Post-dinner walk in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby, BC.
South Burnaby Bird Bonanza
We rambled around SE #Burnaby, BC, for about three hours this afternoon. Lots of birds in Byrne Creek Ravine Park, Taylor Park, and along the BC Parkway urban trail.
American Goldfinch munching on dandelions
House Finch?
Northern Flicker drumming on a lamp post near Taylor Park Elementary
Lots of hungry American Robbins!
Anna’s Hummingbird
Sunshine Sisters
Sunshine Sisters. Glad to see Sora the Cat learning to relax and hang with Midori. Our late Choco the Cat and Dori always got along, but it’s taken Sora longer to play nice. . .
We think things began to even out the other day when Dori finally did a patrol of the entire living room, asserting it was her space, too 
.
At 27 or so, Dori is slowing down a bit . . .
US Covid Deaths Near US Vietnam Deaths
So as the number of US deaths from Covid19 in less than a year approaches the entire US death toll in the Vietnam War over some 15 years, I wonder what monuments will be built in Washington DC some day to commeorate the blindness, stupidity, and bull-headedness of the current administration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial
Thrushes, Hummingbirds, and Tree Huggers in Burnaby
We took a morning ramble around SE #Burnaby. Did the Byrne Creek Ravine Park trail, had fun spotting salmon fry in the creek, and saw several thrushes and Anna’s Hummingbirds. Not much people hugging going on these days, so hugged a cherry tree in Taylor Park :-).
Old Manitoba Prairie Churches in Ruins
Old prairie Ukrainian churches in ruins. From my photo archives, Oct. 24, 2008.
If I recall, these are all north of Dauphin, Manitoba. I wonder how many of them and their bell towers are still standing 12 years later. I would love to do another road trip around the area some day. . .
From what I could see of the land, this was not a friendly area to farm. Lots of rock piles in the fields, perhaps the immigrants didn’t know what they were getting into back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Just a hundred miles further west in Saskatchewan the land was much better, from what I’ve seen.
I’m not a very religious person, but I admire these Slavic ancestors who put faith in faith. They pulled together in the harshest conditions and built churches, community halls, schools . . .
Some broke their backs and their hearts, but others prospered, and gave back to their communities.
These photos may seem sad, but I see strength and love in them. And memories eternal. . .
South Burnaby Blossoms
Blossoms in south #Burnaby shot on, and from, our balcony today:
Barred Owl on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC
We heard a Barred Owl on our pre-dinner Byrne Creek walk in south #Burnaby today. It sat for several minutes before swooping off.
Thankfully I was carrying a DSLR and quickly set the ISO to 3200 and even 6400 in the poor light. My pocket cam would have really struggled with this.
Doing the horror movie head turn 🙂
A Little Fear is Good
Some of my friends were having a discussion on FB about how the Covid situation was impacting them, and how some were becoming afraid to go out, even with physical distancing. Here’s my contribution, slightly edited since it’s now out of the context of the thread:
Fear is good. Fear is how we’ve survived as a species for millennia. Anyone who claims they are never afraid of anything is bullshitting.
Humans are terrible at judging risk, and hopefully that’s when a bit of fear steps in to get us to do the right thing, at least in the short term.
For humans are also really bad at remembering history, learning from the past, and staying the course long term.
To some degree I think we need to embrace fear, and let it guide us, but try not to let it overwhelm us.
We’ve all been seeing our lives disintegrating to various degrees for several months. We’ve all been dealing with jobs lost, contracts dwindling, friends and families distancing, plans derailed, reservations cancelled be they for music or theatre or travel, or simply going out with friends. . .
These are tough times. And things will continue to be tough for who knows how long?
So let’s not be hard on ourselves. Let’s admit our emotions. Let’s cry a little. Let’s acknowledge we’re having trouble sleeping and are having nightmares.
And then let’s check up on each other, and help each other along this road.
Virtual hugs to everyone!
Quit Buying Soulless Crap, Support Your Local Economy
I reflexively shared a post about boycotting goods from China on FB. Not due to Covid, but a pile of other reasons such as undercutting local manufacturing, terrible environmental damage, horrid working conditions, etc.
I deleted my share, because the post was overly inflammatory.
Yet, if the average Canadian had a clue about how much of what we buy is shoddily made in China under horrid conditions. . . . Sheesh.
I had a gig stocking at a retail outlet for awhile not too long ago. I would think way over half of the knickknacks came from China. Often as not, as we opened boxes upon boxes stacked on pallets, nauseous chemical smells would waft through receiving.
Anything made from plastic stank. Even supposed wood products stank of preservatives or perhaps fungicides or pesticides.
I shudder to think of the people in the factories producing this shit.
Each shift entailed filling multiple huge garbage bags with packing materials ranging from Styrofoam to plastic to bubble wrap. . . . All to be “recycled,” eh?
No more cheap baubles. They’re like sugar that may give you a short-term lift, but long-term soulless emptiness.
Let’s make better choices. Let’s buy local. Let’s buy handcrafted. Let’s buy art not kitsch. Let’s buy quality that lasts. Let’s not throw things away.