Lynda Sez

One Chick Rescued

2008-07-02T13:19:14Z

I saw the harsh reality of what probably killed one of our chicks this morning. The father, Cornelius, would cruise over to the remaining chick and take a stab at it for no apparent reason. Needless to say, Bob and I scrambled to get baby Creemore safely into a bucket, then coaxed Cornelius into an adjoining cage. Single mom and baby are now reunited.

Down to One Chick

2008-06-30T12:35:03Z

Bob managed to kill the rat that was hanging around and even got some good pics of the pheasant babies yesterday, but this morning I found one dead, cause unknown. It's a dangerous world.

Birth Announcement

2008-06-27T12:19:03Z

We have been concerned about our Lady Amherst female, Cornelia, as she has spent most of the last three weeks in her brood box. Today we found out why she was so diligent. This morning she was anxiously cooing at two tiny chicks trotting around in the pen. There may be more in the brood box, but I haven't looked yet. What puzzles me is how she got the little ones down from the box to the ground, a distance of about five feet.

In My Own Backyard

2008-06-26T13:19:59Z

I've been back from San Francisco almost a week and I'm very happy about it, in spite of garden chores I haven't caught up with yet. My trip met all business objectives but was frustrating because I started each stunningly beautiful day gazing at the harbour from my hotel room, then spending the rest of the day in conference rooms with the drapes closed. I got to the waterfront once at the end of a delightful walk the day before I left, but that was it. The garden is rampantly lush, thanks to all the rain, and I had a special treat this morning. I glanced over at my neighbour's front yard when I fetched the paper and saw a wild turkey nibbling the flowers.

West Coast Arrival

2008-06-18T04:13:39Z

I'm in San Francisco for the week and so far all I've seen is an evening view on the trip into the city from the airport. Today was spent in hotel meeting rooms and now I'm too exhausted to do more than look out on a wonderful view from the 33rd floor of this posh hotel. I can see the harbour, nicely wreathed in fog around the edges, and a bit of what might be the Golden Gate Bridge. As I was driven in last night, I thought about the last time I came here, about 27 years ago. Nothing is familiar now, but I remember coming by taxi from the airport to a hotel with my two boys, who had been angels on the plane. Noel was 7, Evan 3 1/2, and I was dismayed to find my feet swollen considerably during the flight, a situation probably aggravated by my pregnancy. The boys were sick that night, so we got little sleep, but we all recovered by the next day and had a trip to Sausalito before heading south to see other places. I wonder if either of them has any memory of that trip.

Canoe Date

2008-06-15T03:45:19Z

One of our first dates, way back when, was a canoe outing on the Credit River. Bob and I have been canoeing since, but not at all since we moved to our Owen Sound house. Until today. One of my urgent items to get done before I leave town next week was to reduce the number of cattails in the pond. We decided to try a different approach this year, because last year's squelching around in wellies and wetskins was really difficult. So Bob got the canoe down to the pond and piloted me here and there while I yanked cattails left and right. Very efficient, although the canoe had to be hosed down afterwards -- cattails come up pretty muddy. Now the lily pads and irises have room to spread out.

Speechless in Edmonton

2008-06-07T23:46:38Z

I'm speechless now because my speech is done. I presented my piece on dealing with office clutter this afternoon to a receptive and appreciative audience at the Editors' Association of Canada's national conference. I was glad to be presenting after other sessions, because they were informative and diverting enough to keep me from getting too nervous before my turn. Several people came to me afterward to ask questions or thank me, saying how they planned to go home and try out some of my ideas -- that's the best thanks I could have hoped for. I have lots more to say on the subject -- yeah, you can't shut me up now. It will become fodder for my new site (in development, but live in an alpha version). And now I've got to work on a better version of my speech.

Something doesn't love a duck

2008-05-22T14:40:46Z

Nature really has the last word when it comes to life and death around the pond. We noticed Mama Duck flying off suddenly last Sunday afternoon, then we saw there were no eggs left in the nest. No sign of struggle or evidence of what creature feasted on the eggs. In a way, I'm glad she didn't waste too long in such a hazardous spot. She can start again somewhere less open, I hope.

For those of you who are friends with Claire on Facebook, check out the spectacular pictures one of her friends just posted of her working with the birds at the Edinburgh Zoo.

