January 28, 2008

We had a successful weekend. We rented a car because Peter had to get out of town for a dental appointment and because we had it for the weekend, we got to get tons of groceries and go other places. After we used the car on Friday to go to the dentist, get a hair cut, renew my driver's license and get groceries, we finished up by walking to Marshy's for our usual Friday after work rendezvous.

Marshy's has a weekly draw of something hockey related and on Friday, I was the lucky recipient of a genuine NHL Senators jersey! My ticket happened to be drawn by a cutie with the lovely name of Skye so I got Peter to take our picture together.

Here is Brad after awarding me the jersey. Yes I am short but man, is he tall! Now I have no excuse and will have to go cheer on the Sens at a game - at the pub.

On Saturday we went to breakfast with friends and then, after doing laundry and such, we drove to Carleton Place to view a photographic art exhibit. Someone Peter knows was one of the exhibitors so it was a nice excuse to drive out of town and do something different. When we got to the tiny, owner-occupied gallery, we were greeted by a 5 year old Golden Retriever named Finnigan, who completely charmed me as much as he shed hair on me.

Today, the sun was appreciably warmer. Even with a high haze, you could feel the warmth of the sun getting stronger as we approach the Equinox. My cyclist spirit soars like an eagle. That's because it's not getting on the bike until March.

I've noticed for some time now that the construction on Centrepointe is finally more than just a hole in the ground, so I took a picture of the foundations.

It was a beautiful day for a skate. When I walked by the other side of city hall at 11 am, I saw this fellow heading over to the rink. I only saw one person on the rink but I bet it's crowded now.

I see I am not the only one to "rescue" lost woolies and put them where they might be spotted by the owner. This was a headband that had fallen out of someone's pocket or pack.

As I walked down the bike path, I heard a faint noise and stopped to listen. It sounded like a rodent chewing and sure enough, when I started looking at the ground, I saw a vole, busy with the bark at the base of a cedar bush. I watched him as I sneaked closer and took out my camera. His little tail made it apparent that he was a vole and not a mouse. Just as I got the camera ready, he whisked back into his snow tunnel! Rats! Voles! I had missed the opportunity. Just then, he poked his head out to assess the danger and I snapped this picture - no better than the poor one I took on January 6. Then he disappeared completely and did not show himself again while I stood there. So you'll have to click on the photo and then view it large to be able to believe me.

October 27, 2007

Yesterday after work, we dropped by Marshy's for a drink and to do the crossword puzzle. There is a small group of puzzlers who gather regularly at Marshy's and we partly compete and partly share answers, depending on how hard the puzzle is that day, which paper it is in, and who shows up. I bring over the one I clipped from the Citizen and Marshy's gets several copies of the Sun, so often we do both.

We discovered that Brad Marsh has just started the Brad Marsh Bar BQ & Grille "Great Prize Give Away" this week and the first prize was being drawn that very afternoon. Every week, Brad will draw a ballot for a Senator's jersey and less often, he will draw for more expensive prizes. I put my ballot in the box for the Grey Cup tickets. Then Brad asked me to pull the winner from the jersey box and I chanced to draw Darren Boyd's entry. I don't know Darren but when he accepted his jersey, he proclaimed that he was the Zamboni driver at the Merivale Arena, so that's what I am reporting. Anyway, it was fun and he seemed pleased. In case anyone was wondering, it was 16C that afternoon and therefore, Brad was wearing shorts. I, however, was not.

On the way to Marshy's, I stopped to take a photo of the debris remaining from Friday morning's garbage pick up. Oftentimes, the crows and squirrels have managed to pick things out of the bags and then leave the paper and other inedibles behind. In the spots where more than one household deposits its bags and boxes, there is usually a concentration of these leavings. Today however, I noticed that the debris was made up of the stuff that remained from last week! I sometimes get tired of looking at the garbage lying there, day after day, and so I pick it up. This week, I didn't and it was still there after the second garbage pick up. You'd think that the person whose garbage it was in the first place might recognize it and pick it up him or herself. Or not.

This morning, it was raining steadily and Peter thought the pumpkin at the front door looked nice in the light. Later, the rain let up and I went for a walk.

In spite of it being a damp day, people still like to get together and do something outdoors. This group was just finishing a game of frisbee football and it looked like they had had a great time.

Rounding the next bend in the path, I came across a red squirrel who ran up a tree and then stopped to shake his tail and scold me. We don't have many red squirrels compared with grey and black ones so it was a treat to stand and watch him until he ran up the tree and out of sight.

While I was trying to get as close as possible to the red squirrel, I noticed this thing on the ground. It might have been a nest but I didn't want to examine it too closely for fear of bugs or things more squidgey than that.

Heading across the parking lot for the park, I was reminded that, as far as I recall, the two outbuildings have never been in use in all the time that we have lived here, which is more than ten years. They may house washrooms and maybe no one wants the responsibility of maintaining them but I don't know for sure.

This is a very cute water "park' for the kids in the 'hood - obviously closed for the winter.

This was just pretty.

On the way back, the sun came out and I wanted to capture the contrast between the dark sky in the east and the lit leaves in the foreground. Sometimes, it's better to be there. And even if I made a little movie with the sound of the geese coming in for a landing, as they were then, you would completely miss the smell of the wet larch needles that completed the effect.

Finally, just as I was about to turn out of the park and into my own 'hood, I saw a bunny! As soon as I snapped his picture, he bolted around the end of the hedge and completely disappeared.