Saturday, November 29, 2008

Canada Geese

For a few weeks each year our property is like a bird sanctuary for the migrating Canadian Geese. The flocks, typically spend the days inland on corn fields foraging, then at dusk take off by the thousands and head to the islands in the St. Lawrence River.
From our backdoor on Friday, looking skyward as some flocks fly over mid afternoon. It was a dreary, rainy day but the sky turned this beautiful soft, dove gray as the flocks began to arrive on the river.

Honking geese fills the air until 10 - 11 at night, then presumably they sleep because it is usually quiet until daylight when they start honking morning greetings before taking off again. Thousands stay in the area until the first big cold snap occurs then most of them head farther south. Some will stay all winter unless the river freezes completely -something it did up to 10 years ago, now rarely does. I was 10, when my family moved to this area of the province. At that time the river was frozen solid enough to skate on by December each year. If the river freezes over now, it rarely happens until the coldest part of winter here in late January, early February. It usually breaks up by mid to late March as the weather warms again.
Josh, my niece's 5 year son, stayed with us Friday night and yesterday. He was fascinated by the geese and watching the flocks. Of course, I told him all about the "lessons" we can learn from geese. He claimed there must be at least 142 geese in the big field......"Eileen........" he said with his face all screwed up in thought........."I think there is more.....maybe 143"........I agreed there must be at least that number, maybe a lot more even. "Ya....... tell me again how the geese stay and look after a sick goose?" He was most impressed at the fact that if a goose from a flock becomes sick or injured that 2 other geese will drop out and stay behind with it until it either dies or is well enough to go on. We've seen that happen almost every year on the river.



Friday, November 28, 2008

Florida Bound

Booked tickets for Florida for JJ and myself last night -it is a surprise for his birthday next week -we've been debating it for several weeks now, and since I've been feeling blue all week (SAD seems to kick in earlier every year) I needed something to look forward to and a birthday gift - we don't go till March, but knowing we're going somewhere I love, helps me get through the months of cold and darkness ahead. We're lucky that JJ's sister has a beautiful winter home in Matlacha, that we can stay at. Last year there 11 of us (all family) - it was a tad crowded but great fun with the 4 little kids. We'll be there alone this year -which is nice too. Matlacha is a small, fishing /artist village off the coast of Fort Myers Florida. There are dozens of art galleries, studios, great fresh seafood, great bargain shopping, great little bars with great local bands - I don't drink but it is fun to go out and mix with the natives and listen to the music, beaches, wildlife and birds -did I mention I love bird watching and photographing birds??? This is one of a pair of wood storks that have a huge nest on top of a monkey puzzle tree on the corner of the property.
Backyard shot of the pool, seawall and some mangrove islands off to the west of the house. We can kayak everyday to see nesting sites in the mangroves, watch the dolphins swim by everyday at high tide, see great sunsets and fish off the seawall - although I hate cleaning them -it is easier to walk to the fish market every night.

The house is typical of southwest Florida - on a large property with lots of palm trees, sea grape and other exotics (to me anyway) on a point of land surrounded by water on 2 sides - no close neighbours......it makes me so happy just thinking about it.....want to go back to the everglades again this year -to see the gators of course!!



Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Morning Romp

Nellie and I met our neighbour dog "Yukon" early this morning. He is a large (read -overweight) affectionate Pointer. Both dogs love to run and play so I let Nellie off leash on Yukon's property ( he will not leave it -so I know Nellie was safe). They ran and played for 20 minutes -getting completely wet and muddy -that's what towels are for...right. Yukon's owner came out and called me over to introduce me to Yukon's early Christmas present -an adorable little orange and white kitten -who freaked when he saw Nellie come tearing up. I'll get a picture next time. I came home lamenting yet again to JJ that Nellie needs a kitty too -but I don't think he's going to budge on that....anytime soon .
anyway...
Some days school is difficult or frustrating, but then there are days like today when everything goes better than planned and the kids are wonderful, engaged, creative and today -especially funny. I have 2 autistic teens in my care and both have these amazingly funny sides to them which we don't see too often. Today we started a new unit in Language/Life Skills celebrating the Lights of Winter. I hope to explore with them how people around the world use lights in winter celebrations. Something about the way I introduced the topic hit a chord with them both and they were off -the often uncommunicative ones were spouting information and ideas faster than we could record them. Some of these ideas were so funny we all laughed until we had tears in our eyes. In order to engage these kids, my plans always include the ideas they find most exciting and/or slightly different paths than I originally have planned -keeps life exciting. We should have lots of fun during the next few weeks before our holiday break....

