Vision statement

A room with a view

...like this


is a room with a clean Boh window.

A good 50 Bohemian Waxwings lingered in the yard this afternoon. This pic was taken from my office window. There's nothing left in our yard for them to eat. I think they were just enjoying a little shelter from the wind.

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Nov 24 - No wind today. No waxwings so far. Another deadline met, another to go. I just uncovered the big box of books and journals now parked beside my desk. The flagged pages will have my attention until the new year.

More books in the mail today

Night Gears by Bren Simmers. What a gorgeous book.

Where the Words Come From: Canadian Poets in Conversation, edited by Tim Bowling. I read most of this book during my stays at St. Peter's Abbey, but thought it was high time to purchase a copy of my own. Might come in handy.

Some roads are narrow

...and the curves blind. Then add winter.


This pic was taken along the Phantom Lake road this afternoon. I've been down this road countless times, but never noticed those letters on the rock before. They look like they've been there a long time. They could stand for anything.

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I just checked out the new Master of Fine Arts in Writing program offered by the University of Saskatchewan. It's great to see the entry requirements take into account participation in the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild programs. I haven't been to Banff, but I know Sage Hill and the SWG offer top-notch workshop, colloquium and mentorship experiences. The faculty for the MFA isn't listed yet, but the U of S has plenty of impressive writers in their ranks, so it's bound to be a fine program.

"...the writer in question

couldn’t be farther removed from the literary establishment." This from a profile of Regina author Sandra Birdsell posted on The Globe and Mail site today.

Of course this causes me to pause,


considering where I am.

This might be the worst bird photo ever

...but I'm posting it anyway to give you an idea of the kind of activity in our yard the past few days. This was the scene 20 minutes ago.


Click on the image and then click on it again for a closer look. Of course there were more grosbeaks in the trees and at other feeding stations in the yard. Our yard has been teaming with grosbeaks since it snowed. There's up to 50 Evening Grosbeaks at a time and up to 10 Pine Grosbeaks. They hang around all day and pack down sunflower seeds like there's no tomorrow.

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I did more than my fair share of staring out the window today. It's that kind of day. While I was staring, three Common Redpolls made a brief appearance. A dozen Bohemian Waxwings stopped by. And the regulars: Black-billed Magpies, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, Gray Jays. And ravens. Can't forget the ravens.

I have no idea what this one was digging for.

Maybe I should take it as a hint.

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Tis the season! Project FeederWatch starts on November 13.

While the squash cooks

...I cook up a cover.


The squash isn't done. Neither am I.

Seriously though, I took a pic of the squash before H threw it in the oven. I should be working, but I decided to play. This is why things take forever.

Oh well. The squash is smelling good.