Tag: Live

This Old Barn

There is something deeply nostalgic about old farm houses and barns.

From the moment you see their neglected lane-ways, now covered with wild grass and weeds with only a hint of the paths that lead the family home each day…to that next moment, as your eyes are drawn to the byres and ranches that have long since been forgotten.

That feeling of wistfulness for a place that I never knew….

I can imagine when this place was full of life….

Hard working families and children with chores, who have risen with the first sign of dawn to tend to their animals and fields of plenty. 

The family dog dutifully next to his master as he watches over his homestead, hands calloused, skin weathered and darkened through season after season, year after year of hardships and elation for the masterpiece of existence he has created.

I can imagine the home fires burning, smoke billowing out of stone hearth chimneys, dinner on the table as mama, the matriarch, calls her family home to her.

The laughter, telling of stories and adventures, everyone eager for their chance to share the happenings of their day, as the food that was harvested by the hands of the family is passed from one to another.

I can imagine as the children grew and began to pull from the roots that once grounded them, on to other quests, the draw of the city, the dream of something bigger or just different. 

Their aging parents slowly letting pieces of their homestead whither and age in time with themselves. The animals and fields either passed on or sold off, the homestead no longer a homestead.

The barns have aged, sun, rain and years of weather have transformed them into productions of art. Stunning reminders of what they once were.  Nature taking them back to the land  

This Old Barn

Thank you for reading

Live Love & Laugh

Catherine

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

A Special Place I Call Home

A Special Place I Call Home

My special place, that I call home, for when I am there I feel more at home then anywhere.  I am far from family and friends, surrounded by strangers that do not seem strange or distant at all, but rather like long lost kin folk that I am sure my past spirits have known.

My special place that I call home where eagles soar in such abundance that I sit in awe and disbelief to be so blessed to live among them   Their calls to one another from tree top to tree top or the power of their wings as they fly at breakneck speed to pluck their prey from the sea.

My special place that I call home, watching shore birds do their rhythmic dance, sheets of white moving and flowing so in sync with one another, their reason for their frolic or the purpose to their moves I am not aware but I can imagine the timing of their dance with a symphony of music

My special place that I call home, staring out into the sea waiting for a glimpse of the mighty Orca,  but just as excited to see sea otters, seals and sea lions. I love the bark of the sea lion, sounding so grumpy as they roll along through the tides but having such silly grins on their faces.  as if they are amused at something only they can see.

My special place that I call home, following deer tracks as they show their path from bush to shoreline and back again. Perhaps they too like to watch the sunrise and sunset to reflect on their day as it ends and their morning as a new one begins.  

Waking and sleeping to the sounds of the waves, 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

from raging  pounding surf to calm lapping waters, the sounds lulling you to slumber but then rousing you with anticipation.

Every day, every moment something to see, to believe in, to remind me to live to breath to love to laugh.

My Special Place

Thank you for reading Live Love Laugh,

Catherine Deslippe

Find Something Amazing to Talk about

I had a friend recently send me a message asking why he had not seen any recent stories from me.  I never answered Joe’s message, for the same reason I have not written.   I just have not had much to say.  Thank you, Joe, for reminding me to stop and write.

And perhaps it took today and spending it with my dear friend Lorraine to remind me that it is the little things that do matter.

And while the whole world seems to be teetering on the edge of a something drastic waiting to happen there is something amazing in everyday to talk about.

Today was amazing because in the midst of a sunny day, black clouds and a storm tumbled in but then in mere minutes it was gone and the blue skies opened up again.  So, similar to life that it was impossible not to make the comparisons

Today was amazing because our secret spot for watching Eagles did not let us down and hundreds of this majestic bird soared over ahead.  To have them so close to you, you can hear their flapping winds and the power in their soar.

Did you know that a group of Eagles is called a “Convocation” or “Brood”?   Strange as “Convocation” also means a large gathering of people brought together for an assembly. And the word “Brood” can also mean, to think deeply about something that makes one unhappy. No idea how they came to be associated with the Eagles I think they deserve something more stately then these two words to describe them.

