wordsfromanneli

November 18, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 28 Comments

The Fate of Trees

Montana is proud of its cottonwood trees,

So tough when the weather is bold,

Steady, prevailing, along comes the breeze,

It brings northern winds and the cold.

The trunks with their lumpy bark, stem the wild winds,

The texture adds warmth to the trees,

Though winter has threatened, the sun soon rescinds

The sentence the north wind decrees.

A lonely fatality, victim of spray,

Was covered with poison by chance,

Its skeleton stands, to remind us, each day,

Its beauty was all in our hands.

The dam in its cruelty drowned every tree,

The water rose into their crown,

Decay and slow death in the newly made sea,

Leave once noble sticks breaking down.

The nuthatch is happy to drill a new nest,

Admiring a tree with such soul,

She praises the tree and says, “You are the best,

Not just a utility pole.”

As evening approaches, the cottonwoods sigh,

And whisper with shivery leaves,

The autumn is golden, but soon by and by,

They’ll run out of short-term reprieves.

November 10, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 56 Comments

When I was a young girl, and had finished elementary school, I had to go to a school closer to downtown to attend junior high. I used to love walking home from there, past a traditional neighbourhood like this one with its huge, well-established trees.

It was different from my own neighbourhood where newcomers had built their homes on the outskirts of town, without even a proper street in place yet. Our house was reached by following tire tracks in a grassy field. Much later the roads were built, and eventually the town even put in ditching to redirect spring meltwater that had been running over the road and into everyone’s basement each year.

But closer to downtown, the homes had been there long enough for large trees to grow and add a stately touch to the neighbourhood. Sidewalks were a luxury. We had none yet. I felt as if I were walking through one of the stories in my grade three reader, where people lived in perfect suburbs – the kind every middle class family could be proud of in the 1960s.

The yards were untidy enough to be something close to natural, but not wild and messy with garbage. Safe enough for a person to go for a run without fear of being mugged.

Back then, people were not afraid of being hit on the head or stabbed or shot when they went into town to do their shopping. The worst thing that happened was that someone went up our street at three in the morning stealing the milk money from the empty bottles everyone put out for the milkman each day.

Most townspeople had never heard of home invasions. Many of the houses didn’t even have a lock on their door. We didn’t.

Can you even imagine that?!

Back then, I would have loved to live in a neighbourhood like the one in the photo above.

Of course we have more modern houses now with all the special gadgets and electronics to run our appliances and Internet to put us in touch with the whole rest of the world, but I wonder if I wouldn’t be tempted to give it all up to have the laidback lifestyle of those days back again.

How about you? Are there aspects of those more gentle days that you wish we had been able to keep?

October 27, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 43 Comments

A Jay-ded Viewpoint

Water cooler gossip flows,

Fast as water from the hose,

Each one spouting what he knows,

As their petty nature shows.

Who does Princess think she is,

Wanting me to call her ms?

Prissy Missy minus fizz,

‘Cept her hairdo, which is frizz.

I see better from up here,

I can take my time and leer,

At her vanity severe,

Does she think we all will cheer?

La-dee-dah, the world is mine,

I’m a princess, looking fine,

Hollyhocks all in a line,

Happy shivers down my spine.

Of course you know this kind of talk is all for the birds.

October 17, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 55 Comments

Black Walnut

In a couple of weeks, this black walnut tree will get a good pruning, as it is getting quite leggy. But first I wanted to harvest this year’s walnuts. The tree was loaded this year. Unfortunately, these “black” walnuts are not the same as the ones we find in the stores near Christmastime. Those would be from the English walnut tree – different leaves and different nuts.

The black walnuts are very thick shelled and hard to crack, and even then, quite bitter to eat. But the squirrels like them.

In order to save the squirrels from breaking their teeth, I collect the walnuts, take the husks off them, and crack them a few at a time to put in their food dishes in the woodshed.

This is what they look like on the tree, encased in a thick green covering.

Below is a picture of the English walnut tree which has the kind of walnuts we are used to eating. Notice that the leaves are quite different from those of the black walnut tree.

