Freedom, just another word...

I don't usually get philosophical on my blog. I guess I'm not that deep. But this one just struck me and seemed to build on itself, so here it goes.

Last week, I was getting my snow tires taken off the car. Okay, it's June and it was 32 degrees Celsius, 40 with the humidity, so I figured it was time. I had time to kill so I walked over to Timmy's for a steeped tea. There was a woman there who came and sat near me. She was singing and dancing to the music on the radio and getting strange looks from other customers. And I thought, how sad, that we're so afraid to break into song like they do on "Glee" or those old school musicals. But this woman didn't care and I was a little jealous. 

Many times when I'm walking the dog and a really catchy tune shuffles through my headphones, I've often felt like dancing a little "Hippy, Hippy Shake" or singing along with Green Day on "Good Riddance". And, I'll admit it, sometimes I do. I mean, it's hard not to Shake when Teenage Head ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeCGtWaWwBk ) tells you to. And when I sing along with Metric on "Gold Guns Girls", I've certainly earned some odd looks. I guess it's okay if you're in an iPod TV spot but not so much if you're just walking down the street. Which got me to wondering ... is this freedom .. to sing out loud and dance to a tune without caring who sees?

That same day, I drove to Niagara Falls for a job interview. It was freaking hot in the car (I refuse to turn on the air conditioning -- I'll be cold in the winter, thank you very much) so I drove down in shorts and a tank and changed into my suit and heels in the parking lot before my meeting. When I was done, I hopped in the car and drove to my sisters' cottage in Crystal Beach. I had the place to myself so I threw on my bathing suit and went for a quick dip. It was quiet at the beach and, after cooling myself off in the lake, I laid on the beach in the sun and had a quick cat nap. It was so relaxing and I thought, "ahhh, now this is freedom".

I guess there are many concepts of freedom. We refer to North America as part of the free world. But is it really free? I mean, when you're a baby, you're free to do what you want. You can eat, sleep, burp, puke and fill your diaper whenever you want . However, you rely on other people for your very survival. And the older you are, the less freedom you have to do what you want. Eventually, you have school, then work, marriage, kids, bills to pay, etc. When you get older, you get to do some of those things you did as a baby but, if you do it too much, someone will put you in a nursing home and you'll lose your freedom all together. Isn't that depressing!

I think one of the best examples I have of mature freedom is my grandmother. In her 80s, she traveled all over the place - sometimes by herself and sometimes with others. She'd pull out her harmonica and entertain a bus full of people on a trip to wherever she was going. She always danced to the "chicken dance" and she was never one to turn down a cold beer. Her children were all grown and had families of their own and she kept a nightgown and slippers with all her grandchildren so she could drop in and sleep over at a moment's notice. One day, I want to be just like her but I've got a few more years to go before I get there. And I have to learn to play the harmonica.

Is freedom just another word for nothing left to lose? It didn't work out so well for Janis Joplin. Or should we be footloose and fancy free (I'm not sure what that really means but if you google it, you'll get photos of Rod Stewart and naked men)? We all get our share of "free" time which seems to be those precious moments in your day when the demands of work, family, friends, etc. are absent. It's a time when you get to choose what to do with yourself -- whether it's lying on a beach or playing a video game. What do I do? I sweat, swear and generally beat myself up by playing in my garden.

Like you didn't know that was coming. Enjoy your weekend and your freedom. And my iris pics.

The Borg Reptile Emporium (and other creatures)

Roxie and the late Brooklyn

With the weather going a little crazy lately, things in the garden have gotten messed up. My flowers don't know whether to bloom or die. So, no photos today. 

As I mentioned in my last blog, this weather also affects the animals. I've already written about Roxie and Catastrophe so now it's time for the rest of the zoo to get mentioned. I love my furry pets. I really do. But it seems like my husband is winning this battle of the sexes. 

My household has been predominantly male for the last few years. I have 2 boys, plus my husband and a male boarder or two. Because of this overdose of testosterone, our pets are generally not cute and cuddly. We have had iguanas for years but, after we moved into a larger, more adaptable home, the number of reptiles has increased exponentially.

