March 13, 2022

The news out of Ukraine last weekend continued to be grim as I settled in for a stitchy Sunday with the dogs. My meditation and prayer for Ukraine continued as I watched the news for a bit before turning to my favourite renovation show to avoid becoming completely overwhelmed with the images of mothers and children fleeing their country along with their grandmothers and pets.

Stitch by stitch my prayer continued as I contemplated how I can also actively help Ukrainian refugees. Thoughts and prayers are lovely, but they do not warm a person like a hot tea or provide shelter and rest like a hotel room. I am awaiting the invoice from a hostel in Frankfurt, Germany that is offering beds for 20 euros/2 nights and I donated some surplus medical supplies to a woman who was collecting as part of an effort by a local church. I also purchased some cross stitch patterns on Etsy from a designer in Lviv, Ukraine. 

The last stitch went into my prayer last night so now my thoughts turn to how to finish. Well, not really. Who am I kidding? I have never been enthused about finishing my small stitches so finishing this project will be part of my challenge to myself in praying and meditating. My finishing skills are okay but I really do prefer the stitching part over the finishing part.

Despite the calendar telling us that Spring is mere days away, the 10cm of snow that fell Friday night is Winter's way of saying that the season is not over yet. The odd robin has been spotted and I do hear birds chirping in the trees in the morning when I head out to scrap ice and snow off my vehicle before leaving for work. Winters here in Ottawa are colder and longer than my East Coast self is used to after a life time of milder, shorter winters thanks to the Gulf Stream. Throw in a healing process that is slowly taking place in my heart, mind and soul as we start to transition into life with COVID being an aside instead of the main course and voila, a new hobby is emerging. 

Someone else in this house keeps grumbling that we have enough houseplants already with 25. He wisely said nothing yesterday when I separated the plant that was loving life on the bathroom counter (one piece is on the left here) and started a  2 pothos clippings with root hormone in freshly prepared pots. The fiddlehead in the middle is spring time delight in New Brunswick and the green of the glass just adds so much to the white winterscape when I look out my kitchen window.

We have such a small backyard here in the town house section of the housing where we live so I can not really indulge in my passion for gardening outside. I have 3 planters for tomatoes, a small shed, a spot for our whirlygig clothesline and the rest of the yard is for the dogs to do their business. At our last house, when we had to turn the yard back to its original state before we left, I dug out so many plants and sold them for $2 a piece, making over $70 from my plant sale. That does not include the 10 rhubarb plants I gave away and the raspberry bush that did not get dug out or all the flower beds that I did not touch. At our current house, I had to ask our next door neighbours if I could plant flowers on the shared little patch of grass out front between our 2 houses. Sooooo, the lack of outdoor space means that our walls and windowsills and bookshelves are being filled up with plants. Mind you, some space will be freed up once the weather co-operates enough for the 4 geraniums I am wintering in the house can go outside. 

Happy stitching and Happy Spring (is coming)!!

March 3, 2022

What to do about overwhelming news coverage when it is so devastating and can have some big consequences so very close to home? So many families are waiting to hear what will happen as our government puts so many troops on standby while increasing support for Ukraine. The war is just one more layer of stress on top of all the other stressors that have been pressing in on me and other Canadians. I feel for the people of Ukraine because I can not imagine taking up arms or making Molotov cocktails in preparation to defend my family and home. 

I am not usually a thoughts and prayers kind of person, preferring action over the metaphysical action of putting good wishes out into the Universe to make things better. I am considering making a donation of medical supplies to be sent to Ukraine if I can find an organization here in my area. This design was offered up in one of the many stitching groups that I follow and there was a suggestion of stitching as meditation. A short meditation immediately came to mind as I looked over the design so I say it to myself every few stitches.

For those they have lost

For those they will lose

For those who will survive and thrive