Balsa Mifera Woods

The New Balsa Mifera Woods .... On Vancouver Island!

2011-08-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a few blogs in my time. This one was especially dear to me as it chronicled my trip from Perth to New Brunswick in the year 2009. Now we are two years later and I'm here again, near Perth. But soon, I will be leaving again.
In fact, this time next week, I will be winging my way over to the Sydney, NSW, airport, where on the morrow I will be taking a New Zealand flight to Canada. Sounds like a weird, round-about way to go home, but it's the best flight for my budget, so...

I will be leaving and going back to Canada to live on my own. A new life awaits me there, on Vancouver Island. How different I know my life is going to be! Why the Island? And why not back to NB, where family and friends could be my support, as they've been so much in the past?

Because this time, for the second time in my life, I want to try to 'make it' on my own. The 'first time' was when, in 1999, I moved all by myself to Ontario. I did it - taking care of myself, getting a house, a job I liked, but then... I fell sick. I think the deep-seated yearnings to be taken care of manifested themselves in this illness of mine, and they prevented me from continuing to care for myself, to live on my own. I still needed to learn one big fat life lesson, I guess.

A project on hold ... for now... :)

2010-01-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'm getting my new blog ready. Real soon, new posts will abound - on OPCAD and other things.

Thanks for your patience!

Stella becomes a Scribe

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day ~ 365 Day 20

2010-01-20T15:32:00.001-08:00

Two exotic ferns 'nesting' with a Tradescantia called 'Blushing Bride' ... my favourite container from last year.

I just wrote a six-paragraph entry with this very photo, and Blogger just... deleted it. No warning, no time for me to copy it, just ... gone.

This is not right. Colin and I are working on getting another type of Blog interface going on our website and I will continue my One Photo Chronicle a Day then. For now, it's just too frustrating to do this here. I am so tired of fighting with blogger.

no more
Sorry - I don't really feel like trying to remember all I 'tried' to post before. Too tired.
Must be my biorhythms - my emotional is way below the line and it sure feels like it!

I'll come back SOON with a link to OUR NEW BLOGS!

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day ~ 365 Day 19

2010-01-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

Catching The Rainbow

Peaceful Memories

My dh and I went to Kings Park in Perth, a Botanic Garden perched on the edge of the city, a charming place, about a month before we came back to Canada. I'd just gotten my new Panasonic camera and I was thrilled to be able to use it. After a lot of walking, we came upon this side where the fountains entertained the afternoon crowd, and Colin decided to sit this one out. He stayed in the car with a book whilst I meandered between rows of Kangaroo Paws, important aboriginal historic sites that were actually trees, and whole sections dedicated to unique Australian plant life.

I had a ball that afternoon just exploring this natural beauty set in the hills above the Kwinana Freeway that spans the Swan River. These photos remind me of the pure joy I felt watching the Australian Wood Ducks and the Pacific Black Ducks cavorting in the splashing waters. The people near the pond had fun, too. The fountain had a random setting so that you never knew when a twenty-foot high jet of water would rise in the sky and spray everyone near the shore. The wind was just right that day for a massive spray from the fountain to fall quite a ways up on the lawn. It was fun to watch as people approached and took the chance that they'd be going home having just showered... in the park. Children especially loved this game, and the little dogs who couldn't understand why they couldn't catch the water in their tiny jaws.

A day well spent in Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia.

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day ~ 365 Day 18

2010-01-18T02:58:00.000-08:00

The Pink Gallah

There's an Aussie expression, 'as crazy as a Galah,' and I heard it many times. The thing is, I can't see why or how they are... well, crazy. They are beautiful birds, with a soft gray and pink plumage, and they are quite gregarious. This one was in the same cage as the Parrot, and it loved to be fed first. It did have a mean temper, I guess, but I suspect it was for being caged up as it was. Who likes that?

Flocks of Galahs would fly overhead, and this one, whom the owner called George, would answer back, screeching away. I felt very sorry for the poor guy, and once or twice actually contemplated setting it free. But I didn't.

Getting ready for work now, but just a word on my weekend toil and trouble. We're almost ready to launch our brand-new website, and I am so thrilled! Colin has worked very hard on it for two solid days. I'm so pleased with how it looks. I've just a few more kits to put in my store and then, the big announcement. Can't wait!

Have a great Monday!
Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 17

2010-01-18T02:25:00.001-08:00

The Mountain Ash branches laden with fruit, beside a Birch

There has been an abnormally large crop in Mountain Ash, (Sorbus acuparia), also called Rowan, berries this past season, and that's what I suspect is the main sustenance food for Robins that stayed in this area instead of going South last fall. Everywhere you look, these shocking-red berries light up the forest's drab winter garb, making you think it was Christmas again.

I reported a flock of over 45 Robins that I saw in the Cocagne area at the end of December, and my sister told me last night that just yesterday, she spotted a flock of 25 Robins devouring Ash berries up in the Bouctouche area.

Seeing Robins in the Winter ~ as my mother-in-law would say, "Fancy That!"

Cheerio!

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 16

2010-01-16T03:01:00.001-08:00

Parrot & Plumbago

When Colin and I were house-sitting in East Fremantle last year, I took care of five different parrots in cages. This one was my favourite because he was more shy than the others - that Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo was mean! - and his colours were absolutely gorgeous! I would come into the cage twice a day, early morning and late afternoon, put water and food for them, then I'd leave. But this day, I brought my camera in with me.

It was in January last year and the Plumbago - that blue-flowered shrub behind him - was in full, awesome bloom. Is there a more beautiful blue in the plant kingdom? I don't think so. The Parrot didn't know what to make of me as I stood there with the black thing in my hands, making clicking noises. He finally approached me slowly, inching his way along the branch with his clawed feet, eyeing me suspiciously along the way. You see, his feeding bowl was closer to me than it was to him, so if he wanted to eat, he had to approach me as I stood there, quietly still.

