FISHIN' & WALKIN' BUT NOT SURE ABOUT HUGGIN'

Up at Kemble, the Mennonites rely on their horses while the ice fishers are still out on their sleds. We expect we'll soon read the annual news about guys crashing through the lake ice as it gets thinner. At the barn, the snow is still piled up to the roof but the ice is breaking up on the bay (reread previous sentence!) The mice have had the run of the house but they are literally trapped in the kitchen!

Back in Toronto we have already seen robins but the formations just off shore look like the icebergs that gashed the Titanic. During this cold weather I've been craving my treadmill power walking so I found another good used one on Craigslist. Now if I could just figure out all the settings such as "Hill Walk" vs. "Climb Mt. Everest".

Here's a question for all my fellow tree-huggers out there. The first tree picture below shows a skinny Norway Maple between some cars, about 1991. Today, the garages next door are gone and the cars are different, but notice how big the tree has grown since; it's about 8 feet in diameter and 90 feet high!

 I love trees but the roots are bulging so much that the concrete is lifting and rain water now drains into my garage instead of away. The roots have reached the house foundation and across to the neighbour's driveway. It`s also harder to clear snow, and then there`s the liability if someone trips on the raised edge. The arbori$t advises that the tree can be declared a "problem' and be removed completely. But it can't be thinned out more than 30% (more might be fatal).

 So here`s the question. Would you send this tree to the Great Chipper in the sky, or would you let it grow so big it crashes into the garage, like this one nearby? Let me know asap, I think it just grew another foot!

IF IT LOOKS LIKE SPRING, AND IF IT SNIFFS LIKE SPRING...

On a daytrip up north, the barn (and the cars inside!) are still snowed in. Any guesses how long the dirty snowpiles will take to disappear? But back in the city the sun rose in a fireball on the first day of Spring, giving notice of warmth to come --- some day!

On our street, emergency vehicles arrived like a flock of angels hoping to do a good deed. But then a Meter Maid arrived like the devil, spoiling somebody's move. And on THE prime corner in the Beach, a relic of the 1930's is about to be torn down to become yet another multi-million mansion. It reminds me of my grandparents' house in Windsor that looked soooo big.

The big event of the week was a bloom that has gone bust. The Canada Blooms show used to be full of spectacular displays that opened your eyes to colours and creativity in the garden. It was a stand-alone show 5 days long that packed in the crowds. Now it's a stretched 10 days tacked on to the National Home Show, and mostly a time for vendors to sell stuff. There's still whimsical floral notions and an overall theme (this year's was "Wild") but it's a long way between the Wolf In Wood to the Sheep In Rock.

Oh well, if it looks like spring (tulips!) and it sniffs like spring (hyacinths! mulch!) it must be Spring. Get out your Begonia Bikini?

WHITE, RED, AND GREEN ALL OVER

The neighbourhood has gone from white to green this week in more ways than one. We had a classic winter storm that dumped 8 inches of snow, reminding us of what we had missed in the last 3 months. It was actually a satisfying ritual to shovel the stuff, like Break Week in reverse where we came north instead of staying south. A white polar bare was spotted from the boardwalk, and film crews kept working ---- how do they make a winter playground look like summer green??

One of Pat's boots needed some glue --- note the application of weight to make a secure bond. My truck has been in the barn since November, but a nice surprise in going through the mail. There it was, featured on Canada's Old Autos. Notice the date at the top --- Feb. 3 is our first-date anniversary (1996)! Must be a lucky charm, like finding a 4-leaf in the salad. Happy St. Pat-Rick Day, and may your lawn be green soon!

CHECK IT OUT

Still some jet-lag effect on sleep hours after being home 6 days --- or is it today's "Spring Forward" time change? Lots of kidding by neighbours and family who say either "Why did you come back?" or "See what you missed?" This red-tailed hawk also came back to town early, but it snatched a live meal from a bird feeder across the street. I've been snatching home cooking like lasagna, baked salmon, muffins and pancakes. Gotta get our weight and muscle mass back!

Couldn't resist going north to check out The View at Kemble (after a no-choice brake job on the van). Mennonites still on wagons, kids still playing on ice. But the snow! Piles and piles left over everywhere. Deep drifts by the barn so the cars won't be out til May?!? The house is a winter wonderland postcard, but the pond is only a small depression in a white blanket. The snow is under-layered with ice on the deck and by the windows, so shovelling is like hitting rock under powder. No motivation there!

They say it's the heaviest snowfall in 20 or 30 years so no telling when the ground will appear again. What do the deer eat? Are the pond fish still alive in the dark and cold and thick ice? Dunno, but it's great to be back in clean fresh air on the spring brake.