Widow's Endorphins: Lassie, Come Home

Widow's Endorphins: Lassie, Come Home: I took myself for a long walk around the old neighbourhood...a farewell tour.  I'm moving next month.  After nearly a quarter cen...

Lassie, Come Home

I took myself for a long walk around the old neighbourhood...a farewell tour.  I'm moving next month.  After nearly a quarter century in Toronto, I am moving back home, to Vancouver!  Of course, Toronto has never looked more beautiful than it did on this magnificent Autumn day. 

I stopped outside a church on Yonge Street, and photographed the beautiful, delicate colours of the garden.  Pink and mauve are not thought to be Autumn colours...and yet, here they are in all their glory...

The Chrysanthemums weren't the only colourful Fall plants in the garden.  Ornamental Cabbage and Kale were also putting on a show.  They look similar, however, the floral cabbage has smooth leaves, while the kale has frilly leaves (now you know).  

They look good enough to eat.  Just don't.  They're disappointingly bitter.  It's better to buy or grow the edible varieties of cabbage and kale, and leave the ornamental ones as a feast for the eyes.

Lavender is still growing in the late October garden.  It looks amazing standing tall alongside a blazing red shrub.  The shrub is called, Burning Bush.  The gardener who planted it in front of the church, must have had a chuckle.

On my way back, I passed a beautiful Sheltie, quietly waiting outside a grocery store near the busy intersection of Yonge and St. Clair.  I stopped in mid step, turned, and walked back to ask the woman holding his leash, if I could photograph him.

You can do that in Toronto...approach a stranger to ask a question, or in my case, a favour.  Toronto may be bitterly cold, but the people of this city are warm and friendly.  I'll miss them.

The call to Vancouver is strong...it's saying, "Lassie, come home!"

 

Alas, Lassie was a Collie, not a Sheltie.  This beautiful dog is smaller than a Collie, standing about 14 to 16 inches from shoulder to ground, and is, according to a friend who used to raise and show them, a fine Sheltie.  Collies are much bigger.  I took a little poetic license!  Even more so, when you consider that I am the lass, in Lassie come home!  

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Inc.

Widow's Endorphins: Giving Thanks for Friends and Family

Widow's Endorphins: Giving Thanks for Friends and Family: I can still see the sunlight pouring into the large hospice room at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital, and hear the music of Q...

Giving Thanks for Friends and Family

I can still see the sunlight pouring into the large hospice room at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital, and hear the music of Quebec icon Felix Leclerc playing softly.  Five years ago today, I was alone in that room, as my husband quietly drew his last breath.  

In the days, weeks, months and years which have followed, I have never been alone.  I have been blessed with loving, kind and thoughtful friends and family members - old and new - who, no matter where in the world they live, are there for me, offering their guidance, encouragement, support, hugs and humour!   

It is the beginning of Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and I am deeply grateful for the people in my life.  Each of you, in your own special way, makes a difference in my life.  I love you all. 

Photographs Copyright of:  Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.