His red back feathers were like sunset and his green plumage like the leaves of the Eucalypts above him. I've looked many times in my "Field Guide to Birds of Australia" and I can't find him. If anyone seeing these photos knows what name this bird has, could you please tell me?

This unknown parrot was one of the most beautiful birds I have seen. And, besides, I want to put him on my Bird Life List. :)

Cheers!
Stella dreaming of Australia and birds

One Photo Chronicle A Day ~ 365! ~ Day 15

2010-01-16T02:53:00.000-08:00

Tableau in White

My sister has fed the birds around her home for years now and the feathered friends come to see her offerings daily. I love to go there with my camera and see what will show up. This photo is of a birdfeeder, or several in fact, that she has set up around a pollared cherry tree. Each year she prunes the tree to keep it from growing too big and around it you can see a chair, a table and, on top of the chopped off trunk, the feeder.

This is one of the things I missed a lot when I was in Australia. Dollops of snow on fir and spruce trees, feathers of frost on window panes, feet-high drifts in the Acadian forest every Winter. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.

Have a Fun Day!
Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day ~ Day 14

2010-01-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

Stones

The rough, the smooth
The convoluted
The grey, the rose
The speckled and muted
Stones
Stay in their place
Contain a mass
Like calcium in bone
Filling a space
Mother Earth always intended…
The hard facts of stone

I have an affinity for them. I love to walk on them, to climb them, to caress them. They have texture, presence, warmth and ... edges. I love to strike up a friendship with them. When I was in Ontario there was a huge field behind the house I was renting, the edges of which were delineated by stone walls on either side. While walking there one day, quite a distance from the house, I came upon this pink quartz or pink sodalite, not sure which, but it was simply beautiful. I had to have it near the house...

I got a wheelbarrow and pushed it all the way to where the stone stood firm amidst its companions, as it had done so for probably decades until I came along, and I proceeded to extract it from its home. It took me days but I finally did it! I brought the near-boulder-sized rock to the front lawn and there it still lay when I moved out of that house months later. I took some photos of my rock, so I would never forget how it had been a friend when I lived there.

Some stones make very good friends.
Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 13

2010-01-13T16:41:00.000-08:00

Bird Bath Turned Bird Feeder

In Winter, when the snow gets too deep, the animals adapt in Nature and try to find food in the harsh conditions. We do the same. I can't reach my bird-feeder through the window anymore as it's frozen shut most mornings, so I've adapted. This morning I placed some seeds "on" the frozen bird-bath and tonight when I got home from work, they were all gone. The local birds have adapted.

I saw some Robins the other day, towards the end of last month. Robins in December for me is weird enough, but there was not just one Robin, there were dozens! I counted about 45 birds all gathered in a tight flock near the coast where I work. I couldn't believe it. Do they stay around here all Winter or have they gone now, for good, to more southern climes? I haven't seen them since. I hope that they, too, have adapted to the increasingly colder temperatures that we've seen these past few weeks. Robins, after all, are a symbol of returning Spring.

Let them return to herald another Spring for us in the coming months!

Here's to adaptation!
Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 12

2010-01-12T03:01:00.000-08:00

The Coleus "Amanda"

All my life, ever since I can remember, I have lived around house plants. My mother and her neighbour collected and exchanged plants on a regular basis. The neighbour's name was Helen and she was my best friend's mother. They had a huge old farmhouse with an enclosed porch that ran all along the north and east side of their house. That was where she kept her thriving houseplants. My mother didn't have that advantage, only a couple of windowsills in the kichen, but she grew them well just the same. Coleus was her favourite, because it was so versatile, colourful without blooms, and it was easily propagated.

Last Summer I worked at a nursery and I brought home a beautiful Coleus plant. There are new varieties that just stun the eye for their beauty and uniqueness. This one, though it's only been on the market for a few years, I knew right away that my mother would have absolutely loved it. Besides its obvious positive attributes, the name it bears says it all. It's called Amanda. That was my mother's name.

My mother's gone now and I have made peace with the fact that she was the best person she could be when we were growing up; she wasn't the best mother, but she tried. She died of Alzheimer's disease in 2002, and last Summer was the first time I was able to visit her resting place since we've been back from Australia. It's by the sea, and she's resting besides my father. I think I'll bring her a Coleus plant next time I go, but it'll have to be next Summer.

I'm still very much great friends with Helen's daughter. We exchange stories of how our mothers were friends, just like we are. We've created a tradition, I think. Last Autumn I had extra house plants, so I brought her a plant to keep in her house. It was a Pink Geranium. That was her mother's favourite flower.

See you tomorrow!
Stella trying to keep warm in this minus 14 degree weather...

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 11

2010-01-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

There are little animals playing in the snow around our home. One's a Weasel, one's a Cat, and one's a mouse. Or maybe there are more than one mouse, I don't know. Their pawprints created my photo post for today. The prints intersect each other and skirt each other like, well, a cat-and-mouse game. Funny what kind of story you can imagine with just a few imprints in the snow. This one's called PRINTS IN TIME.

I created it with my kit, Stars N Snow. The joys of Winter ~ who would've thought!

Have a great day!
Stella
http://stellarificcreations.blogspot.com/

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 10

2010-01-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

Maple Syrup Cookies ~ A Healthy Comfort Food!

No sugar, no dairy, no wheat... = no pain, migraine or allergies!

For anyone who craves a good mess of cookies but who doesn’t want to indulge in more sugar, try this sweet and healthy alternative. This recipe is easy, fast and fun to make. Takes all of five to ten minutes to get the batter going.

