Up, Down, All Around

No matter where I looked for about 10 minutes this morning it was simply breathtaking.

The sky glowed, the sun on the river ice shone and sparkled and the sea gulls were once again swooping and floating all over!

The river has opened up dramatically over night. It is quite jammed up in the narrows to the east, but the main channel is open for miles looking to the west. Of course it will open up, jam up many more times before it stays clear. It wasn't too thick this year judging from the broken pieces sticking up....I cringe thinking of the fool hardy snowmobilers who risked their lives for a joy ride across this ice only a few weeks ago....

This past week the river has been quite vocal...loud booming cracks in the still night air, burbling and blurping sounds coming from the moving water beneath the thin ice.....we have sat beside the rivers edge every day this week to listen.......spring may be weeks away...but it is coming!!!!

Snowballs and New Books

Soft, new snow and a silly Wheaten Terrier who has to shove her face into EVERY snowdrift on a long walk this afternoon resulted in "Nellie the Snowball "-really...there IS a dog under all that snow...really there is......as I've said before she makes me laugh every day!!!
After reading many bloggers from the British Isles going on and on about Kit Berry's Stonewylde series ....well, I just had to order it....they came today...I'm so excited .....they aren't available in stores yet in Canada.....these came via Amazon (Britain via U.S.A.)...I started to read the first one while sitting in the car waiting for a prescription to be filled at the pharmacy.....although I have Interim Report Cards to complete tonight......the rest of the evening will be for reading. Good thing I finished my last book "Devil Bones" by Kathy Reichs (10 th in a series about a forensic anthropologist) I love them, interesting details and quick to read before bed last night.

My Baby's Birthday

The one in the middle with the big grin is my baby. Today he is 24! That is hard to believe!!!!

He'll hate me for posting these but.......I want the world to see my adventurous, smiling, talented son...my baby for always. He lives, works and plays 1000's of miles from me and I miss him every day..... Lindsay is a welder by day, drummer by night and outdoor adventurist whenever possible -he camps in the wilderness, climbs mountains, canoes, hikes. He loves the outdoors and animals and his drums.

He takes courses on ice climbing, rock climbing, mountain climbing....he is fearless!

He loves to be on top of the world! Right now, he is thinking of going back to school or traveling the world -I have encouraged him to travel the world as he is young, healthy and not tied down! He may join a friend in Australia this spring...wish I could go with him.....love that smile. Happy Birthday baby!!!

Mommy, I need a haircut!

When Nellie's hair is this long I put a barrette in her forelock to keep it out of her eyes -I love to see her big brown eyes -isn't she a giant puffball!!

Living Snowflakes

Nellie in a snowbank this morning! Snow the past 2 days and flurries for the weekend...no gardening for us yet! It is a snowball dog!!

I did not take this picture of a Snow Bunting close up. I've admired the huge flocks of them that we see on the roadsides and roadside fields but always at a distance....until today! I came out one of the front doors of the school to head to the parking lot this afternoon and to my surprise I saw this lovely little tan and white bird sitting all by itself along the sidewalk. I stopped, moved closer, (why was the camera in the car!!!) then closer, so I could observe it very closely...I was bewildered, what is it????.....then I remembered that Snow Buntings are about the only "almost white" small songbird. Could it be????? The little bird watched me too, moving his head from side to side...his eyes never leaving me.......I was within 1.5 m when several other birds flew over and off he flew -seeing him fly I knew it was a Bunting. Then, on the drive home I saw 3 different flocks of them on the roadsides! Two very large flocks and one small flock. So now I am wondering if they are on route back to their Arctic nesting grounds????

I'll look for them tomorrow along the roads as we drive Nellie to the groomers. Her long hair is due for a clip.....it takes about 3 hours ....I have no desire to learn how to do that....I brush her, de matt, bathe, hose down, play, walk, feed etc Nellie....but dog grooming has never appealed to me. I'll leave that to the experts! Besides, Nellie is stuck at home every day while JJ and I are at work -she deserves a little pampering and the undivided attention of her groomer for an afternoon -whom she LOVES. I guess if I couldn't afford to have it done, I wouldn't own a dog that has to have it done every few months. I do love the fact that she does not shed all year, everywhere. Had lots of dogs that have and I don't miss the hair!

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Key Lime pie is one of my husband's favorite deserts, (that and Coconut Cream Pie) and key limes were on sale this week , soooo I decided to attempt an egg and dairy free Coconut & Key Lime pie from The Allergy Free Kid website . The pie a little sweeter than traditional Key Lime pie, since I'm not able to use either whipped cream or a meringue topping to counteract the tartness.

