Niijii Birdie Bird

Niijii Birdie Bird..squack...Niijii Biirdii Bird.......Birdi Birdi Biirdi ...whistle....Birdi Bird..whistle...Niijii is a Birdi Bird...click click...its a Birdie Bird..squack squack...Niijii Niijii...Birdie Birdie Bird......

Ok already!!!!hahaha. He is most talkative when he is asleep. I sticks his head under his wing and then chats away to himself. Words are becoming more familiar and better and better pronounced. He picked up Petes whistle in days, while I've been trying to teach him his name for months. I hear so many half words. I get the feeling like he is gathering up so that he can say it all...all at once!

Sunset at Cat Island

"Sunset at Cat Island" Copyright Debbie Wright 2011

Here is an inspirational photo called "Sunset at Cat Island" I am told that every sunset is a spectacle and no picture could ever do it justice! It looks like art to me.

Returning to the Earth

"The Old Boat at Cat Island Lodge" Copyright Cat Island Lodge 2011

I came across this photo, that I thought I would share. I was watching a show about birch bark canoes and then had the fortune of seeing one up close and personal. This is a cedar strip canoe. That was the next evolution in canoe's. This beauty sits on a remote island in Northern Ontario and is in the process of being returned to the earth.

It Made Me Cry

I saw a piece of art the other day and it made me cry.

I have been analyzing my feelings to understand why.

Was it the beauty of the art?

or what it represents.

I was instantly connected

I could feel the Spirit beckoning me.

What I felt was something bigger,

 more powerful

 than the painting itself.

It wasnt a complex image..

just a simple image.

It's subject matter was not something that should stir such reaction.

I just cried and it felt good.

I cried because it was the real deal.

I could feel the awesome power of the creator

...the source.

Perhaps I cried because it was affirmation.

Perhaps I cried for joy.

Perhaps I cried because I understood.

Tears....

tears of joy..

tears of happiness...

tears of contentment.

Why tears? 

Why would joy bring tears?

Emotion...

why such emotion?

Gratitude? 

Why tears of gratitude.

Why tears at all?

Passion? 

Is it passion?

Power?

Love?...

yes perhaps it was love.

Whatever

...it made me cry

and I embrace the tears

and dont know why.

SandHill Crane

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/species/birds/images/sandhill-crane-DSC_0010-james-fox-lg.jpg

I was out trout fishing last week, and on the way to the creek I spotted 2 big birds just like this. They were magnificent. I have come to learn they are Sandhill Cranes and evidently quite numerous in the north. I had never seen one before. I did a little search on the net, and here was a great link. http://www.mikephoto.com/sandhill-cranes/

Maybe next time I will have my camera, and I can take my own pics!

Eating From the Rainbow Part Deux

http://chzifshoescouldkill.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/skittles.jpg

Eating From The Rainbow

My wife has begun to insist that we eat from the rainbow. She tells me there is good reason for this. I did a quick google search and now I agree!


"An easy and fun way to remember to eat your fruitsand vegetables is by thinking of eating the different colors of the rainbow. When eating fruits and veggies think of the different colors of the rainbow, this will help to introduce a variety of different nutrients and add spice to your diet by trying out new and more exotic fruits and veggies. These colorful foods deliver a healthful dose of vitamins, minerals, and  disease-fighting phytochemicals" 
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/01/eat-the-rainbow-for-your-health/


 "It's the colour of food that makes it extraordinary! Within each color are brightly coloured, disease-fighting phytochemicals. Study after study proves their healing power. Evidence suggests that single plant pigments need other phytochemicals within that plant and from others to provide all their benefits. Supplements do not offer the same protective benefits as foods." http://www.nutrition.ecsd.net/eat%20a%20rainbow.htm

"What Color is Your Food? 

