Lise's Ramblings

When the Swedish Academy announced Alice Munro earned the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, stores scrambled to add her books to prominent online and in-store displays. As you can see from my bookshelf, I am among the legions of fans of Munro’s remarkable stories.      CBC will dedicate this week’s Sunday Edition to Canada’s short-story maven.  Congratulations, Alice, a deserved win.

The Veendam: 2013's first cruise ship in our port As an avid birder, I welcome the sight of returning warblers, hummingbirds, terns and plovers. At this time of year, they charm me more than usual.  Soon they’ll flock to our woods and shores in greater numbers, but for now I count every migratory songbird or endangered shorebird I spot.  Gardens have harbingers of warmer days too. Well before anything else grows outdoors, those crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths paint our yards with colour. Last year, I blogged about spring peepers , amphibians that are shorter than your pinkie finger. These frogs overcompensate for their diminutive size with a trill chorus to mark the season. I know to take out my spring jackets when I hear the male peepers.     Our longer stretches of sunshine and spring weather also mean retro cars escape from winter storage, cruise ships return to our ports, crab and lobster boats set out to sea, and farmers return to their fields.

Major grocery, hardware and department stores stack bags of mulch and top soil near entrances to signal that gardening season is upon us. But, those stores mainly carry the mass-market essentials. For me, the season arrives when the local nurseries and garden centres open their greenhouse doors. Wander indoors to see delicate flowers, fragrant herbs and colourful annuals, or brave the elements and step outside to see hardy perennials, award-winning plants, trees and rare shrubs.  If you don't have hours to spend researching info online, but you want to track down a botanical oddity, graft a tree or nurture seedlings, then consult the experts. Fortunately for me, I can visit knowledgeable folks at places like Van Kampen's Greenhouses, Island Pride Garden Co. and Jewell's Country Market. They can answer my questions and recommend new finds. Even if you aren't a gardening fan, you can enjoy a trip to a greenhouse for many other reasons. Photography buffs will dis

"But we, insofar as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance.  Having choice, we must not act without responsibility.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore (book three in the Earthsea trilogy) Amen. That quote from a talented author spells out what I wish I was eloquent enough to write today. I want Mackenzie to inherit a healthy world to explore. Do you think we can ever grasp how fortunate we are to have Earth, our life-sustaining planet?  We're surrounded by our world's beauty and bounty. If not for yourself, then for the sake of future generations, choose to nurture and balance this precious place we call our home. Happy Earth Day!   Tropical beauty at Vancouver's Bloedel Conservatory Evergreen and deciduous trees in British Columbia

As if being in my library  isn't reason enough to smile, my shamrock from Lise T. adds a dash of purple and fun to the room. When I moved to Atlantic Canada, I traveled with precious plants packed with care. For a few weeks, unexpected delays prevented me from getting the keys to my home, so I carted pots of all sizes in and out of hotels and B&Bs.  Why go to such lengths? I cherish my plants' lineage. For these plants came from friends, colleagues and family, and form a living bridge between my past and the present. Some are indoor plants grown from cuttings. Others are perennials unearthed from gardens. Whatever their origins, memories sprout whenever I tend to my kinship plants, which include my: Goldfish plant ( Nematanthus nervosus ) from Laura P. Yucca from Burgi Forget-me-nots ( Myosotis ) from Alex Assorted tropical plants from my hubby  Bee balm ( Monarda ) and Malva from Louise and Dad Purple Shamrock ( Oxalis regnellii triangularis) fr

Maple sugar heating pan Photo credit: Ronald C. Yochum, Jr., Creative Commons 'Twas an early spring day, when all through the woods, Many creatures were stirring; they were there for the goods. The tin pails were hung from the tree trunks with care, In the hopes that sticky sap would soon be there. The children were bundled all snug in their coats, While pleas for sugarbush treats escaped from their throats. But mama gathered them all when she said with a clap, “Now you settle down or you’ll go home for a nap.” Then, alongside the cabin there arose such a clatter, They sprang to the heating pan to see what was the matter. Evaporating water takes more than a flash, Toppled trees for cords of wood must burn to ash. Pour a taste test of syrup on new-fallen snow. Twist a wooden stick to catch the cooling flow. When, what to their wondering eyes should appear, But golden taffy or as the French would say, tire.    thegreatcanadiangiftcompany.com

In winter months, firefighters rely on guide markers to help them locate fire hydrants buried beneath snow. Boaters count on navigation markers to steer cruisers and sailboats through narrow or rocky channels. We all use guide markers from time to time. Perhaps you install temporary markers at your lawn’s edge to make sure you don’t mangle your grass as you rid your driveway of snow and ice.  Or, maybe you’ve hiked remote trails and relied on guide markers to lead you through dense forest.  When the usual doesn’t suffice At least trees, driveways and fire hydrants stay put. In Canada’s Far North, the landscape changes, so guide markers are a matter of survival. Inuit cope with extreme winds and cold, shifting ice, near-zero visibility, extensive periods of darkness and other challenges. Mere flags, sticks and posts cannot withstand or be seen in such harsh conditions. That’s where a rock inuksuk (pronounced ee-nook-sook) comes in. Towering up to a metre or more in height,

No matter where you live, you've likely wasted time idling amid traffic jams on highways. If you haven't, then count your blessings for finding a sweet spot where you don't need to stare at tail-lights for hours on end. Meanwhile, the rest of us can appreciate what a relief it is to find open roads, especially when we expect to face the usual traffic tie-ups. Regardless of your final destination, cruising right along at the speed limit as you cross large metropolitan areas is       AWESOME! "Circulation fluide" An unusually empty autoroute 40 (La M é tropolitaine),   part of the Trans-Canada Highway , in Montr éal.

When I added #40 to my Lofty Life List , I wrote the entry as a lighthearted wish. I had zero expectations of ever brushing shoulders with one of my three larger-than-life heartthrobs: Hugh Jackman, Jon Bon Jovi and Lenny Kravitz.  Lucky for me, Bon Jovi's 2013 “Because We Can” tour afforded me the closest chance I think I'll ever get to meet one of the three guys on my list.  Bon Jovi set list and ticket Yesterday evening, Jon and I shook hands as he headed up from the stage pit to the outer stage. Serendipity played a part in the meeting, but I was also determined to make the trek to see Jon and his crew from New Jersey. With no stops in Atlantic Canada for the Bon Jovi tour, I decided to drive to the nearest venue, either Montréal or Ottawa. A road trip crossing thousands of kilometres in winter, why not? After picking up decent 200-level tickets for the Ottawa show, I figured that was as close as I would get to Jon. This was an instance when I was glad to