At the beginning of 2024 I set the intention of creating regular posts here — if not monthly, then at least bimonthly. I got into a routine of posting regularly in 2023 and was determined to continue the momentum. I have failed miserably. I am very good at setting intentions. I’m the Countess of Want…
Author: LanaMac
From Hungry Caterpillar to Majestic Monarch
This is an exciting update on my last post. At that time, seven voracious Monarch larvae were making quick work of my milkweed plants. The runt of the litter sadly died while it was still in an early larval stage. Five others fed until they were quite large, then disappeared overnight — presumably on a…
Very Hungry Caterpillars
Yesterday I had to do an emergency food run to sate the appetites of some voracious teenagers. As soon as my work day had ended, I hopped in the car and drove to the nearest place where I might find the only snack that would satisfy the picky eaters. Not pizza. Not burrito bowls. Not…
The Cheep Eats Café
The veneer of frost on the doorstep glints in the early morning sun. It’s a diamond-encrusted dawn. The air is crisp and quiet as I move around the yard, but there’s a sense of tightly wound anticipation at the periphery. A crow’s caw. A blue jay’s squawk. The soft fluttery beat of a chickadee’s wings….
Today is Okay
Something special happened today. My weather anxiety has been building with the possibility of a hurricane hitting us next week. There is lingering trauma from the devastation of Tropical Storm Fiona last September. I check the U.S. National Hurricane Center and Canadian Hurricane Centre websites at least twice a day. I feel the prickling of…
It’s a Purple and Yellow World Out There
Some people like to note the precise arrival of the summer solstice (this year in the Northern Hemisphere it was June 21, 11:57 a.m. Atlantic Daylight Savings Time). I watch for a less quantifiable but no less magical moment each June: peak lupin ‘Peak lupin’ occurs when the maximum number of wild lupin stalks are…
Yards of Brocade and Other Winter Textures
“Where is this snow coming from?” my friend, Laura, asked. “There isn’t a single cloud in the sky!” A couple of weekends ago Laura invited me for a hike on the Fitzpatrick Mountain trail system. We met at the trail entrance at Smith Rock Chalets in Scotsburn. I’d never explored these trails before. Laura’s dogs,…
Snowlings and Sudsy Things
In November, I did what seemed like a reasonable thing for a Canadian to do: I asked for a new pair of snowshoes for Christmas. To be accurate, I told my husband I was ordering myself a new pair of snowshoes for him to give me for Christmas. Or for me to give myself. Because…
Emerging from the Ashes
It’s been a very long time since I was in this space. My blogging good intentions were repeatedly shoved to the side by other life responsibilities in fall 2019 and winter 2020. And then…the whole world went sideways. And I lost my words. I’ll be open about it: the pandemic has battered my mental and…
Disappearing Hay and Literary Ducks
I was sitting on a bench swing down by our pond the other day. It’s a favourite place to read and watch the dragonflies practice their aerial ballets. Sometimes one will land on my leg or shoulder while I’m reading. Or on my book, and then I’m stuck on that page until the ballet resumes….