Fowl News

2008-05-18T00:32:49Z

Stop worrying, you bird people! Mama mallard made several more visits to add to her egg collection and, as of Thursday, she's been sitting on them full-time. Except when scared away by dogs a couple of times -- but we've confined the canines to viewing from a distance now. She tolerates us walking into the pond area; even Bob with the wheelbarrow doesn't upset her. According to wikipedia, it will be about a month before there are ducklings, if she and her eggs survive the rich tapestry of wildlife threats.

Mothers and Children

2008-05-12T02:03:04Z

A few days ago, I noticed a nest on the ground on the little island in the middle of our backyard pond. Two days later, I saw that the nest had been disturbed and no sign of the eggs remained. I suspected a fox or a raccoon had found them. Then, this morning, the nest had been remade and no less than five eggs were in it. A female mallard cruised the pond and reluctantly flew off when one of the dogs made a move toward her. Claire tells me that ducks will lay eggs over several days, then finally, when they have enough, they will sit on them all to get things going. We'll see if Mama Duck keeps her appointment with her little ones, despite treacherous predators and domestic canines. The lesson? Mothering may be intentional or instinctive, but once you are on the path, it becomes a primal drive that persists against ridiculous odds, against tragic realities. Protecting our young at their most vulnerable is only the raw beginning. If you're a duck, maybe the job ends with the fledging. If you're a person, you never stop wondering if they're safe and well. Never.

Wild Life

2008-05-05T01:19:01Z

The garden is fully awake now, all budding and greening up, and we've had several visitors to the pond. The heron is so touchy I've only seen it in full flight from a distance, but a pair of mallards are much more tolerant (except when the dogs go to greet them). My greenhouse project came together, with Bob's help: we made a former pheasant pen into a harbour for tender plants, using only a large roll of plastic and a nifty stapling tool. We repurposed odd bits from the pens we demolished inside the shed to make adjustable vents. It's already a handy spot for several dozen cuttings from an old privet recently hacked down by one of Mum's neighbours, plus all the seedlings I started a few weeks ago in the house.

I've stolen several hours on sunny days this week to get out and dig in the dirt, but it was no sacrifice to spend a whole day at the second annual HICKTech, a great tech conference in Owen Sound. It was a great combination of good speakers, interesting subjects, and superb food. We're doing our best to support the sponsoring businesses, stocking up from Neustadt Brewery and the 100 Mile Market. Excellent craft beer and four-year-old cheddar -- doesn't get any better than that.

Great Keynote

2008-04-30T14:31:18Z

First speaker of the day (aside from our Mayor Lovell, who was cheerful and concise) was Heather Champ, community manager for Flickr. Excellent presentation on shepherding online communities, as Flickr has done for millions around the world. I think aspiring community builders in the audience might have wondered what it takes to be so successful -- topic for another day, I guess.

HICKTech kicks off

2008-04-30T13:23:33Z

We're here at the Bayshore in Owen Sound for the day I have been waiting for -- premier tech conference, well conference of any kind in these parts, HICKTech. The speakers got piped in by Charles Meanwell. The coffee is wonderful!

It's another country

2008-04-19T02:56:47Z

You know you've really moved outta town when your local paper features tractor dancing AND a recipe for stuffed muskrat, both on the front page of the second section. There's so much to learn! The tractor action is a kind of square dancing, only with vintage tractors, planned as a highlight of this year's International Plowing Match, to be held in our own Bruce County. I was trying to remember the one time I went to a plowing match with my dad. I must have been in my teens and very unappreciative. All I can recall is muddy fields and makeshift booths. If I can make this year's event, I'll be looking around with a whole new perspective. And the muskrat recipe? Well, it starts with 2 muskrats, dressed. Haven't seen such a thing yet on my market visits, but I'm open to possibilities.

More Dancin'

2008-04-10T02:45:43Z

One of the things I don't get enough of on my business trips to Saint John is exercise. Not that there aren't opportunities, what with a gym and pool in the hotel, and an enclosed mall connected to both office and hotel. It's just that the days tend to be very full and I end them collapsed in the hotel room and devoid of initiative. And don't try to tell me I should work out in the mornings -- that's just crazy talk, to quote my partner in sloth. So I decided to combine a reward for a long working week away from home with a new tech toy AND an exercise enabler. My new BOSE SoundDock arrived this morning. It is fed endless tunes by my original iPod, which had been abandoned for months because it couldn't hold a battery charge long enough to be even slightly useful. No longer a problem because this speaker system charges as it plays. Can't stop dancin'!