Marvelous Monday - A Bird in the Hand

We have the joy of living quite close to a beautiful botanical garden - the Royal Botanical Garden in Hamilton, Ontario.  Along with a number of exquisite formal and informal gardens, the RBG consists of 2400 acres of natural land, and 30 km of hiking trails.  It is one of our favourite places to go to enjoy spring flower displays in the incredible Iris Rock Gardens and the Lilac Arboretum.  But it is also one of our favourite places to go for a Sunday afternoon hike all year round.

We spent a glorious Sunday afternoon there last week.  The sky was blue and the autumn leaves were still full of colour.

The particular hiking trail we chose that day runs along an inner harbour, so periodically along the way we caught glimpses of the water through the trees.

And at one point, the trail took us right down to the water's edge.

We saw lots of birds and animals, like this nuthatch, flicker and this noisy little squirrel who gave us quite a scolding for venturing into his territory!

And we had a great deal of fun feeding the very tame little chickadees who love to take seed right out of your hand!

You know the old saying "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" ... a great reminder to me to practice being content with what I have instead of constantly wishing for something more, or something different, or someone else's life that looks more glamorous than my own.  

So this Marvelous Monday, I am especially thankful for Sunday afternoon hikes, for sweet little chickadees, and for all the other "birds" that are in my hand ... the blessings that are already part of my life that I sometimes take for granted.

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;

remember that what you now have

was once among the things you only hoped for."

Epicurus, Greek Philosopher (341-270 BC)

Marvelous Monday - Wonderful Parks

It's been several weeks since I posted a "Marvelous Monday" but I've been thinking all day about how much I'd like to write this one and finally now have a moment to sit down to the computer and blog away to my heart's content!

Yesterday afternoon, we spent some blissful time hiking in one of our favourite local parks.  Short Hills Provincial Park is an amazing 1600 acre park filled with hiking trails, waterfalls, beautiful trees and peaceful meadows.  Some trails are designated strictly for hikers while others are multi-use trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skying, and horse-back riding.  Though Short Hills is a favourite of ours, we often take it for granted instead of realizing what a treasure it really is.  I'm so glad we have access to fantastic greenspaces like this.  As my husband puts it, spending time in nature allows us to shake the "clinkers from our thinkers!"

Here are a few shots from our energizing hike on a brisk autumn Sunday afternoon:

“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.  Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”   

-- Raymond Inmon


 

“Walking:  the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.”  

-- Carrie Latet


 

“When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body.  I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out.”  

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

“I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.”   

-- G.M. Trevelyan


 

“A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.”  

-- Paul Dudley White


 

“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.”   

-- Aldous Huxley  

Marvelous Monday - Autumn Day

Autumn Day:

Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.

Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,

and on the meadows let the wind go free.

Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;

grant them a few more warm transparent days,

urge them on to fulfillment then, and press

the final sweetness into the heavy wine. 

Whoever has no house now, will never have one.

Whoever is alone will stay alone,

will sit, read, write long letters through the evening,

and wander the boulevards, up and down,

restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.

Translated by Stephen Mitchell, 

"The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke" (Random House)

Ooooohhhhh ... doesn't that last stanza send shivers down your spine?   Just feels exactly like an autumn wind has curled itself around me and breathed down my neck!  And yet I love that poem, perhaps because it does get such a response out of me.  And perhaps, because I really do love autumn!

So on this Marvelous Monday, I am thankful for this glorious season of beautiful vistas ....

of leaves turning colour....

of animals seeking hide-away spots for the winter ....

and bright orange pumpkins finding ways to escape the farm!

I hope you are having a glorious autumn!

Blessings,

Ro

Marvelous Monday - The Simple Things

It's Marvelous Monday again, and today I am thankful for the simple things in life:

.... like the fact that I've been able to walk for half an hour every day with my Mum this week, enjoying the late summer farmland while getting back into a regular exercise routine.

Walking past the vineyards, we spot how the grapes are ripening so quickly this year.
Soon the air will be filled with their sweet fragrance that will surround us as we walk by.

.... like the beautiful birthday flowers from my husband that lasted and lasted, filling me with cheer whenever I saw their beautiful colours.

I still have 2 carnations left two weeks later!

.... like the colourful jars of relish and salsa I was able to can with our very own delicious garden produce.

