Happy New Year

Another new year is upon us!  I wish everyone the very best in 2017.

One time, I was visiting at the home of relatives on New Year's Eve, and they had family members visiting from further away.  We were sitting in the living room talking and then we started sharing with each other what blessings we'd had in the past year....  We each told what we were grateful for. And it turned out to be a very beautiful and peaceful way to meet the new year--even though we didn't stay up late...!

Myself, I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions because I'm continually trying to improve myself--on a regular basis and not just on New Year's Day....  But I think New Year's is a good time to stop and look at yourself, if you're not already doing it.

Nature Art--28

The upper photo was taken in southern Ontario. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the lower photo was taken in northern Ontario but by the appearance of it, it could've been taken in the south, also....

Nature Art--27

These photos were taken during a minor snowstorm in the Sturgeon Falls area, in northern Ontario.

Christmas Flower Show

Have heard on the radio this morning that the Allan Gardens Conservatory in Toronto has a Christmas flower display....  Apparently, they're open all year....  Their link is very long to type in but if people Google "Allan Gardens Conservatory" they'll find it easily....

Happy Holidays, or not?

Some people feel down during the holidays.  I suppose there are different reasons why.... In the past, before I got therapy for some mental health issues, I had a caring Christian family doctor who used to encourage me. She always said, "Do something for someone who's worse off than you are!" I did that and it made a difference to my life! These days, it's not hard to find charities or people who need help....

[The above photos were taken at the home of a family member several years ago.]

Nature Art--26

These photos were taken from the frozen Lake Nipissing in North Bay, Ontario at dawn.  In the lower photo, you can see tracks from the snowmobiles. There were a lot of snowmobile trails in the area, and there were also fishing huts on the lake, although they're not visible here.

Violence Against Women

Did I hear correctly, in passing, on the radio news that Christmas is the time of greatest violence against women in domestic situations? When I was with my husband, I had to leave our home once or twice because of violence or a verbal threat of violence.... I don't believe it serves a purpose for a woman to allow herself to be beaten.... Sometimes counselling is able to help the situation but often it's not.... Will write more about this subject later.

Nature Art--25

There was a light coating of hoar frost on these trees in the Sturgeon Falls area.

Spirituality

There are different definitions of spirituality that people use but to me it means belief in and respect for a Higher Power. In this blog, I haven't wanted to be overly religious; and even religious people can need practical encouragement with their lives, at times. But I believe spirituality can be a help in coping with our lives.... It gives an added dimension.

Our Christmas season is based on both religious and pagan traditions. It's not necessary to celebrate the religious side in order to enjoy Christmas.... In the western world, there are people belonging to many religions which are quite different from Christianity.... Myself, I like to acknowledge the Christian views and traditions at Christmastime but I also respect other religions, and people with no religion at all....

Meditation

The Greek philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  I think it's healthy and desirable to take some time occasionally and look at our lives....  Are we really doing what we want to do; and living up to our values and priorities, etc...?

The Dalai Lama said he practises something he calls "analytical meditation" [in his book, "The Dalai Lama's Big Book of Happiness"].   www.dalailama.com  And there's something called "Christian meditation."  A newer type of meditation is called "mindfulness meditation."  If we sit quietly with our thoughts sometimes, I think it's helpful in this busy world....  And science has been able to show that meditation has a beneficial effect on the body....  [Am not exactly sure which type of meditation they were studying but I think it has to be good to take time out from our busyness and stress....]

[As for the Dalai Lama, I don't agree 100% with all his beliefs but I've seen that he has some very practical and sensible advice to offer to the western world....]

Wildlife Photography Exhibit

If people would like to see some of the world's best wildlife and landscape photography, would like to tell them about the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario....  There's currently a display of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year," which came from the Natural History Museum in London, England....  [www.rom.on.ca] There are many photographs by photographers from around the world, and I was happy to hear about it on the radio this morning....  Apparently the display at the ROM will be available for the next several months.  And as far as I understand, the exhibit is travelling to other locations around the world. [The link for the Natural History Museum is: www.nhm.ac.uk.]

Nature Art--24

This photo was also taken from the Duchesnay Creek and Falls area.... [North Bay, Ontario.] The falls look different in different spots because the creek flows down over a gradual, rock-face.... It's quite interesting to see, in my opinion...! [They used to have a hiking trail in the area, if they've maintained it...? I haven't been there for some time....]

To Do Journaling, or not to...???

It's one thing to record your activities or thoughts and feelings in a diary or journal.... Myself, I've tried it a few times in my life.... But whenever I went back a little while later to re-read what I'd written, I somehow felt stupid...! [The journals might've helped to clarify my thoughts somewhat, at the time....]

