Earth Day 2008

Earth Day here on the island started with a visit from a ringnecked pheasant, strutting his stuff in the morning sun, screeching now and then as he strolled around checking out the territory. I wonder if it's the same one that often came by last year. He used to march around the periphery of the yard, with a screech at regular intervals. Brought to mind the image of a soldier on drill parade. He's a beauty, the rusty breast, glossy green and white neck ring, very handsome.

The bird feeder is busy every day now with chickadees, nuthatches, a red squirrel, song sparrows and a purple finch. Juncos and robins flock around feeding from the ground, and in the evening the spring peepers are starting to sing. In the past few days, I've seen a heron flying over at dusk and three eagles circling against the noontime sunlight.

In the garden, weedy grass sprigs are working their way past the mulch in my raised beds already. The chives are growing green and the thyme plants have survived another winter. A few small tulips are poking up through, so far not eaten by deer. I tried digging in a bit of hair from a recent trim in hopes it will discourage them. Read somewhere that human or dog hair would deter deer. Hope so, as last year the buds were devoured as soon as they appeared. Yesterday I saw two deer feeding at the baseball field just up the road, out in mid-afternoon and not at all bothered by passing cars.

I'm trying to get a few tomato plants started from seed. The first sprig emerged today, six days after I put the seeds in small pots and set them in the warmest spot in the house. Two are Mennonite Heirloom, one is Ivory Egg (a cherry tomato) and one is a Burbank.

A few days this past week have hinted at summer, with a warm southwest breeze and temperatures as high as 18 or 2o celsius, lovely days that make you want to spend every minute outside listening to the birdsong and squirrel chatter. At times like this I am grateful to be living away from the noise and smell of the city. Happy Earth Day one and all!!

Spring is Here, Sort of

Okay, in theory it's supposed to be spring, but for every day of sunshine we seem to be getting two or three of rain or even (still...wet snow!) Ugh. A blue sky makes so much difference when it's time to get up in the morning. In a gesture of optimism, I bought seed packets of zinnias, Sugar Snap peas, and mesclun lettuce mix when I found them on sale at half price the other day. I want to work in the garden, but the soil is still soggy and cold, no use to rush it. Well, gardening is all about learning to be patient.

The birds have begun to arrive in flocks, with lots of robins in the yard on wet days like this one. Yesterday a noisy bunch of grackles spent the day squabbling and jumping up and down on the feeder, emptying out the black oil sunflower seeds in a few hours. Song sparrows have arrived - the nuthatch kept chasing one away from a branch it apparently had claimed as its own, close to the feeder. Both a downy and a pileated woodpecker were hammering away at the old poplar tree in the morning. With the rustlings of sparrows in dry leaves, squirrels chittering and grackles calling their rusty nail squeaks, the yard was alive with the sounds of spring. In the afternoon, a young bald eagle circled the yard for a while, and I spotted two adults flying much higher, keeping watch on junior is my guess.

A few days ago I walked by the kitchen window, glanced out, and saw two yearling deer frozen in position, staring back in at me from about ten feet away. When I kept still, they decided to ignore me and coolly returned to grazing the old yellow grass (too long because it didn't get a late fall mowing). After a while, they sauntered away up the path to the woods. They were quite lovely.

Just finished reading a memoir by Doris Grumbach, an author living in Maine. Dealt in an interesting way with the changes in life that come along as we grow older, not all sunshine and roses. Now hoping to find some of the other non-fiction works she has written. Discovered from her book that one of my favourites, The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, is somewhat notorious for being the work of a former Klansman and speechwriter for racist governor George Wallace. Very strange, as the book portrays a native American viewpoint with humour and empathy. A good read (and film too) just the same.

Here's hoping that April showers really will bring May flowers. I for one am more than ready for them, and for warm days and sunshine.

Musings in March

I find myself wondering - how do people find the time to update blogs every few days? After the usual day of prodding reluctant son to get up at 6:30 a.m for bus, feeding cat, doing laundry, catching up on writing, making lunch, doing dishes, after school lunch, laundry, etc., I don't have much energy left to 1) Displace son from Facebook or messaging to use computer; and 2) Remember what it was I planned to write about this time. Oh, well, so it goes.

