5 Pathways to Contentment

"Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on."

 - Led Zeppelin

Pathway #1. The trail is marked. (And much remains to  be revealed.)

Pathway #2. The path that goes toward the light.

Pathway #3. The path that may be dark. (And we can see the forest for the trees.)

Pathway #4. The straight, wide way.

Pathway #5. Choice.

Happy Trails!

Spring Things

It's wet on the west coast. Cold, too. My peas are up and the beans are starting - but oh my! It's cold in the garden. I just returned from our home-away-from-home in sunny Scottsdale and it is spring in the desert, too. Different though. Very different. How? Glad you asked.

Sunny.
Dry.
Blue, blue sky.
Hot.

Did I mention sunny?

One of my favourite trees around the pool at our complex in Scottsdale. See that sky? Blue.

Lots to see and do, too. If you're inclined. Mostly, I was reclined - by the pool. Because it was hot. Did I mention hot?

Here we are on a tour of Taliesen West - Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home/studio/school.
See how everyone is clustered into that litlle wee patch of shade? Because it is hot. And sunny.
(The elegant looking woman in the white hat is my mother-in-law. How does she do it? Elegant in shorts and a shirt.)

Here is what we are all looking at. Taliesen West. See that sky? Still blue.

Of course it wasn't all fun and games. We had to paint the condo. Well, Painter-Don did. I was busy. By the pool.

Here's Painter-Don waving to all you blog readers. Is he sweating?
He should get by the pool! ....it's hot.

And did I mention sunny? It's sunny, too.

Here I am. By the pool. I can't figure out why I am so happy looking.
Oh yes. I'm by the pool. It's hot. And sunny.

Home is Where the Spa Is.

I love a spa.

I also love a good manicure, pedicure, body buff and facial.
Also candlelight.
Calming music.
Essential oils (geranium and lavender - yum!).
Fluffy towels.
Bubble bath.
A good book.
My nightie.
And space...

Five Steps to a Perfect Day Spa - without leaving home!


1. Take the space:
I chose my bedroom and bathroom to turn into a private sanctuary for one afternoon. 

Tidy up. Clear out the clutter. Close the blinds. Turn off the phone. Shut the door on the outer world and say hello to your inner world. Light a candle. The world can spare you for one afternoon. Hello.

Hello, inner world.

2. Pick a theme:
Choose a contemplative theme - and transform your space (in my case the edge of the tub) with beautiful objects you love to look at. The kind that make your eyes happy just to land on them. Add something to symbolize your theme.

Imagine Peace

3. Create the atmosphere:
Treat all your senses - sight, sound, smell. Select your favourite bubble bath or essential oils. Find some calming music, load it onto your iPad, iPod, or stereo. Let the music take you inward as you relax. Listen. You'll hear something remarkable. You.

I hear you. 

4. Assemble your supplies:
Check that you have everything you might need handy, so that you have no reason to break the spa-spell.  Fluffy towels. Check. Tea. Check. Manicure set. Check. Two uninterrupted hours. Check. Fluffy robe. Check. Favourite colour of nail polish. Check. Fluffy little cotton balls. Check. Book. (Checkbook not needed - you're home! It's free!)

Manicure-in-a-basket. Magic.

5. Indulge.
Thoroughly. Slowly. Completely. And don't emerge until you're done. See you in two hours. Maybe three.

See you later. Much later.

Here is Something I Like

Very neighbourly italian soap.

I arrived home today from a glorious riverside walk and a trip to the local nursery to see my neighbour hurrying out her door holding a beautiful Italian soap in her hand and and offering it to me. It was a 'thank you' from her for the loan of my trusty hole-punch. (Yes - I am the kind of neighbour who has innumerable odd tools on hand ... the result of many interests and a commitment to ongoing moodling).

She is in the throes of making giant playing cards as costumes for an 'Alice in Wonderland' themed gala fundraiser, and needed the hole-punch to, well, ----- punch holes. The offer of the soap included a tour of the costumes which are brilliant in their design and simplicity, along with a glimpse into her cushion-festooned living room where she is producing 'lounge-seating' for the gala, home-factory style.  I am in just plain wonderland at my good fortune in having such warm and generous neighbours! And fine soap is my one weakness and something I really, really like.

The Friends of Facebook Love Song Jamboree

Last week, inspired by a post from the Vancouver Observer, I asked my Facebook friends to post their favourite love songs in time for Valentine's Day.  I kicked off the request by posting two of my faves, "Dance Me to the End of Love" and "I'm Your Man" by the inimitable Leonard Cohen, who some say sounds like a week of hard road, but whose dark, gravelly forest of a voice gives me shivers (the good kind) and whose poetry simply breaks me open.

I admit it. I have a weakness for love. I prefer it to a lot of other things. Too many to name. So, in honour of Saint Valentines Day, I am posting my official Friends of Facebook Love Song Jamboree.   I offer it with a wide-open heart and a million thanks for sharing these intimate, haunting, romantic, beautiful, tender, evocative and even quirky-charming tunes. The VERY BEST part of putting together the playlist is the glimpse it's given me into the romantic musical preferences of my Facebook community. As I listen to the songs (pretty much daily since I started building the list) I find myself fondly connecting the song to the sender, and in true Valentine's spirit, getting the message.

My heart has swelled, my eyes have brimmed, and my poetic little soul has been wailing "At Last" in true Etta James style, as I connect to my deep, abiding, and often neglected, love of spoken word, poetics and lyrical renderings.

I am poet. Hear me roar.

Your songs and postings stirred a voice within me. I hear it whisper (in a voice not unlike Leonard's)...
"Be Mine".