However, in a book called "JumpStart Your Thinking," by a motivational speaker named John Maxwell, he recommended to keep a journal and write down new things that you learn...!  I've found I can also write some personal notes about how I'm applying what I've learned, etc. And this approach has transformed my journal-writing! I now enjoy it and get a lot of benefit from it--even when, or especially when, I go back and review my writing...!

Earlier, Tony Robbins had recommended to keep a "success journal."  Don't recall exactly what he said about it but I used one to record what I'd learned from the motivational speakers and experts in books and audio books.

There are blank, hard-cover notebooks that can be purchased from dollar stores and business stores.... And even the lined, school notebooks can be helpful....

A link for John Maxwell is listed in the sidebar of this blog. And I'll post Mr. Robbins' website again: www.TonyRobbins.com.

Nature Art--23

This photo and the two below were taken from the town of Fenelon Falls, Ontario. www.fenelonfalls.info There's a lift lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway, which is commonly known as the Trent Canal, I believe...?  [It used to be....]

Nature Art--22

Self-Help Books

Since my son has grown up and moved away from home, I have more time to read regular books again.... Instead of just listening to the audio books....

After the holiday season last year, I happened to be looking in my favourite department store for a book to buy.... The non-fiction books I was looking at were mostly on sale; and I ended up buying four books, plus an adult colouring book.... Recently, I found a lot of good books in the self-help section of a major bookstore in town.... I bought only one from there, to start with, but I know where to go if I need more....

The self-help books teach about relationships, mental and emotional health, physical health, business, etc. I've discovered that these books can be worth hundreds of dollars, and perhaps even thousands of dollars, in professional advice.... They can be worth far more than the price paid for the book...! One of the business books helped me with my legal matters within the past year, and I'll write about that book and author separately....

Nature Art--21

This photo is from the grounds at the Parkwood National Historic Site in Oshawa, Ontario. www.parkwoodestate.com   The photo was taken by myself and is published by permission.

There are some leaves that turn pink or reddish-pink in the fall.... This photo could almost pass for a spring photo but it really was taken in the fall....

Help From a Motivational Speaker

The first contact that I recall having with a motivational speaker was watching approximately a 30-minute infomercial on TV by a man named Tony Robbins....  I found him very inspiring to listen to.... [www.tonyrobbins.com]  Mr. Robbins was also selling a set of cassette tapes, at the time, in which he interviewed various experts....  I don't recall exactly what the name of this set was but the theme was relating to personal improvement.... At that time, I wasn't able to afford the tapes but I found a book of Robbins' at the library called, "Awaken the Giant Within."  I gained some insights from the book and soon after moved to a bigger city, with a bigger library.  I found the library had many cassette books prepared by Mr. Robbins and other motivational speakers and experts.... So, I started listening to them. I found the audio books to be more convenient than regular books.... And when I was dealing with my legal matters, these books were very encouraging to me--I needed encouragement!

The experts interviewed by Mr. Robbins had written their own books, more or less, called self-help books.... Self-help isn't a substitute for professional therapy, if a person needs it, but the self-help can also be a supplement to therapy....  Problems like abuse, addictions, sexual assault, eating disorders, and depression, etc. can benefit from professional help.... And it's good to research everything available in your area and then to make the best choice--or even to try different options, if possible. Myself, I've had a lot of counselling and I'll tell more about my issues in this blog....  But I wanted to recommend that the self-help books and professional motivational speakers can be very valuable resources.

American Thanksgiving

Would like to acknowledge that the American Thanksgiving Day is coming up next week--on Thursday--and I'd like to wish my American friends and family a happy holiday!  In Canada, we had our Thanksgiving earlier, in the month of October....  I sometimes like to celebrate both the Canadian and American days, actually, because I find the Canadian day too early and I'm not quite prepared....  And I appreciate the holiday, otherwise, and don't mind extending my time...!

"Thanks giving" for the fall harvest was part of the original celebration, I believe, if not the entire purpose...?  This year, I had a nice garden for the first time in a long while; and I was a little sad when the gardening season was ending....  But I realized there's a lot of fruits and vegetables which come from the fall harvest time, [in the stores and at the farms], and I decided to make a special use of them this year....  Have been baking and cooking, and enjoying the food!

In this area, the fruits we have are apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, and grapes in the fall--but especially apples!  I live near an apple-growing area; and the others aren't too far away.... Then we have cabbages, squashes, turnips, and pumpkins, etc.  And pumpkin pie is a common tradition for Thanksgiving!

