About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Rainy Day

oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte, c. 1876–77
in the Art Institute of Chicago

The Rainy Day
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some r ain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

It's a typical rainy November day here in the Vancouver area and instead of falling into despondancy, I decided to dream of the future sunny days ahead. And remember that this season is as necessary to our lives as is spring, summer, and winter.

Christmas is just around the corner, believe it or not, and I'm really looking forward to having both my girls, my SIL, and grandson for dinner. We will also rejoice in the fact that next year we'll have another child in our midst as D#1 is expecting in early March.

Something else I can be thankful about is that my mortgage will be paid off soon and I'll be in a better position to start saving for all the traveling I want to do. I can hardly wait to go back to England, Wales, and parts of the USA to visit friends as well as do more touring in France and Italy.

Last week, a friend from high school came from New Brunswick for a visit. It was great to see her and she's planning on returning some time in January. And another friend from Arizona, who wasn't able to make it up this past summer for a visit, is planning on coming next summer.
So although the trees may be bare and the streets full of puddles, I will not allow all the grey to seep into my brain. I will think yellow for sunshine, blue for clear skies, red for warmth, and green for new life to come.
And D#2 just phoned and invited me over for coffee this afternoon. My first "real" invitation to her new home - what a delightful afternoon we will have!

How are you all feeling today?

17 comments:

MedStudentWife said...

Isn't it great to have those days, that even when its dreary out, it still feels all "sun shining".

I hope you had a good visit :)

Janice Thomson said...

How wonderful when your mortgage is finished! You won't have time to blog - you'll be so busy traveling. How awesome is that!

Leslie: said...

Yes, medstudentwife we had a lovely visit and couldn't believe how the time flew. I brought her home to do her laundry so she wouldn't have to pay to do it and we'll share a bite of dinner while it goes through.

Oh gee Janice I'll still be working on my book for a while longer and trying to save mucho $$$ before I can take off. But when I do, it'll be for a couple of months at a time. Then, oh the stories I'll be able to tell!

geewits said...

What a great attitude to have on a dreary day. Way to muddle through the puddles!

Sienna said...

I get this, totally understand the visualisation process, (and the feeling associated with it).

It does work.

What an exciting time ahead, you are so right, the rain from November is but a teardrop of rain compared to the fun of rediscovery and reconnecting to come..

Hot here, bushfires have started, to our north and south, two state parks on fire, one of them is where I climb the rocks...the fire teams should get them under control, they are really good men and women.

I think 40c tomorrow...phew, will get all the work done very early.

The poem has so much more meaning then just the weather doesn't it, Longfellow writing about his life perhaps, I must Wiki him, see what the story is Henry..

Thanks for that Leslie, I will dream a little of beach and cool breezes tonight.

Pam

heiresschild said...

hi leslie, we're having crisp, cool autumn weather here, and we had serious rain last week, which has been much needed.

sounds like you'll have an enjoyable visit with your family. congrats on almost finishing your mortgage payments. that's a real blessing! i'm looking forward to reading your book. you'll have to come this way and do a book signing.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Lovely picture and poem. you certainly have lots to look forward to, Leslie - good for you!

Jo said...

Leslie, I actually enjoyed the weather yesterday. It was sort of cozy, wasn't it? It just seems natural at this time of the year. Fireplaces and hot chocolate. I don't mind this season at all. I do hope we get some snow for Christmas, though. Wouldn't that be nice?

jmb said...

Hi Leslie,
A better day today, for sure, although we spent it repairing our kitchen faucet!
Still this is Vancouver, rainy day after rainy day.

Leslie: said...

Yes, the sun came out today and it was glorious. I could see the mountains as I drove east towards Surrey to meet up with D#1, SIL#1 and GS#1. The air was fresh and I felt so much better. I'm afraid I'm one of those types that get SAD at this time of year. Tomorrow I'll go exercise (the lite combo step class) and my friend Cathy is coming with me.

Belizegial said...

Actually, I'm feeling pretty good today after getting past a week from hell! LOL

Today is a public and bank holiday here in the tropics when we celebrate Garifuna day. If you google Garifuna or Garinagu, you will learn more about them and their arrival in Belize.

It is wet and rainy too. Nice visiting here Leslie.

Saludos,
Enid

Jo said...

Leslie, I rented "Mr. Brooks" last night. Omigosh, it was fabulous. And William Hurt was amazing too. Thanks for telling me about it.

Leslie: said...

Glad you enjoyed it, as I wasn't sure if it'd be to your taste.

Leslie: said...

Hi Enid! Have fun on your day off.

Ruth W. said...

Leslie..your future sounds very bright. We all want to read your book, so looking forward to it. I also want to travel the world when I retire, I can not think of anything better to do.

But, I still have a mortgage..lol

.Tom Kapanka said...

It's raining here, too. My wife and I went to see "Dan in Real Life." It was surprisingly funny and timely as we are preparing for a big family get-together here Thursday (Thanksgiving in U.S.)

Gledwood said...

How feeling?

Well I was quite depressed last weekend.

It went down to near freezing at night.

Does Canada still get minus 40 temperatures? Or did that all go with global warming?

I heard it gets really cold in Quebec... is that right?

I remember asking for advice on a mortgage. I was about 15 so not about to get one, but we'd just covered the subject in maths at school.

To be honest I thought the best option would be to take out a 10 year on and get it pd off as quick as possible. But I was advised to take a 25 year one. Surely it's best to be in your situation as quick as possible. I'm so glad for you. Free at last!! hahar!!

;->...