Bunny

Crockett and I were on our usual walk this morning in the park & this time, when it happened, I was ready and I was stealth.  I saw the bunny again.   Crockett is such an easy going dog that if I stand still, he stands still next to me.  He doesn't chase squirrels or birds. He's an observer.

Here are our photos from today.

  

 

  

Yum

I saw this photo online and sadly it did not have an original source but I just have to post and share it as it is how I feel, being a sweet-tooth, when I walk past Bakery windows.

More Mandalas

I enjoyed doing the first one this afternoon I've done another.

This is it completed however, I did like it better when it had some white in it. Oh well, next time.

I took this photo below using the Fisheye setting.  Interesting.  I think Fisheye photos are best taken from far away of a large landscape. Still, this was fun.

Mandalas

At times, I just need to sit and slow my brain down.  I had a very busy work week last week and an even busier one anticipated this coming week.  I wanted to do something today that relaxes me and although I'm 43 years old, I love to color and I find it incredibly relaxing.

I recently learned about Mandalas.  There is so much about them on the web.  You can get free templates here and here and you could also buy Mandala coloring books.

Bottom line, I've spent this afternoon doing this and now that I'm done, I am relaxed and content.

It Buzzed

Crockett & I did our usual Saturday morning walk in the park.  It was beautiful in the shade and hot in the sun. A perfect summer day for outside activities.

When we entered the park, I heard all kinds of pitter patter scattering in the brush.   On my left, a Rat crossed our path.  It wasn't huge, but its tail was a long pinky grey. Gross. I don't mind Field Mice, they're cute, but Rats?  We weren't even anywhere near the creek.   Then on my right, I saw a Rabbit hopping across the grass and disappear into a bush.  I was not fast enough to catch either with my camera.

Crockett seemed happy to just stand in one place for a few minutes and enjoy his surroundings.

I've passed this tree a thousand times before and never noticed it had a portion that is hollow.  I put my camera up close and got lucky.  A Caterpillar/Butterfly chrysalis.

On our way out of the park, I heard a buzzing and saw this!  It was about an inch long. It was moving the dirt around with its back legs and it planted that long red thing coming out of its backside by its stinger into the ground & moved it around.  I tried to get as close as I could.  I will say when it spread its wings to fly away, I almost dropped my camera and I did let out a little scream.

Groundhog Weekend

With the weather being what it has been, my life almost feels like the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day.  I have Groundhog weekdays where I get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, get up.....

The Groundhog weekend version is get up, take Crockett for a walk, take pictures of Crockett and the birds, come home, putz around online to cool down, watch TV, eat, do chores, take Crockett for a walk, take pictures of Crockett and the birds, come home, putz around online to cool down, watch TV, eat, do chores........

As much as I enjoy taking Crockett out, we both suffer when we get back to cool down from the heat. He gets placed in the bathtub so I can douse him with tepid water.  I rip my clothes off & stand in front of the fan. 

I have loads of chores to do today.  Adam & I traded off.  I'll do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and mop the floors and he'll go up to Loblaws to fetch some groceries.  I'll turn my radio on to Toronto Classical Radio 96.3fm and get to it.

I started watching Wimbledon this morning but stopped to take Crockett out. I'm PVRing it and will watch it later when my chores are done. My hope is that Murray wins cause how great will that be for England!

So, here are my photos, pretty similar to the last bunch.

It looks as though there are 3 baby birds.  They are growing quickly and soon will be too big for the nest.  I wish they were in the tree by my window so I could watch them more often and without feeling like I'm interfering.

More About The Weather

I don’t like talking about the weather so much but this past few weeks have been worse than I can remember it ever being,  at least in my adult working life.

There were a few summers as a teenager and lifeguard where I remember some scorchers but all I had to do was jump in the pool to cool off.  I really miss those days. Good memories.

I grew up in the 70’s in a bungalow without air conditioning.  On really hot summer nights all I had to do was go downstairs to the basement & it was cooler. 

I’ve lived in apartments that have had central air conditioning and unless it was overly hot, I wouldn’t use it.  For me, there is nothing like a good nights’ sleep next to a wide open window.

This morning when the alarm went off I woke up right away and rather than hitting the snooze button a few times, I got up, got dressed & took Crockett out at 5:30am.  

