A Goose in a Marsh ... For Now

I'm not an expert on waterfowl although with ducks moving in close to my house, for reasons I find confusing, maybe one day I will claim that title. Still, when I saw a marshy area yesterday, I knew that it would be a perfect place for Canada Geese to nest and very soon that was confirmed. One Canada Goose stood in the marsh. I couldn't see if there was a nest but I suspect that there would be one there. I hope that the mate was out gathering food or perhaps enjoying a relaxing afternoon flight (again, I am not a waterfowl expert; I don't know what they do for fun).

I learned a little of the nesting habits of Canada Geese when I was in grade two and my teacher told us of some that were nesting near her apartment building. The building was quite new and the geese had set up their home in an adjacent area that was as yet undeveloped.

Canada Geese are loyal birds. I know from reading Timothy Findley's lovely and gentle book about his home and life (From Stone Orchard) that Canada Geese mate for life. Together, they can be relied upon to return to the same nesting spot annually after their winter migrations. 

While that Canada Goose I saw yesterday seemed to be doing well, I wonder what next year and years beyond that will be like for it. A new corporate headquarters has been built just beyond the marshy area. There's a shopping area beyond that and homes close by. That area is not set up to be a goose habitat for much longer. One year, perhaps very soon, the geese will come back and their home will be gone.

We can't know what it's like to be Canada Geese that have to find a new home and nesting spot. Whatever they feel or know, though, they have to change their plans because of what we have done to their habitat. Whether what we do is right or wrong, it seems sad to me that things change in this way for these loyal and reliable birds.

Perhaps Canada Geese evaluate the situation and simply look for and find other nesting locations. I hope so. And I hope that for this nesting season, at least, the geese in that marsh have an opportunity to raise some happy little goslings and enjoy themselves. And maybe offer some nearby residents a chance to see and appreciate a bit of nature in the form of a little goose family.

JAHD

Thoughts and Things

I'll share a few words on thoughts that have been floating around in my head and in the case of the shredded cheese, flying through the air and hitting me.

1.  I have long enjoyed eating eggs at breakfast but recently found that cereal was easier and day after day I dug into a bowl.  I still bought eggs though and they sat abandoned in the fridge.  Then they staged a rebellion.  I didn't see it coming.  Twice, when I was standing at the fridge, an egg carton fell out of the fridge and each time, one egg broke on the floor.  These were messy reminders for me to reconsider my breakfast choices.  Even at the grocery store, I picked up a carton and one egg was broken.  It was always one egg, there was always one message.  Eggs want to be a part of my life again.  I am pleased to welcome them back.

2.  It can be uncomfortable enough running into a former hairstylist but running into a former psychologist would be far worse.  You just know that responding "Because I'm well" to the question of why you stopped coming to them would be met with a derisive "Yeah, right" because they of all people would know how far from the truth that likely continues to be.  It would be so demoralizing.  Nobody enjoys comments like that when they're out on a lovely spring day. It's a situation I really hope to avoid.

3.  I was thinking about feet and about how I want to fix up my feet before I ever go for a pedicure again. While this may seem unnecessary, I don't want someone to have to work hard simply because I've been too lazy to reach down and moisturize my feet when required (Rocky Mountain Soap Foot Butter is excellent for this and no, I'm not being paid to promote it; it's really good).  It must be strange working on people's feet no matter how disappointing you find their lack of foot care to be.  I expect my feet have caused some despair in the past and I'll do my best to ensure that no esthetician ever has to scrape, boil or use excessive chemical force to make my feet smooth and nice again.

4.  There is a house on our street that my son and I describe as "the yellow house that's not yellow."  It used to be yellow.  Its siding is now of a colour close to yellow and could perhaps be described as beige or washed-out tan.  Regardless of one's feelings on the current colour (and mine are not very positive), I continue to feel that the house is, at heart, still a yellow house and should be recognized as such.  I feel this way about no other houses around here, some of which have had more drastic colour changes.  That house will always be yellow to me.

