mother nature – Linda Ford

Spring is Sprung

Linda — Sun, 24 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

I’m sure we’ve all said the little ditty: Spring is sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the birdies is.
I’ve heard variations of the last line from: I wonder where the flowers is to Where last year’s reckless drivers is.
I always thought it was something carelessly spoken that became popular like the saying: Success is getting up one more time than you fall down.
Turns out it’s really a poem. Some credit Ogden Nash with penning the poem though a search in Google says it was written by a British-Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor named Spike Milligan.
Here it is in all its glory.
Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder where the birdie is
They say the bird is on the wing
But that’s absurd
The wing is on the bird
We don’t have flowers yet but spring is here. Officially, according to the calendar. I prefer to check out my window or on my walk and see and hear the water running, the fields showing through the snow and the sound and sight of geese.
Happy Spring. Enjoy.

LIVING LESSON

Linda — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Herein lies a story for both writers and non-writers.
For non-writers, the story is for your enjoyment and amusement.
For writers, you have a living lesson. Goal, motivation and conflict are considered the building blocks of fiction. There are several types of conflict:
Conflict 1. Man Versus Self. …
Conflict 2. Man Versus Society. …
Conflict 3. Man Versus Man. …
Conflict 4. Man Versus Nature. …
Conflict 5. Man Versus Supernatural.
Last spring I told of the men across the road trying to remove a row of trees. They are back this fall trying again.

The lesson:

Goal–get rid of trees
Motivation–gain a few more feet of productive land
Conflict–man and machine against nature.They have large machines (which I heard crack and pop in this fight). They have big trucks to haul away the dug up branches and routes. They have determination. But will they win this struggle against nature?

My money is on the trees.

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN OCTOBER?

Linda — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

October is my favorite month especially if it doesn’t snow and this year it hasn’t (so far). I am enjoying every beautiful day.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

It’s nice when the leaves hang on week after week.

I walked on bracken, and dry leaves after/That flamed with color and crackled with laughter. From the poem. Walking By Dilys Bennet Laing

What fun to watch the little ones fun through the leaves, laughing at the crackling sound.

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. L.M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables

In Heaven, it is always Autumn. John Donne

Is October your favorite month? Or which month is? Please don’t spoil my enjoyment by reminding me that if it’s October, winter can’t be far away.

ROCKS REMEMBER

Linda — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Geologists have a saying–rocks remember. Neil Armstrong

I couldn’t help wonder what rocks remember, what stories they could tell, sorrows they feel as I passed two specific rocky places on my research trip.

First, the Okotoks Erratic.

Plunked in the middle of prairie, where and how and why is this rock there? It has a very mysterious feel to it. I can understand why the Blackfoot people considered it of spiritual significance.

And then there is this valley of rocks caused by the Frank Slide.

In 1903 at 4:10 am, 90 million tons of rocks slid down Turtle Mountain and in 100 seconds buried the eastern side of Frank, killing and permanently burying 70 people.

The rocks along the highway go on for about 4 miles. Huge rocks.

A horrible tragedy. The power of nature is overwhelming.

But then man adds his touch to the world.

Just for fun, here is a site for enjoying rocks.

http://www.rocksforkids.com/

Anyone out there have any rock stories to share?

REFILLING THE WELL

Linda — Sat, 31 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite books (though long neglected) is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

One of the principles she talks about is ‘filling the well.’ She explains that creating comes from our inner well and if we continually draw from it without filling it, we will run dry.

Well, after a LONG winter of nothing but snow and bare trees to look at, being confined to home because of snow and storms, and generally seeing nothing out my window but a few brave birds and cars hurrying down the road, I was in dire need of some refilling. So today I went for a drive in the country. Green, green, green. I’ve decided it’s my favorite outdoor color. Lots of yellow (dandelions but who cares. They look nice).
And NO SNOW.

I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite pictures.

Okay it was three but I have lots more. Thought I’d spare you having to look at all 40 of them.

I’m interested in knowing do you find nature a great way to refill your ‘well’? What other ways work for you?

THE POWER OF SMELL

Linda — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The windows were open during the night and I caught the scent of petunias. One of my favorite scents. I will always think of summer fun when I smell petunias. It reminded me that the sense of smell is know for its ability to trigger memories.

Like the smell of raspberries for me which takes me back to my grandparents’ acreage in the heart of Okanagan country in British Columbia.

On that little bit of land there were fruit trees (amazing abundance to a little prairie girl) and a walnut tree. There were berry bushes as well and all summer Granny’s house smelled like fresh picked berries. Each year she blessed us with jars of canned berries to brighten our winter meals. Yummy.

Some of my favorite scents:

1. wild clover in my lawn. Yes, I know it says all sorts of things about how we take care of the lawn but I like the smell.

2. Night stocks.

3. Barbecued steak.

4. Baby powder.

5. Chlorine of swimming pools. I am filled with happy thoughts of children splashing when I catch a whiff of that scent.

6. Laundry dried outdoors.

7. A fire for roasting marshmallows.

8. Canola fields in bloom (before the rotten smell stage).

9. Wild roses in bloom.

10. My Mayday tree in blossom.

What are your favorite scents? What memories do they trigger?

