Canada Geese - Goslings

I always love this time of year, when I can enjoy watching Canadian Geese with their little ones.

Photo credit:  Agapito Gentile

Have an awesome day!

-- Angela Gentile

Buttermilk the Kid

Too cute!  Watch Buttermilk the baby goat "play" with her "friends".



Click on the arrow above, or go to this YouTube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IuRzJRrRpQ&feature=youtu.be

Have an awesome day!

Angela Gentile

Lucky Stones

Lucky Stones (with holes) collected on South Beach, Gimli

While vacationing in Gimli, Manitoba, I saw an older man searching for something on Gimli beach.  I approached him, and asked, "Hi!  What are you looking for?"  He said he was looking for "stones with holes" for his granddaughter, who was also searching further down, with her father.

I started looking for these hole stones, and found a couple.  Then I went down the beach on South Gimli, and I found many more (10 in all, see picture above).  I also found some other interesting stones that I kept.

I put one on a chain, and hung it around my neck.  A woman I had just met commented on my necklace.  She said, "You are wearing a Lucky Stone!"  She then explained that her friend, Johanna Brierley, makes jewellery out of Lucky Stones.   On her website she writes,

Hole stones are legended to be symbols of good luck.

The woman I had just met was wearing an earring and necklace set, and the necklace looked like this:

Lucky Stone necklace, casted in precious metal
 (Johanna Brierley Jewellery Design)

Next time you are on the beach, search for a Lucky Stone.  It's a great way to spend time on the beach and who knows, you may just get lucky!

Have an awesome day!

Angela Gentile

Summer Solstice

I took a a walk around the neighbourhood in the evening of summer solstice.  It was a beautiful night.  Saw a lot of wildlife, smelled the fresh cut grass at the park, and felt the sun and breeze on my skin. Mother nature was doing her magic.  It was a special night.  Here are some pictures of my walk, to celebrate the first day of summer.

West Lake, Whyte Ridge

A family of geese

Feather

A bunny rabbit

Fence posts

Daisies

Finally, here's a video I took of that family of geese.  I had to laugh when I watched it.  ☺

Click on the arrow above to see, "Perfect Timing - Silly Goose" or go to this link:  http://youtu.be/yUbpGjMj84U

Happy Summer Solstice!

Angela Gentile

Could You Sleep Here?

Full-size image: http://i.imgur.com/BeXeu.jpg   

Found this gem on Reddit.com.  It looks dreamy.  I think I could sleep there.  Would like to try, anyways. Click on the full-size image link, and get a real good feel for what it looks like.  It would make an amazing wallpaper on your computer, too.

Have an awesome day!

Angela Gentile

Hoarfrost Magic

Hoarfrost and moon at dusk.  

Our city has been decorated with hoarfrost over the last couple of days.  I snapped this picture to get an idea of what it looks like.  The trees and shrubs look so pretty when they are cloaked in white.  I found a poem I'd like to share as well.


Hoarfrost Magic


There is nothing quite as beautiful
As a frozen winter scene
At times with proper moisture
Hoarfrost crystals can be seen

It’s like climbing into another world
As thick ice forms on everything
Nothing else is quite the same
As what these crystals bring

Beauty beyond anything else
Forms on the world around
Gathering up and clustered
Just like a frozen shroud

There’s a stillness in the air
When Hoarfrost crystals form
The quiet world is engulfed
From this beautiful winter storm

So if you are so fortunate
To see the hoarfrost magic
Grab your camera and capture
Nature’s icy antics! 

By Marilyn Lott

Poem source:  http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hoarfrost-magic/

Have an awesome day!

Angela Gentile

The Most Beautiful Things

"Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; 

peacocks and lilies for example." -- John Ruskin

When I was young, my grandparents were caretakers of a large estate (J. A. Mathieu, Fort Frances, Ontario).  There was a variety of wildlife that lived on the land, and the most magnificent of all, for me, were the peacocks.  Their large size, their magnificent colours, and their shrill call (that sounded like the word "Help!") made quite the impression on me.  The brilliant blue colour on their neck feathers was complimented by the blue "eyes" on their large tails.  We would hunt the property for these long feathers that had fallen out of the peacocks' tails.  We would put them in a vase and display them like flowers.  To this day, I still enjoy displaying peacock feathers.  I love the colours.  In fact, my favourite colour is "peacock blue".  

