Thursday, July 2, 2009

SKYWATCH FRIDAY – “Big birds flying across the sky, throwing shadows on our eyes” (Lake Erie)


Those of you who are Neil Young fans like me will recognize the title of this post as belonging to the lyrics of Neil’s song, Helpless—the one the begins, “There is a town in north Ontario.” Leamington, Ontario, where I live, isn’t in the north of the province. In fact it’s just a couple of kilometers from the most southerly point in all of Canada, where the land dips below the 42nd parallel north, and is the only point in our long shared international border where Canada is actually south of the U.S.

This sunset seemed to me like two birds’ wings—the dark wing of night advancing towards the east as the wing of day withdraws. Then I noticed how each wing was resting on a small “foundation” of its opposite. It reminded me, even though not circular, of the principle contained in the Taijitu symbol.



Optional music link:
For those who have the time and inclination, here is a LINK to a very beautiful PBS video from the American Masters series, of Neil Young singing an acoustic version of Helpless in concert at Toronto’s Massey Hall in 1971 (a much acclaimed live album) combined with almost dream-like northern landscape images.

Taijitu symbol from Wikimedia Commons


To view more skies from all around our beautiful planet, or to join in, visit SKYWATCH. Live links after 2:30 p.m. EST time or 19:30 GMT

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

MY "SALAD" DAYS


Yesterday, my neighbor, Karen, who has a love of and talent for gardening, brought me a lettuce, straight from the field. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve had salad fixings of any kind that fresh. I immediately pulled it apart to wash and inspect the leaves for any brown spots or hitchhikers. There were none; it was perfect! Everyone else here thought so too (see photos below).

I normally buy those bag salads, which are excellent, and can be bought organic, but there was something about seeing the whole head (I think it’s a variety of romaine, I’ll have to ask) with the entire root still attached, about washing the sand washing into the sink, and then feeling the tiny pieces of grit I missed between my teeth when I popped a few inner leaves in my mouth. It seemed somehow more real, more alive—like wild lettuce, as opposed to the tame, bagged, engineered lettuce in the stores. It connected me to something from my distant childhood, when my mother’s father came to live with us, and my dad helped him convert part of the backyard into a garden. It all came back to me: I have picked wax beans, pulled up onions and carrots, waited impatiently for tomatoes to turn red, and sifted the dirt my grandfather had just turned for tiny new potatoes.

A couple of times in my thirties I tried my hand at a salad garden, but each time the result was the same—total decimation by an army of ravenous slugs. I recall the frustration and disappointment when the hours of hard work preparing and planting came to nothing. Tufts of greens ended in a frail hollowed-out shells that had once been carrots, and I searched in vain through pea vines slippery with slug trails. Of course, it was probably my fault. Other than watering and a bit of thinning, I really did nothing to care for the garden, or to try to stave off these attacks. I simply left the garden to its fate while I wrote poetry and did artwork in my little studio. And I decided that, though the idea of gardening was appealing, I wasn’t willing to give it the proper time and attention it obviously required. Now, in retrospect, I’ve decided I just didn’t inherit the gardening gene. But tasting Karen’s delicious “wild” lettuce was a reminder of the childhood summers long past, when my time was infinite, and with my mother’s colander in hand, I followed grandpa’s hoe.


In the middle of washing the lettuce, I stopped to answer the phone, and both Pearl and Sweeney took the opportunity to jump up on the counter and make off with a leaf each. Very bad behavior, but of course instead of scolding, I grabbed the camera! I think they were more attracted to the wild smell of the earth than to the palate appeal of the lettuce, which, after a few tentative nibbles, they abandoned it. Fine, all the more for me.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

THE LAST DAY of JUNE, and SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS


Today is another cool day. The temp is barely 19C/66F, and there's a stiff breeze into the bargain. Not that I mind, every day we don't swelter here is one day to the good, but still, I wonder - where the fishflies (Mayflies) are. Here it is, the last day of June, and other than a few hundred of them scattered over a couple of weeks, we're still waiting. And by we, I mostly mean the birds and fish and countless other small creatures who depend on nature's outrageous abundance of these winged protein packets. Where are the teeming hordes that coat the buildings and dim the nighttime signs in town? The annoying midges certainly came on time, and in the expected numbers, but what about the elegant, graceful Mayfiles?

Where are the wind-piled drifts of their short-lived fallen bodies in the parking lots? Why aren't they here in mind-stunning numbers like they do every summer in early-to-mid June? Are they coming late, or not at all? This past winter, we had more cold weather, and much more snow, than I recall from my mere four years of living here, and long-timers confirm it was a bad one, for this area. I remember the long hard freezes I experienced in Alberta always had farmers and ranchers rejoicing because the prolonged deep cold meant a reduction in the grasshopper and other pest populations. I wonder if that's going to happen here. Even if the fishflies do finally arrive, what about my personal favorites, the crickets and the fireflies?


It's already getting late in the season. I've seen discarded eggshells from the second brood of birds, and loose molted feathers stuck at angles in the lawn, like tiny quill pens. Today I put on my jacket and went out for a windy walk in the yard, and stopped to contemplate of the side of my neighbor's house, by the old trellis, where last fall I watched dozens of crickets burying their eggs in the sandy soil. Are you okay down there? I silently asked. Will there be choruses of crickets later this summer? And when the corn is shoulder high again, will there be myriad fireflies rising up from among the stalks to dance against the stars on hot summer nights? Only time and temperature will tell.

