Surprise Waterfall

The weather in Nova Scotia is volatile at the best of times. Because we stick out into the ocean, have a run of mountains in the northwest and the northeast, we are affected by a number of systems. First, there's the Arctic cold that comes down in the winter. It is usually tempered by the Gulf Stream, though not always, and January and February can be drastically cold for a maritime province. The Gulf stream and its warmth is affected by the ocean and so we get a lot of precipitation and fog. In the fall, we get the tail end of hurricanes that come up the Eastern Seaboard of the US, sometimes we even get an actual hurricane (like Hurricane Juan about 5 years ago). The summers are generally nice, but frustrating when we get a wet one. People at work wait to find out when I've booked time off and don't take the same weeks as that's when we get the down pours.

There's a saying in Nova Scotia: If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it'll change. On Saturday night we had a thunder and lightening storm the likes of which we don't usually see until August. On Sunday, the northern part of the province, connected physically to the rest of the country, and New Brunswick received almost a foot of snow. On Monday, we experienced snow, snow-showers, sunshine, rain, and snow pellets. Every time I looked out the window there was something different going on. The only way to know if spring is actually coming is by the plant and insect life.

So, Lanette, in answer to your question on my last post, yes, spring is here, judging by the buds, crocus, and the few bugs I've seen. However, even if we do get warmer weather, and an abundance of gnats and black flies, they are often killed off with a "killing frost" in mid May. Their populations rebound of course, as that's how Mother Nature works.

I have been trying to convince my dad to so a little hiking with me and the Wookie. He was ready until he discovered that sneakers aren't appropriate for where I go. I showed him how to use Google maps to see the different hiking trails and access roads I use and with the promise of taking him to Jack's Lake when it's dry and he can do it in sneakers, he has agreed. That's a few more months away. To inspire what he can see on the hikes I snapped a couple of pictures of Marsh Lake yesterday. Sandy Lake is to the south and empties into Marsh Lake which in turn feeds into the Sackville River.




I was standing on what I'll loosely term a road taking those shots. Runoff from the big hill I'd hiked is going down the road and emptying eventually into Marsh Lake. In the summer time it's bone dry on the road with sometimes a tiny trickle on the side.

While standing there, the wind picked up, the clouds moved in, and the snow started again. I couldn't continue on that road in those conditions so I ducked into the woods on the left. Those woods are chock full of cross country running trails and extreme mountain biking trails. If you just duck into the shelter of the trees along the edge you can wait out any weather, secure from the winds and dry from the snow and rain. I was stunned when I ran into the trees. I could hear water pouring from somewhere and it wasn't the stream on the road I heard. Fearing a possible flash flood (not bloody likely), I whipped around towards the source of the sound and discovered:


How cool is that? The tree was kind of scary looking, but despite the onslaught of water, it was standing like a sentinel.



After a few minutes I popped out of the woods, feeling almost like a deer during hunting season. After inspecting more of the road and checking my watch, decided to cut through the woods back to Sandy Lake. I went into the woods at a different place, but very soon ended up on a familiar trail that the Wookie and I had discovered last year. Continuing on I was going up hill. At one point I got off that trail and onto another, going down hill now, and ended up at a dirt road. A road?! It was still snow covered, though melting, but I couldn't figure out what road it was. I knew if I kept on going I'd end up somewhere along Sandy Lake. I sat down to rest, have some water, and try to figure out what road this was. Once I sat down I could see blue water through the trunks of the trees. Aha! That's Sandy Lake, about 100 metres away. I laughed as I realized I knew exactly where I was, continuing through the trees until I ended up at the park on the shores of the lake. I had seen this path from the entrance of the park but had never ventured to travel it. The road I had crossed actually leads to two cabins close to the park that are privately owned.

