Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22
In my life --and my blog should reflect this -- I want to do more than observe birds and endless snow. My wish is for my life to be more connected with the natural world and this is why I live in the country with Bill, who takes such a way of life for granted. (Bill has read this and points out that he doesn't take it for granted -- he asks "Why do you think I'm here?")
I belong to MERA, McDonalds Corners-Elphin Recreation & Arts, and here I have met wonderful people, and am developing new skills and improving the ones I learned as a child. MERA promotes Lanark County's Heritage Arts, which was what pioneers did to survive using the materials available to them, often in highly creative and ingenious ways. This does not imply that MERA is stuck in the past -- we may make soap, but we use coconut oil, and don't render tallow from beef fat.
As a child in the 1950s, I wore beautiful smocked dresses made by my mother. Not because she was "into crafts", but because making your own clothes was a way of life. As a teenager, if I wanted a new dress, I bought some material and made it. As a mother myself I knitted for my babies, and made flowery dresses for my daughter to wear when she wasn't wearing jeans. And then I went back to work, and school, and so on.
At MERA, inspired by my Aunt Pat and encouraged by the Spinning and Knitting Group, I am learning to spin, and am improving my knitting skills. We also hold fibre-arts workshops where we get to try out something different and learn from one another. It is great to be retired!
I belong to MERA, McDonalds Corners-Elphin Recreation & Arts, and here I have met wonderful people, and am developing new skills and improving the ones I learned as a child. MERA promotes Lanark County's Heritage Arts, which was what pioneers did to survive using the materials available to them, often in highly creative and ingenious ways. This does not imply that MERA is stuck in the past -- we may make soap, but we use coconut oil, and don't render tallow from beef fat.
As a child in the 1950s, I wore beautiful smocked dresses made by my mother. Not because she was "into crafts", but because making your own clothes was a way of life. As a teenager, if I wanted a new dress, I bought some material and made it. As a mother myself I knitted for my babies, and made flowery dresses for my daughter to wear when she wasn't wearing jeans. And then I went back to work, and school, and so on.
At MERA, inspired by my Aunt Pat and encouraged by the Spinning and Knitting Group, I am learning to spin, and am improving my knitting skills. We also hold fibre-arts workshops where we get to try out something different and learn from one another. It is great to be retired!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Thursday, February 21
Last night there was a full eclipse of the moon visible between 8 pm and 11 pm. I could see it clearly out of the window, or standing on the deck. Rusy red as the earth's shadow covered the moon slowly. The stars were incredibly bright here in the country and away from light pollution. Bright stars, and a full moon. A rare sight. At one point I went to the end of the driveway, where I can see most of the sky and stood looking up at it in wonder -- until the windchill of - 26 started settling into my bones and I hurried in, slipping on the icy area round the steps and falling on my bad knee. No permanent damage..
Ever since last week's snow and rain the driveway has been a sheet of ice. Luckily a small covering of snow makes it passable -- as long as you look where you are going and are very careful. This morning when I got up about 6.30 am I could see both the setting moon and the rosy glow in the sky indicating the sun was about to rise. When Bill and went for the paper half and hour later, the moon had set in the wes and a deep red globe had risen in the east. And it is cold!
Ever since last week's snow and rain the driveway has been a sheet of ice. Luckily a small covering of snow makes it passable -- as long as you look where you are going and are very careful. This morning when I got up about 6.30 am I could see both the setting moon and the rosy glow in the sky indicating the sun was about to rise. When Bill and went for the paper half and hour later, the moon had set in the wes and a deep red globe had risen in the east. And it is cold!
Wednesday February 20
The howling of the wolves -- which are actually coyotes. They are smaller, but can be just as mean. A natural part of the ecosystem? Or a damn nuisance? In the country the latter view often prevails. We do have wolf tracks in our driveway -- the second time we (Bill actually) has noticed them this winter. "Would he eat Ivan our cat?" "In a second" replied Bill. Scary thought, as I explained to Ivan, telling him to be careful. Fortunately he is very delicate and rarely ventures outside in winter, hating to get his paws cold or wet. Again according to Bill, once Spring comes and the coyotes can find their normal prey of small rodents with ease, they will cease hanging around human habitation. This is good.
Meanwhile, in the township of Greely -- south and east of Ottawa -- there were 400 sightings in a month of coyotes within a three-kilometre radius. Small pets were killed occasionally. "I agree, Ivan it's dreadful". According to the Ottawa Citizen, "the coyote population has now been hunted and trapped into submission, and the vast majority have moved out of the area". Nothing a rural redneck likes more than an excuse to hunt. And this is happening here. When Bill last visited the garbage dump, there were snowmobilers out there hunting wolves. So that explained why I heard snowmobiles at dawn the other day -- it seemed awfully early for recreation. Furthermore, on our way into Ottawa the other day, Bill pointed out more snowmobilers who were unloading their machines by the side of the road -- there were cages on the back of the trailer as well, containing hunting dogs.
My own view is that wolves and coyotes are an essential part of the ecosystem, helping to keep it in balance. When it comes to Ivan, my emotions take over... Get rid of them!
Meanwhile, in the township of Greely -- south and east of Ottawa -- there were 400 sightings in a month of coyotes within a three-kilometre radius. Small pets were killed occasionally. "I agree, Ivan it's dreadful". According to the Ottawa Citizen, "the coyote population has now been hunted and trapped into submission, and the vast majority have moved out of the area". Nothing a rural redneck likes more than an excuse to hunt. And this is happening here. When Bill last visited the garbage dump, there were snowmobilers out there hunting wolves. So that explained why I heard snowmobiles at dawn the other day -- it seemed awfully early for recreation. Furthermore, on our way into Ottawa the other day, Bill pointed out more snowmobilers who were unloading their machines by the side of the road -- there were cages on the back of the trailer as well, containing hunting dogs.
