Nancy Merrill’s Photo Challenge: Something Pretty
Photos taken June 26, 2020
Sunday Snaps: Pink Clouds
Category: Quotes
Sunday Snaps: the Old and the New
Most communities exist in a balance of the old and the new. Newtown, like every Newfoundland community, is no exception.
Friday was a bright and beautiful day, giving me the perfect opportunity to capture the contrasts.
First, the old:
This is the front view of a century-old fishing stage. If you think it looks ready to topple over in this photo, take a look at the side view:
I’ve shared this little shed on my blog before. It’s still hanging on to that rock for dear life!
A decrepit fishing boat reminds me of a beached whale.
Now for something new—a pretty spot to sit and enjoy the seascape:
A miniature lighthouse makes a picturesque addition.
Check out the new bird blind, a part of our wetland wildlife habitat:
A bird-watcher’s delight
Inside the blind
“There is magic in the old and magic in the new: the trick is to successfully combine the two.” ~ A. D. Posey
Thanks for tagging along!
Sunday Snaps*: Waiting
No matter what may be going on in my life, this time of year has often prevailed as an inherent waiting period and a turning inward. Loving summer and early fall on this beautiful island as much as I do, a huge part of me goes into a hibernation of sorts during the winter months. I look at it as a time to research and gather data, outline or finish new work, read (a lot), and reflect on life while enjoying home and hearth.
Enter 2020! When I wrote this post back in April, we had no idea the coronavirus would still be such a dire issue all these months later. The number of cases continue to rise, even here, in its second wave. Introversion aside—which can make social-distancing more tolerable—just like you, I’m getting tired of the rules, the separations, the lack of normalcy, and yes, the masks. That said, I will continue to toe the line as long as necessary and do my part to try and keep the numbers under control.
This fall has brought something new: my completion of an online course called Indigenous Canada through Coursera, an online education provider. This in turn has inspired a photography course in January. Lifelong learning is turning out to be a blessing in these uncertain times.
And as I wait out the virus—or wait for the expected vaccine to become available—here’s a more recent bright spot: there has been interest shown in my latest manuscript, which you may remember I’ve submitted to a number of publishers. Yay! Hoping for a positive outcome, but of course, that requires even more waiting.
How are you riding out the pandemic? Is it business as usual for you as you work from home, or in health care, or in other essential employment? Are you a retiree, a homemaker, or a homeschooler? Have you taken up any new activities or hobbies to keep you sane? Or has your work, social and/or family life been upended since this began? What do you miss the most?
What are you waiting for?
*Photos taken this past summer on Cape Island beach
Vivian and her “Pet” Cause
Good day and welcome,
Friends and Felines!
Vivian here, sitting in as guest host to share a worthy little list with you. I pounced on it during a nighttime prowl on the web and posted it here a few years ago. My sister Maisie and I were animal shelter adoptees, so this is a cause that is naturally near and dear to my kittycat heart.
Have a “purr”-usal and see why I think these are all terrific reasons to bring a lovely little cat like me or a friendly doggie into your heart and home right now. Here’s a bonus reason: with many of us facing a long winter staying home because of the pandemic, a new pet may be just the right antidote for boredom or loneliness.
TEN REASONS TO ADOPT A PET FROM A SHELTER
1. Every pet adopted from a shelter instead of purchased from a pet store or breeder improves the pet overpopulation problem.
2. Adopting a dog or cat from a no-kill shelter can free up space for older or special needs pets that may not find new homes before the end of their natural lives.
3. There are plenty of animals to choose from at most shelters. They come in every age, shape, size, coat color and breed mix, and you can find purebreds at shelters as well.
4. Compared to the cost of purchasing a pet, adopting one from an animal shelter is relatively inexpensive. And if you get a slightly older dog or cat, there’s a good chance he is already fully vaccinated and neutered.
5. Adopting an older pet allows you to skip over the time-consuming, often frustrating puppy or kitten stage of development and takes the guesswork out of what your pet will look like as an adult – size, the thickness and color of her coat, and her basic temperament, for example.
6. Most shelters and rescues do assessments on every pet taken in, to determine things like temperament, whether the pet has any aversion to other pets or people, whether he is housebroken, has had obedience training, etc.
7. Many shelters and rescues also offer lots of new owner support and materials about training, behavior problems, nutrition, grooming and general care.
8. If you have kids, adopting a shelter animal can open their eyes to the plight of homeless pets, teach compassion and responsibility, and show them how wonderful it feels to give a home to a pet that might otherwise live in a cage or be euthanized.
9. An older adoptive pet can be the perfect companion for an older person. Many middle-aged and senior dogs and cats require less physical exertion and attention than younger animals.
