Boredom

Sat in the waiting room of the dentist’s office, comments about the weather were inevitable. The wind and cold have been remarkable for the last month. The seniors gathered this morning for dental work only venture out when absolutely necessary. This can make for long hours in the house from self confinement.

One retiree present was a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, born and raised on a farm on Prince Edward Island. He returned to the island on retirement and reminisced about his childhood on the farm outside Summerside. 

“The snow was deep then and the cold was the same, but we forget that. We didn’t stay in the house though and weren’t dressed as well as the kids are today,” he said. “We spent time building forts with bales of hay in the hay loft or flooding a rink and skating all day.”

“One day, I told Dad I was bored,” he said. 

His father told him, “Go to the first stall and clean it out. It hasn’t been done.” That stall held young calves.

The retired officer said, “I’ve never been bored since.” His father fixed that!

Our daughter has a rule in her home. “Bored is a word so we don’t say in this house,” she tells the kids.

The kids have learned to find something to fill their time. Believe me, a shortage of toys is not a problem. Playing outside is always an option too, at least when it’s not bitterly cold.

I cannot say I am ever bored. There is always something to do and boredom was never in my vocabulary as a child either. Books have filled endless hours. These days, I also enjoy photography and writing/blogging. Nature walks and hikes, during at least three seasons, are favourites as well.

Do you ever feel bored? How do you avoid boredom?

Three sixty

One of these photos has appeared on this blog before but this arrangement of driftwood has stayed with me for the last few months. Last fall, when my husband and I saw these driftwood pieces on Cavendish Beach, I took a series of photos around the wood. The pieces were battered by the elements though away from regular wave action. If you don’t walk around them, you miss a great deal.

Some qualities of the wood are the same from all angles, its smooth and rough elements, with projections, lines, holes, colours and marks.

However, as you circle it, the background changes as does the light and they highlight different pieces and areas.

Your position affects how and what you see.

And so it is with life sometimes. 

This year, I will remember the driftwood!

A bomb cyclone

They called it a bomb cyclone. We were as ready as we could be, food, water, generator and outside items stored away. The winds were forecast to gust to 140 kilometers an hour. At the least, we expected to lose shingles.

Forecasters use the term cyclone when warm and cold air masses collide and produce a rotating pattern with a subsequent drop in barometric pressure. When the pressure drops 24 millibars in 24 hours, it is known as a weather bomb. We kept a close eye on our barometer prior to this storm. We had never seen it this low. 

It started with a heavy snowfall. Then the winds picked up. After several hours, the snow turned to ice pellets, then rain, as the temperature climbed. The winds increased, gusts hitting the house, shaking the balcony, windows and roof. It was impossible to sleep upstairs.

The family room downstairs was our best choice. My husband and I settled in for the night but even on the lower level, where we rarely hear wind or rain, we could hear the gusts slam into the house.

We keep an afghan made by my husband’s grandmother, Classie, in our family room. 

The multi-coloured crocheted wool cover, sized for a double bed, is at least thirty years old. That night it was a comfort, huge and warm, a hug from Classie which helped us sleep in spite of the raging storm.

We lost shingles but not power. The next day, the temperature dropped and we’ve been in a deep freeze with high winds and temperatures equivalent to the -30s C. Winter in eastern Canada can be quite an adventure.

The bumper’s story

Island life 2017

Our Prince Edward Island home provides my husband and I with many places to explore. The past year we enjoyed picnics, walks and hikes as we explored the beaches, trails and hills. These photos represent our experience of our island home last year.

The Confederation Bridge is the world’s longest bridge over frozen water, a true engineering marvel.

The land and sea become one around much of the island this time of year.

Wharves become busy places as the lobster fishery approaches in the spring.

This mussel boat headed out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence early in the morning.

The many lighthouses stand their silent vigil year round.

 Beaches are rarely crowded and great for exploring.

Along the waterline, fog rises from the beach around the red sandstone sea stack and cliffs.

There are such interesting finds and colours on the beaches.

The trees are giants in places

And the woodlands have interesting finds too.

The red dirt roads through the countryside are always inviting,

While the fields provide a rich harvest.

The layers of colour in autumn mesmerize 

And then night falls on the gentle island.

Wildlife 2017

With the advent of a New Year, I spent some time going through photos of the past year. I enjoy animal photography, so these are my favourite animal photos from 2017.

This fox thought we would feed him and so he approached the car, though cautiously.

A rare capture of a red squirrel peering out from a feeder.

This bald eagle was one of two perched on sand dunes in the National Park on Prince Edward Island.

The squirrels usually chase away the chipmunks, so I was lucky to capture this photo.

The harbour at French River is a favourite habitat for blue herons.

The kingfisher and the yellow-bellied sapsucker both liked these perches above the stream in Summerside.

A greater yellowlegs enjoyed the seaweed along the shoreline.

Three cormorants shared the tree above a pond, waiting to catch lunch.

Plovers and sandpipers often feed together along the shore.

A tiny bank swallow looks out from its nest.

This male mallard posed for a photo.

Geese overhead are always an impressive sight. 

For two years I attempted to take photos of muskrats. Finally, late in 2017, I was in the right place at the right time.

Happy New Year

BElieve

            THEre is

                          GOOD

                                   in the WORLD.

 

The world needs your sparkle!