-
In which I talk about elm seeds, duck eggs and unfortunate squirrels
I was chatting with a neighbour on a warm sunny day in early June. “Look,” I said and she turned to see the thousands of elm seeds drifting slowly through the air. “They look like little butterflies,” she said. I agreed, but thought as well that they resembled little motes of dancing light. “They are…
-
So… Well…
So…. “…with a needle and thread,” my dad used to say. Well…. “… a deep subject,” he said. I have been thinking about Mom and Dad since finding this Mother’s Day card in a trunk filled with other memorabilia. I first found the card when going through Mom’s things more than a dozen years…
-
What a difference 10 days make
Ten days ago there was still lots of snow in our small back yard. The rabbits enjoyed the seed that fell to the ground from the bird feeder, thanks to the antics of neighbourhood squirrels. The birds got whatever was left. Ten days ago, I was writing this: In Icelandic class, we were given a…
-
The Tale of One Mitten
I have a pair of handmade Icelandic wool mittens that were given to me by relatives when I visited Iceland almost six years ago. They are warm and serviceable, although one does feature a hole from a time our dog jumped up at me. The hole does not impact the mitt‘s wearability. And besides,…
-
Year in Review
Welcome to 2020. Or ‘Velkomin’, as the Icelanders say and as it says on our exterior door. I dislike taking down Christmas decorations. I hate dismantling the Christmas tree. I don’t like the emptiness of the rooms after the task is done. K says there are two ways to avoid the issue: a) Don’t put…
-
Early or Late?
I have been thinking about how the meaning of a word is a reflection of your perspective. And how that perspective can change. A golf ball is small until you compare it to a marble, for example. The words I have been thinking about particularly are ‘early’ and ‘late’, as they relate to decorating a…
-
Autumn Canopy
UH-OH…. Coming round the bend of this pleasant walkway one evening, the dog and I chanced upon a skunk. All three of us were startled and the skunk raised its tail. “Sorry for disturbing you,” I said under my breath and turned to go back the way we had come. About two weeks later, we…
-
The stuff of my nightmares
Here’s the thing… I was at the Winnipeg airport preparing for a flight to Ottawa for the annual getaway with my sisters. I took out my phone to search for my electronic boarding pass. “Can I help you?” a uniformed man asked. “I’m just looking for my thing,” I said as I scanned through the…
-
Sunflowers, Woodchucks, UFOs and Summer Drives
HOW MUCH WOOD… How much wood would a woodchuck chuck If a woodchuck could chuck wood? While walking the dog one afternoon, I spied an animal on land now owned by the University of Manitoba. Because the dog and I were on a sidewalk with a wire fence and greenery between us and the animal,…
-
When is a Cow Not a Cow?
“Portage Ex holds 4-H cow auction” read the headline on an online news site. The story went on: “4Hers gathered at the Ex to compete for best cows in their class and to eventually see their hard work come to fruition as their cows were sold at auction.” I think there is an error here.…
Rural Routes, Blog Version
Looking at the world with country eyes
Rural Routes, Blog Version 