WRITING CAVES

Linda — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I think most of us, writers included, think writers spend time in lovely little nooks cranking out words in sweet solitude, surrounded by books and pens and stacks of paper.

Much like this the pictures on this site. (I can only wish.) http://tinyurl.com/bv7y6cm I like to dream of roomy, book-filled rooms with a view of a beautiful garden, or interesting old buildings so these places really called to me.

These are photos by Eamonn McCabe from the site

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/writersrooms It’s worth looking at. There are over 100 writer’s rooms shown.

Or we think of struggling but happy authors in tiny garrets. Though as I recall, the authors are pretty tortured.

Personally, I like a view. A lake. A beach. A thick woods. A garden of flowers. I love Mother Nature’s inspiration.

However, there is dreaming and there is reality. My reality is a messy desk, in a cramped office. I do have a big window and a decent view. But the other part of reality is Life Happens. There are bills to pay, appointments to keep, meals to make.

Somewhere between the dream of a perfect world

and insanity

is my daily life.

I can’t wait for ideal in order to write or it would never happen.

OVERWHELMED BY BEAUTY

Linda — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever admired and enjoyed something so much you felt overwhelmed by beauty? I have and I thought I’d share a few of them with you.

Sunrises. For some reason I enjoy them more than sunsets. Partially because I have a ten foot living room window that gives me an unobstructed view of the morning sky but also because there is something about greeting a new day in such a fine fashion. The ribbons of colors, the flames flaring across the sky. The golden halo over the nearby town.

Birds. I have feeders outside my office window and enjoy watching them flit about to get seeds and suet. There are actually 3 feeders and yet the birds will squabble about property rights. And who can see a bald eagle and not find yourself stirred by the majesty. I once watched a cardinal sitting on a branch in a muddy yard and I thought what a good lesson it was. The bird didn’t look at the mud and complain but it looked upward and sang.

Flowers. They hide in the grass along the road. They blossom madly along fence lines. They grow in profusion in gardens. But even in situations that are less than ideal, they lift their pretty heads to the sun.

The sea or a lake. The sound of the water lapping at the shore, the whitecaps dancing across the surface. The little flash of turquoise before the water flattens. The way the distance is brought toward me in rolling waves.

The drawings of a child. So simple and yet so innocently revealing. I once saw a wall with framed drawings of children. It was magical.

Sky. It’s many moods from sunny to stormy. I read a beautiful description of the sky in The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (a book I highly recommend). He wrote, ‘The underside of the clouds have been shredded. They hung in tatters and a grey mist seeped out.’ Isn’t that a word picture that gives you both a visual and a mood?

There’s so many more things. A baby’s smile. An old couple holding hands. The taste of fresh coffee.

The world is full of amazing and awesome things. It’s up to us to notice and appreciate them.

What awesome, amazing things have you noticed lately?

THE BEAUTY OF BANFF

Linda — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I wonder if there is any place more beautiful than Banff especially in the fall. I’m of the opinion there isn’t.

I recently took a trip there for the purposes of research–and to fill my senses to overflowing with it’s beauty. I was not disappointed. Perhaps autumn is the mountains is the prettiest season of all.

There wasn’t enough time to enjoy all of nature’s wonders because we had to see some man-made wonders as well.

First on the list was the Banff Springs Hotel. I had my wheelchair client with me so couldn’t explore all the little stairwells but still, the beauty of the castle in the Rockies is awe inspiring.

My ‘reason’ for going to Banff–if a person needs a reason–was to visit the Whyte Museum and their current displays.

10 women who have conquered challenges associated with the Rockies. I loved seeing the drafting instruments Eleanor Luxton used in the 1940s. Imagine, she joined the CPR staff as one of the few women draftsmen.

Then there was the high fashion of the Luxton ladies. Very impressive. Doesn’t sound like they lived in any frontier setting. Beautiful gowns and all the fancy trimmings.

I leave you with a poster put out by the CPR. The Canadian Pacific Railway built the Banff Springs Hotel and made Banff a spa and holiday destination in the last 19th century.

SUMMER-WEEK SEVEN

Linda — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Summer skies

As I’ve enjoyed the many different moods of the summer sky I began to think how much it is like a writer’s moods.

Bright Idea:

See that opening in the clouds. I couldn’t capture it with the camera but it was filled with bright sunlight bursting through the clouds. Like a fresh idea for a story. Somehow it makes it through the confusion of my thoughts.

Moodling time.

Moodling is a writer’s term. At least I’m claiming it as such. A time when things just mix and shape without much direction. Ideas just drift about like a lazy summer sky.

Shaping time.

After moodling and drifting, the idea–and the clouds–begin to take shape and form.

Explosion time.

The most dramatic time in both sky and writing…just before a storm. For the writing, it’s when the story has shaped and it fills my mind. I have to get it out, down on paper. It literally explodes from my mind.

After the storm.

We get the most beautiful sky, especially if it a storm is in the evening.

Just like it is after the story is captured, released, input into the computer. The afterglow.

The pot at the end of the rainbow.

The reward for having had the idea, sorted the different bits and pieces into a story, getting the thing done. Now I get to enjoy looking at the finished product. Just as soon as I do the edits, etc.