Dancing in the Holy Circle

800th post

2010-05-11T22:26:00.000-03:00

This is my 800th post. It has been going on for a few years now. I have been spending way too much time on the computer. This blog has been a great impetus to getting me to observe and think a little each day, but I think that I have done enough for now. The blog has been good to me. I thank you all for your interest. For now I am taking a rest from the machine. There are so many books to read, and so much to do, and I'm going to get on with it.

Tepee

2010-05-08T22:28:00.000-03:00

I went away overnight and spent some time with others last evening in this tepee. What amazing energy! I took the pictures this morning.

garden wash

2010-05-06T16:36:00.001-03:00

Early this morning I caught the perpetrator of the apartment garden decor hanging up her wash. You can see my reflection as I, with great stealth, snapped her in the act. You can also see the blossoms on the trees, but the dragonflies, butterflies, hummingbirds and skunks are not captured. Perhaps that is another day.

Meanwhile carrying on the theme of St. Joe from yesterday, here is a video of a talk given on the one relic that St. Joe would have handled. Warning: there is an interdict against the discussion of this relic and Roman Catholics face excommunication if they view this. But for the rest of us, here it is. (The sound is poor, and I used earphones.)

house for sale

2010-05-05T17:37:00.001-03:00

There is this house on the market and nary an offer, so we pulled upon our resources and purchased a medal of Saint Joseph, and to help the cause we threw in a Saint Joseph prayer card. Then Saint Joseph was properly buried head first in the garden of the house along with the card. Then to honour all faiths we wrote a wish and placed it in a Chinese wish jar - that the house be sold by the end of June. Then things got busy, and an offer has been placed on the house. So here's to Saint Joseph, wishes and the power of intentional prayer!

forsthia

2010-05-04T17:34:00.001-03:00

Here's another picture from Maine - looking out the window at the pouring rain.

And here'is a video, a remake of the Lady Gaga video, from Afghanistan. The troops have always entertained themselves, but now we get to see, too. I think that these are British soldiers, but I really don't know.

puzzling cat

2010-05-03T21:15:00.000-03:00

We set out a puzzle on the parlour table. Bur it seems to be impossible to work on it without Miss Johnston's feline help. I've taken to going into the parlour and shutting the door. But Miss Johnston has taken to hiding out in the parlour, and jumping out of her slumber as soon as the door shuts. No matter where she is, she knows exactly where I am at every moment.

spring blossoms

2010-05-02T23:06:00.000-03:00

It was astonishing. I looked out my window and down below the fir trees were in bloom. One had pink flowers and the other had white blooms with dark pink borders. I took two pictures from my window and later when I went down I took two close ups.
The thing is that this is not a joke, it was done to beauty the garden. You gotta love it!

May Day harvest

2010-05-01T22:16:00.000-03:00

I went home for a couple of days and madly gardened. And I harvested: Egyptian onions and rhubarb. Not in the same recipe, I think.

rock weed hunt

2010-04-29T11:57:00.000-03:00

After planting last Saturday I went down to the beach to find rock week to fertilize it, but hardly any had been washed up. I suppose I need to wait until there is a storm, but then the storm would not necessarily be very welcome. I suppose that one just waits to see what life washes in.

And now, do you eat bananas? Here is a movie trailer:

BANANAS!* trailer from WG Film on Vimeo.

prayers

2010-04-28T23:03:00.000-03:00

On a misty morning last weekend I hung the prayer flags, so they will blow and fade and send prayers to the ethers when I am otherwise engaged. I hope drive home tomorrow for another couple of days.

wardrobe makeover

2010-04-27T22:15:00.001-03:00

My personal dresser took me to Louis' 2 for 1 Monday sale from which she unfitted me in 8 pants, 8 tops, 2 jackets, 2 pairs of pyjamas and 2 vests, all name brands for $48.16, This gem of a shopper had been watching my clothes get baggier and baggier as I lost more and more weight, so she took pity on me and invited me to her favourite sport - shopping at the second hand emporium. I never would have done it on my own.

Hugh's birthday

2010-04-26T23:12:00.000-03:00

Hugh turns eleven and gets his favourite, his mother's homemade sushi and miso soup.
Then comes the cupcakes that his aunt sent long distance. Being his grandmother, I get invited to the festivities, which is terrific because I love the menu!

rained out

2010-04-25T17:09:00.001-03:00

Last Saturday the game was rained out. The next day our tickets were good for a double header. So here we go to the ball park to cheer on the Portland Seadogs - at least I was cheering them on - my friend was rooting for the Trenton Thunder.

And here is the controversial statue celebrating the All American family.

It seems right to me: active father and son and passive mother and daughter.

And here is the game which began in the sunshine.