Wet Ingredients

½ cup of pure Maple Syrup

1 egg

3 tablespoons Canola Oil

2 tablespoons Silk Soy Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla essence

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ cups Spelt Flour

1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

Pinch of Ginger

Combine each set of ingredients in two separate bowls then mix the two together in one bowl. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 ˚ C oven for 10 minutes. Insert knife in the middle cookie to check if they are baked throughout. If knife comes out clean, they are. This is the best cookie to enjoy with a tall glass of Silk Soy Milk.

The batter: a bit sticky, but not overly wet. I use whole-grain Spelt flour, not the “white” Spelt flour, so that makes the crumb a bit coarse. That’s a good thing: more fibre!

As they look going in!

As they look coming out!

They are the yummiest Comfort Cookies ever and ... They make a great meal-replacement option.

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 9

2010-01-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Cats Teach Us

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life," says Virginia Woolf.

Isn't it interesting that cats represent the intuitive feminine and the imaginative power of the unconscious? My mother never cared for cats and by extension, she certainly did not care for intuition, original thought, artistic expression, imagination or anything that could closely resemble expressing one's feelings of any kind.

At the age of 10, I arrived home with a poem I had written for my mother, and proudly handed it to her in excited anticipation of receiving praise for my creation. At first she did praise the lovely words and she asked me where I had gotten this poem? When I said I had written it for her in school, I was shocked to be called a liar and a thief!

How dare I say that I had written this beautiful poem! From which book had I stolen it, she insisted. There was no way that I could have written this. Then she told me to get out of her face if I wasn't going to tell her the truth. I went to hide in my room and stuff my face in my pillow so she wouldn't hear me cry and incur further wrath upon myself. I had taken such care to make sure that the verses rhymed and made sense, too! It was not fair… but sadly, it also was not a surprise to me.

In school, I was slowly developing an interest in writing as a serious, and very delightful, occupation. The fact that composition was required of us was even more exciting, as the homework served as an excuse for me to delve into the wonderful world of words. At first I started writing simple essays and short stories, but they were never a great appeal to me. I loved poetry, rhyme, and nature-writing: making up descriptions in my own words of what I observed in the natural world. I developed a thirst/hunger for knowledge of plants, birds, trees and everything I saw around me that dug so deep that it hurt. I remember sitting in a field, watching an American Goldfinch feasting on some Canada Thistle seeds, not knowing the name of either one, and crying because of my lack of knowledge. I vowed that someday I would learn the names and habits of all the birds and green plants that surrounded me.

Writing and intuition are closely related. To write you have to listen to the inner voice/s. As I grew to be an adult, again I was told so often and for so long that I didn't know anything, what I said didn't matter, that if my inner voices spoke to me, I didn't dare listen, lest they lead me astray. Parents, yes, but also school, church (esp. Church!), all told me: wisdom and knowledge and reason only come from the outside, from others, never from within. You must go without to acquire all your knowledge, and remember, knowledge is precious and highly prized. Well, then, so it was Knowledge that had all the answers I sought. The voices from without became my salvation. I sought them out day and night, consulting books, magazines, television, teachers, but never Nature and certainly, never my self. My silence at that time, for so many years, only served to propel me into a deeper wanting, albeit concealed, of expressing myself truthfully and from the heart.

In direct correlation to my inward turmoil at my writing voice being silenced, I simultaneously became unable to be around cats. I didn't want them near me. Though at the farm I had grown up with many cats that lived in the barn, during my teen and young adult years, I had almost an aversion to them. I think now that it was simply a matter of "No intuition = No cats."

It was another female person in my life who brought cats back into my life; in fact, she insisted on them. My daughter loved cats like no other! It took all of her five years of life for her to convince me that she should have a cat all her own. And ever since then, she has had cats in her company wherever she has lived and travelled. Cats bring joy and amusement to a home, but because they are hunters, too, I prefer, still to not have them living with us in the woods. Nevertheless, I have grown fond of them as instinctive animals that bring a spark of life to an otherwise sterile environment, and there are a few that I do care about. Such as Minou, my friend Flo's cat, whom I used to babysit a few years back. Chinna LaNoire and Sable LaGrise are the two other cats to whom I am particularly close. Yes, they are my daughter's cats. So, you see, life has a way of bringing out challenging elements to make one grow a bit, one little cat at a time... As my relationship with cats grows, so does my intuition.

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 8

2010-01-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Do you know who you are meant to be?

Isn't that the million-dollar question... I was thinking today about how so many people are not living up to their own expectations, simply because they are too busy living up to others' ideals for their lives. I lost many good years in my life doing that, and I don't want to do it any more.

My wish for you is to ask yourself every day what you want to be, to do, to accomplish.

What goals excite you and get you enthusiastic about waking up tomorrow morning?

If none do, then ask yourself why. This is just the one life you have; isn't it time to make it entirely yours?

I made up my mind a while back to live a life I am happy with, a life of creativity, of seeking the person inside and finding her unique abilities and potential.

After all, this is the one life that I do have. There is no more. My blooms are unique, just as yours are, just as the Fuschia's in my photo are as well. Splendid blooms that brighten up the day for whomever comes near and is privileged enough to experience them.

I hope this post makes sense. I am typing late at night and am very sleepy. That'll teach me to compose early in the morning - when I'm awake.

Cheers ~ Sleep tight.
Stella
See you tomorrow... morning!

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 7

2010-01-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Inspire Me Softly

Where do you get YOUR inspiration?

I looked at this photo I took of my window - yes, it was coold - and the frost patterns were so pretty, I thought I'd like to include it in a digital kit I started making last week. Lucky for me the kit already had a theme, but was without a name as yet. This photo clinched it: I named my kit "Frost Magic." Yes, the theme is indeed "frost" ... what a coincidence! I didn't change anything about the above photo; it's the raw .jpg right there. That's why it was so inspiring!

A lot of my inspiration comes from my environment, and from my dreams, as my previous post attests to at length. I write, I create digital scrapbooking kits, I take photographs. I'm inspired by the unusual, the space between the colours, the arc of the light on the objects that surround me. By so many things.