Flo and Eddie

At present, we have 2 iguanas -- Fry (a large male) and Leela (sex undetermined, still a baby). As well we have two bearded dragons -- Strummer (male) and Pebbles (female, my surprise anniversary present). There are two skinks -- Flo and Eddie (okay '70s music trivia fans, they're the Turtles, not skinks) and a Sudan Plated named Pugsley (for those who never saw the original Addams Family http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSG87ZAv3yE). Morticia was our original iguana and now that I watch this clip, I think our house bears a lot of similarities. Ben is about the right size to be Lurch and he has the bass vocals to go with it.

We also have 4, yes 4, snakes. We started out with the obligatory Monty (a python) who was replaced by Ratachewie, then we added Dexter (another python), Steve(n Hawking, an albino corn snake) and Alistair (who must be renamed because he is a she). We also have a pair of leopard geckos (does this sound like the makings of an ark?) who shall remain nameless -- only because Zac named them and I can't remember what they're called. The most recent addition to our family is a tortoise named Lebowski. I know there's all kinds of copyright infringement going on here but the reptiles don't seem to care.

Of course, I have those most common of household pets -- a dog, a cat and a fish. Although they all have their quirks. Roxie is a fair weather dog. She refuses to walk in the cold and snow -- even with paw protectors and a sweater. And now, when it's too hot for her, she'll lay down under every tree on our route. And, if I insist on motoring on, she'll roll around on her back so I have to stop. The cat's favourite part of the hot weather is catching flies. She literally jumps 5 feet straight up in the air to maim them, then kills them while they're stunned and eats them. And she's not even a reptile! 

Fishy-O the dancing Samurai

Finally, the fish. He is a samurai fighting fish so he is single. However, I think he is lonely because, if you go up to his tank, he will come up to the glass close to your face and wave at you. I kid you not. No, he is not hungry. He is in the kitchen so he watches me cook. The other day, I was dancing around to a song on the radio so I went up to his bowl and invited him to join in. Oh yes, he did! No, the heat is not getting to me. I am not a big fish fan but Fishy-O (I know, it's a stupid name, I blame it on Zac) is a "poisson" with personality.

Our very last pet acquisition is a beaver. It's an extremely large beaver and it's living in our garage. This is only a temporary arrangement and he actually belongs to my son's girlfriend, Jess. For more information, check this link: http://www.barriebeaverfestival.com/ . Maybe you can come to up to Barrie and check it out. Or just visit us, we'll let you hold a snake.

Adults, $1. Children under 10, $.50. Seniors over 55, free. Please phone for reservations.

The vagaries of spring

Good-bye tulips -- hello irises!

 Canadian spring is a bit of a tease. This year, it started out cool, then turned a lot wet and even gave us a peak at the summer yet to come by hitting 40 degrees C with the humidity (to my American friends, that means freaking hot). And it still has a few weeks left to throw something new at us.

Unfortunately for the people in the midwestern US, this crazy spring weather has proven fatal with killer tornadoes tearing up entire towns. That's a pretty scary thing and my heart goes out to those people. The 26th anniversary of the Barrie tornado occurred on Tuesday and, to this day, I still have the occasional dream where I end up in a twister (which could also be caused by the small dog curled up in my legs).

Japanese tree peonies

Blooming and blown over

Who else gets screwed up by this whacky weather? Animals (both inside and out), weather forecasters and, of course, my garden. It's hilarious to watch my cat, who spent the majority of Tuesday outside basking under the shade of my raspberry bushes, come streaking back into the house after 30 seconds in the cool, windy weather today. Even the birds weren't enough to tempt her to stay outside. And the birds went ahead and hatched all their eggs thinking, "Hooray, summer is here", only to get practically blown out of their nests by the herculean gusts of wind that sprang up.

Beautiful rhododendrons

I guess that's the most appropriate way to put it, too. Everything "springs" up in this season -- flowers, babies, wind and rain, weeds, poison ivy, potholes and idiots on motorcycles. Although sometimes, I think the motorcyclists drive like idiots to avoid the potholes so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. My garden is blossoming at an alarming rate. Tulips are gone and irises have opened. Peonies have popped up and my rhododendrons are blooming (that $8 fertilizer stuff actually worked, thank you Toronto Rhododendron Society). Of course, here are the requisite photos.