From the park to my car was short 1 k walk on a gravel path/road, so the final leg of my journey was an easy one. At one point on my jaunt I frightened some large animal in the bush; I saw a flash of black and white run away. A feral cat? A skunk? Glad it decided not to stay. And the wind was causing the larger dead trees to rub against each other making creepy squeaky toy noises that made me wonder if I hadn't been followed by a demonically possessed baby. And of course, I found several signs of deer with tracks and poop. So every time I go on these walks I think of Linda at Braincheese when I see the deer poop.

When I'm out on these treks now, I almost always think of the MS blogging community, snapping pics for Diane and Herrad to enjoy from their homes, looking for little things that I want to put under the microscope for Linda, and interesting birds Joan may not have a chance to see in Delaware. Which reminds me, Joan; the Wookie, on his business trip had a seagull poop on him. That's supposed to be good luck isn't it?

S.

Easter Hike

I went for a great Easter hike yesterday, in the drizzle. There were many great finds including a cocoon of some sort. I debated leaving it on the tree branch, even taking pictures of it on the branch, but decided I needed to know what kind of creature would emerge from it. My thinking is that it's a cecropia moth, like the one I found last June after having just emerged from it's own cocoon, wings still limp. It's safely ensconced in my bug cage on the dining room table and I'm looking forward to this one coming out.


I also came across a couple of birds' nests, each only about 4 feet off the ground and very close to the start of the trail I was walking. I was surprised to find it so close to the start of the trail as it's very close to a major highway as well. It's not too often that you can get an up close look at a birds' nest though so I took advantage of it.


At one point on the trail I came across a small seasonal marsh with a whole lot of old cattails. When I was younger I would take apart the cattail and watch the fluff from inside spread in the wind. I haven't done that for years and this time I broke one in half and felt the fluff with my nose. Sometimes my fingers aren't as sensitive as I would like them to be and I really wanted to feel the fluff. Despite the rain we had for a day and a half and that morning, the inside fluff was bone dry. The picture is a little fuzzy, but I did that on purpose. Look at it really closely for a minute and then close your eyes and imagine bringing it to your nose to feel the softness.


I think the best shot of the day was at the very start of the hike. I rarely see pussy willow trees any more, but came across tons of them in bloom. I was like a kid on Christmas morning, but because it was so drizzly, touching them to feel their softness only got me wet. So I stood back to get the bigger picture, so to speak.


A neighbour on my floor put up an Easter decoration on her door. It's an Easter bag with a bouquet of flowers in it (they're in a vase). On my way back to the car I broke off a small branch of the pussy willow and when I got home I put it in the vase with the flowers. I didn't see her until today and she told me that her brother (long since passed away) used to send her a bunch of pussy willows from home every spring. She was quite overcome yesterday when she saw them.

Funny how things work out, eh?

S.

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them and really make out the drops on the pussy willow. And come back tomorrow for today's hike and pics of a surprise waterfall.

The Luckiest People in the World

I was waiting for the Art Gallery to open this morning when a man about my age an a boy about 8 came along. The boy was pretty excited about going inside and the man was trying to take a picture of him with his cell phone.
"If you show me how, I can take a picture of the two of you, " I offered.
The man accepted as the boy said "You'll take a better picture since my dad is blind". The man showed me which button to push as his son continued "But he's only blind in the left eye."
They smiled for the picture as the man explained he had an aneurism many years ago that took the sight from his left eye.
"But it's fixed now," he said.

In the few minutes it took for the gallery to open I learned that the man was a single dad, on disability, and he and his son had come all the way on the bus to get to the Art Gallery for the Easter Egg Hunt. It was an hour and a half ride on the bus, as they were coming from just outside the city and because of his disability he can't drive. I told him that I have MS and I'm interested in all things neurological. I asked him about the aneurism and how it was "fixed".

The doctors did an angiogram to discover the aneurism, and with a similar procedure as angioplasty on the heart, they inserted a needle through the arteries to his brain to inject a biological glue to seal the aneurism. He told me that he had been told that this works in only a few cases and he's had it for 10 years.

"You're quite lucky," I told him. "Who's your neurosurgeon?"