If you are into digital scrapbooking, here is the link to the above kit's previews and the freebie I just posted on my blog.

Stellarific Creations

Preview: some of the kit's elements collection

You'll have to go to my Stellarific blog to grab the freebie. ;)

See you tomorrow!
Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day 6

2010-01-06T03:37:00.000-08:00

Dreamy photo from my window...

Dream Journal Entry, January 6, 2010.

Ah, the joys of Lavazza! That first sip in the morning is divine. I didn’t sleep well, so it’s all the more welcome. Don’t remember any dreams, though the last one left a flavour of happiness, and of being “in my happy place,” wherever that is. The words lingered and clung to my synapses as I drifted into wakefulness. That’s all I remember.

I think dreams are very important to living a happy life. Ever since I was 25 years of age and determined that my life purpose from then on was to become a happy person, I’ve seen time and again a direct correlation between listening to what my dreams tell me and my level of peace and contentment in my waking state. I trust that they will reveal to me what my consciousness needs to know. This is very important if I want to become the person I am meant to be.

If for some reason, I don’t remember my dreams, then one of two states, or both, exist within me:
1. I am not ready for the dream message yet, or
2. I am somehow not willing to listen to what my dreams have to say to me at this time.

What dreams I do remember I jot down as soon as I get up and at my keyboard. In fact, it’s not just a ‘jotting’ down, it’s a detailed description of the whole dream episode, right down to the feelings encased therein, as much as I can remember. Feelings in dreams are very important, because they point you to the connection being made in the dream to your waking, personal psychic condition that the dream is addressing.

The dreams you dream are particular to you and to you only. The symbols that appear in your dreams are yours alone, though many are common to all persons when they, too, dream. Dissertations and books on Jung’s Archetypes talk about the latter. The former are completely your own, unique responsibility. And that, my friends, is the key to understanding your dreams. The deciphering cannot be accomplished until you have excavated the meanings behind the symbols that your personal unconscious, or the collective unconscious, is bringing to you each night. It’s not as hard as it sounds, though, because one’s personal symbology is also a constant companion in the waking state. It’s just a matter of being aware of what’s around you, what brings you joy, what triggers your emotions, what brings you to tears, and what you are drawn to in everyday life.

Keep a dream journal. Whenever an animal, colour, person, event, repetition or other element comes up in your dreams, especially if it occurs more than once in a short span of time, or even over a long period of time, take note of that element. Write it down in your journal. Take time to sit and wonder over this element, like it was a found, mysterious treasure. Ask it questions, relate it to your daily emotional states, correlate it with what’s happening in your waking life right now. Soon, a familiarity will arise from your personal unconscious and the meaning will attach itself to that symbol, word, like a key sliding snugly into the keyhole. It will eventually “click” and you will know why you are bringing this symbol to life in your dreams. Maybe the dream dictionaries can give you clues, but they cannot tell you what your dreams mean; only you can do that.

I love dreams and I love to decipher them. They make life so interesting. Like Ariadne’s Clue, they hold the magic of personal potential at the end, if you will only follow it into the Labyrinth.

Have a wonderful dream-work time!
Stella
Keywords: Dream, Dream Work, Labyrinth, remembering dreams, symbols

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 5

2010-01-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

Winter's Victims

Jan. 5 ~ A wet morning greets me as I make my way to the living room window.

There's a thermometer just outside the window, but this morn I didn't make it close enough to see what the temperature was outside. Instead I saw this poor, bedraggled Mourning Dove all fluffed up in a ball on our windowsill. {Sorry about the angle of the shot. I was shooting as fast as I could before I scared her away.}

Even though she knew I was there, in the end she stayed still for a good twenty minutes before she flew away. I try to make seeds and suet available to all the birds that come to visit our feeders but this weather is making it harder and harder for them to access the seeds in the wet, icy crust of snow that drapes itself everywhere.

I enjoy them all and despite the dreary weather, I don't mind trudging through the cold, snow and ice to get some food to my avian friends. The Blue Jays are my favourites...

but the Redpolls and Woodpeckers are a close second:

Other birds that come to my feeder:
Goldfinches
Chickadees
Crows (they don't dare come too close to the house, but they skirt the issue, so I know it won't be long until they make contact.)

Until tomorrow, then, and wishing that poor Dove a drier place to sleep tonight.

Stella

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day 4

2010-01-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

My morning companion(s). To wake up to a great day, I imbibe the best coffee in the world. It's called LavAzza and we first experienced it in Australia. Imagine our joy and relief when we found it at the Atlantic Superstore! There are other Lavazza 'flavour' coffees, but this one, the Qualita Rossa, is by far the smoothest and non-bitter tasting coffee of all their lines. In Australia we had the Qualita d'Oro, but this one is, to our taste, much better. The cup? Holds 2 regular cups of that wicked brew, and a superb coffee deserves a superb holder.

Yes, I love Star Trek, TNG, too. See that coaster? I have packed that very coaster into every suitcase I've taken to every destination I've travelled to in the past ten years. That was eight different times, in all.

For me, Lavazza makes my morning world a little brighter. What makes yours?

Cheers and Stay warm in the snow!
OR ...
Stay cool in the hot country!
(For my friends in Oz)
Stella Raymonde

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 3

2010-01-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

My Mascots

This is my first mascot for 2010. His name is yet to be determined, but he stands true and tall, reminding me every day about strength and joyous abundance that creativity brings. Isn't that the cutest smile you have ever seen on a lion? He was given to me by the folks I care for on a daily basis.

