I thought they were just frog beds....

I had NO IDEA lily pads grew flowers.
I truly didn't.


So you can imagine just how enthralled I was when I paddled out on the lake the other night and found these:

I would have posted all the photos I took....but in my new-found knowledge in the fact lily pads do in fact grow blooms,

....you can imagine just how many captures there were.

A ton.

So many in fact, that I think I almost used up my memory card.

I felt like a kid in a candy store.

(NOTE: I did NOT pick this flower.

I found it floating in the middle of the lake all by itself.

Broken off and upside down.

So as not to waste it- I used it to decorate my kayak.)

~~~

And here I thought lily pads were strictly just Frog Beds.


I need to get out more.

"if you don't like the weather..."

"....just wait a minute."

~~~

I'm pretty sure that must be a universal saying for most parts.

~~It definitely rings true for Alberta.

You can be outside enjoying a beautiful, bright, sunny afternoon...

when within mere minutes- 

you're all scrambling for drinks, plates, and cover~~

while your campfire is suddenly extinguishing itself due to torrential rain.

"If you don't like the weather~ just wait a minute"

~~~

I was thinking of this when I captured the above 2 pictures Friday evening.

Funnel clouds and rain within moments of sunshine and rainbows...

gets a little confusing at times.

Life can be like that.

Seems there is no continuous pattern....

it just happens.

Storms here....warmth over there.

Then rain. And snow.

Then it's sunshine again.

Life can be the epitome of this saying.

And that's not always a bad thing.

After all...

no one would enjoy continuous funnel clouds.

Never-ending rainbows would mean constant storms.

If you don't like the situation....

really....

just wait.

The weather does change. Sometimes~ in a minute.

out of proportion

Is it me....

or does anyone else tend to blow things out of proportion?

It's just....

some things seem a bit strange.

And I get carried away in my thinking.

(And then things start to bug me and people around me think I'm going crazy.

But I'm SURE what I'm thinking is right.

Sure of it.)

Or am I looking at things all wrong?

Just blowing things out of proportion...

...again.

Who knows.

It's Monday after all.

Have a good day....

regardless of how you're seeing things;))

You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.

~ Johnny Cash 

Hatched

Remember the Duck nest

on the edge of my yard?

(past post)

It's now full of eggshells.

Have a wonderful weekend.

~

Sure the Ducks will enjoy theirs....while making good use of the rain (lakes) puddles which are continuing to form in my yard.

I forgot and remembered~

I finally put the kayak in the lake for the first time last night.

I had forgotten just how therapeutic it is.

Being out there made me forget a lot of things.

Like schedules and things to do and issues.

After awhile I even forgot where I was.

I sat still and took pictures with my (phone)camera.

I think the best part of the evening kayak...

was that I remembered how to breathe again.

That's always a good thing to remember.

~~

~inner beauty~

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”                                     

- John Wooden

Bike Tour 2011

This weekend I cycled the Ms Bike Tour in Central Alberta.

Just under 100 people....169km of rolling (and some not so rolling) hills....rain and wind....connecting with old friends and making some new ones....and of course- good food;)

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to those of you out there who donated for my ride. 

And to those of my blog friends who battle with MS....I thought of you while I biked. 

You were in my heart~~ and I hope that every bit of the funds that were raised this tour...is one more step towards a cure for you who battle MS on a daily basis.

mornings~

This morning....

I was called to the back door,

 and my son handed me this:

 Two mornings ago....

I opened my eyes to this view:

Every morning...

I start with this:

The 4:30 mornings....

 when I drive to town for my run/swim sessions:

For me....

there's no time during the day when I feel more alive~

 than the morning.

~

~And YOUR favorite time of day?~

Mornings

This morning....

I was called to the back door,

 and my son handed me this:

 Two mornings ago....

I opened my eyes to this view:

Every morning...

I start with this:

The 4:30 mornings....

 when I drive to town for my run/swim sessions:

For me....

there's no time during the day when I feel more alive~

 than the morning.

~

~And YOUR favorite time of day?~

Barrel of Fun

I was sitting on my porch swing the other morning....minding my own business and trying to enjoy a coffee while madly swatting killer mosquitoes....

when my gaze kept being drawn to this barrel.

I had good intentions of cutting it in half and 

making flower boxes out of it to sit at the end of my driveway.

(Thank you dear sister-in-law who gave it to me FIVE years ago to do just that.)

Of course...it still sits where I plunked it, 

~or rather, rolled it~

when we were building our home.

(Another..."I will get around to it one day" project.)

Now the barrel sits like a permanent fixture. 

And I can't seem to find it in me to move it.

Now since that Barrel-Staring morning, I cannot seem to get the

Beer Barrel Polka

(click above link to listen. Or not.)

out of my head!

{A catchy little tune driving me a tad batty.}

~~~~~~~~~~~

I think feel a backyard Polka-party coming on...

(feel free to bring your accordion;)

Backdrop

The past can be used as a perfect backdrop for who you are in the present.

Monotony Breaker

Not too long ago,

2 people decided to escape the every-day monotony of routine and busy-ness,

 and take part in a City Chase Adventure.

They registered for the race, signed up under the name:

"2 Sole Racers".

Heart, Soul, (and Soles) were put to the test.

28 Checkpoints were hidden about the City-

10 of them needed to be completed within 6 hours.

450 teams of 2.

20+ degree weather.

Brand new runners.

Gun went off at 10am.

The Race was On.

~piano playing at an Arts Center.

~ posing with a paper by a water fountain.

~goalie equipment worn and hockey skills tested.

~pushing cars around parking lots.

~climbing 12 flights of stairs with 2 suitcases.

~lassoing

~chained together until you could unlock a code

~lacrosse

~worms

~Boa Constrictors

The 2.... managed to cross the Finish Line.

14km and 5hours 40 minutes later.

Surprisingly they were still speaking after it all.

The best part of the day had to be the end.

That was enough of a Monotony Breaker for awhile.

Normalcy and the mundane is once again appreciated:)