Outside with nature on Canada day

Like many, I'm sure, I was sitting here in our quiet backyard, slightly inebriated... :)  It was Canada day. Supper was done, it was a long day, the wine was good. The kids were finally quiet inside playing a video game, with Marc. The sound of the game (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker) made me feel nostalgic. My oldest daughter now 24, out of the nest and engaged, used to play that game with Marc. I feel blessed with all the life around me. Inside and outside.

The little voices inside the house were nice and familiar but there was such a rich mixture of sounds and calls outside that all I could do was to sit still as I tried to pinpoint each source. As the day came to an end, my ears settled on a few different bird calls. A baby robin that got lost from it's nest a week ago is doing great and learning to grow fast on its own. He usually chirps so loud and proud! He will do fine. I can usually spot him in my service berry tree. We used to be worried for him, now he makes us smile. There was an other robin singing further on a wire. His call was so pleasant, I fell in love with it's song. There were cedar waxwings too (less pleasant, very high pitched) and grackles (those guys sound just like the birds in Hitchcock's classic). A mourning dove sat quietly on a wire till it flew away, I later found out that the sharp whinnying noise is made from the wings flapping. Above were chirping birds that reminded me of swallows, they were swooping fast and were definitely on the hunt. Above that, seagulls, loudly announcing their passing overhead. I assume they were going back to the waterfront after feasting somewhere else. We're a good 15 minute walk from the marina and beach so I envy them for getting there much faster! ;) A few other birds were chanting but I'm no expert and couldn't identify them. Usually we have a couple of shy cardinals but they've been elsewhere for the last week. Same with sparrows and blue jays. So many calls were coming from hidden spots through out the leaves. I just sat and listen and felt hypnotized.

Then there are the squirrels (or Squirtels, if you ask my 4 year old). They like to rush through our thick vine, a Virginia Creeper that is growing on our fence and side of the house. They stop by my service berry tree, stuff their faces and then rush back to my garden looking for seeds (a bird feeder used to be there), or they bury something in for later. Then they move on to the big trees behind the shed. They used to nest in our shed's roof but some paper wasps took over. The hive is still small (the size of a pear) and we can see a bunch of larvae in their  honeycomb like nest. I can't destroy that! :( I felt sick to my stomach with the last massacre. Anyways, the squirrels who used to live there, are now living up the tree. That tree, a Box Elder, is like a hotel. I couldn't cut it down ever. It's so full of life and action! In the morning, the best is to sit on the back deck with some coffee and look up or listen. There is always something going on. 1 new chipmunk has been snooping around. Too shy though. My own cat will climb that tree but it's mainly a great perch for birds, bugs and rodents! :)

Speaking of rodents, something has been nibbling my parsley. Raccoons come visit at night (they love that tree too). Could they be parsley eaters? We used to have a groundhog but it's been ages since I saw it. Could be a rabbit but I figured more plants or vegetables would have disappeared... Slugs? Possible. I'll have to look into that. With a flashlight!

Cool black wasps with thin yellow lines have been flying around my old peony plants. It's far enough from the deck to not make me nervous. Yet... I wonder if it's the same guys that built the hive in the shed's roof. It looked like they were drinking water on the leaves but maybe they were hunting for bugs. Lots of that in my garden. I read that they can skin and chew them apart to bring back to their nest. Thanks for eating my pests, guys! I was curious and watched super close for 10 minutes as they flew around me or the plants, I wasn't really bothering them and they were too busy flying and searching. I heard they can be more dangerous in the fall so I have a decision to make. Then a beetle landed on my lap, looking like a jewel! Emerald green with iridescent colours. So stunningly beautiful I moved on to that. A lot of them seem to hide in our vine. Snails hang out there too. Same with the great black wasps which I assume mainly go there to hunt. They are so impressive looking with their cool, jet-black bodies. I always kept my distance, they look nasty but it turns out they are not. They just look for grub to feed the nest wherever that is.

I can usually sit there all evening. Mosquitos usually force me in. To be honest, even they don't threaten me as much as they used to. Nothing like working next to bugs in the dirt to take away the edge. In fact, I felt sorry for them as their habitat was being disturbed by me, this giant woman, destroying their world by creating landslides, floods and transplanting green buildings all around them. Gardening can be so relaxing if not loaded with guilt!