Taste a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for better health" http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn595w.htm

“Each coloured vegetable and fruit has unique properties and there is strong evidence that there are interactions between the colors that are beneficial to your health,” she says in a press release. “Eating by the rainbow is vitally important to your well-being.” http://blogs.canoe.ca/keepingfit/general/eat-a-rainbow-of-colours-for-optimal-health/

Page after page talks about the goodness of eating from the rainbow. Page after page talk about colors....vibrant colors, and how they have a positive effect on our health and happiness. We see it in art, we see it in nature, we see these vibrant rainbow colors all around.

Rest assured, we can bask in the rainbow. The rainbow is a covenant blessing to us from our creator and it is the very essence of completeness. Sounds crazy, but take some light and refract it and you will find that light is merely a rainbow.

Stolen Time - Part 15263

I love stolen time. That is the time when you should be doing something else. We were working away and Pete looks at me ans say's...I wish I was fishing.

So the next thing you know, we were out on the boat, with all cares and responsibilities left behind. We went directly to our little honey hole and scored supper!

We headed home with our catch.

Pete cleaned them up while I went to the garden for greens. We had ourselves a fish fry. Fish and salad...our new favorite. As if we wernt spoiled enough, nothing helps the dinner settle like a nice evening fish...hahahah..we went back to our spot and got 2 more!

Niijii Entertainment

Niijji enjoys watching budgie youtube videos

He is more concentrated on the sound vs the visual. 

He ends up ultimately stomping and talking to the speakers.

Niijii has no fear of humans whatsover. He is completely comfortable perching on Petes head, while Pete operates a skill saw. Pete can hammer nails, bend down, stand up...it doesnt matter to Niijii. He likes to be part of the action.

Niijii was able to dominate Carol the cat, Lord rest his soul, but has not been able to dominate Geddy the kitten. The kittens instincts run deep. Niijii was a little disrespectful and got swatted by Geddy. Niijii has now learned respect for the cat. He will take flight and also danger chirp when he see the cat. We have been trying quiet time...the three of us, but I can see it in Geddy's eye's. I will have to be extra diligent when it comes to those two.

Niijii loves human food and especially tomato sauce. The other day, he flew into my Pina Colada. He was drenched. I grabbed him and gave him a wash under the tap. I managed to get the rest of the tomato stains off his head. He shiverred and didnt like it. Budgies can not fly when they are wet...they crash to the floor.

Speaking of crash, as I sit here looking out my windows, a sparrow just flew into the pane. The outside birds have trouble with our windows. Daily we hear the crashes. Jeesh...when they hit, they usually puke, and leave an ugly mess behind. Sometimes there are feathers stuck to the puke. Niijii, on the other hand, is a master of the windows. He has this ability to understand the barrier. He can fly like Jack the Bear and then swirv to avoid the window crash. He can fly around and around at incredible speeds and can communicate while doing so.

We play flying games. I try to block him in flight and he trys to navigate around my blocks. He chirps and cheeps and complains, but I know he knows its play. Finally I allow him to win and he lands on me and does a victory dance. He likes it when he is dominant and king of the castle.

A Place That Shall Remain Nameless.......

I grew up on a small trout stream. I cut my teeth fishing Speckies on the upper Credit River. I remember as a lad, catching some real good specks. As the years progressed, the fish got smaller..and smaller.

Sue and I went for a drive last summer and came across this little river that reminded me of my childhood stream. Locals quietly and sheepeshly admitted that there were some nice speckled trout in that creek.

I was told to go to the bridge and work the river from there.

First time through last week, the water was much lower. I caught 4 really nice trout. The biggest was about 13 inches.

We have had a few days of rain, and I remember as a lad, how rain can have quite an impact on the creek. Sometimes, that is when the big fish could be caught.....but today...not. I did catch a half dozen small ones, which I carefully returned.

I love the firns on the side of the creek. It is so lush.

This is close to the spot where I went ass over tea kettle, got soaked and lost my boot...haha..what a duffus!

And this is how cameras react after they have been dunked in the river. I had to walk barefoot through the bush. I had brought my ATV to take to the next stretch of river, which would have been impassable with my van. Instead of that, I jumped in the van and headed home....another succesful fish trip.

I have a strange way of measuring success!

