The Great Horned Owl

I’ve been walking for over three months–through cold and wind, rain and snow without missing a day. The one day when the temperature dipped down into bitter frigid temperatures, I headed upstairs to my treadmill. Adding movement into my day is just one of the things I’ve decided was important to me because for sometime now I’ve told myself it wasn’t. I was wrong.

The wonderful thing about walking is that it allows us the solitude and peace that many of us crave but are struggle to find on a regular basis. Nature is always ready for us whenever we choose to join her. Walking an hour a day has been challenging during this time, but I no longer make excuses for not doing it, but rather look for ways to fit it into my day and make it a priority. So far, I have remained successful!

Winter here in Nova Scotia has taken a long time to find us and there were times when many of us thought it might not show up at all. The lake remained open well into the last week in January, even then there was not much ice to speak of and many days the ground was bare. But now the snow is finally here and I have chosen to embrace it as I trudge through the many trails on our property. It’s been quite lovely and these months have gone by quickly as I look for signs of wildlife, sing a little, write a little (in my head) and think.

And then one day, this great horned owl was watching me from it’s perch on the branch of a spruce tree. For a time it sat quietly looking down at me and I was able to snap a few photos with my phone but eventually it decided it was time to go.

While this was a rare sighting for me, I have also been pleased to come across chickadees, woodpecker and nuthatches in my daily jaunts.

Now that we are into the first week of March, hopefully spring weather is not far away. But whatever comes up, we’ll accept it because really that’s all we can do.

Here’s hoping you have a happy March.

Storm Photos

“We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.~~Garry Zukhav

Not many words today, just some snow photos of what the storm left behind on Friday before the coming rain interferes with the beauty of nature.

We spent the afternoon snowshoeing. The woods are always so quite after a storm and there’s this cozy safe feeling that comes when the trees hang heavy with snow.

Stay warm and safe, and if you despise winter may you find a way to enjoy its beauty.

Saying Goodbye to November

We’re getting a light dusting of snow her in Nova Scotia this morning and it’s hard to deny how beautiful it looks. It’s not the first snow we’ve seen this month, but so far we’ve seen nothing substantial.

From my back step I can see the lake, so I snapped a quick picture. Brrr…

I was reminded today of how everything around us changes. We sometimes forget this. We think things can stay exactly as they are, maybe even wish they can. Life is transient, forever changing. Just as the season’s change, nothing around us stays the same. It’s impossible. The changes can be so subtle that we might not see or notice, until we have reason to slow down and reflect.

I’m not a huge big fan of winter. I have other seasons that I prefer. But it’s on it’s way. It’s inevitable. Today was a reminder. Here’s hoping the winter won’t be a harsh one.

Tomorrow will see the start of a brand new month. Winter will officially arrive. Another year is beckoning to us. Who knows what is waiting for us in 2022.

Mid-Winter 2020 Catch-up

I love it when we get to February and the lengthening days can be readily seen. Not only that, February 2nd (Ground Hog Day or Candlemas Day, whatever you want to call it) marks the half-way point for winter. Yay! And while I know there can still be plenty of winter snow and ice in the forecast, knowing that we’ve reached that half-way point always fills me with hope.

February also means that there’s only a few more months until Good Mothers Don’t hits the bookshelves. Many of you who follow me on social media are already aware that it made the CBC list of Works of Canadian Fiction to watch for in spring 2020 which of course is very exiting for me, this being my first novel about to enter the adult world and all.

The book has received some wonderful blurbs from Carol Bruneau, Linda Little and Christy-Ann Conlin and have been posted on the Amazon site. Here.  I can’t tell you what it means to get such great endorsements from these three remarkable writers. There is also an excerpt posted on the site if you’re at all curious.

Right now, Good Mothers Don’t is available for pre-order at Independent books stores across the country, Chapters and Coles, as well as Amazon. Pre-ordering just means you’ll be one of the first to get your hands on a copy, hot off the press. It’s already received a few ratings on GoodReads and has actually been added by some readers which I’m totally thrilled about since there are still two months before publication!! If you’d like to add it to your own reading list or even read the first review on Goodreads, the link is here  written by Darlene Foster, the author of the Amanda Travel Series. You can check out her blog and her books here.

