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~ For people who are passionate about respecting the earth, walking in nature, observing wildlife, local diet, making do, repurposing, organic gardening, foraging for wild plants and fungi, natural health, scrumptious healthy cooking, renovations, DIY, crafting, raising children simply and mindfully, taking time for stillness, and living in harmony with the seasons.

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Tag Archives: snow

a few moments in mid-April…

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons

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April, easter wreath, hiking, icicles, snow, snowdrops, spring

Today, I thought I’d take time to appreciate the changing seasons and share some photographs taken around the cabin over the past few days…

As you can see, winter is still hanging on. We received a lot of snow over the weekend and as the temperatures stayed just below freezing, it didn’t just melt away.

Here is a dark-eyed junco (below). Junco’s are part of the sparrow family and they are just returning from spending the winter in a warmer climate.

This is the only time of year that I brush Lucy’s fur as she does not shed very much (until now). Usually all of her time rolling in snow, swimming in deep water and running through tall grass keeps her fur fresh and clean. In April, I put the balls of dog fur in the suet feeders for the birds to gather for their nests.

Exciting! Just yesterday I noticed the first snowdrops pushing up through the ground.

Cross country skis have been put away in exchange for hiking boots and poles. Spring is just around the corner!

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it’s beginning to look a lot like…. Christmas?

05 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons, Pigeon Lake

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April, Easter, snow, spring, spring-cleaning

So there I was yesterday, enjoying the reasonably warming temperatures so welcomed in April… In the mood for some spring-cleaning chores, I tidied and swept out the garage, then washed and vacuumed the interior of my truck. I kept eyeing the herb and tea garden in the front as it was entirely free of snow but as I had other projects to attend to, I decided to save it for another day. There was a spring in my step as I daydreamed about this year’s garden and all of the exciting plans we have for it…

Then… this morning, I awoke to THIS:

Actually, it’s all good! In central Alberta, Canada this is quite normal (we’ve even had snow in July in the past!) and I am happy for more moisture. I’ll start some seeds indoors soon and that will give me something to grow while I wait for the weather to catch up.

Happy Easter, everyone! Keep warm!

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saying goodbye to March…

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons

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Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpoll, Lucy, March, melting, ski trail, skiing, snow, spring

Note: I have been having a few issues with my internet connection these past few days. Please bear with me as I share this post from a few days ago!

It’s that in-between season again. That time when there is still lot of snow to ski on as long as you don’t mind walking or ‘portaging’ over patches of grass here and there! The days have been quite warm this week and certain areas of the cross country ski trails are getting narrower and narrower each day!

In the shady areas there is still a good snowpack to ski on!

Lucy is also enjoying the last days of snow to the fullest…

…rolling around in some invisible smell…

…ahhhhh….

…the good life!!!

When I returned home from the morning ski, this little redpoll was sitting in the driveway. I am wondering if it is a Hoary Redpoll (a rare species) or if it is a young Common Redpoll who hasn’t developed it’s chest colors yet…?

April is now here and soon it will be springtime. The days are longer and I am longing to plant seeds and get my hands dirty in the garden. It has been an enjoyable and cozy winter here at cabinorganic and I truly am enjoying these last few days of skiing for this season… However, I am ready for spring!

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a favorite winter poem

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

horse, poem, snow, snowy, stopping by woods, wagon, winter poem

I have had to be away away from the cabin unexpectedly these past few days and so have not been able to post. Having just got in late this evening, and with heavy snow in tonight’s forecast, I thought I would share one of my favorite winter poems. The picture above was taken at the Village on Pigeon Lake just a few weeks before Christmas.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost 

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

 

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

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gratitude for a quad, a plow and very helpful neighbors!

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons, cabin living

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clear driveway, deck, driveway, heavy snow, patio, plow, quad, shovel, snow, snowblower

My heart is overflowing with gratitude and let me tell you why. Do you remember the record amount of snow that we received last winter? Yes, my first winter here at the cabin was a gorgeous winter wonderland. However, there was one small challenge… I did not own a snowblower and although I do own a quad and a plow, at the time I did not have the ‘know-how’ to put the two together in a functional way. So last winter, I shoveled. Yes… by hand. There was a handful of times when my lovely neighbor, P, across the street swooped in with his snowblower to give me a hand on the heaviest snowfall days (or when I was away) but otherwise, I insisted on doing it myself.

