Sylvia's Simple Shots

I heard this Downy Woodpecker long before I saw him. He was pecking away at this telephone pole in the neighborhood.

It was a nice morning and I had a good walk around this area.

I am reluctant to head into the river valley after the hooligans I encountered last summer.

It is time to be somewhere else.

When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards is the book I finished this week.

This is a story of foster sisters who lived in the same home for a while and forged a bond under difficult circumstances.

Cecilia and Robin vowed they would be the sisters they never had.

Robin has an accident which compels her to look at her life and decides to join Cecilia on a passion project about foster care.  She will be the photographer on the project. They will revisit good places and not so good places and relive experiences they have buried deep in order to move on.

Robin's husband is not impressed that he must shoulder the home duties while Robin is away. he comes to appreciate the work, the love and the investment to get to know his kids. He thought he just needed to make the money but it is not so.

Cecilia has money, fame and needs to work out who her friends are.  Excellent read.

With all the rain we have had recently the rust on the metal plates in the windows of this empty building is developing overtime.

I love the colors, the textures and over pattern the dripping water has created over time.

I had a friend over for tea this week.  

It`s been nice to have the place all put together again after the new floor and renovations.

We had a great chat and 3 hours just disappeared.

This House Sparrow was foraging for seeds in the parking lot of a nearby building.

You can see how small he is next to the tire.

He was quite hard to catch because he kept moving.  Don`t imagine there is a lot to eat on pavement.

I caught his eye. 

I was lucky to be lower than the parking lot so I was not on my hands and knees taking this shot.

It was a unique perspective.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

Captured a Northern Flicker poking in the ground for worms in the park as evidenced by the dirt on his bill.  They are mostly ground feeders so that is where I have found them in the past.

I was visiting my sister and her husband for a fish fry on Friday for supper.  A tradition for all the Fridays in Lent.  It was delicious as always.

We headed to a local shop which sells ice cream and we in luck to have Maple Walnut flavor.  Hers and my favorite.  We ate them in the car so it would not result in a mess before we got home.

I was in Camrose for a funeral.  

With about 45 minutes on my hands and not being able to find the thrift store I headed to the Candler Gallery.

Found some wonderful art.  I recognized at least one artist who had art on display.  One of my aunt has had art in the gallery in the past which was why I knew where it was.

There was some nice pottery as well.

There is a gift shop in the front of the main level along with an art supply store.

Nice to enjoy a few minutes before meeting my sister and husband for lunch at A&W then headed to the funeral of my cousin's father.

While having a conversation with the gallery owner she let me know about the paints they carry which are made in Canada.  With the tariff situation good to know there is a Canadian option.

Tri-Art produces watercolor, acrylic and oil paint and is located in Kingston, Ontario.

I only picked up the watercolor brochure as that is what I would purchase.

The gallery ships Canada wide but a trip would be a nice break.

My good leather purse has a worn strap and the holding loop let go in the last couple days.  I don't have time to fix it right now so I packed it but I needed a replacement.

I found this bag at Goodwill for just over $10.  Inside is a tag that asks you to register your bag and it will be returned to you from anywhere in the world.

I was thinking this must be worth something if it has that kind of policy. There is a store in WEM which would explain it being here. 

I expect it is very good quality so I gave it a good wash in and out.  It is a bit floppy so I will have to do something to give it a bit of structure.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss is a book I finished recently.

A small book written by the same author as books I have recently read which I borrowed from my brother in law.

This is the story of Auri who leaves deep below the University.  A young lady that chooses to live a solitary life with animals rather than people.

She explores the vast spaces below ground and has named them all and has created paths and ways to travel from each. 

Some spaces house her special things, one is where she sleeps and all are very interesting. 

Very interesting character.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

 

Thanks to my sister who has a bird feeder outside her living room window I got the woodpecker and the chickadee.  The house finch was found on my walk outside in the river valley.  

I am so happy to be walking outside again.  The legs are strong and spring is here.

I finished this book a early this week - The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce.  It is a companion and followup to her other book. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  Queenie is in a hospice facing the end of her life on earth and Harold's letters and postcards start arriving.  Once the cat is out of the bag, everyone in the building is taking an interest.

