Cattitude and Gratitude

Today is the last day of the 7 day blogging festival. PHEW! I made it! Wasn't easy but the pressure was always on since the majority of the bloggers reside in India which is almost a day ahead of me here in Canada. It's been fun. Hope we do it again soon. Today's prompt is "I promise." I decided to make a list of ten promises to keep in mind for a writer. Good to be reminded on the hard days when you want to give up. Try freewriting where you let the words pour out uncensored, writing with joy and abandon. Isn’t that why you started writing in the first place? Kick that Inner Critic to the curb and get rid of him for good. All he does is cause trouble making you doubt yourself. All those negative feelings inhibit you from writing.  Make time for free writing sessions to connect with your right side writer brain. You know that feeling when you lose a sense of time. That's when you know you've connected with the abstract right brain where t...

I wish that I was young once more With lots of time ahead, I wish I’d opened every door With joy instead of dread, I wish that I had been more bold Instead of being shy, I wish I’d realized time is gold And how the time does fly, All this wishful thinking, doesn’t help at all The past is done and can’t be changed, Like the writing on the wall, All I can do is be in the moment, It’s here and then it’s gone It’s wishful thinking to turn back time, Like a battle that can’t be won. I am participating in the  Blog-a-rhythm  Blogathon, a  7 day blogging festival.  I am with Team #BlueLagoon Day 6 prompt is Wishful Thinking

Look at you with your tiny shoes When it comes to footwear, you can choose, Shoes look good on tiny feet Dainty, cute and oh, so sweet, Big feet take up so much space Clumsy, large and lacking grace, Finding shoes is not much fun I feel defeated before I’ve begun, At least my feet take me where I want to go Trudging their way through ice and snow, Creaking across a wooden floor Splashing in waves along the shore, Tiny shoes will never be mine I’ve accepted this and that’s just fine. I am participating in the  Blog-a-rhythm  Blogathon, a 7 day blogging festival.  I am with Team #BlueLagoon Day 5 prompt is Tiny Shoes

Here in Cape Breton, there is cheeky female red squirrel who raids the feeder just like the female red squirrel I have back in Ontario. I think this red squirrel is even brattier than the one back at my place, if that's possible.  Her antics are fun to watch and of course I had to take a bunch of photos of her. She's not shy at all and I was even able to go out on the deck and take photos of her close up. She barely even noticed me and kept merrily munching away. Her brash boldness inspired this poem for "Caught Red Handed" for today's prompt at the Barathon for the BlogaRhythm 7 day blogging festival. Caught red handed, you cheeky brat! Gorging on seeds and growing fat, Cheeky squirrel, so impolite Those poor birdies don’t get a bite, Nothing stops a squirrel, they keep on going Even on days when it’s sleeting and snowing, Might as well just let her eat. Enjoy it, Red and Bon Appetit! I am participating in the  Blog-a-rhythm  Blo...

My son Eric and I are visiting my dad in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on the East Coast of Canada. One of our favourite things to do each night is go down to the shore of the Bras d’Or Lake and watch the sunset. I like to take loads of photos as the sun slips away below the horizon of the mountain. It goes so quickly that we can watch as it disappears. Since the sudden death of my mother last November, the fragility of life is much more on my mind. I can’t help wondering how many more sunsets I will see. All our lives are fragile, hanging by a thread between life and death.  There are no guarantees we will see another sunset and we must appreciate every day we get. The sun blazes, so bold and bright Descending quickly towards the night, Sparkling on the water in a brilliant display Marking the end of another day, How many more sunsets will we see? That is something we can’t forsee, Fragile lives, going by so fast Enjoy each sunset as if it’s ...

I am participating in the  Blog-a-rhythm  Blogathon, a 7 day blogging festival.  I am with Team #BlueLagoon Day 2 prompt is What You Don't Know . Before you know it you will be old Then what will you do? I hate to be so pushy and bold But someone has to talk to you, What you don’t know is how to just be You think you have to achieve, Slow down and come and sit with me Relax for a while and believe, The world won’t end if you take a break I really wish you could see, Working too much is a big mistake You will never be free, Enjoy what’s left of your remaining years Acceptance is the key, Let go of your anger, let go of your fears Let it all go and just be.

