After many months, we are finally ready to start searching our local rescue for a new cat. Or two!
* * *
Posts Tagged ‘home’
Shopping
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, cats, home, Thoughts on July 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s News
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, technology, Thoughts on July 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »
(written 07/08/22)
Today I’m dealing with a new kind of challenge.
We have power, which I no longer take for granted. The microwave works, the computers work, the TV and stove and washing machine and lights all work, and for that I’m grateful.
Our components are all functioning. What isn’t working? The network that connects those components, and us, to the wider world.
We woke up, started the laundry and coffee and breakfast and booted up the work computers. Then? Nothing. No signal. I can work in my design program, for example, but I can’t deliver my project. I can’t check my email, log in at work or make calls (sorry Mom!).
Somebody at internet central did something and somehow it all went wrong. (The part of this equation that interests me the most is that apparently no one thought to ask, “What happens if this thing we’re about to do doesn’t work?”).
So today has been business as unusual. On the plus side? Another opportunity to appreciate all the technology, infrastructure, and other amenities that we typically take for granted.
And while I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to post this today (spoiler alert: nope), my target was to write every day. Goal achieved.
* * *
Note from the future: it wasn’t just us, here, it was every Rogers customer, everywhere.
Rogers outage shows need for Plan B when wireless, internet services fail, analysts say | CBC News
* * *
World Awake
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, home, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on June 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
We rose early. At 5:30 the world was quiet, not just because of the hour but because a heavy blanket of grey fog covered the neighborhood. Houses across the street loomed in the haze, their trees mere outlines.
The fog is almost gone now but the grey sky remains, a low ceiling that dampens sound. The birds don’t mind. A family of grackles is flitting from back yard to front, jays and finches and robins visit for a bath, and a pair of mourning doves make themselves at home on the stonework. The plants don’t mind either. Yellow tickseed flowers stand open and bright yellow even without the sun. And now, a slight breeze whispers through the maple leaves.
The wider world awakes.
* * *
Too Cool
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, family, food, home, memories, Thoughts on June 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »
My father’s mother baked from scratch, but she always had a container of Cool Whip in the fridge when we came to visit. Did she always stock it? I don’t know, but it was a special treat for us.
I don’t buy it for myself but even now the taste of Cool Whip reminds me of hot summers and warm smiles.
Last week, I whipped up a bit of cream to go with fresh strawberries from a farm down the road. I usually add a bit of Grand Marnier but this time, I decided to try a slight twist.
It turns out that heavy whipping cream plus vanilla, sugar and a dollop of sour cream creates a thick whipped topping that tastes a lot like Cool Whip. Not as it is, necessarily, but as I remember it. Fun, flavorful, special.
Let’s call it Cool Whip for adults. All of the memories, none of the additives.
Thanks, Grandma.
* * *
No Really, I Have A Good Excuse
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #ottweather, because reasons, home on June 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Me, this morning:
“I am going to get so much done today! My list is long but I’ve got this!”
Me, at noon:
“Hang on, how is it lunchtime already? That’s fine, I’ve still got lots of time.”
Me, as Mr. Man returns from early work because, oh hey, tornado warning:
“Seriously?”
Now I’m off to clear out the garage so we can get the car under cover, charge up all devices, and generally hope that this is a false alarm.
Fingers crossed!
* * *
The Road Now Taken
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, adventure, home on June 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »
We didn’t go far today but we did have an adventure. A walk on a beautiful sunny day turned into a hike through a wooded ravine that could have been miles away from human settlements. Slick, steep trails, flocks of mosquitoes that chased us a kilometer or more, and the kind of quiet that is hard to come by in a city. All within a few minutes of the house.
It was hot and sticky and itchy and downright delightful.
I celebrated with a new version of a drink I remember from childhood, the lime freeze. Lime juice, ice cubes, simple syrup, cream, and a touch of rose water, garnished with basil from the back garden.
* * *
Son of Bun
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, wildlife on June 9, 2022| 1 Comment »
We are working on an alternative lawn that contains clover, so it was not a huge surprise to see a happy rabbit bouncing its way through the yard. What was a surprise was discovering the teeniest tiniest cutest little bunny in the back yard, munching on dandelions.