5.  I've been thinking about what it would be like to have a seal for a pet.  I can picture having one around the house.  Puddles and splashing would probably be concerns and might make seal ownership difficult but I find it interesting to think of which animals we invite into our homes and which ones have never become pets.  I can see why something like a camel could be a problem (they're pretty tall) and I know people have run into problems with pigs (they do get big) but I'm not sure why monkeys are such a no-no (although I wouldn't want a monkey - my feelings on monkeys are iffy at best) and what about squirrels, groundhogs, and smaller-sized goats?  I wonder when and how we made decisions about who gets in and who doesn't.

6.  My son threw a bag of shredded cheese at me yesterday so I could open it for him.  It hit me on the leg and it hurt.  While I'm glad it wasn't solid cheese as who knows how badly that could injure a person, the kid throws pretty hard.  The time may have come to tell him that he has to stop throwing dairy (and perhaps other grocery products) at his mother.  I guess we all knew this day would come.

7.  I saw a woman today whose hair I liked.  I've heard people say that a woman would be flattered if you went up to her and asked her where she got her hair done.  I would be.  I'd be a little uncomfortable doing that though and I have a hairstylist I like right now.  I'd be more interested in taking the woman with good hair to my stylist and saying "Here, this is how I want my hair to look."  It could be somewhat inconvenient but it's better than saying nothing and taking pictures of the hair from many different angles.  I'd fully expect a person to be troubled by that.

Happy thoughts to all!  Please be careful when throwing cheese and other dairy products.

JAHD

Walking Along

Does it ever happen to you that you're walking along and you suddenly think you've dislocated your hip and then you decide that you couldn't have dislocated your hip or you wouldn't be walking along but you think that you probably shouldn't have jumped into those new abdominal exercises because you could hurt yourself but you are prone to jumping into things full force which sometimes leads to regret later and then you keep walking along, observe some traffic actions that make you borderline hostile, and then are pleased when a bus driver indicates he'd wait for you and you motion that you don't want the bus and you keep walking and you hear a train whistle and you wonder why because you don't always hear them and that might mean construction or an animal on the tracks or a human on the tracks and you hope everyone is okay and you think about how you like railroad history and other bits of local history and then, lost in thought, you realize you've veered just off the sidewalk and onto some ice and you almost fall but don't which is lucky because you don't want to explain to an emergency crew that you fell on ice when there's a completely clear sidewalk and you just know the looks you'd see them exchange and then you keep walking and don't think about anything particularly interesting for a while and then you keep walking and see a somewhat new neighbour and you wonder if you should be friendly at some point but there were some hurt feelings with the previous people in that house and you don't want that to happen again although that's rather silly and at some point you notice a patch of snow on the sidewalk that kind of looks like a bunny and then you see some that reminds you of Australia but you're not entirely sure of the shape of Australia but you are not as confused about that as you are about how Nevada, California and Arizona are located relative to to each other and you find the whole area of New York City confusing and think that maybe, especially with the NYC area, the maps gets changed between times you look at them and with California it does't really matter how it's placed geographically as long as the ocean is there, the Tower of Terror at Disneyland is there and that you can still stay at that nice simple motel in Anaheim when you're lucky enough to go back there even if last October the staff at the motel didn't seem really enthusiastic but maybe that was due to it being off-season and it didn't matter because it was cool to see the Haunted Mansion decorated for Halloween (and Christmas) and then you arrive home, relax, have a little lunch and enjoy the rest of your day?

No?  Me neither.

JAHD

About a Door

I held a door for a family yesterday.  A child of about one or two led the way to a building.  It took a while but I waited.  The father thanked me.  Holding the door was an easy thing to do.  I could say it wasn't a big deal but maybe it was.  Maybe doing something kind is a very big deal.

After this incident, my son told me that I'm really nice.  For me, it doesn't get a lot better than that.

A very small act like holding a door is easy.  I hope though that releasing kindness into the world, into people's lives, make people feel better and teaches them gently to pass it on.

My son is kind anyways but I'm glad he witnessed me acting in a way I believe we should act.  (Let's face it, we've spent a lot of time together and I've shown him how not to act too.  Balance is good.)  I'm glad too that he thought my action was nice.

JAHD

Inside the Coupon Box

I have a wooden box that I bought at a craft sale. Sloped on top, it could function like the top of a lectern if placed on the kitchen island. Should I find a need to start offering speeches in my home that require notes, I will use it in this way. I have stored recipes in it but they didn't stay well-organized. Now I use it for coupon and coupon-like items. They don't stay well-organized either but I like having a place to toss them.