Today was amazing because on our travels we noticed a hawk on a sign post, so we pulled over to marvel in it’s beauty.  The hawk trusted Lorraine so much that she was able to get within a few feet of the bird with nothing more then curious stares between the two of them.

Today was amazing because we saw Colonies of Herons working together to build their nests. Handing the other pieces of grass and leaves from beak to beak, to make just the right home for their young.  Did you know that a group of Herons is called a “Siege” Strange yet again because “Siege” can mean a prolonged period of misfortune, police or military action?  Who named these things?

Today was amazing because among the chaos of hectic work days, imposing winter storms that won’t let up, haggard and tired people that are mad at everyone, today it was sunny and the sun warmed every part of my being and reminded me that life is truly amazing.

Inspired to write again,

Catherine

I have included the link to Lorraine’s Photography Blog you may want to check it out to get a glimpse of the world through her lens   Beauty in photos

 

 

 

Snow in the City

Snow in the city…. It doesn’t happen often but when it does you need to grasp the moment

Looking out the windows I am flooded with memories of childhood and the wonders of snow.  The wide eye excitement of getting dressed and rushing outdoors, mothers calling in the distance be careful, wear your hats, be home before dark.

I was drawn to the outdoors this morning to relive parts of those memories and to create new ones reminiscent of this time in my life.

The city so still, grounded to a halt by snow. Cars and roads covered in a  thick  quilt of white and fast falling snowflakes, this morning was perfect

The city looks abandoned, as if some strange phenomenon has taken most the population and the few that you do meet are different,  they are happy, giddy and exuberant just by being in the snow. Shouts of good morning, happy holidays, Merry Christmas have replaced the angry or non-existent chatter of normal city life

The excitement of being the first to lay footprints on patches of new snow, as if we have claimed this land for the first time.  Making snow angles and snowman with Maggie jumping around laughing and smiling, the two of us being child-like again.

As the morning draws on and the skies get brighter our world looks a bit different, more people have emerged and the cars are starting to come to life.

Our moment of morning snow bliss has come to  end with new memories of this life, this day and reminders of the past we trudge home to tired from play and happy for the moments

Our city,  our snow, our story

Catherine & Maggie

 

Taking a chance on the sun

The weather called for all day showers but Maggie and I had other plans so we demanded the sun to shine ….

 We saw a sliver of light on the horizon, our sign the universe had listened 

 While everyone was tucked away preparing for the expected wet day, we ventured out and were blessed with glorious moments 

 We saw rays hope and stole the moment …. we chased and followed the sun 

 Today was about merriment and marvel, it was about being silly and finding quiet 

 A great day to recharge, re energize and enjoy time my companion, my Maggie, my friend 

 To being silly and to finding the sun

 My Saturday, my Maggie, my story

Catherine

 

Is it Haunted here?

Is it Haunted here?  It opened in 1904 and was revered at the time as the asylum for the mentally and criminally insane. As medicine and research evolved over the years the name and the direction of the Riverview institute transformed into hospital that specialized in mental health issues, until it closed in 2012  

Let me take you back to the 1900″s.  Imagine this place perched high on a mountain side. With trees of all species that have never been logged, that have been here since birth. Such history in the pristine and raw forest.  Such strong forces of energy still at play all these year’s later

 Now imagine, still standing but crumbling, some of the original buildings that housed some of the most mentally ill people that were cast out from society

Witchery and barbaric methods thousands upon thousands of misfitted people locked away behind bars longing to touch what only their eyes beheld them through their windows

As I walk amongst the buildings, windows still barred holding in the spirits that walked the halls. I imagine the hand prints on grimy moss covered windows and the echoes of their screams and laughter as they struggled in their existence

This place is magical but eerie and haunting…. hairs stand on end as you peak through an open window to halls of emptiness but beauty in the building remains

Then out of nowhere a crack of thunder so loud we jump with fright followed by hard rains that send us the message we have over stayed our welcome move on now let us rest in the peace that we had longed for

My spooky Halloween 

Catherine

 

 

How to capture the wind


How do capture the wind in a photo in an expression or even in words, how do I share the experience of this day?