I found this goddess beauty at the bottom of a box in my daughter's basement that she was throwing out. I rescued here and ... With lilies a'plenty, this squat hand-made clay figurine has brought me luck and blessings for many years. She also sits on my desk and keeps me company as I write, not far from Mr. Lion. Now I just need one more to make the complete Three Muses. :)

It was a snowy day today, with windy spells that rocked our world. At least we were spared the storm surges that pounded the shores not far from here, at Pointe-Du-Chene and Port Elgin, NB. It must've been terrible for those who had to be evacuated in the middle of the night because of flooding. Thinking of all of them tonight.

It's back to work tomorrow and one week away from getting a new netbook. I will be able to take that to work with me and do some writing! That, my dear friends, is my dream come true!!!

Good night, All
Stella in the dark, signing off

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 2

2010-01-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Moon WAS BLUE!!!

I quickly jumped outside in the cold night when the moon was at its zenith on New Year's Eve, took a quick focus on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 (sounds like the name of a car, doesn't it?) and CLICK!! There it was on my screen, a BLUE moon! I couldn't believe it, but it's true. This is an unaltered and pure photo of the last full moon of 2009, and a "Blue Moon" to boot! Well, at least the 'space' around the moon was blue. That counts, doesn't it?

What is a "Blue Moon"? Here's a link for you taken from, what else, the Farmers' Almanac:

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy/a/once-in-a-blue-new-years-eve

Makes for an interesting read! You can get "Full Moon's Names, Facts and Folklore" at that page also. Who doesn't want to know that, right?

I love my camera. It's my next best friend. My very best friend is my darling husband Colin, who bought this camera for me on my last birthday.

Since technically, the above photo was not taken today, on January 2, let's have another photo, more recent and well, relevant. Outside right now we are having a gloriously blustery snowstorm. Yes, we are. And this is what it looks like right now:

See that little stick poking its head out of the mounds of snow? That is where our driveway will be as soon as Colin digs us out! But it's still Saturday, so no worries until Monday morning, when we decide what to do - go to work or stay put. For now, it's hot apple muffins...

and creating a new kit with Photoshop. Here's a sneak preview:

Until tomorrow, then, stay warm... Or cool to all my friends in Australia!
Stella Raye

OPCAD - One Photo Chronicle A Day - 365! Day 1

2010-01-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

How Fares the Garden Today?

Today is January 1, 2010.

So, besides wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year, I am starting this blog chronicle of my daily photos taken around Wildwood and beyond, to record every day of the year 2010 ... and to keep my writing fingers sharp and sharpened, a few meditations along the way.

Beautiful, lazy day today. Temps are rising, and though our pump wasn't working very well this morning - we have a spring-fed water supply - Colin fixed it and we have running water again. Whew! No snow yet from the big storm being predicted over the weekend. I spent my day creating a couple of digital kits, and uploading more onto my new ZenCart store, Wildwood Planet. Feels great to be creating again!

~ How Fares my Garden? Well, have a look:
This is the "before" photo, minus the two rusty containers on both sides, taken in September '09:

and this is the "after" ... as in "right now":

The rusty, green cream can, or what folks call "Milk Can," is my father's. When we had a farm and cows and the whole kit n' kaboodle, he would separate, or extract, the cream from the milk our cows produced and he sold it to... must've been the dairy corp or milk producing people of the day. That was about fifty years ago. Yes, I did say 50 years ago! Wow, how time just flies!

I dragged that cream can from the actual dump my father used at the old homestead in St. Maurice last Summer. It was the same dump his father and his grandfather had used for decades before him, and we did some family archaeological digging a few months back in that very place. Now it's just a pile of debris near the creek in the back acre, slowly growing fatter and bigger over time from all the alders that try their best to cover it up with their sheddings. The present owners of the house accompanied us, giving us the grand tour, happy that we were interested in our own family history as they wanted to know everything they could about their home's past life. They gave me permission to take the can and the blue bucket that now sits on the other side of my frozen window box. I don't remember anything about the blue bucket, but it's nostalgic.

What had I planted in my garden? In this one window box, I had annuals mostly, but a few perennials also fit in there nicely. Ornamental Purple Millet,

whose seedheads you see poking out of the snow, and an ornamental Sedge,

whose soft cascading habit I do love very much, filled the sides. In the middle I had planted some Purple Palace Heuchera (pronounced you-Kee'-ra), one of my very favourite perennials. This is a photo of one I planted under a maple tree in the forest. It may not survive, but I'm giving it a fair chance. I made sure to plant it so it would get some sunlight during the day.

Having just moved to Wildwood in July and with all the work that we needed to do to get our mini-home ready for Winter, I didn't get a chance to have a 'real' garden, so I improvised. I had many, many plants in pots/containers spread all around the house and, especially, in the back. Trays of baby transplants still remained when the cold set in, so I piled all of them, annuals and perennials, along with a house plant or two, all together in the forest near our pad. The pad being the tamped-down pile of soil on which our home rests now. This is what the companion of plants looked like upon completion:

And ... Here it is now... buried under a couple of feet of snow, being protected and snug from the cold killing winds of our Canadian Winter. Ahhh, Canada...

Happy 2010 everyone! See you tomorrow!
Oh, and Happy Chronicling, to all who are doing the 365-Project thing. I've never done it before but I'm looking forward to its challenging elements.

Cheers
Stella in Waiting-For-The-Storm Wildwood :)

May 2010 Be The Best!

2009-12-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

Our world this morning... don't you just love it?!!

I could dress this one up and it would make a wonderful Christmas Tree, don't you think? It's definitely a Balsam Fir, the 'real and original' Christmas Tree, with its woodsy, resinous aroma of the youthful, mid-Winter, anticipatory days of yore. At least it was in the house where I grew up.

My father would go into the forest the fourth day before Christmas, and not one day before that, and cut down a huge, usually nine-to-ten foot Balsam Fir and haul it back to the farm with a horse or two. He shook the snow off it in the shed and dragged it through the house, my mother protesting on the mess all the way, into the far corner of our living room. The TV had been placed behind the stove for the occasion, as that corner was its preferred place the rest of the year. Hammering a couple of short planks to the bottom of the severed trunk in an x, he would hoist it upright and we'd admire it a bit. At that time, since the tree wasn't going to stay up that long - not with my mother, it didn't - there was no need to give it water to keep it alive, or semi-living.