Lots of gardening was done today. I mainly weeded stuff out. Like my crazy mint that managed to grow outside of it's pot a few years back. It was taking over the beds in the front of the house. Sorry neighbours! Once I pulled it all out and knowing it was going to rain (a heavy tradition on Canada Day), I added a few new plants like daisies, chives, French tarragon and lavender. We'll see how it grows. Like I thought, right after I watered them, the rain poured down. It didn't last too long but it was a great way to clean everything up and quench those plants. All had a chance afterwards to shake their leaves dry in the warm breezy air and late afternoon sun. I felt satisfied and went straight to the kiddy pool to cool off.

Call it obsession, I couldn't resist to check it all out late in the evening after it all had time to settle. Satisfied, l looked up and spotted a satellite and gazed at that for a while. Then something else caught my eye. It was dark and I could barely spot the quick silhouette in the indigo sky but it was clearly looking like a dragonfly, zooming in and out of the tree to feast on bugs. It just happens that earlier that night, as I stared out the window, singing to my daughter while sitting on her bed, I noticed lots of bugs fluttering through the leaves of the tree close to her window. At the time, I was surprised at how many I could see if I just relaxed my eyes (eyes that need glasses too), so I was trying to imagine how many more were actually hidden away from view and how much food that must have meant for the birds who were nesting nearby. I never thought of dragonflies! You see them in the yard, above ponds and low to the ground but in trees? It was quite impressive and I just stood there, letting the mosquitos bite me just for a bit more of the show. One came close to the light and I could swear it was blue. My 7 year old daughter must have felt it because she came down the stairs in her birthday suit (it was so hot) and joined me outside. I held her in my arms, hid her in my kimono and we stared a bit longer, enough for her to spot it on her own. It was a nice 5 minutes. We spotted a little white moth that landed on a leaf at eye level and she wished really strongly for the moth to be spared. Fingers crossed. We walked back in, I sent her back up, heard the first fireworks in the distance which meant it was 10h00pm and on cue the rain just poured down! :)

A few random pics below from this weekend. They might help give visual to our little but lively space. Sorry no pics of birds, bugs or rodents. Just one of my small accomplices who is mostly seen in her birthday or bathing suit.

My welcoming oasis when stepping outside on the back deck.

Pool included if you don't mind sitting or lying down! ;)

A mister got added to the parasol. That thing made the Humidex of 40 a lot more pleasant!

Better view of the mister clipped on the parasol. Not very pretty right now but oh so handy!:)

This swing takes abuse from the kids each day but rocks me to many lazy sleeps.

My accomplice watering the garden. Plus, good view of the trees surrounding the shed.

Different angle shows a better view of garden and crazy vine (Virginia creeper). 

The deck right off the kitchen, looking inviting (with the help of a cropped picture).

One pic of birds! :) Seagulls, heading for the waters.

Not giving justice but a pretty sunset was happening behind those trees and wires.

Still alive and kicking!

It's been a while. I felt bad and frustrated for missing in action for so long, so early in the game but I had to let go to get busy elsewhere. I figured I would miss a week or 2 but 33 days!? Gaaah! Not good. Somewhere in mid April to May, I had a sick little girl on antibiotics, an older one getting engaged (that's very distracting you know), major house cleaning, family visiting, a big Easter dinner for 13, my baby girl's 4th birthday party the day after, more family visiting, a 2nd birthday celebration the next day, band practice at our house, a gig with my husband's band across the river by the end of that week, my middle girl's 7th birthday party the next week, family visiting again, an other gig, band practice, pottery class... "breeeathe"... Then all of a sudden, it all went sort of quiet! Instead of skipping back here, I slowly deflated like a balloon.

A few times I really wanted to post about something but my brain was numb and turning to mush. Cool topics and fun opportunities went by but it required too much effort. What can you do when it's competing with kids, dinner, pottery classes (the hobby that keeps me sane), going out or getting some down time with my guy! :) The last stick in the mud that kept me away though is realizing that we ran out of time for procrastinating with taxes. Ugh! Speaking of numb brain turning to mush... This is where I'm at! :P

TAXES! Yuk. It was ugly for a while. PMS decided to join in the fun too! I was grumpy and we ordered a lot. All the paper gathering, the sorting, the trashing, more sorting, loads and loads of papers, like a big giant salad went from mind boggling stress to just manageable. Then there was the categorizing and finer sorting of those piles, followed by adding numbers. The adding can be simple (if you live in a bubble), but tricky if you get distracted. Especially when your kid decides to ask you an important question just when you think you added that last odd number but all of a sudden you're not so sure and you lose count only to realize that you typed in the wrong number anyway x 3!! Then the iPad you thought was really handy for this decides that the battery is out of juice! Yeah. Drink please!!!

