~Sharon

David Attenborough – Wonderful World – BBC

via [Video] David Attenborough – Wonderful World – BBC.

Below a view of the winding two lane Trans Canada highway which always has a lot of transport truck traffic passing through. This is a highway where one needs to be alert at all times.  The Ontario highways department keeps this road really well in the winter, plowing quickly in addition to sanding and salting the roads when they are icy.

Below – The Trans Canada highway cuts through the Canadian Shield bedrock in N.W. Ontario.

Enjoy!

Sharon

Meet my friend June.  I came to know June via the internet when she first contacted me to comment on some photos in this website.  Over the past year and a half we have communicated via email and I was so impressed with June’s determination and spunk  I asked if I could do a blog about her.  A year ago June would have likely said “No”, as she was just learning about the world wide web but today she is comfortable in posting her artwork to her space on the How to Draw and Paint website.  I had asked her permission to use a few of her “paintings” for my photo art cards and she graciously said “Yes” as any proceeds would be in  support of assisting the animal rescue and care that I take part in.

This is what June recently wrote to me:

“Feel free to write what will fit your column — It may get more seniors motivated into going and taking courses in their own interests — it was my grandchildren that got me into pencil art — I had never drawn anything before – I had only painted ceramics – what I am doing now is a totally different path and I am having a ball — I owe it all to the grandchildren and then the friends kicked in and asked if I would send copies for their grandchildren to colour when they visited them – I went from a very bad farm scene to the eagle – and beyond.  So – none of my progression was my doing — I have been given a boost every step of the way and If I could influence one senior to get moving with their hidden talent – I would feel like I have given something back – go for it – feel free to print the story behind it the start – “

So, what keeps June, this attractive senior in her mid 70′s so busy? Let’s start with her grandchildren whom she obviously adores and credits with encouraging her in all she does.  She was playing trombone in 5 groups, toured San Miguel Island in the Azores with a band for 17 days playing her trombone and describes this as her trip of a lifetime.  June had a heart attack in 2006 and got the go ahead to resume her active life at which time she joined the Stratford band.  As June says “no moss under her shoes”. In the summer months June also participates in an art group that has ‘Art on the Lawn’ in her community.

June also belongs to a small classical orchestra that she played in as a teenager and reports there are a few people still there from that time — It started at the end of the war  and is still going — small but alot of fun according to June.  It is called the Promenade Orchestra and  the four ladies are of  June’s age group and were together in Ontario’s first all girls band known as London All Girls Band which formed in 1949.

In between her painting, trombone playing and grandchildren June found time last summer to sew 50 dog coats for a dog show in her area.  Now, in addition to everything else she has on her daily agenda,  June has gone back to high school to finish her unfinished business from years ago and dropped 2 bands to attend to her new studies.  In June’s era,  girls were not always encouraged to complete and/or continue their education.  She is almost done with her courses and I hope I will be able to post a graduation photo of this amazing woman, Gramma June.  Here’s to you my friend!

Below:  Samples of June’s acrylic paintings which are available as beautiful photo art cards through the Chickadee Photo Art Store.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Now on to the Sanderlings . . . These pretty little shorebirds reside in the Arctic regions but I happened upon them on the shores of Lake Manitoba during their migration period.  They scooted in and out of the waves along the shore and searched the sand for food.  I hope you enjoy these photos of our migrant visitors.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Below:  Harvest time showing the threshing machine throwing straw up onto the mound.  Note the metal wheels on tractor and wagon and the very thin rubber tires on the truck to the left.  Our best guess is 1930′s. The large barrels would have been filled with gasoline and the horses to the right would bring the crops loaded on wagons to the threshing machine set-up. Not all farmers owned the machinery so neighbours would help neighbours in getting the crops off. These crops would have been truly Organic – no pesticides or fertilizers during this era.

Below: My father & aunt cutting wood and my grandfather splitting wood at the family homestead in Silver, Manitoba. No wood would mean no heat or cooked food.  Harvesting cordwood was a very important part of homestead life.  Everything was prepared in wood stoves during this time.

Below:  Lockport, Manitoba.  Note that even during this time there were fishermen in the fast waters just like there are now in the summertime.  This photo is from the late 1940′s or early 50′s.