But this day I was dealing with black walnuts. I wore gardening gloves to handle the nuts as I hit them lightly with a short-handled axe to split the husk and stockpile the walnuts in a separate box. Then, I took the axe and whacked each nut harder – much harder – to crack them open so the squirrels could get at the inside and I put some of the cracked nuts in a couple of shallow jars for the squirrels to find in the woodshed. A nutcracker would not open these nutshells. They are so thick and tough!

The squirrels really like them and these nuts are free food for them, so everyone is happy.

The birds have found out about them and wait for the supply to be freshened up daily too.

But what a surprise I had when I went into the house to get cleaned up. I mentioned that I wore gardening gloves. Still the stain from the walnut husks went right through the gloves and now I have hands that look like those of a heavy smoker. And it doesn’t wash off!

So if you want to dye some furniture, just grow some black walnuts and you can do your own furniture restoration.

October 12, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 30 Comments

A Waterfowl Meeting

Mallards, widgeons, fill the sky

Each one calling out their cry,

“Wait for me,” and “Watch my space,”

Desperate to keep up the pace.

In the lee by stands of trees,

Sheltered swans it seems to please,

In a line of purest white,

Feeling safe, to their delight.

For the ducks, a numbers game,

Many of them look the same,

Feeling safe amid the crowd,

They don’t mind if they are loud.

In this field of scraps they find

Food enough to feed their kind,

So much harvest overlooked,

Ducks don’t mind if it’s not cooked.

Look quite closely, you will see

Old potatoes – one, two, three,

If these spuds are not fermented,

Hungry ducks won’t get demented.

October 2, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 53 Comments

It’s a Cruel World Out There

The geese are moving in from places farther north where they have enjoyed warmer weather until now. They sense that the season is cooling off and have come to visit the fields of southern BC to fatten up on leftover grain, bits of corn, and anything else that looks good. Once they have met up with their friends in ever greater numbers, and they have rested and feasted and done little test flights during this staging time, many of them will fly farther south where the winter is not as harsh. A few smaller flocks will settle in to spend the winter here on Vancouver Island, in the hope that the coldest weather will be bearable and not last too long.

The eagle watches and waits. He will take advantage of any stragglers or injured birds to supplement his diet. Once the spawned out fish carcasses are cleaned up by scavengers like seagulls, crows, and eagles, it will be time for a new food source. For the eagles it will often be crippled waterfowl of many kinds.

This bald eagle has a good view of a cornfield that often attracts ducks and geese. If any of them are not able to keep up with the flock, they will make an easy target for a predatory bird.

Little songbirds like these chipping sparrows will be targeted by hawks who sit silently in the nearby trees, waiting for an opportunity to swoop down and scoop up a little snack.

This broad-winged hawk would be happy with a songbird or even a careless squirrel. Patience and alertness are what it’s all about.

The merlin doesn’t mind picking up a songbird either. He’ll happily take down a flicker that might be almost the same size as him.

The red-shafted northern flicker had better be alert. It’s a dangerous world out there.

The general rule for non-predatory birds, especially in the autumn, is “heads up or be eaten.” It’s the raptors who are the meat eaters, while the gentler plant- and insect-eaters need to fear them.

And I haven’t even mentioned the owls yet. Rabbits and mice beware!

September 26, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 54 Comments

An Omen of Change

It helicoptered from the tree,

This golden flaky leaf,

It’s happening, and I can see,

The maple is in grief.

The summer days are sadly gone,

Those romping times were fun,

But autumn’s here, we must move on

From lazing in the sun.

Without the maple’s leafy dress,

Her long arms will be bare,

No hiding places for the squirrels

Who used to scamper there.

It’s sad to see the warm days go,

And we’ll be soused with rain,

The leaves will swirl, the wind will blow,

As autumn comes again.

But as the summer weather sours,

Rambunctious days retire,

I’ll find a way to pass the hours,

Chew slippers by the fire.

September 22, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 42 Comments

Maisie’s Return

You may remember my poor Maisie the Mouse who got caught by Emma, was rescued, and then bit her rescuer.