Crust:16 graham crackers (equal to 1 3/4C after crushed)

2 Tbs turbinado sugar (use brown sugar if not available)

1/2 C dairy free margarine, melted

Filling:2 13.5oz cans coconut milk

3/4 C sugar

1/2 C key lime juice

1/4 C Ener-G Egg Replacer

Preheat oven to 350°F. Crush graham crackers in a food processor, then add sugar and margarine. Give the food processor another spin, then press the mixture into a 9" pie pan with the bottom of a round glass or measuring cup. Press up along the sides with the side of the glass, using your fingers to even it out and keep it from going over the side of the pie pan. Once the crust mixture is evenly distributed, bake the crust for 8 minutes.
Set the crust aside, then pour both cans of coconut milk and the sugar into a small or medium heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring continuously. Reduce to a simmer, then continue to stir as the coconut reduces for thirty minutes. (Yes, that's a long time to hover over a pot but it did tend to clump up a bit when I stopped stirring.)
Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the key lime juice.(I did not have the proper tool to "juice" the little green limes and it took a looonnng time to squeeze enough juice for 1/2 cup -.."next time "YOU" have to help me", -I told JJ later) Remove roughly half a cup of the mixture from the pot. That Pyrex measuring cup you just used to pour in the lime juice is about perfect for the job, just have a saucer or small plate ready to catch the drips. With a small whisk, stir the egg replacer into the half Cup of coconut mixture until smooth, then pour it back into your pot, and continue to stir together until completely incorporated and nice and smooth. Return pot to the heat, and stir continuously while it cooks for another five minutes. You may need to use the whisk again to prevent clumps.
Pour the coconut mixture into the crust, then allow to cool until room temperature before covering and refrigerating overnight. If you need the pie ready sooner rather than later, just place it in the freezer, as it is also wonderful frozen, just allow a little time to warm up before slicing. We tend to like it frozen the best -perhaps it has more flavour as it warms but I can't wait that long.

It is "Delicious", not quite as good as Key Lime Pie from "down south" , but a good alternative for me

I love the Muppets and this song has always been so much fun....
Kermit the Frog - Lime in the Coconut

Wordless Wednesday

A Safari of Self and Spirit

The woods were made for the hunters of dreams

The brooks for the fisher of song

To the hunters who hunt for the gunless game

The streams and the woods belong.

-Sam Walter Foss

--these are the places I go in my mind's eye when I'm tired of everything around me

-our summer cottage at Lac Simon, Quebec

Crossbills

The afternoon turned out to be quite lovely, so Nellie and I went for a walk in the evergreen forest hoping to see some birds. Nellie loved racing around the trails. The telltail smell of fox urine was evident here and there much to her delight!
Heard some soft "peeeet sounds", looked up to see some "White Winged Crossbills". I had heard they were around in large flocks but I had yet to see any. The male was beautiful in his rose pink feathers but he fly away too fast.

Managed to get a few pictures of the females

Note the distinctive cross mandibles and forked tail.

Wild turkey tracks.

Retreating Ice

Yesterday's drive took us to the shores of the Ottawa River, west of our nations capital city. The hills across the river are the beginning of the Gatineau Hills in the province of Quebec. Unlike the St. Lawrence, it is frozen solid with lots of skaters, cars, trucks and snowmobilers and of course ice fishing huts.
I was disappointed this morning as the weatherman promised blue skies and temperatures near 0.....not so...overcast, breezy and well below 0. So I went looking for signs of retreating snow and ice to cheer myself ......

This is a section of the creek that is frozen over but you can see the trapped air beneath the ice from the moving water........Nellie fell through just after I took this picture and had frozen fur by the time we got back to the house.....she had so many little icicles she almost tinkled!

Frozen River

Happy Valentine's Day from the land of ice & snow!

Midwinter Thaw

The midwinter thaw we are currently experiencing is reducing the snow, but it has nowhere to go...the ground is still frozen solid.....my front walkway under 4 inches of water....when that freezes later tonight you can be sure I won't be using it!!!
The creek behind the barn, has never frozen solid, even in the minus 35C weather we've had. It is completely open and running in it's meandering pathway to the river (looking east).

The creek to the west of the bridge has a steeper grade the closer to the river it gets -the faster it flows.. Drops of rain from the studio roof fall into a huge wooden barrel (summer rainwater to water plants with) ...but it is still frozen....

It is too bad this milder weather will come to an end tonight....forecast for the next week is -5C - -15C ...but SUNNY....we haven't seen the sun for awhile.....didn't even catch a glimpse of the full moon this month...only snow, rain, clouds and thick ice fog.....

I'd love to jump up and down or do a little dance or yell out loud and yell"Yahoo!", but I'm not that kind of person.....I'm more of the grin from ear to ear and exclaim ..."...yeeesss!" Why ....it is above freezing.......will stay above freezing until Friday (I hope) and as I type this it is raining!!! Rain melts the snow faster...right..."yeeesss!!!"
All this grinning I'm doing is in response to the newest chapter of this wretched winter we've been having....Mon, about 6:40 in the morning, I was walking along the street with Nellie, thinking that the temperature was quite tolerable, the snow that fell Sun night and that was still falling would look beautiful and sparkly if we ever had some sun again, when in a flash I went from upright walking to opening my eyes, flat on my back staring into Nellie's face and the darkness beyond. What happened was I slipped and fell on ice that was hidden by the night's snowfall! I hit my head on the pavement and had blacked out for a few seconds I think. Very carefully I felt for blood...none , thank goodness...carefully got up and went home. I was very shaken and upset by the whole event, by myself at home and felt very strange. I was in slight shock, disoriented, dizzy, and shaking. To make a long story short...my dear friends were called, they took me to the doctors a few hours later. The worst happened later as the whiplash I suffered as a result of the fall set in -very painful neck. It is day 3, the neck is still stiff and sore and I've had a headache since Mon. Hard head I guess -the brain was only rattled and bruised up a bit -no lasting effects...I hope. Very scary however....I've never hit my head so hard and I don't want any more encounters with ICE this season!!! The wet muddy spring with it's delightful soft squishyness can't come soon enough....

