Some things you Might Not Know About Me…

Folding words into phrases, sentences, whole stories challenges the heart, keeps the mind at play while I dwell in the forest away from big city lights and roaring traffic. A tiny house fills with cats, and voices and memories as we delight in the greatness of nature and float with the blessings of the goddess.

I choose to write, read, knit and design web pages, although this site is a template not of my making—pretty, isn’t it?

If I were to choose a movie to watch, it might be March of the Penguins, or Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Braveheart and when I’m in the mood for something piquant, Practical Magic or Runaway Bride (…a feature presentation at my rather unorthodox wedding).

I read… Steven Erikson, Joyce Carol Oates, Louise Erdich, Michael Ondaatje for example, and blogs, newspapers, the telephone book, the bible, the Internet… well, I’ll let you search for your favourite sites.

Soothing the nerves or writing finds me listening to a rather eclectic selection of music: instrumental New Age—there is some incredible stuff out there; or rock from the 60′s/70′s, the era that imprinted on my music center; or Bach, I love Bach, but don’t ask me to identify individual selections. (Ain’t that musically smart, that’s why it’s eclectic.)

Have you ever listened to the stories whispering through poplar or pine trees, or lay flat on the ground and stared at the Milky Way? Have you tried to paint the sound of a child’s laughter? Herd cats? Mine fail miserably at that one, and simply disappear whenever a dog snuffs his way into their world.

On the hottest day of the year, my favourite thing is the sweat beads on the side of a clay crock, rolled cool against my forehead. I love red.

I love the Internet. It has shrunk us to the size of a marble, urging me to chat with my brother Paul**, join social groups like Facebook and Twitter, email my cousin Ruth who lives too far away, or find out everything about anything, and sometimes what you don’t want to know.

** My dear brother Paul has died since I wrote this About Me page. He was a young 58 years old. Prostate cancer killed him, so if you’ve a mind to do something in his memory, or better, memory of your loved ones, friends, family, neighbours… make a donation to your favourite cancer drive. It’s a horrible disease.

Nature has her way on our land. My husband Warren and I like it that way. We love the occasional bear looking for apples, the wolf calls at 4 a.m., the hummingbirds who visit our feeder, wildflowers and the spicy scent after a summer’s rain.

Seasons. We relish the peace that new fallen snow brings, the excitement as spring buds explode with the first blush of salmons, palest greens, feathery whites and rose colours. Summer’s heat cools in the shade of our trees, elms, white and red pine, cedar, birch, maple and cherry to name a few. Autumn splashes our senses with spectacular colour, birds large and small, like geese, herons, juncos, robins sounding their way to more southerly lands, spicy herbs and pumpkins, cool crisp temperatures, long evenings by the fire and the taste of roasted marshmallows and too hot coffee.

…Life is a joy

You can contact me (Wendy Scott) at wendy@riotthill.com
You can search Google Maps for my little part of the world near Minden, Ontario, CANADA
or
check out my community at Haliburton Highlands