Nature Art--20

This shows part of the Thunder Bay harbour during daylight hours....  [A ship is in the background.] There's a wooden boardwalk along the water, as well as the pier.

Nature Art--19

Nature Art--18--Moonrise in the Harbour

When I lived in Thunder Bay, in northwestern Ontario, there was a nature area near my home. One evening, I went for a walk there a little after sunset and saw that a full moon was fairly high in the sky.  I thought it'd be nice to get a photo while the moon was lower on the horizon; and I went back an evening or two later with my camera.  I waited and waited until it got dark and there was still no moon.  Then, all of a sudden, I saw something that was the colour of fire on the skyline.... I continued to observe and saw that it was the moon coming up, at last....  And it was a bright, orange colour.  It was a very amazing sight to see.

The moon was over the harbour and there were also three ships in view.  (You can see the lights from the ships in the photos.)  If I'd had a different lens for my camera, the moon would've appeared bigger--as it really was.  But these photos show something of what I saw that evening....  [It was also close to this time of year when this incident happened.]  In the bottom photo, there are some geese swimming past.

Apparently, the moon takes a capricious path across the sky at night, and from night to night.  It's not regular like the sun is.--And we all know different phases of the moon are visible at different times.

Nature Art--17

Some more berries at Sturgeon Falls, after a frost.

What Does "Motivational" Mean?

My dictionary says the word "motive" means "moving to action...."  The words "motivation" and "motivational" are forms of the same word....

When a person has suffered a loss, a failure, or a setback, it's easy enough to feel discouraged and get stuck in that position.  The job of a motivational speaker or writer, as I see it, is to encourage people and help them to move forward....  And it's what I'm trying to do--even in some small way--in this blog....

Nature Art--16

Some berries in the fall, in the Sturgeon Falls area.

The Healing Properties of Nature

If a person can spend a little time in nature, it can be refreshing to the mind and perhaps to the soul, if a person has a religious background; and the nature can be calming and relaxing.  Our daily life in the cities is often described as a "rat race" and as "hustle and bustle."  Not to mention technology keep us on our toes....  Nature can be a nice change.

Since I'm living in a city now, I don't always get to be in nature as much as I'd like--especially in the fall and winter.  But I do what I can.

The Links Within the Posts

The links within some blog posts are unfortunately not connecting to the Internet. The problem isn't with the web addresses but it's with this blog.  I apologize for the inconvenience.

Remembrance Day--Part 2

This is a photo of the cenotaph in Oshawa, Ontario.

www.oshawa.ca

My Nature Photos--Part 2

The first part of this entry was posted on Wednesday, October 26.

About 20 years ago, I was living in the country and got inspired to sell nature photography, or to try to....  On many days, I specifically went out into nature locations to look for beautiful and interesting scenes to photograph.  On other days, I took my son into nature on recreational outings and sometimes had my camera with me.  At one point, I was invited to participate in a group exhibition of artwork at a new art gallery; and I did that.

The exhibition itself was inspiring for me, even though there were no sales done there, at the time. And otherwise, the idea of selling my photography didn't work out well, partly because I wasn't very knowledgeable about salesmanship and business....  But I'd had a hobby of doing photography off and on over the years ever since I was eight or nine years old; and I continued to take nature photographs when I could--even after I moved away from the first nature location and after I lost my car....

At this point, I wanted to bring out my nature photographs again and display them in this blog.... And if possible, I'll ask to have advertising in my blog after a while to earn some money...?  But if the ads don't work out, this blog will be like volunteer work which I hope will be a step in getting some other employment...?  So, I'll do what I can, and I hope other people will enjoy and benefit from this blog....

Remembrance Day in Canada

Our Remembrance Day is coming up this Friday, November 11. It's a day to remember and honour our war veterans and also the current military people who are serving our country.  Myself, I certainly appreciate our freedom; and I believe our past and present soldiers and their families deserve our support.

Nature Art--15

This scene was in the same location as the three photos below.

Nature Art--14

It was quite a long time ago when my son and I went boating in the location of these three photos....  We only had a small, inflatable boat--along with the necessary life jackets and boat cushions--but it served us well!

My son and I rowed across a small lake and proceeded down the channel.  It was a surprise to see the high, rock wall because nothing like that was visible from the road.  It was kind of exciting to see it because at the time we'd never seen anything like it before--at least not in that area.  [We'd seen the Rocky Mountains, out west, and later we went to Bon Echo Provincial Park which was somewhat similar to this lake and river area....]

