Saturday, June 6, 2009

Stop Carrying out your Intentions and Watch for my Signals.



Currently we're in the throws of summer programming, hence the lack o communication.
In fact this very minute instead of enjoying the likeness of blog land, I should be working out program schedules and etc, BUT MJ DIED.
Who has been able to focus since this news broke?

In other domestic news:
There is a sixteen foot day sail boat in my driveway.
How do such things happen?
Destined to become a sailor?
I've been learning how to read sail flags <<<>> all Friday long.
You might notice the subject line of my post; I'm going to use this line IRL also.

YESH, should be working.
YESH

What else, all of these book talks and sp. events to plan:
Erika Ritter
Deidre Kelly
somemoremysteriousauthorswithnamesicannotrecall
Green Fair
Barn Yard hootenanies

More on the domestic side of things:

1.Vines to be transplanted to Ron Lords property, The Law Maker gives me one year heads up
<<>>
2. Rocket and spinach doing well this year despite that the soil does not make the triple mix grade
3. Dahlias unhappy about it though, and poor, poor peonies
4. Smoked beer butt chicken
5. Notorious BIG while doing chores. Manoman.

Long live Biggie and MJ

JP






Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Sudden Ray of Hope

Remember this Mercury Rev song:

You bring a sudden ray of hope that comes with

every lightning bolt, I love to watch them go up
in smoke. You bring a soft summer smile, come in
every once in a while, I wish you'd go the extra
mile for me tonight.

This song is brill with the sunshine and the bloom.
I am reminded of being fifteen at the picnic point of Moose Park, facing the cold splashy breeze from the Georgian Bay. Fifteen seems forever ago.
Swing sets, innocence, smokes.
The suddenness of seasonal change make me reckon.

This past weekend cbc two featured a very unusual program;
John Cage speaking on mushroom identification.
I have this sneaking suspicion the great hunt will commence this weekend.
Leek are abundant, will cook with them tonight.
After that I will see about the fiddleheads - something tells me now is just the right time.
Will shortly post photo's, as the contrast of before bloom is spectacular first seen green against flat taffy and sediment.

O you delicious season of beginning and excitement!

Five favourites to look forward to at home:
1. Keith Jarret records
2. seeing the seedlings
3. before dinner hike
4. Foraging for dinner
5. whatever is for dessert

Until the plate drops,

JP


Thursday, April 23, 2009

Hot Tomatoes, Urban Chickens!


They say that the temperatures will rise to twenty degrees Celsius tomorrow.
Touts, frantically I search through online catalogues trying to decide what to wear this warm season, but get discouraged when I get to the gladiator sandals. Do you like? I don't. I am happy with my tree trunk gams and wish not to accentuate the muscle mass. I don't understand the trend. Conquering shoes; do I want to feel like a battle wounded Roman man? Nonononononono.

In less mundane musings, my famille has been reading up on the backyard homesteading movement and to our delight, Meaford allows urban chickens! Once we have the fence erected it is in our plans to make a cosmopolitan chicken dwelling (chicken condos perhaps?) Perri will be the concierge.

Seeds have been started; we're six heirloom tomato varietys to everyone else's 60, but no bigs, I'm happy with our black krims. We're wildly imagining what life will be like when we have tasty vegetables again.

Living the urban rural dream.

Check out these links:
http://www.urbanchickenunderground.blogspot.com/
http://www.urbanchickens.net/

Cock-a-doodle-doo

JP

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Bird Song Francais


Pierres qui Roulent.Perri Leche ma Main.


J'huile mon Velo.

Les oiseaux chantent a huit heures.













Thursday, April 9, 2009

On Wayfaring


Slow walk up this morning, heels dragging through the rest of winter.
Frosted squawky gulls circling the black dog and the burned picnic table.
Cold rocks chkkking underneath quick waves.
I'm off in India.
I'm nothing somewhere else.
Longitudinal prowess.

No more salty highways, recession cure-alls, sticky fingers
.
I'm nothing elsewhere, stranger.
Spice and water
Undeniable tongues of yore.
Complicated belonging
Tough tits.







Saturday, March 7, 2009

Paniculatas


Three cheers for the paniculatas variety of hydrangea!
The peegee tree!
The cold climate cone!
Today, Perri at my feet and fever on my forehead, I am exploring the great possibilities that await, as another growing season is before us. On a drizzly walk this morning there was discussion of landscape, which has got me thinking a lot about staking claim. There is a fence to be erected in spring, and lengthy discussion about what, once boundaries are established, will become the essence of us. I have always felt strongly about gothic back yard gardens that have hazy black cloud poppies and petunias, save the grandeur for the front, the facade that it is; in the front beds plant white majestic things like lupins and hydrangeas. Offset the starkness with bursts of pink and red; sweet william, caledula, etc. Does such a garden create not an intoxicating mystery? I think so. But then there is the ever inevitable fact that because fence goes up, do neighbours go away? No they don't. Neighbours are the beer guzzling neanderthals who chain smoke outside and, no matter what the fence size, will investigate goings on hell or high water. So should the garden become a prickly and impenetrable cookie cut rendition of all Parker facades, just so they say heelo to us? Therein lies the question. Do you make your master work in town, in front of the hoardes of nosey small towners, or do you wait in vain for the ever fickle possibility of country side? Of acerage and acerage and acerage and ZERO spoiled scenes. I can see the peace offering garden take shape; it is, as Henry says, full of hostages, the most far out thing is the hens and chickens sprouting from the rocks. There is no fence in the peace offered garden, maybe instead community vegetables and moonlight horse shoes with She and He. For now though, I will rest on my zone 5 laurels and germinate some chamomile so I calm down.

Ever After with Feve,

JP

JP

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Excitable Light


All,
Confident that the wandering for food will begin again soon.
CONFIDENT that I will be the number one mushroom huntress of the Geo Tri come spring.
It's coming, this weekend I could smell it and see it,
Spring.

I noticed a new lightness to the morning; beautiful picture light that dusts sepia and mystery from the bay and forest. Excitable light that means things are thinking about thawing, including my supremely icy heart.
Maximum ice, maximum melt.
I love me a light morning.

To celebrate this new sea of possibility we started germinating basil and rosemary and chives.
Started laying on the primer, covering up the paint Henry calls nicotine shade.
The new colours will be easier on the eyes. Piedmont Grey is the shade of my fav swatch;
it makes me think of delicious food and wine, and will, coincidentally, be on my dining wall.
Preparing the room yesterday was funny;
Old trim bits allocated to different window and door treatments
Will's room in messy cursive pencil.
O the history of home.

Finally the historical smell from the curtains has been removed.
No more sadness stuck in fabric.
Instead replaced with dog and garlic?
Lavender and black pepper?
I wonder what my house smells like?

Family day was lovely.
Went hiking up the river with Muv and Farv and Hen
People get so happy outside.

Farv even discovered wooden steps up the steep icy incline to the east of the trail.
WE BUSHWHACKED!
Muv was laughing like a school girl.
She tells me to be mindful of those who are in their 50's, and then she prances around like a spring lamb.

Salt of the Earth, these people.

Bringing you more sunshine every day,

JP