Then came the fun part - into our view would appear the boxes of Christmas pasts, the balls and baubles that went on our tree, the glittery garlands and the silver, slippery icicles that ended up everywhere besides the branches of the tree. They were all tradition, they were all familiar, and, being attached as they were to the pleasure of receiving gifts in the years past, those memories still bring back waves of childhood happiness attached to them whenever I take them out of their boxes in my heart. The lights lit up the tree at night and added a new dimension to the experience. It was like being taken to a magic wonder-land where wishes could actually come true.

I loved the Christmases in the old farmhouse. We didn't have many gifts, because we were too poor for that, but we had sleigh-rides, a skating rink out in the pasture, walks in the snow, forts and snowmen and snowball fights. New mittens my mother would knit for us. Oranges, grapes and nuts that someone had to crack open for us on Christmas day. Opening our cherished but few presents... I remember one of my favourite gifts ever was a paint-by-number of a snow scene, with a carriage and horses. I dabbed and painted that thing for hours, lost in the magical motion of making this black-and-white scene come to life in no time. I was in heaven...

Now, whenever a snow lightly falls outside, as it is now, my thoughts turn to immersing myself in a creative pursuit. What will it be today? Ah, I have a new kit I'm working on called Stars And Snow.. better get back to it.

Old Christmases and memories - they go together so well. I enjoyed this trip down memory lane. I haven't thought of this in a long, long time.

Have a wonderful, happy and prosperous 2010.
Stella

Female Ring-Necked Pheasant, Christmas Eve 2009.

If you haven't picked up your free Flowers From Paradise yet, go to:
http://stellarificcreations.blogspot.com/

Stellarific is creating again!!!

2009-12-21T03:40:00.000-08:00

I just posted a freebie on my Stellarific Creations blog, everyone! It's a pretty quartet of tropical flower photos I took in Australia. Go have a look and grab the digital goodies:

http://stellarificcreations.blogspot.com/

Oh, what fun that was!
Have a great week... only four days of work for me... Merry Christmas!
Stella Raye

Avian Friends

2009-11-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

Avian Friends at Wildwood

Acadian Forest

Near the end of October, this Robin gave us an early morning visit. I set out some apple pieces, but I'm not sure it was enough to entice him to come and stay for awhile. Many more joined him over the ensuing weeks, and then they just stopped coming. This morning I heard one Robin call from a tall Spruce next woodlot, but I couldn't see him. We've been having very mild days/nights, some at warm as +12C, and there are still lots of berries on the Mountain Ashes in the area. Plenty of food for the stragglers, or maybe even some Winter residents?

Last week, a hawk (Sharp-Shinned?) descended upon the feeder and the poor Downy Woodpecker who was eating there. I opened the window and scared the hawk. It flew a few yards away and perched in these maples, just close enough to still hold the feeder in its sight.

What did the poor Downy Woodpecker do?
She hid behind the suet feeder and hung on for dear life. After staying like this for over fifteen minutes, she peeked out to see if the hawk had gone, and then zoooom - off she went to a safer perch!

She and her partner have been back since, so I'm glad the hawk incident didn't traumatise her indefinitely. Other birds that come to our feeder are the Hairy Woodpecker, the White-Breasted Nuthatch, the Blue Jay and of course, the Black-Capped Chickadee.

It warms my heart deeply that I can again feed Acadian Forest birds on a land that is now ours. Ever since I was little, I have been observing birds and thrilled to their colourful sights and songs, especially if I had the personal opportunity to provide food for them. When I was in Australia, I did try to feed the parrots and the honeyeaters, but it's a double-edged sword over there when you try to feed the usual suspects such as the Cockatoos, Kookaburras, Mudlarks, Magpies and Butcherbirds - commonly called Cockies, Kookies, Muddies, Maggies and Butchies! All of these birds are in part or completely carnivores, so if you feed them you are running the risk of making them very dependent on you, or worse, you are inviting them into your yard where the other lovelies and most oftentimes defenseless birds also feed. The seed-eaters can become the prey of the meat-eaters. Not a good thing.

It happens here, too, of course, as the above hawk incident proves, but here the birds are much fewer in number than in Australia, and when hawks do visit feeders, it's infrequent and even, a rare occurrence.

Just looking at my Birds of Australia book, I see that I must finish my list. Better yet, I need to update my Birder Blog. I also have a list of New Brunswick Birds somewhere...

Ah, an avian moment.
What bliss!

Have a beautiful birding weekend, all!
Raymonde in Wildwood
PS: I FINISHED MY NOVEL AT 54,903 Words!!!! YEAH for my first NaNoWriMo Novel!!!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/533792

PPS: For my starter list of Australian birds and photos, go to:
http://australianbirder.blogspot.com/

A New Twist on the Subject!

2009-11-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

Raye in her bamboo-enclosed garden at the Source, near Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia, circa 2003. Why bamboo? Because the bush turkeys loved my potted herbs so much they would destroy them if we hadn't protected them inside the enclosure.

I haven't given up my novel-writing, but I have put it on the back burner for a while.
IF ... I didn't work full-time days.
IF ... I had a healthy body, no migraines, no allergies...
IF ... I didn't need a full eight hours' sleep at night...
THEN
I would be comfortable finishing my novel in one week's time.
I would get up two hours earlier to write said novel.
I would peck away, thrashing out 4,000 PLUS words every day until next week, on the 30th, and I would be done!!!