What ever happened to the uniform - what are these long pants? The Trenton team were dressed in the proper socks and knickers.

By the fifth inning the Seadogs were losing. ( I blame it on the pants.) and the skies opened and the rain poured down. We left. I have no idea who won, if anyone, and if they played the second game. I prefer dry games in the summertime. But before leaving I tried the culinary offering at the park: fried dough!

I shouldn't have.

Route 1 continued

2010-04-24T21:53:00.000-03:00

Some day we shall complete Route 1 from Fort Kent to Key West, but this time we covered from Portland to Brunswick in the rain. The first stop was in Falmouth at Delorme Maps. This is Eartha the largest globe in the world. It slowly revolves.Fascinating. http://www.delorme.com/default.aspx

The second stop was at the humungous and fascinating L.L. Bean stores in Freeport: http://www.llbean.com/shop/retailStores/freeportFlagshipStore/freeportLander.html

And the third stop was the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick.

This is one of Bowdoin's six imposing relief sculptures from the Assyrian King Assurnazirpal's palace built in the ninth century BC, destroyed in the seventh century BC and excavated in the nineteenth century AD by the British archaeologist A.H. Layard. I was thrilled to see up close what I had only seen in dusty old books. http://www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum/ I liked the works by Danny Jauregui, and there was a stunning work by Andrew Wyeth. This is it: "Night Hauling"

We had a great afternoon!

Mainely wet

2010-04-21T09:38:00.000-03:00

It was wet in Maine, but then it is April. So a lot of Bananagram was played. I shall post pictures in the next few days. But first I want to tell you about my Border Incident. It was a slow day for the agent when I was crossing back. He pointed out that I didn't look like my passport picture. So I replied: "I shouldn't think so; I've lost 35 pounds." He said that he could stand to lose some weight. (He was pudgy.) So I told him that if he lost 35 pounds he wouldn't look like his picture either and besides his clothes wouldn't fit. Then he noted that I was born in Montreal. Where? His family came from there. We decided that we had lived within blocks of each other. Then I assured him that I didn't have guns, mace, weapons, fireworks, cigarettes, liquor and God knows what else, including merchandise for my business. Then, with a wave, I was off.

Here's a travel video thanks to Joan:

more details

2010-04-15T07:28:00.000-03:00

So I couldn't be an architect, perhaps a stewardess or a waitress, or a shop girl - but Miss Oswald suggested I take a vocational test. I did the test and went in for the results. It said that I should be a minister, but, as Miss Oswald told me, women cannot be ministers. As I was then an Anglican, she was right.

I am heading out of the country for a few days, to the US of A - without health insurance - pray for me.

details

2010-04-14T22:51:00.000-03:00

I walk the streets of this town noticing the details in the buildings. I wanted to be an architect. I spent my childhood building things with minibricks. I wanted to take mechanical drawing in high school, but it was only for boys. And then Miss Oswald, the guidance counsellor informed me that girls could not be architects. So I learnt early on that girls could be teachers, nurses, secretaries, beauticians, mothers and ballerinas, and I certainly was not going to make it in the ballet department.

mayflower emerges

2010-04-13T20:58:00.000-03:00

The little forced mayflower came to flower, and the scent is sublime. This is a sure sign of our early spring. The weather is turning cooler now, so farmers are worried that frost will bite the new growth. I live in a fruit growing region, so this is a real concern.

pastoral field

2010-04-12T20:32:00.000-03:00

I like seeing cattle. I like their fuzzy ears and I really like it when they have their horns. Horses are a lovely sight. But my heart skips a beat or two when I see sheep. Maybe it is an ancestral memory. This is a mixed bunch of girls. I just had to stop and take their picture. A sound track of baas should go with them.

Shaun The Sheep - A funny movie is a click away

could've

2010-04-11T08:25:00.000-03:00

I could've been home gardening, digging delving and weeding and communing with Creation - but I had to go to a day long mandatory workshop. I blame God for this one. This is a church in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.. It could be any where in Canada.

mayflowers

2010-04-09T22:20:00.000-03:00

We had finished our meeting and stopped by the woods just before dusk to see how far along the mayflowers had come. Not far enough, it seems. Perhaps these two little springs will come into burst into bloom now that I have them in a little glass of water. The mayflower is our provincial flower. They have a special place in our Nova Scotian hearts.

apartment hallway

2010-04-08T23:12:00.001-03:00

This is our apartment hallway.

And this is my door.