Monday, November 24, 2008

Redheads Have All The Fun

Pileated Woodpeckers used to be rare in this part of Ontario, but we've had several nesting pairs in the area for several years now. Beautiful, easy to spot due to the racket they make, their large size (40-45cm/14-16in)and distinctive call, but very destructive to the large trees that they fill with their holes. I love to watch them hop backwards down trees -Nellie and I followed this guy (the males have that red line from beak to throat) from tree to tree in the nearby park this afternoon -I forgot all about how cold and gray it is today!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Cold Day

Cold, but sunny day (-17 C wind chill), did some outdoor decorating -cutting boughs and branches for pots, window boxes -until my hands were frozen. This afternoon I began to design some stained glass snowflakes I want to make for gifts and was pleasantly interrupted by my dear friend Ellen, who arrived WITH a pot of fresh coffee -delighted, we went inside (I was in my studio), lit a fire, poured our coffee ,added some vanilla flavoured milk substitute and "Rye Whiskey" Delightful!!! I am not much of a drinker and never the hard stuff but I enjoyed this concoction!!! We spent the next hour looking at recent photos I've taken and discussing Christmas plans in a very cozy room....great way to spend a Sunday....JJ hovered a bit, then decided to go watch football with a neighbour.....
Nellie loved the frozen grass and had to roll around in on our morning walk...

......the farmer who rents this 20 acre field from us finally cut the corn on Friday leaving the stubble quite high -not sure why?...he'll plant soybeans next year right into the stubble in an effort to conserve topsoil from being lost by
ploughing ..all the extra plant material also acts like a mulch to cut down on weed growth without resorting to herbicides...which I'm happy about......



Saturday, November 22, 2008

Treats for Anytime

Rice Pudding With Lemon
Scanning my new favourite cookbook (Finally Foods I Can Eat), I settled on trying this recipe yesterday afternoon when I got home from school - after a very cold minus 14 C. wind chill walk with Nellie. I was up early today so decided to have some for breakfast -LOVE IT!! It would be a great dish to serve anytime -if you like coconut , rice and lemon. Here's the recipe:

1 cup coconut milk 250ml 1 cup water 250ml

1/2 cup organic long grain white rice 125ml 1 Tbsp. honey 15ml

1/4 tsp sea salt 1ml 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 5 ml

juice & zest from 1/2 - whole lemon (I used a whole because it was small)

In a pot, combine coconut milk, water, rice, sea salt & vanilla . Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook approx. 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add honey at the end of cooking. Remove from heat and stir in lemon and zest. Place in a bowl in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with toasted coconut or fresh fruit if desired.

Free of dairy, wheat, yeast, corn, gluten, sugar, eggs, soy, nuts & nightshades

Of course I had mine this morning with one of favourite teas -Tetley's Honey Lemon Ginseng Green Tea -have a long list of chores for JJ & I to work on today -mostly inside as it is quite cold out this morning.


Friday, November 21, 2008

Meet Nellie

Nellie as puppy.....absolutely adorable ....
.....Nellie with Dain (nephew's son)...

......Nellie is "wet" all summer.....and full of snowballs all winter....the rest of the year she's just a dirty farm dog....
...Nellie & Seamus - another Wheaten pal at the cottage....Nellie has lots of dog friends, cat friends, horse friends and of course people friends -everybody loves Nellie...

...when kids are around...so is Nellie - she loves to play with them... they come to get her to play....when kids come to my door to ask if Nellie can come out to play - you know you have a wonderful dog!!!!
-OK -I'm the guilty person who gave them chocolate then took pictures without cleaning faces -precious!!!

....Nellie needs a haircut every 3 months......but she doesn't shed!!!!
She Is Your Friend, Your Partner, Your Defender, Your Dog ...
You Are Her Life, Her Love, Her Leader, She Will Be Yours, Faithful & True ...To The Last Beat Of Her Heart,
You Owe It To Her, To Be Worthy Of Such Devotion...
I don't know who wrote this but the original was about a male - I changed to the feminine..
......Nellie is a 5 year old Soft Wheaten Terrier.....we love her.....







Thursday, November 20, 2008

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Busy, stressful week is over - we were pet sitters again last weekend, a dog and 3 cats - but our animals all get along thankfully - it was the dreadful cold rain/snow last weekend combined with fighting off a throat infection that got the better of me. I didn't feel well again until Wed. Now the much cooler temperatures have arrived - it has been minus 8 - 10 degrees with the wind chill all week. Today the winds died down and the morning was better -snapped a few this morning of the eastern tip of the island with the mist rising off the water - it looks so cold though - not so cold to stop Nellie from wading into the river to get a drink -she is such a "hot" dog!!
Nellie is in need of a hair cut but with all the wet last week and little attention from me -she had lots of new matts that I'll have to spend this weekend getting out!! I was so happy last night to learn that my youngest son is coming home from Edmonton for Christmas. I have to get busy and finish up Christmas gifts. He arrives home on the 19, then we're heading to Toronto to visit my other son, then on to my older sister's farm -where a reunion of sorts will take place as all her girls will be home this year too - it will be CRAZY -hearing about adventures, schools, new boyfriends etc., then back home on the 23 to get ready for all the other side of the family to descend - I can't wait....... I love all the family events at Christmas.......





