Thursday 19 December 2019

Marking Virgin Snow


It might not look like it but the RP's and I are the first ones here!
It has always astonished me how much one car, one human
and two Rusty Pups can disturb the ground they move upon.

One of the joys of early morning walks on virgin snow
is the visual proof of who has been there before me.
The Rusty Pups know all year long
with their noses to the ground.


rabbits live here


squirrels live here


A tiny jumper of some sort?


Bobcats live here


Mice headed for shelter before we got here.


If one takes too long to get a shot of new footprints
Rusty Pups come rushing over to help
and of course destroy any chance of a photo!


Wherever one goes....


 ....the other is bound to follow.


And finally remembering
the Beaver footprints from last year.
Huge aren't they!

Knowing that these creatures share this land with us
fills my soul with joy.

I hope you have a joy filled day.

Tuesday 17 December 2019

Moving Toward Year's End

Beaver Moon Dreaming
Still in progress but moving along


Thinking that they live in a watery world....
....I'm stitching swirls around the edges.
Sometimes those swirls break through stick walls
for I also know there is danger beyond their refuge.


Peace and companionship resides inside their lodge.
They even allow muskrats to share their home in Winter.


I am enjoying this stage of adding
and sometimes removing....


....as I work through my encounters with our local beavers
and the fact that they are no longer close by
because the bobcats and coyotes think they are delicious.
I miss them and the simple joy of 
finding their footprints
and worn paths on our early morning walks.
But they will surely be back in a year or two
to build up a new community.


As Winter Settles in and the New Year fast approaches
I have to admit I am no longer a 'winter person'
but I do love sunrise any time of year.


And walking with my Rusty Pup youngsters
is always a joyful adventure.


What a world we live in!


The RP's know exactly where every wild apple tree is in these woods
They think the rotten frozen windfalls are delicious!
Have to say I will be glad when the snow is too deep!


Snow snuffling
to see who is hiding beneath the brambles.
Could be a bobcat or a mouse
a snowshoe hare or perhaps a pheasant.
But the pheasant would have made his noisy escape
way before we arrived here!

Anyhoo, RP Ginger says
enjoy your day!

Tuesday 26 November 2019

Walking on Stoney Ground


Walking on Stoney Ground
Stoney ground makes no difference to Rusty Pups


Who just stream over rocks of every size


I, on the other hand, have started using a hiking stick
to steady me over rough stoney ground.
My stick is just a tree branch but it sees me through.


This piece I thought was finished months ago
but sometimes a piece has more to say
and so I have added to it and renamed it.
Is a piece ever really finished?


Our morning walk beneath heavy laden skies
had the Rusty Pups blending with 
the beautiful rusty marsh grasses
that disappear under the sea at high tide around here.

Sunday 24 November 2019

Surrounded by Works in Progress



Beaver Moon Dreaming
Found a few hours to stitch a few more sticks
into my Beaver damn remembering our Springtime adventures
trying to discourage a family of beautiful Beavers from
moving into our tiny pond
which would have ended up occupying our entire
eight acres had we not persisted 
every morning with dismantling the three dams
they would build every night!


This is how most of my work begins
An encounter with Mother Nature
Something that has affected me deeply
no matter the size or significance.


The Rusty Pups and I walk at the crack of dawn
Just as the day is becoming a work in progress
We walk down a meadow towards the rising Sun
and into woods that I have named the Soggy Bottom Woods.
Beware anyone who doesn't wear 'wellies' along this wet and muddy path!


As we enter the Soggy Bottom Woods
I can look back over my shoulder and catch sight of the moon
as it fades and falls towards the West.


And here's our four legged pair of works in progress
who have recently discovered the bay window in the kitchen
is a perfect place to view all comings and goings.
It is hard to believe they are only seven months old!


Sunday 20 October 2019

Walking on Stoney Ground Again


Yes, working with stones again


Stones sitting on stoney ground


We walk gravelly paths every day
the Rusty Pups and I


Young pups just fly over any rocky impediments
I, on the other hand, at my silver-haired age
have to carefully navigate my way over such obstructions!


Working with needle and thread is a commitment in time
It is like bringing up and loving a child
It all takes time but not only time
It takes love and patience


Loving the back as well as the front
Loving the mistakes as well as the perfection!


And so it flows


The colours of nature are sheer perfection
At this time of year here we get final burst of colour
Winter will bring whites and greys and soft blues
and happily Spring will bring us young greens and bright daffodil yellows.


 The Rusty Pups don't care what colour anything is
They just want to smell it....
 and eat it if we let them!



Sunday 13 October 2019

Sleeping Circles


Curling up into circles after a long walk
is a good thing to do


 Fixing a puppy bed circle
They take great delight in ripping out the stuffing
Fixing it was an hour I'll never get back!
Duct tape next time?
I reckon puppies would win over mighty duct tape!


Sometimes we prefer a semi-circle


I've found snippets of time to work on my beaver dam spiral


Working out how to best express the feeling of
water flowing through it.


Before I decide there will be some unpicking I expect
Always part of my process


Blending into autumn's woodland


Sniffing early morning smells


Not a circle
Nor a semi-circle
Just a bend in the road


The Solomon's Seal looking very yellow on a misty misty morning


 Leading the way back home
along an avenue of brambles.

Happy Thanksgiving to too of us in Canada.
We have so much to be grateful for

One generous person unknown to me
has been mowing the top of the dyke all summer long
Thank you for that.
It has made walking so much easier!