Spring is Sprung?

Today is the first day of spring!  I'm so happy because it feels like I've been waiting so long for to spring to arrive here on my country mile.  It's been a long, cold, and stormy winter.  And now spring is finally here!

Spring means sitting on the deck to soak up some warmth, taking the beagles for long walks, watching forecasts for the UV factor, shedding those winter "clunker" shoes and boots, tender shoots of green grass,  fresh, minty-green baby leaves, and ...

But, wait!  Today we had a windchill of -25 degrees all day long and a UV factor of 3.  Today I wore my faux fur jacket because it's the warmest one I've got.  I couldn't walk my beagles because the road is so icy that it's not safe for me to walk.  And their little legs are too short to wade through the drifts if we want to stay off the road.  I don't see any green grass because it's buried under two feet of snow with drifts and plowed snow piles of four feet or more.

 All this because the "first day of spring" brought us a windchill of -25 degrees all day long and a predicted low for this first night of spring of -23 with the windchill dropping to -27. 

But we had a UV factor of 3 today and they're calling for 4 tomorrow.

Talk about contradictions.  Mother Nature needs to get her act together, don't you think?

Pope Francis

We need to pray for this man.  He loves us and this world and most importantly, he loves God.  He wants us to love God and the world God gave us, which we are doing our best to destroy.  

Installed today as the 226th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, I believe Pope Francis is preaching, and living by example, the only message that makes sense in our day.  He echoes St. Francis of Assissi, whose name he chose for his ministry, and Jesus himself when he implores us to love each other, care for the poor, respect Nature, and make peace amongst each other.

"Please, let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment."

I'm praying for years of strength and wisdom for this man; maybe, just maybe he can help us change the world and the future.  God seems to have chosen someone who is already old (76 years of age) and not as strong as the job demands (he has only one lung).  But how often do we read in the Bible, and in daily life, that God uses the weak and least likely to help bring God's message to the world?  

From Abraham, Moses, David, the Virgin Mary, and Paul of the New Testament to Ann Frank, Mother Teresa, Georges Vanier, and countless others, to you and me; God equips the chosen.

I know I want to live as Pope Francis begs us to because it's the way Jesus wants us to live as I understand the Gospels.

But I'm as weak and powerless as they come, so I'll have to rely on God, just as Abraham and all the others had to find their strength in God. I know it starts with prayer, moves into my heart and my attitude, and then finds action in the small changes I can make in my daily life.  And the remainder of Lent and then the Easter season is the perfect time to begin!

Join me in prayer and ask God to bless Pope Francis, our world, and each of us!

Mean Boss

Have I ever told you what a mean boss I work for?  This woman is driving me crazy!  She’s incredibly demanding; no one could live up to her perfectionist standards.  She’s always making me put more client hours into my week, always driving me to do even more, and constantly telling me that what I do isn’t nearly enough and not as good as she thinks it could be.   

The worst of it is that she wouldn’t dream of holding anyone else to her over-the-top standards.  No, she saves all her “work harder, do more, and do it better” energy to vent on me.

Well, this morning I came to a milestone decision.  No more giving in to her unreasonable demands.  It’s time I set some boundaries.  Next time she starts in on me, I will tell her, politely but firmly, that I’m doing as well as I ought to be, perhaps even better than some, and that she will have to be content with that.

But I know what a slave driver she can be.  I know it will bother her to no end to see me relaxing, enjoying the peace and quiet of my country mile, reading a good book, or spending some time writing.  She’ll lay the guilt on thicker than ever, if I let her.  So, I’ll have to keep my guard up and be alert for her sneaky guilt attacks.

But I can do it.  All morning I’ve been rehearsing what I’ll say to her.  She may be demanding and emotionally manipulative, but she’s no match for me.  I’m ready for her!

Oh, did I mention that I’m self-employed?

Guess Whooo's Coming for Dinner?

One of the things I appreciate most about living on this country mile is the amazing wildlife we encounter almost every day.  We've had visits from deer, black bears, coyotes, foxes, jack rabbits, groundhogs, squirrels, mice, shrews ... the list could go on.

The squirrels, mice, and shrews had better watch out now because we have a new visitor lately.  A Great Grey Owl has been dropping down for a visit and to snatch a bite of dinner.  We've seen evidence that at least one shrew in our yard has fallen victim to his razor-sharp talons.

The squire and I have been  hearing an owl in the evenings since last summer but it's only recently that he's been fortunate enough to catch sight of him.

Great Grey's are typically 26 inches tall and can have a wingspan of five feet.  That has to be the definition of terror for a tiny little shrew, like the ones that live in my flowerbeds and eat my perennial bulbs in the winter.  But I wouldn't wish an attack by a Great Grey on any living creature -- except maybe a snake.  Why, oh why, can't Great Grey's eat snakes?  That would make my country mile even more attractive for me.

Once, before we lived here, the squire and I had gone for a quad ride in the Sandilands Provincial Forest and heard and saw a Great Grey swoop over us on the trail we were following.  Then we saw it settle on a tree ahead of us and we got a quick look at its face before it flew off again.

The squire had a good look through the binoculars at the face of the one who visited here this afternoon while I was at work and he says it's exactly like this.  I haven't been fortunate enough to see the creature yet but I'm certainly going to be watching for this majestic creature.

In folklore owls symbolize wisdom, silence, and solitude.  When the the hectic noise and frantic pace of daily life overwhelms us or our words are getting us into trouble, we do well to pay attention to the symbolism of this bird's presence.  In some cultures, if an owl has glided silently into my life it brings me an important message that I need right now.  

Owls are  solitary creatures with the  ability to fly silently and move quietly from perch to perch.  The silence of the owl offers lessons of quiet and poise for my life and invites me to remove myself from the noisiness of life and become a still and silent observer.  Only when I slow down and embrace solitude will I sit in awe at the wealth of meaning that surrounds me.

 On my office wall here at home hangs a plaque which reads "Make time for quiet moments, As God whispers and the world is loud."  Perhaps the owl has entered my life to remind me of that.