Time flies

...when I'm working in the gardens. H and I spent most of the day getting the yard in shape for spring. While we were out back having tea, H took a few pics of the sparrows. I thought I'd post a couple.

The Harris's Sparrow is my favourite bird.


They're just stopping over for a few days on their way north to their summer breeding grounds. It's hard to describe their song. You can listen to it here. Imagine a yard full of them. The sound makes me want to curl up with a Guy Gavriel Kay novel. And maybe I will.

At least one pair of White-throated Sparrows will remain in our yard for the season.


Its song does not appeal to me as much, though I do admire Don McKay's take on it. But I will happily listen to it sing every morning while I'm reading poems and drinking coffee.

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The Cathedral Village Arts Festival begins tomorrow in Regina. I can't be there, but I believe "You" from Cantos from Wolverine Creek will be on one of the literary lanterns. I hope someone will send me a pic of it. I'd love to see how it looks.

Suckers are most vulnerable

...when they're running upstream. On our way home from Winnipeg we saw people netting suckers at Mistik Creek. Yesterday we went back to watch the suckers run and do some thinking.

Here's H shooting some video.



Here's a couple suckers trying to make their way.



Here's H standing among the remains of suckers that someone had left behind.


Ravens and gulls hung around in the trees, waiting for us to leave so they could return to feast on the mess.

When we got home H showed me the video of the suckers running. It's beautiful. I hope to write a sonnet to go with it.

Sometimes a visit to a snake pit

...is just what a person needs. Yesterday on the way home from Winnipeg we visited the Narcisse Snake Dens for the first time. We arrived early. It was cool and cloudy and the snakes were sluggish.


But then the sun came out and things picked up.




Wait till you see H's snake pics. They're amazing. I'll let you know when they go up on his blog.

UPDATE: H's snake pics are up!

H also took some video of the snakes. We plan to put together a videopoem using the epilogue from Cantos from Wolverine Creek. I'm not sure how well the video and the poem will work together. It might prove to be too creepy.

The Winnipeg reading

...with Judith Krause at McNally Robinson was a great time! Thanks to everyone who came out. And Ariel provided the biggest and best chocolate layer cake ever!

We got in to Winnipeg late last night. Ariel told us to meet her and M at the gates of the Assiniboine Forest at 9 am sharp. I checked the forecast and told her Winnipeg was in for 15-25 mm of rain. She said we'd hike anyway. She'd provide me with a hat.

Here's Ariel and me after 1 1/2 hours of hiking in the rain. I was soaked to the skin. My shoes were squishing. I had to wring out my socks.


After the hike Ariel awarded me a wonderful yogurt/lemon zest muffin for being so quiet and well mannered.

Ariel set up a wonderful dim sum gathering for noon. The food was excellent, but nothing compared to the company. What a fun table of writers! At the end of the meal Ariel slid a napkin covered object over to me. It turned out to be a beautiful horseshoe!


It feels lucky. Anita, a writer with two books currently shortlisted for a major award and a horse owner with connections in the horse world, came up with the horseshoe at Ariel's request. It's off a horse named Willie.

After dim sum Ariel gave us a tour of Aqua Books. Wow. We will definitely be stopping there every time we visit Winnipeg.

Here's a few pics H took at the reading.

Here's me trying a flowery tea.



Here's me reading.



Here's Judith and me signing.



And here's the cake! A Cantos cake!




Thanks to Ariel for the cake and everything else. What a great day.

The poetry salon

...was wonderful! My thanks to Katherine Lawrence for inviting me and thanks to everyone who came out. Incredible people, incredible food. What a dreamy experience! And it was great fun to read with Gerald Hill. We took turns reading, choosing poems as we went along that played off each other's work in some way. Gerry went first. When preparing for the salon, I had tried to guess what poem he'd read first so I could plan a comeback. I'd stopped on one particular poem and thought, no, he wouldn't dare start with that. But sure enough.

H took some pics.

Here's Gerry and me scheming.



Here's Katherine making introductions.





Gerry reading.



And me.

Just a wee hello

So it's soon time

...to hit the road again. The cat will not be pleased. Anyway, Gerald Hill and I are the featured readers at a poetry salon in Saskatoon on Saturday. My first salon! I'm very excited. I linked to a story about the revival of house readings and salons in a post a few years back. The link is now dead, but my enthusiasm is alive as ever. I love the idea of them. Now, touch wood, I will experience it first hand. And it's an honour to be reading with Gerry. I sat down with My Human Comedy, his latest, on the weekend. It's a dandy.

Then I'm off to Winnipeg where I'll read with Judith Krause on Monday at McNally Robinson, Grant Park. My thanks to Ariel Gordon for spreading the word, setting up a dim sum date and promising cake. Cake! I hope she'll give me a tour of Aqua Books and take me for a hike in the forest as well. I don't ask a lot...

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So.