That was close…

I had intended to read most of the day, but when the sun came out about half an hour ago, I figured a walk would clear the cobwebs better than another cup of coffee. I changed into my gear, and then, everything got awfully dark. And then…the skies opened. OK, OK, I get it. No walk today. Even if the sun comes out again, which it probably will, this day is just too moody to predict. And now it’s thundering.

However, just thought I’d mention that I saw a Western Tanager yesterday. It popped out of the canopy for a few seconds, and then disappeared. It was so colourful and lovely, I thought it was an escaped tropical bird, but no, it’s a local…at least in the late spring, early summer. It’s my very first Tanager.

Oh sun…you can’t fool me as you drizzle your gold upon my flowers. I am not, repeat NOT going for a walk! But man, it sure looks pretty out there with the illuminated trees silhouetted against an incredibly dark sky. Maybe I’ll just leave my gear on for awhile…

4:11 PM/16C rain

4:30 PM/sun

5:05 PM/rain

and so on…

And now, a word about worms.

A few years ago, in a short piece for See Magazine, I compared my annual confrontation with the worm to the movie Dune:

“In late May, early June, when I’m walking through Rossdale, I think of Jurgen Prochnow as Duke Leto Atreides, scanning the sand dunes for killer worms and saying, “Worm-sign! Is that worm-sign?” Of course, he’s German so it’s more like “verm-zein” but each year in late spring I ask the same thing. It starts with one or two tiny green worms hanging from the trees canopying the otherwise beautiful path that runs along the North Saskatchewan River toward the Low Level Bridge. And once there is verm-zein…only a Level-5 contamination suit with helmet could get me to walk through there.”

I have alluded to the worms that are not worms but caterpillars in previous blog posts, but I have not elaborated on what they truly are, and the degree to which they disrupt my life and the lives of perfectly healthy trees in the river valley in June and July. I know them as worms, but they are in fact Larger Boxelder Leafroller Caterpillars. I have also heard them called Ash-leaf Cone Caterpillars. Whatever their true name, they are green, they hang from silk threads attached to trees in the river valley and they fill me with a fear normally reserved for actual threats to my life, like fire and calculus.

In a recent Edmonton Journal article, it was suggested that the five-year cycle of the leafroller caterpillar is nearing its end. However, the authority quoted in the article stated that the caterpillars appeared in the Rossdale area in 2005. I say unequivocally that the green devil was present earlier than this…at least as far back as 2003, although I do agree the infestation started (or was most noticeable) in the Rossdale area. I have been keeping a walking journal since 1996, and there is no mention of worms prior to 2003.

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When I left for my walk around 1:30, it was overcast and cool. And then about 45 minutes in, the sun came out and the skies cleared. It always surprises me how different a day can feel depending on what the sky is doing. Even within the same hour. As much as I like a cloudy day for the opportunities it affords, such as reading and brooding, a blue sky feels like some sort of undeserved grace.

I was hoping to get a shot of the ferris wheel in Louise McKinney, but alas, the circus had left town, with only a few scattered strawberries to collect. Michael certainly has the setup and deconstruction of his Amusements down to an art. Wonder where he’ll amuse himself next?

The Turtle Effigy rock labyrinth is still on display at the top of the hill. As mentioned, it’s part of The Works, and therefore temporary, but I kind of hope it stays. I’m getting increasingly fond of the rocky formation. It’s actually a mash-up of aboriginal and celtic mythology, and I think it is a lovely addition to the park, giant strawberries notwithstanding.

3:00 PM/18C

Well, I’ll be damned. Michael found a place for his Amusements! When I crossed Cloverdale Bridge today, I was greeted by the sight of a ferris wheel at Louise McKinney Park. A ferris fu*&ing wheel! Also, a mini version of the Scrambler (always my favourite ride), and all the usual accoutrements of a carnival: games of chance, bags of blue and pink cotton candy, and people wearing spandex (that shouldn’t.) On the upper tier of the park, there were performers on the stage. Judging by the flowers and dangling ribbons, I’d say some sort of Slavic deal. There were tents as well, the first one offering free Canada Day flags and pins. I pinned a small flag to my black tank top, feeling instantly patriotic. Unfortunately, I was almost the only one on the trails today not sporting a red piece of clothing. I don’t own a red piece of clothing. At least, not one that isn’t a sweater which I only wear on or near Christmas. Red is not my colour, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of patriotic clothing in my drawers. It was therefore fortuitous that I should stumble across a stand giving away Canadian flag pins on Canada Day, in a park which usually is stand-free, and almost always ferris wheel free.

