4 short stories

The past few days have been a winter-wonderland filled with beauty of all kinds!  I ventured out into the midst of it and I also passed time being comfy and cozy inside my home working on wintry themed projects. We've had day after day of cold, cloud and rime ice.  Each day became whiter with the build up of the rime ice. I have the proper gear that affords me safety and comfort so I can embrace this beauty Mother Nature has bestowed upon us! 

naturing

Far off distant views were non-existent on this day so I found enjoyment admiring the close up scenes while listening to the sound of silence.  I was somewhat sheltered along the valley floor that followed along side the creek.  The creek is now snow covered as you can see at middle right. The Mallards were no where to be seen nor was the coyote I tracked a few days ago, but I did see a....

.....a Great Horned Owl! The last time I saw a Great Horned Owl at the Birth Forest was two years ago. When the cold and snow hit last year, I checked for the Owl but had no luck.  I don't know if it did not return last year or if I just did not see it.  On this morning as I swished through the new fallen snow feeling  the rime ice against my face, the Owl flew out of the trees in front of me and landed in the trees across the trail further along.  I contained my excitement and focused on capturing a few photos while admiring it from a distance so not to disturb it.  This was such a special few moments in time between me and the Owl in the peaceful Birth Forest! 

knitting

I shared with you back on November 20th that I was ready to attempt to knit a pair of mittens. This would be my first time ever knitting mittens. My hope was to finish them before the end of winter so as least I could put them to use.  I started knitting the mittens four times, each time having to undue what I did due to the stitches falling off the needles.  I had success with the fifth try.  A few stitches did fall off but I did my best to pick them up.  I made many mistakes which I accepted and just continued to stitch along.  I eventually completed the right hand mitten! I was so pleased that it actually looks like a mitten and that it fits me perfectly.  I am now working on the left had mitten.  I am enjoying this craft and it is bringing much fulfillment.  This second mitten is knitting up much quicker and easier than the first.  I am already thinking about knitting a second pair but I would prefer a brighter colour of yarn and I may also try knitting them on a circular needle instead of the four needle method.  

gifting

It was time to celebrate a friend's birthday! We made a toast to her special day and shared gifts before lunch arrived.  I made a greeting card by doing a water-colour painting of her and her "best friend".  The sentient was printed on a second sheet and attached to the painting with twine. While it was not my day to celebrate, she did bring me a gift.  She is in the midst of repurposing some items.  I was the beneficiary of two Marjolein Bastin sculptures as you can see in the bottom photo.  Both the Indigo Bunting and the American Goldfinch are now on display in my home!    

painting

While "out & about" on this day, I hung another Christmas Tree decoration on a snow-covered tree to caputre a photo of.  This decoration now holds a nice little story and is ready to be hung when I put up my Christmas Tree in my home.  I have never seen a Cardinal!  I have this decoration with Cardinals and I also have a decoration of a Cardinal wearing a green scarf. The colour of them pops in a winter-wonderland. Some things I see in life, I see with child-like eyes and the wonderment that comes along with that.  This decoration looked complicated to paint and do it justice so I googled to find a Cardinal painting in a winter setting.  I found the perfect tutorial which I followed yet added a different touch to make it my own.   While out in a winter-wonderland, the little girl admires the beautiful red Cardinal with child-like wide-eyed wonderment! 

Nose Hill November 28, 2024

Given that the distance I want to cover now for 2024 is a free for all since I reached and passed three goals already, I'm still pushing forward with being "out & about" but not as regularly.  What we faced here today, most might make today a free day, I did not!  It was not even a free for all for getting where I wanted to go, with a few major routes within the city either at a stand still or closed due to road conditions, I drove in a round about way to the Nose Hill Parking Lot.  I made first tire tracks into the lot then first foot prints along the trail.  

Only the big guys were out today and by that I mean, 

those are two Bucks on the ridge, senior and junior!  

the weather conditions consisted of freezing fog, ice crystals and snow flurries

rime ice covered everything

🎶"the snow is so bright, I gotta wear shades"🎶

When I was in the open and could see some distance and by some distance I mean less than half a kilometre, I spotted the senior Buck!  I am not sure what spooked it but it was gone in a flash1

the best the sun could do for a matter of a minute

like I said, only the big guys were out today 

a Raven

a bit of blue began to shine through 

this forest section looked so inviting.....

