Spring is here?

A  Record of Waterloo Region headline says today

Winter is over today, but expect a ‘fickle spring’

The article has a picture of a woman watering new flowering plants in the Colour of Paradise Greenhouses, while meteorologists call for a mix of sun and cloud and a high of 8 C.

After the bluster and the cold of winter, I’m ready for spring. Ready for warmth and more sunshine. I couldn’t resist it this morning, being the first day of spring. I grabbed the camera, put on my winter jacket, and headed outdoors to see what the new shoots in the garden were doing. Sure enough, the narcissus bulbs are sending their shoots up higher and it won’t be long before they send up a flowering head and bloom, while some snow still edges the flower bed in the sunny spot in front of our home. click

On side of the house that tends to have more shade, I saw the early stems of the lilies among the debris of winter and the cedar mulch of last summer. Click.

I headed for the backyard to see what was coming up there. Nothing yet, but just then a huge flock of geese flew through the sky above me. I heard the honking before I saw them. Their formation was not the usual “v” but a series of “V’s” across the bright blue sky and they so not so high so I could identify them as Canada geese. And as they passed by, other birds made themselves known with their cheerful twitters in nearby trees.

My neighbour, Ruth, reported on Facebook that a robin awaited her as she stepped out of her place of work. Next thing to check will be the buds on the trees. I’ll be taking note.

There’s nothing like new life to celebrate spring, except perhaps a new grandchild who beat them all this spring.

Canadian Writers Who Are Christian–Looking Forward to Spring

 

 

 

 

 

Ready for spring!

 

 

Today I blogged over at Canadian Writers Who Are Christian, as I do once a month. Today my post is about waiting for spring. Read it here.

You may also enjoy posts by Peter Black, Laura Davis and Glynis Belec and more.  Come read what we have to say and leave a  comment for the writer.

 

 

Carolyn R. Wilker

available from Fanfare Books, Stratford, Ontario; Merrifield Book Shop, Woodstock, ON, and from the author

www.carolynwilker.ca

Saturday Snapshots–Still Snowing

February photos and here we are in March and though the banks of snow have diminished during some milder weather. Our picnic table had a foot of snow on it and nearly a foot around it, and since it’s in our backyard, we don’t need to shovel it. Today it’s snowing again.

The host of At Home With Books for Saturday Snapshots asks that photos be by the one posting or by a family member and that they be appropriate for all eyes. Go there and link with host and then go on a tour of the world in photos.

Almost December–good time for the One of a Kind Show

November will soon be over—two more days to go, not that I’m rushing it. As yet, we  have seen little that resembles winter weather. Light snow fell last evening, a very small amount, only enough to coat the roofs of houses and it soon melted away. Cold temperatures, yes, and frost on car windows. Winter will be here before we’re ready for it.

Last year the snow came early, in November before my husband could finish his outdoor work.  Our snowbird neighbours have already gone to Florida; they’re likely wearing shorts and t-shirts as we contemplate pulling out winter boots. It’s time to pull boots out of storage, along with the snow shovels, not to rush the snow, mind you, but to be prepared as the boy scouts would say.

Today, two of  my daughters and I went to the One of a Kind Show in Toronto, a great place to spend both time and money on a gray November day. It’s a place to find unusual things, one of a kind as the show is aptly named. We saw plenty of art, clothing, scarves in every imaginable fabric and style, jewelry, Christmas ornaments,  carved and metal items, candles, booths with jams and jellies, chocolate and nuts. I believe we stopped at just about every booth that sold things for children: toys and costumes, dresses, pajamas, jackets and hats, and slings for mothers to use when carrying their babies.  My daughter bought one of those.

When one is a new mother or a new grandmother, clothes for small ones like my granddaughter catch one’s eyes. We at least stopped to look. So many cute and creative items— ideas that could keep me and my sewing machine busy until the next show.  Cozy fleece hats in many styles and colours, ones made from fleece that looked like Kermit the Frog, a strawberry, a monster, and some that were knitted that looked like they would fit Evy.

 If I had an unlimited budget, I could have gone crazy buying stuff for her, but I didn’t. Sorry Evy, grandma has already bought you a hat and mittens. Maybe next year you can have a jester or Kermit hat to go with your snowsuit, and next time maybe  you can go along and try one on. Meanwhile you’ll keep warm in your cozy car seat liner, warm clothing and your hat and mittens.

 

Indian Summer

 October 22nd

Who was it that called this time of year Indian Summer anyways? Was it William Wilfred Campbell or someone else? Campbell’s poem, Indian Summer, sure described it well in 12 short lines.

Along the line of smoky hills

The crimson forest stands

And all the day the blue jay calls…

We memorized this poem in grade school, and what a pleasure it was to learn. Even without a book, I can still recite it mostly by heart. Campbell wrote the poem in 1889, according to the  online source at Representative Poetry Online.

I like to think he went walking in the woods or some open area with trees and vegetation, taking note of the changes in nature. Perhaps it was even warm when he went walking, in shirt sleeves on a day that felt almost like summer.  A walk I like to take, with leaves crunching underfoot, and picking up the occasional perfect leaf.

Yesterday was cool and breezy, today somewhat damp. All over the neighbourhood I see trees bearing yellow, rust-coloured and red leaves. Sumachs are nearly as red as a child’s crayon, the one most in demand at the colouring table of young children. Some trees have shed most of their leaves, while our neighbour’s tree vies for brightness with the sunshine with its brilliant  yellow leaves, especially against a gray sky.  If we can go by other years, this tree will still have leaves at Hallowe’en but will dump them soon afterwards. 

Birds gather and prepare for their long trip south. Every fall they leave and every spring they return, their inner clocks programmed by a creator, just as the leaves fall, only for the trees to grow new buds for new leaves next year. For now, I watch the changing season and enjoy the colour.
For the rest of Campbell’s poem, read it  here and enjoy the colour and sights of the season.