The earth is littered
With the dropped jaws of humans
Witnessing Nature.
« February 2011 | Main | April 2011 »
Worms caught in the flood
Heavy rainfall.
Worms get washed onto the pavement.
Picking them up and putting them back onto earth brings thoughts of tsunamis. And the notion of a butterfly's wings moving in Florida being felt in Russia.
Urban orchards!!!
They are late this year. Very late! Usually, here in Victoria, BC, in mid-February we can walk the blocks and blocks and blocks of streets lined with flowering trees.
Finally they are happening. This is Meares Street, one block south from Fort east of Cook.
Then there is Yates and View and Princess and Haultain and Stanley and Richmond etc! etc! etc!
Observations on a wireless keyboard; metaphor for life.
I've had this wireless keyboard for a few months now.
The continuing delight goes beyond it being exactly the size I want and need, beyond the fact that it is mobile and is adjusted with each use, almost without thinking, to the perfect position to do with posture and muscle condition, beyond the fact that I got by the hesitation and reluctance to give up a perfectly good non-wireless keyboard that felt ... not perfect: too long, too bulky, too stationary, and replaced it with one that is proving to be .... more perfect.
The continuing delight is one of those "life is fine" things but it can always be "finer."
Daffodils ..... from the garden
The bursts of sunshine that have been available in stores across the cold weather months are wonderful and welcomed; greenhouse grown.
These are from the fields. They are more joyous.
Like mittens on my feet
In an ongoing quest for comfortable, warm, waterproof footwear, this pair of diver's boots took my attention at the Friday church sale.
Wow.
They are light, waterproof, flexible, have good traction, are easy to drive with, let my toes spread out nicely when sitting or walking, zip (conveniently!!!) on the inside of the foot, are high enough in case it (shudder) ever snows again, are funky and fun looking, made me forget I was wearing footwear during the morning walk.
They also will accommodate the footbed from my Keen, Finn Comfort and Volks Walkers shoes if I decide I need more support.
Wow. It never would have occurred to me to try such a thing: I love church sales!
National Bubble Week
Thanks to Lee Rosevere on CBC Radio's Earlier I learned that this week has been designated a celebration of bubbles.
I believe I first blogged about my love of bubbles here. Spheres of floating colour had been a lifelong fascination before that experience but - oh - increased enhancement and enchantment since then.
Field daffodils were available in the local grocery store this morning.
When I had gotten them home and they had nicely aranged themselves in a vase I got out the bubbles.
I don't think I have ever blown bubbles to honour them thusly.
Here are bubbles at night under a full moon; and bubble sculptures on the counter; bubbles in the snow ; bubble behaviour.
Ladybugs ......
While searching for information about ladybugs I came up with this. Enjoy! I think what results from this is called an earbug; it's been winging around in my head since I watched the video and brought back great memories of Sesame Street.
The appearance of this ladybug in the southwest window - along with six others - is the reason I was googling for more information.
And, boy, did I find out a lot, thanks to this site.
I thought the ladybugs were hatching; nope, they were hibernating and these, true to form, were in the southwest corner of the house.
In past years I have put out soaked raisins for them to eat when they appear before the weather outside is suitable for them to return outdoors. It is the water and sweetness they like; otherwise they live off their own body fat. And their blood is yellow. And their life cycle can be up to a year. And the spots do not tell their age. There are photos of the hatching. And a recipe for a ladybug salad (no insect is harmed!) And all sorts of other interesting things.
Good ol' Google. Good ol' ladybugs. The former has now enhanced my enjoyment of the latter.
Sweater on a tree ..... update!
This adventure of fibre archeology, of discovering treasures at garage sale and church shops and thrift store digs, is exciting. And particularly so when this happens .....
Last October a 'new' sweater was garmented on the tree.
A week ago I got an email from a woman, Sharon Fiset, visiting from Ontario for a month, dog sitting at a friend's home, who came upon the sweater on the tree. She read the note with it. She recognized the name of who had made it - Tina van Dam - as the woman who had woven a blanket for her thirty years ago, which she still has on her bed. Sharon was intrigued enough to track down Tina van Dam (who had moved from Sarnia, Ontario, where Sharon had met her) to a town outside North Bay, Ontario. She told her about the sweater and the blanket and emailed her some photos of the sweater. Tina was intrigued and interested. Sharon got in touch with Rosemary through the Knitters' Group alert on the tree and got my email address. She emailed me and left her number. I phoned her. I phoned Tina. Wow.
Tina was a weaver across many years, dyeing her own yarns, spinning with specialty fibres. She moved north "for the scenery" and has downsized to two small looms and will soon be weaving again.
Interesting tid-bits in all this: Sharon lives in London and my hometown is nearby St. Thomas; one of my uncles was from Sarnia; I lived in North Bay; Sharon was housesitting on Roseberry St here in Victoria and I lived on Rosebery Pl in St. Thomas. Maybe the nurse who sold me the sweater is about to pop up again.
Hugging the tree at end of February after that snow fall.
The sweater was woven; the cuffs knit.