These huge, furry, pollen-laden willow catkins stopped me in my tracks (pun intended) while walking near a crowded train station here in Calgary last week. I sort of wanted to hug them, but made do with a photograph instead.
What signs of spring (or autumn!) are you celebrating in your part of the world?
I’m super late with Flowery Friday (actually, I’m even late for Saturday; in some places it’s close to Sunday by now), but we’ll roll with it because it’s really all about the flowers, anyway. Or, at least that’s what I’ll claim so that no one notices just how disorganized I am….
This darling little heap of Hepaticas* isn’t late. These plants are right on time, as one of the earliest spring blooms you’re going to see in my neck of the woods. (See what I did there?). Sadly, these beauties are not from my garden – I visited them at the William Reader Rock Garden here in Calgary early last week. (Three days later, we received 15 centimetres of snow. Ah, Spring! Your vagaries delight!).
*Hmmmm…what would be the collective noun for Hepaticas? “Herd of Hepaticas“? Nah, that makes me think of a marauding band of them blanketing the countryside (which, on second thought, might not be such a bad thing). What about “hillock of Hepaticas“? You know…because I found them in a tumulose, rangy rock garden. Ba dum tsss! Okay, I’ll go now.
If you’ve been following Flowery Prose for a while, you’ll know that I LOOOOOVE all forms of short stories. I publish flash fiction by many amazing authors over at Paper Butterfly Flash Fiction, and I occasionally write short stories myself. (If there were more than 24 hours in a day, I’d write quite a few more!). But I have an especially soft spot for reading short stories…and I particularly adore science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The more eclectic and inventive, the better!
If you love short stories as much as I do (especially speculative fiction), give these sites a try! I am a first reader for Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, a longtime print subscriber to On Spec (which is based out of Edmonton, in my home province of Alberta), and I’ve had my work published in Polar Borealis and 365 Tomorrows. Sites such as Daily Science Fiction are fun because you can have them send you one story each day – a treat to go with your morning coffee! (Every Day Fiction is another source of daily stories, as their publishing schedule permits – and they publish all genres, not just speculative fiction).
On Spec (Canadian; print and digital editions available for a subscription fee)
Polar Borealis (Canadian; online only, free to read but donations welcomed)
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores (must pay to subscribe, but they always have a free sample story up on the website to enjoy; a new feature are the podcasts, which you can listen to for free!)
365 Tomorrows (free to read!)
The Martian Magazine (free to read; The Martian publishes drabbles (fiction of 100 words or less) so you can gobble down several of these in one sitting)
Daily Science Fiction (free; if you give them your email address, they’ll gift you with a new story five days a week!)
Every Day Fiction (free; subscribe by email. New stories are published frequently)
Paper Butterfly Flash Fiction (of course I have to include this one! Free to read!) – right now, I’m featuring a hilarious gem by Gregg Chamberlain, “Poetic Licence.”
Do you read short stories? Do you subscribe to any short story magazines, or do you prefer book-form anthologies or collections (one author or multiple)? Please share any recommendations you may have – it doesn’t matter where in the world you live!
In November of last year, the doors opened to an absolutely gorgeous new library in Calgary. Central Library’s Snøhetta-designed new home is a striking, light-filled mix of glass, wood, concrete, and steel. The graceful curves and oh! that skylight! captivated me when my hubby and I visited on opening weekend.
Check out 100 Reasons to Love the New Central Library, a compendium of fun facts about this spectacular space!
P.S. If you look down into the lower part of the photo, you’ll see a life-sized statue of a bison. Created by Cree artist Lionel Peyachew, it is made out of pieces of stamped metal representing words in various Indigenous languages.
One of my favourite times of the year is when the new issue of The Prairie Garden arrives in my mailbox! This themed, annual digest has been in publication for a whopping 63 years and I am delighted to have been a contributing writer since 2011 (although I missed 2015 and 2017). This year, the theme is Growing Food and it includes my article “Integrated Pest Management.” Check out The Prairie Garden‘s website for more information about the book and the other featured writers, as well as for details on how to order both the new book and available back issues. (The book is also available for purchase in select bookstores, garden centres, and nurseries in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta).
Just look at those pollen grains! To my delight, my zygocactus is blooming for the second time since Christmas. I recently heard someone describe the blooms as resembling graceful ballet dancers – I love that fanciful comparison!
A couple of sweet treats for the start of the week!
A crazy beautiful cookbook:
You could acquire Marit Hovland’s Bakeland: Nordic Treats Inspired by Nature and actually make the recipes – I would highly encourage it! But, really, this cookbook is the most deliriously glorious eye candy you’ll have the pleasure of perusing in absolute ever, so you should spend some quality time simply ogling. A celebration of baking, organized seasonally and inspired by Scandinavian ingredients and design, Bakeland is so pretty you’ll drool. I have no decorating skills so I’m going to stick to the Spice Cake with Cinnamon Almonds. Because chocolate icing is possible for people like me.
If you want a preview of some of the book’s insanely gorgeous food photos, click here. (2018, Greystone Books, Vancouver)
Eat some berries:
If you’re cleaning out the freezer and you find a package of frozen raspberries, make this sauce. I reduced the sugar by a smidge (which is, of course, a completely technical cooking term). Then eat it out of the saucepan (ahem!) and pretend it’s summer already. Do. It.
Do you have any tidbits to share? – for example, projects you’re working on, new things you’ve learned, delicious or interesting new foods you’ve tried, delightful books or TV shows or movies, or a piece of music or art you’ve created or enjoyed?