"You heard of Ivar Mendez?" he asked. I smiled and said yes. I didn't tell him how much admiration I have for Dr. Mendez as a researcher, or as an artist, or that I have blogged about his efforts to get the Brain Repair Centre up and running in Halifax, or his drive to use technology in brain repair.

"I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world," he said. "I see him twice a year for a check and he asks if I want them to remove the aneurism. I say no, 'cause why open my skull and dig around in my brain if the glue holds? But it's congenital so me and my son get checked out regularly."

The man didn't know it, but the self proclaimed "luckiest man in the world" had just met one of the luckiest women in the world.

The single dad, Michael J. Fox, and me. We have three different neurological conditions. And we are three of the luckiest people in the world.

S.

Fibre, Fish, and Fields

Here's the wood I took home Sunday from my hike on the land being cleared for an access road. The area was littered with pieces of this stuff, pine, that had tons of these little holes in them:


I took the wood with me on Wednesday to Heffler's Mill in Lower Sackville when I was going to check the fish ladder. One of the guys there told me it was made by one of many wood boring beetles or the spruce bud worm. The beautiful pattern left behind is devastating to the tree of course, if there are enough of the bugs. I put it under the microscope and could detect tiny spider-web like fibres which may be from a spider or other bug, though it may also be fungus. Anyway, up close it was pretty cool.


I also stopped in at the Sackville Rivers office and Steve showed me the salmon fry that had hatched March 23rd. There is a program for school kids, run by volunteers, where classes get a bunch of salmon eggs to keep in a tank in their classroom for the year. Once they hatch and they're big enough they're released back into the Sackville River by the kids. We had a handful of the eggs in the office aquarium and of course I wanted to share my excitement as well:

Once they hatch they just lie around at the bottom of the stream, feeding of the yolk sac (which looks like a fried egg) until that's gone and they have to fend for themselves.

I also paid a visit to the fish ladder. You can't even see the grate that covers the top because of the amount of water right now. We'll be going there to clean it out in May, removing leaves and debris clogging up the underwater grate. It's dirty, wet work, but it's fun and good exercise. And I'll be able to get myself a couple of caddisflies for my aquarium again this year.


You may remember from last May, I had a couple of caddisflies for a noth, until one was eaten by the other and the remaining one disappeared before I could set it free. When I move I'll probably find its dessicated remains under the couch, along with the diving beetle that escaped. Which reminds me, it's almost time to take the two cocoons in the fridge out into the bug cage in the living room. One is a luna moth that I took home as a caterpillar last summer, the other will be a surprise.

I tried to walk along the Bedford Sackville greenway but most of the start of it is still under water. Range Park is quickly draining though and at least most of the football field (and the bleachers) are exposed again:


I took a hike yesterday along a different path and am about to head out shortly for another walk. Pictures later. By the time I get on the bike, I should be able to go for miles and miles....

S.

Force 10 From Navarone...er..Kearney Lake Dam

I went for a short hike today around the Kearney Lake area. The lake crosses under a minor highway , forms a pond, and that has a dam at the end. Normally the water laps gently against the dam. There is an output pipe at the bottom of the opposite side of the dam and water flows at a slow but regular rate into a river that leads to Paper Mill Lake, which in turn has its own dam that empties into 9 Mile River (and used to be used to power the Moirs Paper Mill), which then empties into the Bedford Basin, which is the northern part of the Halifax Harbour. Whew. Anyway, the Kearney Lake dam, about 25 feet high, today was more like Niagra Falls.


I walked to the bottom of the dam and around the pool at the bottom and into the woods a little way. There I discovered another stream, partly formed by runoff and snow melt and partly fed from underground. It was rushing by a felled and decaying tree that made me think of some arboreal Hannibal Lechter victim. I know how to spook myself, that's for sure.


Another tree I came across looked like it should have a for rent sign out front to advertise a two level woodpecker home.
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I also took a short walk close to Sandy Lake and after a trek through the woods determined that I had enough exercise for the day. It poured again last night and this morning and it'll be cloudy and drizzly until Sunday at least, so the boots and jacket are drying out again. When I got home I decided to take a quick peek at the garden. First signs of life are the grape hyacinth:


Second signs of life are the rhubarb buds:


In case you're wondering, the Wookie is away on business. *sigh*

S.