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Photos by Angela Gentile

Dinner & a Show

The other night my husband made a reservation for "Dinner and a Show" at Fort Whyte Centre, Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.  We had a choice of entres, and the dinner we had was a spinach salad, stuffed pickerel with potatoes and vegetables, and a desert.  The "show" was just outside on the deck. We watched the birds come in and land, at sunset.  There were a few geese (it is near the end of the season now) and ducks, and there were thousands of gulls.  They filled up the sky.  It was incredible.  Very relaxing way to spend an evening.  The meal was very nice, and we lucked out with a cool but mild autumn evening.

From the Buffalo Stone Cafe website:  "Savour a delicious three-course meal featuring Manitoba-inspired cuisine and fresh vegetables from our own FortWhyte Farms, prepared by the Buffalo Stone Café. Our lakeside restaurant offers the perfect view of the setting sun and the spectacular nightly descent of thousands of geese on to our lakes.

By reservation only! Call (204) 989-8370 

Fee: $40 (includes taxes and gratuities)
Wine and beer service available"

Baby Spinach Salad

with sundried cherries, fresh berries, Bosc pears and Saskatoon berry vinaigrette

served with fresh baked focaccia and grilled flatbread.

Stuffed Pickerel Fillet

served with shrimp, scallops and roasted red pepper mousse.

 Dessert

Raspberry cheesecake or chocolate mouse torte.

 Thousands of birds filled the sky at sunset.

 The beautiful colours of sunset.  

A lonesome goose awaits nightfall.

 A lonely goose, with thousands of birds in the background.  

They fill the water and the sky, while the sun paints the sky 

brilliant colours of orange and yellow.

 Night is very near.  The birds are settling.

What a nice way to spend an evening.  The program runs every migration season, middle of September to middle of October, Wednesday to Sunday.  The beginning of October is the best time to go if you want to see a lot of geese.  For more info, check out this link: http://www.fortwhyte.org/buffalostonecafe.


Have a great day!


~ Angela Gentile

Polish the Dull Side

I took this picture of Rainy Lake in Fort Frances, Ontario with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Can you see the dragonfly near bottom, centre?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Dandelion Wishes

Make a Wish!  I went out for a walk in the park the other day, and I came across these HUGE dandelion flowers that had gone to seed.  Made me think about how as a kid, I would pick these "fluffy" flowers, make a wish, take a deep breath, and blow the little seeds all over, hoping for my wish to come true.

What would you wish for?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Heart-Shaped Leaf

♥ A perfect little heart-shaped leaf, found on a clover plant in the backyard.  My son's latest find. ♥ 

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile

Lessons from Geese

Large group of geese flying in v-formation

Lessons from Geese

Fact 1

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow.   By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock has 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust of each other.

Fact 2

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone.   It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Lesson

If we have as much sense as a goose, we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go.   We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Fact 3

When the lead bird tires, it rotates back into the formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Lesson

It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership.   As with geese, people are interdependent on each others’ skills, capabilities, and unique arrangement of gifts, talents, or resources.

Fact 4

The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson

We need to make sure our honking is encouraging.   In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater.   The power of encouragement (to stand by one’s heart or core values and to encourage the heart and core values of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact 5

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it.   They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again.   Then, they launch out with another formation to catch up with the flock.

Lesson

If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we’re strong.

Note: Lessons from Geese was transcribed from a speech given by Angeles Arien at the 1991 Organizational Development Network.   It was based on the work of Milton Olson. It circulated to Outward Bound staff throughout the United States.

There is a lot to learn from geese.  I think they've got it figured out pretty good.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Dance, Love, Sing, Live

My new wall poster for my work space.

Dance as though no one is watching

Love as though you have never been hurt before

 

Sing as though no one can hear you

Live as though Heaven is on Earth

I bought this wall poster (it's huge!) to bring to work to hang in my work space.  I wanted a cheerful, bright, happy poster to brighten up my day. Gerbera daisies are the fifth most popular flower in the world, and they symbolize innocence, purity, friendship, beauty and of course, cheerfulness!  They are big, and bright and you can't help but be happy and cheerful when you see them.

