...still snowing....

.......still snowing.......snowed off and on for 3 days now.....at the moment, it has been snowing for ...going on 16 hours.....off and on...no wind....snow falling gently to earth, often in large clumps as the temperature has crept up to a quite pleasant -7 C. The wind picks up now and again....the sun tries valiantly to peek through now and again.....but it continues to snow.......Nellie has to stick to trails JJ has blown out with the snow blower, or playng under the big evergreens as the depth of snow everywhere else is too deep -she gets lost, buried ...very funny to see ......forecast....flurries...for the next five days.....perhaps if my cold subsides a little ....we might get some skiing in this weekend.......

Wild Turkeys

I see the wild turkeys almost every day, but they are almost always too far away to photograph (I don't have a telephoto lenses just a zoom). After yesterdays big dump of 25 cm of snow I didn't expect to see them far from the trees...but there were several grouping of them out in the corn field -I counted 13 in total. These were the closest so I took a few pictures -they have been close to the house before, early, early in the morning but they have very keen eyesight and incredible hearing so I've never been able to sneak up on them at all to photograph them. So, I consider this ....good enough for now....shopping for that telephoto lenses.....saving the dollars......soon....
I have a very bad cold so need to go lie down...........

Winter Poem

***this just in from a friend...telling me the storm front is already approaching them where they live farther to the west.....had to share......

It's winter in Canada
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.
Oh, how I love Canada
When the snows' up to your butt
You can take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Canada
Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

....another day, another storm...

It is so great to have light again before 7 in the morning! Nellie and I can walk back our lane way before I leave for work, something I don't care to do in the dark. Heading back, I could see the colour coming into the sky -the forecast was for a mostly sunny day with milder temperatures. I am a weather /sky watcher...always have been...I like talking and hearing about the weather around the world...I think in another lifetime, that is what I'd like to be ...a meteorologist. I like maps, I like weather, I like collecting data, most of all I like observation....
Everything turned golden as I was leaving...a little later than normal....no kids at school today....exams are over.....we have 2 PD days before the second semester begins. I had to attend an intake meeting first thing...new student to my class. It was very sad to see this mom, obviously a very caring, supportive mom to her son, trying to make light of her husband's obvious discomfort......dad unfortunately, even after 14 years does not seem to want to accept the fact that "his " son has an intellectual disability. I sensed all he saw were the things he couldn't do rather than all the wonderful things this boy can do and will do in the future! I hope I am wrong...but if I am not, it will become part of my job to mentor the parents as well as the child. Another major snowstorm on the way for tomorrow...like we need more!!! On a positive note -the temperature is always milder when we have snow and after the -20's --30's C we've had lately....bring on the snow!!!!

Avoiding Work

I spent a good part of the afternoon and evening yesterday, adding some embellishment to the felted bag I finished last weekend. It all started with the old brooch (from my departed mother in law's stash). I wore it for a number of years, then noticed a few of the stones were missing, so I added it to my embellishment stash.....I thought the colours went well with the pink and green of the felted bag. Then, I needle felted (the bag was wet felted), bits and pieces of wool roving, old yarn etc. I wanted some texture, but overall quite flat so as not to catch on things. Then, I added some seed beads of various colours and textures -to bring out the fawn colours in the bag and complement the brooch. I'm going to hang it up for awhile and look at it from time to time to see if I want to change some or add to it. I already know I want to replace the bigger iridescent beads -have to hit the bead shop to find replacements....then I have to decide which niece is going to get this one....I leaning towards the niece that might recognize her grandmother's pin...........she does like pink too.......??????

......avoiding work...well that refers to the massive amounts of school work I have to do this week...this weekend I completed report card comments....completed I.E.P. (individual education plan) program pages on each subject, for every student (20 pages worth), did some research on the Internet, reviewed 2 textbooks for ideas (I don't use texts with my kids)....and then I'd had enough!! I didn't want to do any more!! I kept looking out the windows as I wandered from place to place in the house yesterday to watch the birds....thank goodness for that....JJ was feeling poorly with a cold and followed my advice and stayed stretched out with a book all day.....I tend to wander around when I have work to do but would really rather be doing other things.....