I especially enjoy making this relish which is made to my late Grandmother's recipe.  Reminds me of cheddar cheese sandwiches on crusty bread, made with a skim of home-made relish - the food of my childhood.

....and like the simple pleasure of enjoying a relaxing meal beside the water, watching the sail boats go by.

Mr. Magnolia and I enjoyed a leisurely meal at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course
on Sunday.  The clubhouse provided an amazing view of the Niagara River where it enters into Lake Ontario, immediately across the river from Old Fort Niagara, New York.

Sometimes, we just need the simple things in life to remind us of the important things in life .... like taking care of our health, spending time with our loved ones, and finding time for rest and restoration.

Marvelous Monday - My Cat the Clown

Today is Marvelous Monday yet my heart is feeling a little broken.  This morning I took my little clown cat "Kroompli" in to the vet and had to make the difficult decision to say good-bye to him forever.

Kroompli stalks our Roomba

We have been growing increasingly worried about Kroompli for the last month.  At first we thought maybe he was upset that Tiger (our shop cat who was a stranger to our house cats) was living in our sunroom.  Perhaps this is why his stomach seemed to be upset.  Then we thought it was because the little beggar managed to sneak into the mudroom where we keep our dog food and had a huge feast of dog food.  Surely that would be the reason why he suddenly had severe diarrhea and an upset tummy.  We took him to the vet a month ago and they confirmed after thoroughly examining the 18 pound monster that the dog food was probably the problem.

Kroompli investigates my flowers.

But then Kroompli began to lose weight. This cat who would eat anything became a very finicky eater. I tried different types of food and he seemed to perk up. But this past weekend, he suddenly took a big turn for the worse ... became very lethargic and looked like he was in a lot of pain. My husband and I checked him closely all over and felt what seemed to be a hard lump on his side. I took him to the vet first thing this morning and was told he has a cancerous mass on his stomach. It has appeared so rapidly that the vet feels it is an aggressive form of cancer. It was very obvious that he was in terrible pain so I made the decision to take care of him one last time by ending his misery.

Kroompli comes for a snuggle.

So today, on Marvelous Monday, though I am in tears, I am celebrating the life of a very loving pet who gave us so much joy over the 8 and a half years of his life.  Kroompli was born to my mother's cat "Button" on March 22, 2002 - one of 5 of Button's first and only litter.  He was such a sweet little kitten when he was born - all black and white patches, with his little ears folded down and his eyes shut.  He was the runt of the litter and right away I knew I would take him.  When he was 7 weeks old, we took him home and he quickly made himself at home, not only in our house, but in our hearts.  I gave him a Hungarian name "Kroompli" (meaning potato) in the hopes of ensuring that my husband, who is of Hungarian descent, would be happy that I was bringing home yet another kitten.  We were newly weds at the time but if I had known my husband better, I would have realized that it was a completely unnecessary gesture.  My husband absolutely loves cats and he and Kroompli became the very best of friends.

Kroompli loved his basket.

The runt of the litter grew fast!  Kroompli became a ginormous cat - the biggest cat we've ever had.  And what a clown!  He was an extremely playful cat who loved to lie on his back with his paws waving around in the air, begging to have his tummy rubbed.  He loved food, especially people food, and delighted in pushing his big nose into our cereal bowls in the morning, hoping to slurp up some milk and possibly some cereal too.  Kroompli loved to be snuggled and if he felt it was time for his cuddle, he would climb up on top of my computer and look at me with his beautiful big green eyes as if to say "Hello!!!  I'm much cuter than that stupid machine!"  And of course, he was much cuter, so I would stop whatever I was doing and scoop him up off of the computer and into my arms for a cuddle.  And he would look up at me with those flirtatious green eyes even as I was cuddling him, as if he was smugly acknowledging that he had me wrapped around his paw, and I would always do his bidding.

Kroompli discovers our wide-screen TV

Kroompli, annoyed that I won't let him eat the gingerbread house.

Kroompli poses as a Christmas ornament.

