Nice to see bees on the job in Fraser Foreshore Park in south Burnaby, BC, today!
Bald Eagle Action in South Burnaby, BC
Great to see some Bald Eagle action at one of the nests in Fraser Foreshore Park in south Burnaby, BC, today!
Sunshine Sadness
I was sitting in the living room reading this afternoon on my day off, and sunshine came flooding in, drawing Sora the Cat to roll in the beam.
It was glorious — but also sad, because it reminded me of losing Midori our turtle a couple of months ago. Midori would have loved a snuggle in the sunshine with her pal Sora. Sigh. . .
We cared for ‘Dori for 30 years, and she was part of the family. She loved to cuddle on a lap, and would walk up to us sometimes and strain herself upward as if to say “uppie! cuddle!”
She also liked meeting new people, approaching folks in our home and checking them out.
We had to euthanize Dori in mid-January, as she’d stopped eating and was barely moving. A vet check and X-ray showed she had crippling arthritis in all her joints, and she must have been in considerable pain.
She lived a long and good life, but we still have moments of loss.
Catching Up on Barcelona Trip
Back in early February we went to Barcelona. Just an eight-day trip, we packed in a lot!
Here are some photos. . .
Morning coffee at a cafe near our hotel
A snack on the food floor of the El Corte Inglis department store
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
A breakfast picnic in our hotel room
Pre-dinner drinks on the roof of our hotel
Parc del Laberint d’Horta – Labyrinth
Montserrat – the Black Madonna
Montserrat
Montserrat
Having paella on the food floor of the El Corte Ingles department store. It was as good or even better than in restaurants we tried, and you can’t beat the view!
Paella at the food floor of the El Corte Ingles department store.
Gaudi’s masterpiece La Sagrada Familia
Give Us the Cameras We Want
I just ran across an article on how camera makers are concentrating so much on mirrorless systems, yet what many users (particularly novices to intermediate shooters) want is compact models.
I agree in the sense that if Canon came out with a PowerShot SX750HS, I’d buy one in a heartbeat.
I’ve had 720HS and 730HS models for years, and love the 40X optical zoom in a small body that fits in a cargo pant or jacket pocket.
I carry the 730HS all the time. Yes, I have DSLRs and mirrorless cameras for nature, wildlife, and documentary work, but I’m not going to be always carrying them.
I’ve been looking around to see if I could snag a 740HS (the latest in the series) and they are either all gone, or if you can track down a new one, they are selling for as much as 3X – 4X their original list price. That ought to tell Canon something.
Release an SX750HS with a better sensor (particularly in low light), upgrade the software, keep the 40X optical zoom. . . and I’m sold.
Ukraine Fact Sheet Feb. 2025 – Institute for the Study of War
Download the Ukraine Fact Sheet
Zelensky does not imminently risk losing all of Ukraine.
Russian forces currently occupy around 20 percent of Ukraine, leaving the remaining 80 percent of the country under Ukraine’s sovereign control.
At the current rate of advance, it would take Russian forces over 83 years to capture the remaining 80 percent of Ukraine, assuming that they can sustain massive personnel losses indefinitely.
Russia’s rate of advance on the frontline has slowed significantly over the past three months.[1]
Russian forces are making small territorial gains at the cost of massive personnel losses.[2]
Russian forces advanced at an average rate of 27.94 square kilometers per day in November 2024, 18.1 square kilometers per day in December 2024, and 16.1 square kilometers per day in January 2025.[3]
Most Ukrainian cities have not been destroyed.
Many of Ukraine’s largest cities, including Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa, have avoided destruction and continue to function. Russia has leveled some Ukrainian cities as it has attacked and occupied them, such as Mariupol.[4] Cities throughout the 80 percent of Ukraine that Russian forces have not occupied have remained largely intact during Russia’s invasion, apart from deliberate Russian strikes against critical and civilian infrastructure.[5]
Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections in wartime (unlike the US Constitution, which requires it).
Ukraine’s Constitution prevents the Ukrainian government from holding elections or amending the constitution in times of martial law.[6]
Russia triggered Ukraine’s martial law provisions when it launched its illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government cannot constitutionally suspend martial law while Russia continues to attack Ukraine.
Ukrainian opposition politicians, including those who have historically run against Zelensky, have stated that holding elections under martial law would be both illegal and immoral.[7]
Ukraine has not suffered millions of losses.
Ukraine has not suffered “millions” of losses by any reliable estimate, either in terms of civilian or military casualties.
Zelensky stated on February 16, 2025, that Russia has killed 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the full-scale invasion, and that Ukraine has suffered over 390,000 soldiers wounded in action.[8]
US officials have placed the number of Ukrainian military losses between 60,000 and 70,000, but no reputable source places casualty estimates near or in the millions.[9]
The UN confirmed that Russia had killed over 12,000 Ukrainian civilians as of the end of 2024.[10]
Europe provides about as much direct aid to Ukraine as the United States.
Europe (including European Union [EU] members and EU institutions plus Norway and the UK) has overtaken the United States in terms of cumulative direct (military and non-military) aid allocations to Ukraine (not counting the costs of US forces forward-deployed in Eastern Europe).[11]
- Europe has provided Ukraine with a total of $166 billion in cumulative aid and pledged an additional $34.7 billion to be allocated through 2030.[12]
- Europe has provided and pledged approximately $204.1 billion in all — over $174 billion from the EU, $13.9 billion from Norway, and $16.2 billion from the UK — compared to America’s $183 billion.[13]
- These figures do not include the EU and G7 commitments to provide loans to Ukraine financed by income generated from frozen Russian assets.