I had to make a detour before arriving to school to take a few pictures of the sun rising through the mist from the open water on the river (very cold again this morning -22C) I was standing by my car just gazing at the beauty of it all, when a man and woman drove by and slowed to a stop. They inquired, "Are you alright??? Is it car trouble?" I really was taken aback....did they not see the sunrise????? I told them all was well with the world, I was just admiring the sky......I knew what they were thinking as they drove off, exchanging looks and words I couldn't hear...she must be daft...freezing cold and she's standing outside admiring the sky!!!! Then when I got home there was an e-mail from a friend....so appropriate......

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the case and without stopping continued to walk.A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

I'm glad I am one of the ones who would stop to hear the music and admire the view!!! Are you???

Birds of Prey

This has been quite the morning around here!! Yesterday afternoon I was watching the many birds at the feeder when all of a sudden they all took off -and didn't return for the rest of the day. Around here that means one thing -raptors - not the dinosaur kind -the large birds of prey. I looked and looked but couldn't see any...but I knew they were there. The first picture was taken in the summer at a Raptor Show in a park in Quebec. Pictured is a Red Shouldered Hawk. First thing this morning (still no birds at the feeders) I saw one fly over-up high -just searching.
This is a Red Tailed Hawk covering it's just captured lure at the show.

Red Tailed Hawk just before takeoff!

About 8 this morning I looked out to see an American Kestral (Sparrow Hawk) sitting high up in a maple tree. That was why there were no birds -he took off as some crows flew in to investigate him. About an hour later I saw a number of song birds had returned to the feeder behind the kitchen window and was admiring them and then right before my eyes, the Kestral swooped in and snatched one in mid air, just feet from my eyes!!! I jumped back and the other birds dove for cover. I saw it land in a pine tree close to house so grabbed the camera, shoved feet into the first pair of boots by the back door and in my nightgown and housecoat ran out in the snow to see if I could get a picture...but he saw me and flew off leaving only a few little brown feathers floating in the air.....poor little bird, but the bigger birds must survive too.
JJ and I went out for breakfast today and on our way back from the village, I spotted a Kestral in a tree by the road, did a u-turn but he had flown away. As we turned onto the road along the river to head home JJ spotted another bird flying along the rivers edge...large, very large, flying with great speed.....we pursued it but couldn't catch up to it. I jumped out of the car near our local park and tried to find it in the sky , took a few pictures but could hardly focus before it was way down the river. An eagle no doubt.....

Although not clear, the pictures were clear enough for positive id -a mature American Bald Eagle. Uncommon for this area, but we have seen one from time to time. They are about 36 inches tall with a wingspan of 7 feet. Huge!!! Both JJ and I have seen one in the past few weeks at dusk while walking Nellie but couldn't make a positive id. We have Golden Eagles from time to time as well. This one's beak looks huge so it could be a female. Exciting birding day to be sure!!!!!

Rare Winter Bird

The usual Cardinals, Goldfinches, Chickadees, Purple and House Finches were in abundance at the feeders when I returned home from school. Nellie and I set off through the snowdrifts to see if I could capture some Mourning Doves along the creek. But to my surprise I heard a call that is definitely unusual for this time of year -An American Robin!
There he was however, up in a tree by the creek! He looked in good condition so I presume he is surviving on berries -there are lots around.

In the summer they are very common, waking us up with their Cheer Up, Cheerily, Cheer Up at 4 o'clock!!! They quite often nest very close to houses so it is easy to observe the developing young from Robin's Egg Blue eggs.

Trudging back through the deep snow I saw a flock of little birds wheeling and swooping in this undulating flight pattern through the air ???? What were they -in such large numbers -uncommon this time of year??

As I got close to the house I could hear a distinct happy twittering and tit-i-tit sounds...ahhh....and then, there they were in great numbers at the feeders -Pine Siskins. We've had the odd one around for some time with the other finches but not in the great numbers as today. I counted about 30 on one tree before they took off so likely a flock of 50-60. They are very comical to watch on the feeders -showing off by hanging upside down, arguing constantly over who sits on what perch. They consume great quantities of Niger Seed -their favourite! No Juncos today but later I saw 2 Nuthatches at the suet feeder. A very good day for birding!!!

