beauty surrounds us

I think the morning walk that I've been taking with the dogs since the hot weather has hit us is good for my mental health. Before I've even had a coffee we are out the door, dogs prancing in excitement. Their pure joy sets the tone for the whole walk. I step out the door, still a bit groggy from sleep, down the stairs to the laneway, pink flowers from the bleeding heart capturing my attention. A few steps further the faded peony blossoms guide me down the laneway towards the gate. Craggy old apple trees implore me to pause and admire their fruit.

Before I reach the gate to the road I take a turn to the left, past the giant blue spruce with its base littered with brown cones. The dogs race ahead through the small gate and into the hay field. They run around with their noses to the ground checking to see if any other creatures have trespassed. My nose is sniffing too: flowers, trees, and dried grasses scent the air, the heady fragrance causing my head to spin with euphoria.

If I am feeling energetic, and if it isn't too hot, I turn right and do the long loop around the field, but usually I turn left and take the shortcut which skirts the low end of the field, passing under tall poplars. From here, well, from everywhere, the different aspects of our property swell my heart, the pastoral beauty touching something deep inside of me. Perhaps my genes remember a similar view from the ancient past. I love it here and feel blessed in my surroundings.

As I walk the trodden path, my eyes are drawn to the wildflowers growing along the fenceline. The flowers are small, except for the Queen Anne's Lace. The small flowers make up in number what they lack in size. Bees buzz. A deerfly takes aim at my head, but the attack doesn't impact my mood.

The earth is dry and cracked from the drought. Even last nights thunderstorm didn't do much to soak the soil.

I lift my eyes and drink in the views.

This morning the bag of dog treats slipped from my pocket. When I turned around to see if the dogs were following me I could see Spike sniffing something. "Bring it!" I called out. The little devil picked up the package and trotted up to me. Hurrah! My heart swelled with love for the little stinker, and of course I fished out a treat for him :-) What a good boy!

The pool hit a record high of 87F today... luckily it wasn't as hot out today though and not nearly as muggy as the last few days.

view from the pool - having fun with waterproof camera

"The luxury of all summer's sweet sensation is to be found when one lies at length in the warm, fragrant grass, soaked with sunshine, aware of regions of blossoming clover and of a high heaven filled with the hum of innumerous bees."
~Harriet E. Prescott