Mallards

Don't these mallards look like they are flying in the sky on the back of a dog that is landing to earth? But it's just a gaggle of mallards grooming themselves on a log. The morning sky is reflected in the shallows where they sit.

if a butterfly crossed with a flower would it be a butterflower?

half butterfly half daisy

half butterfly half pansy

a dainty pink-edged sulphur

skipped about the daisies on the shore of Warnecka Lake.

An Aphrodite frittilary frolicked among the pansies overflowing in the recycled tire planter beside Armi's dock

Aphrodite frittilary folded

one bee in the Malva

two bees in the Malva

three bees in the Malva.

We killed a spruce bug, though. And a horsefly or two. They bite something fierce. The sauna was good and hot. The lake was its usual refreshing self. Armi's homemade sourdough rye bread was delicious.

Street Step Circuit ~ downtown Port Arthur

click on image to enlarge

This is a map I sketched as part of mapping the places I walk (and run!). It was part of the bioregional mapping I did for last month's contribution to my writing group, RedShoes on Court. I call this map the Street Step Circuit because it's all about running up the many stairs around downtown Port Arthur. This is a great --and challenging workout -- for getting the heart pumping and the lungs into optimum health! This area of town (downtown P.A.) used to be, many millions of moons ago, the shore of the ancient lake that preceded Lake Superior, so there are a lot of steep hills and sudden inclines. Last time I did the circuit, I did the loop in 35 minutes, but I must've had a lot of energy that morning!

Midsummer Garden workshop this Friday

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My prayers were answered. Just the other morning I wrote about my colourful days in Mexico because, why? I had been feeling a bit blue. It's how I work: if feeling disillusioned, overwhelmed, or a bit down, just look for beauty and share joy. Rather than wallowing, by searching for beauty I unearth the reminders of how blessed I am.

Walking along the waterfront the other morning, no matter how many murmelis popped up in front of me, I had been ruing about how to rally folks to get the Midsummer Garden on its way? Where will I dig up volunteers? Everyone thinks it's a great idea....but where are the bodies? The helping hands?

Well, by the blessing of heavens and the earth, after I sent out that post, I received an email from Bryan, who is part of the Roots to Harvest garden that has recently emerged at the site of the old Cornwall St. School. He was wondering if I needed any help as he has a crew of rangers coming by on Friday, and they are eager to help other urban green space projects.

I stared at that email like it was a piece of chocolate cake. Too good to be true! It was like the movie August Rush: just send the message out there and keep your hope alive and it will come back to you answered. Yes! Of course, I'd love to take up this generous offer of helping hands! So, now there'll be a crew of folks to help shovel topsoil and make flower beds for the Midsummer Garden. Starting at 12:30, the Willow women will set up another garden stone workshop, so with the ones that were made during our Midsummer Festival, we will be well on our way to collect the stones for our diversity path that will weave among our flower beds.

Here is the signature tree of the Midsummer Garden. The saving grace. The one who called out and said she did not want to be ripped out and made into logs for someone's sauna. Who called out and said, enough parking lot over here already! She will be one of the focal points of the garden. We will create a small clearing before her for poets, musicians, performance pieces, or a small play on a summer day or evening. In the center of our garden will be an Anishnawbe sacred plant circle. It will honor on whose land we are on, and its healing power of sage and sweetgrass will remind us of the gifts that Mother Earth gives us each and every day.

Here is what we are working with. I've sent out an invitation to ask anyone interested in helping me transform this ugly empty lot into a flower garden to show up on Friday, in the morning to make beds and the afternoon to make stones. I'll get some pulla from Mike Setala at Kivela Bakery for break time, and who knows, maybe Urho will get his old accordion out of the shed and play us some oldtime Finnish dance tunes to make our work easier.

Also, if anyone has perennial flowers or shrubs to share, please bring them to our lot!
See you there!

A sunflower cross with a butterfly eye.

Sasquatch in NWO

Well, I did have a murmeli moment this morning, as I came across a groundhog who seemed interested to sniff me out as I whistled to him, but some women from Grassy Narrows had a sasquatch moment. This colourful footprint could not have been its footprint, as they report it having 6 toes and heading off to the beaver pond, so it definitely hasn't been around here. This artprint is part of the art on the street found on the ground of our infamous blue overpass to the marina. And this footprint is headed townwards; I doubt a sasquatch would be heading that way. Not even too many folks go downtown anymore...