During my summer holidays I....

I have spent the last few days going through old memorabilia, throwing away many pieces of paper and reorganizing my files and storage system.

Things looked like this










and now they look like this.

It so interesting how this occasional purging is good for both my home and my head. I feel so uncluttered and organized now! And, it is also good for my soul. I think it is useful to everyone once in a while look back at where you have been and what you have accomplished. I never keep things that bring back bad memories so I always this wonderful feeling of a life well lived after going through my memory boxes! I find birthday cards with special greetings and wishes, thank you cards from my nieces, photos of family times, newspaper articles, souvenirs of travels and pieces of work that brought special recognition. This time I reread the letter that mom and dad wrote to all of us after their trip to Spain and the speech Jim gave at dad's memorial service... sad but heartwarming at the same time.

Ramona and I talked about about keeping 'stuff' while we were on holidays this summer and agreed that it can be overdone which is why I took out many, many, many bags to the dumpster. A few mementos are all that is needed to bring back memories. Still, there are a few more trinkets around my home after our travels on Vancouver Island andmy memory box has grown to three. As I poured though them these past two days I realized that I am very blessed with a loving family, good friends and a vocation that is a passion.

I have been doing more the organizing this past summer and I trust that you saw the pictures on flickr of the road trip to East Central Saskatchewan


St. Michael's Hall at St. Peter's College where dad went to high school.

I have also been tending my flowers. I love bright colours almost to a point where I would say that I can feel them... kinda like synesthesia.









And this year I planted a crop of tomatoes... nothing better than a fresh off the vine toasted tomato sandwich!













I have also been doing a bit of this...



...and this...
















And some of this....


.... all in all not a bad summer.

Hope everyone else is enjoying these last few days in the sun!