Below:  Photos of Winnipeg’s  75th Birthday celebrations.  The parade of Aboriginal horsemen in full dress at Portage and Main. The second photo shows a mortgage rate sign at 4.5% which I thought was rather interesting as well. These celebrations would have taken place June 5 – 11 in 1949 according to Winnipeg historical records.

Enjoy!

Sharon

 

Winnipeg’s “Cat Doc” – Dr. James Broughton       

With our typically cold Winnipeg winter fast approaching I’ll refer you back to my website blog entitled  “Just Think About It” (archives Oct 4, 2009) and follow with this  heart warming story about “Winnipeg’s Cat Doc” better known as Dr. James Broughton of Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital in Winnipeg.  As the name suggests, his full service hospital is dedicated to feline care.

 It started with a mass email campaign a year ago looking for homes for a litter of four feral kittens. A woman named Sherrie replied to my friend saying she would be willing to take a kitten and provide a good home.  I had never met Sherrie  (and still have not) but she assured us she was indeed a responsible pet owner – perfect!  Sherrie adopted one of the kittens – it had adjusted to the new home with Sherrie and family and they adored their little kitten named Jassi.  A few weeks later Sherrie emailed again with a kitten update and also said that her brother was a Winnipeg veterinarian who had offered to spay the Feral Queen if I could trap her – a truly generous offer from a vet whom I had never met and in all my years dealing with ferals, the very first offer of its kind.  It was too cold (winter) at this point to try and trap the mother and when spring rolled around it was obvious she was going to have another litter – not good news as now I could not attempt to trap her plus would have another  litter of feral kittens to deal with.  During this time one of my own house cats took ill so I ventured down to Exclusively Cats on Corydon to meet Dr. Broughton in person.  The diagnosis – diabetes, but could be nicely managed.  In subsequent visits with my own diabetic cat, who is doing extremely well and discussions about ferals, I came to know Dr. Broughton as a vet who was willing to go above and beyond to assist me with the feral issue in my neighbourhood – a true credit to his profession and for once in my experiences, a vet who willingly put “business” aside and stepped up to provide a service.  Dr. Broughton’s 25+ years of veterinary practice and his specialization in feline care is obvious, he is very knowledgeable about ferals and their unique behaviours, and struck me has having a genuine concern for them as well.  As he put it, “they didn’t ask to be put in those circumstances” – so true.  Feral cats are a product of human neglect and irresponsible pet ownership. He felt that helping me in this case was the “right thing to do”.

In late May 2010 the expected spring litter of four feral kittens arrived and Dr. Broughton offered to take them in when they were weaned and would help find homes for them through his clinic.  I had only been expecting his initial offer of assistance with spaying the mother cat and was overwhelmed by this second act of kindness.  I trapped the kittens and took them in to Exclusively Cats hissing and spitting all the way.  Dr. Broughton examined them, gave them shots, treated some minor eye infection and de-wormed them all.  Dr. Broughton and his family even adopted one of the kittens from this litter.  An assistant at the clinic provided homes for two and another client of his took the fourth. I had been trying a long time to trap the feral queen – she is a cagey one and was very wary of anything unusual in her territory.  After many hours and  attempts to trap her I was finally successful and rushed her down to the clinic one evening after clinic hours as Dr. Broughton graciously put himself “on call” for this special case.  He not only sterilized and vaccinated her but kept her in the clinic until she could safely be released without injury.   Mission accomplished !  

Below:  May 2010 litter in their nest just a few days old & the Feral mother drinking at the bird bath in my garden

Up until this point I had been trapping, finding homes for feral kittens in the neighbourhood and having them altered (at my own expense) in an effort to control the local feral population.   Now, with the feral queen sterilized courtesy of Dr. Broughton, and with the remaining three ferals in this territory already altered, the population is stable in my immediate area.  The service Dr. Broughton has provided was above and beyond my expectations.  The feral queen remains  healthy  and  no longer will be responsible for reproducing unwanted kittens.   The courteous and caring staff (Denise & Debbie) at the Exclusively Cats Clinic were so supportive, especially with the little feral kittens that they lovingly cuddled and carried when socializing them. They also exercised great patience and care with the very “wild” momma cat – a very challenging clinic patient indeed.

