Hopeless Disaster Strikes Again

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I think I'm going to get out of the blogging buisness. I think I just killed my new old URL. Sigh.

Anyway, going to go and try and figure it out

Jenn

Haiku

Humid warmth - dog's breath
Gasping soup-thick air, singed lungs
Heave deeply to fill

Showering rain, cool balm
Brown withered grass softens, greens -
Wet earth smell revives

Chomped viburnum leaves
Curl inwards to shelter from beasts -
Small, toothed monsters

Raiding raccoons thump
Drunkenly up the drain spout -
Rooftop ruckus wakes

Libary computers
Banks upon banks in cool room
Tempted by coffee

Uh - so there we go - best pictures I can post for now

Frustration

Well, I'm still located at the dyslexic URL. They say my old URL is available, but I'm having trouble reclaiming it. I supect they just locked everyone out to keep the spammers off - their main intention. My blog is really my problem, but I don't have time to advertise the new location, and I'm waiting and hoping I can just move it back.

Jenn

In the drink

I'm measuring flow in the Wilmot here in traditional Lakehead dress.

I apologize to anyone who actually manages to find my blog - which was highjacked while being backed up. I"m waiting to see if I get my old url back if not, I'm here for a while anyways.

Cheers,

Jennith

Problems and Fixit's

I'm not sure how my blog is showing up elsewhere, but I'm having trouble seeing the pictures here and they are on my computer already. I suspect that my blogspot space is nearing its limit and I'll may have to move to araska.org soon barring any catastrophes. Until then, things may be a bit quiet here, but I'll keep you posted on whichever and the rest as much as possible.

Cheers,

Jennith

Another Butterfuly

This (I believe) white admiral butterfly was one of many we saw in the Wilmot Watershed while hunting for lost and forgotten culverts and headwater streams. All in all it was a fun day and a chance to get out and try some new techniques. I'll have to look up that hydraulic head method and see if I can't cook up an easyier way to mark it.

Sunday we had a quick visit with my Grandma Pam who finally got to meet Gabe again. Then we headed off to the races with ominous clouds on one side and blue sky on the other. We turned North and the ominous clouds won dousing us with so much water that my windshield wipers could hardly keep up. When we got to the races we watched the first two races while my grandfather explained to me how to use the racing form. We were finally ready to bet on the third race (and did), but there had been so much rain that they cancelled all the other races except the 6th and 9th races. We decided not to wait it out, and went home to play Settlars of Catan - Knights and Cities with Geoff and Erin.

After the game, I managed to call most of the rest of my close relatives whom I hadn't spoke to in a few days including Uncle Stevie and Gramma and Chris. Then we went out to Swiss Chalet for supper (never a bad meal). After we went back, we stopped by my old house - because my brother had never seen it - and on a whim knocked on the door of my old next door neighbour who's been living there since I was 2 or 3. He was home and we had a great chat. His daughter's son is now done highschool and my grade-school friend Matt is all grown up and working for OPG. We used to cause havoc at the After School Program. I can't really imagine him as more than 10 years old. So life is old. Its good to randomly talk to people you've lost track of. Hopefully I'll manage to meet up with Chris B. soon for a game of settlers. (Chris you should remind me) and with Trudi for our long planned and muched delayed coffee session.

Cheers,

Jennith

The Difference of A Shift in View

You might accuse me of already posting this photo. I have posted a similar one, but this one is at a slightly differnet zoom and from a slightly different angle.. I just happen to like this one better. It was taken on Killarny Lake and you can see the mystery bird 2/3's of the way up the tree.

I guess you can say the same about philosphies and opinions. You don't have to change much to have a very different outlook.

Night,

Jennith 

Portage from Freeland to George Lake

Ummm... another perfect day.

Sunset on a Perfect Day

Okay - its hard to imagine a perfect day in town, but it was a good day.

I should point everyone to my brothers site to look at the amazing pictures they've been posting.

