It’s 5:30 in the morning and I’m sitting here watching live webcams of eagles nesting and thought I’d look into the status of the nesting platforms in Calgary. I came upon this entry by Birds Calgary and these wonderful photographs by Joe Harley. I had seen this redundant diving of the Osprey trying to evict a goose. Good to see it captured so beautifully!
My readers must be able to tell when I’m under the weather…big blogging days! I am smiling as I type this. I have a cold, and since I was still reading in bed at 3:30 a.m. and sipping steaming hot lemon, ginger and honey, I opted to stay home, apart from my hour- long litter pick-up with dear Max.
I have two topics that I’m eager to write about; here goes the first, the book, The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn; A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III.
I haven’t completed this book, but am almost there and I’m so taken by it, that I have to write. Well-in to the book, I left off at Wounded Knee, the death of Sitting Bull, and the horrific reaction to the Ghost Dancers.
It was three years ago that my son and I visited Little Bighorn. We participated in the guided tour, as well as spent time wandering and pondering the expanse of land and sky and paused at the surrounding memorials. We took lots of time and now that I am reading this book, I am grateful for the time spent planting our feet on such a powerful piece of land. Our Canadian history; struggles and assimilation of our Canadian First Nations, was no less tragic, but this book gives some sense of the physicality of the movement west by Euro-Americans, the end of buffalo populations as North America knew them and the circumstances that found a free migrating people restricted to agencies, later called, reservations. This book includes an extensive collection of narratives around the circumstances of the day and the impact that these stories have on the lives of others.
The story of Wounded Knee, as written by Joseph Marshall, causes me to take pause. I think that this as an important book for every person to read. We must vow never to forget.
You will be able to capture some of Marshall’s thoughts on this site.
It’s official. The City of Calgary has determined that Frank’s Flats, this year, is city parkland and I now have their support with the crud that mounts up at the location due to the user groups that are just a little irresponsible! Yeah! Justin Brown assured me that I would have help with the spring clean-up and he followed through, sending out a team that scoured the slopes, much quicker than I could possibly do ONE BAG AT A TIME. So, now it is for me to maintain the park and hopefully solicit some support from other like-minded individuals in the area.
Nature is at its finest in this area, even when it is filthy. The ground squirrels pull the plastics into their nests, not comprehending that this is human waste; but they adapt to the function of such plastics and paper. Even on the nesting platform being used by Osprey, there is a huge piece of plastic that bats in the wind. I am amused watching the activity on this platform and watched the grand predator try for over an hour to chase a Canadian goose off of the platform. When I left the park that evening, the goose was continuing to fight for the nest in the sky, neck outstretched at each nose dive from the beautiful falcon. This went well into the next day, but finally two days later, the goose had succumbed to the stubborn bird. Please see fantastic images capturing this event on the Birds Calgary blog. Now it is fun to watch the male bringing home the catch of the day routinely.
As sun was setting one evening, I watched six white swans fly overhead. The muskrats are back and ducks of every variety are nesting. A coyote who was guarding a spot under the evergreens has finally disappeared, likely pressured out by all of the human presence and back onto the wilderness corridor on the other side of the fence.
Frank’s Flats is a beautiful spot for nature lovers to watch wildlife at its best. I want this place to be safe and solicit the continued support of the City of Calgary, Bishop O’Byrne high school, South Fish Creek Recreational Center, Shawnessy Library and the various retail stores (Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Tim Hortons, Wendy’s, Jugo Juice) in the stewardship of this land.
I encourage my readers to take some responsibility for stewardship of your own surroundings. Teach your children by being a living example of how to care for other species.
Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct! CNN November 2011
WWF states the following….
“European hunters are responsible for the early decline of black rhino populations. It was not uncommon for five or six rhinos to be killed in a day for food or simply for amusement. European settlers that arrived in Africa in the early 20th century to colonize and establish farms and plantations continued this senseless slaughter. Most people regarded rhinos as vermin and exterminated them at all costs.
“DOOMED.” That was the front page headline of the UK newspaper, the Daily Mirror, in 1961, accompanied by a full-page photo of two African rhinos. The article said that rhinos were “doomed to disappear from the face of the earth due to man’s folly, greed, neglect” and encouraged readers to support a new conservation organization: WWF. We’ve been fighting to protect African rhinos ever since. Recent success in black rhino conservation is heartening, but a lot of work remains to bring the population up to even a fraction of what it once was – and ensure that it stays there.”
I wanted to paint a tribute piece on my birthday…this, to the Western Black Rhino. As I contemplate covenant, I wonder what it is that we can do as a global community to care more diligently for our planet. We are the keepers.