Below:  Feral litter nursing – they are about 5 weeks old here

It is such a relief this fall not to have new feral kittens in my neighbourhood, to know the mother cat is safe and looked after and best of all to realize there is a vet, Dr. James Broughton of Exclusively Cats Veterinary Hospital, who took it upon himself and came forth to help in such a significant way.  Kudos and heartfelt thanks to you Dr. Broughton!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if other local vets stepped up in this manner every now and then?  What a difference it could make in helping control the feral cat population in a city that does not have an established feral cat program.    The Winnipeg Humane Society receives funds from the City for “kennelling” of trapped cats be they feral or domestic and in the case of the ferals the outcome is usually a death sentence because they have no “owner”, would not be identified with tattoos, and in the case of an older kitten or cat difficult to handle as they have not had any opportunity to be socialized.  I often wonder why, instead of subsidizing costs for euthanizing thousands of cats at the Humane Society, the City could not find a way to direct some funds elsewhere and reimburse veterinary clinics for sterilizing true ferals as an alternate and humane method of feral population control.  Trap Neuter & Release (TNR) is a sound solution.   Winnipeg Vets – “Just Think About it”

~Sharon

I almost passed this lovely bird by as it was swimming among Canada Geese at Hecla Island.  It was the little tuft of feather sticking up on its head that made me turn around and take a second look.  I have never seen this type of goose before – but they could be easily by-passed as my reference book indicates they can be found amongst the Canada Geese  as singles or small numbers.  They are about the same size as Canada Geese but their bill has a pinkish tone and their plumage quite different than Canadas.

Below – Greater White Fronted Goose swimming with Canada Geese.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Above:  Turtle Petroform, Cloth Offerings, Tobacco Offerings  (see Petroforms Gallery for full size images and more photos)

I recently had the opportunity to meet and spend a day at the Petroform site with Ron Bell who is recognized as a cultural teacher with an in depth knowledge of the Petroforms and teachings that have been given to him. These teachings include medicine from the various plants that naturally inhabit the area and much more than the rock formations themselves. There is much information that he is able to share and one definitely needs some interpretation of the site to benefit from the visit if your intentions are to gain some knowledge of the teachings, history and meanings of the formations. Had I visited on my own, without a knowledgeable guide,  I basically would have been looking at interesting rock formations and nothing more.  It was a fascinating day in the Whiteshell forest. Ron has given permission to post information to contact  him (buffaloman1@hotmail.com) if you are interested in obtaining more in-depth interpretation as a group or individual.  More contact information can be found in the “Main Menu” section on the right hand side of this page. There is also a new gallery (bottom right) with photos from the  Bannock Point Petroform site which is unique both historically and culturally to Manitoba.

Petroforms are shapes and patterns of large rocks and boulders which cover large open areas of ground.  One of these sites can be found at the easily accessible Bannock Point in the Whiteshell Provincial Park (Manitoba). The Bannock Point Petroform figures are laid out in the shape of  turtles, snakes, humans and other abstract figures.  This site, considered sacred by many,  is still  used by First Nations peoples, elders and others for ceremonies, to share knowledge, pass on stories and as a place for elders to gather.  Sweat Lodges, Vision Quests, prayers and offerings  take place here.  When visiting, offerings of cloth, tobacco or sweet grass should be considered.  Likewise, if you find cloth or tobacco placed on stones or hung in trees do not disturb them. It is the belief of the Anishinabe and other First Nations people that the Petroforms were left long ago for the benefit of ALL people that might visit the site to receive their teachings and healing. One story suggests that this area is where the first human was lowered to earth.

The Bannock Point site contains all the shapes and patterns that are known as Petroforms suggesting that many of the shapes originated here in the central part of the continent and fanned out to other areas where Petroforms are found.

These ancient sites are protected by law to preserve them intact for generations to come. Many questions remain unanswered about the fascinating rock shapes laid out on the open large and flat surfaces of  Canadian Shield granite bedrock ridges found at Bannock Point.  Whiteshell has some of the oldest pink coloured granite found on earth. Boulders left behind on the ridges from the last ice age gave humans the opportunity to arrange them into patterns.  It looks that some of the boulders may have been carved or chipped to give them the appearance of a shape such as a turtle head.

If you do visit the Petroforms site on your own and find a ceremony taking place it is suggested that you respect the privacy of the ceremony and consider returning another day.  These ceremonies should be considered religious in nature as are others that take place in any church or synagogue.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Enjoy!

~Sharon

The site is still functional and there is still plenty to browse from previous posts  – perhaps you have not seen them yet.

Thanks for your patience during this time.

~Sharon