I haven't posted for awhile because I've been a busy bee. I find that my focus is still on enjoying every moment of every day. I love this time of year as I've mentioned in previous posts because of the new growth and how quickly the gardens change. My flower beds are filling up with the perennials and are looking full and lush.
As I'm writing this I see a crow in the tree outside my living room window being a nuisance to the blue jays. What a ruckus!! The crows have been raiding the nests in the area for the last couple of weeks. You can always hear when there is a cat or crow in the area as the birds become very vocal. As I'm writing this the blue jays and the grackles are dive bombing and pecking at the crow. Now I see another crow across the street eating a small baby robin while the adult is pecking and dive bombing it! This breaks my heart! I know it is part of the circle of life and nature but it still is heartbreaking to see.
Despite the sadness of the babies not making it, I still enjoy this time of year. My vegetable garden is planted with beets, lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi and tomatoes. I've added to my herb garden this year and planted seeds of oregano and rosemary. I also transplanted some garlic chives to go along with the existing sage.
My peonies are looking full of buds. My peonies are a source of pleasure but also a source of sentimental memories. When I moved into our first home, my mother brought me some parts of her peonies which were originally from my grandmother's farm. These peonies are not hybrids and have a wonderful aroma which our neighbour has mentioned they enjoy on their patio as the scent wafts over on the breeze. I look forward to enjoying the scent of the 3 peony bushes that surround my home now. My purple bearded irises are putting on a wonderful display of blooms. My hostas are filling out. My lavender in my front flowerbed are growing and filling out more each day. My snow on the mountain is full of white flowers and light foliage which is cascading over the rock edges of the flowerbed. These combined with the flowerbox of red geraniums and dusty miller are making the front of our home look very attractive.
Puttering in my garden and digging out dandelions from the lawn are activities that I find calming and peaceful. As I do my gardening "chores" (they're not really chores to me), I listen to the robins, chickadees, blue jays and even the grackles chirp and sing away. All this is considered part of my leisure time. Included as part of my leisure time in the last number of weeks is spending time with friends who moved in just around the corner from us. Yesterday morning I also spent an hour or so with another friend and we played piano duets. I've missed my friend who I used to play flute and oboe duets on a weekly basis. We've not been together as regularly for much too long. I'm hoping that we can get back into the regular routine of playing music together.
So this is what I've been doing in my down time. I've been continuing to teach my piano students and get them ready for their Spring Recital on June 14 as well as getting a couple of students ready for their piano exams. I find that the teaching year has flown by very quickly.
I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I've been a "busy bee". In addition to the teaching and leisure activities, I've managed to fit time in to fundraise for the Relay For Life and organize my team "Cathy Conquers Cancer". We will be walking/running from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. next Friday/Saturday (June 7/8). Last year the team raised $7,925. It looks like we will not reach that goal this year. I'm a little disappointed but at the same time every little bit helps. I have to mention that I am so thankful to my family and friends who have donated this year. So whatever our final amount is, I'm very pleased to be part of adding to the local tally and know that the money raised is helping local support programs and research to this dreadful disease. In today's paper, I saw statistics that said 41.3% of women will develop cancer and 46.4% of men will develop cancer. This translates to 2 in 5 Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetime!
I'm so glad to have so much energy again. Although, I do get tired and it takes longer to recuperate from "busyness". This is why I'm posting this morning because this is my little bit of a rest before I go out to weed my gardens, run errands, be a mom/taxi, organize the Spring Recital (maybe do some baking for it) and get ready for the Relay next weekend. I'm so happy that I can enjoy every moment of every day to the absolute fullest. This also means fully embracing my sleep time as well.
I hope all my friends, family and "blog" friends have a great weekend. Shamelessly, it's not too late to donate to "Cathy Conquers Cancer" or any of the team members via the following link if you haven't already done so.
http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=12431&team_id=283290
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