Monday, June 29, 2009

UNDER THE MORNING STAR


Up early and into the garage for a bag of birdseed for the resident ducks. A small hint of color behind the eastern trees marks the spot where dawn will eventually issue forth, but for now the road is dark, and the the silence is complete if you don't count robinsong and the soft chafe of the wooden door as I gently pull it shut behind me. Time for all the nocturnal raccoons and 'possums to hurry to their dens, time for the daytime squirrels to yawn and stir. Time for the dozing mallards to dream about coming for breakfast under the maple tree.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

THAT WAS SOME STORM ALRIGHT!


Yesterday I discovered just how big that storm (in previous post) really was! Here, from the local radio station's website:

Tornado in Leamington Fri Jun 26th, 2009
Environment Canada says not only did yesterday's storm spawn funnel clouds in Leamington, but in fact it produced a tornado.The weather authority says investigators will be in the town today surveying damage done to a barn on Mersea Road C near Point Pelee.At this point Warning Preparedness meteorologist Geoff Coulson says they believe the twister was an F1, which means winds of between 140 and 160 kilometers (73-112 mph) an hour.Coulson warns this is the prime time of the year for tornado activity and advises people to be on the look out particularly looking towards the southwestern horizon during storms for possible funnels.

This morning I drove out Mersea Road C to see this barn; it's only a couple of minutes drive (gulp!) from my place. If this is the right barn, then it must have been pretty rickety to begin with, the wood looked quite old and weathered, almost as if I'd leaned on it hard I could have done some damage of my own. But even so, there's a whole lot less barn now! I almost wasn't sure I had the right place 'til I drove a bit past it and turned around, where I could see a lot of wreckage strewn behind the house and other nearby structures. And a lovely large willow tree just down the road had some huge branches ripped away.



On my own property, the downed branches are all removed, but there's more to be done. I noticed that the flagpole - which you've seen in some of my lake shots - is now doing a little leaning, too, plus there's a crack (hairline, for now) in the concrete it's embedded in. I think it's going to have to come down, and soon, before the next storm arrives. I kind of wish it had been a big tree branch instead - you know, something easy to take care of. I don't think there's going to be a full page devoted just to "flagpole removal" in the Yellow Pages!

It's rather unsettling to think of a tornado so close by, especially since I live in a "media vacuum." When I get the town's weekly newspaper next Wednesday, I'll learn a bit more, but as for advance warnings, there's no siren in Leamington. The town does have a fledgling TV station, but it's only available on cable, and my semi-rural road doesn't have cable TV access (and likely won't get it). Most of the homes and older cottages already have a satellite dish installed, so it's not a priority for a cable company to go to the expense of setting up for service. I get most of my Doppler weather from the Detroit TV station, but that doesn't really extend much beyond Windsor. I guess I just keep my eyes and ears open. There's no basement here, so I don't suppose there's much to be done except sit in the bathtub with the four cats and hope we don't end up in Oz!!

P.S. Something is going on with my server and/or computer, so it may be a while before I'm able to make my rounds to see you all, but I'll keep trying!

Friday, June 26, 2009

BIG STORM BLOWS THROUGH


Yesterday, the heat and humidity reached oppressive levels, and all who could hunkered down. Starlings and grackles sat with their beaks open, trying to lose body heat; I flipped the switch on the central air. Later in the afternoon, ominous clouds built up in the west,and thunder announced itself. I took down the umbrellas and cranked up the awning, moved a few small outdoor items that could turn into projectiles, and then waited. First to arrive was the rain, heavy and straight down, then the wind, driving the rain in sheets, grounding the handful of birds that didn't get to shelter soon enough. One robin tumbled by, tried to fly, then hopped to the lee side of the big ash tree to ride it out. A half-hour later when the rain stopped, he was gone, but the rain had been so heavy I couldn't see what happened to him.

The downpour was so solid, it triggered the motion-activated yardlight! Branches came down everywhere, shredded leaves were plastered against the windows, and the spreading red maple that offered so much shade in good weather eerily changed its shape. The best part of the storm (beyond the high drama) was that the temperature quickly dropped over 20 degrees. The sky cleared just in time for a beautiful sunset, so I could turn off the AC, and open the windows for some freshly washed air!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

SKYWATCH FRIDAY – Ice Cream Colors (Lake Erie)

Would you like some Raspberry-Mango Ripple or maybe some Tiger Tail?



The yesterday was the hottest day of the season in the greater Windsor/Detroit area. In fact, I think there was a heat-humidity-smog warning in the Motor City, and probably in the Rose City, too. This morning, along the “cooler” lakeshore, it’s already 28C/82F on the shore of the lake, with a humidity index that “feels like” 36C/97F. It’ll be even hotter in the afternoon. In my previous post, I mentioned I was saving the AC for the truly hot days, and I think this one qualifies. The sunsets have been cooperating by giving us some pretty ice cream colors. Now, if they’d just bring the cool with it!


To view more skies from all around our beautiful planet, or to join in, visit SKYWATCH. Live links after 2:30 p.m. EST time or 19:30 GMT