A little bit country...

...a little bit wild.

And that's how I like our yard to look.

Sure, the grass, complete with clover and buttercups, gets mowed now and then, but there are spots where I like nature to do the landscaping.

This wild rose has been here since the last century (the 20th is the one I mean, but who knows), as have the daisies, which have now inched their way into what passes for lawn.

Today was particularly dark and rainy, so I took refuge in a nap, and also in the pages of a book, where I was lucky enough to find what feels like a timely reminder. It's from a collection of writings gathered by Graeme Gibson, and from an author named Aldo Leopold who, in turn, cites yet another famed writer, Thoreau: "In wildness is the salvation of the world."

We can use some wildness, not the riot-in-the-streets kind, but the wild of wilderness, from which we all come.

Snow in May?

While those may look a bit like flakes of snow, that's not what they are -- and am I ever glad! Parts of Ontario and even places in BC are still getting the occasional dusting, but fortunately, not us.

It's a chunk of lichen, knocked down from the roof -- the result of one of those nearly-annual jobs of ongoing maintenance that go along with being lucky enough to have a home. Plenty of moss came down too, as well as an awful lot of spruce needles.

When I started to look up information about lichen, I had no idea what I'd be getting myself into. It turns out that are so many different kinds, and that they serve so many different purposes, well, it was a lesson that could have led me to needing to go to grad school for a PhD.

But I guess that's one of the things I love most about being able to explore the internet -- and like everyone else, that's about the most exploring any of us get to do these days.

Once upon a time, it was called armchair travel, only as I poke around for a definition of that term, I find that armchair travelling looks more popular than ever. If nothing else, the price is right, and no passport or currency exchange required.

The things that happen when a person decides to do a bit of home maintenance. Like Dr Seuss said, "Oh, the places you'll go!" 

Rainy day weekend

And on what's supposed to be a long weekend.

The Victoria Day weekend is supposed to mark the beginning of summer. It's the time people put plants into the ground, or bring their indoor ones outside. It's often observed by having the first barbecue or picnic or trip out of town.

It's also always been the weekend for the Cloverdale Rodeo, though this year, along with just about everything else that might draw a crowd, it's been cancelled. It's not something we always go to, though last year, with out-of-town guests visiting, we took in one day of the fair.

Because yesterday was dark and gloomy and rainy all day, I figured it was a good time to start a jigsaw puzzle. I'm lucky enough to have a few on the shelf, as they're another of those everyday items whose price has skyrocketed owing to the demand from bored stay-at-homers.

The photo on top shows how far I managed to get on the first day of puzzling. Not even all of the edge pieces in place, as several of those were well disguised (at least to my eye).

Today after breakfast, I dove back in, trying to put the rest of those cheesy pieces in place.

Not too surprisingly, the Swiss cheese section was the hardest. Even looking at the picture on the box didn't seem to help.

Slowly, trial-by-error, taking a piece and trying, trying, trying it -- that was my method, hardly very scientific, I am sure.

But as I fiddled, my mind wandered, and I thought there are probably quite a few things in life that we manage by exactly the same method. We try something, if it works out, great. When it doesn't, we try to get over it and move on, and try another way of addressing the problem.

And then, just as I was in the home stretch on the cheese, to my surprise and delight, the sun burst forth.

I don't really think that had a lot to do with my finishing the puzzle, though the coincidence felt fun.

And who knows, maybe next time there's a rainy long weekend, I'll have to see if making a puzzle works the same weather miracle.

What's next?

The other day someone asked, "What's the first thing you want to do once this whole social distancing thing is over?"

After thinking for a bit (quite a few things came to mind), I decided that one of the first things I want to do is probably give a hug to our letter carrier.

She's continued to faithfully bring bills, pleas from charities I've never heard of, magazines (which do generally manage to brighten my day), and even the occasional (way too occasional) cheque.

She's also brought a small semblance of normalcy to life. There she is, nearly every day, stuffing something or other into the letterbox. Even when it's just another real estate flyer or pizza promo, it feels like a little bit of contact with the 'outside' world.

The most amazing items to have arrived during these weeks of isolation have been the personal ones. An Easter card, a wonderful letter from an 'auld acquaintance' and even a thank you note.

Days when there's nothing there, I admit to a stab of disappointment, as if I've been forgotten. One result of these days is that they've made me a little bit better at sending out cards and notes of my own. Even though sending notes through the post is slower than the instantaneous e-connections we've grown accustomed to, our communication doesn't always have to be via email, or worse (in my mind at least), by way of Facebook.

And hmm. I seem to have a pile of postcards I've collected over the years. What, exactly, I'm saving them for, I'm no longer sure.

I think it's time that I start sending some of them around -- if for no other reason than to maybe give a postal employee along the line a small reason to smile.

Five and five

Today, Cinco de Mayo, or 05/05, seemed like the right day to get my toes (all five and five of 'em) out from their wool socks and duck shoes. Starting today, and probably to October, it's likely I'll be wearing sandals. At least that's the plan.

Because today also happens to be Taco Tuesday, there are quite a few Mexican recipes floating around the internet. And since we just happen to have some homemade tortillas (yep, we're doing all sorts of crazy things in the kitchen these days), soft tacos will probably be part of tonight's menu.

One of my friends has a tradition of hosting a party to celebrate this day, but this year, along with the rest of us, she's staying home on her own.

But that doesn't mean the rest of us can't find a way to celebrate -- and it doesn't have to be as goofy a way of celebrating as getting your toes out into the sunshine.