Local Earth Day Observations

Two Sandhill Cranes - the second is well camouflaged

The second week of April brought unseasonably warm temperatures which jump-started spring after a lingering winter. Temperatures have dropped significantly in the past week, slowing the development of flowers but that is a good thing as we do not want the fruit trees to bloom when the risk of frost remains. Climate anxiety is a recognized mental state that is affecting more people in younger generations. It is not surprising when the news cycle often focuses on climate disasters that are linked to global warming. Dire predictions for the future can be alarmist and exaggerated, but we do need to be aware of the effects of human behaviour on the earth. 

Male Eastern Bluebird

I have been observing nature more closely for the past decade and a half and have noticed changes in our home region as well as places like Manitoulin Island. While our city is expanding rapidly and farmland is being paved over, the bird population appears to be declining overall, even in natural areas. We used to find Bluebirds nesting a couple of kilometres from our home, but I have not seen them for the past four years. Some species, such as the Tufted Titmouse are moving northward just as the Northern Cardinal moved northward, the first Ontario nest being found at Point Pelee in 1901.

Skunk Cabbage, Trout Lily, Bloodroot

Early spring ephemerals are popping up through last year's leaf litter. Skunk Cabbage flowers are blooming in ditches and swamps, the odd Trout Lily is blooming in protected areas, and Bloodroot flowers, with their protective leaves, are almost done. I will be checking weekly between now and Mother's Day for more varieties of native spring flowers.

There are some lovely municipal gardens in the region. The pictures above were taken at a pollinator-friendly city plot along the Grand River. My tech-savvy daughters have taught me that if I click the information icon in my photos application, Google will tell me the identity of the flowers/birds/trees in the picture. So I quickly identified the bottom two flowers as the Turkestan tulip, and Siberian bugloss or great forget-me-not. 

Star Magnolia

Magnolia trees appeared to bud and open within hours when the temperatures were in the high 20s C. But they have stabilized in this week's cooler weather. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington ON have a Flowering Cherry (Sakura) collection and they bloomed early and are past peak this weekend. I have yet to see this popular flowering tree and the blooming time is very weather dependent. The RBG website states, "RBG also annually records the flowering times of its Cherries as part of a biological science known as phenology which is an important tool in helping to track climate change."

I try to be aware of my carbon footprint on the earth, not only for me but for my children and grandchildren. At times my efforts seem futile. I am dependent on my car with few viable options other than riding my bike to work. The quantity of plastic and styrofoam waste generated at the hospital is astounding and the pandemic caused proposed changes to be moved ahead in time. Our Blue Box overflows with "recyclables", most of which will end up in landfill sites. I order too much from Amazon when I should try to buy more locally sourced goods. Convenience often wins over choices that are better for our planet. But awareness is a first step, and even small changes will add up in time. 

Happy Memories!

Today is the 10th anniversary of my mother's death. I was looking through pictures taken in 2013 and chose several from the last visit with both my parents in January 2013, three months before Mom died. My brother Mark and I stayed for a week and a half as a caregiving team and Mom, while increasingly frail, was still moving well and was her usual optimistic, cheerful self. We took Mom to Soriana, a large grocery store in the city. The wheelchair provided by the store was ridiculously heavy and difficult to steer, and Mark had us all laughing hysterically as he tried to turn the unwieldy chair around the aisles. Mom enjoyed sitting outside but could not resist sweeping the carport or hanging a load of laundry on the wash line. She was able to go to church with Mark while I stayed home with Dad who had recently been diagnosed with a Parkinson's Plus disorder.

Mom kept a bird count on the property and loved to look at the pictures I took. Her favourite Vermillion Flycatcher hunted insects outside the kitchen window. A Loggerhead Shrike fed its demanding fledgling and a baby Altamira Oriole perched in the orange tree. We spent time sitting outdoors enjoying the mountains, trees, birds, butterflies and flowers as well as the company of each other. 

Mom loved good food and it was easy to cook for her. Just before we returned to Canada she ordered a Tres Leches cake for my January birthday and my brothers, nieces and nephews joined my parents in singing a Mexican happy birthday song to me. (It is a long song!)

This trip started eventfully when my passport "disappeared" in the security area of the Mexico City Airport while I was distracted. Mark and my nephew, Simri went above and beyond in helping me get an emergency passport so I could return to Canada. My parents were blessed to have exceptional caregivers and the support of my brother Philip and his family in their last years. Family ties are easily damaged, especially in times of stress and difficulty but it is worth the effort to repair and maintain them. I am thankful for each of my brothers and their families and the bond we share as children of our parents.

