First snow

First snowfalls always come as a bit of a shock (especially in October) but if they are as beautiful as this, well ...


This fellow isn't sure he likes the idea.



And this one seems to be wondering what has happened to his tree!

So much beauty ...

Rather Christmassy for Hallowe'en ...

Amethyst enchantment

A fellow blogger posted Robert Frost's poem "October" and I found it inspiring. (Thank you "Daffy"). I especially loved the lines "Retard the sun with gentle mist; Enchant the land with amethyst."

I submit this photograph to accompany the poem as I feel it also expresses an amethyst enchantment.

October

by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost--
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

A little whiskey makes for a good day!

Today I decided to visit a park on Gouin Boulevard which I really only go to each fall because of the colourful maple trees and the little inlet from the Rivière des Prairies which attracts ducks.




Most week-ends I go to Mount Royal or sometimes Angrignon Park so this is another case of being in the right place at the right time. I say this because on my way back from the park and while waiting at the bus stop I suddenly saw a brown and white dog standing (alone!) at an intersection. He ran across the street to another nearby park and raced around. I watched to see if he ran up to someone but it was pretty far now and I couldn’t quite see. I told myself that he had probably just gotten away from his owner in the park but there was another tiny voice saying “hmmm ... I don’t know about that”.

But the bus came and I was cold and tired so I got on along with my nagging misgivings. The bus turned the corner and continued along the perimeter of the park. Oh no, there was the little dog all alone! OK, forget this – I got off the bus and ran towards him as he continued to race around to a playground now. A young man thought he was my dog and scolded me for not having him on a leash. Finally I caught up with him as he lay on his back in front of two small children asking for a “tummy rub”. After ascertaining that he wasn’t theirs, I scooped him up (not an easy task since he was a beagle mix and not exactly light).

Now what to do? As he squirmed, I carried him to the entrance of an apartment building and got inside. At least if he broke free from me he was still somewhat confined. Next I saw that he had a tag (yay!) and that it had a phone number (yay again!). Luckily I had my cell phone in my pocket but it was no small feat to read the number and try to dial the phone while holding onto the collar of a squirming, twisting, jumping dog!! Finally I put the phone on the floor and dialled. A man answered. In very broken French I managed to explain that I had his dog and where I was. He said his sister would be there in five minutes. Now I had to go out to the side of the road so she could spot me and I was afraid this friendly but rambunctious dog would get away from me. So, I fashioned a makeshift leash from my camera strap and we stood together waiting for her – or rather he pulled me and I pulled back and we went around in circles and thankfully very soon there she was running to him with a proper leash. She thanked me profusely and said "Whiskey" had slipped out the door and just when she realized he was missing, her brother called out to her and said there was a woman on the phone who had him!

So now reunited, she trotted off with little “Whiskey” on the end of the leash. This was a very good day!

More Sutton photos

Several more pictures from Sutton. I was particularly excited by the Monarch caterpillar and the Monarch chrysalis!

Sisters in Sutton

A couple of weeks ago my sister Diane and I went to Sutton in the Eastern Townships for five days. She had stayed at Auberge Schweizer there in July for a watercolour painting course and raved about the place. So she suggested a short stay for us where she would sketch and paint and I would do my photography. We timed it to coincide with the lovely fall colours.

On the Sunday afternoon when we arrived it was showering but the forecast predicted a sunny Monday so we held on to that thought. The rest of the week looked "iffy" but we wouldn't let that get us down.

We proceeded to get the news that the accommodation that was expected (a two bedroom suite over the "painting room" would not be available due to a mouse that had to be "taken care of"). The Auberge owners were stunned when we both said in unison "that's OK - we like mice". They insisted in upgrading our accommodation but I was more concerned that they not kill the mouse/mice. Well, interestingly enough considering my previous post, they had a live trap and later in the week they announced success and that the captured mouse would be released "up by the dam". We even offered to do the release which elicited more stunned looks.

In the meantime we had quite taken to our substituted living quarters. It was a very comfortable chalet with a fireplace, full kitchen and two bedrooms - each one with a bathroom attached. We ate lunches in the chalet and had our breakfasts and suppers in the dining room. The food was vegan / vegetarian (as requested) and was absolutely delicious. Most of the food came straight from their organic garden.