The drink. I mentioned this concoction before (ice, coffee liquor, milk and a generous addition of J.D.),  it's working! :) A beautiful bouquet of dandelions from the little one also warmed my heart. I know it's a weed but how can you not smile at this sun spot on my table!! :D Also, I'm not allergic. My neighbour is. She received as many from her little girl. I almost took them all (out of pity), but that was a lot of dandelions! The pic was taken yesterday. It's like groundhog day with taxes here so it doesn't really matter which day of the week... A foggy evil that sucks time. Hell must be one giant, bureaucratic, paper pushing, number calling, tax office without clocks. The good news, the flowers are still pretty today. I just had to weed a few out. They made me smile. That's good!

Aside from the flowers, yesterday stood out because Marc went out by late afternoon and took the girls with him after school! SWEET!! They were doing a few errands for my birthday (which is tomorrow). I'm in no rush to get older but oh well. I'll be 44! No point denying it and I do enjoy getting spoiled. It was blissful peace. I even played a few records to chill (husband took my iPod with him), can't complain right? I sat by the patio door. Sweet rain started coming down on what was a warm spring day with that unmistakable smell in the air. You know, when the ground and dusty warm surfaces get wet and refreshed with cool showers? There is a word for that. Petrichor! My smart guy reminds me every time. I always forget. ;) The rain got louder. I was going to play more music but a variety of birds were chirping with delight outside, the drops were making their own rhythm at the front and back of the house. All windows and doors were open. Where ever I looked, it wash lush with green leaves from the trees. Finally! That cottage vibe we often feel as the weather gets warmer was here!

I'll admit, we let ourselves go and the property needs some TLC. The grass is patchy, there's lots of yard waste to pick up from our last wood order and cutting for the winter and we need to weed stuff out. Mowing the lawn would be nice too but I really like the way it's filled with clovers and leafy plants that look so luscious and green, I'm craving a salad! :) Everywhere we look, something needs repair but I'm not letting this get to me. Who ever wants to judge can go ahead. Maybe it's my mid forties talking. Life is short. We have young kids, we're busy, we get tired faster, life is good and we take the time to smell the coffee (I prefer coffee over flowers) :) Speaking of flowers, we had red tulips that were real beauties with a few white ones. Now they're gone back to sleep till next year. Lily of the valley is poking out here and there and we have a beautiful, fragrant, lilac tree that makes me smile and Marc sneeze.

Today, I enjoyed an other peaceful hour with more sporadic rain, chirpy birds, wild backyard watching and coffee while the troop was out again. Time to wrap it up and crunch the last numbers from receipts that are staring at me. See you when I'm 44!! :)

Spring is here!

Sounds like a late statement but it took for ever for spring to show up. In fact I'm still expecting to see snow. It's hard to believe that this pic is only 12 days old! This little jerk looked creepy lurking at our living room window. He startled me a few times in the late hours and was an irritating reminder of our long brutal winter. He was like mocking me, saying: "I'm still heeeeere!" Finally, he melted last weekend. Good riddance! Sorry kids. He was cute but he had to go! Same with the snow.

Yesterday, I went for a milk run late in the evening under the rain. It was the perfect spring setting. I had a gorgeous red umbrella with me and I couldn't even bother to open it. The rain almost felt warm, the air was balmy and the peat mossy smells were hinting that things were finally happening. The earth is softer, thawing, worms and plants like our day-lilies are poking out of the ground. The little world around us is waking up after a long sleep, slowly stretching and pushing. New birth, new cycle.

When we walked home from school, my girls and I stripped our coats off for the first time this year. They were chirping, skipping and so excited about the change. It was contagious! :) They talked about picnics and biking and the park. They stayed outside to play, I gave them juice, the sun was warm, the birds were singing but the girls were louder. SPRING! Yay!

Eventually it got cold and I went in followed by the little one not too long after but that was a great start!

And with that I realize that I have no energy for a post. Maybe for a drink. I've been obsessing over a concoction that I'm enjoying best in a crystal glass. Goes something like this: 3-4 ice cubes, top with coffee liquor (the one I have is made with rum), top with milk. Voilà! Si bon!! 

I would like to call it a White Russian but I know better (no vodka). I'm personally quite happy with the rum version. I'm not the Dude.

  

Now pizza, feet up and a movie. Happy Weekend! :)