European loans to Ukraine are backed by income from frozen Russian assets, not Ukraine.
The EU is contributing $20 billion in loans to Ukraine that are backed by extraordinary revenues from immobilized Russian sovereign assets, not Ukraine.[14]
- The EU holds approximately $220.5 billion in Russian frozen assets.[15]
- The EU has already made available $1.6 billion for Ukraine from immobilized Russian assets and disbursed $3.2 billion in loans in January 2025.
Ukraine did not misuse or lose half of the aid the United States has provided.
The majority of the funds the United States has allocated for Ukraine stays in the United States to fund domestic defense industrial base and replenish US stockpiles.[16]
US government agencies closely oversee the remaining US aid, which is directly issued to Ukraine. The US Department of Defense (DoD) Office of the Inspector General reported on January 11, 2024, that it had found no evidence of misappropriated aid.[17]
Ukraine repeatedly invited Putin to negotiate in early 2022.
Zelensky proposed to meet with Putin on February 19, 2022 — just five days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion.[18] Putin ignored this request and invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.[19]
Zelensky called for direct talks with Putin “in any format” in March 2022 and offered to compromise on Ukraine’s accession into NATO.[20] The Russians demanded the full surrender and demilitarization of Ukraine.[21]
Zelensky also expressed openness to discussing the status of occupied Ukrainian territories on the condition that the Ukrainian people would ratify any deal through a referendum.[22] Putin rejected that offer as well.
Saluting Ukrainian Veterans in Vancouver
As we were walking through Vancouver International Airport yesterday, a contingent of Ukrainian veterans passed by, heading home from the Invictus Games here in British Columbia.
Clumping along on artificial limbs, rolling in wheelchairs, heading home, though they probably already knew that Trump and Musk were readying to abandon Ukraine and throw them to the Russian invaders.
Their silent, strong, endurance made me stand tall and shout, “Слава Україні!,” or Glory to Ukraine. It’s the Ukrainian national salute, known as a symbol of Ukrainian sovereignty and resistance to foreign aggression. It is often accompanied by the response “Героям слава,” or To the Heroes — Glory!
It was a tiny gesture, but they looked at us and roared back “Героям слава.”
A tiny gesture, but I hope it had some hope in it. . . .
Never forget that Ukraine did not ask for this fight, for over 3 years it has always been a blatantly illegal Russian invasion. We cannot let the rising tide of right-wing totalitarianism rewrite history.
Anna’s Hummingird on a Chilly Burnaby Day
I was holding Sora the (indoor) Cat at the front door around lunch today so she could enjoy the sights, sounds, and scents of the forest, and we spotted this Anna’s Hummingbird. #Burnaby, BC.
Pileated Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Northern Flicker in south Burnaby, BC
I was pleased to see lots of cool birds on my Byrne Creek Ravine Park walk in SE Burnaby, BC, this morning.
I love Pileated Woodpeckers! They’re so flashy and are amazing woodworkers.
There were a couple of Steller’s Jays flitting about the same tree.
And some Northern Flickers zooming around the park
Letting Midori the Turtle Go
Damn, sad news today.
Midori the Turtle has been ailing. Getting very slow and not eating much. Took her to the vet the other day, and he prescribed an oral liquid painkiller twice a day.
Today we got the results of various tests.
She has severe arthritis in all of her joints, and is also likely losing kidney function. There’s likely no treatment that her aging body can handle at this point that will improve her mobility or handle all her pain.
She’s 30 years old, pretty good for a Slider. We’ve cared for her all those years from the time she was the size of a toonie. She’s always been an interactive turtle, loving to sit on laps.
Both of our cats, our late Choco and our current Sora, have been good buddies with ’Dori.
Yumi, Choco the Cat, and Midori, circa 2012

Sora the Cat cuddling with Midori recently. Please folks, do not get turtles for pets unless you can give them that 30-year committment.
We don’t want to let her go, but it would be selfish of us to prolong her suffering with more intervention.
It’s gonna be a tough week. . .
UPDATE: Jan. 14, 2025
Final family foto:
UPDATE 2:
Humans seize upon the smallest things for comfort. . . It was a beautiful ethereal pink sunset this evening, as if Midori was approaching the Rainbow Bridge and letting us know she’d be waiting for us some day. . .
How do you explain to Sora the Cat that her buddy Midori is not coming home? Sora checks the tank, checks the sleeping basket, and is clearly wondering where her pal is. . . And our distress adds to Sora’s confusion. . .
But we take comfort in knowing that for 30 years, we loved, and cared for, and supported Midori throughout her wonderful life.
Born in the southern States, shipped to Japan in the pet trade, chosen by us because she was the most active wee turtle in the bunch at a local home improvement store in western Tokyo. (Yes, no regulations back then. . . )
Did we know what we were getting into? No. But we fell in love, and Midori reciprocated that love by seeking our attention and wanting cuddles from the day we brought her home.
All the pet turtle books say don’t stress your turtle with changes of scene. Midori? Fah! I love to ride in the car and look out the window!
From Japan she moved to Canada with us, and travelled several times across the western provinces. She loved my late Mom’s and her husband’s acreage near Saskatoon where she’d go on long rambles.
She also enjoyed visiting a family apartment in Victoria with a solarium where she could hang out and soak up the rays. Everyone in our family was enchanted with her, as were all our friends.
We’ll be reminiscing a lot, and shedding tears, for many days.
We love you, Dori.