Meditative Art Practice

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…it’s been too long since I last posted my art

I’ve always enjoyed sharing my art on this blog but several weeks ago I had a very upsetting and unfortunate experience with an internet troll. For a few posts I was getting long and horrible comments from an unknown person. I was told that my work was crap, that I shouldn’t call myself an artist and that I should give up on art. I blocked this person but they came back under a different name and started to insult my husband’s art as well. In both cases I blocked the comment and reported it as spam but the damage to my ego was profound.

Many friends told me to let it go and I did continue to make art. For awhile I only posted on group sites on Facebook and on Instagram. One of the first pieces that I posted after the negative comments was a very simple mediative exercise where I was instructed to make small circles all over my paper with watercolour. When I was done I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the outcome so I started to add details with black ink.

After posting it on the art group page that I belonged to I was shocked by the positive comments and the number of likes. The last time I looked on the page I had 714 likes and 60 positive comments. This was certainly a boost to my ego and inspired me to continue making art.

Here is the piece that brought me back from the doldrums.

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Bright Colours in the Village of Grimsby Beach

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Becky B for hosting BrightSquare https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/04/24/bright-square-24/

Yesterday my husband and I did a short road trip to the Grimsby Beach Village. This area next to Lake Ontario was originally a Methodist Camp in the 1800s and people came from all over Ontario and New York to spend part of their summers here.

In the early 1900s the tents were replaced with cabins and a couple of hotels were built to accommodate the growing number of tourists.

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Today the homes are all privately owned but the community has decided to continue painting and decorating their houses in bright colours.

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My Husband’s Bright Idea

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Becky B for hosting BrightSquare https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/04/22/bright-square-22/

Last Saturday my husband surprised me with another date night. We both got dressed up to enjoy a delicious dinner that a local restaurant partially prepared and delivered to our door. Most of the courses are completely prepared and only need to be heated up or finished in the oven and the pasta is measured but needs to be cooked at home. My husband loves to cook so none of this is a chore for him and he loves to plate food. One of the best parts of this meal is that all the proceeds go to charity and this group of young professionals donates the money to St. Joe’s Health Care Centre.

Not only was this a bright idea but it was also the bright spot or highlight of my week. Here are a bunch of square photos that should make up for the days I’ve missed.

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Bright Square – April 18, 2021

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….today would have been Mom’s 90th birthday

Thanks to Becky B for hosting Bright Square for the month of April.https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/04/18/bright-square-18/

A few days ago I posted a photos of my narcissus plants that were about to open up. I called it Bright Future because they symbolized the ongoing beauty that I should experience every spring from here on and be reminded of my Dad who recently passed away.

Two of the flowers have opened and the rest are taking their time but we’ve had a few cold days and I’m sure when it starts to warm up again the rest will follow.

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My Bright Spot for the Week

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….I thoroughly miss baking at the inn twice a week

It’s been more than a year now that the bakers and I at Montgomery’s Inn have gotten together to make and bake bread. I miss the friendships and the actual physical attributes of making dough and baking bread in a wood burning oven.

My one bright spot of the week is when I can drive to the inn to pick up fresh vegetables, eggs and meat from the Farmers’ Market. For the last two weeks the vendors have been able to set up outside. This week I took time to walk around the Inn and enjoy the views.

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Thanks to Becky B for hosting BrightSquare https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/04/16/bright-square-16/

The Bruce Trail – Stage 1

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….Andrea and Josie have invited us to walk the Bruce Trail from end to end

A week ago last Monday, the four of us drove down to Queenston Heights in Niagara Falls to start our trek on the Bruce Trail. After doing our hikes for the last 8 weeks I thought I was in good enough shape to tackle the first part of the Bruce Trail. All was well until we hit the ridge. I’m actually fine walking uphill but going downhill is scary for me because of my vertigo.

We started at the Cairn for stage one at Queenston Heights.

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The first part of the trail was pretty easy. The trails were relatively wide and well marked.

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At about the 3 kilometre marks things started to get a bit tricky. I didn’t mind the uphill climbs and at one point at the top of the ridge we came across a series of abandoned limestone kilns that were behind a chainlink fence and nestled into the side of the ridge. We carefully went around the fence to have a closer look at the old brickwork.

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It was soon after this that I became seriously doubtful that I could finish the hike. It was time to descend from the ridge and the path was rocky, twisty and very steep. Luckily my daughter was very supportive and was there with a helping hand and encouraging words. When we got to a lower section the path evened out and the rest of the hike was relatively uneventful. We came across a wooden box where we could record our names, date and our intentions for the rest of the Bruce Trail.

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The end of the trail brought us back out to a road by a railroad crossing and close to where we had parked one of the cars. We managed to hike 7.4 kilometres but it seemed like a lot more. We drove back to Queenston Heights to pick up the other car and then we headed back home.

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That night and the next day both Kevin and I were feeling a little stiff and sore but it hasn’t deterred us from doing the next section of the Bruce Trail.

Thursday Trios #14 – Then and Now

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….three sisters now and siblings then

Me and my two sisters with Dad in 2019 just before COVID.

Water, Water Everywhere ….#72 …The Etobicoke Creek

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/04/05/the-tall-ship-water-water-everywhere-72/

Our weekly walk took us on a path along the Etobicoke Creek close to our home. The mouth of the creek opens up to Lake Ontario and we started our walk from there. We drove to Marie Curtis Park and headed up along the paved path. We had no idea how far we were going to go but after 2.7 k we were forced to turn around because the path was closed for repairs.

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As you can see from the sign we have a lot more exploring to do when the trail opens up again. Looking forward to a much longer hike next time.

Silent Sunday – April 4, 2021

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Last on the Card March 2021

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Bushboys World for hosting https://bushboy.blog/2021/04/01/last-on-the-card-march-2021/

The last photograph on my Lumix Panasonic is of our dog Frances sunning herself on our deck on March 31st.

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On my iPhone the last photos in March are ones that were sent via WhatsApp and landed in my Photos page. These two are my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, Sevin. In the second shot you can see the new shiner that Sevin is sporting. She’s just learning to walk and she took a tumble and fell on the edge of a chair.