What do you see around you when you work? What do you choose to surround yourself with?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Tulip Surprise

Yellow Tulip

It's been a long, dreary, cold, rainy, cloudy week.  

This morning it was sunny.  

As I glanced toward the flower bed in our front yard, 

a splash of yellow caught my eye.  

A beautiful yellow tulip had bloomed.  

I took it as a promise of more good weather to come.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile

Walking the Labyrinth

Map of Labyrinth

The weather was beautiful so I decided to take a walk through King's Park (in Winnipeg).  My husband and I were enjoying the mild weather, the sun light, and the sights and sounds of nature.  There were birds singing, families out with their children, dogs running free in the "Off Leash Park". It was a perfect day for a stroll in the park.

Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth, Winnipeg

To my delight, I came across a "Labyrinth".  I had seen Shirley MacLaine on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and she had shared information about her meditative labyrinth with the audience.  I was very interested in this concept, and I was surprised to all of a sudden see one in front of me.  Shirley had had one made for her so that she could meditate, and she also said that her dog would go with her and "stand guard" and protect her while she walked her labyrinth.

Frog

Prairie Crocus

I took some pictures of the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth, read the information that was available, and learned that it was created in the memory of Carol Shields, the Canadian author (1935-2003).  This is a place for people to meditate, pray, walk, gather and just be.  My husband and I walked the labyrinth, and we ended up sitting in the middle for a little while, enjoying the sun, listening to the birds, and practicing mindfulness.




We saw the budding Prairie Crocuses and we even saw a frog.  Sure signs that spring has sprung!  It was a nice experience, and I would like to go back again when the flowers are in full bloom. It is a perfect place of peace and tranquility, and I would recommend you try it. 

• "A labyrinth is a complex path. That's it. It's not necessarily something complicated or classical as you might think. . . A maze, though, is different from a labyrinth. . . A maze is more likely to baffle and mislead those who tread its paths. A maze is a puzzle. A maze is designed to deceive those travelers who seek a promised goal. It's possible that a labyrinth can be a maze, but strictly speaking the two words call up different ideas."  Carol Shields, Larry's Party

Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth website: http://www.carolshieldslabyrinth.ca/  (I have added the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth page to the Carol Shields Wikipedia page).



Have a great day!


~ Angela Gentile

First Robin

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  

It sings because it has a song.  

 ~Chinese Proverb 

I have been hearing the robin's song for a few days now, and finally, this week, I saw my first robin. My husband called me over to the window, and there it was, sitting on the fence, singing out it's song.  

As the weather gets nicer, I always look for signs that spring is officially here.  The days start to get longer, the snow starts to melt, and the Canada geese return.  These are the signs that spring is coming.  The real, official sign for me, though, is spotting that first robin of spring.  Ever since I was a kid, the robin has always been special to me.  My birthday is in the spring, and it's my favourite time of year.  The promise that winter is over, and milder, warmer weather is on the way.

Have you seen a robin yet?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

The Raven's Visit

According to renowned animal spirit message expert, Dr. Steven Farmer, "Raven is one of the best spirit helpers to have in your consciousness when you’re attempting to manifest anything in your life. He is one that will assist you in reconnecting with the magic and miraculousness of life. Raven will enliven your dreams and also assist you in understanding signs and omens that can provide guidance. When someone you know is ailing, ask Raven to be with them to facilitate their healing."

Today I was stricken by the beauty and majesty of a large black raven.  Although these birds are seen as predators and a nuisance by most people, I got a different feeling when I saw this one.  As I was about to get out of my car, a big black raven sat on the fence directly in front of me.  It walked about eight feet along the fence, all the while looking all around, including looking at me.  At one point it called out, “Cra, Cra, Cra” in a very loud, deliberate way, facing East.  It was as if she was telling me something important.  I witnessed its size and beauty.  Pitch black, with hints of blues as the sunlight hit its feathers.  I was mesmerized by its presence.  I was on the phone with my mom at the time, and she said that a raven is a bad sign – a sign of death.  I didn’t get that feeling at all as I watched this bird grace me with its presence.  My gut feeling was that it had a message for me.  An important, wise and timely message.  I didn’t quite understand at the time what it meant.  It was such a powerful moment that lasted only about 30 seconds, but it was very impressive. 

