VJ’s Weekly Challenge #109: What a Sight!

August 17, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Needing a break from moving house, I took my camera and drove along the river road looking for birds. Always hoping for that one shot to brag about later. The river seldom disappoints. A family of wild turkeys crossing the road welcomed me. Ripples in the calm water revealed a female merganser – a thrill […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #108: taste

August 10, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Cornish pasties, the ones my father used to make when I was a child, were the one thing I craved while carrying my first child. Something in the taste of ground beef, sliced potato, and onion, wrapped in a flaky crust and seasoned just right, called to me. Except my father had long since misplaced […]

Best Listener

August 9, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

The art of listening, best taught by the family pooch –ears attuned to nuances, carefully weed throughhuman gibberish for words that resonate:treat, dinner, walk, cuddles… Those eyes challenge, invite compassionconvey a depth beyond understandingand when tone turns impatient,little paws retreat, as if words are blows. If only I could learn to listen,hear the workings of […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #107: listen

August 3, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Birdwatching for me is a meditative practice. It involves immersing myself in nature and finding a quiet place from which I can observe. I begin with a prayer of acknowledgment and gratitude. I ready my camera and then I listen. Each bird has its own song and variations. It helps me determine where I want […]

To Touch or Not to Touch

August 2, 2020.Reading time 2 minutes.

She was quite eccentric, and visibly older than most of the students attending our program. I’d had five years between first and second year, so I guess she was drawn to my maturity. We both wanted to be teachers. After graduation, she went on to her Bachelor of Education, and I gave birth to my […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #106: touch

July 27, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

“Dear Grandma, We love you with all our hearts. We miss you and wish we couldtouch you and have sleepovers all the time. You are the best girlin the world and I love you so much and hate the coronavirus.” The note came in a homemade card, created and dictated by my four-year-old granddaughter. Touching […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #105: Quotation

July 20, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Deborah, from AWISEWOMANSJOURNEY, offers daily inspiration, and one particular quotation struck me last week. I’m sharing it with you here as a focal point for the upcoming week: Strive to be uncynical, to be a hope-giving force, to be a steward of substance. Maria Popova Your response may use one, or none of the words. […]

VJ’s Weekly Challenge #104: Next Chapter

July 13, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

Sold! Next! Picture me surrounded by packing materials and boxes – I’ll be busy the next few weeks preparing for the move. Preparing for the next chapter. Some of life changes are abrupt, unexpected, and some, like our upcoming house move, are planned out. Either way, change is a given. The focus this week is: […]

Threes in Threes (or so)

July 10, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Amateur, I am, when it comes to photography. I’m excited to learn the ins and outs. This week, Nancy Merrill instructs on the rule of thirds. The featured image represents thistles leaning into the third. This daffodils are leaning outside the boundaries, but there is something interesting about this shot to me. Thanks Nancy Merrill […]

Summer Delights

July 8, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

The heat of summer, typically fuels our wandering impulses. A spontaneous drive to the beach, or a weekend up north. Now that coronavirus has reined us in, we search seasonal delight closer to home: roses in the garden, the emerald green of farm fields, and the leisurely hunt of a furry fisherman. (For Lens-Artists Photo […]