Yesterday I had reason to look in the box for something. I found what I wanted and I also found a number of other items. I have little need for some of them and, unless otherwise indicated, the following items are available to anyone who wants them (free or best offer should there be a high demand). The offerings include:

1.  Winning Safeway Contest Card, Expired September 27, 2012

I enjoyed the sweet moment of discovering I had a winning card in a Safeway contest but never felt excited enough to take the card with me to Safeway to claim my prize of a Nestle Chocolate Bar (Assorted Varieties!). If that's a part of the experience that you want to have, and you think you'd enjoy arguing with a bewildered employee about the long-in-the-past expiration date, I'd be pleased to pass the card on to you. Whether you end up eating a sweet chocolate treat or being whisked away by security guards and/or police forces, it's impossible to know where this winning card will lead you. Surely adventure awaits!

2.  Toys R US Gift Card, Unknown Amount
   
I have never remembered to bring this card with me to the store when in a mad rush to buy birthday or Christmas presents for my nieces and nephew. I have preserved the card carefully for many years but do not know its amount or whether it has an expiry date. It's sitting here and ready for a fun shopping adventure and/or a big scene at the cash desk if it turns out to be of no value. Enjoy either way!

3.  Canadian Tire Money, Small collection (and suitable for display purposes)

We collect but do not use Canadian Tire money. My husband curates a larger and more historically significant exhibit of it.  I maintain a small collection. In trying to decide whether the collection is or isn't something "to sneeze at" (a curious idiom which might merit further study), I realized the money could used, perhaps, to buy a purse/pocket package of tissues. No one's ever been sorry to have a tissue handy. Avail yourself of that sometimes urgently needed relief with Canadian Tire money today. ( Note - Please don't use Canadian Tire money when you don't have a tissue. No one wants to collect it then.)

4.  Passport Holders, Like New Because They Kind Of Are

When my son and I had passport pictures taken a few years ago, we were given complimentary passport holders. While they would provide some much-needed protection for the passports in the unpredictable environment that is my purse when travelling, we've never used them and probably won't use them in the future. But I've stored them safely and they've come to be an important part of the wooden box family. They are very welcome to stay in it (and are thus unavailable, I'm sorry).

5.  Coupons for Dare Foods Products, No Visible Expiry Date!

I sent a letter to thank Dare Foods for their many peanut-free products about 6 years ago. The company sent me coupons in response. This made me love it even more. (I also wrote a letter to Kraft complaining about their dangerous labeling of peanuts in a food. They sent me a box of food products but that didn't make me come any closer to loving that company. It was really a change in their labels that I wanted and that didn't happen for years.) Apparently I also love paying full price for Dare products as I have never used the coupons. There are no expiry dates shown so they may still be useful. And the cookies and other products are yummy. Buy some soon, perhaps at a reduced price!

6.  Piece of Cardboard from the Calgary Tower

It's not that this piece of cardboard was once a component of the Calgary Tower. Cardboard is a poor building material. But this piece once held a Calgary Tower Gift/Membership Card. Still listed are the terms and conditions of that card although they are oddly illegible now due to an unfortunate adhesive problem. A picture will help to explain:





Use your creativity to find a use for this treasure. I dare you! And have fun.

7.  A Menu for Coco Brooks Pizza, Very Portable, Easy to Ship (Although if you live outside Calgary, you would likely have little use for this item)

I don't know the age of this menu and cannot attest to its accuracy. When we order pizzas from Coco Brooks, I check online. If a paper menu of unknown vintage is your instrument of choice, I have one available. Perhaps it could be a keepsake to remind you of when they did have that one special pizza you loved. Perhaps it could be something you'd always treasure. Perhaps you'd just like to add it to your pizza menu collection.

8.  Community Membership Card

The membership information on this card is vague. It "Expires Aug. 31 (Annually)" but there is no indication of any year for which it is valid. I will keep it as my name and address are written across it. Is it something I should be carrying with me at all times? Maybe it's like a dog licence and I should wear it when out in public.  I might start doing that. It's so humiliating to removed forcibly from the community (or so I would imagine).

