The Leopard is spotted!

No pun intended, but the elusive leopard has been closer than we had ever imagined. Surprisingly enough, it has taken a liking to our neighbour’s garbage bin – not quite an acacia tree, but looking comfy nonetheless.

How many escort vehicles does it take to transport a President?…

My short attention span wouldn’t allow me to count all of them. I kept getting sidetracked…mini-vans? Was that a pick-up truck with a camper on the back? And, why would they need a utility trailer?

No wonder they had to close so many streets and highways in and around Ottawa. I can’t imagine there could be any less traffic congestion during regular rush hour!

Little did I know that I may be on the verge of greatness with my trend-setting choice of vehicles - the black, stealth-like, incredibly intimidating mini-van. If President Obama ever makes a visit to the GTA, I’ll be ready for the call to duty. Now where do I pick up some of those cool red and blue flashing lights?!

(Video attributed to J. Stanton. Link to video on YouTube )

Nostalgia – back to nature in a tree house

I was reading a post on Environmental Graffiti and saw this very cool treehouse (concept hotel) created by a Swedish design company – Tham & Videgard Hansson.

Difficult to see? Intentional. It is camouflaged with the surrounding forest using mirrors on the exterior walls. Couldn’t you just imagine hanging out there as a kid. How to get up there is easy - a rope ladder or bridge. And, it is large enough (4m x 4m x 4m) for a bed, kitchenette, bath and living area. The demographic? My guess – the kid in all of us

(image from designboom)

Awareness…it’s the first step…

In order to put things into perspective, we often need to break it down into numbers that are easily understandable.  I was researching something online this evening and came across a thought-provoking video.

A woman by the name of Donella Meadows published a document in 1990 called State of the Village Report that looked at the world as it might be if the total global population had been reduced 1000.

According to Miniature Earth Project website, the video was produced based on her original text, with some updates using a global population of 100 persons and more recent data.  They have noted that the data should not be considered as “accurate”, but rather a ”tendency” as statistics can change frequently.  Either way, it’s a provocative look at our world.

Found this link on Vimeo, but you can also view it from the original Miniature Earth Project video link on their site.  Check it out…

Jour de la Marmotte

I’ve decided that Groundhog day should be a statutory holiday.  If spring is around the corner, wouldn’t it be great to have a day off to enjoy the last remnants of snow – skiing, snow shoeing, skating outdoors, or even do some spring cleaning?  If we have another 6 weeks of winter, then I might want the day off to plan a vacation to someplace sunny and warm!  And, if Super Bowl Sunday happens to land on the previous day, I could use the day to clear some cobwebs – a totally different kind of spring cleaning!

It really is crazy isn’t it?  We’ve put so much pressure on a creature that could care less about when spring will arrive.  In fact, it’s only reason for popping his head out of his warm and cozy den is to see if his basic and primal needs can be met…food and well, sex.  Yup, procreation is higher on his list than weather predictions.  It’s not surprising when his predictions are a little less than stellar. He has other things on his mind!

The poor little marmot (woodchuck, groundhog, whatever you want to call it) sees the light at the end of the tunnel and is bopping away, listening to Mick Jagger belt out “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” on his iPod.  He pops his head out and lo and behold…he is greeted by the stares of thousands of people, all with anxious looks on their faces, their blood vessels ready to pop as they hold their breath a few seconds longer!  What?  Not again!!  Crazy voyeuristic humans!!  Give a guy a break and…a little privacy, if you don’t mind!

And then I think…did these people really take the day off to be in Wiarton or Punxsutawney to watch ‘it’ all unfold.  Could they possibly be taking a sick day, maybe a mental health day? Or, are they just out-right playing hooky?

It’s time to make it a real national holiday, but we’ll toss the English name and in honour of 'Groundhog Love' (different than 'Muskrat Love'), we'll give it the much more romantic-sounding :

Jour de la Marmotte!

Ou-la-la.  It’s sounds so…je ne sais quois…maybe French!?  Love is in the air…and it smells like spring-time, or maybe winter.  It could be spring-time, no winter…   Whatever…I’m off to do some spring cleaning because there are way too many cobwebs today.

À bientôt

It makes a better door than a windrow!

As I hauled the recycling bins and garbage to the street this morning, I was faced with a thigh-high mountain of snow at the end of the walkway that I had to traverse to get to the curb.  We were hit with a snowstorm yesterday that brought with it several inches of the white stuff. 

The sight of me in my pajamas, running shoes, no socks, and down-filled jacket; readying myself for a scissor-kick reminiscent of my not-so-athletic high-jumping days in school; with a recycling bin under each arm, would have been a shot worth capturing.  Mark has since questioned why I didn’t wait just a few more minutes as he revved up the snow-blower, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun now, would it?!

I love a good snowfall.  It’s almost like nature’s way of sweeping dirt under the mat.  Everything seems so crisp and clean (although, you know what’s lurking underneath!). 

And I particularly like a snowfall when I don’t have to travel anywhere…but that is likely the best time to leave your home.  Why you might ask?  Because, at least you can get out of your driveway.  If you wait until the snowplow finally make it to these ‘secondary’ streets (‘secondary’ is quite optimistic!), the windrow left at the end of the driveway is so high that even a ‘get out of jail free’ card is not going to help your cause.

