Chillin'

Once I had all 'that' stuff out of the way yesterday I enjoyed a dinner I had thrown together, then some other tasty rib-sticking goodies and somehow managed to stay up until Lynda made it in from work. (There is a vegetable drink I've been enjoying lately - a blend of 10 veggies - made by 'Allen's'. One glass is never enough; have to have 2 or 3. I've been thinking it's be interesting to cook with too.) Then I was done, totally done after we'd had a quick check-in on our days. 10+ hours of blissful uninterrupted sleep - aahhh!! Hadn't had one like that in weeks and months.

When I eventually did get up it was a bit of a rush getting cleaned up in time to head off to a dentist appointment. I had planned to swing by the house I grew up in, the house Mom and Dad built there in the eastern suburbs of Toronto, but it had started snowing pretty heavily. Drat; and headed back to the highway and home. One of the hangover affects of doing all those hours is that along with being incredibly tired I'm awfully sore. Really sore; deep down achy to the point it is uncomfortable to even sit upright for any length of time. As a result I haven't accomplished as much on the home front as I would like but.... there is always tomorrow.

A few days ago I saw a hawk sailing about out in back of the house over the greenbelt area sporting his winter plumage. It was a terrifically gusty day and he was wheeling and swooping along looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Looked like an out-of-control kite up there but in a regal, superior sort of way.

Last night about 9 p.m. I heard a coyote's wavering call out back. We have heard it before on occasion but that sound never fails but to give me the 'willys'. The theory is that they're driven down this far south by persistent cold but I have no proof of that. All I know is that when I hear them I don't walk outdoors at night and I keep a close eye on the pets.

Lynda has been agitating to get things arranged and sorted out around here and I don't blame her. My stuff is still boxed (mainly) taking up room in the spare bedroom on the main floor and a good portion of a basement room. Problem is that I left the furniture items that held my stuff back at the townhouse where it is all being used. So, that's one project for tomorrow besides all the running around I have planned. Get a start on unpacking and arranging. Get the Bose system out and set up - I don't think I'll do the full surround set-up; just the centre channel and left & right speakers. I've lived music-less for long enough. Completely miss my tunes.

That should account for more than a few of my '50 Goals'. Stop dithering; get on with it.

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.

Meandering again

Last night I decided to follow my grandmother's advice - 'If you haven't anything good to say, don't say anything at all.' Not that I was in a particularily bad mood; just in a strange mix of emotions and thoughts. I whiled away the hours catching up on some emails that needed attention and following links on others blogs. Interesting stuff. Solbeam has a unique manner of writing and some beautiful photos of her trek.

We'd headed into the east end of Toronto Friday evening to meet Russ for dinner and had a good visit with him for a couple of hours at Casey's bar & grill over steaks. I'm hoping he can come out to the house for the evening Sunday and spend a bit more time with us. He's to leave Monday now once he gets a few loose ends tied up. He's made me really proud again this week with the way he's attended to Reada; always within reach or nodding distance. Just as he was with my Mom when we lost Dad a few years ago. Incredible.

It's been a weird week; full of ups and downs so I was hoping it would be a quiet night here at work to wrap up the week. The gods had other plans. It's a good thing that on the drive up here I had a good hard think about what it is I have to offer the residents. Act and react appropriately. Do the next right thing and the next thing right. Stir thought not emotion.
It was visiting day so the natives are restless tonight; lots of thought and emotion awakening, lots to process.

The change in the weather has been swift; a definite shift to wintery stuff the last couple of nights. Supposed to be mild for a day or two - we'll see. Looking out our back window this afternoon I could see streamers of snow falling here and there. Nothing that would last for more than a minute in any one place and certainly wouldn't accumulate but it's on it's way. I was outside for a smoke awhile ago and heard an owl hooting which is a rarity around here. Either passing through or settling into it's winter range. I'd rather have owls that the coyotes I heard about a month ago crying in full hunt mode - gives me the shivers hearing that. Another rarity, thank God.

I have no idea what next week holds. I'm hoping to get some day shifts filling in for a coworker who is off sick. It'd be good to have more contact with the guys inhouse and do some meetings with them. There's still lots to accomplish at home, both inside and out. If I'm going to write it'll probably be over cereal and coffee in the morning. We're to have a business meeting after our regular 'open' meeting on Monday night and we're to have elections for various committees so I'll likely be taking on a different role supporting the group function.

There are some things I have in mind for this blog when I have time to spend on it. More links, add the automated blogroller, add a site meter, thought of the day and on, and on....What's the deal with 'Ad Sense'?? Worth bothering with or just a scam?

Time to check on my charges and finish up my nights work.........Later.