Roxie rolling around at Sunnidale

As for my indoor friends, their appetites seem to have increased alarmingly. Fry, our adult iguana, just about bit my hand off today when it was feeding time at the zoo. This was after his initial meal and a healthy snack. Our tortoise, Lebowski, inhaled all his food instead of just walking in it. I did the cricket thing and practically had the lizards jumping as high as the insects when I opened their cages. Not only that, but the lizard couples have been chasing each other around their cages which makes the cat and the snakes crazy. What a frisky bunch!

Bathing beauties, Della and Victoria, at Tollendale Park

Of course, the other thing affected by the summer-like spring weather, is fashion. All of a sudden, girls are wearing short shorts and boys are going topless. Unfortunately, sometimes these fashions are adopted by older, less svelte, people who should save those things for the privacy of their backyard. White trash is so last century. Then there's the beach, where anything goes. It's kind of like a parade of pale, cheesy flesh that becomes red, blotchy skin after a couple of hours. But that's Canadians for you. The first time the temperature hits 15 degrees, the shorts are out of the closet. We like to stretch our summer out as far as we can.

It's June and time to get those bodies into beach condition. Or, if you're too lazy like me, grow bigger flowers so you can hide out in your yard!

Summer is peeking around the corner

"And where exactly have you been young lady?"

It's a good question but, to be honest, when the weather is good, I don't spend a lot of time indoors. Which means that the laptop goes cold and, I guess, the blog does too. The garden beckons me -- even on days when the sun isn't shining. I can't resist the weeds that will take over my flowers if I leave them for one more day. And, once I start, I don't stop until my back gives out. It's a kind of addiction.

I know I have a tendency to get obsessed with the things that are growing in my garden. I've even added pix here because I'm so proud of my tulips. But I thought I'd dedicate this blog to the things that live in my garden. Some are fun and interesting and some are just annoying.

When the snow melts in my garden, I get my first taste of the wildlife that shares my love of greenery. Under my Burning Bush, there is the indisputable evidence that I have had rabbit friends sheltering beneath the snow and overhanging branches. I generally use rabbit droppings as fertilizer because, hey, they're only eating my plants. How bad could it be? This year, they seem to have been joined by mice or moles. Something that burrowed through my garden and the lawn. I just picture a TV movie called "Hammy Hamster Hibernates". For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACYp33KMTe4. Priceless.

Three-headed tulips with forest in background.

My home is situated across the street from a park and a forest which has the TransCanada Trail running through it. So, of course, we get our share of woodland animals -- the aforementioned bunnies, foxes, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, deer, hawks, eagles (or ospreys, not sure which) and bears. I try not to let my domestic animals out of my sight once it's dark. There were a lot of missing cats last year. 

This year, we actually ended up with Rocky Raccoon in our garage. Imagine his surprise when my son went looking for ice cream. I'm not sure who was more freaked out. Of course, the garage door had been left open and Rocky was nice enough to leave when Zac left the back door open for him. (I know, if you live in Toronto, this happens all the time, but it doesn't happen much in Barrie.)

I guess Zac is attracting animals this year because, on the windowsill in his room, there is a robin's nest. Believe me, the robin was even more startled than the raccoon when it caught sight of my son. He's not exactly small. However, the birds had built the nest and they weren't moving. The female has been stuck there for the last week (I know, it bites being a lady bird) and I imagine my cat will be visiting Zac's room to check out the babies any day now.

We've had lots of bird this year -- blue jays, cardinals, sparrows, chickadees, doves and stupid crows. I just wish they'd eat the indestructible Red Lily Beetles that eat my lilies and forget the worms. These suckers mate on Asiatic and Oriental lilies and leave their disgusting larvae behind. I've tried all the recommended methods of eliminating them -- Neem Oil, soap solutions, pennies in the soil -- but nothing works. Luckily, God didn't grant them great camouflage so I generally hunt them down and squish them. As for the larvae, I put my hose nozzle on Jet and blast them away. Neither method is 100% but it works better than the other solutions.

