Contemplative Monday

The following is a passage from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes From Pema Chodron'.

NOTICE YOUR OPINIONS

"There is nobody on the planet, neither those whom we see as the oppressed

nor those whom we see as the oppressor, who doesn't have what it takes to wake up.

We all need support and encouragement to be aware of what we think, 

what we say, and what we do.

Notice your opinions. 

If you find yourself becoming aggressive about your opinions,

notice that.

If you find yourself being non-aggressive, notice that.

Cultivating a mind that does not grasp at right and wrong,

you will find a fresh state of being.

The ultimate cessation of suffering comes from that.

Finally, never give up on yourself.

Then you will never give up on others.

Wholeheartedly do what it takes to awaken your clear-seeing

intelligence,

but one day at a time, one moment at a time.

If we live that way, we will benefit this earth."

Lichen on bark.

Eclectic Tastes

Two classical cellists play for a very subdued audience.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Sunday.

Saturday Morning Post

The 'tale of two cities' this week:

We checked out these condos in Dartmouth this week.

Still in Dartmouth, at Birch Cove Park on Lake Banook.

A giant jump across the harbour to Halifax yesterday morning at Point Pleasant Park.

Don't get seasick but this is a shot of  downtown Halifax from Dartmouth waterfront.

A container cargo ship docked at Halifax pier.

This is Rusty, an adorable Australian Labradoodle Sophie found at the park yesterday.

A man and his dog at the beach this week.

Street-art at the Dartmouth waterfront.

Staring out to sea....

Church/street art mix.

Boats at Dartmouth waterfront.

Coffee shop in condo complex.

Sophie thinks Ron is on the computer too much.

She tries again......

Kitchen mobile....

Sunset light hits 'lath house' in garden the day before the storm.

During the storm on Wednesday.

Hope you all survived the 'harbour-hopping' on this post.

Day Before The Storm

Tuesday afternoon we went to Lake Banook in Dartmouth.

It was a bright and sunny day and 'we three' had the park to ourselves.

Steps to the beach.

Even Sophie passed on a swim in a mostly frozen lake.

As these bike racks wait patiently for the summer to arrive.

Surprise Along The Boardwalk

We were not the only ones that were cold the other day

down on the boardwalk.

We had heard about 'sightings' on FB  of a couple

of Snowy Owls that had been around this area for a few months.

As we were walking along Ron motioned to me quietly

 to look ahead at a clump of Spruce trees about 20 feet from us.

I turned to my left and there it was.....this beautiful,

fluffy Snowy Owl resting in the shelter of the trees

soaking up any warmth it could get from the sun.

How Cold Was It, Ron?

Yesterday we knew it was cold outside before we drove down to the beach.

But we forgot to take the 'windchill factor' into account.

It was -15C (including the windchill) as we started walking

down the boardwalk.

Halfway along we ducked behind the lifeguard building

to get out of that northwesterly wind.

Ron's hands were freezing up and he was expressing

his 'views' on the temperature!

Any guesses as to what he was saying?

I managed to get my fingers working enough to take these shots.

As Ron was truly expressing his disdain..........

Contemplative Monday

The following is from 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes From Pema Chodron'.

PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL THE DETAILS

"With the commitment to not cause harm, we move away from reacting in ways 

that cause us to suffer, but we haven't yet arrived at a place that feels

entirely relaxed and free.

We first have to go through a growing-up process, a getting-used-to process.

That process, that transition, is one of becoming comfortable with exactly 

what we're feeling as we feel it.

The key practice to support us in this is mindfulness----being fully present right here,

right now.

Meditation is one form of mindfulness, but mindfulness is called many names:

attentiveness, nowness, and presence are just a few.

Essentially, mindfulness means wakefulness----fully present wakefulness.

Chogyam Trungpa called it paying attention to all the details of your life."

** Chogyam Trungpa was the man who brought Buddhism to Halifax from Colorado.

More about him here: Chogyam Trungpa (click his name)

Eclectic Tastes

Earlier this month Pink performed this old classic on the 'Oscars'.

It was one of the few highlights of the show, I felt.

Hope you enjoy it.

Saturday Morning Post

Gulls to graffiti this week....... 

The wind is coming from the northwest today....

Too much plastic debris being washed up on the beach.

Three's a crowd!

Red Squirrel down on the Trans Canada Trail, near the beach.

Lawrencetown Lake across from the beach.

Sunset Boardwalk.

Feeling blue.....

Ron on the hunt for 'street art'/graffiti.

 Pulling away/back to see this better.

First graffiti intermission.......a view of Downtown Halifax from Dartmouth waterfront.

Back to the search!

Great tune, don't you think?

Everywhere we turned there was more.

And more...

We weren't alone I see!

Hope they find it!

Before Ron does!

Back to reality.....moss-covered tree roots at the park.