I am blogging for the Bar-a-thon Challenge  this week with my fellow BAR members. Day number one's prompt is "Stranger than Fiction." Since I've been going through a lot of my deceased mom's stuff, I have been sorting a lot of magazines. She just loved topics ranging from decorating, recipes and health to science, history and art. I'm sure the magazine industry is suffering without her support. Looking at all the magazines gave me an idea for a poem based on today's theme of "Stranger than Fiction". Magazines are a special treat Fun to indulge in on a lazy day, Kick back and rest your weary feet And read what the experts say! They tell you how to declutter, just like that They tell you how to organize your stuff, They tell you that clutter is making you fat Then they say you’re good enough, Lose weight with the diet that’s all the rage Make cookies for your chocolate addiction, Contradictions arise on every ...

I’m taking part in the Cherished Blogfest  where people are blogging about an object that they cherish. It’s hard to pick just one cherished object as I love so many things but I’d have to say that one of my most cherished objects would have to be my camera. I’ve always loved taking photos right from when I was a young girl back in those days of film cameras. I remember I had one of those instamatic type cameras that were popular in the 1970's.  They didn’t take very good photos and you couldn’t do much other than point and shoot, but I still thought they were great. When I was 13, we lived in Deep River on the Ottawa River. One Saturday morning, I got up early and walked down to the river and took all kinds of photos. I still remember how the sun glistened and sparkled on the water with that magical morning light.  When I studied graphic design in the early 1980's, I bought a manual SLR Pentax film camera for photography class where we ...

I am not one to tell people what to do but I did enjoy trying this exercise to give advice using all the letters in the alphabet. Allow yourself to make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Believe in yourself and go for your dreams. Create a life of joy. Delight in the ordinary moments. Earn someone’s trust by being consistent and doing what you say you’re going to do. Follow your heart and passions. Give more and take less. Hope for a better future. Imagine how you want your life to be and take actions towards it. Joke around and don’t take life so seriously. Kick that Inner Critic to the curb. Laugh daily and laugh often. Make each day count. Nag less and praise more. Opt for optimism. Practice being positive instead of being cynical and negative. Question  before deciding. Resist following the crowd and make up your own mind. Savour each moment as if it’s your last. Take time to appreciat...

I love seeing the moon when it’s still light Before darkness turns the day to night, Bright and bold, but sometimes shy It glows so brightly in the sky, The moon is elusive, like a fox in a den It only shows up now and then, Changing its shape, moving place to place I’m grateful when it shows its face!

I’m always grateful to live in Canada every day.  Today I especially feel gratitude when we celebrate the birthday of this magnificent country that became a country on this day in 1867. So much to be grateful for living  in this wonderful country of Canada.  Thank you, Canada and Happy 149th Birthday! My gratitude list is very long When I sing the Canada gratitude song, I’m thankful to live in this wonderful land Where people are kind and lend a hand, It's Canada Day, hip hip hooray! I love my country in every way, I love the beauty, I love the space I love the tolerance and the grace, A proud country, so strong and free There’s no other place I’d rather be! I am taking part in Vidya Sury's Gratitude June BlogHop.  Vidya is such a delight and just about the most positive and uplifting soul around! I am so lucky to have her as an online friend.  Here is her gratitude post  http://vidyasury....

In summer, I like to ride my bike in the evenings when it’s cooler and the lighting is golden which makes for beautiful photos. Last night I took a ride down a country road and watched the farmer making hay bales. He was making the old fashioned square kind as opposed to the round Muffett style. Every now and then he had to stop and open up his special bale maker and move the spools around containing the wire binding twine. I passed these two horses and of course I had to stop and say hello to them. These two looked so golden in the evening light. I noticed they were followed by a big flock of brownish-black birds and realized they must be cow birds. Now I know why they are called that. They don’t moo after all! They just like to follow horses and cows around because that’s where all the flies are. This lovely boy noticed me taking his photo and even posed for me. I took photos of these daisies in the evening sun, their golden faces upturned and ...

Debbie Doglady is hosting a Blogfest over on her blog  http://thedogladysden.com/tmi-26-things-about-me-blogfest/ where we can share these 26 questions and learn a bit more about each other.  She has a Linky set up that is open for a month should you care to join in on the fun and want to share your post. Here are my questions and answers. Some answers were sad and some were silly, but all in good fun, right? I roll up my sleeves and giggle with glee As I fill in the 26 things about me, Should I  make stuff up or tell it straight? Just hurry up, Cathy. It's getting late! Will anyone care about this fluff? Does anyone even read this stuff? It's good for a laugh and all in fun I promise to read yours if you do one! So here I go without further adieu My 26 things about me for you! A Age 56 (December 21, 1959) B Biggest fear - losing my family in a tragic way  C Current time Mid morning, almost noon and I’m being lazy lolling about in pjs. Hey, it’...