I shall name him Son of Bun!
* * *
When the Best Thing Is No Thing
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, #WildBirdOttawa, birds, home, Thoughts on June 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I woke to a robin.
First thing this morning, I glanced out the window and frowned. An odd little lump sat by the back tire of Mr Man’s car. My eyes aren’t great on the best of days and less so at 6:30 in the a.m., so I had to squint a little before I understood what I was seeing.
Juvenile robin. Not moving. Or… scratch that. Moving oddly.
Hop, shuffle, hop. Shuffle, hop, shuffle. Not going anywhere fast.
It looked like a wing problem, then I realized that it could be a leg problem and the wing was extended for balance.
I conducted a bit of research via the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre, a great place that has been helping birds in the area for decades. They took in a mourning dove that hit our back window about a week after we moved in. (Turns out that spring sun renders the living room windows effectively transparent unless you add little stickers to the panes. The Center even gave us a number so we could track the bird’s progress. You’ll be happy to know that while it had a broken wing and pelvis, after months of treatment it recovered and was released with a flock of other doves. So it wouldn’t be lonely.)
Since we’re on the topic, here’s my related story about birds and window strikes: Things I Learned Today, or, Sometimes They Fly Away
* * *
Fledgling birds, including robins, often find themselves out of the nest and still learning to fly. That is to be expected.
If you are unsure if a fledgling is being cared for by its parents, watch from a distance for at least two hours…
The Center was closed anyway so we waited. The bird moved a little, then a little more. The leg still looked odd, though, so we decided it might be time to try to coax it into a comfortable and well-ventilated box and go visit the doctor.
Um, no.
The bird’s wings were working just fine. It wasn’t flying very far but it was flying, and not at all interested in taking a ride to our friendly neighborhood wildlife rehabbers.
The activity was encouraging, actually. The robin flitted. It hopped. It hid under a giant bush. What to do?
Not much. Short a Wile E. Coyote-style net and lots of dramatic, stress-inducing flailing around, there weren’t a lot of alternatives. I edged a little dish of water under the bush and backed away.
We’ll keep an eye out for the bird and try again if it appears to be in distress, but for now, nothing more.
Sometimes there aren’t many options, and while I lean toward action, sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all.
* * *
Good Things
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, home, inspiration, Thoughts on June 4, 2022| 1 Comment »
Should I have spent my day writing? Maybe.
What did I do instead? I made bread, lemon curd, braided lemon bread and baked milk. Went for a walk. Staked the Joe Pye weed. Stared at the clouds. Deadheaded the dandelions and filled up the bird bath and rooted butterfly weed. In short, good things.
Works for me.
* * *
Wild Wallflower
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, home, plants on June 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »
A few weeks ago, I discovered a mysterious stranger in my front yard. (Wait, it wasn’t creepy!) I noticed a large plant enthusiastically outpacing the rest of the yard’s late spring residents. It was obviously Something, but what? Rather than give the plant a chance to bully its way to King of the Garden I dug it up, put it in a pot and gave it a home in the back yard. Whether that home would be temporary was to be determined. What the heck was it?
I can now answer that question. (I’m sure many people would know what it is straight off the bat but I did not. Learning, it’s a beautiful thing!)
Meet the (checks the plant ID app, which is probably right?) Treacle or Wormseed Mustard plant. This is Erysimum chieranthoides, also known as a Wallflower. And here I thought that was just a metaphor.
It is weedy in looks and habits, which doesn’t typically bother me that much, but it’s also a wee bit poisonous and very bitter. Most animals avoid feed contaminated by this plant’s seed. Sounds unpleasant. I’m afraid I will have to say thanks but no thanks.
Also, my helpful app has another poem for us. It’s not actually about this plant but what the heck. Enjoy!
And then along my picket fence
Where staring wallflowers grow–
World-wise Old Age, and Common-sense! –
Black bonnet, nodding slow.
— Henry Lawson
* * *
-
Recent Posts
She Said, He Said
-
-
Favorite Posts
Archives
Categories
It’s All So Random
What I’m Reading
J.R. Johnson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.