Saturday, November 15, 2008

Beautiful Starts

How can a day go wrong with such a beautiful start........


...several days this week the sunrises were so so stunning I was almost late for school...couldn't stop taking pictures...

....full moon this week ...but only caught glimpses due to clouds.....





Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Pittance of Time

A moving tribute to all those who fought in wars by Terry Kelly, a blind singer/songwriter from Nova Scotia -"A Pittance of Time" can be found on You Tube -I haven't figured out how to post it to Blogger....worth 2 minutes of your time.....happy day.......

Lest We Forget.....


Monday, November 10, 2008

Report Cards

It is mid term reporting time once again -starting last night and likely most evenings this week, I'll be reviewing each student's progress and assessments, to come up with appropriate comments for the report cards and writing evaluations for each student's Individual Education Plan (IEP for short) It is quite cold this week, forecast is hovering around 0. I am crossing my fingers that the night is clear to see the full moon rise in a few days - always an impressive sight over the water......

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Rainy Day Baking

Cranberry Loaf
Since it was such a dreary, rainy day today, I decided to try a few recipes from Shirley Plant's cookbook for those with food intolerances, "Finally...Food I Can Eat! Looks nice but tastes best when warmed with a nice cup of tea - I invited a friend (cat lover too) over for a taste testing party and a visit by the fire......
Cranberry Loaf
2 cups spelt flour (I used a gluten free all purpose mix) (500ml)
1/4 cup maple syrup(50ml)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder(7ml)
1/2 tsp baking soda(2ml)
1 tsp sea salt(5ml)
1/2 cup margarine(125ml) (lactose free)
1 egg (used 1 tsp. egg replacer plus 2 tsp water)
1 - 2 tsp grated orange rind(5 -10ml)
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest(2ml)
3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (1 large orange)
1 cup raisins(250ml) I omitted these and added a handful of chopped
walnuts
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries(250ml)
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl, then cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Add in egg, peel and juice all at once. Stir until moist. Fold in cranberries and raisins.
Spoon into a greased 8 1/2 inch (1.5L) loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
**Free of dairy, wheat, yeast, corn, sugar, eggs, soy, and nightshades**

Friday, November 7, 2008

Fabulous Friday

A thick fog this morning almost prevented us from driving to Ottawa to visit the Canadian War Museum - but it cleared enough by 8 o'clock for us to head out. The kids, while not understanding alot of what they saw, enjoyed themselves immensely anyway! My mom, from Estonia, was separated from her family when Russia invaded that country. She eventually made her way to Canada after WWII ended and met my dad , also a recent immigrant from Ireland...the rest is history. Seeing lots of the artifacts today and pictures gave me the creeps and brought back memories of my mom. Mom never told us much about the war she experienced -too disturbing and frightening for her -and I've always abhorred violence of any kind -perhaps because of her influence. She was a gentle, quiet sole who loved to create things and coax life from the earth. She passed away far too soon...(17 years ago). My Irish dad passed on the love of all things Irish, story telling, faeries, folklore, love of history and of life long learning. Whenever I visit my numerous relatives in Ireland I always feel like I've gone home, like I belong ....in fact, it only takes me a few days in Ireland to begin to talk like them -the same intonation, using their words etc. -something my husband finds amusing. My dad never lost his accent -I suppose that had something to do with it. Alas, he too left this earth too early.......sunrises and sunsets always make me think of my parents, especially my dad as we used to go outside often to watch the miracle........so.... a beautiful Indian summer day....but one touched with a little sadness as I remembered both my deceased parents........but a fabulous day overall......

