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Posts Tagged ‘nature’

Open de Deur

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on March 25, 2024| 2 Comments »

Three weeks ago I made a note in my calendar: “fish doorbell.”

What is it? A clever way for the people of Utrecht, in the Netherlands, to help migrating fish navigate the city’s Weerdsluis boat lock.

The Fish Doorbell

Every spring fish migrate upstream, in search of places to spawn. They swim through the centre of  the city of Utrecht. Unfortunatly, the boat lock is closed during spring. You can help the fish.

Do you see a fish? Press the Doorbell!

I planned this post for March 1st but when I checked the feed, no fish were to be seen. I decided to wait a few days until the migration was well and truly underway but then… forgot. 

Sorry fishies!

Thankfully, I saw a recent cartoon in The Guardian and remembered. Here’s the cartoon: Constant bad news doing your head in? Why not read about the fish doorbell instead.

Excellent idea. So excellent, in fact, that the livestream is often full. If you can’t press the doorbell, you can still watch the livestream or check out select archives at the Fish Doorbell News Report.

And please, little fishies. Do come in.

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Photo by Jack Gardner on Unsplash

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Forest and Chill

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

After a number of technical issues, overlapping assignments, and a mashup of meetings, I’ve finished a big day-job project. I’ve got to say, it feels good.

Not “go out and party” good, more like “take a deep breath and shake off all that accumulated stress” good. Forest bathing good.

What’s that, you may ask? 

Essentially, forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku in Japanese) is a walk in the woods designed to reconnect you with nature in ways that are beneficial for your health.

Healing in the forest: a guide to forest bathing

Spending time in nature and experiencing reduced stress levels allows you to think more clearly and creatively. It can also increase your mood, focus, and energy.

Sounds good, right? Except that there’s a coating of ice on everything thanks to last night’s storm and I still have work to do and (let’s be honest) it’s freezing out there!

So instead, I will find another way to spend a few moments in the forest.

How, you may ask? Meet Tree.fm: Tune Into Forests From Around The World.

Want a map of global forest sounds? Check out Sounds of the Forest.

Want even more chill? Do you have ten minutes or eight hours?

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Photo by David Bruyndonckx on Unsplash

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Path for the People

Posted in Likes, tagged , , , , on October 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The weather today is beautiful and I wish I could go outside for a walk. Sadly, work, so instead I was happy to see this Google Doodle commemorating one of the world’s great hikes, the Appalachian Trail.

Here’s the Doodle.

For more on the Trail, here’s the National Park Service site to give you a sense of what it’s like… minus the bugs.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)

The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

I haven’t hiked the Trail but a lot of my best childhood moments revolved around the woods in the Allegheny Mountains, part of the central section of the Appalachians. My father also recently sent out a collection of his backpacking memories, which were great to read. (Although how he wasn’t eaten by a bear or something is beyond me.)

The beauty of these mountains, however, is something special.

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Sharp Top, VA, from a side trail. Photo by Isaac Wendland on Unsplash

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Just Say Yes

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on September 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The weather today was perfect for a walk. We headed out to the southwest of Ottawa, found a new cafe, then spent quality time on a new-to-us path along a converted railroad bed. 

Years ago, Mr Man and I found ourselves in the northern Ontario wilderness. After a long day of fishing, we realized that we are always happier when we say yes to nature. So today, that’s what we did.

If you’re looking for new trails too, you might find this site useful:

Wikiloc | Trails of the World

Browse to see options for walking, hiking, running, biking and more, complete with maps and elevation. Here’s the list for Ottawa, and an example that includes the lovely Fletcher Gardens near Dows Lake:

Wikiloc | Hartwells, Fletcher Garden and Morris St Trail

Did we exert ourselves enough to balance out the cheesecake we’ll be having for dessert? 

Maybe?

I mean, yes.

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Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

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Slowly, and Then Fast

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on September 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Canada is a global leader in many arenas: friendliness, humor, dishes featuring cheese, gravy and potatoes. 

Come fall, it also leads the way in terms of natural beauty.

The leaves on the maple across the street are beginning to turn. Thanks in part to my father falling in love with the Appalachian mountains on a job interview, I’ve watched this dance most of my life. First the green fades into yellows and orange and reds, slowly and then fast, until every vista is filtered through a rainbow-colored lens.

The change depends on a number of factors such as precipitation and temperature, but check out this map for a prediction:

2023 Fall Foliage Map & Nationwide Peak Leaf Forecast

More on the map and how it was made:

See When Brilliant Fall Foliage Will Peak With This Interactive Map

According to the map, fall foliage season began on September 4 and will end on November 20.

For comparison, here’s the Farmers’ Almanac weighing in on dates by state: Fall Leaves: America’s Top Destinations.

When will peak fall happen for you? Soon, the trees whisper. Soon.

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Photo by Nong on Unsplash

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That Explains It

Posted in Other, tagged , , , on June 6, 2023| 1 Comment »

We woke to hazy, yellow skies and multiple air quality warnings. Putting the trash out was an odd experience. The morning air smelled like a winter’s night by a wood-burning fireplace. In June.

While still dry from the recent heat wave, Ottawa is not on fire but a lot of the areas around us are. Many of those places are upwind.

The internet may be a hive of scum and villainy but I do love that it has a map for everything. Searching for “wildfire smoke map ontario” brought me to this informative site:

Smoke Forecast – FireSmoke.ca

Well, that explains it.

Ottawa’s air quality is currently rated a 7, or high risk. What does that mean?

At-Risk Population:

  • Avoid strenuous activities outdoors. Children and the elderly should also avoid outdoor physical exertion.
  • Find out if you are at risk

General Population:

  • Reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.
— Ottawa, Ontario – Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) – Environment Canada

In good-ish news, a high-quality mask will provide a reasonable level of protection against smoke and its particulates. As a population, we are much better equipped for such events than we were pre-pandemic so, I guess that’s something?

I also see that the smoke is blowing south to the States. Sorry, family. 

Stay healthy, stay safe!

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Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

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Lions Teeth

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on May 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

My lawn is lovely, with white and purple and yellow flowers. The dandelions are going gangbusters, as they do. And I’ve just been out front tidying them up in the hopes that my neighbors won’t get too stressed out about our lawn’s diversity.

In that vein, I give you a brief history of that underrated flower, the dandelion.

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Photo by Jeff Rodgers on Unsplash

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Random Ostrich

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on May 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

As it is Tuesday (and even worse, Tuesday after a holiday), my to do list is… extensive. Please enjoy a random post and some entertaining ostriches.

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Roll the dice for a random post: Click this link or the image below.

Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

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More More More

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , , on May 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Boring Covid update: More coughing, more tiredness, more urges to curl up on the closest floor and sleep. These elephant seals from the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery know what I mean about that last bit. Here they are basking in the sun.

Photo by J.R. Johnson, and nature.

We went for a soggy visit to Hearst Castle and after, drove a few miles north to the Rookery. We arrived between bouts of light rain. It’s molting season and the beaches were crowded.

The beaches are even busier today. Check out the live webcams for updated views.

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No Mirror Needed

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , on December 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

This year was a bumper one for our neighborhood rabbits. We had a lot of babies running around during the warmer months, and still have at least a few adults. One has been acting a little extra lately, sprinting by the porch and across the street rather than sauntering as it did this summer. He seems to be trying to minimize the amount of time he and his brown fur spend exposed over snow-covered ground. Sensible, as we still have a few stray cats and other predators in the area.

Which led me to ask, “How does a rabbit know what color it is?”

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The opposite of this. Photo by Andy Brunner on Unsplash

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