Requiem for a Tree

The strong Wheatley winds finally got the better of our tenacious half-dead Manitoba Maple last weekend. Given that the living half made for a lopsided configuration over he dead half, and upon further inspection the entire trunk was toast from the inside out.....well, it was only a matter of time. Still, it was a sad discovery at 7am on Monday morning.

We are clearing away a lot of the branches and brush....but have decided to leave the main bulk of the tree right where she fell, as a sort of ecological lawn sculpture. Some of the branches may still actually bear leaves this year, in spite of everything, making for a nice little natural gazebo under the limbs. Plus, the birds love it, and had several homes in the dead branches before all this happened. Who says a shade tree can't be horizontal?




Of course, SOME of the tree had to be removed for safety reasons.....which we will put to good use at Rawk the Coop.

Spring, Continued...

Some serious Spring weather finally found it's way to southwestern Ontario over the last few days. Temperatures actually topped 30 C on Friday and Saturday, leading to a whole new explosion of plant growth around the yard. Oh yeah, and a few bugs too.

This Maple is leafing for Manitoba

When it's warmer outside than inside....

Bon Jovi never sang about a Bed of Daffodils

Even the bad stuff is growing....

New Pets

Not that we go looking for these things, as they tend to find US, but in the short span of yesterday, we managed to acquire two new "pets".

This cat had been skulking around the property for a few days but hadn't come near us. The next thing we know he's whining at the back door and actually climbing the screen....with our three cats waiting on the other side of course with grappling poles and boiling oil, waiting to repel the interloper.

We offered him a bit of kibble on the back porch and he ATTACKED the food in a way I have never seen. We could feel every rib and vertebrae, like he hadn't eaten in quite some time. As you can see, he also looks pretty beat up....not sure if he's too weak to hunt or defend himself....or just a bad fighter. :)

We have named him "Holstein", since he not only bears the proper colouring but also the bone-rack structure of a tired old dairy cow.

Holstein the Cat

We also came across this sparrow on our driveway yesterday. He looked like he had died standing up, as he had not moved in hours or even responded to our approach, just sitting there in the open. Finally he moved a bit, and it turns out he's just blind. Jane scooped him up on a stick before Holstein actually found a fight he might win.

Not sure if he's just too young and fell out of the nest before his eyes were developed....or if it's a birth defect and he's blind for life, a pretty crappy fate for a bird. We're keeping him in a cat carrier in the garden shed, safe and sound with food and water, until he shows any signs of visual awareness.

Say Hello to our leeeetle friend

April Sunshine

The weekend was gorgeous, with Friday and Saturday featuring full sunshine and temperatures around 25 C, prompting a bucnh of outdoorsy type work and play. The flowers are blooming, and we're getting the garden ready for planting, having already started some seedlings in the house.

"Till" we meet again - working up the clay with the new electric tiller

Thar she Grows - Daffodils are blooming

Hocus Krokus, with Autofocus!

His 'n Hers Chillaxing

A little more detail on our flight home....

SEVEN THINGS you don't want to hear associated with your flight:

Just back from Las Vegas, the trip punctuated with a rather entertaining red-eye flight home. Picture a bunch of tired people, waiting at the airport near midnight and just wanting to be home. The flight has already been delayed once by half an hour, when....

7. (over the McCarron Airport loudspeaker) ".....we need to turn your plane around as quickly as possible when it arrives, because your flight crew is due to expire if we don't get them in the air by 11:45pm...."

6. (once people started to panic about flying with even a nearly "expired" crew and a rushed plane inspection, again over the loudspeaker) "....if anyone has any questions about Air Canada flight 594, ask them now."

5. (after we're rushed on the plane only to SIT for an hour) "...this is your Captain speaking....we're having some mechanical issues with the fuel system, we're hoping we can resolve quickly..."

4. (once the plane is finally ready to go) "...this is your Captain speaking, I've spoken to the Co-Pilot and even though we're over our allowed hours, we have agreed to push on and get you folks home..."

3. (upon approach to Pearson Airport in Toronto) "....just to inform you, we're having some hydraulic problems, but our secondary systems should compensate...."

2. (seconds later) "...Pearson has cleared us to land on their longest runway...."

1. (seconds later) "...just don't be alarmed if you see emergency crews waiting on the ground for us, they're going to chek the plane once we land....and we might need a tow to the terminal...."

But hey, we made it. Sure, my right hand is pretty much useless now, after Jane crushed it a few times....but I've always been pretty good with my left anyway.... :)

Viva Las Vegas!

Back from our trip to Las Vegas.....not exactly the most relaxing place in the world to go, but a holiday nevertheless. We lucked out and got stellar weather for this time of year, not overly hot but just nice for us fair types.

Jane won a grand total of $33 US on penny slots, our new record....then again, we're not exactly gamblers. More importantly, I garnered seven new bottles for the Wall of Beer. Even more impressively, Jane packed them all in the suitcase in a manner that saw them home in one piece.

We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton, at the top end of The Strip. This was not an area we had explored as extensively in the past as the bottom and middle sections.....we even managed a visit to the Wynn for lunch. Fabulous. Maybe one day we`ll be able to afford to actually stay there!

The flight home actually held much of the excitement for the trip. We took the redeye, leaving Vegas at nearly midnight, and expecting to arrive in Toronto at 7am with the 3-hr time change. First came a delay, then an annoucement that they had to get us on the plane in half the normal time before our flight crew "expired".....causing everyone to panic about flying with an overly tired crew.

So they rushed us on the plane....to sit and wait for an hour....problems with the fuel....then problems with water supply. Finally, as we're ready to leave, the Co-Pilot announces that he and the Captain have discussed things, and even though they're over thier allowed hours, they have agreed to "push on" to get us all home.

The flight itself was relatively uneventful, until we neared Toronto....when they announced that we were having "hydraulic issues", and not to be alarmed if we saw emergency crews around the plane when we landed. They added that Pearson had cleared us to land on their longest runway, so not to worry.....but that we might need to be towed to the gate once we landed. We even had fire trucks escort us to the terminal.

Very exciting, especially with no sleep. By the time we left the airport and made the long trek to Wheatley, we got home around 1pm, some 26 hours since we had slept. Nap time. Unload and unpack later.

The fabulous Las Vegas Hilton

View from our window - rest of The Strip in the distance

Even trips to the washroom are entertaining....

The welcoming committee at Pearson Airport

Spring at Point Pelee

What better way to make use of a sunny spring Saturday and an annual park pass, than to go for a stroll at Point Pelee National Park?

Lake Erie is still largely iced over on the western side of the point, and in the solitude of early spring one can hear only birds and the gentle hissing of water and ice co-existing. Soon enough, the park will fill up with "birders" for the spring migration. Just yesterday I watched a lop-sided V of Canada Geese flying northward, a good sign to be sure.

Also some deer in our yard this morning, scaring the rabbits. Quite entertaining over coffee.

Lake Erie shoreline

Jane trying to "break the ice" with some stones

Boardwalk thru the marsh

Honk if you love Canada Geese