Sunday Serenity: A Walk in Nature

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It’s Thanksgiving weekend in these parts and my loyal collie, Reilly, and I are enjoying short walks in nature. The spectacular colour show is particularly heartwarming this year given the times in which we live.

So we lose ourselves to the wonder of it and give thanks for its beauty. After a virtual plague of caterpillars in the spring that decimated the foliage on many of the trees around here it’s reassuring to see how resilient nature is.

Humanity could learn a thing or two from that.

Happy Thanksgiving … 🍁❤️

Dorothy

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All Rights Reserved 2020

Aimwell CreativeWorks

A Happy Ending

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crooked-tree

One of the things I love about our farm is the abundance of trees of various kinds and character. Among my favourites, this beautiful old maple I call “The Crooked Tree.” The shape of this tree alone seems against the odds, but let us continue …

On March 27, 2016 our area of central Ontario endured a 24-hour ice storm. Sadly, the big, old, crooked maple and its long-time partner across the lane (along with many others about the property) couldn’t take the stress of the one-inch ice accretion upon its limbs and broke down.

broken

It broke my heart to see such a beautiful tree meet such an unhappy end.

hope

It was so mangled that it seemed to cut it down was the obvious choice. And then we wondered about having a local sculptor come in to carve a rearing, defiant horse into it. You know, symbolic of rising above the situation.

In the end, and after much soul searching and upon finding sappy evidence that the tree, despite its terrible wound, was very much alive, we opted to give it another chance. We had an arborist make a diagonal cut across the tree from just above the shoot where the orange string is in the above image, hoping that perhaps this bit of assistance might help it to rise again.

resilience

And believe it or not, against all odds this crooked old tree has actually found a way to thrive.

It would have been so easy to right off this broken down and battered old maple. I’m glad we didn’t. Now I look at it as a testament to the resilience of both nature and the human spirit.

We are never so broken that we cannot rise again with the right support and love around us. We are how we choose to respond to the slings and arrows of life. We either endure in strength, or we allow ourselves to be defeated.

a-new-leaf

The scars become a testament to our character and provide an unexpected beauty all their own.

I love happy endings.

Thanks for visiting …

Dorothy

~*~

©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2017

Weekly Photo Challenge: Against the Odds

Hello, again …

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out-of-the-mist

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The fog is finally lifting.

Another section of the healing journey behind me.

It’s all good.

Thanks for stopping by …

Dorothy

©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2017

Weekly Photo Challenge: Repurpose

The big, old century cow barn (background), dating back to 1850 or so and the focal point of our 100-acre farm, was repurposed 20 years ago for equestrian use. The ceiling was raised and the barn widened to accommodate a horse breeding operation, and an addition was built, including 12 more stalls, common areas and an indoor arena.

We purchased the property 18 months ago for my emerging Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL) practice, repurposing this beautiful farm as a place of sanctuary where people can escape their worldly cares and heal their broken hearts in the company of horses.

The journey continues …

Winter Elation

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Cold One

Weekly Photo Challenge: State of Mind

After this week’s snow and freezing rain we were left with an incredible winter wonderland in the valley, complete with a fine veneer of ice crystallized on everything. The twinkle and sparkle of the refracted light dazzled while the crackle and pop of the ice as it disintegrated in the sun tickled the air. It was magical; elating

I tried to capture the magic with my camera, but really you had to be there.

Thanks for visiting …

Dorothy

~*~

©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2016