A birder's dream came

...in the mail today.

The Modern Beginnings of Subarctic Ornithology: Northern Correspondence with the Smithsonian Institution, 1856-68, edited and introduced by Debra Lindsay. I had no idea this book even existed. Many thanks to Ariel for sending it my way.

I'm pretty sure Gerry wouldn't appreciate the book, going by his poem over at The Winnipeg Review.

There's a long post on Grain

...over on rob mclennan's blog, which includes his take on the departure of Sylvia Legris as editor. McLennan later says "she has long been one of my favourite Canadian poets." One of mine too. The summer issue, dedicated to Robert Kroetsch, is another dandy.

On Friday

...The Watchmaker's Table by Brian Bartlett arrived. I look forward to reading it. Today I balanced the collection on the mountain ash for this pic.

I see the tree from my desk every time I turn my head to the left. Last year it had nothing to offer the waxwings. This year it's so heavy the bottom branches are touching the ground.

On Saturday, just southeast of these boots

...I tackled my second assignment for Allan Casey's Creative Nonfiction Workshop.

The workshop was held at St. Peter's College, but as you can see I went on an adventure. Some of you might recall that I bought Casey's Lakeland back in December. That book is the reason I signed up for the workshop. It was well worth it. I worked hard. Just ask the chickens.

It's August and the railing

...needs paint. But first, here's a couple additions to my collection. I hope to dig into them this month.

Why Beauty Is Truth: A History of Symmetry by Ian Stewart.

Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain by Antonio Damasio.