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Travis asleep.
I just finished sitting by Travis’ bed, watching him sleep. He was having a restless sleep, and I went in to check on him. He was sitting up in bed but obviously dreaming. When I came in he said something incomprehensible, reached out and stroked my cheek, and laid back down fast asleep. My lord,…
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I and the Bird #1
A new blog Carnival, I and the Bird, has been launched by Mike at 10,000 birds. It is a collection of blogs taking us to the world of birds, and the people who revel in their lives. I feel lucky to have a post in this inaugeral issue, filled with excellent blogs, from around the…
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Spiders!
I’m working really hard at making sure that Travis doesn’t develop the fear of insects that so many people here seem to have. I’m not sure what it is but many people have a runaway, screaming sort of fear of flies and what not. I vividly remember working at the Patrol Cabin when I was…
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Qarsauq
I was working outside the House, putting on some siding, yesterday and I heard a Qarsauq flying around. Qarsauq is inuktitut for Red-Throated Loon Gavia stellata, and several pairs nest around here. They sound nothing like the Common Loon with it’s haunting voice, sounding more like a nuthatch on steroids. Try as I might I…
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Fireworks
Occassionaly around Canada Day friends ask me how the fireworks were up here. We never have any fireworks on Canada Day. Now living up here I never have to think of the reason why, but I have to keep reminding myself that my reality is far different from most other’s. The reason we don’t have…
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Canada Day
Canada Day, for many reasons, personal and otherwise, is a very special day for me. It is now, but hasn’t always been, a bittersweet day, and a day of certain rituals. I miss one of the rituals, now that I am no longer a member of the Force. I miss dressing in Red Serge, not…
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Confessions
Two confessions this morning. First of all, I have no problem living vicariously through others I can somehow remotely connect myself to. And second, I enjoy watching American and Canadian Idol. Its kind of like riding a moped, lots of fun, but you don’t tell your friends. Now I’m in heaven. A woman from my…
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Tangled Bank
The 31st edition of A Tangled Bank has just been released, and I’m in it. Tangled Bank is a compendium of science and nature writings on the web, released every two weeks and hosted by different weblogs each edition. It has some very good articles on the natural world, evolution, and science, written by some…
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Snow
While I’ve been sitting here, waiting for some form of inspiration to hit me upside the head, fingers on the keyboard, I noticed that there are a few snowflakes drifting down. Living at this latitude one can expect to see snow every month of the year. It is rarest in July but you can pretty…