And this is my neighbour's door. Two cats live behind each door. They have never met each other; cats being not all that neighbourly.

spring flowers

2010-04-07T16:26:00.001-03:00

Spring flowers, scillas growing in the grass just down the road: I love them. I remember vast swathes covering the side of Mount Royal in Montreal. They are just little flowers, but a multitude of them is a wonderful sight. This next picture comes from Sussex, New Brunswick where I lived last spring. My grandfather, who taught me to garden, called them "squills".

spring house

2010-04-06T23:07:00.000-03:00

I passed this house on a walk. Click the picture to see the Easter decorations. I was taking a break and out enjoying the unseasonable warm and sunny weather. Spring is surely something to celebrate.

dandelion

2010-04-05T21:17:00.000-03:00

The first dandelion and the spring peepers are singing after dark, so spring is definitely here. Besides the other day I passed a dead skunk on the road, and that is a sure sign

our Lady's lily.

2010-04-04T13:35:00.000-03:00

We bought this lily to celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25. It is always good to honour the divine feminine. When I returned to the house a week later the lily was still blooming, in fact it was better than before. So here's to Our Lady in whatever form she takes. And today being Easter - He is risen. He is risen, indeed.

high noon

2010-04-03T22:00:00.000-03:00

I walked by the sundial in the garden at exactly noon, and the sundial was pretty accurate. It was in my grandfather's garden. As a child I was always checking the time and was disappointed when it was a cloudy day. It says the usual stuff like "Tempus fugit." Click it to enlarge it and see if you can read the dismal message around the edge.

horse barn

2010-04-02T09:13:00.002-03:00

Old barn behind the mansion at Mount Uniacke, taken last Saturday: this would have been the stable, I think. It's not dissimilar to the one that I built on Farmville.

tangled garden

2010-04-01T19:01:00.001-03:00

We stopped by the Tangled Garden last Saturday. The garden was closed for the winter, but the shop, which serves products from the garden was open. This is their window from the inside, and this is their website: http://www.tangledgarden.ns.ca/garden.htm

funky flowers

2010-03-31T19:15:00.001-03:00

I just love this Witch Hazel that flowers in the early spring. We used to buy what was probably a tincture in a bottle to swab on mosquito and black fly bites. It worked. And then there was Witch Hazel in the Little Lulu comics. Now that dates me.

vine

2010-03-30T21:09:00.000-03:00

There are poles such as this in my garden. If I plant grape vines by them, how long will it take to produce this lovely effect? I have so many dreams for my garden - and so little time.

winter returned

2010-03-29T21:43:00.000-03:00

I took these on Saturday, but the website was balking at posting them. It was sunny but bitterly cold. I loved the patterns of the ice hanging from the vines in the afternoon sun. Still I preferred the spring-like weather that preceded it. I think that spring is my favourite season.

mud plop

2010-03-25T11:35:00.001-03:00

These are a couple of grandchildren. They are standing on a fairly high bank throwing rocks into the tidal mud below. It makes a very satisfactory plop, and disappear below the surface. much better than tossing the rocks into the water. We were waiting for the tidal bore to arrive, when, with a wave, the river reverses direction.

Here is a tourist video in the same location:

artichokes

2010-03-23T21:35:00.000-03:00

I read that there was a commercial artichoke farm up the valley. I had to try it. I bought a mail order packet of seeds. There were 22. It was expensive. They said to treat them as annuals as they only over wintered in zone 7 and higher. But I know that they are really perennials, so if I mulch them well and cover them for the winter - could I do it? I made newspaper pots and set them out. This is my artichoke farm. I had to bring them back to the apartment so I could keep them moist. These are travelling artichokes. Stay tuned.

back field

2010-03-22T22:04:00.000-03:00

We went exploring the back field last Friday when I was back home and came on this cluster of granite rocks. They must have come from elsewhere, because on the North Mountain and down to the shore we are on columnar basalt. It is a volcanic dike pushed up when Nova Scotia, which came over separately, collided with the rest of North America. We are actually only attached by a stretch of marshland. We're very special here.

crocus

2010-03-21T21:23:00.000-03:00

My first crocus. This gives you some idea of the soil with which I struggle. But stuff does grow, including croci, if the rabbits don't eat them.

grubbing

2010-03-20T22:32:00.000-03:00

This morning, just before the start of spring, a friend and I cleaned out this daylily bed. The earth was warm and grubbing in the dirt felt so, so good. I would have kept at it all day, but I had to return to my apartment - 3 hours away, to work tomorrow. I count the days until I can get back to my garden.

