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!
Category Archives: Calgary
On the verge….
Someone clearly thinks it’s spring. You go, poplar!
Flowery Friday.
Flashback to mid-summer last year and a public planting found in a playground in the Beltline area of Calgary. That mix of foliage textures and the pop of lime green, yellow, and pink-purple (possibly combined with the fact that it was crazy late in the evening and I hadn’t eaten supper yet) made me drool.
Pretty much any colour is making me drool right now….the absolutely bananas weather has given me a serious case of cabin fever!
Canadian Biodiversity and Canadian Natural Resources.
I meant to get around to this in September a tad earlier but, as you can tell by the frequency with which I reply to your lovely and deeply appreciated blog comments, or, for that matter, create new posts, I seem to have been delayed by a few months or thereabouts-ish. Hopefully, “better late than never” still applies (in all cases)….
You may remember that in 2017, I wrote a non-fiction book for children about equity; last year, I wrote two more titles for the same publisher (Beech Street Books) about Canadian natural resources and biodiversity. The research and writing of both of these titles was a fascinating and hugely enjoyable experience, and I am delighted that our public library here in Calgary (which many of you know I work for!) is now carrying the books in the collection. I am so grateful to have been a part of this project and hopefully help educate children about these important topics.
(Click on the title below each photo to take you to a description of the book).
Canadian Science: Technology and Sustainability – Biodiversity
Canadian Science: Technology and Sustainability – Natural Resources
The winter blues.
It was a sparkly, frosty day here in Calgary – but just look at that brilliant blue sky over this young elm tree!
I was recently doing a bit more reading about the origins and history of Dutch elm disease, which has decimated elm trees worldwide. (This information at this link is particularly fascinating). We are fortunate here in the province of Alberta that, due to rigid pruning restrictions and strict monitoring, our elms are currently free of the disease. Hopefully this tree and its kin stay healthy and thrive into old age. ♥
Flowery Friday.
Flashback to summer blooms! This beauty is the heirloom sweet pea ‘America’, grown on my balcony last year.
Tuesday tidbits.
An itty-bitty Tuesday tidbits this week! (Say that three times fast. On second thought, don’t…just don’t).
- On Christmas Day of last year, I heard an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful instrumental version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” on CBC Radio and after some hunting on the ‘net to find out more about the artist, it turned out he was from Didsbury, a small town here in southern Alberta. I promptly ordered Jake Peters’ CD “First Christmas: A Musical Journey,” and the musician himself sent it straightaway to me. It is not only a musical journey, but a magical one! Peters’ website features the album in its entirety so you can enjoy it as well…and perhaps order a copy if you love it as much as I do.
- Although I pumped out more non-fiction work than I ever have before, 2018 wasn’t the best year for me as far as my fiction-writing goals were concerned: I had exactly one story published (and only two new ones were written and are currently sitting in reading queues somewhere). I am delighted that Canadian speculative fiction publisher Polar Borealis took on my SF work “The Heir” for their 8th issue. If you’re interested, you can read the entire publication online here.
A gratuitous photo of Smudge and her BFF, the printer.
- Waaaaaay back in March of last year, I claimed I was going to amalgamate my blogs The Door is Ajar and Flowery Prose and I did just as I said I would…well, insofar as my recent
pretty much nonexistentposting schedule has allowed. But now I’m going to separate them again! It probably seems a bit arbitrary but it comes down to content and I likely shouldn’t have made the change in the first place. So…if you want to read my book reviews (aside from the select few I will still write here on FP), please head over to The Door is Ajar and subscribe…I’d love to see you there as well! Thanks so much! - Finally, from the files of WHAT I OVERHEARD AT THE LIBRARY, PART 358: It’s mid-afternoon; I’m working in the picture book aisles. A young boy of about five years old is announcing with bold authority to anyone who will listen, “I am Batman!” He captures the attention of another boy his age, and jumps up on the nearest chair so he towers over his new friend. He squints down at him and points gleefully. “Sucks to be you!” he shouts. Someone’s clearly filled with holiday spirit…. 😉
Tell me something fun (or funny) or exciting or wonderful that’s going on in your life!
