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on hopes

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This isn’t a popular opinion, but secretly I think things are going to work out. – storypeople

This contracted world of ours has given me a new perspective on what I love: the people in my life.  I miss seeing friends, but our little nucleus has grown stronger.  The pandemic made us pare back, slow down and re-examine life.  I’m glad for the walks, the laughs, and the time to think.  I’m glad that the impact of the pandemic is mostly abstract to us.  It’s given me time to connect with family to make photo books and keep traditions alive.  It’s given me time with the kids at a time in their lives when they would be too busy to be around the house.  I’m grateful for that.  And it’s given me an opportunity to be out in nature and I love that.

 

favourite day

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“Any day spent with you is my favourite day” ~ Pooh

A house full of laughter, celebration and new life. We met the Yama family at their holiday gathering. Baby E was just a few days old and the love in everyone’s eyes was so sweet. At the end of the day, we felt like we were part of the family too.













loved

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“You were made perfectly to be loved – and surely I have loved you, in the idea of you, my whole life long” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Isn’t life sometimes funny?  Andrea and I planned to venture out and photograph her and baby P for a few weeks before we were finally able to.  It was just the most perfect and warm day and we spent a lovely afternoon together talking about baby P’s
arrival.  What we didn’t know was that she would be there two days later.  Just when you plan for things, life just has a funny way of working itself out…

delicious

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Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious

– Ruth Reichl

As a self-proclaimed foodie, my heart jumped when I was sent to photograph tacos for this worthwhile cause.  I read about Urbanicity Magazine’s Taco de Mayo campaign last year.  This year, I had the awesome privilege of seeing all of the tacos in person.  I sampled quite a few as well – perks of the job, right?  Hats off to the chefs whose imaginative creations are being enjoyed across the city of Hamilton.  We are lucky to have such creative and diverse souls as you.  I hope you enjoy some of their creations and vote for your favourite Taco de Mayo taco in town!

Kathy

less is more | less is now

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Ever feel like life takes you on a treadmill, where the speed is a bit random? Sometimes it speeds up where you cannot keep up and start running, and sometimes you can manage at a nice brisk walking pace. That’s what the latter part of 2017 felt like for me. With having a few days off before the holidays, I planned to have a few lot of things completed around the house. It didn’t happen as I was exhausted.  I did some thinking instead about what I want to do in 2018 that will be different than 2017. Our lives are crammed with joyful and stressful things all at once. Some we have a say in and lots we do not. I’m thinking about the ones that we do. About the committments that we make without realizing the impact. About the to-do lists and plans and what is actually accomplish-able. We need down time, but our lives don’t have down time built in.

2018 will bring my fortieth birthday. When I turned thirty, I had a rough year, even though in the end it was one of the best years ever. Ten years later, I see the year before me and I am filled with hope. Love my peeps and my life.

My sister is following in Cait Flanders’ footsteps and is going with a 2018 shopping ban.  I am joining her in a moratorium on mindless shopping.  I just don’t like the word ‘ban.’

I’ve also been thinking about our impact on the environment, and some of my 2018 plans involve minimizing what I have to throw away.  Here are my stream of consciousness 2018 goals:

  • Get outside everyday and follow Dakota and Pepper’s lead
  • Take a photo most days and post it.
  • Finish a 31 day minimalist challenge
  • Keep only what is useful or beautiful
  • Plan lunches 4/5 days of the work week
  • Dinners in.  Get the kids in the cooking rotation
  • Shop for groceries once a week
  • Divert all plastic bags and wrap from landfill
  • Eliminate most boxed foods and snacks
  • Get a weekly Mustard Seed basket
  • Save restaurant meals for a special time once a month
  • Do not buy any furniture or home accessories in 2018
  • Revitalize the emergency fund and save two months’ expenses
  • Slay the car loan
  • Pay for a credit card purchase the same day
  • Visit Copenhagen and the East Coast

I will try to check in every month or so, and see how things are doing.  Hope your 2018 feels as fresh and lovely as mine!

