Home Sweet Home

 

“Spring has sprung. The grass has riz. I wonder where the birdies is.” 

Author unknown but suspected to be from Brooklyn, New York 

 

It’s been more than a month now, hasn’t it? Give or take, depending on where you are, that we have been cut off from so many of our friends and loved ones.

 

The shock, heightened drama and the adrenalin of this crisis is wearing off.  Now we are in deep realizing that we have to live this way for a while…

 

That put me into a bit of funk last weekend, which was ok because I started to look around me.

 

In the last few years, I have nourished my soul with dreams of that next trip to Paris — reading, planning and imagining that “escape”, and perhaps not altogether present to my surroundings.

 

Confined to my home in Canada where there are no plans ahead, I am taking stock of how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.

 

 

 

“Spring Has Sprung”

 

Spring is arriving by inches in my neck of the woods.

 

We had snow three days this week, which melted except on Blue Mountain at the now abandoned ski resort. Often they ski here until the first week of May.

 

 

 

 

“Grass Has Riz”

 

There are green patches of grass emerging but the trees are still bare.

 

I hadn’t noticed before how much easier that makes it to enjoy our jaw-dropping sunsets and pink skies.

 

 

 

“I Wonder Where The Birdies Is”

 

Is it just my imagination but are there more birds this year?

 

My home has lots of windows and a balcony that looks out to an enormous lake (Georgian Bay) to the north and into a field to the west.

 

There are two doves that lite on the railing every spring. Up to now, they seemed like a bit of a nuisance.

 

Now I look forward to seeing them and have named them — Art and Cil after my parents.  Cil is very grounded, while Art has a lot of nervous energy.  He doesn’t stop moving and also does most of the “talking” or cooing rather.

 

I realize this could be his mating dance. Or it could be my father reincarnate. The man never stopped talking!

 

I love that they keep coming back, as if they are checking up on  me.

 

 

 

 

In fact, I have starting naming the other wildlife too — after French writers.

 

There’s Hugo (after Victor Hugo), a little red squirrel that lives under the tree next to my townhouse.  He darts past the patio doors in my office at 5:30 pm every day reminding me to stop working.

 

I tried and failed to get a photo of the pair of swans that inhabit our bay, but two of my neighbours took up the challenge.

 

 

 

 

I have named them Simone (de Beauvoir) and Jean-Paul (Sartre) and they will soon be finding a nesting spot. Almost every year they hatch two cygnets that we all watch grow up and then fly away to make their own lives.

 

 

 

 

A steady stream of people are walking their dogs on the trail right outside my house and with everyone home, it really is a dog’s life.

 

 

 

 

Ribbons and ribbons of Canada Geese are returning from the north.

Voltaire, Balzac, Malraux, Zola, Proust — ok, I may be overdoing it.

Two bright yellow finches are doing what also appears to be a mating dance on the fir tree outside my southern window.

I am surprised how little of this “Spring Theatre”  I ever noticed before.

So much for which to be grateful. So much to enjoy in our own backyards.

A gift that I will take a little less for granted in this unprecedented era of COVID-19.

Good health to you all!

 

 

What are you appreciating about home these days?

Please share your comments below.

We all enjoy hearing from you!

 

OH And By the way!

My friend Kathryn (Kate) Kemp-Griffin is holding a Virtual Mindfulness and Meditation Retreat starting next Saturday.

It is Six Days Two-Hours a day in the luxury of an attentive and deeply supportive community.

 

 

Kate will guide and help us find the stillness and calm within to ensure your well-being.

 

 

“Are you feeling strangely disconnected from your body? Is your mind filled with uncertainty and doubt? You are not alone! Our future is filled with unprecedented possibility and potential although it doesn’t feel that way. Our minds anxious, our bodies restless. These are overwhelming times. Without the external elements of our day-to-day lives to distract us, being alone with ourselves is unfamiliar — and, at times, unbearable.”

Come Sit With Me with Kate Kemp-Griffin is a In the privacy of your own home, with a small group of like-minded women on Zoom, you will receive:
• Guided Meditation
• Breathing Techniques
• Inspired Readings
• Journaling Exercises
• Access to Private Facebook Group
• Bi-Weekly Sharing Circle

This virtual retreat takes place online — in the sanctuary of your body. Kate’s experience teaching mindfulness in schools and hosting daily meditations on Instagram has provided a unique opportunity to create powerful connections that transcend age, experience, and geographical locations.

By the end of the 6-day retreat, you will have developed greater emotional well-being, gained mental clarity, and learned how to build — or reinforce — the foundation of your own practice.

Retreat Details
Dates : April 25 – May 1, 2020

Time: Daily from 4pm – 6pm CET (Paris) via Zoom (check for you time zone)

Price: 50€ = $55 USD/$76 CAD/£44/$85 AUD (these are approximate based on current rates)

(Note: All Zoom sessions will be recorded and available for you to watch later if you are unable to attend or want to revisit a session.)

You can register at:

https://bit.ly/ComeSitWithMeRetreat 

or by contacting Kate directly at;

info@kathrynkempgriffin.com

Terms and Conditions

I do not derive any commissions from offering this retreat to you.  I am strictly supporting Kate in this venture.  However, any products that I giveaway are personally purchased at my own expense unless otherwise specified. I provide all the ideas, content and photographs on my site unless otherwise specified. And I respect the privacy of my subscribers and do not share their information with any other party or organization.