I actually do enjoy shoveling. I use this large, light aluminum shovel (pictured below) which makes it easy to push snow around. I often lose myself in the chore and catch myself making dump truck noises. The other bonus is that shoveling keeps me in great shape (that and the daily cross country skiing).

This Autumn, my neighbors, B and his son M, who live just up the road, volunteered to come and attach the plow to the quad for me (pictured at the top of this post). They helped me charge the battery, put air in the tires and showed me how to check the oil. They even put a hitch on the back (one of their own that they were no longer using) so that I can now pull my trailer around on the property.

The first time I used the plow I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to plow the driveway, which is quite large. I even plowed the road leading to the back of the property and the wood-chopping area. Amazing!

As you can see below, I will still be getting a fantastic shoveling work out as I still have the walkway and large front deck to shovel by hand. There is also a large deck out back that I like to keep clear. However, now with the help of the quad, the task of clearing snow will not be so daunting on days like today when there is a significant snowfall. Welcome, snow!!! Bring it on!!!

I am so grateful for the neighborly help, from all of my neighbors who keep a eye on this girl and help me in so many different ways. I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such kind, thoughtful and knowledgeable people. In return, I look forward to finding ways that I can be of help to them as we continue to live our lives out here at the lake.

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paying attention to January

12 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons, be mindful

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

dog, dried grass, dried leaves, January, looking closely at nature, Lucy, mindfulness, seed pods, snow, winter photographs

It has been unseasonably warm this past week so I have happily been able to spend much more time outdoors. This has been a rare treat as I do miss the long hours of being fully immersed in the natural world. This week, while the temperatures were well above zero degrees (C), I couldn’t resist taking the camera out for a walk and taking time to once again, look closely at the profound beauty of our natural world.

Everything, a bird, a tree, a simple stone, and certainly a human being, is ultimately unknowable ~Eckhart Tolle

In his book, A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle writes about ‘mental labels’ and our human tendency to label objects around us. Once we know the ‘name’ of something, we immediately stop inquiring about it and, instead, we fall under the illusion that we know all there is to know about that object. This often prevents us from fully experiencing the awesome beauty, wonder and mystery of life.

The quicker you are in attaching verbal or mental labels to things, people, or situations, the more shallow and lifeless your reality becomes, and the more deadened you become to reality, the miracle of life that continuously unfolds within and around you. ~Eckhart Tolle

When you look at it or hold it and let it be without imposing a word or mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arrives within you.~Eckhart Tolle

The other day I was watching some birds at the feeder outside the window. As an exercise, I deliberately refrained from labeling anything. For example, instead of thinking: “That’s a bird sitting on a branch eating a berry…”, I reminded myself that everything is ultimately connected (We are One). To keep my mind busy, I thought, “That is Oneness, sitting on Oneness eating Oneness…” Looking at the bird in this way, and with a truly inquisitive mind, I was able to see it fresh and new, as though for the very first time. As I continued to observe and be fully open to the experience, the little bird suddenly cocked its head and I found this simple movement so profoundly beautiful that I began to weep.

To help me refrain from labeling and thus experience my reality more spontaneously and with wonder, I sometime focus on the experience of the ‘architecture’ or the texture of an object. Sometimes I use my imagination to try to experience the object as though I were the size of an ant…

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change. ~Bhudda

Nature has no desire to be anything than what it is. When you are able to experience nature unspoiled by human intervention, you can feel the depth of peace and harmony in its expression. You will be awed by the complex interworking of nature to support itself and to provide for a multitude of life. ~William Lovett

Nature has no beliefs or no reason to desire anything outside of itself. Nature has so much to teach us about simplicity in action. It is the awareness of unity consciousness that nature can teach if you can be open to it. Sit with nature whenever possible and let the silence become your experience. This silence is your portal to the awareness that you seek. When you can quiet the mind your connection to nature will develop. Your spirit and the unity that nature represents will dance together expanding your awareness more than ever before. ~William Lovett

I often find that it is when I remove my preconceived notions about what I expect to discover both in nature and in everyday life, that I immediately expand the scope of possibility from limited to limitless, and I become completely open to being surprised.