My own view is that wolves and coyotes are an essential part of the ecosystem, helping to keep it in balance. When it comes to Ivan, my emotions take over... Get rid of them!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tuesday, February 19
A beautiful day, with a slight dusting of snow covering up the ice. All the rain got rid of some of the accumulated snow, but not much of it. As we drove into Perth light misty drifts of light snow skittered across the road and the sunny landscape was sculptured and shiny. Good thing the driving was good as we had a "health day", i.e. we had a non-stop schedule of medical appointments. Routine blood tests for me first thing, breakfast out, a stress test for Bill -- he has another blockage in his arteries unfortunately. We had suspected it , but the doctor adminstering the stress test "did not seem to be too worried" so long as Bill sees the heart specialist soon, and gets an angiogram set up. Bill is allowed to work as long as he uses "good judgement". This was followed by a drive to Ottawa where Bill renewed his passport. We want to be prepared in case we have to make a hurried trip to England. Mother is increasingly frail and sits in her chair or sleeps an awful lot. And then I had a broken tooth dealt with!
The reality of getting old -- an endless round of appointments. so this is why we stop working and retire!
The reality of getting old -- an endless round of appointments. so this is why we stop working and retire!
Sunday, February 17
Well, it rained today. Freezing rain. High winds. Actually, it was not as bad as anticipated. Forecasts of freezing rain are notoriously inaccurate, as there is such a narrow window between -1 and +1, but a huge difference in what happens. I went to a skirt-making workshop up at MERA -- the McDonalds Corners and Elphin Recreational Association where the creativity of the members is amazing. There is a weavers group, quilters, potters, and the group to which I belong which is the spinners and knitters. Each group meets regularly but we also hold regular fibre-arts workshops for our members on subjects such as felting, rug-making, basket making from our own withy labyrinthe and paper making. Anyway MERA is located in the old schoolhouse -- a heritage building -- and it is only 400 metres away, so I do not worry about weather. It was, however, quite slippery coming home, but the window of my car was wet -- not covered with an inch of ice, so the temperature was hovering above freezing.
Talked to Aidan in the evening and he had just come home to his house in the Laurentian Hills north of Montreal and it was very slippery driving -- even in his villlage of Pine Hill -- but snowy when he actually got home. Canadians prefer snow!
Talked to Aidan in the evening and he had just come home to his house in the Laurentian Hills north of Montreal and it was very slippery driving -- even in his villlage of Pine Hill -- but snowy when he actually got home. Canadians prefer snow!
Friday, February 15
It snowed today. We are all getting very fed up. It is hard to appreciate its beauty any more...
Thursday, February 14
It snowed today. Took some pictures of our huge snowbanks, but could not manage to transfer them from my memory card. Too bad.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Saturday, February 9
Two images -- one rather exagerating the amount of snow! Back in November, the snow was so pretty -- now we have had enough of it, and it's only mid-February. Seems to snow a little bit every day -- rather like the rain in England.
It has been snowing lightly all day, and not a bird to be seen although I heard chickadees, woodpeckers and a raven this morning when I got the paper. Two nights ago we were woken up in the middle of the night by wolves howling, not very far away. Eerie... According to Bill they must have been closing in for a kill. Deer? Most likely, we have an increasing population again, which bodes ill for the garden next Spring. We saw seven in a short stretch of highway just near the house last night at dusk, and our neighbour had eleven in his back yard a few days ago. They are beautiful animals, I have to say.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Monday, February 4
We had a record snowfall of 31 cm last Friday, and this morning was misty and mysterious, shimmering over the drifted snow. The sun is out now and it is quite mild and glorious. I plan to venture outside for a walk -- my first one this year!
Meanwhile from the window I have watched the world unfold. No birds came on Friday, but a venturesome squirrel swung up onto one of the feeders, knocked some seed out -- immediately buried in the soft snow -- and then raced lightly across the back yard jumping into a depression in the snow, resting there a minute or two, peering out cautiously and then leaping onto the roof of the shed. Very cute, but squirrels are becoming a nuisance at the feeder.
On Saturday flocks of red polls returned, evidently hungry after presumably roosting all the day before. They are now dominating the feeders, and we do not see chickadees. The redpolls are cooperative birds who fly in flocks and don't mind crowding on the feeder to ensure all get fed. Chickadees are more competitive, knocking one another off and hogging all the food.
At dusk on Saturday, two deer wandered by this window, just beyond the fence and stopped to nibble at some undergrowth. My light was on, and they seemed to see me, but were obviously not alarmed. Bill says one of the deer around here is pregnant -- he can tell by the hoof prints -- but neither of these was obviously carrying a fawn. Maybe it doesn't show...
Meanwhile from the window I have watched the world unfold. No birds came on Friday, but a venturesome squirrel swung up onto one of the feeders, knocked some seed out -- immediately buried in the soft snow -- and then raced lightly across the back yard jumping into a depression in the snow, resting there a minute or two, peering out cautiously and then leaping onto the roof of the shed. Very cute, but squirrels are becoming a nuisance at the feeder.
On Saturday flocks of red polls returned, evidently hungry after presumably roosting all the day before. They are now dominating the feeders, and we do not see chickadees. The redpolls are cooperative birds who fly in flocks and don't mind crowding on the feeder to ensure all get fed. Chickadees are more competitive, knocking one another off and hogging all the food.
At dusk on Saturday, two deer wandered by this window, just beyond the fence and stopped to nibble at some undergrowth. My light was on, and they seemed to see me, but were obviously not alarmed. Bill says one of the deer around here is pregnant -- he can tell by the hoof prints -- but neither of these was obviously carrying a fawn. Maybe it doesn't show...
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