If you want a refresher, visit this link: https://wordsfromanneli.com/2023/08/29/whoever-said-life-was-fair/

Well, it seems that Maisie would not stay away after her lucky escape that time.

For about three days, Emma the English cocker spaniel had smelled something enticing in the kindling box outside the back door. It was not woodstove weather yet, so the box had some left over plant starter pots in it, but Emma kept dragging me over there. She wanted to investigate.

I was not interested in rooting through those old pots and have giant house spiders run over my hands so I kept Emma away from the box.

Finally, the Captain said, “Let’s check out what’s in that box.”

“You first,” I told him.

Rooting around in the bits of kindling and starter planting pots, the Captain searched for only a few seconds.

“Here it is! I wonder if it’s the same mouse that bit you. I should kill it or it’ll just end up chewing the wiring out of the truck one of these days, just like the last family of mice did.”

“Awww … no ….. It’s just a little mouse.”

“Well, okay.” He picked up the box and brought it over to the garden in front of the house. Maisie (I’m sure it was her) jumped to try to get out of the box but couldn’t get up high enough.

The Captain tipped the box on its side and Maisie ran out. She headed for a spot where I had dumped a lot of hazelnut and walnut shells, and snuggled into them. I think they must have been warm from the sun. Then she lay there and didn’t move except for the occasional twitching of her ears.

It’s oh, so warm and cozy here,

My last three days were cold.

No ray of sunshine did appear,

I feared I’d not grow old.

No drink of water, and no food,

And I could not get out,

I lost my usual happy mood,

Survival was in doubt.

But now I’m soaking up the sun,

It’s warming me clear through,

As soon as I feel I can run,

I’ll find something to chew.

*****

You see all those nutshells? I was the one who cracked them, as I do every year, but this time the nutcracker irritated a part of my finger right in the spot where Maisie bit me a month ago. It swelled up and the redness started to spread, so I went to see the doctor, and apologized for bothering him with such a small thing. He said, “You did right to come. You’ll need some antibiotics.” The spreading redness has receded now and I’m relieved.

But I still can’t get over how Maisie tried to kill me for rescuing her from Emma.

The Captain says I survived a wild animal bite. Sounds ferocious, doesn’t it?

September 17, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 35 Comments

He’s a Fun Guy!

If I have him identified correctly, he’s a fun guy, but he’s a bit of a schwein, a pig. I think this fungi’s name is Phaeolus schweinitzii. Sounds like a sexy pork schnitzel, but in fact, it is not for eating. It will make you very sick or maybe kill you if you eat it. But we’re okay. We’re just looking at it and it shouldn’t make us go blind.

I read on Wikipedia that this fun guy can rot the butt of a fir tree. Not a nice guy, this fungi.

Here is “Baby Bear,” just beginning to grow in my yard.

Here is “Mama Bear,” just a bit bigger.

And here is “Papa Bear.” I thought it looked like a layer of slightly burnt pancakes, but the grass had me wondering – did the grass grow through it, or did the fungus grow around it?

So if you can’t use it, what’s the good of it?

Well, apparently, it is also called “dyer’s polybore,” and mixed with the right mordant (fixative) this fungus makes rich brown dyes that can be used to dye wool.

I’m going to rush right out and try that.

September 15, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 44 Comments

Kokanee Glacier Park

These photos were sent to me by a friend who was visiting Kokanee Glacier Park. He and friends stayed in a nearby cabin and did some hiking and biking.

Below is a glimpse of part of the glacier. Located north of Nelson in beautiful British Columbia, it is a relatively small glacier at 1.7 square kilometers, and getting smaller all the time, as it gradually melts away.

A hike took my friend much closer to the glacier itself.

Time to relax by the lake to take a breather from a bike ride.

A 9-km hike with a 1000-ft rise in elevation gave the group a good workout. If you click to enlarge the picture you can see two red spots in the middle of the picture below; two of the hikers climbing up ankle-threatening rocks.

All this suffering (just kidding – they call it fun and good exercise) for a closer look at part of the glacier. It looks like it has been melting quite a bit in the last few years.