 The amazing effect of the wind as it rustles through the forest. The sweet whispers the wind makes at it passes over the leaves. 

 How do you capture the smells that the wind carries along with it?  The early aroma of fallen leaves or a wood fire somewhere off in the distance conjuring of memories of a lifetime ago.

 I breathe deep trying to capture as much of the amazing smells as I can. And with each breath a deep exhale and brief pause about where we find ourselves in life.

 How to capture the look of the wind, the way the leaves appear to be reaching as they hang on with all their might to the tree that had given them birth. Or the new sapling that is bending over under the strain of the breeze as it passes over it. I wonder if will stand strong enough to sustain the coming winter and will grow tall alongside its siblings 

 How to capture the sheer joy, the sadness and the emotion that waves over me again and again with each new pulse of wind 

 My day, my wind,  my story …..

 Catherine

The draw of the ocean

DSC_3886

Watching the ocean hour of hour how quickly the time passes.  I thought it was mere minutes but realized I had lost track of time 

Mesmerizing ……..with each new gust of wind the patterns on the water change from calm to stormy…. from small ripples to large rolling waves . The ocean looks like a painter had a hand in its creative beauty with varying lines of colour.

Scanning looking from the shoreline then out to the horizon where mountain meets sea meets sky and then back to shore again.

In deep thoughts of what lies beneath the ocean that I see.  A family of otters, seals and their pups diving deep for the oceans bounty I have been blessed to witness and watch

A pod of orca fishing for food their spouts of water shooting up on the air, the echoing sound as they pause for a breath of air before diving down deep again  for their bounty beneath the sea .

All at arm’s length from my shore to my sea.

I will miss this place my summer get away. I will dream, I will plan and I will envision a life here one day for to dream it is to make it happen

Thank you for reading Live Love and Laugh

Catherine

 

Laundry – Back to My Roots

First rocks and now laundry…. Do you get a sense I have been in need for the simpler things in life?

The morning here is slightly overcast. The sun and the ocean marine layer are fighting with each other for space in the sky.  For now the marine layer wins out and the winds toss around a fine mist so gentle you wonder if it is mist at all.

Saturday morning laundry is one of the chores we did as children and it was one of my favorite ones.  I simply love laundry.  I love the idea of the dirty clothes going in and then coming out with that clean smell (all natural lavender and rosemary soap of course).   The aromatic smell of clean clothes awe…….

Today,  just like when I was a child I get to hang my laundry outside.  Back then, way back then I used to wait in anticipation for the washer to finish anxious to get the clothes on line. Today was that day, the one that took me back to those moments.

Try to imagine a breeze blowing off the ocean the shorebirds and seagulls calling out to one another, the winds rustling through the trees and me hanging sweet smelling laundry just like my mom taught me

I took my time hanging everything just right so that it would dry with that crisp outside feeling, wishing that I had more to wash, more to hang and more moments like this in my life.

I think if there is a heaven this moment, this feeling must be part of it,

Thank you for reading and being part of my journey

Catherine

 

 

 

Ocean Rocks- Relaxation Therapy

My fascination with ocean rocks may bore some, but can keep me fascinated for hours.

My attempt  at building  rock formations  fails  in comparison to most , but even my feeble attempts  bring me to a place of solace and calm as I  try to get one rock to connect to another. Teetering and close to falling but yet hanging on with a slight touch of my hand.

The elation when the rock structure holds and the big awe when they tumble down.

Searching for just the right rock in a seashore that is made up only of rocks is part the fun, just the right shape and size for the base of the structure, different weights and shapes, allow the minutes to pass over me like the waves hitting the shore. With each new find and new wave a little less stress and a lot more calm

I am amazed at how each rock holds a different colour , pattern or texture and how years and years of being tossed around in the salty ocean have formed what they have become and will become.

How different they look as the tide comes to take them away.  Now immersed in water their colours patterns and true personalities emerge.

Thousands and thousands of rocks each with their own story

And just as I finish my rock art,   a seal swims by, pops it head up to take a look at what I am convinced is admiration of my work

My therapy today
Thank you for reading as I journey through Life, Love and Laughter

Catherine

%d bloggers like this: