Just Saying...

Do you ever just have those days when you see something that stops your heart? One of these moments happened to me on Sunday when I was driving down a country road (go figure...it is Wilmot). Anyway, I was in my car and a red leaf from a tree flew in front of my windshield. It caught my attention as it hovered and then was swept away by the wind. I looked up and saw a tree that embodied the entire idea of fall. It had red, brown, orange, yellow and still some green leaves. It was stretched over the road like a tunnel and I was right under its shadow. The moment took my breath away so I did what any person would do. I got out of my car and grabbed my camera from my purse. It was around four in the afternoon as I stared up at the tree. It reminded me of when I was younger and my Mom would tell me about the colours of the trees around the time I was born. I turned on my camera and I started to take pictures of the boughs of fall above me. Then I stopped and realized that these are the moments that are best shared with someone else. I climbed back in my car and drive home to get another who would appreciate the moment. My Mom and I drove back to the road together to enjoy the perfect scenery. The tree was still there in its colourful splendour and we took pictures of the fall day that we were sharing. When we were driving home, the song Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldene came on the radio. "Chillin' on a dirt road, laid back swerving..." these lyrics were a perfect verbalization of the feeling of seeing that fall tree. The moments of true wonderment are rare and I feel truly blessed to have experienced the breathtaking scene of the fall tree.

~ Woolley

The Forgotten Garden: Read It and Weep

Hey Classmates!!

My all time favourite book is The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. This book has historical significance, mystery, tragedy, and romance. The book goes between three generations and three storylines, chapter by chapter. Three strong women, drive all the storylines to a conclusion that is both satisfying and heart warming. The main character is a woman named Cassandra who recently has gone though the horrific loss of her family. She is left an inheritance of a cottage by her grandmother Nell. The cottage was once the home of a storybook author and illustrator Eliza Makepeace. These three women take us on a journey through time and show us the lives of three people in different time periods that are ultimately connected by a book of Victorian fairy tales. The story is set in and around Cliff Cottage in Cornwall and I cannot imagine a better place for such a beautiful story to take place. The cottage has an overgrown but wonderfully wild garden surrounding it and each of the characters live in the cottage as their stories progress. The book The Forgotten Garden has many lasting images and true emotions that will make you laugh but mostly cry for the very real characters. Kate Morton did an amazing job combining all the elements in a great book. Mystery, history, love, sadness, family, and acceptance are all included in this rewarding and wonderful book. Read it and weep!!!

~ Woolley