Saturday Photo: Lonely Bench Waiting for Spring

 Despite a little snow last night, it's clear that spring is on its way.  Not least is the fact that benches in parks are now appearing as snow banks melt.  This poor, lonely bench seems marooned in frozen water, not even attractive enough for someone slogging through the snowy park along a desire line to stop and rest a moment.

That will change in the next little bit.  Haven't seen any robins yet, but yesterday at the Lachine Rapids the first red winged blackbirds were chirping and buzzing to claim territory for the upcoming season of avian passion.

Saturday Photo: Snow Drops, or (more appropriately) des Perces neiges..

 Spring arrives next week, but the snow is receding and the first snowdrops (called perce-neige in French) have come up.  A sure sign of spring...

Saturday Photo: Sledding as the Winter Ends

Beautiful sunshine today, with temperature below freezing. Things are melting in the sun, nevertheless, and the days of sledding are numbered.  Winter is drawing to a close.

Saturday Photo: March 1, the Day the Sun Starts Shining in the Bedroom...

 Actually the photo was taken a couple of years ago, but I'm pleased to report that this March 1 also saw the first forray of the sun into our upstairs back bedroom.

By the solstice there will be several hours of sunshine in this room, but during the winter there is none. Instead, we have this Stonehenge-like moment on about the first day of the meterological spring.

Saturday Photo: The Flowers of Winter

 Outside snow still covers the ground, although the days are getting longer.  Inside that translates into several house plants taking a cue from lengthening daylight and setting forth blooms.

An anthurium that had been in a north window has taken the plunge and sent out blossoms.  Nice to see this time of year.

Saturday Photo: Sunburned Knees from Last Summer

  Summer evening at Sept Iles, sunshine and sunburned knees for the old guy.  A nice memory of a good trip, something to think about as the days begin to grow longer.

Saturday Photo: Desire Lines in the Snow

 

People don't walk in straight lines, even though sidewalks and roads may try to make them.  Uneven ground, small obstacles and even the vagaries on one's gait mean that the paths we take wobble a bit at the best of times.  When getting from here to there is the issue, this means that cutting across a patch of grass or snow will likely not be at right angles to anything.

Urbanists and architects call these paths "desire lines" since they show exaclty where we want to go.  Nowhere is that clearer than in snow that's been on the ground for a few days, giving folks a chance to make their own paths.  Pity the person who went first: given the depth of the snow it woud have bee a slog.  At the time the photo was taken though folks' desires had manifested themselves in a well-trodden track.

Saturday Photo: Baby, It's Cold Outside

 After a winter that so far has been warmer than usual, we are in the deep freeze.  Windows were frosted over this morning.  Glad I was inside and not out...

Saturday Photo: An Afternoon in the Park...

 

Neighborhood park are great things, and we are lucky to have three nearby.  They're used by local daycares and schools too--and not just in the summer time.

This group of kids (from the daycare which our children attended decades ago) were doing all the kinds of things they'd do in the park in the summer, only instead of grass to play, they have snow.  Easier to build things with, softer when you fall too.  It's great that snow suits are as warm as they are:  it's rare that you see a kid who has not flung off his or her mittens who is crying with cold because the material the snowsuit is made of is so warm!  Luck us!

Saturday Photo: Zamboni on the Loose

 The photo's not the best, but it makes me smile anyway.  After a spell of terrible warm weather, winter has returned, and while it's not really cold, it's cold enough to go skating outside.  There are year's when this pond is not cleared for skating, but this year the powers that be have decided to do so.  That's  a portable ice-making machine sweeping around it.  Good fun for the kids!

Saturday Photo: The First Books Arrive....

 Wednesday the first copies of my new book, Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Waters arrived.  Most appropriate as storms batter California, destroying beaches and bridges and badly-sited houses.  

We are going to have to learn to live with rising waters.  Doing so will require some changes in the way we build our cities and live our lives. 

Saturday Photo: The New Year Begins on a Gray Note...

 The view at the Lachine Rapids on the morning of January 1, 2023.  Going for a walk was a good thing to do, but it was cold and wet and gray, so we didn't go far.  Nevertheless it was a good way to start the new year.

Best wishes for a good one to all...

Saturday Photo: Sun to Greet the New Year?

 Confession: the photo was taken some time ago when we actually had some sunny weather.  It's been gray and rainy for the last couple of days and all the snow is melting.  Would love to have the sun greet the new year, but the forecast says no.

Whatever, best wishes for a splendid 2023.

Saturday Photo: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Here's the tree.  Don't know who will be around to celebrate tonight and tomorrow, given the weather conditions and Covid amongst us.  But it looks pretty good, none the less.  

Here's the link to our holiday blog, too, in case you're interested.

Saturday Photo: Inside Looking out until the Side Walk Tractors Pass

 Lots of fluffy white stuff has been falling since the middle of the night.  Maybe we'll have a white Christmas...

But I'm not going out until the sidewalk tractors come by.  Snowy sidewalks are a good excuse to stay inside and read.

Saturday Photo: The Jade Plant Blooms, Again

 Always nice to see my big jade plant bloom.  It spends the summer in the sun outside, and then comes in as soon as it begins to get really cool.  After a month or so in a sunny window the little white, star-like flowers burst out.  A nice thing for the end of the year....

Saturday Photo: Sil for Christmas

 In recent years I've had trouble finding salt herring to make sil, Swedish pickled herring.  But this year I hit the jackpot: nice firm, fat herring from Marché Epicure

Spent a good part of the morning filleting and cleaning them, and now I have four large jars of sil in the fridge, ready for celebrations later this month.

Saturday Photo: Milkweed, as Beautiful as Butterflies

 We all know that milkweed plants are what Monarch butterflies need to breed, aand I've been pleased to see that several folks around here have been planting them.  They're not particularly attractive for much of the season, but come fall when the seed pods burst, they are truly fantastically lovely.  Took this photo a few weeks ago, after which I harvested some seeds in hopes that I can get some plants going in a sunny corner of our yard.

Saturday Photo: Busy Healing Etc.

This photo was taken about two weeks ago, but I hadn't posted it because I couldn't get near my computer for long enough to play around. Nov. 4 I had hip replacement surgery which seems to have gone wonderfully well, and for quite a few days I was not doing much.

But I'm up and around, even walking outside with a cane, despite snow on the sidewalks so it's time to catch up....
 

Saturday Photo: That Was Some Halloween Party!