Monday Greetings! I trust your long weekend has been enjoyable. I know we were certainly spoiled with lovely weather. It was hot throughout (+26C) and even a touch humid at times - I really don't see us getting that last late frost we live in fear of around the time we first put out our bedding-outs and hanging baskets. As a rule I don't do anything before the first week in June; but this year I took a leap of faith which I hope I do not live to regret and did all my pots etc. on Friday. Saturday was just plain gorgeous and I didn't seem to accomplish a whole lot of anything. Sometimes I wonder where the days go... Sunday morning I went for a long walk, barbecued for lunch and lounged about on the deck until the weather took a surprising turn. Threatening clouds rolled in and rain was coming down by mid-afternoon. A fortuitous turn as I look at it; we are just starting to get dry and could use a few days of rain. Looks like much of the same for today.

On my walk I took pics of the many trees in bloom. This is such a beautiful time of year!

A starfish :)

I am a late convert to the joys of walking. It's really only in the past year that I have begun to walk on a regular basis. Now I don't understand why I was so resistant in the first place; I feel better both mentally and physically as a result. Below is an excerpt and link to what I found to be a very interesting article on the benefits of walking. I especially enjoyed the comments section below the essay. The author replied to each person in such a gracious, encouraging way.

* Look for a Banana Mousse recipe later this afternoon from Mireille Guiliano's French Women For All Seasons :) 

The Spiritual and Emotional Benefits of Walking

When I began walking, it was the middle of January in our often dreary and harsh Toronto winter, but I somehow kept going. Everything about me changed. My body, as I started toning from the daily practice, but more than that, my perspective changed. I felt it was my opportunity to commune with nature, which prevails regardless of the weather or the season. A great lesson we are offered from Mother Nature, if we care to observe it. In our modern stress-filled lives, where we seem to be moving faster and faster with more to do and less time to do it, walking allows you the opportunity to slow down and be aligned, a chance to breathe and relax. Walking from a place of relaxed intention is a freeing practice. It is a way to bring your mind, body and spirit into balance. Walk this way and your senses are enlivened. Colors seem more brilliant. The smells and sounds become more alive. I hear the birds song and some days I believe they recognize me and are singing their song to me, inviting me to fly with them. The leaves on the trees are dancing in the breeze and I have a sense of freedom, of being in touch, in harmony with some cosmic orchestra. Full article here.

We are still experiencing high winds...tonight's forecast is for gusts up to 80 km/h...

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, 

we must carry it with us or we find it not." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Enjoy the rest of your evening

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you:

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I:

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

Oh the plans of mice and men. Today was another very windy day with gusts up to 65 km/h. Thankfully it was a warm wind (SE) and we made it to 19C. As a result though, any yard work I'd planned had to be put on hold. We did manage to rake up leaves (between gusts) early this morning and then suck them into the mulcher, so the day wasn't a total write-off. It was virtually impossible to do anything else, so I spent part of the afternoon in my office (that's what I call my garden shed in the summer) drinking coffee and taking stock of the projects I'd like to complete in the next few weeks. It's hard not to feel overwhelmed, especially when your hands are tied for the day.

Here's one corner of the mish-mash that my garden shed turns into each fall 

as we quickly shove everything into it at the end of the season! 

I suppose I could have organized it today, but I will be pretty much emptying it out shortly anyways.

Pulling my cherub out cheered me up a bit :)

My Hens have quite a few new Chicks

The poppies are coming along very nicely

The delphiniums are marching along

The peonies have just poked through - we are usually a few weeks behind Ontario, but we were pushed back even further thanks to the late winter storm we had in mid-April. 

The hops vines are insane, in a few weeks they will completely engulf our covered deck

I have two dwarf lilac bushes and they are happily covered in buds

This is Francis' cranky cousin Hemlock. 

I'm back inside now working on laundry - at least that will be done and I have my fingers crossed for tomorrow, but according to the weatherman we are slated for another windy day or two. Hoping your Saturday was a productive one. 

No words of wisdom today, just pretty pictures from yesterday. 

It was a glorious day and we made it to +19C :)

I really love that my neighbor flies the flag year-round.

The Canadian flag always looks so darn happy!

I love garden centers, this one is within walking distance of my house.

It was so warm and delicious smelling inside.

Very tempting, but I think it's still way too early to chance it - we will have another frost.

My favorite flower :)

Great display

Emma :)

"Sweet May hath come to love us, 
Flowers, trees, their blossoms don; 
And through the blue heavens above us 
The very clouds move on." 
- Heinrich Heine, Book of Songs

A bit belated, but I finally turned the page...!

We are having a lovely May so far. I haven't had an opportunity to give everything in my yard a real good once over, but from what I can see, it looks like everyone survived our wicked winter. My vines are up over 1.5 feet and the delphiniums are already 6 inches. The only downfall of the season for me is that the creepy crawlies are now out and about.... so I thought I'd share this interesting story I stumbled across yesterday:

This is pretty scary!

Almost 50 million years ago, ants the size of hummingbirds roamed what is now Wyoming, a new fossil discovery reveals. These giant bugs may have crossed an Arctic land bridge between Europe and North America during a particularly warm period in Earth's history.

At about 2 inches (5 cm) long, the specimen is a "monstrously big ant," said Bruce Archibald, a paleoentomologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who reported the discovery today (May 3) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Though fossils of loose giant ant wings have been found before in the United States, this is the first known full-body specimen.


One living ant species, Dorylus wilverthi, has queens that reach the size of this ancient ant, though Titanomyrma was big all over while D. wilverthi gets its size from an abnormally swollen abdomen, Archibald said.