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T22:34:00.000-03:00

They told me (well, asked me) to greet the arrivals at the Saint Paddy's Coffee Party. They told me (ordered me) to wear a green feather boa that they provided. So here it is and here I am, and the Irish bloods in me is very, very thin.

sparrows singing

2010-03-16T20:10:00.001-03:00

Before I left home on Sunday I heard a sparrow singing. They are returning. I put out wool for nesting material, although I think that it is mainly the robins who avail themselves of it. It will still snow, but spring is only days away. I don't put out seed in the winter because I am only home sporadically. Someday I shall be home to stay.
And this is Saint Urho's Day: http://membracid.wordpress.com/2010/03/14/happy-st-urhos-day-2/

water

2010-03-15T22:06:00.000-03:00

Well, I started the spring cleaning at home yesterday. Used the exe's old knickers to scrub down the "powder room" and washed slip covers before I left to return for work. Then this evening I saw "Flow" an excellent documentary about water. Here is the trailer: http://flowthefilm.com/trailer. So this is my water theme, from the mundane to the downright scary, but for those Maude Barlow fans, and count me in as one of them, this is a must see.

burning brush

2010-03-14T23:00:00.000-03:00

Okay, so you don't see the huge conflagration because I was too busy watching the fire, and raking down the burning grass. I had two huge piles of brush, one covered an old willow stump and roots. I was by myself, and a little breeze came up. So I pulled stuff over to back a third smaller, more manageable pile and burnt that first. Then the larger heap became smaller and that went next. And then I fed it with the other heap. In the end all that was left is the stump. It will become a rather fetching garden feature. Assistants turned up to help. One assistant's hat inadvertently got thrown into the blaze *&%@#, and my hair got a little singed, but all in all in was a great success. Lawn chairs were set out, and we all enjoyed the fun in the sun.

gables

2010-03-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

When I walk through the town I am always looking for the details. These are four houses on a short street. I find the gables particularly interesting. There is usually some embellishment. My mother called, I think, this kind of work "ginger bread" but I have no idea why. It was lovely and sunny again today. Tomorrow I am heading home for a couple of days - into the black hole of no cell phone and no Internet.

cancer trees

2010-03-10T16:52:00.000-04:00

Many days I walk by these "trees" and I have wondered why they are lit every night. But today I went closer and had a look. Now I know that they are memorial cancer trees. Do other communities have these, too?

desperately dreaming

2010-03-09T21:03:00.000-04:00

An upper and and downer day: consolations and desolations and no pictures. So here is El Desperado, who will greet me next summer. Tomorrow is another day.

desperate farmer

2010-03-08T21:36:00.000-04:00

Desperate to grow something - anything - I have started up my little sprout farm, beside the never-give-up poinsettia. Perhaps this weekend the snow will have melted and the storms will have abated and I really can begin to rake and walk over my land at home and plan my planting. I dream.

supper

2010-03-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

Here's my supper. Well honestly I forgot to snap a picture today, so you got my supper. Perhaps to redeem myself here is a cat video that was sent to me yesterday:
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dreaming

2010-03-06T23:13:00.000-04:00

I am dreaming of summer in my daylily field. I am just back, and while the ground is mostly bare, there is no sign of growth, no sign of spring. I made a quick trip home to meet with my trusty carpenter and discuss the coming round of renovations. Now I am into an austerity programme to pay for it all!

cracked up

2010-03-05T10:26:00.000-04:00

With all this hand washing, cold weather and dry buildings, my thumbs are cracking up. Nothing works to alleviate the my sorry and painful state. But I am told that help in is the barn - "Bag Balm". I presume that it is for cows' udders. Am I right? So if they can come up with a product for cows, why not for people? I expect that it is really greasy and mostly lanolin. Am I right? Gardening season is just a month away, and my hands will feel it, badly.

houseplants

2010-03-04T17:02:00.001-04:00

The poinsettia that came to live with me at the end of November obviously really likes being with me as it has not changed in the past four plus months, and it 's half way through Lent. It refuses to die, or even lose what it pretends to be petals. It doesn't seem to understand that I only got it for the Christmas season - my one decoration. So I went and got what I've always wanted, an orchid. I have to put her on the top of the bookcase, because there is so much full sun in the apartment room. I love her and I don't wish death on her ever. That poinsettia still looks magnificent.

way to go

2010-03-03T17:17:00.001-04:00

I cannot even remember what this revolting lunch was. I took the picture a while back, BUT I have lost 30 pounds. Just picture 30 pounds of butter stacked one on top of each other and that is how much I have lost.

like Brother Andre

2010-03-02T22:59:00.001-04:00

Like Brother Andre, I left my heart in Montreal. They are going to canonize him. He was the gatekeeper and the barber at the college across the road from whee they eventually built the oratory. And he was a healer. He spearheaded building the St. Joseph's Oratory across the road, on the side of the mountain.

