I don’t usually promote products or services on this website, but today I am making an exception. After a recommendation from Judy at New England Garden and Thread a few weeks ago, I ordered a set of Yaktrax, and this week they have been the only reason I have been able to get out of […]
For weeks, I have been afraid to leave the house. I have been unable to walk on neighbourhood sidewalks because I am afraid of falling on the ice that has formed in too many places. I have also been unable to drive my car because of deep snow, or ruts in the snow, or packed […]
On Christmas Eve my son drove his family and me out to my daughter-in-law’s family for the holiday. They live in Blackfoot, Alberta and the drive took about three hours. It would normally be a quicker journey but we were slowed down by ice on the road part of the way there. Or, as Canadians […]
After I hung a bird feeder in the tree outside my window, I expected to see magpies because they are the neighbourhood bully-birds, and they did not let me down. After that first day, though, it has been a delightful surprise to see some of the smaller birds also getting a chance to eat a […]
After I hung out a birdseed feeder, I watched two magpies taking turns to eat the seeds and nuts. They ate about a third of the seed ball in less than an hour.
After several days of bitterly cold weather, today was a balmy 4 C (39F). The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the North Saskatchewan River was white. It was a perfect day for a walk, and I took lots of pictures. Here are some of them.
The snow, ice, and cold weather have kept me indoors for a few weeks, so I started looking online for boots that would make walking safer. I have had a couple of bad falls, so I have become nervous about walking on sidewalks, especially since not everyone clears away the snow from in front of […]
This afternoon, on Remembrance Day, I went for a walk to get some fresh air. We had a heavy snowfall two nights ago and I didn’t get out at all yesterday so I was feeling a bit of cabin fever. I had my camera with me and took a few shots of the snow. The […]
I woke up today to see snow outside my window. This late-April snow is wet and sticky. That is to say, it holds to the sides of trees, fences, bird boxes, and anywhere the wind blows it. Here are a few pictures that were taken in my front and back yards. That’s as far as […]
It is brutally cold right now and many people are going to endure terrible conditions both on the streets and at home. Every year, some homeless people die, and this year is worse than most. Folks in Alberta don’t talk about global warming much. We might talk about climate change, but not global warming. The […]
If you have been wondering why you don’t see many people out and about on Edmonton streets, this is the answer. Not everyone shovels their sidewalk. When the sidewalk is not cleared, it doesn’t take long for the snow to get packed down to create a slippery surface. Those who are afraid of falling, those […]
It’s cold in San Jose right now, but I feel bad about saying so. At the same time as I am experiencing a northern Californian chill, my family and friends in Edmonton are living through a long and hard Albertan winter with epic amounts of snow. There’s no comparison, really, but we only have the […]
I am now fully recovered from the fall I had last spring; my hips feel good and my wrist is working well. There are only a few minor issues to remind me of the pain and drama, but I can live with having one finger that doesn’t bend properly and a wrist that won’t turn […]
Because of an early snowfall, I am not getting out much these days, so I like to find things to do that can be accomplished while sitting on the couch. Those things include writing for this blog, reading, and making hats for homeless people. My daughter-in-law works for a non-profit group that finds homes for […]
Right now, every twenty minutes or so I am hitting “Refresh” on the Alberta Motor Association’s website map of road conditions. I am willing the colour of the main highway to Red Deer to turn from yellow to green. I had planned to meet up with my writing group friends this evening, but the weather […]
How it works This how seasonal affective disorder works. It keeps you in the house, makes you regret every bad decision you ever made, bashes you over the head with your personal shortcomings, and then teases you with all the things you could have done but didn’t. Here I sit in my little apartment, […]
Being on the road is a remarkably liberating experience. All regular life, activities, and responsibilities are temporarily absent. No commitments and no ties. No work, no play, no boredom, no frenzy. Just the easy feeling of making steady progress. I just drove from Alberta to California. It took me three-and-a-half days. In previous years it […]
Snowbird of Paradise 