Archibald dubbed the new ant Titanomyrma lubei -- "titan" for its size, "myrma" for the Greek, "myrmex," or ant, and "lubei" for the fossil collector who discovered the specimen, Louis Lube. The burning question, however, was how giant ants ended up on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. 

The full story here if you are interested.


Also, you may have seen the story about a cat who was dubbed the world's loudest purrer (is that a word?!) The other day ABC news reported that Smokey is now officially the Guinness World Record holder. I love the profile below.

Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment.  ~Ellis Peters

Greetings! I'm back...:)

A few pics from my walk this morning. This pond is ten minutes from my house. Yesterday afternoon there were two Canada geese hanging about, but (of course) I had forgotten my camera :( I was amazed how close I was able to get to them, so I was really hoping they would still be around today...but alas they seem to have moved on. 

This little Red Wing seemed to be posing for the camera!

By the time I returned home it was already threatening rain and soon proceeded to pour buckets. I had been planning to clean up my yard a bit this afternoon, as it is in desperate need of a good raking - hopefully that will happen tomorrow. The quote below just about sums it up for today. 


In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.  ~Mark Twain

What a difference a day makes! After our horrible weather on Thursday the sun managed to peek in and out on Friday (clear skies by early evening) and we made it to +1C. Late afternoon the robins were out in full force, industriously taking advantage of a small exposed strip of grass. Please excuse the quality of these photos, they were snapped surreptitiously from inside.

Loving the bright green grass shoots :)

At some points there were up to a dozen robins - all jostling for position!

Did you know that if you shop 'till you drop: you'll live longer? 

... I'll bet that got your attention lol!

Besides subscribing to the Posit Science newsletter, I also look forward to a regular update from Dr. Andrew Weil. Perhaps you've heard of him? He's authored quite a number of books, including Healthy Aging which I purchased a few years ago. This week's newsletter reported the rather humorous results from a nine-year study conducted in Taiwan, which showed that seniors who shopped several times a week (or even daily) lived longer than those who never or rarely shopped. I find studies like this so interesting and while I am not (yet!) a senior, I believe it's never too early to take positive steps towards more healthy living.

The investigators said that shopping may provide an opportunity for additional physical activity which is considered more 'heart-healthy' when compared to formal exercise programs. How many times have we heard it said that walking is one of the best forms of exercise? Going to a mall is at least a lot safer for us northerners than trying to maneuver our sidewalks in the winter! 

As well, the shopper may seize the opportunity to purchase more fresh, healthy food seeing as they are already out and about. I would also surmise that getting out on a regular basis could help ward off depression and alzheimer's. 

Unfortunately, except for the grocery store, I am one of those people who rarely shop retail: unless I need something and then it's in-and-out as fast as possible. Quite the departure from how I was in my twenties and thirties. At this point in my life I thankfully have everything I need and like what I have. On the other hand, I find fleamarkets and second-hand shops more of an adventure, and I'm guessing they would also qualify as long as you go often enough... so I'm thinking I'll be ok :) 

Edmonton Muttart Conservatory

"A light exists in Spring
Not present in the year
at any other period
When March is scarcely here."

-Emily Dickinson

I thought this apt for the last day of February. Certainly more fitting than the strange ditty the Old Farmer's 2011 Almanac has posted for today!

'He who goes to bed hungry,
dreams of pancakes.'

A gray, blustery day here and we currently hover at -24C; so for today at least, we are not experiencing the 'spring light' Emily refers to. Still, we have had some lovely days in the last number of weeks where it did indeed feel like spring is drawing nearer. I plan to venture out tomorrow to poke around the second-hand stores. It's been weeks since my last visit and this weather is getting me down. Strangely enough, pawing through other people's cast-offs is just the kind of pick-me-up I need...to each his own I guess! I had planned to go to the Muttart Conservatory this week with company we were expecting but the visit has been postponed. This is a fantastic place to break up the monotony of the winter months.

The Muttart Conservatory is a botanical garden which consists of four glass pyramid-shaped structures that showcase plants from arid, tropical, and temperate climates, providing a welcome oasis of warmth during winter. The fourth pyramid hosts a theme that changes throughout the year. (Thanks Wikipedia)

But for the rest of today anyways this is what I will be looking at; 

Emma doesn't seem too impressed either!

A Warm Day In Winter

blue skies
+6 
we're melting
no breeze to speak of 
the (green!) grass is peaking through
I'm lapping it up 
while it lasts!






















































































A Warm Day In Winter









“Sunshine on de medders,

Greenness on de way;

Dat ’s de blessed reason

I sing all de day.”

Look hyeah! Whut you axin’?

Whut meks me so merry?

‘Spect to see me sighin’

W’en hit’s wa’m in Febawary?



Long de stake an’ rider

‘  Seen a robin set;

W’y hit ‘mence a-thawin’,

Groun’ is monst’ous wet.

Den you stan’ dah wond’rin’,

Lookin’ skeert an’ stary;

I’s a right to caper

W’en hit’s wa’m in Febawary.



Missis gone a-drivin’,

Mastah gone to shoot;

Ev’ry da’ky lazin’

In de sun to boot.

Qua’tah ’s moughty pleasant,

Hangin’ ‘roun’ my Mary;

Cou’tin’ boun’ to prospah

W’en hit’s wa’m in Febawary

Cidah look so pu'ty
Po'in' f'om de jug-
Don' you see it's happy?
Hyeah it laffin' - glug?
Now's de time fu' people
Fu' to try an' bury
All day grief an' sorrer,
W'en hit's wa'm in Febawary.




-Paul Laurence Dunbar-