While everything was wonderful, the weather was not very cooperative. Each day our mantra became "I think the sky is clearing" or " there seems to be a break in the clouds". Most of this was wishful thinking and actually things got worse as tropical storm Nicole sent torrential rains and gale force winds later in the week. However, we never let it get us down and I still managed to get some interesting photos (mainly of insects). On the worst day we simply headed off to wine country and toured the local wineries and stocked up!

Here are some of the photos of the trip. You can also find many of my Sutton insect pictures here.





"Our" chalet on the hill

Some of the fall colours

Here I am doing one of my favorite things - petting "Lucky", one of the resident dogs.

Diane doing one of HER favorite things!

Some early sketches

A Viceroy butterfly (mimic of the Monarch)

This pumpkin was grown in the Schweizer's garden and is estimated to weigh 100 pounds!

My next post will show more photos of this enjoyable stay in Sutton.

Choices

Yesterday I wrote about a little mouse named Guy but tonight I'd like to write on a more serious note.

This is the time of year when wild mice seek out warm shelter and food supplies to help them through the winter to come. In the process some will enter our houses if given the opportunity (improperly sealed external walls, etc.). This occasionally happens at my work place and the company puts down glue traps or spring traps. Glue traps are notoriously cruel causing the mouse to lie stuck and in terror until it starves to death and the spring traps are little better when they don't kill outright but only strike and maim the mouse where it is also left to die slowly. To counter this, I started searching for humane alternatives and lo and behold they are readily available, cheap and effective! One needs only go to Zeller's or a similar store or hardware store and buy a live trap.



Check out humane traps here and here. A friend of mine actually constructed one herself and caught several mice one season which were taken outdoors to a suitable location (there should be plenty of cover like bushes or tall grasses) and released. Her large dog became fascinated by this process and insisted on accompanying her to the release site where it would put its face close to the trap and watch the mouse's exit. He never attempted to hurt the mouse and just excitedly watch the event.

So the more we can deal with the little lost animals on subway platforms to the little hungry ones seeking warmth in buildings in humane and life-affirming ways, the better off we all are. Here's to the tiny creatures that need some empathy!

Guy the mouse

I found something the other day which has brought back memories of a rescue I made about twenty years ago! It is a "mousie" bag and this is the story of the mouse named Guy.

One day in 1989 or 1990, I had a doctor's appointment downtown and since my sister Diane worked not too far away, I thought I would take the opportunity to meet her for lunch. I did have to eat after all and it wouldn't take much more time than my regular lunch period at work (or so I thought). That was before I realized that fate was engineering a little drama to come. I left the doctor's and headed for the Guy Metro station to go the couple of stops to her workplace.

While waiting on the platform, my attention was taken by some sort of commotion a few meters away. I looked over and saw a small white mouse running along the side of the wall of the station towards me. I looked down and saw that there was a little jutting out part of the wall that would slow the mouse in his tracks when he reached it and, positioning myself to pounce, it all went off like clockwork! The mouse paused at the "roadblock" and I grabbed him and quickly dropped him in my purse! The purse had a zipper closure and I closed it just enough to prevent his escape but to provide him air. I also managed somehow to remove all its contents (and stuff them in my pockets) without him escaping. Suddenly a woman came up to me who had been waiting on the platform too and offered the mouse a few pieces of her bagel. She said "he might be hungry". I was touched!

I am not sure how this mouse (soon dubbed "Guy" after the Metro station) came to be there although I vaguely remember teenagers making a commotion at the time he was running (maybe they had released him as a joke to play on the passengers?) but in any event no one tried to claim him and I would have resisted attempts to take him from me.

Now of course I had a mouse in my purse and was on my way to a lunch date. So imagine my sister's surprise when I arrived and then announced that we were being joined by a surprise guest! Unfazed, we still had our lunch at a nearby restaurant where I surreptitiously passed little samplings of my salad to him.

After lunch of course I couldn't just head straight back to work so I had to detour to a pet shop and buy him a cage and supplies and then take him home and install him in my apartment (in a separate room from my cats!). This simple doctor's appointment stretched into quite a few hours. But it was all worth it. Guy was a friendly little fellow who would come to the front of the cage for treats and petting. He also lived a long life of three years which is well above the average lifespan. Here he is.





He was also treated to fresh salads whenever I went to "La Cage aux Sports" restaurant after work which was just across the street from my company. I asked the waiter one time for a bag in which to take home my left-over salad explaining the story of Guy and that it was a "mousie" bag rather than a "doggie" bag. He was rather taken by Guy's rescue story and even made this special bag up for him. I have kept it all these years.