She has support from her fellow residents and the staff also take in interest.

It's been 3 years since I read the Harold book so some of the details are a little fuzzy.  Would have been nice to have it to refer to but these days I read books and pass them onto the little library.  I don't hold onto them anymore.  It's okay.

Would recommend both of these books.  The author has a few more so I will keep an eye out for those.

The sutures from my tooth extraction came out on Thursday! I was so happy.  They were very loose and long and sometimes I felt I was going to swallow them.

With turkey on the menu for Easter it was a true blessing to eat normal.

The wound has healed wonderfully.

I am back to taking the stairs.  I started taking the elevator during the pandemic so I would not have to touch handrails. 

The stairs at my sisters' houses, the stairs here at home, the stairs in the river valley are all giving me the workout I need to key my legs and knees in good shape.

Wonderful feeling

Sophie's World by Joosten Gaarder was originally written in Norwegian and then translated to English.

I should have paid more attention to the tag line - A novel about the history of philosophy.  I would have been better prepared to read about ancient history.  It was very interesting.

I did not read all of this book.  When I got more than halfway and the philosophy continued I just went to the last 2 chapters and read those.

Sophie and Hilde are in different realms and share the same birth date. They try to figure out who is the other.  Teachers come along to help with the understanding of the philosophies and the history.

A different kind of book but very informative about ways of looking at things, religion in our world, art, and much more.

We celebrated Easter with as many of us that could attend.  My sister hosted.  It was the first celebration without Mom or Dad in attendance. We all brought sometime to share with the others.

We went through Mom's stuff which was all brought to my sister's place when Mom passed in January. There was clothes, jewelery, CDs and DVD's, and a bit more.

We each took what we wanted, then some was donated to second hand stores, some was garbaged, and some will be passed down to the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

We had to go through ALL the pockets.  We found little pouches of money, combs, and her name and address on little pieces of paper.

It brings closure. The funeral and interment was discussed 

Have a great week!

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I dropped by a green house yesterday on my way back from a short morning of photography.  I managed only 10 shots before I was out of battery and I had not recharged the extra from my trip the day before so more more photos for me.

I walked around the botanic garden just to get the exercise I needed and the greenhouse did not open till 10 am.

I was at the door at 10am and wandered around to eventually find the Sansevieria / Snake Plant / Mother-in-Law Tongue plant.

It measures about 7 inches high so the price of $13 dollars was worth it.  This is not likely the final decorative pot for it but it will do for the photo shoot.

I did some investigation of the Pothos or Devils Ivy and it is soaking wet so that is why it is not doing so well.   I have to learn to water according to the plants needs and not just once a week.

I am learning and now I have 7 plants which a huge improvement over 0 when I worked.  Just did not have the energy and connection to handle it then.

We had several days in the last 10 which were what I would call heat wave days.  Above 30C in the day and the overnight temperature not dipping below 18C.  

I had to put a dark sheet in the dining room window to keep the morning sun out of my place.

Thank goodness it did not last as long as last year.

I made a bottle full of Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette this morning.  Love this dressing on almost anything.  I use it for salads, I put it on my fish for the bake oven fish dish, and just to add a tang of flavor to a whole grain dish.

You can find the recipe here in Jenn Segal's French Grated Carrot Salad posting.

I just store in a cleaned out Dijon Mustard plastic jar in the fridge.  I double the recipe.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The Road Home by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen.

It is a Naomi and Ruth story based on the bible but set in modern times.

The women are living in Las Vegas and have fallen on hard times.  They have both lost husbands in the last few years and Ruth is Naomi's daughter in law.  Naomi is now in her 60's and wants to go home to Pennsylvania where she grew up.  Ruth grew up in the foster system and has no real home so decides to make her home with Naomi. 

They travel across the country in an old Impala that Naomi's husband had both here years ago.  They work along the way to have enough cash to get HOME. 

Beautiful story!

I want to do some work on the kitchen.  

I painted the middle panel of the kitchen doors in 2017.  You can check out the improvements made then in this post. 

