Isn't She Lovely?

Before Christmas my sister Nancy, who usually spends her time making beautiful jewellery, made the sweetest mouse for my Mom as part of our family's rainbow project. Isn't she adorable? (My sister too.) Mouse is knitting a rainbow scarf. Nancy talks about it on her blog here. I can only look wistfully at something like this as I didn't inherit the knitting gene in our family.

It is an odd day when I am not wearing something that Nancy made.  I wore these gorgeous jonquil vintage glass earrings through much of the holidays.

This is another pair I wear very often.  They are quite small and delicate and go with so many of my clothes, plus, as I've mentioned here before, I have a thing for hearts.

When I was visiting her over the holidays, she made me a pair of these ones as a gift (lucky me!) and I've worn them all this past week!

I own a lot of earrings and necklaces made by Nancy. I actually try not to look at her Etsy store too, too often or I would buy something each time!  I like making things out of wood and one of the projects I have had in my head for a long time is to make a big storage tray for my earrings that can fit in my dresser drawer. Maybe this year I will finally do it. :)

My Letter to Santa is Answered

Santa sent an early gift--a bit of sunshine and a whisper of snow.  I must have been a good girl this year.  I certainly tried. And there is more in the forecast for this week. :)

It wasn't enough to make snow angels but it was enough for snow pictures.

Chloé made the two pictures above. The rainbow is for her grandmother.

Meeko ran in circles until he had to lie down.  He also had a mouthful or two because snow isn't just fun to run in, it's good to eat!

I hope there is snow in your forecast this week whether outside your window or in your holiday dreams.

For Ginger

Well I guess life won't throw you one curve ball when it can throw you two.  I got a very sad email from my parents saying that they had to say goodbye to their 12-year-old (almost 13) Golden Retriever today.  Ginger was operated on this past summer for a tumour and bounced back rather beautifully. Unfortunately it returned recently and in a way that did not leave treatment options.

You know the old adage 'A picture is worth a thousand words'? You just have to look at the above photos sent by my Mom and Dad to know the dog that Ginger was.

Ginger was a gentle soul, a worrier (oh my, did she worry) and a devoted companion.  She was beside herself when my father went anywhere without her. She did not like when anyone was in the lake--kind of a difficult attitude for a cottage dog. She loved her people and they loved her. She liked being with the other dogs whenever there were family gatherings and was always a very gracious host.

Ginger and I developed a special bond this past summer when she realized that I always have dog treats in my pockets (a necessity for the owner of a wayward puppy).  All of a sudden, she was trying to outspeed the younger family dogs when I asked for a 'Sit' or 'Lie Down'.  It was pretty cute.

Marlowe, Ginger and Meeko.  Not in the photo: Mabel.

A huge hug to my Mom, Dad and sister Karen.  Ginger was so loved and well cared for.

And if they could be there with you right now to offer a little canine comfort, I know that her buddies Meeko, Marlowe (my brother's family dog) and Mabel (my sister's family dog) would be.

I think it is hard to hear of a pet dying without feeling the weight of all past pets.  So in this moment, my thoughts are with Ginger but also our childhood dogs Peppi, Mitzi and Toby, my cat Mackenzie King and my sister Karen's cat Whiskers.  I give thanks to all pets everywhere for the wonderful comfort and companionship they bring us.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France

*  *  *  *  *

I wanted to close this post with four lovely photos kindly sent to me by Émilie who is from Brittany, France. As she said, these rainbows are not in the sky but they are beautiful all the same. Beautiful indeed.

Mucha stained glass in Prague, Czech Republic

Windows in Manchester cathedral

Painted horse in Rotterdam

Cathedral in Jumièges, Normandie

When I look at these photos, they say to me that rainbows are all around us.  We just have to look for them to find them.  And I guess on some days it may be a little harder to see them.  Merci Émilie!

Thank you to all my blog readers for your kindness and thoughtfulness. You warm my heart.

A Rainbow and the Promise of Snowflakes

Here is a very beautiful double rainbow sent all the way from Mifflintown Pennsylvania to my mom by a new reader of my blog.  Thank you, Ruth. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for their rainbows, kind thoughts and words.  My mom really appreciated them.

I am going to turn to more Christmas-oriented posts in the days ahead.  Well, because 'we need a little Christmas' now.

Here's another version of the same song, an oldie but goodie (for added entertainment, watch the skaters):

There is the promise of snowflakes here this afternoon which I'm sure will help my Christmas spirit. :)

A rainbow from another paintbox

And here's a pretty rainbow painted by my niece Katie for her grandmother. Thanks Katie. I'm certain she will love it. I have to say that your painted rock is amazing!  There are lots of artists in our family--particularly among the younger members.

Rainbow Cupcakes

Inspired by the theme in our family the past few days, Emma made rainbow cupcakes (with a little nod to the Christmas season with her choice of paper liners). I don't think they would ship safely to the Muskoka region, so they will have to be eaten locally. Sorry 'bout that Mom. :)

The Rainbow is Growing

Here's a rainbow that stretches from my paintbox to Lake Muskoka where my mom lives.  My daughters Chloé and Emma are working on paintings that might get added tomorrow.

For anyone wondering what all these rainbows mean, I can say this.  My mom is going through something very difficult.  I got the news Tuesday night and then woke up to a beautiful rainbow on Wednesday morning.  As my youngest daughter said to me, 'You saw it as a sign because that's what you do.'  She knows her mom. :)

I posted the photo of the rainbow I saw with a message to my mom and she appreciated it.  Then my friends Lucile and Julie forwarded rainbow photos of their own for me to post for her (see the previous post). My mom appreciated them too. So if there can be a little hope and encouragement provided from here while she really needs it, it seems only right to add a few more rainbows. ♥

A Rainbow of Best Wishes

Here is an absolutely beautiful rainbow sent all the way from Paris to my Mom from my sweet friend Lucile.

Here is a stunning double rainbow sent to my Mom by my fellow artist Julie who lives in England.  This particular photo was taken in Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales. Julie lives in Wakefield which is not very far from where my Mom's great-great-grandfather lived (in Howden). I think that's kind of cool!

And here's a beautiful quote I found:

Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.
Napoleon Bonaparte

If you have a photo or picture of a rainbow* that you would like me to share with my Mom, I will post it here. You can send it to me at kathleenmaunder at gmail.com ♥


*I would just ask that it be an image that belongs to you.

Rainbow

I just saw the most amazing rainbow--so wide, bright and beautiful. I scrambled for the camera and, of course, it didn't have a memory card in it so I scrambled for that too.

That means it's still raining here but the sun has managed to come out briefly to do some magic.

This post is for my Mom.  She knows why. ♥

Rainbows

Two rainbows in one afternoon and it isn't over yet!

"Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail."

Robert Motherwell