Siberian Irises

Elegant Siberian Irises

Makeshift nest

Sedum with Robin's egg*

*I found the egg on the lawn. Apparently it was abandoned. The soft fleshy bed of sedum seemed a perfect cushion for the lone egg.

Lupins - glorious lupins!

One of my all-time favourite flowers in my garden :)

June long hours bring...May flowers?

Daffodils


Bloodroot

These pictures were taken way back in May. I finally just downloaded them from the camera. So even though their time is long past (in 'growing season' terms), they are well worth seeing at the top of the blog in June. Sunlight shining through yellow daffodils cannot help but make the heart sing...and the folded leaves and peak-a-boo stage of Blood Root flowers in the woodland part of our yard are such a treat to come upon. Enjoy :)

More signs of spring

More signs of spring: the Marsh Marigolds which burst forth in brilliant yellow bloom this week in the marshes.

Within days, low-lying treed areas filled with spring meltoff went from dull greys and browns to lush green grasses, bright green foliage on the trees, lime green ferns unfurling, and sunny yellow flowers looking like happy little bouquets tucked amongst the trees.

Signs of Spring

I have a whole bunch of spring garden flowers photos on my camera, but haven't downloaded them yet...so this daffodil picture from last year will need to fill the gap in saluting the beauty which springs forth from the earth at this time of year. The lure of spring flowers is magnetic; one can't help but to gaze upon spring beds filled with tulips, violets, daffodils, hyacinth, crocuses...and see the emerging shoots of Autumn Joy, peonies, irises, lily of the valley, and so many other perennials.

Another sign of spring which I am thoroughly enjoying is the 2-km stretch of the Jock River where the Canada Geese are hanging out. Since the ice started melting in late March, the geese have been collecting in this 2-km stretch where the river is narrow and slow-moving, and there are corn fields across the road. There are thousands of geese resting here, and are often facing the same direction, which I find fascinating (why do they do this? does it have anything to do with the direction of the wind? sun?). I love to watch them every morning as I drive in, whether they buoyantly rest on the river surface, or step about the stubby-stalked cornfields, searching for dried niblets.

Still in the Game

I am so pleased.

An email went around a couple of months ago at work, asking if anyone was interested in being on a Mixed 'office' team for an Ottawa Slo-Pitch league. My heart beat quickly; I love playing baseball, but haven't played in about 20 years, and have been feeling the effects of aging in the past couple of years. Could I do this? Do I have the muscle strength to throw a ball accurately anymore? Can I run hard without peeing? Crucial questions ran through my mind. Also, I'd be playing mainly with young guys in their 20s and early 30s. Would I be of any value?

Even though I had worries, my excitement about playing ball again (even though it's slo-pitch, which is pretty low key) kept rising to the surface, so I signed up. The closer it got to spring, the more I kept worrying about being out of shape, and about the potential of injuring myself (and of being completely useless on the field). Ego and pride goaded me into starting to exercise. To my surprise, it only took less than a week for me to feel like a more athletic being again, and not prone to injury or embarrassment.

Last night our team had our first practice, with six guys and myself showing up. We threw the ball around for a while, playing catch with another teammate, then played scrub. To my absolute delight, I quickly got into the groove...throwing well, catching pop flies, snagging line drives, running down grounders, and making good hits. I felt excited, content, happy, adrenalized, breathless, giddy...I was SO HAPPY to be out there on the field again.

I was so pleased. I thought to myself, "I can STILL DO THIS."

Administrative Professionals Day 2009

One of the nice things about being an Administrative Assistant where I work -- each Admin always receive a lovely bouquet of flowers on Administrative Professionals Day...and happily, this year my bouquet contains my favourite flower -- lilies.

Get out of my way

PET PEEVE: People who walk on the RIGHT side of the road when there is no sidewalk. Don't you know it's safer to walk on the LEFT side, facing oncoming traffic? I've known that rule for as long as I can remember walking.

I often go for a walk or jog in the residential area behind our business park during the workday; there are many others who do the same. It drives me nuts when they walk down the right side of the road, looking at me approaching as if *I* am the idiot, and when am *I* going to move over. Listen, buddy -- did you not pay attention to Elmer's Safety Rules* when you were a kid? Get with the program!

*As I searched out the electronic version of Elmer's "6" Safety Rules (Elmer's elephant voice running through my head all the while), I was surprised to see that there were "7" Safety Rules. Could I have remembered incorrectly? I was POSITIVE there were six. Upon reading the list, I realized that number 7 was not in existence when I was a kid, because wearing your seatbelt in Ontario was not law when I was taught Elmer's rules. Memory redeemed.

Spring Reflections

My internal switch from "winter sleep" to "SPRING AWAKE!" has been flipped. I've been going for daily walks, and am ready to start jogging. (I've done some short trots on my walks to slowly get used to the idea; otherwise my body would go into shock.) Wow; every year gets harder on the body. The winter weight really loves to 'stick', and it's harder to get moving physically. Ah, the forties. It's seeming like a tradeoff stage: greater emotional happiness; less physical duress. I'm slowly getting used to that idea, but definitely have not given up on staying in decent shape.

I've been THOROUGHLY enjoying my walks. My favourite part is passing the marsh just down the hill from our house. On Sunday I saw a beaver gliding along silently (not a SOUND; I only first noticed it because of the 'v' pattern following its gliding body). It crossed the open water, then became hidden from view as it moved into the clumps of willows. In the same part of the marsh I saw what I believe was a leech, right on the edge of the water near the dried grass. It was about 2" long, black, and very flat/thin. It swam in an undulating fashion. It was fascinating to watch it.

I also saw a gorgeous red fox trotting up the laneway of the house next to the marsh. It was the healthiest-looking, most beautiful red fox I've ever seen. It carried itself in such a poised fashion. Entrancing.

My favourite part about this time of year is hearing the Spring Peepers in the marshes and low lying areas. I heard them for the first time this year on April 3rd. It literally stopped me in my tracks. It's like seeing an old friend standing in your doorway whom you have missed terribly, but accept that you don't get to see each other for great lengths of time. It makes my heart thrill to hear the Peepers start up their spring chorus.

Sunrise

Sunrise at our house, last Thursday morning. The shots were taken within less than a minute of one another; I find it interesting how different they look. One shot was zoomed (the bluer one); the other shot I think the flash went off.

It was so nice to see the sun coming up when I was still at HOME in the morning. Spring is really and truly here!