This year, I have also had the pleasure of seeing (and feeling) black flies and an early hornet or two. The bumblebees are welcome because, without them, there wouldn't be any fruit or flowers. I've also seen Alvin the Chipmunk sprint across my back yard but he'd better be fast because Catastrophe and Roxie love to play with him (and not in a good way). 

As for the wildlife that lives in my house, that's a whole other blog. I'll get to it one day but it's in a constant state of growth. Our latest acquisition is a tortoise. Don't ask. Enjoy my tulips!

Monday in the park

It seems that the best of spring weather has hit Barrie -- at least for this week. Monday dawned sunny and warm which means it's time for Roxie and I to do some serious walking. I armed myself with two doggy bags (not the eating kind), a power bar, my MP3 player and my cell phone, put on 3 layers of clothing and my walking shoes and we were off.

Monday was the perfect day for walking. It was about 18 degrees Celsius with a light breeze. I ditched my light jacket after the first km (I really only wore it for the pockets). On our way to the park, Roxie faced off with a few dogs, did the dancing-on-two-feet-hug-me trick for some other strollers, chased a few squirrels and used up one bag. I had a nice conversation with a senior and his son (I love seniors, they always say the nicest things to you -- I don't get called a gorgeous young lady very often), checked out a house I'd like to buy (until I found out it cost $510k) and dodged construction vehicles.

Sunnidale Park in Barrie is 70 acres of dog heaven. It has open fields, forests, streams, squirrels, friendly humans, and more. We set out to find the Dog Off Leash Area which is hidden in the middle of the trees, across the stream and down a big hill from where we usually walk. After we finished our trek, we saw that most of the dogs were of the big variety and Roxie is not particularly fond of them. Oh, she'll act all tough -- barking and snapping at them -- but if they come back at her, she'll wimp out and hide behind me.

So we huffed and puffed our way back up the hill (okay, I huffed and puffed, Roxie just panted) on the path of some scent that my dog just had to follow. On the way, we saw a hiker, lot of trilliums, squirrels and the first black flies of the season. This hike through the woods is the reason I brought my cell phone. The last time we did this, I realized (after the huffing and puffing) that noone knew where we were and I had just seen 127 Hours (watch the movie, you'll know what I mean). So this time, my son could phone me and ask me to pick him up. This was not the kind of emergency contact I had in mind.

After 1-1/2 hours, I finally let Roxie take a break so we found a bench where we met a nice guy who talked to us for a while (this is Barrie, we talk to strangers and it's not creepy). I chowed down on my power bar and Roxie ate grass. I guess that's the all-natural energy boost for dogs. The  problem with sitting down is that it's a lot harder to get going again, even with the power bar. We started off taking the long way home and Roxie was having none of it (she stops every five minutes and rolls around on the grass until I give up and go the way she wants).

This is when the MP3 player becomes important. With a 2km uphill walk back ahead of us, I needed something to put a little spring in my step. Roxie, the super poodle, was still going strong although she did stop chasing buses and snarling at other dogs. Luckily for me, my trusty Walkman served me up some Colin James (Just Came Back), Metric (Gold Guns Girls), Ramones (Rock 'n' Roll High School), Vampire Diaries (Cousins) and some Hippy, Hippy Shake (the Fab Four) to finish off our walk.

Tomorrow's forecast is bright and sunny. Any of my Barrie buddies up for a walk in the park?

Rain, rain go away ...

Okay, so it seems like my last blog was about rain but it really wasn't. It was about yard work. And after spending 4 hours at my Uncle Bob's house digging up his soil, pulling up weeds and planting flowers and potatoes, it's too tiring to even talk about. Today's blog is about rain.

For some reason, people seem to have a hate on for rain. My facebook friends are always complaining about it, especially when it slows down their commute in Toronto. In actuality, it's not the rain that causes the problem. It's the guy who drives too cautiously, or the lady who passes the slow driver too quickly, or the driver who's blinded by the SUV that just flooded his windshield, or the person who's on their cell phone (oh no, you'd never do that, it's illegal) calling their boss to say he'll be late because of traffic.