 

whole

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Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
~ Rodger A. Caras

I grumbled about the dog hair dust bunnies and wet paw prints on freshly washed floors. I complained about picking up dog poop, though that was the kids’ job. I thoroughly enjoyed taking the dogs up for a walk, not minding the leash, or anything else, and knowing that they would follow. I did not realize that losing both of our family dogs nearly at the same time would leave such a gaping wound in our hearts. Charlie and Sagey, we will miss you and your waggy tails, your dog smiles and the devotion you showed us year after year. Our little family grew up with you, after all. Hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying water and loving on each other, just as you did home. We are better people for having had you in our lives. We will always remember how you loved to sleep ‘wheels up’ and how you somehow did not realize you were not a lap dog. How the compost bin, and sandwiches were never safe around you Sagey, and how you were a sucker for popcorn, Charlie. We are hurting because you are gone, but you will not be forgotten.








home

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I’m not here to keep you from places you feel you need to go, she said. When you’re ready, I’m here to remind you of the way home.
~ storypeople

My wish for my kids is that they have the same freedom that I had while growing up. The freedom to explore, knowing that there was a home base to come back to. Parents who would do anything to help, whether it was standing up to an injustice in a principal’s office, to saying ‘yes’ to a solo trip to Italy. At 20. Parents who never quashed dreams, no matter how far fetched they seemed. Hope you had a chance to spend some time with your loved ones this weekend. It’s not so much about the day for me, but about being together, taking a photo or two, and thinking of the love in the room. Here’s to wings, bucket lists, and dreams. Take care,

Kathy

the making of fun

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We didn’t realise we were making memories, we were just having fun ~ Winnie the Pooh

We met at Lowville Park after looking at a few different spots for family photos.  Shannon and Mark’s boys tumbled out of the family car all at once and a bit slowly at the same time…it took a little bit for GiGi, the littlest member of the brood to get going – there may have been a bit of a nap just before they got there.  We met on a daylight savings time change day, we all felt a bit ‘behind.’  After a round of greetings, everyone helped to carry the bits and bobs that come with a family photo session.  The boys, especially, wanted to help carry the stools, blankets, and even tripod (which was just about their size).

Our time together was spent enjoying the unexpected warmth of a late fall day.  We chatted, bonded over a shared love of strong architectural lines, and laughed a lot about bubble butts.  Zachary gave GQ a run for its money with some serious shots and you could see how proud he makes his Mom.  His younger cousins clearly look up to him and it showed when they played a rousing game of leaf-tag/leaf-roll.

Paul and Marlene traveled from Guelph to join the family photos and there were smiles when we talked about their 48-years of marriage and love.  They even trusted me when I asked them to lovingly gaze at each other.

It was a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope that your photos reflect the spirit and love I saw between you that day.

Kathy



wander

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She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in.
~Kate Chopin

I love it when there’s no destination or a point to a jaunt and gems are found along the way. Patchy rust and nature trying to take over make my heart sing. I found these last weekend, as I meandered along the back roads traveling from a lovely evening spent with family who are not just family, but who are also friends.

Today, we set out with Sis to walk Ottawa Street and ended up checking out the Spring Bulb Show at the Tropical Greenhouse at Gage Park. We jaunted there just about a year ago, and it was just as cold this time as it was then, but the flowers made us hope that spring hurries up and joins us soon.

We also spent some time planning the upcoming getaway to warmth and got a bit of shopping done too. We ended up at the Bruce Trail hidden gem of a house foundation, which is just about five minutes from where I live. I have driven by it many times, and have even checked it out briefly once, but this was a more thorough look and worth the walk and making it past fellow explorers with a bit of an overzealous dog. I would like to find out some of the history of this homestead – it looks like it was one of the original settlements in the area. The view would have been amazing back then, stretching over Hamilton and over the harbour without the highways below. When I closed my eyes, I could see the rolling hills, farm fields and orchards of then.

Hope your weekends have a bit of the wander in them – I cannot believe that a quarter of the year is almost gone by!
Kathy

lovely

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How lovely is the silence of growing things? ~unknown

Ever go to a place that is close to the city but feels like a million miles away?  I have lived here for many years and have not had the pleasure of exploring Liuna Gardens until earlier this summer, when I took part in their 2016 open house.  What a perfect evening to stroll the grounds, camera in hand.  Such a feeling of lushness, if you will, and serenity.  So much scope for the imagination.  I hope the couples who celebrate their wedding day at Liuna Gardens get to experience a few quiet moments against the background of the greenery, just for themselves.  Enjoy my view of the gardens – hope to see you there soon.

The lovely lakefront installation featuring the ‘love’ sign was prepared by Ettridges the Studio – how awesome would it be to be married under the canopy and the setting sun?

Kathy

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