Under the blue September sky

On By Inese, visual artist, writer and life sciences bloggerIn blogging, goals, life, mental health, nature, social media

What does your world look like today?

Is it bright and sunny, real nice end of September day or nothing good to talk about?

We cannot choose the weather, unfortunately, if we must stay where we are, live in a place which we might not even prefer, but that’s the reality: all doors are open, but not everyone of them takes us to a place we want to be.

Did you wake up in a hopeful mood and the day kept its promises?

Good things sometimes happen when we don’t expect them, too, as if out of nowhere. However, it’s the combination of all elements which has worked out in our favor whether we knew about that or not. The bigger success we expect, the more upsetting might be the disappointment.

Does that mean we don’t strive for more, don’t try achieving more and reaching for higher goals? We always do attempt to succeed in something currently out of reach, we should at least. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Until we experience tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, volcano eruptions and other nature disasters, we might say that every weather nature throws at us is a blessing. That’s changing now, and we might wonder how bad it is going to get? Thankfully, the area I live has been spared from nature’ s anger.

September was a very beautiful month in Ontario where I live. The simple pleasures are readily available for everybody, we just need to set aside a moment for these experiences. The sky is so transparent today, no wind, bees still work in blooms, and there’s almost overwhelming beauty of the late fall flowers. It’s a good moment to be in.

When you have gone through millions of small disappointments, tiny and big accidents, betrayal, losses and some calmer periods of life, it feels there’s nothing that can surprise one any longer. I’ve been sticking to my principles of honesty, truth and generosity for many decades. They get tested, too, these old-fashioned principles and morals. Competition is a normal way of existence now with any means being justified. It’s not enough to know, be able and have experience, you have to prove your self-worth and value of your skills every day from new. Every single day it’s some kind of competition, feeling of being pushed and rushed. If you do not post anything on social media or website, people forget you, forget who you are, what you do and so forth.

For how long am I supposed to be competing for the social media attention?

There is nothing stable in the universe of public opinion. I noticed that blog reading is down, too. The number of views goes up, but the actual interaction is down. Shorter attention span? Sure. The amount of information avalanching over the viewers head is also remarkably larger. While I love creating art, sewing, designing new outfits and other items, gardening, nature and its mystic ways, I’m not huge about throwing this into everybody’s face: look what I have! Nevertheless, I must do just that if I ever want to have more students in my art classes or sell my art.

Early fall for dreamers? Definitely.

September calm might be ending soon, in a few weeks or so. It’s a good time to regroup, recharge, put in vegetable preserves, take a short walk, collect new colorful leaves for the next nature-painted projects. The calm before the storm or maybe just time to think about what’s ahead, to dream a bit about things unfolding my way and according to my plans. The path, however, was created a long time ago. The ripples in the universal interaction ocean cause situations which we are living in now, at this moment. We have created our today as it is together with other people, nature, universe and our actions or inactivity, with our features and our thoughts.

I hope your day is as good as you expected it to be!

Stay in touch and thanks for reading!

29 thoughts on “Under the blue September sky”

  2. What a beautiful bounty your garden has given you. So wonderful! Yes, it is a period of transition right now and things do feel more peaceful at the moment, but like nature we will continue going through changes and learn ways to adapt. We experienced fires here and were evacuated for a while, so we’re very grateful for this peaceful pause right now and looking forward to cozy Autumn months for reflection. Thank you for always sharing beauty in the world Inese!

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    1. Thanks Tania Marie!
      Garden is one thing which never disappoints me. Most vegetables always grow very well. For a while, I really didn’t know what to do with tomatoes, too less time to take care of such a huge load. I gave away tomatoes to everybody who’d take them.
      It’s cooler now, not that much going on, like you’re saying, a break and pause in any development.
      I need way more activity in my studio. I simply didn’t want September to end without a post, thus, posted quickly the newest pictures and a few sentences.
      Such a horrible thing, these fires, and I take it all ended well after you returned home. Very scary, indeed, when you have to swiftly evacuate and there are so many items which one cannot leave back. Not to mention your pets.
      I am, too, looking forward to a cozy autumn.
      Have a good evening, so nice to hear from you!

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  4. Wow, look at those pumpkins.. and the peppers! Your flowers are, as usual, beautiful but those vegetables are something else, Inese, and I bet they taste as good as they look.