I just have to take a break for now... I might come back to it later.
It's given me a push, though, just what I needed to prove to myself that I CAN write thousands of words every day. What an accomplishment! As it stands, I have 14,905 under my belt. Not even halfway to the 50,000 required by NaNoWriMo to be accepted as a winner at the end of 30 days of frantic writing, but sufficient for me.

The Wildwood Planet Lady's Progress.

Turning towards a new course-writing, now. The passionate study of all things herbal! I will soon have a full-fledged Herbology Course to offer anyone who is passionate about herbs.
FUN!

This is, after all, what I do best, know best and by which I am most inspired. See photo above.
Cheers and have a flourishing Sunday!

"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a lifetime's experience."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

A milestone!

2009-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

a crispy morning revealed patterns and i caught them

I've reached a milestone and I must take a breather to record it here. I have reached 10,000 words in my NaNoWriMo novel writing epic! I am so relieved! In fact, I was supposed to reach 11,000 last weekend, but since I work all week, and then people visit and call... I haven't reached the expected mark. Today is different. I have reached my own goal of writing 10,000 words this weekend.
We are halfway into the month. Must plough on!
Happy Writing!

The Way Life Changes

2009-11-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

How was I to know that nine years after the fact I would be writing about how I met my soulmate in a novel?
I've gone and done it! I've joined NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, here:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/533792

and, so far I have a few words up there. My first half-day and I have 2,173 words all counted.
It's fun, it's scary, but most of all, it's SO creatively satisfying!

I've written many poems in my life, a short story or two, and many personal essays along the way, but never an actual novel.

Well, I am now.

In a dream last night I swam in a shallow, shining sea, a comfortable experience equal to that of being in a spa, being cared for and cherished. Water to me is the emotional composite of my psyche, so maybe that means that my writing, my diving-in experience of writing this novel, is the cherished mode that I have so long desired to embrace. Is this what the watery light in my dreams is trying to tell me?

I am trusting my writing instinct that this story will write itself.
Here's to novels and stories!

Stella, the Wildwood_Planet_Lady

Want to grow your own Organic Strawberries?

2009-10-03T09:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a published author! :)

Here is one of five articles I've written for GrowingRaw.com, a great website for gardening hints and help. Trina is a fine lady and I've enjoyed working for her... really, "work" is not what I consider my writing times; I think of them as my zone times - I'm writing, I'm happy, I'm in the zone, what could be better? Hope you enjoy it:

http://www.growingraw.com/growing-strawberries.html

Autumn colours are here, and I'm happily snapping away at the first "Fall Flowers" that I've experienced in four years. I was away from Canada since January 2006 and just returned this past March, so I didn't get to see Fall for all that time. I'm busy making up for it now. With my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28, with 10 mega pixels, and 18X Optical Zoom, I get to close in on the subject and the sharpness is incomparable. I love my new camera, our new home, the new season... and, might I add, my new job.

I'll post another entry in a while, but for now, enjoy the strawberries!
Stella Raymonde

Fall In Abundance

2009-09-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

A Wildwood View

I think it was Henry David Thoreau who said, "In wildness is the preservation of the world." All I know is... MY preservation is dependent on the wildness that surrounds me. My physical, mental and emotional states depend on the herbs that grow wild (and cultivated too), and on the solace and rejuvenation I collect from it every day.

My forest is one that has been ravaged by a ruthless woodsman a few years ago. Slowly, it is trying to heal itself, hiding the scars with green growth and grasses. I look upon the result and I am so thankful for Gaia's powers. Her regenerative powers elevate my consciousness, inspire me to re-new myself as she does. To start over, to re-commence a long-ago journey that is still very fertile and alive in my heart.

Here, then, is a meditation I wrote yesterday, looking upon the spot of green outside my window, the view from my new writing-craft room.

Fall in Abundance

The dance of the leaves:
joyful reminders
Possibilities
Nature creates multiples of itself
A million times over
Year after year
Never any want, any need - no scarcity mentality there
Abundance throughout Her web of Life

Why is it that I “want”
It’s all there - already
Just reach out and do, take, feel, write, be, create

Fall into the freedom and let go
Sway as the branch and dance as the leaf
I will be blessed
As I fall into the abundant forest
Right outside my door
All I need to do
Is go out and
Embrace the dance

Copyright 2009 Stella Raymonde Savoie Johnson

The Balsam Poplar ~ the plant for which this blog was named ~ Populus balsamifera, has come through again for me, great healer that it is. I had a raw sore inside my upper lip and suffered for three days with the pain every bite or sip of drink caused. I went to Balsam because it contains sooo many wonderful little healing phytochemicals: antibiotic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and topical healing, among others. Isn't it just a WONDER-drug, this lovely tree?

The Mi'kmaq of this region used it for so many healing practices and I can see why. It's not just the unopened leaf buds that contain healing magic, also the bark and the leaves themselves. My sore was gone after just two applications! I also used it on Colin's foot after he developped a deep open wound from walking in wet mud that seeped into his boots when he was helping Val to make our Spring connection to the house. It was evident after only one application that the Balsam Poplar tincture was working its miracle magic on his skin, and I was so happy. Up until that time, I had only used it for earaches and sore throats, but this proved to me that it can heal anything!

How did I acquire this magic for myself? We were coming home from St. Maurice after our visit to the folks who now live in the house where I grew up, and I remembered what my father had told me. I was relating this to Colin as we were driving along the St. Maurice road. He had told me long ago that the tree that used to grow in our front yard { A HUGE Balsam Poplar} when I was a little girl, swinging on the swing attached to one of its big branches, that tree came from ... this place that we were just at that very moment passing by, so I asked Colin to STOP! And he did. I got out of the car and oh, my, I inhaled the most blessed scent of balsam ever to whiff past my nostrils! It was here and yes, there they were: a stand of Balsam Poplars, some growing right on the edge of the road, shading the shoulder with their coppery leaves. I was thrilled!!!