9. Two Keys

The 2 keys I found are not for any locks in or around our house. Given enough time, somebody could find out what they open. Do you feel ready for a (big) challenge?

If you want to enrich your life by acquiring any of the items that are available, please let me know. I will return everything to the wooden box and await your inquiries.

JAHD

An Impassioned Attack on a Horrible Tasting Fish

I don't understand.  I simply don't understand.  I know that people have different tastes and that we don't all like the same foods.  That's ok - we can work with that.  What baffles me is that some people must like anchovies.  I ate some a few days ago - there was an unfortunate pizza topping mistake - and was reacquainted with all their awfulness.  And their awfulness is really awful.

I hate anchovies.  I can think about the taste of them days later and feel sad.  They taste like everything I don't want life to be.  Usually I would couch these comments with acknowledgements that this is only my opinion - other people are entitled to theirs.  With anchovies however, I am not that accommodating.  I don't think anyone should like them, eat them, raise them for food, or be cruel enough to put them on a pizza which people will eat.  They are terrible.

Are there foods that other people hate that much?  Do people share my feelings in regards to anchovies (as, I must admit, I think you should)?  Should we let all the anchovies being raised right now for food go free? I welcome your thoughts.  And I dream of a world in which no one ever eats an anchovy again.

JAHD

How We Shop for Presents

I was in a bookstore today and wanted to take advantage of a special offer.  If you bought three books (or gift items), you would get a fourth book free. For me, being in a bookstore with extra motivation to buy is a near perfect situation.  And, as it's Christmas shopping time, I can buy books for lots of people.  I love buying books.

Quickly I had one book in my hands and before long, I had three.  Then came the part where I had to find one more thing.  There may be thousands of items I want in that store but I find it difficult when there's pressure to find something.

At this point, with it being the Christmas season and with my shopping not nearly done, I entered a bad shopping state.  I had a few names floating around in my head and wanted to find anything that would let me check one of them off my list.  Rather than thinking about each person and coming up with ideas for what they would like, I was looking at merchandise and trying to determine if someone might want it.  To me, this seems a sad way to shop for gifts but an approach it's easy to take when there are many presents to buy.

As I looked in the gift section, I saw individual letters of the alphabet.  Each was about 25-30 cm square (or round, or both, depending on the letter).  I have nothing against such letters.  They're a way for kids and adults too (it worked for Mary Richards on the Mary Tyler Moore show), to lay claim to their part of the world.    I have no reason, however, to buy one for any of the people on my Christmas list.  It seemed all I would be saying by buying one of those letters was "Look, I can identify the first letter of your name."   I'd like to say a little more.

Buying one letter for someone on my list (perhaps someone with an especially interesting first initial - do we have any Xavier's, is there a Zelda in the family?) would have earned me my free item and yesterday's shopping dilemma would have been solved.  I could have taken it further though and, assuming that I could find the letter for each person on my shopping list (and assuming too that I stuck to only 1 letter each and didn't try to buy enough to compose oversize messages), I could have finished my shopping in that store.   Everyone would know the joy of receiving a big letter; no one would be left out.

Shopping can be that easy and that means gift-giving can be that pointless.  In my opinion, when we get to the point of a large purchase of identical generic gifts for all, we really shouldn't bother.  Thinking about each person, their likes, their passions, their needs, we can give them something that we think will hold special meaning for them.  It takes some thought, some feeling and getting it all done can be a challenge.  I would rather expend that energy though and try to do a good job.

I say all this now when there is still some time to get Christmas shopping done.  If I am not finished by December 23rd, I may rush out to buy a few decorative letters and perhaps not even match them up to anyone's initials.  All I'll really be saying then is "Look - I remembered that you exist and here's a letter - you can start to spell a word!"  And I'd be pretty pleased with myself for this especially pointless purchase until they handed me a gift of a lovely homemade scarf in my favourite colours constructed in fibers I'm known to adore.

I will stay away from decorative letter and other non-specific purchases.  I did find a fourth item in the bookstore yesterday and I think I bought some presents that people will like.  I won't be constructing any homemade projects for people but I will try to give purchases some thought.  And if I receive any big J's to hang on my wall, I will be grateful to know that someone cared enough to find the right letter.  It just won't be the same if I get a big X.