Kiss the Fish and Set Him Free

hahahah..I wonder what the fish was thinking....He gets dragged out of the water, some creature kisses him, and then releases him....such strange behaviour. Lucky fish doesnt even know what a fry pan looks like!

This is a beautiful Gull Lake Smallmouth Bass. I know there are bigger ones here....I lost a few.

Ouch

We had our first mishap with the ATV. We were bombong down the trail, rounded a corner and the road was washed out.....I mean really washed out. The drop was a good 10 feet forming a V at the bottom. This is not something that one would want to hit at 20K. It was obvious we were not going to stop in time so I had to ditch the bike. I figured a tree was better than the washout. My bike got wedged and it took about 45 minutes to get it out. Sue and I have bruises on our legs and arms. I have a nice bruise from my knee to my ankle. This serves as a reminder. This was a wonderful lesson and maybe next time we wont be so lucky. I will have to exercise greater caution in the future. I was complacent because I knew the trail, however, conditions can change in a flash!

New Septic Tank

Yay..we got to do our second major home improvement. Our septic tank caved in and we had to contact the the experts. The Conservation Authority came out and inspected. The old undersized tank had to be removed...

and a new, over capacity tank had to be installed. 4500 litres..I like the sound of that.

They leveled it out, and filled it back in, leaving only 2 things exposed for when the Conservation Authority returns. They will inspect the job, making sure that everything went in by code and by law.

I get two pieces of paper as a souvenir....One Septic Certification and One Invoice for $4600.00

I better go sell some more phones but at least there is no more...

if its yellow let it mellow...if its brown flush it down.

Pitcher Plant - Carnivore

                           

Northern Pitcherplant - Sarracenia Purpurea

...almost lost an arm to this one...haha

Natural Art - SwallowTail Butterflies

Stolen Time

Sue and I were not ready to give up on the weekend, so at 6:00 after work we packed our stuff in the boat and headed upstream to Sandy Falls

There is an island at Sandy Falls which is perfect for camping. It is water access only and has magnificent views.

We found a nice little spot for a swim

and had a campfire

someone had carved the name Sandy Falls on a board

There are blueberries..lots of blueberries.

Here is a view of the swim spot. It is 20 feet deep!

Relaxing at camp...I dont think she wanted her picture taken.

Here is Sandy Falls. My buddy Oliver caught a Pickerel here, first cast of the year...first cast of the season.

As soon as the sun started to go down, the mosquitos moved in, and we moved out.....home in bed by 9:30.

Emerald Lake Camp

Sue and I woke up on Sunday AM and decided to hike up to high lake. We paddled across Emerald Lake to the portage spot.

We pulled the canoe on shore, and grabbed our paddles and gear and headed out for the one hour hike up to High Lake. The mosquitos were horrendous.

Thankfully, there was a small tin boat stashed on this remote lake.

We paddled around this high elevation lake for several hours

We jumped off the rocks and skinny dipped. The water was beautiful. 

We found these Pitcher Plants in the bog at the top off the lake.

After a great day in the sun, we bundled up all exposed skin and did the hike back to the canoe. The bugs were worse and we did the hike in 45 minutes instead of an hour. We got chewed pretty bad but it was worth it. Next time we will hike to another lake. There are three remote lakes beside Emerald.

Snapper in the Garden - The continuing story of......

I went for a stroll with my morning coffee out to see the garden.

I found we had a visitor and she was laying her eggs in the soil.

She tried a few test digs before settling in to her spot.

She buried herself in the garden mulch to avoid the morning sun.

When she was finished, she headed back to the river

And slipped into the water, never to be seen....until tomorrow.

Mr. Bullfrog watched...hahhaa..I feel like an Audubon reporter...

Sue and I discussed how we would handle the situation. We decided the best course of action was no action at all. We let her do her thing and we enjoyed the stimulation. Perhaps in a while, we will have little baby snapping turtles emerge from the garden. Realistically, she has done no harm and she is a beautiful creature. We are proud that she chose our garden. We shall eat a mess of greens in her honor!