I saluted and thanked this stand of trees for being there as I was growing up, providing me with so many hours of pleasure and shelter. I asked it for some healing power and I cut off several branches to take home with me. Each one had big fat buds - next year's leaves - on them and that is just what I was looking for. Arriving home, I put them in a huge jar with water in it, to keep them fresh and alive for as long as I could. That night, I made the tincture that healed my darling and myself. Since then, I've used them so many times! Oh, and the branches? They brought me so much joy by growing ROOTS on their tips!

I've planted all of them in their individual pots and intend on saving them over winter. The forest will protect them, I'm sure. I'm planning a great Wildwood day, just writing my articles and living a juicy day. Thank you, SARK, for "Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper."

This is my FALL IN ABUNDANCE.

This is my Garden... a Wild, Healing Place

2009-03-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

I have many blogs, but yet... I do not write in them on days when I do not have anything to offer my readers. I wish to make this blog a place of healing... a place where I can go to just write.
Write what's on my mind, in my heart, and what's happening in and around my self.

A Wild blog, a Wild Garden where many things can and do happen.

Firstly. We are..
moved back to New Brunswick, Canada.

That in itself is a tonne of news dropped down from a far distance. We are living in one room at my sister's and we are quite comfortable. Yesterday, Colin helped Bobby move our new home here, and it is in the yard, parked in their driveway. It's a big driveway. It's a big home!

Our own home. I want to grow myself as a writer in that big, long trailer. And I will have --- a Room Of My Own! Yes! What a blessing!

How long have I been putting off my writing? A very, very long time.
I've embraced digital scrapbooking, and I really enjoy it tremendously, but... my heart knows itself in the flurry of words that sprout from my fingertips, direct from its core. That's really, deeply who I am. A writer.

Here I will write my stories and grow my garden of prose or poetry. Here I will be on the outside what I am on the inside.

Wait for the stories. They will come.

}{Le Petit Ecureuil}{

A Wildwood Update to Friends & Family

2008-05-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends & Family ~

This is a combination personal letter and Stella’s SoulZine that I am sending to all my friends and subscribers. It’s an update of what’s been happening in our neck of the woods… Wildwood, to be more precise.

Many of you are familiar with my poem “Daydreams” which brought Colin and me together eight years ago. It’s a little musing on wanting to live from the right side of the brain, living artistically and whimsically. When I applied to come to Australia, the Immigration department wanted a detailed Statement of our Relationship, so we both wrote our side of the story, including this poem, how we got together and have been so ever since. In December of last year, I submitted our story to a popular magazine here in Oz, called “Notebook:” Of course it was too long ~ the original manuscript of our story is over 50 pages and contains multiple photos ~ so I shortened it a bit. Well, it was accepted and since then, I’ve worked with their story editor (from Canada, no less!), tweaking and fussing over it until we got it right. She is a real talented editor! Then, last week we had the photo shoot.

The photographer was accompanied by a stylist and makeup artist who were all professional, yet friendly and efficient. Despite the wind and too-sunny skies, they managed to get some pics of us that they were all satisfied with, and it only took half a day. We were so glad to have that behind us! It’s not like we do this everyday, you know. :)

We will be getting a copy of those photos, so we’ll share some with you at that time. Our story will appear in the August issue, which comes out in mid-July. Just in time for my birthday! We are to get a copy along with the photos, but I think we will also buy ‘a few’ to send over to Canada.

So that’s our news for now.

I’m in the process of reading the book “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle, with whom Oprah produced her Skype videos, a must-see as ‘school’ classes of a different kind.

It’s not an easy book to read, and not everyone who picks it up will like it or what it asks of her/him. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a book to help you change your life for the better, well, this is it. In simple-to-read format, Tolle makes profound statements that will rock you to your core.

Speaking of writing, here’s a little poem I wrote lately, thought you might like it.

Calm

As the day is made of light
from the sky
The soul
Lets herself go
Fetching star shine to brighten
Her projects ~

Her prospects
Are unending
Never failing
To impress
Upon us how very much
We need to remain
Calm
And let her come in
To see
To visit
To whisper
To in-spire
Our very need
To create
Calm

Quotes for you:

"Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different."
Katherine Mansfield

"A moment's insight is sometimes worth a lifetime's experience."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Cheers and Wishing you all a great weekend and month of June,

Stella & Colin Johnson

Welcome to my Wildwoods!

2008-05-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

When you enter a "wild" place, you get the sense that anything is possible here, anything could happen. Something magical, perhaps, or at least out of the ordinary. We live such ordinary lives, don't we at least need a little adventure, perhaps a "wild" adventure once in awhile to spice up our maybe humdrum days?
In making this adventure into the land of my dreams, of my whimsical fancy and imagination, I will keep a no-holds-barred attitude. Have fun, keep it clean, but reach into the beyond, or maybe reach down into the depths? ... wherever I will reach, I want it to be as a way to expand, grow, become, open and evolve.

I started reading "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. Wise man, and wise Oprah for hosting the show that is bringing him to so many people. As I read, I will be posting my comments/insights that come to bring meaning for me. I have been living too long with only designing as my focus. I need to go inwards, to dive...

Let's start with "things"... Chapter 2, Ego, the Current State of Humanity
"Ego-identification with things creates attachment to things, obsession with things, which in turn creates our consumer society and economic structures where the only measure of progress is always more... A large part of many people's lives is consumed by an obsessive preoccupation with things... When you can no longer feel the life that you are, you are likely to try to fill up your life with things."

Deep questions to ask in my spiritual practice:
1) Is my "sense of self-worth bound up with things I possess?"
2) Do I "feel resentful or angry and somehow diminished in my sense of self when someone else has more than you or when you lose a prized possession?"

After reading the above last night before bed, I had a dream that might be saying that yes, I am holding on to something that is so unimportant ...

But more of that later...
have a nice moment, or two...
Stella