Taro Plant Update

I got this TARO plant a few weeks ago, and I'm still trying to figure out the basics... 

How much water? How much sunlight?

One leaf was looking a little wrinkly... Does it need more water?!

Probably! - according to this online plant care article. I'm generally reluctant to keep soil moist at all times. I've killed more plants by OVER-watering them than by UNDER-watering them.

Bog garden beds?! This one may be an exception.

Silhouette Art?

I regularly take pictures of beautiful sunrises and sunsets while Terry drives.

Occasionally trees or buildings get in the way, creating a silhouette.

I like it! Maybe I could try painting them...

First the background sky... then, when that dries, dark shadows on top. Maybe on small greeting cards paper...

Or maybe something more complicated, like this college soccer field scene. (Or just use the sky and cut out the soccer field?)

So many possibilities!

A Little Problem

The past two months, I've had pain in my right leg. It's painful when walking - especially when doing stairs - but the severity fluctuates. I have no idea what caused it - no dramatic event that I can recall.

I went to physiotherapy for a few weeks, but it didn't seem to help.

A friend who had hip replacement surgery a few years ago (and now feels great) wonders if I might need the same. But when I asked "Dr. Google" about hip surgery pain, it appears that my pain is on the wrong side!

My daughter, who studied anatomy for her biomedical communications degree, suggests that it could be my IT band, a tendon that runs up and down the side of the leg. She then sent me a link to Alberta Health and some exercises they provide. 

So that's where I'm at now - exercising and alternating shoes. (Years ago, when I had a knee problem, my shoes were to blame!)

I hope it improves soon. I don't want to stop walking but it's no fun with pain in every step.

Two Seasons

Terry and I each divide the year into two seasons ...(but they aren't the same!)

(Mine also fluctuate more than his do!)

I divide my year into days and months when it's safe for me to walk outdoors - before the ice and snow arrive - and when it's not. 

We're currently in walking season - but that could change at any time, without warning. Any day, I could wake up and there you are!

So my walking season can begin as early as February (in good years) and end as early as mid-October. 

Terry's two seasons are PLANNED by the NFL Football league: football season and non-football season. 

Football season begins in September and ends in early February. For these five and a half months, every family plan depends on the timing of the game or games he NEEDS to watch. Absolutely nothing pre-empts that.

We often comment that it's significant that we met and got engaged in early spring, right after football season had ended. We got married 8 months later - at the beginning of football season. 

When Terry talked about having a TV at our wedding reception (so as not to miss an important game), I thought he was joking - but he wasn't! I didn't really know the man I was marrying!

Enjoying Octoberfest

Last weekend we enjoyed an "Octoberfest" meal at North Market restaurant in Almonte. 

It was a belated celebration of Terry's and my 49th wedding anniversary. 

There were homemade perogies...

We all loved the German pasta (spaetzla) with mushroom sauce - a specialty of Bavaria (Munich).

Also the sausage... Maybe that's what everyone was sharing in the picture below. 

(There was a lot of sharing going on!)

Afterwards we had dessert at Hummingbird chocolate factory... ice cream or hot chocolate.

(Guess who LOVES ice cream but decided not to have any?!)

After all that delicious food, everyone was ready for a nap!

My Virtual Walk Continues...

My daily walking is taking me - virtually - along a coastal road in Australia. 

I love the satellite image of the area. The land - and ocean - are so beautiful!

I'm now 85% done!

At this stage of my walk, I'm already beginning to think about my NEXT virtual hike. 

(I know! Why don't I just focus on the present?!)

The Month That Was

This is my phenology calendar for the month of September 2026. Some use a phenology calendar is for noting nature - plants and animals they see any day, week or month. Mine has evolved into an illustrated daily weather journal - with  notes on how I spent my day.

Temperature-wise, the weather this past September was perfect. It stayed between 5 and 27 degrees Celsius (41 - 81 degrees F.) Not too hot and not too cold.

In the middle of the month, I took a brief trip to Toronto by train with my granddaughter. A lovely break!

Equinox also came and went: we now have more daily minutes of darkness than we have of daylight... That's a life changer, especially if you want to take a little walk after supper...

By 7 o'clock, it's getting dark. So I try to eat supper early if I plan to take a walk.