Photo-Finish Friday -- Old Havana

 A scene from our hotel balcony in Old Havana.

I'm putting it up early because I've been lax about posting this week and thought I should get something going lest you fear I've deserted you.

Gratitude Monday-- Reflecting

Gratitude is reflected back to you, no matter how dark you feel.

Photo Finish Friday --Relax and Imagine

Prairie Creek where it meets the North Saskatchewan River

Take a moment, relax, and imagine where the bend may take you.

Too Close For Comfort

Checking out the compost. I took this photo through the screen door.

A small black bear wandered into my back yard yesterday afternoon. I was outside with my back to the steps on the deck reading the paper when something black walked through a corner of my vision. I thought it was a very large dog and was about to order it out of the yard when I realized what it really was.
I live in town, but near the edge. Moose have wandered by, deer have been in the yard, skunks even, but this was the first bear. I hope it is also the last.

I got braver and stepped on the deck for this photo.  It's trying to find a way out of my yard.

Stymied by the fence.

It checked out my garden, then climbed the side fence to the neighbour's yard and went up a tree for a while. Eventually it got down and went to a yard across the alley.
I regret that this story does not have a happy ending. Bears have been removed from town, but always came back. For safety reasons relocation was not an option.
I am sorry.

Feeding Time

Feeding time.

This is a Lincoln's Sparrow, as near as I could figure it.  The nest was in our front yard in the tree next to this one and the offspring kept mom-or dad--busy bringing food.

I haven't seen it around for several days. After I took this picture I tried to find the nest and junior came flying out.

I think it flew the coop recently and that makes the parents free to go about their important bird business.

It's getting on that time of year when the birds who are only here for the summer pack their beaks for the trip south.  I'm sorry to see them go as the yard gets pretty quiet once they leave. 

We've had a few pine siskins around, and we have our faithful goldfinches, but I think this is the first year Lincoln's Sparrows have blessed us.

I hope they nest here often.

Twofer Tuesday -- What a Character

Another week and my WIP is starting to fall into place. I've made some progress although I've got a second character, a woman, who is tough to get to know. I wrote a 1400+ word back story on her the other day. I thought I had something to go on until this morning when she told me she was a liar. And borderline psychotic. Oh, goody. Of course, she might be lying about that last bit.

Here's a bit from Dead Broke:

"Samantha used to tell me she was fine. It took me a long time to get that it really wasn't fine, it hadn't been fine for a long time, and if I didn't pull up my socks it might not ever be fine again."
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I finally got around to giving The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger, Little, Brown and Company, copyright 1945) a second go.
I read it in school, Gr. 8 I think, and didn't care for it. I suspected I may  have been too young to truly get it them so I decided recently to try it again. After all I read The Great Gatsby and To Kill A Mockingbird in school and didn't like them.  They are faves now with TKAM my favourite book ever  'sides the dictionary.
I am confident I now get The Catcher in the Rye.  It's a fine book, a classic, and deservedly so. But to tell the brutal truth, I still don't like it.

The writing style didn't appeal to me, and frankly, Holden Caulfield is kind of annoying. There I said it. He's a great character, Salinger did a wonderful job with him, but he doesn't do it for me.
I'm glad I read it again. I can articulate my feelings on it from a fresh view instead of  vague memories floating around from the 1970s. And I'm glad I don't feel obligated to to like something just because it's good.

Here are two from it:
"She was about as kindhearted as a goddam wolf. You take somebody that cries their goddam eyes out over phony stuff in movies, and nine times out of ten they're mean bastards at heart."
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Twofer Tuesday is brought to us courtesy The Women of Mystery.

Gratitude Monday - As Above, So Below

As above, so below.

I live so close to this it makes a comfortable day trip.
The world falls away as I drive to the mountains. The scales fall from my eyes the deep  in to them I go.
The scales, the baggage, the covers and trappings of ordinary daily life build back up as the days progress, but when I need to, I can go here and be restored.
Where do you go?