Today's count.

Mom with twins under 2' in the Bowl.  Twin stroller, and twin with stroller - pink.  Little grey floppy sunhats.  No sun.  Grey shirts, green shorts, blue shorts.  Flowers blooming.  Others on the lawn and walking the circuit fill out the scene.

Oh... there goes the blanket folding.  Lunch break is over.

Today's count

Four horses, three barn cats, a house cat, three dogs, several chickens, twenty one abandoned (mostly by a neighbouring farmer while the property was under the care of its previous owner) out buildings.  I am helping the friend of a friend build a coop for the chickens. One guinea hen escaped and has been making various forays over the barn roof, through the horse pasture and up trees.  Generally making her presence known to the local fox.  Her friend, the other guinea hen, has already been on the menu.  The glory of the day was watching the fox, hell bent for leather across the yard and out of sight behind the barn with one of my friend's dogs in hot and joyous pursuit.  The fox had forgotten that the visiting dogs, unlike the farm dog, could actually see it.

Yes, I do prefer this kind of vacation to a beach in Jamaica.

today's count

A perfect Saskatchewan summer day.  Sunshine, warm, dry, windy.  Shorts, barefoot in the grass, straw hat.  Two gophers, one in a hole a few feet from where I sat who began to get used to the idea I was there.  A big orange bumblebee.  A dragonfly.  The daycare kids in bright colours like flowers.  Blades of grass showing lime green in the sunlight. The leaves budding out, turning the trees a hazy green. The smell of them, still sticky and sweet.

February spring and winter

Five days ago, on Sunday afternoon, I stood in our parking lot with my cello ,waiting to be picked up for an afternoon concert.  For warmth against the winter cold I wore a sweater and a ball cap.  This morning I woke up into the increasing early morning twilight to find the just gibbous moon hanging above the trees in the last of the dark blue dawn.  I donned long johns, jeans, shirt, sweater, boots, jacket, scarf, overcoat and my favourite -30 degree weather hat.  I went out, walked to the river bank, sat on a bench , and saw the cold mist rising off the river making the Broadway bridge look like a romance painting. And watched the moon fade into the morning sky.

In Theory

In theory, according to Newt Gingrich, I was not out salting the ice covered sidewalk this morning because it had rained in December in Saskatchewan.  In theory I did not ice skate my way to work.  I did not stand in the sunshine of a low winter sun with a March wind ruffling my hair, the smell of fall leaves turning to the wine of soil and think of daisies budding out.  No, in theory, according to Mr. Gingrich, I was wearing my overcoat, my beautiful big blue overcoat, and not my jacket.  I was, in theory, wearing my rainbow scarf and my red hat, and my black leather mitts: because it is December in Saskatchewan and it is therefore -20 degrees Celsius, not +2.  In theory there is snow on the ground.  About a foot of it, and lovely packed trails along the walks and in the parks.  Trails on which the snow crunches underfoot and allows me to stride along. Today is all white and blue and crisp, in theory. Not grey and brown and slippery. Ain't winter beautiful. In theory.

Yesterday's count

a view of the city from the end of the crabapple grove
it's there, honest!

And today's too.  Yesterday I saw a hawk twice.  Once sitting disdainfully on the top of a post observing the world, its kingdom, from the look on its face, and once aloft with a crow and about fifteen magpies.  When I first saw them I thought the hawk was after the crow and the magpies were trying to save it.  Could be the magpies thought so too.  But abruptly the magpies flew off, silence reigned.  The crow and the hawk circled higher and eventually separated amicably.  Today the birds I saw were the flotillas of geese on the river by the big island.  They wait, ready for that which we all know is coming.  The leaves are more and more on the ground and the sky looks bigger for it.  I love the sense of space bare trees give.  Of course by March I am pining for a little green, but let us find the joy of the moment and enjoy it.  Today the sky is blue, the downed leaves are turning orange and brown and I am still biking.

Holiday 3

This is a holiday you don't get to come on today because I haven't gone on it yet.  I am leaving this weekend on an adventure to the Great Sand Hills of Saskatchewan and hopefully, if we can find them the petroglyphs of St. Vincent (Victor?...see what I mean about finding them), in the Badlands.  Then it is to the art table, unless my friend ropes me in to her move the dog pen, build the new front porch steps, finish painting the kitchen projects.  I shall remain strong, I shall paint. Right?  I will?  Of course.  I promise you a little painting.

Being a luddite at heart, when I leave on vacation, I go on vacation.  You shall not hear from me until the middle of August.  Have a great couple of weeks.