I grew up in Montreal. I played with the Catholic girls next door. I was six or so when one day their father took me with them when they went to the oratory. It wasn't finished. It took years to build. I think they kept running out of money. But I was impressed. I was impressed by the people going up hundreds of stone stairs on their knees. (This would drive my orthopaedic surgeon nuts.) At the same time they were saying their rosaries. I figured that if you really prayed like that something big would have to happen. But the big deal was that the girls got to kiss Bother Andre's pickled heart. It in a glass jar. Their father took out his white handkerchief and whipped the glass and then each of them got to kiss the heart. But he wouldn't let me because I was a Protestant. It was so unjust and so unfair.

So it gave me some satisfaction when many years later the heart was stolen. I think that there even might have been a question of ransom. I think that the oratory guys refused to pay. A year or so later the police, acting on a tip, found the heart in the back of an apartment's bedroom closet.

Now he is to become a saint. Does that mean the heart gains beatific holiness? I so wanted to kiss it then. I wonder where it is now? I've lost the inclination to kiss it, on the other hand I just might to get my own back. Would I be blessed? Brother Andre left his heart in Montreal.

"Jesus of Montreal" was filmed at the Oratory. Blood is always a crowd pleaser:

sunshine

2010-03-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

The last sunshine that I saw was for a couple of hours on Saturday. So these are a couple of pictures left over from then. Actually I had forgotten all about the blog and had gone to bed and was falling asleep when I recalled that I had not blogged today. I was jolted awake and here I am. Tomorrow I need to address the pressing issue of Brother Andre.

yesterday's dawn

2010-02-28T15:03:00.001-04:00

I know that March is still to come, and more storms, but yesterday morning whilst still at home, it was so springlike at dawn that I was out before breakfast without a jacket snapping pictures. The rain had stopped, but the radio says that more is to expected and flood warnings have been issued. So after the storm, well between storms, spring arrived for an hour or two.

after the deluge

2010-02-27T22:27:00.000-04:00

I went home for Friday, and it rained and rained and rained into the parlour. So I had painted this wall two years ago, then last year water poured through the far window. So the flashing was repaired last year for both windows and some shingles were replaced. I painted the wall again: one coat primer and two coats of paint. Then yesterday the water poured into the room again. This means that the shingles need to be replaced. But this is not the worse wall. The south side is a much larger wall and it needs to be replaced too. But flashing was replaced there last year. So I painted it the year before and then again last year.

This morning I finished the interior painting as much as I can now. The carpenter is coming next week so we can go over finishing the interior - but now I think the treasury will be spent on the exterior, and the interior will wait and wait and wait.

So now the decision - shingles again, or throw in the towel and have siding put up. I am thinking of throwing in that towel. I have better things to do with my time than to be constantly painting houses.

There is always sunshine after the rain.

on the road to...

2010-02-25T14:46:00.000-04:00

At noon I was on the road to Damascus. I were having a lunch meeting, but this was my first time in this establishment. You can see me taking the picture reflected in the glass door. Notice that there is no snow. This is, of course, as it says, the original Damascus. This makes that Syrian place an upstart copy cat. I am glad that I finally got here without a terrorist in sight. And it was not far, either.

laundry etc.

2010-02-24T22:56:00.000-04:00

Bonita's laundry periodically changes the view from my window. I do not think that I could live in a place that is so oppressive that clothes lines are banned. Aren't we all supposed to be going green. At the moment my clothes are strung out in the bathroom.

On another topic I was told today that Walmart employees are lined up before the store opens, and they put their hands on their hearts and sing the Walmart Song and that I could look it up on Youtube. I did, but I don't think that this is it:

faded blue

2010-02-23T20:06:00.000-04:00

Well, actually nothing could be brighter than this blue rose. I brought some faded funeral roses over to the apartment to give them an extra few days. But the blue rose! Is there anything faker than a blue rose? And why? In Alice in Wonderland they were painting the roses red, but blue?

ordinary is good

2010-02-22T17:58:00.002-04:00

Back to the diet - the boring diet - but boring is good compared to:

Funchal Madeira. I was horrified at the pictures coming out of Funchal. Last year Joanne and I walked those same streets in the sunshine enjoying our first land fall after crossing the Atlantic. Now the flood waters have wrecked havoc. Check out this great MSN Video: 'Scene of absolute devastation'
And Kate is home after surviving the capsizing the tall ship, Concordia, and over forty hours in a life boat. Her family are very active members in my congregation: Check out this great MSN Video: Canadian sailing ship sinks

So boring is looking good at the moment.

Portland

2010-02-21T21:34:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday was a lovely warm sunny day in Portland Maine. We had a delightful brunch in a funky place and then walked through the city. Here is the ferry dock. And then in the evening we went to church - well the church had been converted to a trendy upscale restaurant. We had a wonderful Valentine dinner. The diet was blown to pieces. Here is the website: http://restaurantgrace.com/.

the director

2010-02-20T11:10:00.000-04:00

Some mystery person goes through Portland in the darkness of Valentine Eve and posts thousands of red hearts in the down town. It seems that they were on the funkier, funner, (morether fun?) shops But this is one of the exceptions. A heart is affixed to John Ford's chest. He hailed from Portland and has a statue in his honour as well as stones marking each of his movies.