JAHD

Changing a Mood

I went to the gym today wearing a shirt that says "Mood Subject to Change Without Notice" and the best I could hope for was a sudden change in a positive direction.  I wasn't in a good place.

My time on the treadmill was ok and I enjoyed watching a home improvement show while I stomped along to a 30 minute workout.  I suppose things were looking a little better by the time I finished but I still wasn't exactly cheerful and it was still appropriate to be wearing the shirt.  It's only fair that people are warned.

As I left the gym, a woman working at the front desk changed everything for me. She acknowledged that I was leaving and told me to have a great day.  Her words lifted my mood instantly and I told her to have a great day too.  It was all so simple but it really mattered to me.

Perhaps I needed someone to notice my presence.  Her words had nothing in particular to do with me but still they showed that I was at least visible and worthy of a small kindness.  I am very grateful that she said them.

After leaving the gym, I ran into someone whom it is always nice to see and I had some pleasant interactions on a quick trip into the mall.  Everything that has happened since being at the gym has been somewhat affected by those nice words.

We can do little things, bad or good, that make a difference.  We may never know how much of a difference we make.  But it seems to me worthwhile to keep on trying and flinging some good stuff out there.  Maybe someone will catch a little something and pass it on.

JAHD

The Guy Who Lives There

I went for a long walk today.  Early on, I realized I was walking past the house of a man who is alleged to have committed troubling crimes.  The ugly reality of this situation didn't fit with the gentle beauty of the fall day.

The charges against this man are very bad.  He is alleged to have harmed children and at least one woman and I do not excuse him for those things.  And while I don't know that asking him to leave the neighbourhood is right, I do think that he should not live across from a school and playground.  That puts a burden on that institution and all users of the playground.  The seriousness of the situation and the protection of children must not be diminished.

With those things being said, I admit to feeling some compassion for this man.  When I walk by his house, I'm aware that a human being lives there.  It was a beautiful fall day outside for him too.  Did he notice that? Does he like the beauty of the colourful leaves on the ground?  He's still  a person who sleeps and gets up and eats.  Does he engage in any innocent activities that bring him joy?

Given the choice, I doubt that this man would choose for his mind to be one which has led him to his crimes. I don't know if he can change and I don't know how he should be handled.  What I do know is that I remember his humanity even as I abhor his crimes.

JAHD

Trying Something New

On a Saturday night, 2 weeks ago, I was in a hotel room in Carlsbad California with my family.  The weather was surprisingly unpleasant but still, I will never complain about being in Southern California and near the Pacific Ocean.   It's a pretty good place to be.  The next day's activities were uncertain at that point and, while family vacations have many pleasant elements, there is also an ever-present risk that choices will be made that don't please everybody or perhaps even anybody.  It was important to come up with something good.

My phone decided to enter the conversation and suggested that we might like to go to Balboa Park in San Diego.  I didn't know about Balboa Park and decided to find out some information about it.

The park's website was helpful and we were interested.  Still, though, we couldn't be sure it would be somewhere we'd like to go and while it sounded great, what if it had become rundown or neglected?  There was a story on the news that night about a nighttime walk taking place in it.  Its purpose was to stand up to violence. That wasn't especially reassuring.  But it wasn't even fear that made me hesitate about going.  It was new to us - did we want to try it out?

We did decide to try it out, whatever our reservations, and within a few minutes of arriving within that massive urban park, I knew that we had made the right decision.  It's an amazing place - there are many museums, gardens, an Arts and Crafts house, and a fascinating history behind every attraction. An enthusiastic man at an information center tried to explain it all to us.  It was a lot to take in but soon, brochure in hand, we were able to choose some places to visit.  All three of us were interested in the baseball section of the sports museum and I marveled at the Arts and Crafts Marston House.  As well, just being in and walking around the park was interesting.

In addition to the information we learned at Balboa Park and the enjoyment we had there that day, I take away more from the experience.  I have new pictures in my mind and, more importantly, I have gained an awareness of how important it is to try new things.  There are lots of places to go in and around San Diego and we could have returned to somewhere that we knew.  But we did this that day and I am glad.

I will try to remember this experience the next time I am in an unknown city or situation.  And I will pay close attention from now on to any suggestions my phone makes.  It turns out it has some really good ideas.

JAHD