Now I want to paint all of the cupboards in order to freshen up the kitchen again.  I have chosen a light yellow and a warm grey in craft paint to paint paper which I will tack up against the cupboards to make a decision on a color.

I did investigate replacing the hinges but that was a no go as they have changed - the holes are not in the same place and the plates are not the same size so I think they will just be painted.

I want to had knobs or handles to the doors and drawers but I have not made a final decision on those yet.

I will post updates as they happen.

I played hide and seek with a Northern Flicker the other day.  They are a wood pecker which spends a lot of time on the ground looking for food. 

An enjoyable time.

Flickr Macro Monday was Miniature.

I got this miniature Tupperware Thatsa Bowl key chain in my prize from reunion raffle.  It is so cute and you can see the lid comes off.  I have a couple of the regular sized bowls in the Tupperware in the cupboards.

Love the color of this bowl as well.  The ones I have are white and red.

Have a great week.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The youngsters are growing up.   I found this juvenile Downy Woodpecker at a feeder yesterday morning.

Of course, it is the time of year when the little ones start being independent and making it on their own.

He is just starting to have the red patch on his head.

He was pretty small but the Downys are a small species.

I finished The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin this week. 

It has been a couple of weeks reading it because I can no longer read in bed because of the progressive lens in my glasses.  I have to sit.  

It is not a novel and covers some intensive subjects.  I will keep this book because I will need to read it again.  Because I will get a few concepts at a time.

Be Gretchen - the idea that you have to be you which means accepting yourself as you are. 

Live life with gratitude - A concept I have embrace and first read with Ann Voskamp and 1000 Gifts.

Clean out the clutter - You likely only wear the clothes you like anyway so get rid of the other stuff.  Yes, even if you paid lots for it, got a good deal, or it's the perfect color.  You don't wear it so pass it on.  

Happy or Right?  Work on your judgmental and critical nature.  Being happy is more important than being right. 

I purchased a silicone handle for my cast iron fry pan.  I used this tool nearly every day and having to use a pot holder all the time was a pain.  Now it stays on all the time so no worries about burning my hand.

As you can see though, it is too long and too wide. During my research I did not get the impression they are made in different sizes.  Most of them are also red where black might have been nice.

Makes my life better so that is a good thing.

I purchased an indoor timer to handle the grow light on the plants.  I just don't have to worry about turning it on and off.  

The plants get the light they need and I have less to handle.

As you can see the basil, orrgano and asparagus fern are doing really well.

The sunflowers are finally in full bloom.  I love sunflowers.  There are some in the community garden, flower beds, gardens and some have just grown volunteer in ground with the right conditions.

I found these at a Sunflower Garden.  There were hundreds of them.  We also have mazes in our province who use sunflowers instead of corn.  What a great idea.

I would love to have a few for my table but I will enjoy them as I see them around my travels.

Flowers are everywhere.  I have yet to get a nice pansy photo.  This one is the best.

Echinacea or the cone flower with it's orange center.  

Day lilies are very common in city properties.

The challenge this week at Flickr Macro Mondays is Paper Art.  You can check my Flickr Photo stream (SMDPics) to see my entry. 

I am sharing with Angie who host Mosaic Monday #143 and

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #301 .

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took this photo at the bird feeder when it was still decent temperatures -12C.   

It is a Downy Woodpecker getting seeds and fat to stay warm.  I have to say I don't know how they do it.

As you can see it is now Crazy Cold and will last for another 2 weeks they predict!

This is a story about Martha Connolly who lives in Liverpool England in Court 5 very near the docks where her husband goes everyday in hopes of getting some work.  It is 1938 and the Great Depression has caused great unemployment and poverty. They live in squalor, cold, with little food and means to earn wages.  Her and Patrick live with 8 of their 9 children in one room.  One of the girls has gained employment in a large house and sends a bit of money each month. Brian, the oldest son works and contributes as well. Martha sells rags at the market. The young ones follow the coal cart and gather the bits that fall off for the range which provided heat and the ability to cook. The photos on the right show the courts.

