December 30, 2024
by wordsfromanneli 30 Comments

Snowy Hills

Way up high on the hills, the rain turned into snow.

Why is it that white snow comes out of black clouds?

How did that sunshine get through to the hills when the whole valley is in shade?

Can you guess where the deer are that used to live up in the hills? Where are the birds? Bears? Cougars? Squirrels?

I can only hope that those who didn’t wander down to lower elevations are hibernating in some cozy den. Probably even those who might hibernate would have come down from the highest parts of the hills, if they were able.

Meanwhile, I’m in my cozy den at home, not hibernating, but also waiting for winter to pass.

A new year is coming. That gives me hope that spring won’t be too far away.

Have a happy year ahead, everyone.

All the best in 2025.

December 30, 2023
by wordsfromanneli 35 Comments

Out With the Old

After days and days of rain, the water that has washed down the hills and into all the drainage systems is emptying itself into the sea.

The river is brown with the silt that has no chance to settle because of the quick flow of the extra volume.

Here, the river is near the estuary, and the tide is coming in while the river is flowing out. The tide wins though, and backs up the river. It’s quite the battle, with the volume from the extra rainfall pushing against the tide.

On the left side of this photo you can see the top of the retaining wall that is usually visible and dry to a height of about eight feet from the top (I’m guessing), now breached and letting water through.

Here is a closer look. The road is beyond the river, to the left. Comox is on the left side of the river; Courtenay on the right.

On the right side of the river, the trees and shrubs that line the walkway along the riverside are flooded at the moment. Once the water recedes, they should be all right, but the high water level is very close to flooding this parking lot.

I just know that this summer, when we have our heat waves and drought, I’ll wish for some of this excess water to give my petunias a drink.

I hope the darker events of the past year will wash away just as this flooded muddy river will empty itself in the sea, and like the river, our lives will be rejuvenated by fresh spring rains and plenty of happy sunshine.

So as the old year is done, and the new one comes in, I say, “Out with the old, and in with the new.”

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends.

December 30, 2020
by wordsfromanneli 35 Comments

Windblown, but not Sun-tanned

When I was a child I really liked a song by Cole Porter. It was called “True Love,” sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. I was too young in 1956 to be a fan of these oldies, but the song was around much later and I always liked it.

It goes like this:

Sun-tanned, windblown, 
Honeymooners at last alone,
Feeling far above par,
Oh, how lucky we are.

While I give to you
And you give to me,
True love, true love.
So on and on it will always be,
True love, true love.

For you and I 
Have a guardian angel on high
With nothing to do,
But to give to you
And to give to me,
Love forever true.

If you don’t want to watch the 50s style banter of the movie, “High Society,” just advance the video to about 1:06 to hear the beautiful old love song, “True Love.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8CuP2YQTUlE%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

You don’t have to be Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly to be in love. Just look at these pigeon guillemots, resting on the bow of the MV Eden Lake off the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. They are also in love, just resting for a while, and whispering “sweet nothin’s” to each other.

Fast forward to Anneli’s place on Vancouver Island. The last of 2020 is going out “big and ugly.” One of the trees outside my window is leaning and would have fallen except that a bigger tree-friend caught it.