The cover of McLean's Magazine - which I haven't read any of yet - bears the ominous title of "World War 3". Certainly, the crisis in in Lebbanon is a frightening development in a series of Middle East/North African region conflicts. Perhaps, the title jars me because of the truth beneath it. No question that half the problems in the Middle East have been exacerbated by world wide meddling with the Americans and Russians cold war legacy high on the list and European and Multinational bussiness not far behind. I'm actually fairly ignorant of the situation, but I suspect that the little I know is but the tip of the iceberg of what I don't even want to know. This conflict bears little similarity to earlier wars this century - if you can even draw many parallels between the 1st and 2nd World War. But I guess this time most everyone has a finger in the pot and at the very least a stake in the oil supply. I guess this is not a good blab to put under the heading of perfect day - but I was refering to the day the photo was taken 3 weeks ago.

Aside from the disturbing headlines - today is a minty-herby day. A 25 cent herb sale at the superstore allowed me to pick up 12 pots of herbs including orange mint, pepper mint, chocolate mint, lemon thyme, green and purple sage, bee balm a maybe something else. Heck - I might go back for more - except that we don't have anywhere to plant them. My attempt at growing herbs from seed ended with no sucess - but this could be the beginning of a herb gardan - and the soil I picked up could make it possible to reseed the lawn.

Anywho, enough rambling.

Jennith

The Resiliance of Maples

Maples are nearly impossible to kill. I have attempted to "thin" the cohort of teenage maples that have sprung up on our property of their own accord over the last 20 years. Given the tools I have available - the best I can do is prune them to the ground. Unfortunately, they have all bounce back and suckered into life. Of course I was thrilled when many of the shrubs, particularly the grape vine, di this - in the case of the maples, it is becoming frustrating.

These are silver maples living near Orono, Ontario - not in my back yard. But the picture brought my own murderous toils to mind. Proof that I'm part forester at heart. Its always fun to impress people by differentiating between Norway and Sugar maple and explain what is going on. That said. I think I want a Ginko, they are pretty cool. A sort of status plant for biology students. My other garden plan is to buy some more mint seeds and try again. Maybe in a pot this time with all nice soil. Gardening is really quite fun.

Anywho,

I ramble.

Jennith

Cheers,

Jennith

Parents Spouting Everywhere

More correctly, I supose it would make more sense to describe babies as "spouting everywhere", however, I've mostly been talking to their mothers and sometimes fathers - so to me it seems that the parents are sprouting where there were none before. I supose it's more like metamorphosing - transforming into the diper-bag lugging, stroller discussing, picture taking, exhausted humans whom all of the symptoms are caused by having a child.

I guess it is just the age that I am, or at least my friends are that are causing this trend. I'm certainly not at that stage of my life -being still a student which results in lugging big bags of text books, drinking coffee and and also being stressed and exhausted.

So, here is at least one of the cute little critters that drool and poo and stuff. I scratch my head but they do make for great photos.

Jennith 

Dragonfly Artified

And if you play with picasa enough they even look cooler! 

Another Dragon

Dragonflies, according to Up North, once had wingspans of about 75 cm (2.5 ft). This one isn't small, but he's not the size of a small eagle either. He does look furocious (drat that isn't spelt right). Hey, I even wish my eyes were that colour. 

The Falls Return

These falls were included in an earlier photograph posted this spring. Here they are again on a sunny day from the bridge rather than the stream side. There were no kayakers this time, but the temperature was in the high 30's. Its mind boggling to consider the engineering in the Trent Severn waterway and I shudder to think how much the ecology of the lakes and rivers involved were changed by the introduction of locks and diversion of flow between basins. Still the falls are pretty and nature seems to have survived our meddling.

Cheers,

Jennith

Treearch

Thoughts for the day. . .

Well, one thing to point out is the inclusion of a cluster map on my blog. So far it isn't very exciting, but hopefully it'll change over the week.

I've been reading my brains out, trying to synthesis information into a field plan. My room, as a result, has the look of a post-slimer library (for those of you old enough to remember the ghost busters.)

Alex is whistling away in the background, loud enough that I can hear him upstairs. I really need to start doing yoga again - as I've become about as flexible as a ceramic dish and my legs keep cramping up when I try to run.

Otherwise, life is quiet.