Nature Art--13

These photos were taken along the edge of the riverbed of the Sturgeon River, I believe, at the town of Sturgeon Falls, Ontario.

Nature Art--12

I believe this photo was also from Bon Echo Park.

Gratitude--Part 2

This post is continued from a post on Friday, October 28.

Pastor Glenn Coon, whom I mentioned, had a dramatic event himself with the power of gratitude.  He'd been diagnosed with nervous exhaustion and was ordered six months of bed rest at one point.  When he was in bed, he started to express gratitude for "simple" things around him--like a roof over his head, a door to keep him safe, a bed to sleep in, teeth to brush, his toothbrush, a jaw to keep his teeth in, etc.  Some of it was almost humourous but there are things we take for granted and don't even realize it.... Pastor Coon continued being thankful for things every day and within two weeks he was out of bed and well again!

When I was a teenager, my mother used to listen to some talks on cassette tapes by Pastor Coon and that was how I first heard of him. He wrote some books, also.

In college, I decided to try Pastor Coon's "Ten point plan," for ten days.  Before that, I used to say something like, "I have this and this and this good thing in my life, but I have this bad thing...."  And after the ten days, I learned to say, "I have this one bad thing in my life but I have this and this and this good thing...."  My thinking changed from negative to positive!  Under times of stress, a person might need a reminder to stay positive--like when my dad encouraged me--but I've found that gratitude really makes a difference!

Nature Art--11

This photo was taken at Bon Echo Provincial Park.

Nature Art--10

This photo was taken near the entrance of Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, in northeastern Ontario.  www.ontarioparks.com/park/samueldechamplain.  [Sorry, my links don't seem to be connecting directly.]

Share Your Comments

Would like to invite people to share some comments in this blog about their successes, failures, or concerns....  Comments are welcome.  The only thing is, I'll reserve the right to moderate the comments first.--I can choose not to publish some, if necessary.  But for the most part, I think I'd be willing to publish everything unless if I get too many or if some are really bad...?

At this point, I'm not sure if the email addresses will show in the blog, or not?  Will check on it.

Nature Art--9

This is a pair of Canada Geese, along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

Gratitude

A while after my divorce, I met an exciting, "eligible bachelor"--with children who played with my son--and this man and I were friendly for a time.  But it didn't work out in the long run and I was feeling down.  My father came to visit one day, and he was a person who used the "power of gratitude" a lot in his life.  He said to me, "Well, Susan, what can you be thankful for?"  So I thought a little bit and decided, "I'm glad I don't have any divorce papers to handle!"  And I started feeling better right away!  [When I was going through the divorce, it seemed that my lawyer gave me pile after pile of papers to fill out.  And maybe they were necessary...?]

Many years ago, there was a pastor in my church who used to preach about gratitude.  He recommended to make a list of ten things you're thankful for and do it each day for ten days.... Nothing was too small to count--any simple things, or big things, could be used to express gratitude.  This pastor's name was Glenn Coon and he has various materials available on the Internet, at different sites.  [No specific website for him, that I've found.]  His materials seem to be free, or mostly free, also.

Nature Art--8

This photo was taken in the area of Duchesnay Falls, in North Bay, Ontario.

Stuff Happens!

In the top two photos above, I'd like to illustrate that problems happen in life!  [These photos were given to me, courtesy of "WillieS."]  Sometimes we know where the problem came from, and sometimes we don't....  But we can bring something constructive out of it, in one way or another....  [If I'm not mistaken, I believe I took the third photo.]

When I was young, my extended family owned the damaged van.  They'd been using it partly as a camper, with their small children.  Sometime after the tree fell, I was needing a camper, myself; and somehow, my family and I got an idea that the old van could be repaired and I could use it!  So, some work was done on the structure and then I did all the body work and painting.  It took a lot of work but it was a very positive experience.  The vehicle didn't run on its own any more but it was planned for use in a specific location.

Nature Art--7

The above photo was taken in the North Bay area,
in northeastern Ontario.

The photo at the right was taken at a roadside stand in southern Ontario.   www.watsonfarms.ca.  Watson Farms.

Nature Art--6

This was a tree in the fall, in the city of Thunder Bay, in northwestern Ontario.

My Recent Photo

This is a photo of me that was taken this past summer, 2016.

The photographer was a friend who wishes to remain anonymous.

Nature Art--5

This is another photo from Bon Echo Provincial Park, the same as below.

Nature Art--4

These photos were taken at a provincial park in southeastern Ontario.  Their website is:
www.ontarioparks.com/park/bonecho.  The link doesn't seem to be working directly.  The park name is Bon Echo.