The previous 90 minutes of my walk through Mill Creek were uneventful in comparison to Louise McKinney Park. I’m surprised it can accommodate such a thing as a small carnival, but that park is nothing if not absorbent to the whims of City Hall. At least the carnival is temporary. The LRT route is not. However, it’s Canada Day, and the clowns are out in full force!

3:46PM/19C

I seem to be out of sorts today so my walk home was more of a wander. An aimless wander through downtown and eventually, the river valley. While I was still downtown in the vicinity of the Hotel MacDonald, I passed a very happy guy who had a large, wooden skeleton in full grimace dangling off his shirt (which was open to his belt.) He also had a Canadian Flag stuck in his chest pocket. A patriot, and three days early!

Minutes later, I found myself in Louise McKinney Park facing what looked like the remnants of an ancient Druid stone structure, or perhaps a veiled message to the aliens. The symmetry of the formation does suggest a code of some ilk, although I have to assume that if aliens are capable of space travel, their communication skills would have evolved beyond that of cleverly piled rocks. So, I don’t know. Well, actually I do know. Now. It’s part of The Works festival, and it’s called The Turtle Rock Effigy, by Leah Dorian. A Turtle Rock Effigy must be code for something, but I’m too tired to look it up.

Further along, I spotted several large trucks parked near the stairs. One of the trucks had Michael’s Amusements written on the side in a jolly sort of font, and above that, a not so jolly face of a clown. Another truck had a dismantled midway ride strapped to the side. There were several shirtless guys standing near the trucks, looking a bit sad, like the clown. As mentioned, Louise McKinney Park is beautiful, but small, and unlikely to attract a crowd large enough to justify Michael or his amusements, even in combination with the Turtle Rock Effigy. I’m sure there is a reason, but again, I am too tired to investigate. Suffice to say, my sortlessness was not helped by these encounters. Not at all.

6:10 PM/25C

Over two hours in the sun and shade of a ridiculously lush river valley. Went from one end of Mill Creek to the other, and then a bit beyond. By the time I got home, I was very hot, and in need of immediate hydration. I suppose I could bring some water with me, but I try to be as unencumbered as possible when I’m walking. Should desperation hit, I know where the water fountains are located…or if sunstroke hits first, the river. Seems to work for the dogs. Some people are really tricked out for their walks (or runs, or rides…), but the more crap I have hanging off me, the more distracted I am by the sloshing and jiggling of my gear. Keys, and sometimes my camera are more than enough. On the weekdays, my walk inevitably involves lugging a backpack with my work clothes, empty lunch containers, books, shoes, and whatever else deemed necessary for that particular day. I’m used to it now, but less is definitely more on the trails.

The ubiquitous wild rose is in full pink bloom all over the city, but especially in the river valley. Aside from their beauty, this emblem of our province (no, it’s not a dead duck), can also carry a tune. Wild rose bushes hum. They are always, always full of bees, which used to scare the shite out of me, but now just makes me happy. In the last few years, bees have become troubled little creatures, facing all sorts of pathogenic challenges, so a humming bush full of voracious bees is a very good thing indeed. And by the vigour of the hum, wild rose pollen must be a tasty treat for a bee. Like a pink milkshake…or a Cosmopolitan.

Last night, my sister and I watched a fat bee methodically, and yet somehow languorously suck the pollen out of poppy flower. The weight of the bee made the flower bob gently up and down, as if caught in a breeze, bending the stem almost to the ground. It was quite lovely. A single bee interacting with a single flower. Coulda watched that for hours…

1:20PM/24C