....so I entered in!

This is my temperature gauge!  

By the time I completed two hours of exploring, I was ready to head home and feast on another breakfast. This time pancakes and hot chocolate were severed, by me!  With my naturing accomplished today, I still had more "ings" to work on, painting, knitting and reading!  

tracking : on hour in the life of: November 25, 2024

With a couple of hours to pass before getting on with a greater priority, I bundled up and went on my way to be "out & about" once again at Confluence Park.  Weather-wise it was not a morning to be standing around, rather moving quickly along would be more suitable.  I moved swiftly along for about an hour and a half through the forest plus down along the creek-side and then.....

.....I began to notice the sights!  I had originally thought to myself, I should leave my camera behind to curb the interest to stop and snap shots, but I didn't listen to myself and carried my big camera.  Glad I did!  The footprints in the snow-covered creek looked on the older side maybe by a day.  

These prints in the ice looked older too!  

I wondered who made them, yet I had an idea who the culprit might be! 

Even though the tracks were not new, I hoped the culprit might still be around.  I scanned the area and while I was doing so, I was being scanned over by this coyote up on the ridge.  That's what I thought!  Guilty!  Now my plan of quickly moving along began to fall by the wayside.  Note:  I used my zoom for all photos and videos.  

It did not spend much time keeping an eye on me but I spent all my time keeping my eyes on it.  

I watched it move along the ridge top in a stealth like manner until.....

.....it began to works its way down the hillside

Once it was near the bottom, it sprang into action and bolted across the meadow, until.....

.....something caught its attention!

After pulling its snout out of the snow, it put it back in, numerous times.  It appeared to have succeeded in doing what it was, it was doing. After pulling its snout out of the snow one last time, it gave itself a full body shake and trotted on.  It headed for an open area and I knew the creek meandered back there and that's probably what it was trotting along.  I quickly moved along, almost running to where the creek wound around closer to the path.  I arrived to the spot, I waited until.....

.....the coyote came around the corner! It was closer to me now than it had been all along (I used my zoom just a bit) yet it was not bothered by me. What it was bothered by was walking on the ice!   

Eventually it came time to go!!!  I looked at the time, I just spent one hour tracking the coyote on top of the time I spent walking before the tracking began.  It was time for me to go, to go home!  I was out here much longer than I planned to be yet I treasured the experience and so thankful I brought my big camera.   

Arriving back at my vehicle, the frosty fringes would soon melt once the heat was turned on!

a snowy autumn day November 23, 2024

It's autumn only by the calendar date!  In every other way, we are in the midst of full on winter!  I was excited to get "out & about" in all the new fallen snow and to be out while it was still falling.  I did not venture too far away from home, the plows had not been around my area yet. I went to the Birth Forest and Nose Creek knowing that if my vehicle got stuck in the snow, I could walk home.  I brought along a Christmas Tree decoration to capture a photo of it hanging from a tree.  If you have been following my blog for awhile then you know, I like to take photos of my Christmas decorations out in nature then take them home, now with a story to tell, and hang them on my Christmas Tree once I put it up.   

It was a win loose situation when I arrived at the parking lot and began to hike. No one else had been yet which meant I got to set first tracks in the new fluffy white gold but it became hard work breaking trail for close to two hours.  It was a beautiful winter wonderland and I wanted to be one with it!  

I set a good pace for this short video but that was the only time.  The balance of the time, my pace was more like a saunter, or a meander, just a plain old slow go.  

looking back at the end of the Birth Forest before leaving it behind 

just before heading downhill to Nose Creek

I spied a bird off in the distance and I could zoom in enough to see it was a Northern Shrike.  As I carried on sauntering, or meandering or just plain old going slow, the bird flew past me and landed in a tree up ahead.  I continued to shoot shots as I moved closer and closer.  

eventually it gave me the stare down so I moved on

the Northern Shrike is a small vicious bird of prey

they spend the summers up North and fly to Southern Alberta for the winter

The Mallard Ducks will not be around Nose Creek much longer.  There is not a whole lot of open water left.  This male Mallard swam back and forth in a small section of water.  I watched it for awhile and that drop of water at the end of its bill did not drop off.  

This male Mallard stood in a very small section of water which was surrounded by ice.  