Please visit the page Love Song Jamboree to see the Valentine's playlist. then visit iTunes and create a list for yourself.  Spend some time playing it for that special someone. You.

Something Beautiful Every Day

Hubby and I took an overnight trip up the North side of the Fraser River on the last weekend of January.  Usually a damp, murky time of year here in the Pacific Northwest, this one turned out to be unusually cold and clear. We were headed for the healing mineral pools of Harrison Hot Springs resort, so we couldn't have asked for more cooperative weather gods.

There is nothing quite as satisfying as steeping aching middle-aged bones in a steamy outdoor hot pool while the air around you is crisp and bright. Unless of course, it is following that with side-by-side massages (which, we did - of course!).

Following our self-care sojourn at the spa baths, we meandered homeward along icy side routes and were absolutely captivated by roadside waterfalls turned to ice, covering branches and bushes and clinging to the cliffsides. Such a rare and beautiful site in this part of BC, I just had to share it with you!

Icy fingers point us homeward

Ice whiskers on the granite

Crystal  branches and moss.

A Perfect Sunday: Visiting Fort Langley

On a recent weekend, my hubby promised me a blog-worthy outing that would allow me to indulge in some of my favourite idle pursuits. Walking, daydreaming, picture-taking...all at the contented slow-mo pace that suits me best when chores are done, work is tucked safely away for the weekend and the pantry is stocked with endless possibilities for meal-making. Yes, I'm talking Sunday. A sunny one at that!

So, on a beautiful October Sunday we crossed to South side of the Fraser River and meandered throught the countryside to the Salmon River Trail. A modest walk along the riverbank through grassy fields, scrubby bushes and cottonwoods that leads to historic Fort Langley. Fort Langley is a dreamy little village chock-a-block with heritage buildings, antique stores, tea shops, galleries and, of course, a 19th century fort - one of the first on the Canadian west coast.

On this particular Sunday, we didn't visit the fort itself (well worth a Sunday afternoon of it's own and a great spot to take visitors). Our first stop was at a roadside stand to buy some tiny sugar pumpkins. Oh, I love these pumpkins! So cute, so round, so jolly! They are my one weakness, and I emptied my wallet of loonies and bundled an armful into the car.

Our next stop was the Salmon River Trail, where we stood and watched the water snake toward the Fraser. A truly idyllic little waterway, and easy to imagine long-ago picnics on its banks or berry-picking children splashing among the bushes.

The trail took us to the banks of the Fraser - it forks around McMillan Island, and we followed the South Fork - greeting other couples, annoying the cyclists and generally dawdling and stopping to discuss and photograph whatever caught our imaginations.

A boat lazily navigates the Fraser.

The church on McMillan Island

Cottonwoods against the blue, blue, sky.

Once we got into Fort Langley proper we browsed through gift shops, admired antiques and stopped to read plaques and markers. Time stretched in such a luxurious way on this particular afternoon that we were not surprised to find ourselves at the perfect time in the perfect place - teatime at Tracycakes! We stopped for tea, cranberry scones and cucumber sandwiches - Tracycakes is a sweet little cupcake house where our bill was presented on a silver tray accompanied by inspirational sayings for us to take home. Tea, cupcakes, and inspiration. My kind of place! (not to mention the very clever black & white decor).

Antiques and collectibles line the sidewalks.







A plaque commemorating...something. (It was really interesting at the time!)

 

A classy touch at Tracycakes.



Pumpkin, bench, pig.
  

Fully satisfied by our afternoon tea, we took to the other side of the main street, peeked in a few more windows, bought some cozy early Christmas pajamas for me and then wandered back along the trail to our waiting car. On the way home we spotted a shameless cranberry bog displaying its redness in the almost-twilight. I wasn't the only picture-taker gobsmacked by the scene.

Cranberries are a many-splendoured thing...

Patience on the bog...

We arrived home full of fresh air, happy weariness and Devon cream. Some time later, I snuggled into my new PJs, warmed up a most delicious mushroom tart and turned on an episode of Doc Martin. Our perfect Sunday turned into a perfectly contented Sunday night. All within twenty minutes of home. *Sigh*

Visit them online:

Historic Fort Langley
Tracycakes
Doc Martin on Wikipedia

Eat Play Snooze

Southwestern BC is in the midst of  a heat wave and I, for one, am enjoying sweltering it out in weather that reminds me of childhood summers. I come from the Kootenays where summers are hot, winters are snowy and spring and fall are seasons of their own. Even though I have lived most of my adult life at the West Coast, I have always found it a little unnatural to pack a  sweater around in summertime and to be chilly sitting outside on a midsummer night. So, I'm loving the heat and especially loving the summer lifestyle. The temperature in the Fraser Valley went up to a whopping 39 degrees on Sunday so we sought shelter under some big, leafy trees and enjoyed a breeze from the river and a potluck birthday picnic with friends. Here are some  summer scenes:

Time to eat: A big umbrella keeps the food shaded. A blanket buffet!

Potatoe Salad, BBQ chicken, hard-boiled eggs and pretty plates. Netting keeps the flies away.

Something to read...or perhaps nap.

My summer feet - dirty ones, just like the ones I had when I was a kid.

Some pretty summer feet - birthday girl and birthday presents.

Birthday cheesecake, hand made table(ground)cloth, summer roses in a jam jar.

This was a day of lingering contentment. Time spent with friends - talking, playing bocce, napping, reading newspapers and much good eating. Our theme: Eat, Play, Snooze.

Next month: an autumn picnic - featuring sweaters, campstoves and barnesgirl's percolated coffee!