January saw me back into the edits for my next middle grade novel about to be published in fall 2020. It’s the prequel to the Cammie books and I’m excited for the story of Cammie’s first year to finally be revealed so you all can find out how Millie actually came to have Cammie and exactly who Cammie’s parents are. There is also a bit of a surprise at the end, something even I hadn’t seen coming until quite late into the writing.

This book is set in East Chester and revolves around the Ideal Maternity Home, the place where Cammie was born. Many of you already know much of the story behind the infamous home that buried stillborns in butterboxes. It was widely reported on. The story of the Butterbox Babies effected many people in Canada but also the United States, since many of the babies were adopted out to people in the US. Many of the “survivors” as still looking for their birth parents and the story is very relevant today even after all these years. If you haven’t yet heard of it, or want a little more information I have a link onto my blog HERE.

I’ll keep you updated on the book and share the cover, etc. when it’s available. (Yep, still working on a title for it) All this is still several months away so be patient!

I’m presently working on a YA novel that I began several years back and I’m hoping to set a realistic goal on completing it. I say realistic because this will be a busy spring for me with an up-coming book launch that my friends already have in the works. I mean how great is that? I’m already booked for several book club discussions and of course there will be book signings, etc. I’m not, by nature a goal-setter, but it worked well for me in the past. But, as I said, goals have to be realistic or else you’re just setting yourself up to fail. Don’t want to do that.

While I have several other books simmering along, I’m not going to look too far ahead or set too many goals at this point.

So, there you have my mid-winter catch-up. Now, we just need more sunshine and less snow and before you know it spring will be here.

Another Blast of Winter in Spring

Winter just doesn’t seem to want to go away this year. Here in East Dalhousie we were blessed with about 10 cm of snow last night. Some of it melted during the afternoon, and the eaves are still dripping. That said, we’ve been told to expect another 15 cm overnight. I’m not sure what will happen to the tulips in our garden that suddenly burst through the ground late last week, but I’m hoping they’ re hardy enough to survive this next blast of winter weather this spring. But this is not unusual for spring, nor is our complaints that winter just doesn’t want to give up. Still, with each warm day we’re granted, hope stirs inside us. That’s the one thing about hope. It seems no matter how many times we’re disappointed with the outcome of something, we remain hopeful that next time the results we’re looking for will finally show up.

It’s like that when writing a book. Most times it takes several attempts before I end up with the results I want. Some authors write many drafts before they declare the story completed. I tend to edit and revise as I go along, and often never get a first draft completely written out so I have no idea how many drafts I go through. Back when I was writing Flying with a Broken Wing I became dissatisfied with the story and even stopped working on it, so sure I was that it was never going to amount to anything, let alone anything publishable. So I took a break from it and went back to it many months later filled with new hope that this time I was going to make it to the end. And I did!

I actually started the book I’m working on now about the same time that I started Cammie Takes Flight, and while Cammie’s been a book now for nearly a year, that other book is still waiting for me. I don’t expect I’ll ever be a fast writer. Many times I feel as though the story is struggling to find me. Sometimes there’s a lot of static in the way. But when the lines finally become clear, sentences and paragraphs begin to fall into place. That’s when I know for sure the story I’m working on will not get abandoned along the wayside.

And while I’m hopeful that spring will soon be here to stay, there is definitely no guarantee. Just as there is no guarantee that the story I’m presently working on will make it into book form. Still, amidst the struggles and frustration, I try to remain hopeful. It may not always be possible. I sometimes fall into a rut and become discouraged even with three published books and over forty published short stories. I’m fairly certain I’m not alone in this. We all become discouraged from time to time. But it’s our ability to pick ourselves up time and time again, to find that small bit of hope and run with it as fast as we can, that is responsible for all the accomplishments we achieve in life.

I’ll leave you with this quote that I find particularly inspiring. Maybe you will, too.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Winter Photos

There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself. ~Ruth Stout

Here are a few snowy photos taken at Black Duck Lake yesterday after Saturday night’s snowstorm. DSC04758

DSC04754

Before this happened there was scarcely a scab of snow to be found. It looked more like spring in these parts than winter. Not only that, the temperature was on the plus side all week long. Nice, since we’d just come through a cold snap.

