his bath. I get tickled every time I see his curly little head. And it's DEFINITELY not wasted on a boy.

June 29th

June 29th … a significant day in our family all round. We commemorate a birth, a marriage and a burial. Life covered.

It is the day that my Sister was born. How wonderful it is to have her close and to BE close. She is an amazing, wonderful woman. She has said that I am the kite & she is the anchor. It’s true – I cannot begin to imagine where I’d be without her. Happy Birthday, Pauline … you ARE my anchor indeed. I admire, respect and love you always.

On this date, I said a final goodbye to my Brother. Rest well in the arms of the angels, my sweet Bud. I never stop missing you.


And on this day, 35 years ago, I married my love. A man who has kept me entertained and made my life an adventure. Of his romantic and eloquent proposal, I remember one sentence most clearly: "I want to grow old with you.", he said. Of course, at 19 we really didn't expect that would happen - or certainly happen quite this quickly.

Of our wedding, one particular sentence is also etched deeply in my memory. "May you see your children's children." It was when we were kneeling, in the photo above. I remember so clearly at that moment more than any, wondering what the future would hold for us. The greatest blessing of our marriage truly is our wonderful family. We have indeed got to see our children's children. But again, I didn't expect that it would happen quite so quickly either.

Lots behind us, but so much more ahead. The best scenario continues to be that we are getting to grow old together and enjoy our children & our children's children. Happy Anniversary, Brian - you are my light, my life and my love.

Fathers toDay

A friend recently asked a lady who had celebrated her 100th birthday, what the biggest or most surprising change she had witnessed in the world in all her years. One would have expected her to make reference to communication, TV, the internet or such. She said: 'Two things. People are more tolerant than they were, and the involvement of fathers in their children's lives.' A thoughtful, thought provoking answer.

Indeed, for the most part, it seems that the Dads of today are just as active in all areas of their children's lives as the Moms are. In general, our generation were more involved than our fathers in day to day care, and now this latest generation is even more hands on.

Both my sons-in-law are wonderful fathers. There is nothing that my girls do with the children, that they can't or don't do. Ash tells me that she has hardly ever bathed Gibs at night - that's Father-Son time. When Jae got home from Newfoundland, Nick had the house spotless, the lawn and the laundry all done and the kids happy and content.

It's a blessing for my daughters, for my grandchildren and for the guys themselves, as they build close and loving relationships. ALL of their lives are richer for it and it most certainly is a wonderful thing to witness.

Nature at Work

It's always cool to discover something new at my age and then to find that others who are older & have lived in that area weren't aware of it either.

Recently, while sitting up amongst the trees in Newfoundland, enjoying the view of the sea with friend, we witnessed a big puff of yellow smoke' in front of us. We both wondered if we imagined it, then suddenly it happened a few feet away again. And again - all around us there were 'puffs' - like explosions.


In going closer to see what it could be, we bumped one of the beautiful spruce trees that were laden with gorgeous magenta spruce buds (which had caused me to make a trip home for my camera). The bump caused a mini-explosion, which solved the mystery - it was clouds of pollen that we were witnessing. It wasn't evident anywhere on branches or buds - never did figure out the actual source as the buds were clean & crisp.

Earlier that day, we had noticed a gross yellow sludge. In fact, Brian wondered if I had dumped yellow paint into the water. As if. I pointed out that it was thick, all around the entire coastline of the harbour. It was the pollen - obviously HUGE amounts of it.



I mentioned it to a local later that evening and she was just as surprised as we were. She said that she'd never heard of it or seen it before that day and was relieved to know what it was too. She said 'All day, when I was looking out my window , I thought that there were forest fires starting with huge puffs of smoke coming the from trees - I even mentioned it to my husband.' So ... it just wasn't the 'newbies'. It was interesting how the entire forest was pollenating at the same time - must have been 'Pollenation Day'.

Oh Deer

Late this afternoon, as I sat on the back porch, I spied a beautiful doe and her fawn in front of me in the field. Knowing that any sound would sent them fleeing, I didn't go for my camera & try to capture the moment, I simply sat there and enjoyed it.

These deer aren't them ...I took these a few weeks ago. When I look out and see the donkeys intently staring at something, I look for deer. If you click this picture bigger you can see what I mean.


A few weeks ago, they were all lined up along the fence, and sure enough, about fifty feet away, there were two lovely deer, calmly laying down in the field, enjoying the sunshine. Another day, there was a big buck drinking from the pond.

A glimpse of a deer in our field is such a treat. We see them more often than we used to in fact we never saw a single one for 15 years - now it's fairly often.

At night though, it's a whole different matter - you really have to have your wits about you. Last night I had Ashley as my extra eyes - something you really need here anymore. In a very short distance, we came across three deer, three raccoons and a rabbit. Definitely NOT the time to be 'enjoying the moment'.

Coal Black - Cole Jack

As I mentioned in my Easter Sunday post on April 12th, our donkeys tend to come into our lives on a significant day. Sure enough, this darling wee babe arrived on my brother, Bud's birthday - June 12th - I wrote about him in the April 14th post, 'My Buddy'.

A pure black baby is really rare for us ... I think we may have had only one in the 25 years that we've been raising donkeys. This little guy is so black, I think I'll call him Cole.

As I expected, my dear friend who Abby-sat & Donkey-sat, was not the least bit uncomfortable out here in the country. In fact, being here for the arrival of this precious babe, she officially became his ‘Godmother’. It was nice to come home to a new little jack, healthy and happy and running around like crazy.

This is Pete, checking out his new competition. As he’s only 8 weeks old, you can imagine how petite Victoria (the Mom) is. And yes … she happens to have been born on Victoria Day.