June 23rd, 2007
weekend wanderin’
The weekend weather forecast is looking good, so we’re off to do some hiking on local trails. However, I wanted to remind everyone that the latest edition of Good Planets are Hard to Find is up at Susannah’s Wanderin’ Weeta blog. While you’re there, you might like to check out a three part series of posts on a 2005 trip from Vancouver to Bella Coola, BC. Here are the links to Part One, Part Two, and Part Three.
As for the photos — top photo is of Sabrina taking a break on the steps from the garden up to the house (click on photos for larger view). She seems to be in a happy mood as she’s giving me her best grin. Lower photo is of one of the iron end pieces off of a Massey-Harris seed drill that I found strewn in the grass around the ruins of the old dairy barn here at the farm. A few years ago, I sent the “other” end of the seed drill — almost identical — off to a friend in Oregon who appreciates good rust as much as I do. He claims to not like unexpected surprises (ha ha), so he asked if he could try to guess what was on the way to him by mail. He said he would ask five questions and I had to answer yes or no to each one. I agreed as I figured he didn’t have a chance. It took him two days of carefully phrased questions, but as I recall, he correctly guessed that it was the seed mill seed drill part by Guess #4. He’s obviously pretty good at such games. His half of the seed mill seed drill is also displayed in his garden. We like to muse over what explanation some archaeologist of the distant future will have for a seed drill piece made in Toronto and found buried in a garden in Oregon.
Everyone have a good weekend!
Note: On Saturday, I accidentally referred to both “seed drill” and “seed mill” in the above text. To allay confusion, I’ve edited “mill” to “drill”. The iron parts are off of an old seed drill — a piece of equipment used to plant grain seed.
Tags: Sabrina, Good Planets
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Have a lovely hike. Sabrina looks happy indeed. I enjoyed learning the term phenology since we have been in the midst of an amazing 17 year cycle around. ;-)
June 24th, 2007 at 6:30 am
The seed drill is a great story. We’ve dug up a few interesting pieces of good rust too – it’s always fun to find the end of a 70-year-old implement of destruction, or a horseshoe. They sort of adorn the house here and there.
Yes indeed Sabrina looks happy. She seems to know very well that there is to be an adventure.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:10 am
vicki – we did have a lovely hike and saw some neat insects too I’ve always thought the 17 year cicada cycles was one of the coolest cyclical phenomena going!
–
Wayne – I love old rust – we’ve found a couple horseshoes, but the thing I seem to find the most of around here are old sets of barn door hinges. I’ve found quite a number over the years! Yesterday’s hike was quite fun – breezy, so we didn’t see as many insects as hoped for, but some very interesting little things. I’ll try to get some photos up today or tomorrow.
June 24th, 2007 at 10:06 am
It is great to see Sabrina looking happy and healthy. Glad that your hike was a good one, and you saw some interesting things. We haven’t been out on the trails in a few days. Staying around the house, pulling weeds, baking bread, and trying out new recipes. Not much good for photographic exploits, but some yummy experiences. I thought of you when I made kitchari for the first time. It’s a rice-dal dish.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Awwww. It’s so good to see Sabrina smiling. She’s so beautiful.
As a city girl, I’m guessing a seed mill grinds seed. Are we talking flour – corn meal? Hmmm. I somehow don’t think this is right. The rusty remnant looks fine next to the viola. I always wonder what the original owner would think if he knew it was now a cherished ornament. Life is so interesting.
June 24th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Bev, the photo of Sabrina is fine. She looks like she is relaxed, engaged in a deep conversation with you. The previous post, with the photo of the Brown Mantidfly, was intriguing in a different way. The fly seems muscular and highly purposive…like it is determined to move forward toward meeting its objective, come hell or high water. I’d come across the term phenology, but did not recall what it meant, nor the context. Even my linguistic skills are tested and improved on your site!
June 25th, 2007 at 6:37 am
robin – We ended up hiking around on Saturday, but then just walking around here at the farm on Sunday. Much like you, we spent yesterday working away at little things around the yard and gardens, and walking in the fields and woods here. We’re trying to use our vehicle a lot less these days, so that means staying home — which is quite alright as there’s plenty to see here. Thanks for the link to the recipe. You’re right – that sounds like something I would like. I must give it a try!
–
Cathy – Yes, it’s great to see Sabrina looking good and seeming to be feeling well now. Just this week, she’s become much more interested in going for walks, or staying out with me for extended periods of time while I’m photographing insects. I see that I spelled the “seed drill” as that once, but then typed “seed mill” twice. I’ll have to fix that in the post. I meant “seed drill” — a machine for planting various kinds of grain seed. The two iron parts are at either end of a long, narrow wooden box that used to hold seed which then would have gone down little pipes to the ground. I also have a big “dial” part of the seed drill that has the different names of grains (oats, barley, etc..) cast in metal. The neat thing about that — and I guess this is where you can see its Canadian origin – is that the names of the grain are cast in both English and French — sit it’s a bilingual seed drill probably made around 1900. I think that’s pretty neat!
–
John – Sabrina is definitely looking and feeling a lot better these days. When we go for walks, she’s back to pointing out interesting things for me — clusters of mushrooms, butterflies, birds. As for the mantidfly, they are tiny but seem to be very strong little creatures. They can slash at things with those forelegs at blinding speed.
June 25th, 2007 at 11:02 am
My sister Karen has a new digital SLR with a long lens. She has just sent us some photos of a dragonfly in her yard – very nice definition. As she was looking it up (she says it seems to be a female Pacific Spiketail, Cordulegaster dorsalis) and mentioned that she does not find many photos as clear as hers. So I thought I’d forward links to your blog and PBase gallery, so she can enjoy lots of quality insect photos. I just read your June posts – and am apalled that I haven’t visited your blog yet this month! It’s hard to take enough time to be a regular blog visitor and keeper when your responsibilities are as diverse as mine!
Karen doesn’t have a blog, but she put Spiketail photos up in her Pbase “Around Home” gallery — at http://www.pbase.com/image/81102378 and http://www.pbase.com/pinicola/image/81102979
June 26th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Aleta -Karen’s dragonfly might well be a Pacific Spiketail. I’m not too familiar with the western species. Some of those have to be seen up very close to be ID.d You’re right — it’ is hard to find enough time to get around to visit a few blogs. With my dial-up connection — which happenes to be dreadfully slow this summer — it’s particularly onerous. I wish it weren’t so as there are so many great nature blogs around.