Water Bug

March 6, 2012

Poor waterbug. He thought the top of the car to be a pond. A lovely, dark pond, reflecting the forest and sky around him. I would have thought so too, if I were a bug. I noticed him when I was stacking wood. As I walked back and forth I could hear a faint buzzing in the background. When I stopped moving, so would he, so I couldn't pin-point what or where the noise was coming from. Finally, I managed to find him trapped where the windshield meets the hood of the car. I got him out and on the gravel. When I checked on him later, he had gone.

The next day, he was back again, buzzing about, stuck on the car, so once again I got him up and going. He liked sitting on the top of the car, no doubt somewhat perplexed at the rigidity of his pond. This time I managed to get a pic before he spread his wings and burzeled off in disgust.

Day's End

August 25, 2011

Walking the dog at the end of the day, I watch my shadow before me. How long it stretches until is but a small potato. The land is rotating away from the sun, stretching, getting ready to settle down for the evening. All things grow longer, extending the boundary of their physical selves. Shadows merge with other shadows and now the apple tree can chat with the cedar as their forms merge into one. The last news of the day is exchanged with the energy of shadows.

Painting with Ants

June 4, 2011

Painting in the garden near an ant's nest can be very tickly... and they are so nosy. "Are you done with your coffee cup?" they ask, crawling all over it. "Hey, it's gone cold. Heidi, did you know your coffee has gone cold? What's in here? Is this your paint box? It is so messy. Why are all your colours messed together? That can't be right. We don't do it like that. Here, let us get a 14th opinion. You should get some fresh water. You can't be painting with such dirty water. Since we are here, we are going to check the pigment per water ratio. Oh, do you mind fishing us out? Thanks so much. Heyyyy, this is a nice paintbrush! Sable right? We know our stuff. What are you painting? BUTTERCUPS?!! Those don't look like buttercups.

What! Why are you flicking us off? Can't you take some criticism?"

Mushrooms in Stanley Park

October 24, 2009

The weather these days are very typical for autumn, one day pouring rain, the next as sunny as can be. We spent the afternoon in Stanley Park, enjoying the aforementioned sun. With all the rain the mushrooms were exploding out of the ground.

and it took all my restraint not to yell, "Smurfs!" when I saw this nice little collection of Amanitas muscaria.

Below is a pencil sketch of Beaver Lake in the Park.

Raccoon

August 7, 2009

It's Pea Time!

June 23, 2009

So in my neighbour's garden across the alley, if you peak through the cracks in his fence ( because I am too short to see over it) one can see he has row upon row of peas. Yum! Sadly, my peas do not like my garden and only grow in planter pots which doesn't allow many peas per person....namely me. I think I'm supposed to add some innoculant to the soil for peas and nitrogen and blah, blah, blah for them to grow. I used to tell all the customers at the garden store to do this but I don't do it myself and now look...a shortage of peas. So, I shall try it next time I plant peas. (Funny they grow just fine in planter pots without innoculant.)
In France, we stopped at a rest stop and it was adjacent to a field of peas...as far as the eye could see...just peas. Do you think I could cram my hand through the chain link fence? No. I mean, non.
Anyhoo, what few I have are tasty and delicious.

Runner Beans

May 20, 2009

I
think my garden is full of cutworm grubs and weeds. That's it! I've
taken to growing what I really enjoy in peat pots to get them going and
to give them a head start before being swamped by weeds and cut down by
the grubs. With them right under my nose I noticed, for the first time,
how the beans develop ( Okay, I know that every first grader knows this
but I've forgotten since then!)

Yellow Pear Tomato

May 7, 2009

Now I'm no tomato connoisseur, nor do I buy fifty or sixty plants like the old Italian gardeners who came into the store where I worked, but I do have my favourites such as 'SunSugar' and ummm 'SunSugar" and ummm "Suns....". Okay, so I am branching out this year and also got a "Yellow Pear" and "Black Cherry". It is only me who eats them (and my neighbours if they are around). Last year I grew way too many; Romas, SunSugars, Sweet Millions, Early Girl....

Sugar Snap Peas

March 16, 2009

A miserable morning. More cold rain and windy snain.
Decided to do a bit of drawing inside and what better thing than drawing the potential of my Sugar Snap Peas. Yum. These are planted a bit early for here, supposed to wait until the ground is a little dry, not too soggy, but still cool, but not so cold the peas will rot in the ground. ColdAntlerFarm decided to do a pea planting group to combat the throws of winter and heck why not?

Though my gardening friend told me not to get my hopes up because peas can't be sown in pots and then put in the ground due to their sensitive root structures; they have to be directly seeded but we shall see. Perhaps I can gently manoeuvre the bottoms off the containers, or hopefully the peaty sides will rot away for me.