It's hard to imagine all that personality and life can simply end in one moment of time.  I can't imagine that his life is over.  This morning when I said good-bye to him, I told him that I hoped he would being seeing his brother Czardas soon - the beautiful black kitten we also adopted from his litter who later was killed on the road outside of our house.   And I said a blessing over him too - because I believe God created my little cat, and that somehow, He will find a place for him in eternity.  I hope that place is a sunny spot, where Kroompli can lie on his back, waving his paws in the air, and that someone kind and loving is there to lean over and give him a gentle tummy rub and whisper in his ear as I have done so many times, to tell him what a beautiful cat he is, and assure him that he brings joy wherever his paws take him.

Classic Kroompli pose - begging for tummy rub.

Marvelous Monday - Life's A Beach

As some of you know, I started writing this regular blog feature "Marvelous Monday!" to encourage myself on this day of the week, when I'm usually grumpy and annoyed that the weekend is over, to think of all the many things for which I have to be grateful.  There's no antidote to grumpiness quite as effective as gratitude, so I figured I would take a little time on Mondays to "count my blessings" instead of moping around with the Monday morning blues!

I have tried to specifically be thankful on Mondays for things that don't only include weekend activities ... because really, if I'm only counting the weekends as blessings, then that just reinforces the whole idea that Mondays are to be dreaded. Today, however, I just have to say "Thank-you, Lord, for this amazing weekend!"  Because this past weekend has been absolutely wonderful.   The weather was perfect and the company could not have been better - yup, I got to spend some quality time with my beloved Mr. Magnolia!

Those of us in the Niagara Region are really quite blessed to live in an area with easy access to two beautiful Lakes - Lake Erie and Lake Ontario which are joined by the Niagara River, most famous for its stunning waterfalls at the point in the river where water flowing down from Lake Erie towards Lake Ontario, slips over the Niagara Escarpment and plunges down the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.   Where Mr. Magnolia and I live is only around 2 kms from Lake Ontario so we have access to that lake on a daily basis - but we are also very close to Lake Erie as well, so we often take the opportunity on weekends to make the short drive over to that lake.  It's amazing how the two lakes have their own very distinctive "personalities" - actually, all of the Great Lakes are like that - each one unique and beautiful in its own way.

This past Saturday we drove a little further than usual, to one of my favourite summer-time beaches in Port Dover, Ontario.  We started the day out by enjoying a delicious crepe breakfast at a new restaurant in Port Dover called "The Crepe House."   Mr. Magnolia chose the "breakfast crepe" which was filled with egg, ham, goat cheese and roasted red pepper.  I opted for the "summer fruit crepe" - a delicious paper-thin crepe filled with fresh blueberries, raspberries and peach slices, and then topped with a light drizzle of lemon curd and whipped cream.  Yum!

Don't you just love the way Mr. Magnolia's shirt matches
the table cloth?  :)

Port Dover is a really beautiful beach that is quite shallow for a long stretch out into the water, so it is very popular with families who have young children.  With the temperature in the low 80's (27/28 Celsius), it was a popular day at the beach - not too hot but still hot enough to make the water very refreshing!

We didn't go swimming, instead we spent some time "people-watching" and walked out on the lighthouse pier where a beautiful breeze blew the humidity away.

From the end of the pier, we enjoyed watching the kite surfers 

and the sail boats go by.

Then we decided to really "play tourist" and signed up for a one-hour boat ride of the river that enters Lake Erie at this port.  The pontoon boat was a smooth ride and the Captain gave us a great oral history of the area while we road along up the river.

We passed the few remaining commercial fishing buildings left over from what used to be a thriving commercial fresh fish industry .... 

 

And loads of waterfront mansions that are rapidly replacing the commercial buildings ...

Our lovely boat ride took us past a variety of watercraft from 

luxurious yachts to wee little kayaks ...

And then past some turtles sunning themselves on a log, indifferent to the fancy, or not-so-fancy boats that might go by ...

After the boat ride, we enjoyed a leisurely drive home followed by a brisk walk with our dogs, and then a delicious supper, not at any fancy restaurant, just at "Chez Magnolia" with fresh veggies out of our own garden to compliment the juicy steak - one of Mr. Magnolia's favourite meals!

Definitely a day to remember with a heart so full of gratitude that there's not a speck of room left for the Monday Morning blues!

Marvelous Monday!

Oh, it has been a really crazy busy time here in the Magnolia household ... I apologize for getting side-tracked from regularly blogging last week and hope this week I'll be a little better at staying in touch.

