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Showing posts from August, 2021

Snowy Speculations

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If I could paint, I would have tried to replicate the landscape very early this morning. Illuminated by the faintest hints of light and hours before sunrise, the cold, stark landscape lay completely still in its snowy blanket. Naked trees stood proudly and quietly against this backdrop, this palate of pure white an unforgiving place for any creature, big or small, to attempt to cross without drawing attention to its existence at this time. Even our ancient tire swing looked sleepy and droopy, suspended precariously close to the ground, as if the effort of hanging from a tree limb was too much for it. To the east, the only rays of light visible were the ones coming from the across the river, and even those seem hushed and muffled, like a child tired and murmuring not to wake them up just yet.  The young families down the road have gone all out with Christmas lights this year. Bright colours adorn the night skies and my neighbours even have a Christmas Cat and a Christmas Dinosaur th...
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Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

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  Here Today, Gone Tomorrow!  The Story of our Charlotte's Web As autumn approaches, the sounds of nature's nightlife seem to reach new crescendos. It's the perfect time to sit in the light of a bonfire and to just listen to the music and cacophony all around! It was just by-chance that I turned on the spotlight over our side deck the other night and saw our newest resident arachnid.  This spider seems to have found the perfect spot to set up its magnificent trap for the thousands of insects whirring about.  The light illuminated off of its yellow body as it scurried along the lines, adding and improving continuously. I stood within a foot of its web and it did not falter for a second or give me the time of day. If this spider had been the feature of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and residing in Wilbur the pig's stall, it would surely have spun "INCREDIBLE" into its silk to reflect its work.  When I pulled back the curtains to let the sun in the next morn...
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Pumpkin Patch Passion

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  Everyone has a nurturing side. We parent. We have pets that need our care and attention. And we plant things and watch them grow. There is a deep satisfaction in creating and watching and that is what I get from my little pumpkin patch. Last year I wrote about the gourds that my son, Markus, unintentionally planted in the middle of the yard. I harvested hundreds of gourds of all shapes and sizes last fall. But this year my pumpkin patch was deliberate.  Last fall, I purchased a Jarrahdale pumpkin and a Cinderella pumpkin and harvested the seeds for my own use this year. They were $10 each at one of the roadside stands here in Niagara-on-the-Lake which offer so many different varieties of pumpkins, squashes (yes, that is the correct plural form of squash) and gourds. The Jarrahdale has a thick, bluish, grey skin and originated in Australia. Like Heirloom tomatoes that have been described as the ugliest tomatoes because of their irregular appearance, the Jarrahdale is also con...
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No Campground Reservation Needed!

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  No Campground Reservation Needed! Our neighbours host an annual "camp-out" for a local rugby team. Every civic long weekend, the tents start popping up on the Saturday afternoon, a plethora of various colours against the background of the green, lush forest behind and the vehicles fill their driveway. This year they have upped the ante and even rented a Porta Potty, proudly displayed for all to see. But this is one of the perks that comes with living in a rural setting. Not the Porta Potty, but the ability and the space to host campouts whenever you'd like. No reservations needed here! Their campfire burned all night and this morning someone was cooking up a delicious smelling breakfast for the hungry masses.  I remember our son hosting a few friends after graduation years ago. They set up tents and hung around the fire all night.  Since there is no high school in Niagara-on-the-Lake (besides a small international school), these St. Catharines teens had no idea that ...
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