And for all of you who live on sweeping bends on residential streets, I feel for you this morning.  The snowplow driver has delivered an extra special treat.  Your door to the outside world has been closed by the biggest windrow of all! 

(Note:  A windrow is often used to describe a pile of any material that is heaped up by wind.  According to dictionary.com, the term can also apply to a long row of cut hay or grain left to dry in a field before bundling.  And, Wikipedia explains that a windrow is  “…created by snow plows as they plow streets. The windrow may block driveways.”   Yes, they do!! )

Happy shoveling…stay safe and warm!

Familiar inspiration

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.  ~A. Redmoon

So, where do we find inspiration?  What, or who, pushes us to take the next step?  How courageous can you be?

I get a great thrill from seeing others experience something new, especially things that take courage – a step forward with trepidation. 

When my mother boarded a seaplane with me (despite her fear of flying) to see the most beautiful parts of the Alaskan coastline, it was her slightly nervous smile and yet obvious excitement as she grabbed the camera out of my hand to take aerial photos of the rugged landscape below, that made me realize that some experiences are more important than fear…and I found it inspiring.

At the age of 70, my dad embarked on a day of kayaking with Mark in the cold glacial waters of the Pacific Ocean to get up close and personal with sea life and beautiful glaciers.  It was the recounting of his experience that made me realize that the courage to try something new often results in memories that last a lifetime…and I find it inspiring.

So, it was with great anticipation that I opened an email this past week from my mother-in-law (my second mom, Marion).  She had recently returned from a cruise in the Caribbean, including the Panama Canal and we had heard the excitement in her voice a couple of days earlier as she recounted some of her ‘new’ experiences. 

But, it was the photo attachments in her email that really made us smile.  It truly gives more meaning to the phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and suggests that we are never too young or too old to try something new.

What do you think?  86 years old and swimming with dolphins – pretty darn cool…

 

When someone says, I’m too old to start a new chapter, to take on a new challenge, or to try something new, I think both my parents and Mark’s mom would be very quick to say…”why not try?”  Yes…we…can!  The result may be more rewarding than any feeling of fear one might have had.

Yes…we…can…

First, let me say, this is not a political blog (and the thoughts and views are just my own opinion), but we find inspiration and courage from many avenues. 

Unless someone was living in some incredibly remote part of the world,  you would be hard-pressed not to know that President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony occurred this past Tuesday .  (video link below)

Many of the political pundits were dissecting the text, looking for that one phrase that they could pull out and pronounce as ‘the’ one phrase that would be remembered for years to come – something to motivate the masses.  Even those who were not old enough to remember the inauguration ceremonies of former Presidents Kennedy or Roosevelt, will often recognize phrases taken from their inaugural addresses .

- Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

- Roosevelt’s “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

But, what many of these analysts neglected to notice is that the masses had already been motivated.  The words had already been said well before this day began.  All one had to do was look at the crowds – rumoured to be between one and two million people along The Mall in Washington.  And in that crowd, there was hope.  Without hope, there would be no change.  How apropos that the inauguration ceremony of the first African-American President of the United States came on the day following Martin Luther King Jr. Day – he ‘had a dream’, a hope for change.

As Democratic leader, Barack Obama’s campaign focused on change.  His election to the role of President came from hope.  His time in office will need to galvanize his role as a good leader, and his success will depend on America’s courage.

His inaugural address may not be riddled with ‘motivational’ phrases to be found in books of quotations in years to come, but it is the ‘moment’ that will be remembered.  It was the day millions of Americans (on the Mall or watching it live on TV or through the web) were invited to have the courage to effect change, knowing that they are not alone in their journey.

In our own lives we often hold back from taking risks, trying something new, effecting change.  Why?  It is usually out of fear.  Status quo is easier – more comfortable.  Do we lack courage?  Do we worry about being ridiculed for unpopular or even unexpected choices? 

The following is attributed to Peter McWilliams:

Come to the edge,' he said.
They said, 'We are afraid.'
'Come to the edge,' he said.
They came.
He pushed them...
And they flew.

So, what is it that inspires us to take the next step, get out of that comfort zone?  What, or who, is going to push us – to inspire us?

(The following is a YouTube video link from CSPAN coverage (full inaugural address including oath of office – his speech begins approx. 2min 35sec into the video)).

Memories in photos

We've uploaded quite a few photos and if you're interested in viewing them you have a couple of options:

1. For all photos, go to the RutsUp shutterfly site :
RutsUp Shutterfly site
http://rutsup.shutterfly.com

password: africa
(note: password is case sensitive)

2. Or, here are two links through Shutterfly's site. Click on either link and then page down to click on 'view album'. From there you can choose 'detail' view and look at each photo individually by using the arrows on the right side of the screen, or play slideshow.

Kilimanjaro
Safari

If you have any problems, just email me and we'll get it worked out.
There are so many more photos, but we've tried to narrow it down a bit

A frickin' elephant!!

This was just sent to me and it made me chuckle, so I had to post it here. I took a quick look online and found variations of the same story, so I can't reference the originator of the story (the photo is mine)...but thanks to "D" for making me smile.

------
From the diary of a Kindergarten Teacher;

My five-year old students are learning to read.
Yesterday one of them pointed at a picture in a zoo book and said,
"Look at this! It's a frickin' elephant!"

I took a deep breath, then asked..."What did you call it?"
"It's a frickin' elephant! It says so on the picture!"


"A f r i c a n Elephant"