    I don’t think it’s right that the already difficult task of trying to bring in students is further complicated by these social media hoops that continue to get more and more demanding.
    It’s a ridiculous chore but, really, what other option is there anymore? There isn’t. You have to play the game. It used to be that the work you put in was valued. unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.
    You’d think talent, skill, and experience would be more appreciated. It’s a shame.
    I’ll keep hoping that you’re stunning creations find all the love, respect, and admiration they deserve.
    Be well and have a wonderful evening!

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    1. Vegetables were doing very well taking into account how tiny my garden space is and how I have to squeeze in lots of different plants. It looks like they don’t mind. The plus is I never use any chemicals or fertilizers on my plants, just water, soil and sun.
      Over time, I feel like I’m losing any interest in social media. It’s only what they want and never what I want. I don’t even see anything friends or relatives are posting, it’s what they choose to show me. I think it’s time to change how we regard them. Every single place is a sale platform, and is that what we actually want? At the same time, you cannot sell anything or for that matter, make posts visible, unless you pay for every post. Blog is still the best place for interacting with other people.
      The disease of consumerism and greed of social media damage experience. Twitter and Linkedin are the next I will quit because there’s no point whatsoever in being on there. I discontinued Pinterest many years ago because all there happened was my art and painting images got stolen, and it went as far as somebody always trying to sell them on some sites. Ridiculous.
      Have a good day and I hope I will visit your site hopefully over the weekend!

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      1. That’s a ‘tiny’ garden? Wow, I would love to see what you could do with a large one! It’s so nice to hear when people don’t use man made products on their plants, this is food, you’d think they wouldn’t want that stuff in their bodies.
        And the interaction is great, I’ve really enjoyed meeting all of you, there are some wonderful communities here.. But the requirements for any kind of success or growth is astronomical. I don’t agree that this is the best way, however, it is the reality of the times.
        You have to wonder if we’ve evolved at all.
        Good luck with everything, Inese, and thank you! Stay safe!

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      2. The space is tiny, I’m just using it wisely. It’s smaller than all the surrounding backyards here, just the width of building itself and very narrow. Neighbors grow only grass and decorative trees which spread pests and shed leaves.
        If I had a chance to have a large spot of land, I would definitely plant potatoes because the store bought have no taste, no flavor. I’d plant more beets, carrots, black radish, more beans, more squash. probably more of anything. The space is so small that I could put in only 4 vegetable beds, but I also have there red currant, horseradish, hydrangeas, calendula, nasturtium, a few peonies, climbing roses, wild roses, wines. etc.
        The advantage of small space gardening is that you do not need any pesticides and fertilizers. You weed every spot manually and just use good soil plus water. If we had a choice, I’d probably not buy anything at the store. The food production is industrialized, chemicalized and genetically modified.
        I can recall the past when there were no social media and no need to scream that you’re the best. Simple, calm and foreseeable life. People think that global shopping provides with great deals, but, in fact, the only ones which benefit from this are the abnormally huge companies.
        Humans as such have not evolved and their health is on decline. AI, technologies and better medical treatments make impression that we live longer and are more advanced. It isn’t so.
        Thanks very much and I hope your Sunday is good!

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  6. theburningheart

    Yes, continuing our conversation, on the other post, the day it’s beautiful, even a little warmer, almost 24C, so in your area it’s quite warm, considering your more Norther Latitude, good for you. Here we have relatively a mild weather all year around, except for a few days that may get hot in Summer, like 30C and Winter a low as 9C , but neither hot days or cold, are many

    Hope the weather keep good for you Inese, on your neck of the woods.

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    1. Ha, ha, this is excellent! I mean your reaction.
      Mild is very good. We get 35C in the summer and about minus 20C in winter, but variations are endless. However, during the 17 years I’ve been here, September and October were always the nicest months when regarding temperature and pleasantness.
      I hope so, too, plants are still very green yet, but the first frost will kill them.
      I cannot recall whether you ever told where exactly you were now. I suppose before it was the States, but this mild place might be somewhere else.
      Anyway, sweet dreams and good Sunday! I’m packing in with a book.