But, Mother Nature decided to remind us that winter is far from being over. Although spring was flirting with us, she certainly isn’t ready to stay anytime soon.

DSC04731

I’ve been busy writing this winter, as you would expect. The cold weather makes me want to stay close to home and put a pot of soup on the stove to scorch  simmer. I  also have some reading to catch up on– along with all the usual boring things like housework– as I wait from spring to  arrive again.

What are you doing this winter? Are you enjoying the beautiful scenery or are you hoping for an early spring?

Candlemas Day

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will have another fight.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
Winter won’t come again.

Candlemas DayOn Facebook this morning people are talking about Groundhog Day. It’s also being talked about on the radio. Bright and early this morning we were being told that we were due for six more weeks of winter, but growing up we always went by what the weather was like at noon on this day. Somehow things get changed along the way without any of us knowing how or why. Who knows, maybe that was just a regional thing?

But Groundhog Day isn’t the only happening thing going on today. The 2nd of February is also known as Candlemas Day an ancient festival that marked the midpoint of winter.  Yay! We’re half-way there. Isn’t that enough to make you shout for joy? Already, you can see a big difference in the amount of daylight hours we have and I find it exciting. I love the way the longer days are becoming more noticeable. It makes me feel happy and hopeful in a way that I don’t feel any other time of the year.

From what I read Candlemas Day was originally a pagan festival called Imbolc which was called the Festival of Lights and focused on lighting fires. The lighting of fires celebrated the increasing power of the sun over the coming months, and we’re certainly feeling that!

So how did The Festival of Lights become known as Candlemas?

The church turned this pagan festival into Candlemas Day. It was the day when all the candles, that were to be used in the church during the year, were blessed. They were then distributed around and a lighted candle was placed in the window of each home. Sounds kind of nice actually. Of course, back in the day, candles were important, not only for shedding light, but people thought they gave protection against nasty things like the plague and famine. Nothing like a famine or plague to take the fun out of winter I like to say.

So while I did know this day meant we were half way through winter I didn’t know exactly why it was called Candlemas Day. Thank goodness Google can answer all our questions.

While this is totally unrelated to Candlemas or even Groundhog day, I do want to mention that there’s still time to enter a contest over at Lynn Davidson’s blog for a chance to win a copy of Steve Vernon’s YA novel, Sinking Deeper OR My awesome brilliant Questionable Heroic Decision to Invent a Sea Monster. I’ve already read the book and enjoyed it a lot!  Here’s the link if you’d like to enter.

So what am I planning this Candlemas Day? Well, I’m not building any bonfires I can tell you that right away, but I may just light a candle tonight to welcome in the second half of winter. I’m also going to enjoy this sunny day and feel glad that we’re half-way through winter.

Happy Candlemas Day! Do you have any special plans for today?

Nature’s Music

When we pay attention to nature’s music, we find that everything on earth contributes to its harmony.

HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN

Yesterday’s storm dumped an abundance of snow on eastern Canada. Strange, that what we now call a lot of snow doesn’t compare to some of the storms we had years ago.

Today I live in the quiet, joyous expectation of good.

ERNEST HOLMES

While I may not be winter’s biggest fan, it is impossible to ignore its beauty, impossible not to hear its sweet harmonious music.

Wherever you are may you allow nature’s music to enter your heart.

Is It Really Spring?

Spring seems to have arrived early in Nova Scotia. Buds are swelling, mayflowers are blooming, and the lakes have been free of ice for weeks now.

And people are suspicious. They want to believe, yet they aren’t quite sure. What if this is just a taste of spring and they’ll wake one morning to find that winter has returned? They’ve been sending out warnings.

“Don’t get too used to it.”

“We haven’t seen the last of the snow.”

I choose to ignore the warnings.

Over the Easter weekend we had record-breaking temperatures. While Halifax was basking in 25 c temperatures, the normal for this time of the year is 5c. It’s been simply wonderful.

I’ve decided it doesn’t matter what might be waiting down the road because I’m going to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures today.

I’m posting a photo of some Mayflowers my Aunt picked for me over the Easter weekend. I only wish you could smell their fragrance.

I say, enjoy the gifts we are given and, try hard not to worry about something that might never come to pass.

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