My babies, stuck inside for the day.

Other rain issues -- you can't send your children outside to play (ok, that's probably showing my age), your dog is all muddy, the gray skies are getting you down, it gives you a headache, your hair is impossible -- always seem to dominate. But there's something about the sound of a gentle rain, the smell of a world that seems refreshed and renewed, the scent of worms flooded out of the ground (I swear, I can smell them) and the saturated look of the grass and garden after a rainfall, that make you feel truly alive.

Musicians seem to have differing opinions as well. Who can forget (and if you've never seen it, it's on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ) Gene Kelly singing in the rain? "I'm Only Happy When It Rains", "Love the Rainy Night", "I Wish It Would Rain", "Red Rain", "Rhythm of the Rain", "Laughter in the Rain" and, we can't forget, "Purple Rain" were all odes to the occasional downpour. On the more depressing side, there was "Fire and Rain", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "No Rain", "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again".  There's also "It Never Rains in California" but it seems kind of ambivalent about rain -- I think it's more of a criticism of weather forecasters. My point is, something about rain brings out creativity in the artist -- maybe because they're stuck inside with nothing to do.

Rain is also the sign that something's going to happen in almost every horror movie or suspense thriller. Maybe it's the ominous sound of thunder or the fact that the sky gets dark that makes it the ideal mood-setter for the big kill. Generally, it's accompanied by the power going out, phones going dead and a guy with a big knife and maybe a hockey mask. 

The reality is, life without rain is a bleak thing. Just ask the people in Africa who consider it liquid gold. And lately, some places have found that life with too much rain is also a devastating reality. The world seems to be going through a phase of extreme weather right now where there are no moderates -- only too much weather or too much seismic activity. It makes the precipitation in Canada seem like a cheery thing.

So, next time you're stuck in traffic watching your windshield wipers clear the view of the taillights in front of you, remember this quote from Longfellow:

Be still sad heart and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining,
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life a little rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

It's May and the flowers are blooming!

April showers bring lots of yard work

It's amazing how many things there are to do that keep you away from writing. Procrastination is a bad habit but it always seems like there are other, more important, things that you can think of to take care of right away. At the moment, I am not working at a job. I say it this way because my largest preoccupations seem to be housework and yardwork and, if you don't think that's working, you've obviously never done it yourself.

Saturday dawned bright, sunny and warm for a change. We quickly leashed up the dog and went on the hunt for garage sales. I say "we" because my hubby joined me -- garage sales are always a good incentive. What started out as a 15-minute walk turned into 75 minutes as we kept spotting more brightly coloured signs the further we strolled. I think everyone was so happy that the weather god's were smiling that they immediately pulled all their old junk out of storage and tacked up a poster at the closest intersection.

When we got home, I started doing that thing that gardener's do. I stopped to admire the way my "lawn" garden was looking. This led to inspecting the garden beds which progressed to turning the soil and pulling up dandelions. Next came the inevitable doggie doo disposal, cutting back the remaining bushes and throwing down some Miracle Grow. I have already done the horrible clipping back of the raspberry canes (a thorny job, even with gloves). Rose bushes, still to come.

My friends say that I love to garden. What I say is that I love to have a garden -- the actual upkeep and maintenance are not exactly fun. It's like housework, you can't just leave it because the situation only gets worse. And, unlike your home, all your neighbours can see if you're being lazy -- there's no way to hide it. There are always unwanted visitors, of the human and in-human kind. 

All the photos here are of my early blooming plants. Believe me, there are more to come. My gardening style is planned chaos -- I like to plant things that grow and spread. I also adopted the garden I have now, so there is some established growth that I would have avoided. Like the seven different fruit trees and the ever-spreading raspberries. If I made jam, this would all be lovely but usually, I'm just stuck with fruit that I try to pawn off on willing relatives. I've been in this house for almost 6 years now, so the gardens (all 15 of them) are pretty full. So what do I do? Start working on my Uncle Bob's and my mother-in-law's.

Maybe I do love gardening or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment. But the next time someone says, "you have lots of time, you're not working", I'll hand them a pitchfork and tell them to dig in.