Here is the trailer for "How Green Was my Valley":

The Year of the Tiger

2010-02-19T06:52:00.001-04:00

Ob Saturday the snow had melted around the Buddha in a Maine garden. I wonder if it is now covered with snow like we are here back in Nova Scotia?

We celebrated the New Year by going to see The Golden Dragon Acrobats. It was a fantastic show. At one time acrobats entertained the emperor's court in the Forbidden City, now the world has come to an auditorium in rural Maine. The world has become so small, but the opportunities to enjoy it have multiplied beyond imagination. Here is the promotional video.

And meanwhile back in Halifax my grandson was at the Tet festivities as the head in the Dragon Dance.

yesterday's snow

2010-02-18T17:17:00.000-04:00

And here's my car! A snow day in Halifax, but later in the afternoon I made my way back to Truro for another important meeting.

Check out this great MSN Video: Storm batters Nova Scotia

walking dogs

2010-02-17T12:21:00.000-04:00

Walking the dogs in Maine: three Great Danes, one Jack Russell Terrier and assorted humans, but right now this is only a memory and I am snow bound in Halifax. Pictures to follow when I find a cable.

ice jamming

2010-02-16T14:21:00.001-04:00

On the banks of a Maine river after a flood. if I had a good camera I could have made marvellous close ups. The yard high chunks of ice with the sun shining through them - fantastic. There were children playing on the slabs, with careful parents watching. It looked like fun. And now an interview with my favourite: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-CA&vid=b161d2f5-3388-4262-a6a5-2202f8a7a8d3

the way to Bangor

2010-02-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

I took the bus to Bangor. So here we have the terminal, scenery on the way and stuck in the US Customs. But I did get there - and back.

smile

2010-02-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

This is the smile that greets me when I walk into the office each morning. It makes each day a pleasure.

winter potluck

2010-02-10T18:01:00.000-04:00

So the cats don't like the cat food. Maybe Miss Johnston will lose a bit of weight. Maybe I'll follow up on Debbie's suggestion (see comments) and use it for the next potluck, which is coming up next week when we have our annual meeting. And it will be gluten free! There are no grains in the mixture. (Maybe that's the problem.) I could serve it in a white sauce (bechamel) with perhaps a touch of curry. Only a touch, however, as folks around here seem to be adverse to spicy food. More's the pity. But I do want them to eat it all up, so I should cater to local taste.

taste test

2010-02-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

They came right over and gave the new gourmet kibble a try, but then they walked off, not liking it any better than the cheap grocery store stuff. The no grain, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries and raspberries, along with the venison and smoked salmon, of course, just didn't cut the mustard.

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/

cat food

2010-02-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

So a new cat food for the girls, they start tomorrow. This delectable mixture consists of venison and smoked salmon. I pointed out to the saleswoman that my cats could not read and would not know a deer if they met one and nor a salmon for that matter. This is a "Rocky Mountain Feline Formula" and we live on the Atlantic coast, so it's a bit far away. So I read the label, and it's from Montana. Are there really salmon in Montana? So what is this? Are the cats getting the smoked heads and tails? And what about this venison? Is it road kill? Do you think the girls will like it?

Grand Pre

2010-02-07T20:18:00.001-04:00

I often stop on my way back and forth from home at at co-operative fair trade cafe "Just Us" in Grand Pre. It was a very cold winter day. This is the garden. And here is the garden shed.

Across the road is an apple orchard. This is apple country, although orchard farming is a way of life that is increasingly threatened. Cheap apple puree from China has undercut the market. Buy local!

more painting

2010-02-06T19:54:00.000-04:00

I went home to do a bit a painting before leaving very early this morning to get back to work. So in this minuscule ell shaped hallway there are five portals, three of which have doors. This makes for a lot of picky painting. It's finished except for the touch ups, and then I'll get onto painting the floor, carefully, because to do so will block the way to the facilities. This will require some thought. But I am ahead of the game, I know my type. This is a excellent website. Wait a bit before you type in your name - any name will do. http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/

bright and cold

2010-02-03T22:53:00.000-04:00

The coldest days are the brightest. I hope to go home tomorrow for a day at my house down the Valley. I'll put on my paint clothes and get back at painting the hallway. Pictures to follow in a day or two.

shadows

2010-02-02T17:30:00.000-04:00

The brightest days are the coldest days, so whatever would have possessed any ground hog to rouse from her slumbers? She certainly saw her shadow, so spring is six more weeks away, which brings it to mid March. I wait with anticipation and meanwhile delve into the seed catalogues.

leftover leaf

2010-02-01T19:46:00.000-04:00

This is a leftover leaf lost in a snow bank at the end of a cold day. And now (thanks Tina) some instructions for Peter Mansbridge and company:

quick post

2010-01-31T15:52:00.000-04:00

I have stopped at the Cafe on my way home for an overnight visit. One more hour to go, and then back tomorrow. Don't tell anyone about the cream on the top of the coffee.

cold!