Spring is...almost....here, tomorrow on the calendar at least. The weather is giving freezing rain followed by about 25 cm of heavy rains for the next 24 hours. I hope the pump Dad put into the cellar is up for it, because the drain is still a) frozen or b) clogged - or both, anyway, not letting the overflow escape well at all. All a part, if not a fun part, of country living too!!!

Decided to try joining the local exercise walk at the school gym one morning this week and it was fun, sort of. Amazing how just walking around and around for 4o or so laps can make you feel as if it were a really long walk, sure gives muscles a workout.

Looking forward to a pleasant Easter weekend, two extra days to sleep in a bit, and a family dinner and get-together. My son is disappointed in his heart's desire of having Rainbow Six Vegas to play on the PS3 this holiday because Amazon is shipping it later than expected. Not the end of the world, I expect another game and a good book will keep him busy. My mum gives all the grandchildren new books as an Easter "treat". She talks of getting a "few little things" for them, which translates to books, candies, T-shirts, and so on - she loves shopping for grandkids and making up elaborate bags and baskets.

Current reading is Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle", a thought provoking look at her family's attempt to live for a year using only food produced locally or on their own farm in Kentucky. I love her novels - The Bean Tree, The Poisonwood Bible - and have enjoyed her essay collections too. A piece she wrote about the 9/11 attacks was one of the most intelligent I ran across anywhere. When I get worried about the direction our world is going, it's good to know there are still people who care enough to try to make a difference. La lucha continuara!! as we used to say in Nicaragua solidarity groups!! (the struggle continues!!)

Happy Easter to everybody!!!

Realities of Spring

Daydreams of a spring garden have given way to a touch of melancholy as late winter storms absolutely pummel our region. Last week storm days cancelled three days of school (didn't matter much as my son was home with a rotten cold anyway!!). It's rained record amounts for the last couple of days, giving me the chance to discover that the cellar drain is clogged - nothing like wading in a foot of water to make one nostalgic for the city apartment with a super on call. As I write, the portable sump pump installed by my handyman dad, bless him, is roaring away. It sounds as if a 747 is about to take off from below, but oh, am I thankful for it. Given that our pump and hot water heater would be afloat by now, it's a relief to hear it roar while the rain lashes at the windows. Great clouds of fog are being tossed around in the southerly winds, and the trees are swaying like palms in a hurricane. A truly wild day.

I'm keeping fingers crossed for a clear night on Wednesday, as a lunar eclipse is due - it's to begin around 9:45 p.m., so I hope to get a good look without having to stay up too late. By nature I'm a night owl, but the need to get up for the school bus at 6:30 a.m. curbs any inclination to burn the midnight oil much.

My son's been reading and enjoying the somewhat controversial Dark Materials series, but he disagrees with recommending it for younger children, says it's too complex and not that easy to read.

We recently viewed the highly acclaimed film about Che Guevara as a young man, "The Motorcycle Diaries" - beautiful cinematography as they travelled across Argentina, Peru and Colombia - rafting on a misty Amazon river, looking over Machu Picchu - lovely. His critique was favourable in its own way, "It was just like a documentary, only interesting." Ahhh, well.

The birds (and squirrels) have made amazing inroads into what I thought was an enormous sack of sunflower seeds, and at first chance I have to stock up again. Mostly the chickadees and nuthatches are around just now, though I did see a female pileated woodpecker yesterday. In a novel I read recently the bird was called the Lord God Bird in Georgia. I wonder if that's true. It's a very large and showy bird with the flashy red crest, and loud too. Here's hoping spring really is just around the corner, February is the longest short month in the year.

Daydreams of Spring

First day of February, one month counted off from our new year already. Tonight rain is lashing the windows, has battered away much of the deep snow that covered the world a week ago. Wind howling, and the flashing lights of the sand truck making its rounds - it's just cold enough to turn the rain into ice pellets and make driving slippery.

All around us this winter it's been snow, rain, ice in turn, never sure what the next few days might bring. I love the snow, it covers the trees, the yard, heaps around the house and keeps the cold at bay, protects the garden under a winter blanket and covers the cellar in a protective layer of warmth. With snow, having frozen pipes is a lot less likely and power outages not such a worry. Icy rain is much less friendly, hate the cold battering sound it makes against the windows.