It was cooler outside than it was in our apartment. 

 

Of course I took my camera with me.  I spent about 5 minutes taking photos of the Snails and when I turned around to check on Crockett, he was laying in the grass. I'm sure the dew felt nice on his belly.  Although in the last shot, he does look like he's giving me the stink eye.

F You Humidity

I've always said Fall is my favorite season and days like yesterday, today, and apparently tomorrow reinforce that.  This humidity is killing me. It makes me think of something rude Andrew Dice Clay said during a stand up comedy routine, " It's too hot to...(rhymes with truck)." And it is, but really, it's too hot to do anything.

Our rent doesn't include hydro so I fear the energy sucker that is the window AC unit but I can delay no longer, it must be put in the window tonight.

Right now the temperature is Toronto is 32°C (90°F)

The weather network says it feels like  42°C (108°F)

Relative Humidity is 66%

When I walked out of my hot apartment this morning at 6:15am, I was hit with a wall of humidity.

I was hoping to see storm clouds but this was the sky.

Follow Up From Yesterday

I took Crockett back out today across the street to see the progress of the baby birds.  As we neared the small tree, I saw a butterfly. One I've never seen before.  Thankfully, it rested on a leaf close enough to get with the zoom lens.

The baby birds are more visible today, beaks open and peering over the side of the nest waiting for Mommy.

Then, as Crockett sniffed in the shade for some territory to mark, I saw another butterfly.

The sun is shining, there is a breeze, and it is a perfect day. I wish I had a back yard or a balcony. It is on days like these that I miss my youth life guarding at Ballantyne Pool.

The city is full today.  The Pride Parade about to kick off, College & Bathurst / Little Italy is filled with Spanish and Italian fans and no buzzing with activity.  I am also confident that mere minutes after the game ends there will be cars going up & down Yonge street past our window honking their horns, yelling, and waving their flags.

As for me, my dog is sitting in a cool corner on he floor, my husband is snoring behind me. Yes, it's 1:00pm and he sleeps.  He came to bed this morning after sunrise. He is a night hawk. I am going to give the place a quick once over tidy & plant myself on the couch with a pitcher of water w/orange slices and watch the Euro Cup final.  I don't care who wins, I just want to see a good game.

Hot Lazy Dreamy Saturday

Happy Birthday Gayle!


Had a bit of a sleep in today.  It was one of those mornings where I woke up at my usual time & started to panic that my alarm didn't go off & that I'd be late for work. That was followed by a few moments of confusion.  Then I remembered what I'd done yesterday and that today was in fact, Saturday.

When I went back to sleep, I had many wonderful dreams.  I've always been a dreamer. I even dream of the same places more than once that exist nowhere but in my dreams.  I try to relay them to Adam as soon as I wake up before the dissipate.

If our bed wasn't so uncomfortable and I didn't have a Pug waiting to go outside, I would have been happy to dream away this Saturday.

I dragged my achy body out of bed, put Crockett's leash on him, grabbed a toonie for a cup of coffee and out we went.  It was hot with a warm wind.  Once I got my coffee at the corner shop, we went across the street into the Parkette and sat on a bench in the shade.

Here are our photos.

In a small tree right across the street from our apartment I heard a bird chirping.  It was a Mama Bird guarding her babies.  On our way home, Mama was gone & 2 little heads were poking out of the nest.  I didn't want to get too close.  I was so disappointed as I took 1 photo of them with their little beaks open waiting for food & when I looked back at the photo, I only got the bottom of the nest.

Crockett having a drink of water. There is a water fountain in the Parkette so I always grab 2 cups when I get my coffee from the corner shop.   He was such a patient sweet lovely dog this morning.  He just sat there & let me enjoy the sky.  His cough is also getting better so he doesn't sound like a honking goose on our walks.

This was the sky as it changed during our sit down on the bench.  Each taken about 4 minutes apart pointing straight up. There was a warm breeze and the sky was moving pretty fast.  I have all the confidence that tomorrow will be a beautiful sunny day as it always is every year for Toronto's amazing Pride Parade!

Happy Pride!!

I wish everyone a safe happy Canada Day long weekend.