Close to two hours was enough to be "out & about" and now that I was ready to head home, I hoped it would be a non- eventful drive, and thankfully it was.  I got cozy at home, turned on my fairy light tree and.....

....settled in to do a watercolour painting!

It snowed the balance of the morning and all afternoon.  

As I write this blog post early evening, it is still snowing!  

smitten smittens November 20, 2024

This morning's pink hue comes to you by way of a frosty foggy sunrise!  It was the first time this season that the weather for being "out & about" up on Nose Hill called for long johns, a "tuque" with hood over top and my heat wave gloves.  I was ready to face the elements, my only concern was would my vehicle make it up the very short steep hill to the parking lot! Thankfully the road was sanded, salted and pickled.  

Another thing I was thankful for was that sometime yesterday, fat bikers, I mean fat-tire bikers, biked some of the dirt paths leaving packed trails.  After getting the elevation out of the way, I found some of those packed trails and went about my business along them.  The lone leave beckoned for company!  

No one else was up here in this area.  A light layer of snow lay on top of the tracks from yesterday.  The fog and snow muffled any distant surrounding sounds.  I could only hear my foot steps crunch in the snow and each breath that I took.  

the clouds ahead looked like gigantic snow banks

🎵🎵🎵

When it snows, ain't it thrilling 

Though your nose gets a chilling

Walking in a winter wonderland!

For some reason, it felt magical to see them this morning!

Time came to begin the hike back to the parking lot. Either of these three routes would take me there, left, straight ahead or to the right.  Let's see, which way would be longer, to the right would be so I took that route.  

I'm smitten for my smittens! I took my smittens with me for a photo opportunity in the snow. I purchased these a number of years ago at a store in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They were made from old sweaters that were donated to the crafter.  I have no old sweaters for cutting into pieces to sew together to make smittens.....

.....but I do have watercolour paints, so I painted my pair of smittens! I did think of buying a cheap sweater or two to cut up to make smittens, but instead..... 

.....I bought yarn and needles to knit a pair of mittens!  I never knitted mitts before!  This past January and February, I knitted a basic bunch of squares then stitched them together and called it a blanket which I absolutely love.  Now with the cold weather settling in, I am using the blanket on a daily basis.  I hope I have as much luck with knitting these mittens!   

from this : to this : now this

from this

One of my missions for visiting Carburn Park on this day was to check out the Bald Eagle Nest situation to which I have nothing to report because there was absolutely nothing going on.  Once I took care of that mission, I then moved on to taking in all that Mother Nature offered up.  The moon was still full, the wind was non existent, the pond was open water, these packaged together created this gorgeous reflection.  It was a bright sunshiny day.  

I spotted a Buck basking in the bushes

the sun shone bright on the Chickadee's feathers 

the Canada Geese formed a perfect V in the sky

the muskrat raised its tail to warn me away

the long shadows lit up the ground cover

to this

One of my missions while visiting the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary was once again to seek out the Great Horned Owls to which I have no photos to share because I had no success with finding them.  Once I took care of that mission, I was free to wander and wonder.  The moon was still big yet not quite full and I was able to capture it and its reflection.  It was a cool, crisp morning with a sky full of those fluffy puffy white clouds that I love so much.

it was joyful to watch the Robin taking a morning bath

the Canada Geese working on forming their V

the Lagoon was mostly open water with a pretty reflection

the muskrat decorated with water droplets 

female & male Mallard Ducks after their bath

now this

One of my missions while visiting Confluence Park was to check out the Siberian Larch Tree in the birth forest to which I found what needles were still on the tree were holding new fallen snow.  Once I dealt with that mission I then meandered along swishing through the snow.  We were walloped with more snow than was forecasted.  The moon was no where to be seen in a sky full of grey yet the sun tried its best to shine but with no luck.

the Canada Geese were flying over head in droves 

tis the time to sport my winter boots

the Mallard Ducks were all in a row 

the forest dressed in a new collection of winter white

it was perfect snowman snow so I made one

I am ready for "now this" and welcome it with open arms!  With what is in the forecast over the next number of days, I believe the snow is here to stay.  This means new seasonal doors now open, it leads to taking each day as it comes, needing to be more flexible and spontaneous. I will embrace winter, all the while being cautious with conditions.  Winter can be full of wonderous sights and experiences!