Little Things

There will be a separate post for the really big news when I get to it.

I haven't written lately about observations of the natural world about me here - and that in itself is unusual. Most of the migrations through the area went unnoticed by me this year and that might be because I don't hang around outside smoking like I used to. There are waves to the Canada geese migration which I did notice. The main part of it is massive with all the females, the sick, the elderly and the younger males. That part of it can be spread out over a few weeks and seems endless. Like 'where are they all coming from?' Typically there is a definite lapse of a couple of weeks and then the oldest healthy males begin to come when the weather turns sharply colder.

Ahead of the geese went all our colourful songbirds; gone until springtime arrives again. This week I saw the first bunch of chickadees and a pair of cardinals. We have a number of blue jays squacking in the neighbourhood. Hide your nuts!

We've noticed the last few evenings right after dusk a pair of brilliant objects in the south-western sky and wondered aloud what they might be. Tonight after arriving at work I got on the 'Sky and Telescope' site and found it is Venus and Jupiter. Have a look after it gets full dark - they're in view until about 8 p.m. - can't miss 'em. They are within 2 degrees of one another.

I seem to recall there is supposed to be a very bright object in the daytime sky known as 'the sun' but I haven't been fortunate enough to have seen it lately. There is to be a big storm rolling through beginning tomorrow night so perhaps it'll show it's happy face when that is over with.

Skipping subjects now but... I've about given up reading Howlin' Wolf's biography. The author has done a very thorough job and cites numerous sources but there is a uniformity, a sameness to what everyone has to say about him. It's gotten tiresome by the halfway point so I think I'll bail. Maybe I'll just spot read what he has to say about the 'London Sessions' release which is the only record of his that I own.

After writing about having gained weight I started thinking about when, what and how much I eat. The 'what' part is okay - pretty healthy variety. When and how much depend on whether it's a work week or not. If I'm not working I have a bad tendency to forget to eat lunch - busy with running around. I'll skip it and wait to eat dinner with Lynda if she's around or if she isn't have dinner early. My portions seem normal to me.
Now during my work weeks things get cranked up a notch because I'm usually up 18 or so hours a day. Check out this list:
2 p.m. - 3 coffees w/ cream & sugar + a bowl of cereal w/ milk.
5:30 p.m. - a full dinner with Lynda.
Through the evening and night - coffee, tea, water and snacks like granola bars, chocolate, yogurt, berries.
Anytime between midnight and 3 a.m. another full dinner - whatever the guys in-house had for dinner - a plate is saved for me.
Sometimes I'll have another bowl of cereal before I leave for home so I don't wake through the day because of hunger. (Sleep is a precious commodity which needs protecting, don't ya know?) Seem like a lot?? Maybe it is too much for the amount of energy I expend this time of year.

Hmmm... a little exercise couldn't hurt.

Seasonal change

Snapshot: I live in a subdivision about 1 km north of the lake. Our lot backs on a greenbelt, then there's a creek, a railroad track and beyond it a golf course. What this affords us is a terrific view, from our side patio and back yard, of a wide variety of birds, beasts and flora through the course of the seasons.

My drive to work is a little over 20 km, the first 5 of which are through town and then it's prime farm land and woodlots until I get to the small town where I'm employed. This residence is an old country mansion on nice grounds which back on a 50 foot deep wooded ravine with a creek. The trip here is a gradual climb except when I hit the leading face of the moraine (a leftover of the last glacial age) which parallels the lakeshore. One of the pleasures that I have on a daily basis is passing Canada's premier stable - Windfield Farms - and having the opportunity to see the many thoroughbreds roaming acre after acre of fenced pasture.

I was a little disappointed with the autumnal colour change this year; the colours just didn't seem to be as vivid. I think it was because we had a number of slight frosts as opposed to a couple of sharp, killing ones. Still the change from the many shades of green to yellow, orange and red delighted the eye. The season is over, the trees bare now except for a few stubborn, straggling leaves.

And with that the birds have mostly flown off to warmer climes. Gone are the robins, orioles and flickers. So too the swallows, killdeer and meadowlark. Lynda and I have lucked out this year and seen huge flights of hawks, geese, ducks and finches headed south. Back in September we saw the Monarch butterfly migration for the first time in our lives. Hundreds of thousands of them parading past the end of our street on their way to Mexico.

It turns out that the owl who has taken up residence in the neighbourhood is of the 'Great Horned' variety. (thanks John, thanks Trish for passing that on) I'd love to lay eyes on him. The coyote pack that I'd hoped was just passing through is still in the area; one of our guests heard them again last night. Quite often at night here I see raccoons and skunks out on the lawn searching for grubs and worms. In the fall and winter, deer are a frequent sight at dawn or dusk along the tree and fence lines of the farm fields between here and home.

There are many places on this earth I'd like to see but there aren't many where I'd prefer to live.

Busy, busy, busy......

.........so much so that I haven't read a newspaper or seen a newscast to know whats going on in the world - globally or locally.

Yesterday was Remembrance Day for our veterans of WWI, WWII and the Korean War so I took a time out to think of those who didn't come back from those conflicts and the millions of lives affected. I was also thinking about our young troops peacekeeping in Croatia and rebuilding/fighting the Taliban in Afganistan. Canada has lost over 40 troops to date in Afganistan.

On a happier note; today is Mom's 82nd birthday!!!! I'm hoping for some sort of a quick visit and maybe a meal between when I get up this afternoon and when I come in to work. The lot of us are meeting for dinner next Saturday in downtown Toronto; both my older brothers and their wives are coming from up north, our sister Linda and a niece or two - a rare opportunity to celebrate together. 'Mabel! Get down off that table! And put down that beer!'

We did get those couple of mild days but unfortunately the week was mainly grey and wet. Tonight the temperature has dropped again and it feels like it may snow a bit.

After work on Wednesday I stepped out of the house for a smoke just after sunset and noticed a column of small birds flying south. Wrens, finches, sparrows....I don't know but the column was about 50 feet in diameter and after watching for a few minutes I started trying to get a rough count. They were pretty consistent with only a few gaps and I figured there were 250-300 passing each minute and I stood there gawking at them for 20 minutes before they finally petered out. By then it was gathering dark and I wondered....'are they going to cross Lake Ontario tonight into New York state?...in the dark? It has to be 25 to 30 miles; I hope the little buggers don't tire and wind up drowning.' When I went back in the house step-son #3 said I'd just blown off 20 minutes of my life looking at a bunch of birds. Hmmm...20 minutes of awe and wonder. Damn right I did. Priceless.