Environmentalist James Gustave Speth @ McGill
Rampant consumerism must be checked, Speth saysBy Neale McDevittOctober 21, 2008McGill ReporterFlu season may be just around the corner, but environmental activist James Gustave Speth says we have a new scourge to watch for: “afluenza,” a virulent strain of consumerism that, if left unchecked, may prove fatal to our planet.Delivering his 2008 Beatty Memorial Lecture to a full house at the Centre Mount Royal Auditorium on Oct. 18, the Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University said rampant capitalism is the chief culprit behind the degradation of the environment to the point where the planet’s ability to sustain life has been seriously undermined.But the wheels of capitalism don’t churn by themselves. Speth listed a variety of accomplices to this ongoing environmental crime:
Powerful corporate entities whose overriding objective is to grow profits regardless of the effect on the natural world;
continual investment in technologies originally designed with little or no thought to the environment;
markets that systematically fail to recognize environmental costs unless they are legislated to do so by government;
governments that are subservient to corporate entities;
and run-away consumerism spurred by sophisticated advertising and marketing – all have had a hand in ramping up capitalism and consumption to frenzied, and dangerous, levels.“It took all of history to grow the $7-trillion world economy that we had when I was a little boy in 1950,” he said. “But how long does it take to add another $7-trillion to world economic activity today? Less than a decade.“We have created a huge economic machine that is profoundly committed to profits and growth and almost totally indifferent to nature and society,” he continued. “Left unchecked it is both ruthless and rapacious.”But, according to Speth, to cage the ruthless beast will require nothing short of a revolution.First, he said, people must challenge the “growth fetish.” The heedless accumulation of goods and property must be tempered by newly conceived markets in which prices are driven upward to reflect the true environmental impact of products. “Polluters must pay,” Speth said.Second, we must move toward a kinder, gentler “post-growth life” of improved health care for everyone, better education, shorter work weeks and longer vacations. Citing philosopher John Stuart Mill, Speth said we must go back to the future and re-devote ourselves to “improve the art of living.”“Materialism is toxic to happiness,” he said. “We must look forward to the day we can get off the treadmill of this hyperventilating lifestyle.”While Speth was quick to admit he doesn’t have the answers to the question how do we get from here to there, he did suggest it would probably take a series of events to serve as a catalyst for change. We will need a powerful grassroots movement or a proliferation of mold-breaking movements that would galvanize people. We will need a crisis or the semblance of an imminent crisis, and we will need leaders who aren’t afraid to talk about sacrifice and giving up luxuries, leaders who are able to “articulate a new story.” When asked if such a leader exists, Speth tipped his electoral hand and said: “Wait ’til November.”“Our best hope for real change is a fusion of those concerned about the environment, of those concerned about justice and fairness, and those concerned about building strong political democracy,” he said. “The fusion of these things will create one powerful, progressive force. We’ve got to remember that we are all in a community of shared faith. We are all in the same boat and we will rise or fall together.”At the end of his lecture Speth spoke directly to the students in the audience to step forward and take action.“This is your world. Get active before it is too late. If there is a period to look for guidance, it is the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement. People struggled, people took risks and after 40 years I think it is time we followed in the footsteps of Dr. King.“There is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines.”

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Foggy Morning

Misty garden...looks peaceful but it was actually very noisy this morning...hundreds of unseen migrating geese resting on the waters filled the still air with their honking....Nellie kept looking for them as we walked but we couldn't see them because of the fog.....
Foggy reflection on the river... Sunrise on the St. Lawrence ...photographed out the car window on the way to school.



Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Negative ions

A short "Indian Summer" has descended upon us. After an unusually cold and wet spell, the air here has suddenly warmed. For the first time in a long time the air has warmed since sun down. I just got back from taking Nellie out for her final walk for the day and I feel alive again. Cold makes me want to hibernate under my wool duvet -for the winter ! But with the warming temperatures also came increased humidity - it is about 11 degrees C - and that wonderful fresh invigorating smell in the air -the negative ions hubby likes to point out -whatever -I love it! The darkness felt...soft, the setting sliver of moon glowed orange in the hazy sky, the leaves crunched underfoot and that wonderful smell in the air.......all is right with my world tonight..........
Currently on my needles...what will become a large shopping tote.....knitted on circular needles, then "felted." A Christmas gift for a niece.....I'll make long knitted handles as she likes to carry her bags over a shoulder. Patons SWS is a wool/soy mix - a little slippery especially when knitting as a passenger in the car -one of my favourite places to knit.....
What a crazy day at school today! I teach 9 Intellectually Disabled adolescents between the ages of 15 - 19 yrs. They are a super group - usually, but some of them decided today was a good day to push ALL my buttons. My E.A. (educational assistant) was away today too - perhaps that is why they decided to gang up on me......I just (in good humour) told them they were all rotten kids and that I was going to quit, then walked out - they of course panicked and begged me to come back......I really love yanking their chain too.
My kids, as I affectionately call them when telling my hubby about their latest antics, take up way too much of my thoughts, interfere with my sleep and I spend way too much money on projects for them. We started our annual wall quilt today -using completely recycled fabric from old clothes - it should be fun!!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Searching for Colour

Abby (an Austrailian Shepherd) was our house guest for the weekend. Nellie and Abby play together almost daily and are great friends - they delight in eating each others food and hogging the couch! They both LOVE the water and it is very hard to keep them out. To distract them yesterday, we walked the trails around our property searching for the last colours of fall...we weren't disappointed .....
A few Maples and .....
...the Red Oaks are the only trees still ablaze with colour,
Beneath the pines the ground is littered with cones after last week's storm.....
Telling jokes in the compost pile........
The common "weed" Goldenrod takes on a new look as the yellow fades.....
The 'Royal Purple" Smokebush glows in the afternoon light.....
Like the energizer bunny, the Champlain Rose (an Explorer Rose) keeps going and going and going......