Old is Beautiful Again

I was so thrilled today to receive the call from my dear talented friend that, he had finally finished our new "old" coffee table!! You might want to click on the first picture to enlarge it to see a corner of our kitchen, gutted down several layers to the original studs. Our house is approximately 180 years old. Even at that time the relatives were a thrifty lot -building much of the house from a reclaimed barn. Who knows how old some of the wood is. The wide horizontal boards were mirrored on the inside of the studs (already removed) with another layer of wide horizontal boards. Some of those one inch plus thick boards, measured 18 inches wide! Much of it was in bad shape and we just burned it , but we saved what looked sound. We gave some to our friend who fashioned a stunning harvest table for his daughter (copied off our own). I jokingly said to him that I would give him more wood in exchange for a mini harvest table to match ours, that we could use as a coffee table in our living room-that was six years ago. He had no projects on the go this winter so built our table -well I did say there was no hurry!!

Isn't it just divine!!! Most of the furniture in our house is antique or reproduction antique -made from reclaimed wood. The colour and patina is just amazing -the pictures don't do it justice at all.....I am just thrilled!

The living room has hand hewn exposed beams the exact colour of lighter red pine pieces (on the left in the picture). I love my friends!

Mother Nature's Artistry

After days and days of not seeing the sunrise, I was rewarded with this site as I walked Nellie before school this morning.....
Mother Nature is the artist I aspire to be....

Frozen St. Lawrence River looking towards an island on the American side....sometimes we see fox and even the occasional deer crossing the ice......sometimes they don't make it ...the ice is dangerously unstable.....

When admiring these views and taking pictures, I tend to forget about the cold and arrive at school with very frozen fingers...but another sunrise is worth it....

Personality Collage

We cleaned our room at school today in preparation for the new semester. Down came all the art work, projects etc. displayed there. This little collage, done on an 8 X 10 inch canvas, was an "example" I did at the beginning of the school year. The purpose was to get the kids to think about themselves, describe themselves to others through pictures, painting, drawings, photos and other treasures that could be mounted. Can you tell some of the things that are near and dear to my heart????

The Colour Purple

I'm not sure that I have a favourite colour, but purple -lavender, lilac, violet, aubergine -whatever you want to call i,t is very high on the list! So when JJ came home last week with a pot of somewhat misshapen, somewhat scrawny hyacinths and I kind of gave the pot that look ....."...but they were the only ones that were purple!!," he exclaimed -"..oh well.....in that case -they are beautiful honey!!!!", is what I replied. They have opened nicely, their perfume wafts through the house and all the freezing weather, cars that didn't start, then stalled, more snow that had to be shoveled, more freezing temperature to deal with -it's all forgotten and in the past -I have flowers again. Hyacinths I love, but purple hyacinths I adore -I carry the pot around just to be near that intoxicating aroma. I don't use any scented products in my house, at all, no perfume, or even scented candles, but scented flowers I can tolerate and can't get enough of them -so I do miss them in the winter.
I finished another felted purse on Fri. night so it was off to the wool shop to buy more wool on Sat. -fell in love with these colours and thought they would be perfect together for another felted project -hubby commented on my selection -oh, nice, more purple I see -I hadn't noticed.......did get me to thinking however........I don't keep much of the stained glass I do, but almost all the pieces I have kept over the years have....guess what -blues and purples....

....my flower gardens are filled with....blues and purples.......

......I've planted purple cauliflower, purple potatoes, purple beans, even eggplant (I don't like eggplant, but I love seeing it in the garden and my excuse is it attracts potato beetles away from the potato plants. I grow lavender by the back door and surrounding the patio, and keep a bundle tied to my bedpost in case I need to put some inside my pillow to calm my mind before sleep. I even have been known to wear purple -in every season.

Put some purple in your life when you want:
-to use your imagination to its fullest -to re-balance your life
-to remove obstacles
-to calm over activity or to energize from depression

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph

....love this, I'm not a poet but my friend and I have written our own versions which are hilarious and suit each other....another post.....another time.......I think the official colour of February is purple...perhaps then......

Horse Running Free

Anyone who has pastured horses outside in all kinds of weather can tell you they act like weathervanes. Years ago when we had horses all I'd have to do to see what the weather was like was look out my kitchen window to their paddock ,to see where they were. In the summer if it was terribly hot, they would be in their run in shelter away from the heat and flies, if "scary" weather was approaching you'd see them nervously trotting back and forth or running full tilt as if demons were chasing them, if the wind was from the east (a sure sign of some form of precipitation) they would be over in the east corner of the field, bums to the wind......perhaps that is why horses have been so popular as weather vanes???? I was saddened today to see my copper trotting horse weather vane atop the cupola on the studio, has been broken by the recent winds. He is now "stuck" running into the prevailing north west winter winds. I hope it is fixable, but that will have to wait until spring.

