An excellent day of writing topped off

...with a call from the Saskatchewan Literature class at Luther College in Regina. They had some questions about my poem "A Contractor" from More Than Three Feet of Ice. Good questions. It was good to look back at a poem and book that I haven't looked at in a while, especially now that I'm well into something else and wondering where it's going. Thanks to Gerald Hill and his class. It was fun.

Sign of a poem (1)

No wolf tracks

...in the yard this morning. I haven't seen any in the yard yet.


There have been a number of wolf sightings in town lately. This isn't new. Apparently one was standing across from the town office the other day. That's just a block from here.

I keep thinking one will stop by. So this morning I looked out my office window, half expecting to see a wolf looking back at me. Half hoping.


It's a selfish hope and one that I immediately felt guilty about. I never want to see one in town. That's always bad news for wolves. For everything.

I tried to focus on other things.


But looking didn't help.


There were old tracks everywhere.

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Speaking of old tracks, on this day in 2005 this blog was born. I'm grateful to those of you who stop by. Some of you have been humouring me since the beginning. Thank you.

While this blog has been quiet lately, life hasn't. For one, I've been preparing for Talking Fresh 9: Saskatchewan Poetry Summit, March 4-5, 2011, Luther College, University of Regina, featuring Karen Solie, Michael Trussler, Daniel Scott Tysdal and me. And worrying. The weather in early March can be horrible, the roads downright scary, and it takes forever to get to Regina at the best of times. I'll be squirrelly by the time I get there.

A foggy -33

...this morning and calm. A perfect day for birding.


We spent the day doing the annual Creighton Christmas Bird Count, a dreamy way to spend New Year's Day. We birded from before sunrise to after sunset. Coffee and granola bars for breakfast on the West Arm Road. Camembert and baguette for lunch on the Mystic Lake Road. Lots of time to reflect and dream and let go.

We saw 13 species:

Willow Ptarmigan - 31
Rock Pigeon - 17
Downy Woodpecker - 1
Hairy Woodpecker - 4
Pileated Woodpecker - 4
Gray Jay - 1
Black-billed Magpie - 13
Common Raven - 157
Black-capped Chickadee - 4
Boreal Chickadee - 10
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch - 1
Pine Grosbeak - 28
Evening Grosbeak - 2

Happy New Year!