Come along as we take a stroll through Newtown on this beautiful October day.
Autumn Walk on the East Coast
Category: Photography
Travel Theme: Foliage (and Other Living Things)
Trees and their foliage are, without a doubt, some of Nature’s most wondrous treasures.
But sometimes, the best photograph of a tree is not as much about the tree itself, but what is found in and among its foliage and branches.
Like in this photo I snapped in Varadero, Cuba, you may see tiny birds:
…two “love birds”, perhaps?
Or you might happen upon a couple of sister cats exploring among the leaves:
And if you see a magnificent tree such as this one day, don’t be surprised to find little children playing among its sturdy limbs:
This has been my contribution to wheresmybackpack.com’s weekly Travel Theme.
This week: Foliage
Thank you for the inspiration, Ailsa!
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Guest Post: Vivian’s View From Here
I am happy to introduce a guest blogger on Jennifer’s Journal this week. Please welcome Vivian K. Perry, a very dear friend of mine who also happens to be, um, feline.
Vivian K. Perry
Greetings, humans! I am thrilled to be given this opportunity today on WordPress to share some photos, and a few things about myself.
To be honest, I think Jennifer is allowing me to host today to make up for shrieking at me last week, when I brought a mouse in the house. It was a gift, after all, so instead of screaming bloody (mousey) murder, shouldn’t she have been grateful to receive a trophy of my hunting prowess? Especially since I brought it home to her, and dropped it in the hallway – STILL ALIVE? You try to do something nice, but you are only misunderstood…
Actually, I enjoy a lovely life here with Jennifer, her husband, and my sister and womb-mate, Maisie.
Up until two summers ago, we all lived in the city. It was okay, but my sister and I were not allowed outside by ourselves because of all the traffic in our neighbourhood, and the danger to us that it entailed. So when we moved to the country, imagine our delight to be free to explore the great outdoors!
We can now come and go as we please, chase birds, butterflies and rodents, and savour the lifestyle we had only dreamed about in our former life.
Just last month, Maisie and I celebrated our fifth birthday. Here is what we looked like when we were adopted from the SPCA:
Even though we are sisters, Maisie and I are different in many ways. (Some people don’t know that kittens from the same litter can have different fathers; did you? I think that is what happened with us.) Maisie is smaller, and very much on the quiet side…
…while I am larger, quite vocal and in-your-face.
I am truly a Social Animal who adores human relationships and have been known to be exceedingly dog-like. I’ll follow you, talk to you, keep you company, sleep with you, and never, ever let you get lonely.
In fact, the other day, I went next door to visit our neighbour Ben. I simply walked in, meowed at everyone, ventured upstairs, and enjoyed a nap on his bed. No invitation necessary!
Many people think that a cat is a cat is a cat. But I’m here today to dispel that assumption. I am not aloof. I don’t scratch, bite or hiss at people. I can be very friendly with just about anyone.
And even though I do catch mice, and perhaps meow a little too loudly, I am as loyal and loving as any dog.
Just ask Jennifer.
* This blog post was since selected for publication in BBooks – Blog Books, an online magazine!
Are You an “Animal Racist”?
Disclaimer: the following rant is in no way intended to minimize or satirize the very serious issue of racism in our world today. It was conceived with tongue firmly in cheek and for entertainment purposes only… sort of.
Are you tired of hearing countless dog lovers dissing cats as a matter of course? Have you grown weary, as I have, of people professing to be proud animal owners, and yet they sh*t on the existence of my beloved pets? I swear, if I hear one more dog owner claiming that dogs are the superior pet, I’m going to start the meanest cat-fight you have ever witnessed.
Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs. I adore dogs. I have owned dogs myself in the past, but right now my life is more suited for the feline variety of pets, due in part to their low maintenance, but also because of the compatibility of our personalities. We are quiet, for the most part, and slightly aloof. We are independent. We keep ourselves clean. And we love each other unconditionally, and pine for each other when we’re apart. ( But I’m getting off track here with my cat love. I am head over heels about horses too, but can in no way accommodate one in my life at this time either.)
Even media personalities are hopping on the “dogs and dog-people are best” bandwagon, spouting their prejudices like it’s something to be proud of. But folks, just because your opinion is popular doesn’t make it right. It makes you sound like you have succumbed to a form of speciesism. Besides, you hardly ever hear cat owners/lovers badmouthing dogs, the way so many dog owners/lovers badmouth cats.
Where is the tolerance? What happened to the idea of Live and Let Live? Can we not embrace all animals for their individuality and wonderfulness? I’ll even go out on a limb here and say it is comparable to the ignorance of a person saying he loves mankind, but in no way can he tolerate foreigners. It just doesn’t make any sense, like so many other kinds of prejudice ( and don’t get me started on that).
Can we not all embrace each other for our differences and uniqueness, and just get along?
The Youngest Man In My Life
Meet the little fellow who happens to own a giant chunk of my heart. At just four years of age, “J” is the youngest person in my family, and in my life.
In many ways, my grandson J is your typical little boy. He likes to do the things his dad does, which includes everything from working on the car..
…to collecting Star Wars figurines! And like most little boys, J loves to get up close and personal with wiggly, wriggly things.
Usually our little man doesn’t mind getting his picture taken…
..but not always. 🙂
When I go to visit my little grandson, at first he is usually very shy, and his first instinct is to hide behind his mother’s legs. Then out of the blue, he suddenly runs toward me, barreling into my waist with the sweetest, strongest hug! What makes a four-year-old boy do that?
He makes me think that I must be a pretty good grandma, and that he knows I adore him. But I bet he hasn’t any idea just how much. ♥
Canada Day weekend..
Okay, this is the first time we ever had friends come to dinner – in a CANOE!
Another wonderful thing about living the coastal life. 🙂
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Scenes From France – Part Three: More Paris!
Join me for one last look at our trip to Italy and France, as I share some more of my Paris photos. Ah, quelle belle ville!
the Notre Dame Cathedral!
with an Eternal Flame.
La dame de fer (the iron lady)?
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Scenes From France – Part Two: Paris
Over the previous winter, my sister and I and our spouses had planned this Italy/France trip to end on a high note. Now tell me, how better to end it than with a visit to Paris in June?
I considered it an interesting fact that this beautiful city had been originally nicknamed the “City of Light” because it was a center of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment, but later earned the name when Paris began lighting the Champs-Elysees with lamps.
With so much to see and do, my camera had kicked into overdrive, so this section of my travelog will have to be shown in two blog posts. I hope you enjoy them. For the best viewing experience, click each one for a closer look.
One of our larger excursions was an afternoon at the Musee du Louvre. The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world, and a historic monument because of its beginnings as a fortress. As it is also one of the biggest art museums worldwide, these pictures as a representation don’t even scratch the surface of what waits inside its walls.
courtyard from inside one of its wings
but stop pretending to read that ; )
Up Next: More of Paris – the final installment of our Italy-France trip
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Travel Theme: Oceans
June 8th was World Oceans Day. World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated on June 8th since 1992 when Canada proposed the idea at the Earth Summit in Rio, and was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008. The official website is worldoceansday.org.
Here is my contribution to a weekly travel theme challenge created by wheresmybackpack.wordpress.com. Because I live by the Atlantic Ocean here in Canada, I thought I would share some pics from last year when my daughter and her family visited, and had fun on our sandy seashores.
Hard-workin’ Man
My husband, who works at home, usually tries to take the weekend off to get some much-deserved rest to recharge his batteries. So Saturday morning he put his drafting and design work aside, and got outdoors.
First, he cleaned out the shed, put aside some renovation debris, and straightened up some of the things we have stored out there. Then, using the wheelbarrow, he moved said debris out on the point near the water’s edge, requiring several trips, and built a huge bonfire.
After the fire died down, my sweetie then built a little step-ramp to the shed door for wheeling out the barbecue and lawnmower. When that was finished, he tuned up the lawnmower and proceeded to cut the grass on our property. All of this relaxation had worked up his appetite, so he came inside and made himself a sandwich. But hey, that grass wasn’t done yet, so out he went again to finish up.
When the lawn was done, my husband took out our zero gravity chairs and set them up on the deck. Then he wheeled out the barbecue and put that on the deck. Because it hadn’t been used since last fall, he had to clean off the grill. Perfect! We would have our burgers barbecued tonight, I thought, my mouth watering. So my honey made our delicious dinner.
And that was Saturday.
This morning, my husband made his specialty scrambled eggs for the two of us, the ideal fuel for his second day of leisure. Time to get to it! First, he took out the recyclables, fed and watered the cats, and changed the kitty litter. Then he went upstairs and put up some wood trim around our shower.
Well, that was all he needed to do around the house, for now. So he went back to his office this afternoon, not to do drafting, but to put some time in on his favorite hobby, his pen and ink art.
It’s always nice to see my husband enjoying a weekend off. ♥
Jennifer's Journal 