10. An adopted pet can enrich your life. The unconditional love and loyalty of a dog or cat can lift depression, ease loneliness, lower blood pressure, and give you a reason to get up in the morning. A kitty asleep in your lap feels warm and comforting. A dog that loves to walk or run outdoors can be just the incentive you need to start exercising regularly.
*list adapted from source: healthypets.mercola.com
So if this sharing prompts just one of you to adopt a pet, I have helped an animal in need. And if you share the list, you could too.
“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life.” – James Cromwell
***
Vivian shared this list in a 2015 post: Vivian with a Cause
Sunday Snap: Giving Thanks
I know 2020 has been a year like no other, but still . . .
I’m thankful for my health.
I’m grateful for my home and who I share it with.
I’m thankful for a world of diverse cultures, colours, and wonders.
I’m grateful for the people who fill my life—and have filled my life—with love, sunshine, and warmth.
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis
♥ ♥ ♥
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Happy Thanksgiving,
Canada.
Vivian’s View From Here: October Bliss
Greetings, peeps and pets!
Vivian here, covering for Jennifer today while she rests her back from berry-picking this weekend. She loves this time of year when the partridgeberries are ripe, and when they grow on your own land, it is oh-so-convenient to pick them to your heart’s content.
But what does October mean to me? Sure, I like roaming around the bushes on the point, helping to gather berries—although Jennifer says all I basically do is get in the way with my head bunts and demand to be petted—and I enjoy the fact that when I go outside I don’t have to sit in the shade to keep cool anymore.
But what I dearly love to do in our garden is roll around in my happy place: a mysterious patch of something that grows among the grass, moss and lichen in one particular spot. It seems to have the same heady effect on me as catnip!
Check out Maisie and me below, enjoying our special spot. She blends in better than I do! This pic was taken a few years back. We can’t help but think of my sister fondly whenever I go out there.
I still miss Maisie,
but when the sun is shining,
the wind is light, and my peeps
are out and about with me,
I’m in a state of bliss.
October bliss!
“In the entire circle of the year there are no days
so delightful as those of a fine October.”
~ Alexander Smith
Photo Challenge: October
Up Close and Personal*
Happy Sunday, everyone!
For today’s photo challenge, here are a few close-ups from my media files. The theme I have chosen is nature.
“Look deep into nature,
and then you will understand everything better.”
~ Albert Einstein
“Study nature, love nature,
stay close to nature.
It will never fail you.”
~ Frank Lloyd Wright
*This is my contribution to A Photo a Week Challenge: Up Close and Personal by Nancy Merrill Photography
Further Reading: Guest Post: How to Use Nature to Connect with Your Grandkids
Interested in sharing one of your original articles as a guest? Feel free to submit your ideas to jennifer@jenniferkellandperry.com. Preference is given to topics relevant to my blog, such as books, writing, nature, photography, travel, children and pets. – JKP
Sunday Snap: E-Book or Printed Book?
Do you prefer an e-reader or a physical book?
Clearly, Vivian prefers the real deal to my Kindle.
Besides its compact size, I love my Kindle for several obvious reasons: it has a built-in dictionary, translator, highlighter, and a light when I need it. I can refer to Wikipedia, browse the web, and shop for books on Amazon. I can transfer my own files to my Kindle and read them. I can enlarge the text if I want. And, of course, e-books are easily accessible and usually cheaper. With libraries closed and less access to physical books during the pandemic, my e-reader has been a godsend, to say the least.
In spite of the benefits of an e-reader, I do love the feel of a real book in my hands. When all is said and done, it is my preference. Some studies point to the fact that we better retain what we read from a printed book. And then there’s the colourful cover art!
How about you? Do you like one more than the other? I can hear some of you now: “Jennifer, the main thing is to read, no matter how you do it.”
Exactly.
“The story is truly finished—and meaning is made—not when the author adds the last period, but when the reader enters.” ~ Celeste Ng
Sunday Snap: Puzzling
I finished my pandemic puzzle this morning. Now I’m sad because I don’t have another one to start. Although puzzles may be considered a huge time-suck, I love them as a way to unwind. Jigsaw and crossword are my favourites, but like good books, I hate when I reach the end.
Speaking of puzzles, I learned two new words today:
- Enigmatology: the science of puzzles
- Cruciverbalist: a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles
“It is one of man’s curious idiosyncrasies to create difficulties for the pleasure of resolving them.” – Joseph de Maistre
My Girl*
mother’s day weekend 2013
Today, June 14th,
is my girl’s birthday.
Since the first moment I held her
and gazed into her eyes
when I was just eighteen,
she’s been as constant in my life as the stars.
I wonder if she realizes
how much she has enriched my life,
how proud I am of her and
how happy I am to be her mom, because
she is more than a daughter to me.
She is my friend.
♥
Happy Birthday,
** Denise **
♥
“A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give.” ~ Laurel Atherton
*This is one of my evergreen posts, first published here in 2013.