2010-01-30T16:27:00.002-04:00

I sallied forth today with every intention of finding a geocache in the park on my way to the grocery store and taking a picture for the blog. But the wind was so bitter, that it began to seem like a daft idea. So I hurried to the store, picking up boring diet food and returned to make my lunch. So then I took a picture of it.

Being on my own in this town, I decided not to be such a recluse, and bought my ticket to see J.P. Cormier this evening. There were only four left. Good thing there is only one of me and that I will take a single seat.

snow

2010-01-29T17:23:00.001-04:00

From no snow at all, I woke to this. This is the scene from the apartment window. And then the storm intensified, so I could not take a picture outside as it would have been white dots. Go figure.

But here is a time lapse video of a storm from someone's bedroom window. I wish that I could shovel as quickly as that.

exterior decor

2010-01-28T17:09:00.000-04:00

I took this pictures this morning on my walk. I love walking around the back of buildings. My secret ambition is to be a graffiti artist.

Graffiti Instincts - Tilt

Silent.wpmc | MySpace Video

cloudless

2010-01-27T16:21:00.001-04:00

This afternoon it was 6 C. I looked into the sky to find a pretty cloud in the blue sky, but there was none. So I looked down and took a picture of an old elm stump.

Here is a page from a Dutch department store. Don"t move your cursor to pick an item, just watch: http://producten.hema.nl/

no snow

2010-01-26T21:40:00.000-04:00

The snow has all gone. It will come again, probably in a day or two, but today there is no snow. I kind of like it. I left my boots in the apartment today and loved the lightness of my feet. I loved the warmth of the day, no hat, no muffler, but then I did need an umbrella earlier this morning. I can't have everything. Winter will return by the end of the week.

Burnses

2010-01-25T22:05:00.001-04:00

On Robbie Burns night, Carman and Alice Burns celebrated their anniversary. They cut a cake, not the haggis, but Carman did recite by heart: "My love is like a red, red rose" before they cut the heart shaped cake. Not withstanding the fact that Robbie was noted for his philandering.

O my luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O mu luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
O I will luve thee still, my dear
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel awhile!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand miles.

O my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June;
O my luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

between middle and upper

2010-01-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

Somewhere between Middle and Upper Musquodobit there is this little church where I preached this evening. Fortunately someone knew the way and gave me a lift. Otherwise I never would have found it in the dark. I took this before the service. Soon after the church was filled. It was a Covenanting Service for their new minister.Actually it was great. It was a happy congregation. I love preaching in small churches where the congregation is close and respond to you, and the acoustics are terrific. Besides they put on a great spread following the service.

Pugwash

2010-01-23T19:20:00.000-04:00

It was a sunny day with a bitter wind, and I needed a break. So I decided to go somewhere where I had never been before: Pugwash. Here the sea is frozen, and despite the flag, not very much was open. Maybe I missed it. This is where Windsor salt comes from with a large salt mine. And there was a very nice brick house on Black Street.

iced bush

2010-01-22T20:53:00.000-04:00

I walked by this bush that was under water dripping off a roof. It was just outside the door of a funeral parlour. While it was supposed to be a day off, I had a funeral to conduct and sermons to write. There is still more to do tomorrow. There are guidelines about working a forty hour week. I haven't figured out how to do this yet.

to prorogue or not

2010-01-21T19:25:00.001-04:00

Prorogue: to defer the sitting of Parliament. You may get the idea if you click the "Wanted" poster and read the text. It infuriates me that Parliament could simply be cancelled by the whim of the Prime Minister. But listen up sister! My sister had suggestedyesterday that I go to a nearby demonstration this weekend to voice my rage. But as luck would have it, in this immense country of ours, I read in the paper this morning that the Prime Minister was coming to our town today to announce that his government would help to fund a proposed pool and rink. But where? Then on my way back from the garage I drove by this band of stalwart demonstrators. I turned, parked the car and joined them for a spell. The prime minister was in the building behind them. He had said that Canadians did not care if he prorogued parliament. So I stood waving a sign saying "I care". Cars honked, people waved, thumbs were up. I am not politically neutral.

