...well not really

( although the 2-4 cms of snow in Calgary last night they might wonder but a good damper for the dry grass fires of recent weeks )

but these shots are reflective of my rather schizophrenic life style as I maintain the house in Alberta but travel north to work.

That red bag had a gift that was never picked up while I was away so took the contents out and mailed them. These decorations were up when I left in December, some taken down and unplugged by my house sitter, but the boxing and testing for burnt out bulbs on the outside lights just done yesterday.
M y next project is to totally unpack the large blue rubber maid travel bins under the kitchen table.... 

Interesting follow-up to the last two posts....about 100,000 Canadians pledged to turn lights out but one of the reasons sited for non-compliance on CBC radio here in Alberta was the Edmonton-Calgary hockey game at that time...btw Edmonton won 2-1.

Not an overly avid hockey fan, but caught the game last night on TV, in which the Oilers lost to the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in overtime and a shootout, thus placing them 6th is the west...no place yet in the playoffs, which was a hope that had been revived in recent games here in the city.

Reminded of this shot I took in early January of an Edmonton Oilers logo on  a kamootik in Repulse Bay and how hockey is such an essential sport in the hamlets of Nunavut.

I feel like I have regressed or stepped back a few years as I sit tonight in my basement with my desk top computer....everything seems so slow.... even though this is what I have used for years on high speed ASDL with Mac OS 8.6 and internet explorer....compared to my Mac ibook with wireless and Firefox and OS10 that I have used for the last year what a difference!

The ibook is in for overnight repair as went to put in a CD and it wouldn't go in....probably just a mechanical problem but Joe my fearless Mac tech said would need to leave it over night as it has to be opened up and repaired.

Think most of us have a love/hate relationship with our computers. One of my favorite solutions for slow computers, especially when working north, is close a few windows, go get a cup of coffee and by the time you get back, the computer will have caught up and you cooled down.

My solution tonight is the bottle of Aprikat beer....have a good one!

GOOD FRIDAY OUTDOOR WAY OF THE CROSS WALK....This was through the inner city and took both dogs ( Nanuq of course tried to dig or eat every scrap she could find ) walking with about 1000 others, stopping at various sites, from the Bissell Center to inner city school to Haven house for immigrant families to the site of tent city for the homeless last summer which is now fenced off.The theme was on the disparity of the Alberta boom and those who have fallen through the cracks, from the working poor...the mother of 3 who is holding 2 jobs at minimum wage (now in Alberta just up to $8.40/hr) to university students which have on the average a debt load of $20,000 in student loans when they graduate to those struggling with addictions and mental illness. There was coffee and buns and fruit in the community hall afterwards.

For me it is often small moments...as I was putting the dogs back into the car a young aboriginal woman came up and asked if she could put the dogs because it was " therapeutic ". Told me abit of her story, just recently came from the west coast, living on the street, had lost her mother last year who had been a residential school survivor,  and had a hard time with Christianity so really didn't want to get close to the crowd. Told her there was coffee and food and no preaching in the hall so to come in. Saw her later and chatted briefly.

There is also the new developing comunity of meeting other dog owners with my walks in the ravine and Nanuq discovered another 4 month old border collie cross and much rough housing.

Other small moments were on Thursday when my plan was to go to the parish dinner, in the church basement, which included a hand or footwashing ceremony to commemorate Jesus' last supper with His friends and is followed by proceeding up stairs to the sanctuary for completion of the service, ending with stripping of the altar and leaving in silence and darkness in preparation for Good Friday.

Now murphy was alive and well in my plans to get to the church....an hour before the 12 yr old GD phoned wanting to know if I wanted to "hang out " because her sleepover was cancelled, I said she was welcome to come with me and yes she could bring a girlfriend. Dogs in car and battery dead, 2 neighbours later boosted and started, cell phone call from GD's "mom" stating she needed to be right home because had left house in a mess and not done chores, yes, okay to come back after church; arrival at the friends house to do pick up and encounter half a dozen young teen girls running between houses and muddying floors, the mom not home yet; enamoured with the dogs and offerred to take care of them, this okayed with the mom who just arrived; puppy jumped up on GD's white pants" no way" am I going like this, no other pants or skirts from others that fit or were liked; leave dogs and drive back to hill by her house; mad scramble and arrive at church about 35 minutes late with  hope there is still food as I am sick with a cold and hungry  because on a snowboard day at school and didn't eat.....my own concern about late arrival but 3 chairs scrunched around the end of one table and offerred plenty. a few questions from the girls as to what would happen next, including how to hold your hands for a blessing if not taking the Eucharist.

Small moments....from the frenticism of the arrival to calming of the meal and service, overheard from the friend as both girls kneeling, I am going to say a prayer. Our priest Eillen spoke on meals as welcoming and creating community and indeed I have experienced abit in the last 24 hours.

March 20, 2008

#71 - The quotable I and The Bird

"One
only has to consider the life force packed tight into that puff of
feathers to lay the mind wide open to the mysteries - the order of
things, the why and the beginning. As we contemplate that sanderling,
there by the shining sea, one question leads inevitably to another, and
all questions come full circle to the questioner, paused momentarily in
his own journey under the sun and sky." - Peter Matthiessen, The Wind
Birds

It is the Vernal Equinox today, one of the two days of the year
when, briefly, we have the same photo period as the rest of the world.
But for the next six months here in the High Arctic we'll have more sun
than everyone south of us, pretty much the all of the world. The
lengthening days mean our birds will soon return, more days will be
spent outside, less time will be spent reading other's words about the
Wild.

This I and the Bird is a celebration of other's words (and images)
of the world's birds, primarily through the posts of the amazingly
diverse I and the Bird blogging community, but also read more  http://kiggavik.typepad.com/the_house_other_arctic_musings

Somewhere in this spruce tree is a squirrel ...can you spot him or her?

These are a series of shots from this mornings walk in Millcreek Ravine....
the air is now filled with the chatter of chickadees, pigeons and squirrels. The huskies with their prey instinct think that they should be catching or chasing  the squirrels and I swear some of the squirrels deliberately tease them as this one that ran up underneath the tressel bridge.