In August we went downtown for the first time in quite a while. Walking along Birmingham Street with the Mills block demolished, and new and newish buildings to the right and left, I suddenly had the feeling you get when visiting a strange city: an excited sense of alertness because you don't know exactly where… Read More

This is an invitation to join a club, or perhaps it's a cult, that notices grave markers made of zinc. Our enthusiastic group has no name, so you could conjure up something catchy along the lines of Friends of Zinc, or the White Bronze Collective. Unlike birdwatching or tree identification, which require actual knowledge, you… Read More

In early September we spent four days in the Liverpool to Cape Sable portion of the south shore. One goal was to walk on beaches and that was achieved with ease. Staying on Summerville Beach means a panoramic view. . . watching the sunrise . . . and the sunset. Walking on the beach we… Read More

These days our mantra is "have more fun getting rid of stuff." It takes quite a bit of effort to do this well. Last month we said good bye to two quilts that have been in my family for about 160 years. These are not something that just "belonged to" an ancestor, these are things… Read More

At the end of Part Two we were in Country Harbour and headed towards Sherbrooke, territory that we know well. Little surprises If you are following our route on a map, marvel at the detour that we took to eat lunch on the beach at Port Hilford. Later I realized that this community beach is… Read More

Here I am waving to you, excited that the sun is shining for a second day and that we are about to continue our exploration of the far Eastern Shore. The community of Charlos Cove is on the other side of the cove of the same name (eponymous?). Seawind Landing Country… Read More

I've had a hankering to revisit the far end of the Eastern Shore and that's what we did in the middle of August. It has been years since we sampled the coast above Country Harbour, and some of the roads we travelled were new to us. So lots of fresh noticing material. After a weekend… Read More

We went to the Eastern Shore the other day. (Is that up or down? In Nova Scotia you can get scolded if you use the wrong direction. It's down to Cape Breton.) Here are some things we noticed. Our first stop was at the Rose and Rooster Café in Grand Desert to pick up a… Read More

If you want coherent information on ticks visit a trusted site, like Health and Wellness. In this post I recount personal stories and impressions. Since May, blacklegged ticks have twice latched onto me while I worked or rambled in our garden, and undetected they started to feast on my blood and perhaps infected me with… Read More

My child-like wonder at the IWK At the beginning of July my second dose of vaccine was administered at the IWK. The appointment was at 8:10 in the morning , and I made sure to be there plenty early. Turns out that the hospital has a beautiful rose garden I could stroll in and contemplate… Read More