pineapple-jack

pineapple-jack
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

Happy Halloween.

Bea had a great idea.
And Jay helped her achieve our new Halloween Tradition.

Welcome.
Pineapple Jack!

good morning pods

seed pod 6
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

Bea and I on the short walk to school found these wonderful seed pods. Kyle, her classmate had found one too. They both left the line up to go in to gather more. In the line, discussion and chatter among the kids led to a smiling man's comment. "They are seed pods" he said. Then he said to me, as if to anticipate my wonder, "they're from the Plain/Plane Tree, also known as Sycamore. I though the leaves looked like a maple but knew the tree couldn't be because it was full of these amazing pods. On closer inspection I can see the leaves look so different from the maple. The man told me he was into trees, it was his job he designs and builds gardens. "I love it." he said " I'm really lucky I love what I do". I thought aren't we all really lucky. This person so full, satisfied with such wonderful knowledge and energy. Isn't it a shame everyone can't/ or doesn't love what 'they do"? It was time for the kids to go in, as he called out, "Bye Oak". I said "Your son's a tree....It's a beautiful name". "Yeah" he said "I'm really into trees".

to see more pictures of my good morning sycamore pods please click on the photograph which will take you to flickr, more pictures are in my new set there called 'other worlds'

cheerio,
hug a tree today!

Kim's Magical Mystery Tour

Part one: a little bit about where I live.
(for all those who love our wee town including miss Keri)

I live on a busy kind of street , residencial with a rambling streetcar that goes by. We can walk to Bea's School and Jay can walk to his work. Sometimes I feel the vibrations of the streetcar, in the bathtub, upstairs in bed and each time I think of the Woody Allen movie where the main character's childhood home is under the rollercoaster. Each time I giggle about this and enjoy it.

The backyard backs onto a little untouched triangle of small creek and very large trees. The King of the Trees is a huge maple. In my back yard I have tall pine trees, Louisiana Creeper and lots of birds. Less birds now the berries on the creeper are gone. Note: I'll have to put up some feeders in place of the glass lanterns. I've always wanted to have a backyard having grown up in an apartment building. When I went to friend's houses as a child I would always ask to see or go into the backyard. Backyard, I loved the sound still do, even if it was a little grassy knoll of a yard I felt really happy, the privacy to sit and look at plants and the teeny tiny critters undisturbed. The little ant hill, or lifting a rock like in MY backyard and seeing the little potato bug families.

I like the contrast of where I live. It can be quiet, or noisy. People to watch at certain times of day coming and going to school. A birds eye view of the streetcar ( I've always lived on it's line- I like streetcars and somehow it makes me feel secure, and unafraid of getting lost- just follow the tracks). I see the little travelers and always check the driver to see if it is my brother, who drives a streetcar. A game I like to play with Bea called "Where's Your Uncle?".

If I walk around the corner from my house one way I'm in the urban, grey and shabby parts, I swear the culture here has a unique dialogue and accent all there own, I like having tea here sometimes and eavesdropping. Sometimes the dialogue is so harsh and unbelievable to me, poverty, jail, trouble. If I keep going just a stones throw away the area becomes truly colourful and sparkly, this is Little India. Shops full of colour and bangles and sari material. If I walk the other way it is all pretty houses with yards and leaves and quietness, especially near an old cemetery from the 1800's until now.
I like reading the names. Seeing the big headstones (stone carving lettering is amazing) . Reading the names, imagining the people, those that are related, those that have gone.

If I keep walking round this corner and head south, eventually I am at the Beach on Lake Ontario, this is where I harvest my rocks for the making of pocket rocks. I am pulled to this every so often. Always I am amazed by the sky and water you can not see land across, they don't call it a "Great Lake" for nothing, and always I am amazed by the cordial dogs I meet so well socialized, more familiars than pets.

This is a little about where I live. Where I can be found wandering around. Wandering and Puttering my two favorite occupations.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour.

at heart

at heart
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

ghosts of the notebook

ghosts of the notebook
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

for this weeks theme at www.illustrationfriday.com


boo

scared yet...

boo!

now i got ya!

Smitten

Smitten
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

smitten squid,
i am so smitten with squid after seeing an amazing national geographic special

smitten is the theme this week at www.illustrationfriday.com

between black and white keys

my tea and hearts
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

"keep life simple - be aware - read and listen to music"
David Helfgott

i would add:
look at pictures,
walk,
and drink tea

warm cosy and thankful

note book cosy beige felt daring darlings
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

it is suppose to be getting cool
but today so warm
we ran after yellow butterflies
catching none, secretly thankful

i found the wish bone in the big bird of thanks

and make all the wishes i wish
peace, love, happiness, joy to all..

i eat roasted vegtables in all the fall hues
and post cosies for notes, to take care of chilled leafs

i watch sky
and birds and dragonflies
and see patterns, dark outlines
blue skies

and ingest these moments
for the ones that need the breathe
of peace, of love, of joy

spider

doing
sending
tidying

in the backyard
little flies
masses of them

one has to squint
and then later they have moved on

in the garden, between the resting chysanthmums and the hosta
a magnificent spider
don't know his name
with a feasty of the little squint flies

i walk around and look
and feel the cold air

and i am not thinking
but absorbing
sky, air, green, resting plants
pretending to be dead

and magnificent spider

the other night on television
i saw a program on squid
and i swear it my life has changed

natural world fills me up
reminds me real is real

amongst the other real we make up
sending, tidying, doing.

rain twosday this day

words are slack in my mouth this day
but reading past ones i realized i had em then
nicely strung, in tune sometimes

hot peppers,
no idea where that came from

music classical
having given up on some things, let go
i find the foreign language of my routines
leave me speech impaired,
not bad really
i kind of like it

like being in a foreign country and all the clutter of another language doesn't interfere.