The cold continues, but it was a beautiful sunny day -just no warmth from the sun . The kids at school today worked hard on completing the hand sewing on their wall quilt -it is quite unique!!! Their hand sewing leaves a lot to be desired but not their enthusiasm -one of the things I love about kids with an intellectual disability -most have this zest for life that we could all borrow from -and I do......

Deep Freeze

Central Canada is in a deep freeze - all kinds of warnings etc. -the wind howled last night turning the soft crystally snow into drifts of hard packed, more granular snow --very squeally underfoot! Wind chill was -33 here this morning -dropping further tonight! However, if you are dressed right, keep moving, walk "with" the wicked wind not into it -it isn't that bad. I do worry about the more delicate plants -will they survive this deep freeze???? Busy at school -only 5 teaching days left to the first semester -then exams, report cards etc., then "new subjects" YEA! I love the turn around......we've been busy with culminating projects, assessments, reviews etc. Too busy at night to do much else -haven't begun to plan for next semester yet......patience.....it will all happen in good time........

Thankful for the Birds

I almost didn't recognize this Song Sparrow today, as he was so puffed out to trap a layer of insulating air between his feathers. Most Song Sparrows fly farther south to winter but there are always a few that hang around.

The Black Capped Chickadee is one of my favourites. I am enduring the cold near the feeders each day to hopefully tame them enough to eat out of my hand -it is so thrilling when they accept you to do that. Black oil sunflower seeds are their favourite. I will make up some bird balls for extra treats as the weatherman says the temperatures are going to drop into the -30's C this week. We have 4 feeders, but this year this is the one they prefer. The Goldfinches of course prefer the Niger seed.

I was startled by a little Goldfinch that flew up from below my back door as I arrived home today -unusual ... then I looked down to see what had attracted him so close to the house and saw this perfect imprint in the snow.....I felt badly for the poor fellow as I realized he had likely flown into the 3/4 glass door by mistake....but happy that he had recovered enough to fly away leaving only his imprint and 1 tiny little feather.

The ducks are still hanging around the open water spots on the river. I love to see them but fear for them. A few people I know put corn out along their shorelines for feed, but I think they should fly to warmer climates where they can find food naturally. The birds I feed can and do forage on their own quite nicely -I just make it easier and do it for the selfish reason of wanting them close so I can watch their bird antics. They make me smile and give me something to talk about with all the others who also like to seek out and watch birds.....

Sparkly Weekend

So far, this weekend the only glimpse of the moon was early Fri. evening as she was rising with the sun not yet set. The clouds or mist have come and gone all weekend.....
The snow was so sparkly Fri. afternoon ......I hoped to get out on Sat. to take more pictures before the texture changed...still lots of ducks and geese around.....

It was -25C and very foggy Sat. morning -ice fog they call it-this picture was taken from the bathroom window as the fog was lifting in mid morning -cold, but the day turned out sunny...as the fog cleared the air became positively magical -filled with shining ice crystals -impossible to photograph -I guess the moisture from the fog was freezing, then floating earthward combined with the frost from the trees falling -everything was sparkling in the sun...

Nellie and I just had to go out in spite of the intense cold -we went to check out the creek to see who has been visiting -saw a flock of Mourning Doves, and lots of fox tracks along the banks...looks like our fox have discovered the spots that stay open.....

The hoar frost was thick and beautiful all along the edges of the water -some amazing crystal formations....

I had to keep a close eye on Nellie -she loves water and would have gone into the creek if I didn't keep telling her "NO!" This is where the fox stopped to drink before continuing on his way.....

This reminded me of waves washing up on the shore of a beach.....nice thought at -25C!!! Love the sparkly snow!!!

Patience and lots of shots beneath a Highbush Cranberry ....finally one of the Chickadees stopped for longer than a second ......love how you can see all his little feathers puffed out in an effort to stay warm.....the birds were at the feeder all day Sat. in an effort to stay warm.....

.......another one caught leaving......

......all it takes is a couple of very cold days and nights and the river freezes over...there are always open spots however.......

......less than 48 hours ago......blue water..now sparkly ice ......