fashion statements

2010-01-20T18:10:00.000-04:00

So we are now sporting matching blue Argyle collars. I was looking for rhinestones, but these nifty collars will snap off if they get snagged. Further, I couldn't get any with bells. The Czarina went wild when I tried a bell on her. She kept trying to run away from it. So here is Miss Johnston. The Czarina has that thick Russian Blue fur and the collar sinks into the plushness. But Miss Johnston, being the common cat she is, is happy to sit for a photo. The Czarina runs away when she sees a camera. She is, however, in this photo, hiding in the back. I have a matching key chain.

gutters

2010-01-19T23:34:00.000-04:00

The gutters, or are they eaves troughs, are now up, and so bit by bit the house progresses. Whilst I was home I painted more walls, "mother of pearl" and doors, "coffee bean", but there are more coats to put on. And so it goes .. and now I have lost 21 inches, which is a wardrobe disaster.

23 pounds

2010-01-18T22:32:00.002-04:00

I have lost 23 pounds and I have 21 more to go. So I am over halfway. I started at the beginning of November. It really shows in my face. I look dreadful. I think a lot about food.

This is my favourite grocery store. Just above the ginger, the shallots and the tomatoes, there is a pianist banging out mostly honky tonk. I was standing right under him when I took the picture. And then the savoy cabbages. I think that there is nothing, well hardly anything, on earth as beautiful as a savoy cabbage.

blue bay

2010-01-17T17:13:00.001-04:00

In the distance you can see the blue of the bay that never freezes.This is my neighbour's wash line. I cannot imagine living in a repressive society that will not allow one to to hang out the laundry. Someone has done a study and written the book on Nova Scotian wash lines. Everyone has a different system. Personally, I work on rainbow sequences.

And a young man in blue jeans:

at the beach

2010-01-16T19:07:00.000-04:00

We went to the beach today, thinking that we would walk along the shingle, but the wind was fierce, so we turned and went through the woods. As in life, there is always another way.

Cafe down the road

2010-01-14T15:11:00.001-04:00

The bird feeder is outside. and I am sitting in the Just Us! fair trade cafe having a cup of coffee and using the Internet before I head down the Valley and over the North Mountain to the Black Hole of Internet oblivion.

foot treatment

2010-01-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

I was given a "foot spa".Tit came out of the great apartment swap, which is another story. It was brand new and still in its wrapping. It didn't seem like such a bad idea so I tried it out. But it has bubbles; irresistible, fascinating to watch. So I can't use the machine without some help from Miss Johnston.

another church

2010-01-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

I had a meeting at this church this morning. It was cold and crisp and therefore sunny. Our milder days are usually overcast at this time of the year. So cold comes with the sun. This is a typical white clapboard Maritime church.

And now here is k.d. lang singing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which we talked about at supper this evening.

Martin Luther King Day

2010-01-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

In honour of the day I was reading an older book: An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire" by Arundhati Roy. She won the Booker Prize for "The God of Small Things" in 1997. One of the essays in the book is a transcript ot a BBC Boardcast, that I highly, highly recommend, particularly for today: http://www.countercurrents.org/us-roy020903.htm.

Holy Bible

2010-01-10T21:51:00.000-04:00

And for those religiously inclined: the Bible in LOL translation: http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

cats in bed

2010-01-10T14:24:00.001-04:00

This is Chessie who was the mascot of the C&O Railway. As children her picture hung on our bedroom wall, and we had Chessie flannel pyjamas: fashion statements! She was our constant companion. Our cat future was sealed. We are three sisters, and each of us has two cats .It was fated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessie_%28railroad_mascot%29

mirror image

2010-01-09T11:45:00.000-04:00

I looked in the mirror. I didn't recognize the wrinkled old person who looked back at me. I was sent this cartoon. The cats have taken over,.

still under the weather

2010-01-08T17:11:00.000-04:00

Still ailing. Cats are still taking full advantage of the situation.

feeling poorly

2010-01-07T19:22:00.000-04:00

Feeling poorly and taken to bed. Cats are taking full advantage of the situation.

suburban geocaching

2010-01-06T16:19:00.002-04:00

How I spent my winter vacation: My son and his youngest son, Tommy, went geocaching in the suburban sprawl. We searched under benches, in fences and large parking lot light fixtures: the great Canadian wilderness. And we returned triumphant having found four hidden caches. Tommy made us celebratory hot chocolate. There is nothing to beat sitting around in the warmth, in from the cold, telling each other how clever we all are.

Here is a follow up on the Climate Change campaign:

And I spent some time in Northern Ontario where ice fishing is the chief form of entertainment. This is from Debra's blog, thanks Debra, I just had to share it: