Mary Soderstrom's Blog, page 6

 For several years there have been  Mallard duck couple nesting in the Mount Royal cemetery.  This morning I was glad to see them there again.  They probably aren't the same couple--ducks don't have very long lives, and the American Bird Conservancy says they only stay together a season--but it is good to see that the little stream is still inviting, and that soon there probably will be a clutch of eggs laid.

The male

 

A few snowflakes this morning, but the ponds at the Technoparc were clear and the geese were cruising. Still, spring seems a long way off,,,

We had a total eclipse here this week--quite a show.

And today I have sunshine in the form of sunflowers in my kitchen.  So nice to see these reflections of the Sun inside...

Very cheerful in this world full of far more somber things.

How often do you think about the Roman Empire?

For a project that has a lot ot do with what we remember, collectively, I'mbeen doing a lot of lateral thinking and Googling around and found that lastyear a whole lot of women asked a whole lot of men that question and recordedtheir answers on Tik Tok. https://youtu.be/FTHL9a3M_q4?si=u-aBV...

Their answers were amazing (to me, at least): very often, even two or threetimes a day!

Would love to know how often YOU think about the Roman Empire, FB buddies...

The photo, BTW, was taken at Conímbriga, Portugal, which was one of thefarthest west of the Roman outposts on the continent.@font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face {font-family:Aptos; panose-1:2 11 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 3 0 0 415 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:Aptos; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}.MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-fareast-font-family:Aptos; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;}

 

So Quebec and Canada are secular? Why then do we have national holidays on Good Friday and Easter Monday? Why not Eid Muburak or Passover? Or none at all?

 The edge of the Ottawa River in March, 2024.  No ice, just reflections.

 Visited some young friends this week.  Their Dad had made a rink in their front yard which only got a little use this winter because it wasn't nearly as cold as it should be.

And this, it appears, is the end of the rink for this year.  A little ice left, true, but you need rain boots instead of skatkes.  The neighborhood squirrels have discovered it, too.  I saw one perched on the edge, leaning over to get a drink one afternoon.

 This photo was taken in April 2008 when we still had snow on the ground.  The snowdrops this year are already up--March 9!--and the snow cover is long gone.

I'm afraid this is the new normal...  Climate change is upon us.

 You can't see them, but we definitely heard them.  Red-winged Blackbirds were buzzing and calling this morning at the Parc des Rapides de Lachine. 

Usually they arrive the third week in March, but obviously they got the word that things will be a little different this year and came north to check out their nesting ground.

Climate change!

 Haven't had many sunny days this winter, but today was one!  Hoorah!