How Dry I Ain't

Since Friday night we have received rain in epic proportions. The local rivers are swollen and overflowing and the woods are as soggy as can be. The rain won't keep me from exploring though.

There is a new construction site I wanted to explore where an access ramp to one of the local highways is being built. They're just at the tree-clearing stage and this is perfect for getting a look at the ground close up. My first discovery was deer poop.



Looking from the top of a cliff of sorts (don't worry Herrad, it wasn't the same sort of cliff I climbed before) you can see the clearing happening on both sides of the highway.



Looking behind me into the woods I could make out a larger body of water. I think this was my main reward for the hike as I had no idea this pond was there. I'm not sure anyone else was aware of it either until the clearing began and it may just be a temporarily as large as it is because of the amount of water that has come down, snow melt, and the effects of clearing. But if you look at the rock cliff on the left side you'll get an idea of what Nova Scotia is made of. That cliff is about 20 feet high and ponds like this are all over the province.



I also took home an interesting rock and a piece of a tree that had a really cool hole in it that I need to find out what creature made it. I'll post pics of those soon as I want to put them both under the microscope.

I took a couple of pics of the Sackville River to show how swollen it is:



The soccer field is completely under water, the bleachers almost covered. In the distance you can see a highway overpass that goes over the Bedford Sackville Trail which winds along the river. There was supposed to be a guided walk along the river yesterday, but most of the walkway is under water.

My boots and jacket are drying out and should be ready for another jaunt by Tuesday. It's going to be wet most of the week apparently, but that's ok as it means less people to contend with while I'm out enjoying nature.

Bum Legs

When I was 7 I asked my grandmother what had happened to her leg to cause her to limp. She told me she had been kicked by a cow. That wasn't an unreasonable explanation to a 7 year old and I spent the next 10 years thinking that my grandmother had been injured during a milking accident. When I was 17 I found out that she had polio as a child. That's what caused her bum leg. Why she told me the fib about the cow I'll never know, though I think she might have thought that was funny somehow. Anyway, not once did I see or hear Nanny complain about her leg. I know it slowed her down, but she worked hard at child rearing, housekeeping and cooking all her life. She spent weeks in the summers at a church camp cooking for all the kids. I never heard her say "If only I didn't have this bum leg".

For the past two years a certain crow has been hanging around where I live. It's hard to tell one from the other, but this one has a deformed left leg. I don't know if the deformity was there from hatching or if it was the result of a run in with a cat or other predator. And it may not even be the same crow, but I'm pretty sure it is. Most animals hang around where they can get food and crows are no different. They have certain neighbourhoods they hang around, leaving at night for a communal rookery. Some hunt or forage for food together, some are solitary. But they are creatures of habit, so I like to think my "disabled" crow is the same one.

I hadn't seen it all winter. Today I saw it about half a block from my home, hopping around on the front lawn at a neighbour's house. It made it through another winter and appears healthy. It put a smile on my face to see this bird.

Because of its injury, its survival is compromised. Its reproductive success is also compromised. With only one functional leg it may not be as good a defender of food and territory. It might lose more arguments on the ground with other scavengers. But it doesn't go around thinking "if I only didn't have this bum leg I could get a girl crow (or a boy crow) and have baby crows". It will go through the motions of attempting to woo a mate or perhaps be wooed. But getting and keeping food is undoubtedly a struggle that may not be enough to feed a family. But it still hops around from spot to spot checking things out and of course its flying ability is intact. If I ever see it with nesting material in its beak then I'll know it's attempting to reproduce.

Perhaps if I were Native Canadian I would believe my grandmother's spirit inhabits the crow. I don't, but the crow makes me think of my grandmother and how she stoically carried on with life. And it's a gentle reminder that I am carrying on as well.

S.