Nellie & Friends

I read of the passing of one of my blogging friend's pet hen today, and was thinking how wonderful having animals to share our life with, really is. Yes they make messes, pee on our carpets, eat holes in walls, cost us a lot of money and so on - but look what we get in return! Another friend e-mailed me this today -how appropriate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rooyt3ptNco
Pictures are of some of Nellie's summer cottage doggy friends......so much nicer looking at summer pictures today rather than outside - snow flurries, windy....and still cold!

So Much, So Little.....So Tired

The first week of a new school term typically leaves me feeling exhausted at the best of times. This has not been the best of times as I am still fighting that lingering cold virus. In spite of various "over the counter drugs" which I have had to resort to, to control the stuffy head, the constant runny nose and sore throat, this virus has decided to invade my lungs as well...I think it may have morphed into bronchitus.......whatever...it has left me drained by the end of the school day! I actually came home last Wed., took Nellie for a short walk -(still very cold outside)and sat down at the computer to read some blogs and to catch up on mine and" fell asleep"...sitting...at the computer...OK ..... that is something I've never done before....needless to say, no blogs were read - I was so tired I didn't even eat supper that night or the next.....I just came home and crashed!!! The "so much to do this week" just didn't get done.

Added to the "not being able to breathe" symptoms I experienced a flare up of menopausal night sweats and insomnia this week adding to the "I'm so tired" complaints -I really do try not to complain to JJ or anyone else but they all "know" by my actions or "non actions". Those menopausal symptoms come and go -annoying while I have them but usually tolerable more or less unless they go on for weeks at a time. I'm not a candidate for any hormonal treatment for that as I am in the high risk for cancer category (many family members having had it).

...and then there has been the "other" contributing factor to my sleeplessness..and .inability to quickly recover from this virus.....stress.....Brought on by the very real discovery last week that my long time "position" with our school board was/is in jeopardy. Times are changing....student enrolment in our board is in decline, our school is switching from a Grade 9 -12 school to a grade 7 -12 school next year, major renovations planned within the school and a change in philosophy in regards to providing for students with intellectual disabilities within the schools. Things always change in the education system but this is a lot of changes in one year. I still don't know, but it is very likely that my position is going to be eliminated. I love my job so it is very sad...I don't know what that means for me...I've put forth a number of ideas and concerns and at least my principal and special education superintendent are listening to me, have met with me and will meet with me again soon after some more decisions have been made. Stress...yea...a little......are they are related...definitely....I'm not concerned about having a job...I will.....I have lots of seniority....... it is just what job. ??????

I have sought escape from everything by reading -finished 2 books that I had started s few weeks ago -1 upstairs, 1 downstairs and read another book that was a Christmas gift. None of them was "great'...just OK......started "Three Cups of Tea", which was recommended by a co-worker....interesting so far......it is 4 o'clock in the morning right now...I really should try to get some more sleep.......

February Thoughts

"February arrives cold, wet and gray, her gifts disguised for only the most discerning spirits to see. Gratitude is the thread we weave into the fabric of our daily lives this month, giving thanks for our simply abundant lives and asking for the gift of one thing more:grateful hearts." by Sarah Ban Breathnach book Simple Abundance A Daybook of Comfort and Joy-
February's chapter introduction.
I read this book each day last year, before bed, just one or two pages. Much of what Sarah wrote rang very true for me...not all, but enough that it it made me think long and hard about many of the things I did on a daily basis...some little, some very big. It gave me the courage and conviction to act differently....for the better...for me as a person and for those I come in contact with. So, I decided that I would read it again this year to see how it will change my thinking even more.
It was a blue weekend.....not only was I still not feeling well with a bad cold but I learned that the husband of a long time friend passed away at the age of 52. He passed away at home, as were his wishes, with his family close at hand. His wife and I started our first "real" jobs together, had babies together, shared many hobbies, many good times. He spent years of winter weekends with my husband out in the bush cutting trees to keep us warm all winter in our wood heated homes, and so on. As our kids grew, jobs changed and so on, we grew apart but could always get together and pick up as if no time had passed. I am shocked at how quickly he went downhill after radiation therapy that did not work. Everyone thought he was handling his battle with cancer so well. I was glad the sun was shining and the day warmed up considerably -the kind of winter day he would have loved. I am sad that a good man had to leave this earth too soon. Cancer is such an insidious disease -I've lost both parents, friends and relatives to it and it has changed the lives so completely of my sister, a survivor, and again so many others. Today I am grateful to have known my friend, to have shared so much. I am so grateful that I still have my soul mate with me...I can't imagine life without him.