You should put these on your blog for K and J. These are really good photos. V

The ice has been thinning with rain and +1C today. So when I am told to do something, the wise old bird did as he was told!

Today we were north of Carden in a forest growing on alvar-like terrain. I did not want to get in the way of 2 busy and efficient scientists so I took some photos through the looking glass. At times, it was snowing, the white streaks.

Please enjoy responsibly.

These were the most common. However, for about 5 minutes out of 5 hours, this little fellow appeared:

The following is not a bird, does not even fly, although its relatives do - maybe a theme for the summer?

There is now, I see, a distinct reddish theme to make up for my lost red curls of youth:

And the people who made it possible: the Trillium inspectors!

Thank you  -  Wise ol' Bird

Relatives

I was told that I ought to post the following encounter of the 3rd kind.

It isn't too clear so here is another edit_

Even a wise old bird needs to be lucky!

All literally as in Leacock, next door.

Wise ol' Bird

Water skiing in January?

Well, its like this - it snows when it is cold and rains when it is warm. This repeats every 5 to 15 days with a temperature change of 15 degrees in 24 hours. So that means that from time to time one can water ski in winter.

So today I started out like this:

My skis,

However, this is what I saw yesterday -

This is white-water skiing!

The judging - yes, of course this is competitive - have their "stand" -

Looks like  it "otter" if I may speculate.

Some contestants flew in for the event:

Raise the draw bridge, please.

Why? Because we ski behind really big boats - after the snow has been removed -

Here is how I appeared after the competition was over:

Just a little shaken - shivering to get warm?

Wise old Bird, maybe?

Winter sunset

After watching the Trumpeters yesterday, I went down to Kitchener Park where I kind of felt the mood from The Kinks:

This song bottles up a fleeting moment of heavenly detachment from reality and suffering. Ray Davies, after jumping off a 12 ft wall at age 6 "trying to fly" was seriously injured and spent quite a long time in a Waterloo hospital where he purportedly had a near-death experience following a botched tracheotomy. His sister bought him a guitar at age 13, then she dies of a heart defect. Young Davies in his hospital room, likely spent many many hours gazing out of his window, which overlooked Waterloo and the river, a rather beautiful spot with many people ("swarming like flies"). When he wrote the song at age 23, I'm sure he drew from those moments when he felt relief from his suffering upon viewing a sunset, and from the times he felt isolated and disconnected from the world buzzing by his window.

Waterloo Sunset

I hope you are watching the following with the audio track.

May 1967 and I am not sure when I heard it.


Wob

Minding Ks, Ps, Rs and Ts

Our old friend, R08, was there to greet us this afternoon:

Vicki does not spot trains, rather ---

There may have been others that did not turn their IDs toward me. So that is it for R08, K75, K96, R89, T12 and P36.

wob

The real question: why did I need advice?

Well, I forgot how to make chili, and I had "signed up" to bring something for the condo pot-luck supper on New Year's Eve, Silvester, "Dinner for One" I am sure you all know it by now, standard staple for December 31 - but it requires chili prepared the day before, i.e., one has to read the ingredients list and do the shopping beforehand, i.e., again, be prepared. Years of baking comets has prepared me for the multi-tasking approach to cooking - like shopping first, preparing second, watching the pot not boil so I can take some photos, and tasting it as I go along.

Some ingredients from Karen's Texas Jailhouse/serves 4 version:

500 gm beef ( in 2-cm cubes)                                               1 teaspoon sugar don't recall this

167 gm minced pork                                                         1 teaspoon salt

167 gm Chorizo sausage cut in slices                                       1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/3 medium or 1 large onion, chopped                                     2 teaspoons oregano

1 clove garlic, chopped                                                    1 tablespoon chili powder

2 Chili peppers                                                            1 tablespoon chopped parsley

83 gm tomato paste - omitted                                                     1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce                                                         

167 gm canned tomatoes, diced      with herbs                                         1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon Kreuzkümmel     forgot                                               50 gm bitter chocolate used 3 pc
½ teaspoon ground estragon  forgot                                             1 can dark beer used about 1/3



Brown beef in fat. Remove from pan and set aside

Brown pork and onion in the same pan.

Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, parsley and mix.

Add beer

Add rest of ingredients, mix and simmer for about 2 hours

Best cooked the day before

Serve with garlic bread

###################################

However, I did not follow this too closely as noted after the deed.I am eating the sausage in the coming days and the 2kg leftovers, currently frozen will be "wrapped" up for a super bowl or SBLIV or similar in the coming days/weeks/years as the hunger dictates. So some evidence of action:

The chocolate is missing.
Some evidence of meat:

and onions - no tears - I wonder why?
And the proverbial watched pot:

slowly getting there

The other contributors left the lids on their creations -

I wonder why? I served mine on wraps coated with peanut butter. I added sour cream and grated old cheddar cheese and served with a pilsner Urquelle.
 Some people used the white bowls - but spread the peanut butter on white bread! It was one of the more enjoyable party gatherings. I hope it will be repeated and that I will be able to attend.

Wise Old Phoenix rising from the hot stuff