Looking Back!!

Today is Ivy's 10th birthday!!

For me - and for those who were there at the beginning  - it's a time of looking back and MARVELING at all the changes we've seen... in what seems to be such a short time - in the big picture...

But, of course, for her, it's been a LIFETIME!

Here we are on May 7, 2016. I'm holding this precious baby for the first time. She's one week old!

(Do we all look younger?!)

And here are more "portraits over the years," as chosen by my photo app...

Such great memories for us all!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! You've added so much to our lives!

 🎉    🎂    🎈 

If You Sit Still Enough...

Hmmm. If you sit very, very still, maybe no one will notice you're there!...

I walked past this spot a few days earlier ...

I noticed the sign but I didn't understand.

Then, a few days later, I walked past again... and I noticed her - a mother goose - sitting very, very still in a planter.

The planter was in a quiet corner of a shopping mall.

I looked around but couldn't spot her protector - the father goose. I'm sure he was there, somewhere, watching, ready to fly to her defence.

I'd really love to come by every few days, just to see what is happening - but it's not my usual path...

From my limited experience, I notice that urban Canada geese choose the most unlikely spots to build their simple nests - a few sticks on the roof of the house (next to my daughter's apartment in Guelph). On the edge of a cliff overlooking the river in Manotick. And now this planter in a strip mall.

Her days here may be numbered... 

Is it my imagination, or do I see a gosling peering out from under her wing feathers? Have some or all of her eggs hatched - and she is now covering her chicks with her wings? If so, they may soon be gone.

They don't learn to fly for several months... but they do walk away from their nests when all the eggs are hatched. They follow their parents, when only a few days old, walking - as their parents search for grass and water. Then, several months later, much larger and stronger - they begin to fly.

Loved to Help!

 She's almost 10 now...

But recently my photo app brought back this memory. Seven or eight years ago... (though it seems like yesterday)...

An age when everything - even housework - was a game. It was all pure fun! (And getting that spray bottle to work was a challenge!)

Budding

After a few cold, blustery spring days, I notice trees and bushes budding!

Nature is not deterred! 

Spring is here!

A "Walk on the Wild Side"

Last Sunday, Terry suggested we take a walk at Andrew Haydon Park, on the Ottawa River.

There's a large pond in the middle of the park, where ducks "bob" for food.

We hadn't been there for a while... (Or, as kids apparently now say: we haven't been there "in a minute"...)

The river was running high...

With a brisk wind, the park felt "wilder" than usual.

We saw ducks, seagulls and Canada Geese.

Why are the rocks here so orange? I've never noticed that before.

Had the rocks absorbed the colour of the dead leaves and pine needles?!

No frogs, turtles or otters in the creek this time. I always come to check. 

Chilly, but still a lovely, refreshing walk. 

Glad Terry suggested we head over!

Tidying Up Outdoors

I'm aiming to rake all of our flower beds once this spring - early, before the bugs arrive.

Just to tidy things up.

I'm not the only one tidying up at this time of year.

A group of tree-trimmers arrived at the college a few days ago.

Their task? To clear branches that were encroaching on power lines.

It took them all day. They trimmed and shredded lots of branches.

Everything looks so different now!

The Dome is Down

In our neighbourhood, the college's winter sports dome came down a few days ago... to make way for outdoor summer athletics.

College students help fold up the white plastic dome.

It takes a full day to do it!

Before long, they'll be out on the field playing soccer... 

A sure sign that spring has arrived!

Thanks to my neighbour Earl - for these sharper close-ups!

Preparing the field - the unseen side of college athletics!

Great Bagel Shop

My son recently introduced me to a great bagel shop... across the street from the Canadian Museum of History.

You can watch the bakers at work.

A cheerful place!

Indoor and outdoor seating.

I expect to be back!

Cat Hunter

On our street, we have a cat who's a hunter... 

Levi is a mouser... and he goes after birds...

What else?!

I went around the house to see what Levi had his eyes on.

Young squirrels?!! 

Watch out, little ones - it's a jungle out there!

All for $5!!

 

One of the churches in our community has a "Nearly New" shop that's only open 2 or 3 days a month.

My daughter loves to shop there.

I enjoy browsing - to see what they have... not that I need much.

Last Saturday, there was a half-price sale.

I stopped in - to see what I could find... and I left with: 

• Two books
• One cheerful mug
• A fleecy winter shirt
• Soccer shin pads that my grandkids may be able to use

All that for $5!!

(It was a good day!)

Lengthening Days

Daylight hours are increasing...

About 3 minutes a day - now in mid-April.

That adds up to 21 MORE minutes of daylight EVERY DAY than we had a week ago. Forty-two minutes more than two weeks ago.

By the end of the month, we'll have gained more than an hour of daylight EVERY DAY in one month!

Day by day, it makes a difference!

Finally, Spring!

For the past few months, our weather has been cool - hardly spring-like.

First, we had lots of snow.

Then, as temperatures slowly climbed, lots of rain - so much, that there has been flooding.

Some farmers are pumping lots of water out of their fields.

Then - yay! The past few days have been warm and sunny!

And... I noticed flowers in several parts of our yard.

 

Just like that - a day or two of sun and warmth! And there they are! A welcome surprise!