I did some research on what the raven’s symbolism is.  The words magic and wisdom kept popping up for me.  Although some of the literature (mainly Christian) said that a raven is a symbol of death and destruction, I didn’t feel that this was the message that this particular bird was delivering.

What follows below was taken from http://www.druidry.org/ (2011):

"To have a raven's knowledge" is an Irish proverb meaning to have a seer's supernatural powers.  Raven is considered one of the oldest and wisest of animals.  A seer is also described as a visionary: a person with unusual powers of foresight.

Raven is a contrary spirit.  On the negative side, Raven represents the profane, the devil, evil spirits, the trickster and thief, war and destruction, death and doom, the void.

Yet in many cultures Raven also represents deep magic, the mystery of the unknown, death and transformation, creation, healing, wisdom, protection, and prophecy. 

Raven is both the symbol of the sun, and the symbol of a moonless night.  She is the birth giving light in the center of our galaxy, and the black hole in the center of the universe, to which we are all traveling to our eventual extinction.

What follows below was found on this site: http://magicway.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/for-our-heather/

I also found this interesting information on a website called "Everyday Magics."  The author talks about the Druid Animals Tarot Deck having the loveliest card for Raven, and the author's Animal Guides book has this to say about the Raven Totem:

Raven represents the ability to go into the Darkness and bring forth the Light.  Northwestern American Indians believe that Raven stole the Sunlight from one who would keep the world in Darkness, therefore Raven is symbolic of the Eternal Cycle of Life and Death.

In Norse mythology Odin had two Ravens that served as his Messengers, their names were Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory).

Because of their ability to mimic other animals’ sounds, Raven is associated with the ability to communicate, and is an extremely powerful creative Totem.

All in all, I feel that this raven brought me some important messages and reminders about wisdom, knowledge, communication and creativity, and I am thankful for this visit. It was a very empowering and inspirational moment for me.

What animal guide or totem are you connected to?  What animal, bird, fish, or other creature is making an impression on you?  What messages are you getting from the universe?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile, BSW, MSW

For more about me and my services please check out my website: www.AngelaGGentile.com

White Christmas

Photo by Louis, The Weather Network

Many people all across Canada are getting oodles of snow these days. There is a 100% chance that most of us up here in the Great White North will be having what people are singing and dreaming of...a White Christmas.  The snow is coming down and it's really pretty some days.  It sparkles as the sun hits it; it rests heavily on the branches of the pine trees, and it forms mountains in the parking lots and driveways that kids love to play in.  People who skate, ski, toboggan, use snowmobiles and build snow forts are in their glory.  Winter sports are in full swing.

The Weather Network has some nice pictures of what winter looks like here in Manitoba.  Check it out for local photographers.

 Your Weather: omand's creek - The Weather Network
 
Yearning for nostalgia?  A black and white classic:  Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA45TnJQxhU

Keep warm and have a wonderful day! 

~ Angela Gentile

(PS  Thanks to hubby for sending me this lovely picture!)

Cute Animal Photos

Some Cute Animal Pictures from Extreme Funny Pictures.  I love finding these gems, they warm the heart and make me smile.

Tight Spot for Kittens

Source:  http://www.extremefunnypictures.com/funnypic3920.htm

Teddy Pile

Source: http://www.extremefunnypictures.com/funnypic3919.htm

Hi There!

 Source: http://www.extremefunnypictures.com/funnypic3863.htm

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Anteater and Aerial Silks

I came across this video of an anteater playing with a curtain. As I was watching it, it made me think of a gymnastic routine with fabric.



Click on the arrow or go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_ZIwlxRXOQ&feature=player_embedded

I then searched for an Aerial Silks routine and found this one. I guess the anteater almost had it right! Check out this beautiful video of a very talented aerial silks gymnast doing a routine on a fabric. It's called, "Aerial Silks" and it's quite mesmerizing.



Click on the arrow or go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szd4xnI30Ng

I thought the two were very similar in a funny kind of way.

Have a wonderful day!

~ Angela Gentile