Mark took us for a drive up the mountain and we stopped at this outcrop above the town of San Luis de Lozada. I was moved by the imagery of the cross and my parents sitting in the car as they looked over this last stop on their earthly journey. Their faith in Jesus Christ was strong and they devoted their lives to sharing the gospel with others. Mom died on "Earth Day" and she did enjoy her stay here. She would not want us to keep mourning her passing but to rejoice in her hope of resurrection and eternal life. In the meantime, she lives on in her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and I know that the many prayers she offered for all of us still rise before God. 

Spring's Arrival, Sun and Skin

Spring is often a short season wedged between winter and summer. At the beginning of the month, we had snow banks on the lawn and this week the temperatures have been in the high 20s, quickly forcing flowers and trees into bloom. I watched Magnolia flowers open today between breakfast and early afternoon. 

I purchased new summer clothes this week as my dermatologist has severely warned me to avoid the sun. Over the past few months, he has done multiple skin biopsies and I am booked for surgery this coming week for a "wide excision" of a lesion on the back of my neck. All my positive biopsy sites were on my back and the backs of my arms, places where I do not routinely apply sunscreen. Today was typical for me in regard to outdoor summertime weekend activity. I went for a bike ride at 8 AM and then spent five hours roaming trails and parks between 11 AM and 4 PM. I wore a UPF 50+ longsleeved hoodie and sun hat and did not feel overheated at all. I remember asking my dad when I was very young why people in hot countries often wore long, flowing clothes. He told me that protecting the skin from direct sun and wearing clothes that allowed airflow kept people cooler. Sadly, like most people of our generation, my family did not dress in a skin-protective manner even though we lived in a hot climate! My early years in South Africa jump-started my skin damage. After returning to Canada, we didn't worry about the two or three severe sunburns we got each year and I didn't use sunscreen until middle age. My dermatologist's waiting room is full of Baby Boomers of Germanic ancestry. We all look like the people on the wall posters warning about the dangers of excessive sun exposure. It is a lucrative specialty, even without the cosmetic business in the other half of the building which is not covered by our provincial health care plan. 

Today I looked for signs of spring in wetlands, woodlands, parks, and municipal gardens. I have plenty of bird and flower pictures along with these interesting shots. And I didn't worry about the sun at all!

Frog eggs in a creek

Water Strider in an eddy

Painted turtle enjoying the sun (obviously it does not care about UV damage)

Skunk Cabbage flowers

Seventy Years Ago

April 4, 1953

Toronto, Ontario

Photos from Mom and Dad's wedding

Mom and Dad (almost 21 years old)

Grandma D, Grandad T, Grandma T, Uncle Bill, Mom, Dad, Aunt Joan, Uncle Mel, Aunt Lois, Joan Sansome

Wedding Party

Aunt Ruth, David Abbott, Mom, Dad, Aunt Joan

April 1st

April started with a strong thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning. I was awakened at 1:11 am as a long rumble of thunder shook the house. Thunderstorms are not common at this time of year but this one lasted a couple hours and it seemed like Mother Nature was playing an April Fool's trick on us.

Southern Ontario reportedly experienced its darkest winter in 83 years as there was little sunshine due to frequent storms and low-pressure systems. We went 14 days without sunlight in January, a month that is usually cold with clear skies. 

April 1st was sunny and mild at first but rain and cold air moved in after lunch. While on an errand, I drove by a local art gallery where Snowdrops are the first spring flower to bloom. They did not disappoint and reassured me that spring is really here.

 

April 1, 2023, also marked the successful return of the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival after a three-year absence because of Covid. It has been an excellent year for maple syrup and the quality is exceptional due to the cool temperatures.  We are now awakened by spring birdsong in the morning and when the sun does shine, it is warm and strong in spite of cold winds. 

The poem of the day in my Lenten devotional was a beautiful verse by C.S. Lewis. Each stanza features one of the four elements;-water, fire, air and earth. Spring is coming as surely as Holy week begins tomorrow. 

Love's as Warm as Tears
by C. S. Lewis

Love's as warm as tears,
Love is tears:
Pressure within the brain,
Tension at the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat,
Featureless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.

Love's as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts - infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,

Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
And that empyreal flame
Whence all loves came.

Love's as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering, "Dare! Dare!"
To sap, to blood,
Telling "Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best."

Love's as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick, hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.