The other timeline is 1965 where Martha as fallen, was hospitalized and now is placed in a seniors residence where residents are expected to be quiet, not make a fuss, and stay in bed. She is now alone with no husband or children. No one comes to visit and she is lonely and sad. She shares with the staff when they come to the room she shares with 4 other women. They are not very engaged so it is very isolating.

Eventually, Martha is reunited with her youngest referred most often as Number Nine whose real name was Jamie who is now a priest.  She lives with him in the presbytery.

I have been doing a lot of sewing this week.   I have already posted the blanket for the car.

This is a set of bags for the car.  The largest bag in the upper left corner holds my winter or summer gear depending on the season.  The tall skinny and Bento Bags are for other things which need to be stored in the car on a temporary basis.

The small bag on the bottom left holds the other bags until they are needed.  

They are made from black microfiber which is polyester so will last a long time and wear well.

I received this late Christmas card from a friend who moved away a few years ago. They normally don't send cards but since this was not a "normal" year they decided to do this year.  It did my heart good to get it in the mail last few days in January.  

On my day out on Monday I stopped by the hardware store to purchase some C-Clamps.  

I have used them now to secure the lamps on both sides of the photo studio.  The lamps have been known fall and then I have lost a valuable light bulb so they were worth it.  

Eventually I want to make a backdrop holder for the studio which will be secured by clamps as well.

I am happy with the progress I am making with the studio.
 

Vibrant Minimalism is the challenge at Flickr Macro Monday this week.  This is one of the shots I took for it. You can check out my photo stream (SMDPics) to see the one I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #117 and Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #278.

Recent Photos

 I finally got some good photos of the chickadees at the bird feeder. I took LOTS of photos and ended up with a few good ones.

                 I am not looking at you!                                                   Hello!
                 I'm busy eating.                                                                I am outa here!

The water is running and the sun is shining and it feels so good!

Spring arrived all of a sudden here last week.  I have been able to get out with the camera 3 times this past week.

The pussy willows agree that spring is here and let's get on with it!

I wholeheartedly agree.

The sunsets have been great.

I captured the con trail of a plane headed up as the sun set.

Last night there was cloud cover which hid the sun early.

I finished this book this week.  I can take Christmas all year round - books, stories, cards bring it on!

A large tree chosen for Rockafeller Square is 50 years old and has been lovingly tended all these years. It is stolen the night before it is to be felled. Why? Who? When? All the press is here and no tree. 

This mystery is because it has something hidden away in its branches which has been there for a long time as well.  The item is worth a long of money and the one who secreted it there years ago comes back to claim his prize.  What he doesn't know it that this tree grows from the top so he could have just climbed it like he did when he hid the flask.  No need to steal the tree.

In the end the tree does make it to New York all lit up for the world to see.

The Nuthatch bird was eating from the suet feeder totally hanging upside down.
The Woodpecker was being very cagey and only peeking around the corner to check if I was still there.

I will get a better photo another day.




Check out my Macro Monday photo - Volume Dial on my stereo

Sharing with
Mosaic Monday #19 hosted by Angie at Letting go the Bay Leaf.

Thru Your Lens #183 hosted by Mersad

Whims & Fancies

First Trip Outside in a While

As you may learned from my previous post I have been under the weather for a while.  The weather has been been good and not so much. We got some more snow on Friday and Saturday and the roads have been ugly!
I was out for food and essential supplies of cough drops, ginger, and flour on Thursday night despite not feeling like it at all.

I decided to go out into the world today for a few minutes, of course with the camera. It was relatively nice at -7C but twenty minutes was all I could stand. 

Nature created these cotton ball like snowballs in the trees.

I caught the late afternoon sun on these dry leaves.

They were a bright spot on a pretty white landscape.

I love the golden tones and the texture of the veins creating light and dark spaces.
 
This sunflower still retains it's yellow coloring from it's fall glory.

I hope the birds have harvested it's seeds.

I managed to photograph 4 birds near the bird feeder.  A sparrow, a chickadee, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Junco.  I am grateful for those who have kept the feeder filled throughout the winter.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday #75.