Joni and Leonard and Light

As I continued working on my Muskoka morning sunrise painting today, I had my beloved iPod Touch playing.  I think it may be wrong to love an object as much as I love that sweet rectangular music box. There are some days when Shuffle can send you the weirdest, most disconcerting choices (let's say, for instance, the chorus of Hawksley Workman's Addicted as you are driving your daughter somewhere) and others when it can be in absolutely perfect sync with what you are doing. Today was one of those perfect sync days.

As I painted the clouds and the rays of morning sunlight breaking through them, two songs played in succession--first Joni Mitchell's Cotton Avenue:

 A red sun came rolling down a grey sky 
And the frogs and dogs and night birds then 
Started up singing sweet country lullaby... 

And then this one:

The birds they sang 
at the break of day 
Start again 
I heard them say 
Don't dwell on what 
has passed away 
or what is yet to be...

Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack, a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in.
 (from Anthem by Leonard Cohen)

Oh Leonard, your lyrics and sense of timing are beautiful.

See a video of Leonard Cohen singing Anthem here.

Muskoka Morning

On the dock in my beloved Toms shoes (one of several pairs I own)

Tuesday had the perfect beginning: calm water, beautiful sunrise, a loon in the distance; my canine companion, a coffee cup and book nearby. Meeko often tilted his nose upwards to catch the lovely early day smells. A duck and her ducklings lingered close to the dock as if begging for a photo but I think it is more likely that a neighbouring cottager is feeding them.

Yesterday's weather was more unsettling with a tornado watch most of the day and evening but thankfully we only experienced light thunderstorms.

I am working on a painting today and will post it in the days ahead.