Saturday Photo: Fathers' Day Gathering

 Scene last Sunday at the Lachine Rapids: a couple of geese families enjoying a picnic while the Old Guy watches.

Geese are quite tame and not at all bothered by our presence.  Young are of various ages. Nice to see on Fathers' Day.

Saturday Photo: The Best Grass Is No Grass

 Just a reminder that a well-tamed grass lawn is a nuisance to keep up, not nearly as interesting as a wilder collection of plants, and less than ideal from the standpoint of the environment.

Saturday Photo: First Rose of Summer

 The first wild roses are in bloom.  What a wonderful time of year when all the flowers are bursting forth!

Saturday Photo: Goslings on Parade

Sunday morning outing at the Technoparc: mom and dad and six goslings paddling around. 

Just a few minutes earlier a noisy flock of geese landing in a nearby pond to feed and splash around. Why were they not with their partners raising more goslings? I wondered.

 Turns out that for the first couple of years young geese don't settle down to raise little ones. The bird books didn't say so, but it looked like the flock must have been a group of rowdy goose adolescents without responsbilities yet. Wonder what they did on Saturday night.

Saturday Photo: Journée des Patriotes

I've run this before, but it bares repeating: in Quebec  this weekend  is not Victoria Day but the Journée des Patriotes.  It commemorates the Rebllion of 1837-38, which was that nearest thing to a revolution Canada has ever known.  

And it wasn't just the French speakers of Lower Canada who were demanding  a larger say in government,  William Lyon Mackenzie (grandfather of William Lyon Mackenzie King) was one of the leaders of the uprising in Upper Canada, not to mention Wolfred and Robert Nelson who were leaders here.

Saturday Photo: Still Life with Morning Light, Flower and Clementines

 Lovely Mothers' Day floers and other nice things

Saturday Photo: It's in Bloom.....

 Until this spring I've killed all the orchids that have passed through our doorway.  Can grow a lot of other things, particularly those from dry and mild places like lantana, plulmbago, jade plant, and Christmas cactus.  But I always murdered orchids for reasons I amonly vaguely aware of.

However, about18 months ago I took up the challenge, bought a healthy and blooming plant, and then tried several methods.  Didn't write them down, so I can't really say what worked, but something did.

The plant began blooming this week, and I'm hoping we'll have a couple of months of blooms.  Yay!!

Saturday Photo: Coming up Soon to a Woods Near YOU

Leaves will be on the trees before you know it! At last!
 

Saturday Photo: More Spring Flowers

 Had snow this week, but the flowers nevertheless persist.  Good to see.

Saturday Photo: Easter Eggs

 Latvian eggs: dyed with onion skins only.  These were done a couple of years ago when Easter was earlier, and there was still snow on the ground.  But I did some this year too, even though our Easter celebrations will be quiet. Third year in a row that Covid 19 has played havoc with having a good time!  This is getting old!

Saturday Photo: Pussy Willows

 Another sign of spring.  Am I right that the French term is saule discolore? What a disappointing name!

Saturday Photo: Fig Leaves?

The fig tree spent the winter in the basement, getting watered when I remembered to do so, but receiving very little light from the small window.  The temperature was chill most of the time, but never dropped below15 C,

Nevertheless, somehow the plant last week sensed that spring was upon us and started sending out green leaves.  Lee carried it upstairs to the second floor landing on Sunday, and now it is growing wonderfully under the skylight.

I find it amazing that minimal cues can prompt plants into new life when spring arrives.  There are a lot of things that we don't know about the world...
 

Saturday Photo: The Thaw Continues...

 Break-up at the Lachine Rapids park. Above freezing but still chilly. 

Many birds though, including red winged blackbirds that seem to be delighted to be back where they nest.

Saturday Photo: The Break-up and the Moon

 

Full moon this week, which coincided with the break up of ice on the St. Lawrence, which in turn meant strong tidal flow.  Half the day the fractured ice flowed with the water down toward the sea, but for the other half it was pushed back by the incoming tide.  

It's easy to forget just how far the tidal influences extend up the St. Lawrence estuary.  I knew tides were felt as far as Quebec City, but I really didn't realize the extent of that flow until this week when we spent a few days there.  One of the day's two high tides came at the end of the afternoon so we spent a lot of time watching the ice run upstream.  Fascinating!  

Once again, I bowled over the wonders of nature.

Saturday Photo:Two from The New Yorker

 I have two indulgences.  One is a good haircut from Wayne McLaughlin at Furisme.  The other is a subscription to The New Yorker.  Must go see Wayne soon, because I'm getting shaggy, but here are two great covers from the magazine.

Saturday Photo: More Bad News on Climate Change, But Winter Is Terrific Here

 March 5 here, and there's still a lot of snow on the ground.  This has been a great winter for skating, playing in the snow, skiing (I guess, I don't) and just enjoying brisk and sunny days.  Often by now the snow is gone, and certainly skating outside is problematic.

As I've been enjoying the weather (much prefer sun and cold to mild and grey) I've been wondering if we all should be storing up a lot of memories of what a good winter is like.  The latest report by the International Panel on Climate Change says that things are going to get worse. 

According to to the background info: “This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. “It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”

Take heed, everyone.  And enjoy what we've got when we can. 

Saturday Photo: Well, Now That Maybe We're Going to Be Able to Get out and about...

  A friend just sent this.  Seems it was made nearly two years ago, but it's still funny today.  Maybe we'll eventually get out of this .....

Saturday Photo: What I Feel Like with Rain and Turkeys demonstrating

Well, actually it's just a snow person who's a little the worse for wear, given the couple of days of above-freezing temps.

But given all the stupidity going around, I'm feeling just as out-of-sorts as he  does.

I've spent far more time on pickets lines and at various demonstrations than I care to remember, but I've never seen such folly as in the last few days.
 

Saturday Photo: The Light Is Different These Days

The days are getting longer, and during the days themselves, the sun is riding higher in the sky.  The result can be glorious, cold days like today after a little snow.  Makes winter worth it.
 

Saturday Photo: Solution for the Housing Crisis?

 Fixer-upper near all conveniences.  Or ready to move in if you've got a good  snowsuit!  This cold January has had some very fun moments for kids in or neighborhood.