Jennith 

Petroglyph Turtle

I can add Petroglyphs Provincial Park to my list of provincial parks visited this summer. This turtle was slowly making his way across the road so we had to stop and take pictures until he was out of the way of the 4 turtle mashers on my car.

I figure he was one of the inspirations for the artists chiseling 3 in deep carvings into marble 600-1100 years ago. Gabe kept imaging what it was like hiking through untamed woods filled with poison ivy in 30 degree weather and then chiping away at rocks. (It was 35 degrees there yesterday and wicked humid too.)

There are quite a few parks that I'd like to see, however many of them are quite far away. Kawartha highlands isn't open for business yet, but it looks exciting.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Prepare for Takeoff

I've always been fascinated by dragonflies. This one has the look of a fighter jet. I realize that I'm no where near the level of writing I hoped to achieve on this blog site - I simply don't have time to write the mini-essays that I had intended to originally on a regular basis.

Besides which, as a person who may be looking for employment in a year, it is unwise to express any opinions publically - so I'm a bit restrained in what I write and I feel even that could be judged. Not that I have any particularly radical opinions, I just don't dare express anything unequivically until I know what i'm allowed to admit to publically. Heck - I suspect it is unwise to say anything identifying online given that perfect strangers, some possibly malicious in intent, could read this at any time. So, between busyness and paranoia my hands are tied.

There, I think I just broke all the rules by writing that. But I ramble. . .and ungramatically at that.

Jenn 

Window View

 

Tying the Knot on a hot sunny day

I didn't catch the ministers name, but he deserves points for being a first rate wedding minister. He was serious at points, but mixed in a healthy dose humour and fatherly advice to the new couple with refreshing sincerity. Its also probably the first set of wedding pictures I've ever seen where most of the wedding party was wearing sunglasses. Of course they both look wonderful and in love.

Amanda took this picture during the ceremony owing to her isle seat.

JP 

A Good Old Barn Dance

Here is Amanda in the reception area before supper - note the day lillies and butterfly theme. 

A Butterfly Wedding

Our trip to Krista's wedding was awesome! It was great seeing Amanda again, not to mention Krista and Pam. It was a fun group of people. It was also one of the nicest wedding venues I've ever seen, held at her fathers place on a lake. They had a butterfly theme - and they let live monarchs free at the end. The colours were orange and purpole with daylillies as the main flower. Thanks to Krista for inviting me. 

Ooops, wrong lady bug picture

Red mantled Queen sits
Atop the Monarchs flowers
Awaiting dinner

Here is the one that didn't have a blurry bug 

Wilmot Creek

Here is a picture of the main stem of the Wilmot Creek. It is probably higher than normal in this picture given the recent dousing of torrential rain we had on the 10th and 12th (taken on the 13th).

The banks are well vegetated with plants I'm actually not familiar with and there are tonnes of birds and insects (including mosquites). The whole area is still fairly rural and quiet. Its a great little place to sit and read. 

Wilmot Check Your Watershed Day

Wilmot Creek is part of the Ganaraska Conservation Authorities area. I am volunteering as part of their Wilmot Check Your Watershed Day event which is a neat multi-partnered initiative to use local volunteers to gather watershed data. I went to the training event last night and met some of the neatest people. One gentleman had been living in the watershed since he was eight and took the time to point out all the coolest places in the watershed. Another was a teacher-camp counsellor-outdoor ed (probably girl guide leader type) who was just lots of fun and had her own neat stories. Not to mention the enthusiastic MNR guy and the local fisheries biologist who were both cool and knowledgeable.

So, here is the link to the Check Your Watershed Day brochure. If you are really keen, they may still be looking for a few more people (Wilmot is east of Oshawa though) It'll be a day of measuring small streams on back roads.

The picture above is a ladybug on milkweed flowers taken near a small park on Concession 5.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Alpine Lakes

Chill mountain waters
A vista of stunted trees
The short green days wane 

Alpine Meadows

There are few ecosystems as pleasant and breath-taking as alpine meadows with their amazing bright coloured flowers, pothole lakes and stunted trees. This was taken in sunshine meadows in Banff about 2 years ago.