Memories at the Shore

I know that it is not beach weather here just yet. It may not be for quite some time. I wanted to share another picture that my father sent to me recently. I am sitting on the retaining wall in front of my paternal grandparents' cottage. Behind me are the stairs wending their way in front the dining room window down to the patio where I am sitting. A few yards in front of their cottage is a large beach with soft sand to play in and the waves of Lake Huron lapping on the shore. 

I can remember being at the beach from a very early age. I used to run up and down the beach chasing the seagulls with wild abandon. Many a sand castle was made not far from where I sat. I remember having my seventh birthday just down the road and around the corner at my maternal grandparents' cottage. I stayed in their cottage with them or with my parents many times over the years.

One summer my brother and I boarded the train in Toronto. We were very young. It was exciting to be on the train without our parents. My grandparents picked us up at the other end.  It was the only time I was on the train in Canada. We stayed at the cottage with them for two whole weeks. When you are a child two weeks seems like forever.

Our spring is coming very slowly and I long to spend time at the beach. We still have snow in our backyard and it is melting slowly. Perhaps this is a good thing for a lot of warm weather increases the height of the river too fast and that causes other problems. The birds are singing but they only just started. I have heard the starlings and they have returned to the nest in our tree. I heard the sparrows, the chickadees and just yesterday I heard a cardinal. It has been an extremely cold winter and I think that all of the  little birds left. Just last week a spotted a Robin. Now that is a good sign. 

I am looking forward to seeing crocuses and daffodils, I love their sunny little faces.  For those of you who are enjoying spring already consider yourself blessed. Until the weather changes here, I can dream.

Love Always,

Kim

Remembering the Past

Here is another picture of me from times gone by. I am standing in front of grandparents couch in their living room. This was my father's home until left for the big city to make his own way in the world. I was dressed in my Sunday finest. Notice the white gloves and purse. What outfit would be complete without a hat especially for Church. I remember my grandparent's home vividly. I live a block away from the building where they lived and worked. I can see the building looking out my living room window.

My grandfather owned the general store in town. They sold groceries mainly. When I was little I remember the big candy counter. It had a large glass front and you could see all the wonderful candies inside. If I had ten cents I thought that I had the world by the tail and I had a little brown bag full of goodies to take home with me. 

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope that your memories give you a smile.

Love Always,

Kim

Beautiful Trees

I came across this picture today. I had to share it with you. I wish I had a yard like this. Wouldn't the neighbours talk. I want it to be spring so badly but we were hit with wind and bitter cold again for the last two days. If have been sitting by the heat all day. The photograph looks like a park that I used to take my children to many years ago. This picture makes me feel happy. 

I am happy. My son is coming for a visit and I have not seen him in such a long time. We will have lots of time to talk. I will have to make his favourite pizza and bake a pan of brownies. I am looking forward to spending time with him for a couple of days. He loves animals so he will enjoy all of the kittens.

Love Always,

Kim

Kittens, Kittens Everywhere

Emma, Bartram and Louis

 

 

Here are three of our kittens. They all did a very good job of posing for me. We are keeping Emma and Louis. Eva has been an excellent mother to all of them. The time has come for the kittens to move on and her to have her life back. I did not realize this but the mother cat will wean her kittens and then she will try to prepare them for the outside world. She does this by hissing and swatting at them. They have to live life on their own. This is exactly what has happened.

Rudy our two year old male tabby has decided that he will care for the kittens. He sleeps with them, plays with them, grooms them and when they cry he runs to see what the matter is. He is very loving towards them. I knew that he was an extraordinary cat because of his nature but I did not ever think he would care for the kittens. He lost his mother at three weeks of age and he and his sister were raised by the people that run our humane society. Even our oldest cat Heinrich ( we call him Chubbie because of his size ) seems to like the kittens. We are one big large happy cat family.

Emma, Bartram, Louis, Franz, Rowley and Hans

 

 

As you can see the babies are sleeping on one chair and Eva is sleeping on the other one.

Eva (Momma)

Rudy and three kittens

Rudy and Rowley

 

 

 

Chubbie (Heinrich)

I hope that you enjoyed seeing our family.

Love Always,

Kim

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Love Always,

Kim

Precious Gift

I bought myself a little gift. I love drinking tea. My favourite tea is Darjeeling; I have it everyday. I went to look at the gift shop we have in town. Jennifer opened her shop at the beginning of last summer. She has taken on some items on consignment. I have a collection of china teacups that I use everyday. I have one of these beautiful Old English Rose teacups. There was another one just like it sitting on the table in the front window. It belonged to my neighbour that lived across the street. Bert was a lovely lady. She died last August. I think we had similar tastes. I wanted to have something to remember her by. Jennifer wrapped it up in lots of tissue paper and  handed me the little white paper bag. What a precious gift. So now Bert's teacup sits beside mine in my china cabinet. It will stir my memories everytime I use it for tea.

Love Always,

Kim

Thankful for my Life

There are snowflakes gently falling and it is nap time for the cats. The kittens are healthy and happy and for that I am grateful. The temperature has risen since the arctic cold we  endured. We have been given an old snowblower by hubby's parents. Let me tell you with the snow that we receive an old snowblower is much better than no snowblower and much easier on hubby's back. 

It has been so much fun watching the kittens grow up. It seems as if it has been over night but actually the kittens were 8 weeks old last Friday. They all use the litter box and they can now climb the stairs to the second floor. I do not want to give any of them away but we must part with most of them. We have to take pictures of each one and make a poster to put up offering them to a good home. 

We have named three of them so far. We have five boys and two girls. There is Louis, he is my favourite; he was always looking me in the eye when I would go and check on them. He looks just like his mother. He likes to follow you around the house and he likes to greet you at the door. Ema is my hubby's favourite, she is sweet and tiny and all grey and she loves to cuddle. Then we have Rowley, he is the biggest of the litter. He loves to jump straight into the air when he plays and he loves to eat.

Simple pleasures are the best.

Love Always,

Kim