Today is Marvelous Monday ... a windy cool day here in Southern Ontario.  I'm not complaining though because we have been enjoying such a wonderful hot summer that I don't begrudge a few days here and there of cool weather.

On this Marvelous Monday, I am especially thankful for my cat's recovery!   On Saturday, my little Tiger just seemed to turn a corner in her recovery and suddenly we looked up to see her walking almost 100% normal!  She's still "wobbly" so Mr. Magnolia says she walks a little bit like she's had too much to drink, but she's actually standing up completely on her back legs when she walks now so she no longer looks like a raccoon when she walks.  She has been only able to hold herself up about 3/4 of the way on her back legs up until now so she has been walking with a strange rolling, hunched-over gait.  I can't begin to tell you the feeling of joy that flood through me when I saw her stand up totally normal on Saturday and start to walk with like a healthy cat!  Every time I see her standing up properly now I get the same flood of joy in my heart.  I really didn't think she would ever walk normally again!

So on this Marvelous Monday, I'm very grateful to all of you for your prayers and kind thoughts towards my cat, and hope that somehow each one of you will able to see a little miracle in your own lives, to give you hope and cheer your hearts.

Blessings,

Ro

"I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it."  

Abraham Lincoln

Marvelous Monday and Marvelous Mum!

Once again, it's a beautiful sunny day here in Southern Ontario, Canada.  Today is "Civic Holiday" and so my dear Mr. Magnolia and I are enjoying a lovely long weekend.

Here's a peak at the delicious breakfast we had this morning - blueberry pancakes topped with fresh strawberries, with a side of lean turkey breakfast sausage.  Yummy!  We love eating out on the pool deck but to keep our coffee piping hot, I serve it in these handy "mason jar" mugs with screw on tops.  

But although I love having breakfast with my husband, that's not what I'm posting about today!

On this Marvelous Monday, I want to post about my Marvelous Mum!  I'm chuckling as I write that because she would think it was so corny if she knew I was calling her that, but truly she is quite wonderful.  There is something so special about having a mother who is also a friend.  I hear from some of my friends about how much they dread getting together with their own mothers, and I just feel awful on their behalf!  Imagine missing out on that special friendship that is carved out of years of mutual nurturing and the intricate layers of knowledge that can only come from so many shared experiences.  I also have friends who have lost their mothers, and wish they could have just one day more to share the joy of the unique friendship that is shared between mothers and daughters.  So I have learned not to take for granted my relationship with my own mother.  My life is so enriched by our friendship.

My Mum is strong and vulnerable, matter-of-fact and whimsical, abrupt and compassionate all wrapped up in one.  Before I was five, she taught me how to read, how to tie my shoes and the names of a hundred birds or more.  By the time I was ten, she had taught me to love God, love others, and love myself.  She introduced me to books and the world of literature, so that I would have a life-long love affair with reading.  But she also taught me to love the sound of a well-read poem, to enjoy closing my eyes and listening to the rise and fall of a skilled orator who could make the words on a page come alive.  She taught me to appreciate nature and find joy in the simplest things around us.  And she modeled loyalty and honesty so that I would know that these are character qualities worth developing.

My Mum is still teaching me but now I am teaching her too.  Our relationship is no longer that of adult and child, but rather two equals.  We share many things in common and yet have discovered over the years that we are in fact, quite different in personality.  Our relationship has waxed and waned at times as life circumstances have sometimes kept us farther apart, then brought us back together again.  At two years of age, I knew I needed my Mum.  At twelve, I wanted to believe I didn't need her at all but secretly feared I couldn't live without her!   And now that I'm forty-two, I find myself realizing that while I don't need her in the same way from decade-to-decade, yet I will always need her in some way regardless of how old I get.  She will always be my Mum and so I recognize that I will always want to protect her and be protected by her.  

Here's a picture of my Mum I took last week,

beside the beautiful sunflowers she has grown.  

So on this Marvelous Monday, I am especially thankful for my Mum and the wonderful friendship we enjoy. I thought about finding some sentimental quote to end this post, but truthfully, my Mum would probably laugh hysterically if I found something sweet and cloying.  So, I found this one instead, which is definitely one she would enjoy.  She is, after all, the type of mother who seems to prefer ragamuffin children who are mischievous and have a propensity to play in mud puddles.  No wonder we get along so well.

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me,

but I think she enjoyed it."

Mark Twain