In A Garden

In A Garden is a lovely artisan show and sale held in the village of Welcome in Northumberland County. It's hosted by Kathryn McHolm, an artist, conservationist and avid gardener. I was a vendor there last weekend.

Thank goodness for a shade tent, it was really hot. REALLY hot!

The garden is very natural with many native Canadian plants to attract butterflies and wildlife.

My friend's booth, fibre artist Veronica Derry. She turned around just as I took the picture!

The house dates from the 1840's.

Spectacular garden sculpture by Amy Quinn.

And wonderful pottery by Karen Franzen.

In the entry to the barn, interesting things and some of Kathryn's watercolors.

More watercolors, as well as soaps and candles made with lavender and beeswax, by Jane Weeks. It smelled heavenly in here.

I wish I could have photographed everyone's space because all of the work was great. Here's our group photo, and I think we look fairly lively after having stood in 95 degree weather all day! It was a lovely show and one I always enjoy doing.

Happy Canada Day!

What could be more celebratory than a nephew with a giant sparkler?
Today was a gorgeous day and I am thankful today and every day to live in this beautiful and great country.

Musical Ride

Last week we went to see the RCMP Musical Ride, in Clinton, Ontario. The musical ride was developed by the Northwest Mounted Police in 1874, and combines cavalry drills and intricate precision riding. The combination of the splendid scarlet dress uniforms and the majestic black horses was very moving. My Dad was a Mountie, this chance to see the Ride was very special. When he trained back in the 50's all recruits had to train on horseback, but now it's an option.

This formation is called "the Dome" and an image of it used to be on our $50 bills.



A perfectly aligned march.

An evocative silhouette, I think most Canadians would recognize the iconic hat.

We really enjoyed it!



Never Too Old To Learn Something

I'm confessing in public that I didn't know until today what a "Trapper Keeper" was. I heard the term again today, decided I needed to know WTF it meant and googled it. Huh. When I thought of it at all, I had thought it was some kind of dental retainer. Really glad I never used that in a conversation.

The Ferocious Fox-Chasing Kitty

(Note: Happy ending, ok to read)

We live in a small subdivision but it's very rural, we're right on Lake Huron and there is a lot of wildlife around. This winter we started to see red foxes. Delightful animals...but they are hungry and from what I've read they eat anything. We have a large meadow in the back and frequently see them enjoying tasty snacks, and I figure each mouse they take is one less that comes into the house in November.
We've always allowed our kitty Valentine outside on a leash with a safety release harness; they come undone if, for example, the cat gets tangled in a tree. But this spring, because of the foxes we have been super careful to always just stay with her. She loves it outside, and isn't shy about letting us know she wants to go out (via unbearable loud Siamese ancestral meowing). Though she doesn't do much other than watch birds, doze, eat grass and have a nice refreshing grass barf, she really seems to enjoy it.
Last night I sat on the front porch talking on the phone to a friend with the cat about 4 yards away. We had JUST finished talking about the foxes and how a friend had just lost her entire flock of guinea hens to foxes. I had my eyes right on the cat when I saw her stand up, and start to inflate like a furry puffer fish. She was staring directly to my right. I looked, thinking she was threatening another cat, but it was a fox, just the the front corner of the house, looking at me curiously. Only 10 or so feet away, it might have been attracted by the scent of the cat but stopped, perplexed by the sound of my voice.
The cat was AFTER IT in three mighty bounds, breaking out of her harness like a superhero and promptly gone around the side of the house. My iPhone went flying into the grass, and I took off after her. I'm not sure exactly what I was going to do to a fox with my bare hands...yell at it?...but by the time I was halfway down the back yard the cat was trotting self-importantly back to me, job complete and no sign of the fox.
Cat went back into the house, iPhone and cat harness were retrieved, and I'm afraid Valli will not be spending time outside this summer, unless we can wrap her in chicken wire or find a giant hamster ball for her.

Here's the mighty hero, on my suitcase when I got home from Bead and Button.



Yes, I know it's been a long time. No, I wasn't all right, but I'm getting better now. Love to you.

First Beachwalk of 2011

I just returned from my first beach walk of 2011. The ice finally was gone on Sunday and we could hear waves on the shore for the first time since November! It was great to get back onto the sand. Very cold though...I ate my lunch on the porch today, but needed my parka on the beach, because of the icy air coming off the barely thawed water. The beach itself was so interesting to explore again. Oddly the water is low this spring, so the beach is very wide right now. This could change at any time, one fierce storm and everything can be different. Lots of wood on the beach, from tiny driftwood bits to huge logs...logs so huge I wouldn't be able to get my arms around them. These are pushed up not by the waves, but by the massive ice formations that form over the winter. Same with the big chunks of sandstone I saw, driven up by the ice. I love the driftwood logs. I wish I could bring them home with me but they are too heavy, which is just as well, because we would have a yard full of logs. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Over the summer they will mostly end up as beach bonfire wood. I found some nice pieces of glass. I've decided to put all the glass I find this spring into a box and bring it to Bead and Button to share. If you want some let me know so you can be in on the picking!

Springtime in Canada

It has been bare and grey and brown, but snowless...and this is what I woke up to this morning.

Poor little Peewee!

Yes, I know it's beautiful, it is, and full of life giving moisture and whatever, but really. Nature? You can stop now.