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      Reply
      1. theburningheart

        Briefly I am just South of the border in Mexico 332km. away from Los Angeles, and the weather its very similar, both places are ports with beaches, and we have a Mediterranean weather, maybe in Los Angeles in winter can be a few degrees more colder, but not much, it just depends where you live in Los Angeles that its very big, once I lived for about three years near the mountains in Altadena, a small neighborhood North of Pasadena and it was 2C, or 3C during the nights, and a few days we could have a little of snow on the ground, occasionally, but near the Ocean the weather its not that different, than here.
        Enjoy your Sunday too!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. theburningheart

    Even New York city folks, who most, they like to boast there’s no place like New York, even food its done better there, we Californians like to tell them; “And what the hell holds you here, that you live over here, and don’t go back over there?”🤣

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  9. theburningheart

    Well, you will be surprise just google Los Angeles Vs New York, or New Yorkers Vs Californians you will find plenty of petty talk, and controversy of which city is better, my personal experience is New Yorkers are generally rude for no reason, like if you stop on a sidewalk to see something, people yell at you like if they were vehicles, and not people, and have no breaks, or steering wheel to avoid you. simply you are in their way, and they are in a hurry, I had a job with a famous telephone company, for three years, many years ago, and I had to deal with New York customers at 5AM until 8AM when they will switch us back to West Coast customers, being barely awake and dealing with them was not fun, I even will tell them gently:” Could you please lower your voice, and be nicer, don’t use foul language, I am here in LA and it’s just 5AM, and I am just having my first cup of coffee, I will take care of you gladly.”
    And the weather is lousy in new York, Summer, or Winter too extreme.
    Do they have better pizza? Who cares? I rarely eat pizza.
    Right now we got a little rain, sort of a rare Monsoon tropical thunderstorm, they rarely get this far North, and West , there are common on the East side of the Gulf of California, and Arizona.

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    1. Amazing, god comparison. Yet, I don’t really know either these who live in NY or LA, except like we are exchanging here some thoughts.
      My impression when traveling in the US was always that Americans were nicer than Canadians, however, I really spent just some weeks of vacation at each place every time. We haven’t been anywhere since 2013.
      I think you haven’t been to Europe to some countries, including Latvia. Oh, you’d get full nine yards of foul and angry language Thankfully, you wouldn’t understand it. LOL. When I fly back sometimes, I’ve forgotten how it feels over there.
      I’m just going to sleep early, didn’t feel up to anything much. Bad weather day.
      I hope you have it better over there!

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      1. theburningheart

        As an anecdote since you mention Latvia when I lived in Los Angeles, I used to go to small church near from where I lived, to attend services, I am not a church goer, but I did it in order to meet interesting people and went to many, but on this particular I met some people who were your countrymen one of them used to travel back frequently, this was some twenty years ago, unfortunately the church move to a new address because the church, it burn to the ground, and it was too far from where I lived, went once only after.

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      2. Latvians are scattered all over the globe. I heard some were even in Trinidad and Tobago.
        Well, the ones who lived through the Russian occupation for more than 50 years are definitely different from the ones who escaped that all. We cannot even compare life during soviet years and in places like the US, Canada, Sweden, Australia, etc. Life was even more complex for these who returned from Siberia like my dad or grandfather.
        I’ve been talking to people who left Latvia as soon as they could before Russians took over Latvia, and they live in some kind of idealized thinking about what Latvia is now. Time didn’t stop just because of the socialist and communist occupation. People moved on.
        It’s a very extensive chapter in Latvia’s history, and the sequences were many. Families got separated, some never met their parents, children or siblings again. And all Latvians started out with nothing or what they could take with in a suitcase. It’s interesting that I arrived in Canada with also just one suitcase, so I lost everything what I had accumulated in 46 years. After I moved away, somebody totally cleaned out my apartment.
        That’s why I am where I am.
        Thanks, have a good day!

        Liked by 1 person

  10. I love the autumn photos, Inese, especially ripe squash. For me, that signals autumn’s bounty has arrived!

    You are right about the information overload out there. At this stage in life, I am downsizing my own things, and holding time preciously. The days go by a lot faster than I would like, each one unique, never to come again. What I try to keep in mind as the culture and expectations change is to take the best of the old, and try to carry that forward with the best of the new.

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    1. Thanks Lavinia! That’s a wonderful recipe since there is always something good with the new things also.
      In my case, days are the length of hours, I agree, they go by much too fast.
      I simply need to always advertise classes or art or whatever else I would like to sell, but recent years have been extremely bad. Nothing sells and classes didn’t fill at all for a while. What I only haven’t tried, but results are hardly any. While I love painting, I dislike the marketing and social media side. It takes away so much time.
      I hope you are fine, as you’re saying autumn’s bounty is here and at least that’s good.

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