Wednesday, March 19, 2008

GEESE!!

Mark the day ....


I saw
TWO GEESE
yesterday
in the fields by Fallowfield and Greenbank.


Spring is coming.

Monday, March 17, 2008

THANK YOU!

I need a Thank You card from Lisa's collection for the ducks I saw in the fields at Fallowfield and Greenbank on my home from work today.

It would say ..

THANK YOU
FOR
THE VERY FIRST
SIGN
OF
SPRING

And it would accompany lots of warm wet mud and all the things those beloved ducks like.

There were hundreds of those lovely ducks swooping up to the bright blue sky. It was too pretty : a wave of small brown ducks,rising and sinking , wings spread, out of deep horizon of golden yellow corn stalks against a huge bright blue sky.

I had all sorts of emotions then. Of course, I felt like I had just witnessed a miracle or one of the great mysteries of the world, but I also felt like I was finally hitting the last run on a long brick workout, or like I had just finished scrubbing the last of the sticky vegetable skins from the vegetable crisper or maybe even the end of a horrible a novel that I couldn't stop reading because there was still some small part of it that was interesting or because it wasn't nearly as bad some other novel that I had thrown out. It was definitely a sense of relief.

So... spread the good news : Spring is on its way!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Waiting for Spring

I'm afraid to admit it : I'm tired of winter.

The outdoor rinks are closed because the weather is too warm during the day, yet there is too much snow on the ground to be able to wear regular shoes. I'm tired of wearing my heavy boots, my big jacket, warm hat and snug scarf. Worse, I'm sick of clearing snow off the car.

Winter was great just a few weeks ago when I went skiing with my pal Paula from Toronto.



Then it got icy...



And then one winter storm came ..


And then another one ..




Then the time changed.

Now, The sun is up before I am and that makes me expect to see crocuses and buds on the trees. Whenever I hear the crows caw , I search the clouds for the smallest of V-formations and imagine that I hear that familiar honking that means spring is on its way. I'm still waiting..

In the meantime, Easter is coming to distract us from the delay.

We went to a fundraiser breakfast for Renee Stocks, a little girl with a unfortunate disease. Her experimental medicine costs $200 a day , so some of the local businesses have been hosting various events to collect some money for the cost.

Breakfast was great : pancakes, ham, hashbrowns, egg sandwiches, juice and coffee all free! And you could meet the Easter bunny, who was giving out some pretty chocolate Easter eggs or get your face painted. One butterfly did just that!



Another nice thing about Ottawa this time of year is Cabane a Sucre. Today, we went to a local historic farm with D's playmates. The farm offers a big brunch followed by a horse drawn sleigh ride and maple taffy , but we got there late so we just walked around the farm, toured a historic house, and saw a big dirty pig and some horses.




We have at least 2 more weeks of snow. Perhaps if I get my skis out one more time, I might not begrudge its bountiful presence everywhere.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Canada Disappoints

Please remind me not to listen to Canada Reads next year. I remember now why I stopped following it years ago. The conversation is lame and the selection is disappointing. Thankfully, the popular choice redeemed our nations readers : Icefields (Wharton) won!