In nature there are no static and stable “things”; there are only ever-changing, ever-moving processes. Rain is a good example to illustrate this point. Though we use a noun called “rain” which appears to denote a “thing,” rain is nothing but the process of drops of water falling from the skies. Apart from this process, the activity of raining, there is no rain as such which could be expressed by a seemingly static nominal concept. The very elements of solidity(pathavi), liquidity (apo), heat (tejo) and mobility (vayo), recognized as the building material of nature, are all ever-changing phenomena. Even the most solid looking mountains and the very earth that supports everything on it are not beyond this inexorable law of change.~Lily de Silva

I couldn’t resist adding this irreverent picture of Lucy, engaged in what looks to be a highly enjoyable activity: paws straight up in the air, rolling in some pungent animal essence. This girl is my greatest teacher, daily demonstrating how to fully embrace life and live in the present moment each minute of the day. This teacher always knows how to put a smile on my face!

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Lucy in winter

29 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in Lucy

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

best friend, dig, dog, Lucy, roll, snow, walks

She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are her life, her love, her leader. She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion.~Unknown

Lucy is a fellow lover of winter and she is a joy to watch on each of our twice-daily walks. Each morning she wakes me with a cold, wet nose, anxious to start the day. I feed her and then she patiently waits while I sip hot water and eat some fruit. If I take too long she reminds me to get back on task by nosing me or putting her paws on my lap. As I dress for the walk, Lucy’s excitement builds and she begins to pace. Finally, I let her out the back door and watch as she leaps and bounds toward the woodshed with incredible grace and boundless joy.

Lucy truly is herself out here in the woods. She is comfortable, confident, respectful of other wildlife and completely aware of every sound, scent and movement. She stays reasonably close and often makes eye contact as a way of ‘checking in’.

Lucy loves to hunt for mice and it doesn’t take her long to dig deep holes in the snow with her large paws while following a scent.
It is amazing how deep she can go…!!!

I always love the moment when she pops her head back out.

Of course, like most dogs, she also loves rolling in the snow, picking up the scent of whatever was left behind by some other animal. I tease her and tell her that she’s ‘putting on her perfume’. Usually she smells quite sweet and clean when she rolls in the snow, but once in a while she’ll roll in something raunchy (like a dead frog in summer or coyote scat) and then I’m a little more reluctant to cuddle with her later!

Ahhhh…. pure ecstasy.. She actually acts drunk whenever she does this.

If I had to describe Lucy in one word, it would be ‘jaunty’. This next photo completely captures this in her…

During and after the walk, Lucy often tends to the ice balls that form in her large, beautiful paws.

And finally, home again. Lucy spends the rest of the morning on the front deck, snoozing, following the sun, and watching the world go by.

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cross country ski season officially begins!

15 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons, cabin living

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Tags

cross country ski, Lucy, skiing, snow, trail, winter, winter activities

Although the snow may look a little thin on the ground, for cross country skiers who have been waiting for months to snap on the skis, there is plenty of snow for skiing. This morning, breaking trail wasn’t too difficult as there was lots of ‘glide’ and I wasn’t ploughing through knee-deep snow. Also, hiking with poles twice a day this summer has really helped my skiing arms stay reasonably strong. As I skied, I couldn’t help but smile like a child rediscovering a favorite thing. I’ve always loved skiing and this trail is both beautiful and fun- with a few long ‘downhills’ to keep things fun and interesting (crazy on icy days)!

Plenty of snow… trust me! Looking behind…

Miss Lucy checking up on me. She is usually a little ways ahead of me and keeps busy hunting. She pauses regularly to look back and make eye contact with me before moving on further. If I stop for more than a few minutes she always comes barreling back to make sure I’m alright and see what is causing the hold-up. Then she’s off and running again…

…and now I’m off and skiing again as it is time for our evening walk/ski. Take care everyone!

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