The seed catalogues have been coming in every few days for a while, and I'm already daydreaming about what new plant combinations to try for next summer's garden. Have to outwit the deer as much as possible, so colourful strong smelling herbs are a good bet, they don't seem to like them much. On the other hand, they love the tulips. Last spring they ate every one of my pretty pink Angelique tulips just when they were about to bloom. They'd been a lovely housewarming gift from a friend when we first moved here four years ago, and I do miss them.

Maybe I'll try daffodils next, haven't had any for a few years and I love their bright spring show. A few years ago I sent for a fragrant mix from Cruikshanks, a mail order catalogue no longer available. They were lovely, buttery shades of cream and soft gold, and heavenly scented too. In my garden album, I have photos of spring daffodils in the city garden I left behind. It was my first real garden and I remember it fondly, spent many wonderful hours in that modest back yard garden.

At this time of year, it's lovely to dream over the lush photos in the seed catalogues. Budget constraints, pests and space restraints don't rear their annoying heads now, and the dream garden can be whatever I like on this rainy night. Later it will be time to pick and choose and be realistic about what is possible, for tonight I can dream. Here's to gardens past and future, real and imagined. Few things in life offer as much reward as a good hour working in a garden. It's of benefit to mind and body to work in the good earth for a while. I'm dreaming of spring a little more every day.

"When daisies pied and violets blue,
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight..."

(Shakespeare, Love's Labour Lost)

Remembering the Boys in Red

I'm looking out the window at a very dark and rainy Friday afternoon. Guess that's why I've been putting tropical sunrise wallpaper on my computer screen, just a little lift for the January blahs that threaten to settle in early this year. Too much sad news, like everyone else in my region I was shocked and heartsick about the accident which killed seven boys on the basketball team and a teacher from Bathurst. They were all close to my son's age - it's all too easy to relate.

Watched the televised public funeral and laughed and cried along with half the province, as well as the 5000+ people who attended. The little things, how a guy liked paintball, one loved Guitar Hero (my son loves it too); one boy's sister laughing about what a lousy dancer he was. Just five minutes from home and safety and they were lost. Life is so precious and so fragile and every now and then an event like this really brings it home to most of us.

I always feel that since there is no guarantee of tomorrow, one should make the most of today. Just taking the time to notice the little things around us usually picks up my spirits. It's hard not to laugh if you watch the chickadees and the red squirrel trying to dodge each other back and forth at the feeder. The squirrel is sooo bold!!! He watches my approach, waiting until the last possible moment to jump back into the tree off the feeder tray - saucy bugger!!

Even as I write, the rain has stopped and the sun is actually peering out. First time I've seen it in about three days. Several nights have been beautiful, with a brilliant half moon over silvered snow, and Venus so bright it seems you could touch it.

The school bus just dropped off previously mentioned son, who as usual is burning to get on the computer - "Muum, I need the computer" - so I'll sign off here for today.

Into the New Year

Here we are, almost two weeks into the new year. Finally have the Christmas decorations packed away and the house reorganized (more or less) back to the usual everyday routine. Since the holidays we've had all kinds of weather extremes, heavy snow, cold, then a move to milder days and drenching rain and winds. My mailbox was a casualty of the heavy snow or the plow, not sure which, but one morning the poor thing was desperately lopsided. Have it sort of anchored now, but really hope we don't get any wild winds or it may go over completely.

Chickadees, a nuthatch, and a red squirrel are all enjoying the black oil sunflower seeds I've been filling the feeder with, and a pileated woodpecker has been hanging around too. Coming home late the other night, a damp and foggy evening, and the headlights picked up a young white-tailed deer standing very still just off the road by the woods. He turned and ran when we slowed down, appeared to be a young buck with antler buds just starting to show.

Our local power company is celebrating the new year by hiking the energy rate, bills out for year's end are horrendously high. I know people all over are getting hit with increases and it's hard when you're just making ends meet. Makes one thankful for the mild break we're getting in the temperatures. Today alone we've had a bit of freezing rain, pouring rain, and a little hail early in the day, weird weather, and the mercury is hovering around or above zero.

Noted the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary yesterday, an impressive gentleman. I admire people who use their fame and accomplishments to to do some good in this world. Such a lot of history goes with them as they pass on.