Two hours of focused work and this piece was gratefully purchased at auction by a young lady who is training to be a vet, Carrie. Surprise! Her birthday also falls on May 8! This connection was meant to be!
Thanks to daughter, Erin and son, Douglas, for attending my birthday battle!
Carrie and Me
Thanks to my boy-cousin and his son for changing my platinum spark plugs yesterday. This job was going to cost me over three hundred dollars at the dealership. But, if you look, they were not overestimating the need to have this done. Peter said that he hadn’t ever seen such corrosion on plugs. Have my readers? I’m feeling gratitude for new spark plugs today!
As I held a baby in my arms for most of the afternoon, I thought about three blessings; my two daughters and my son. This morning I lift a prayer for all those who feel overcome by the news of a pregnancy and hope that they have a way to protect that little soul when there is no one else to do the protecting. I pray for those who are carrying a baby, that they may be safe. I pray for those who are unable, through some quiver of the universe, to conceive their own child…for that loneliness and that frustration while all around them, their friends are rocking a precious bundle in their arms. I pray for those who are opening their arms and homes up to children who otherwise, would have no arms to hold them or homes to shelter them…for those mothers and fathers who foster or adopt. I lift up the babies this morning.
Maverick
It is such a celebration when, finally, the crocuses are blooming on the ridge. I once painted a Mother series around the crocus because each spring they reminded me of my own mother, their softness, fragility and beauty. The crocus is so ephemeral and yet such a powerful symbol of new life. Although it’s really not an environmentally sound ritual, I also picked and pressed a single bloom as a rite of spring each year, for many years. Here are three of those spring times captured in a frame.
This year, I’ve broken with that rite of spring and have left my bloom to be admired and then to lose it’s petals, go to seed and bloom again next spring. I will remember and cherish that I was graced by its beauty. Life experiences have taught me that to admire and engage a life, however fleeting, is enough.
Who would miss an opportunity to paint on May Day? Not me! With a burdened heart, struggling to grab hold of bits of joy that skitter themselves through every ordinary day, I headed out to the Gorilla House. Determined to continue learning about paint and building on a 2 x 2 series, I was very much influenced by my recent visit to the Bee Kingdom glass blowing and studio open house.
Of the three inspirational concepts offered last evening, I latched on to the idea of close imitation of something and the word, ’emulous’.
The bee, known for its pollination abilities, represents so much to humanity, both as a symbol and as a concrete reality. Recently, the bee has been in the news as North America responds to the current collapse of hives everywhere. In my mind, this tragedy is a reflection of our insistence on being consumers above all else and our need for production above the health of our environment and the health of other species.
Conversations flare up whenever I react to these news stories, primarily because I offer no solutions. I tend to know a little about a whole lot of different environmental crisis…this is because I am constantly being bombarded with the results of poor judgement where big industry is concerned. Back to the bees. On this 2 x 2 panel, I wanted to capture an imitation of the beauty I find in bees, what they do and the gift they have been to our species on this planet. I also want to express my grateful heart.
Embedded in the piece are a few verses from the Acts of the Apostles. Pentecost falls on May 19, 2013. It would do us all well to contemplate our personal mission and responsibility.
Thank you to Rosie for her purchase of this piece at auction.
Corey, paid by the City of Calgary to pick up other people’s garbage.
This area has been cleaned up from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
There’s always some interesting trash fanning out on the flats.
Thanks to my cousin-sister-friend, I have Haida Gwaii rubber boots!
One Bag: May 1, 2013
Arch, of the City of Calgary crew.
Justin, responsible for city parks on the south end of the city, sent a crew out to work at Frank’s Flats and so I met them there. Winter has left a mountain of litter down at the Flat’s, a very sad thing after all of the work I did to maintain the situation last year. It was a joy to listen to the crew members talking about their concerns about plastics and those sorts of topics, while they worked. I feel strongly that if citizens do not wish to take any responsibility for the sort of mess that is accumulating EVERYWHERE, then their taxes need to pay other people to take care of the clean-up. I don’t believe that working a limited number of volunteers in a limited number of situations is the answer. This changes NOTHING about the consciousness of the individuals who are routinely irresponsible.
I watched a dog owner stand in the parking lot today and watch his brown lab go down into the Flats to do its business. When I asked him if he was going to go down and pick it up, he called his dog, put him in his vehicle and drove off. This is what I’m talking about. In fact, here is a photograph from one big clean-up at the Southland dog park. This is despicable! The sad thing is that by the time this clean-up is done at Frank’s Flats, there will be the same amount of human waste piled high…only it will be primarily plastics and paper products. What variables have contributed to the creation of such an ‘entitled’ society?
January 1 Off Leash Poop Pick Up