…or before the storm. It’s one or the other these days. The drought correcting itself, which started last year with our rainy summer and snowy winter. The black sky to the south directed me to the shorter paths, and of course, now it’s sunny, so just a 45 minute walk. Longer walk tomorrow, hopefully.

5:20PM/19C

Yep. Edmonton has overtaken Winnipeg as the mosquito capital of Canada. We are also the murder capital of Canada, which is in no way related. One more interesting fact: we’ve had 33 days with rain out of the last 43. For a mosquito larvae, Edmonton, and our many standing pools of fetid water, is the ultimate staycation.

The mosquito in question is not our typical summer pest. According to the Edmonton Journal, we are up to our swollen tissues in Ochlerotatus spencerii, an unusual mosquito for these parts in that it is a ‘daytime biter.’ It is also an indoor biter, an under the umbrella biter, and a right through my shorts biter. As long as their plungers are wet (with blood) these little shits are entirely indiscriminate about when and where, and whom, they bite.

Nevertheless, today I had a great walk in the warm sun, which is a nice change. Also happy to report that the leaf-roller caterpillars, or worms, that infest Rossdale in June and July are gone. The numbers were way down this year, according to a Rossdale resident. I saw three and that was enough to keep me out of that area for a month. I think I am permanently scarred from that time, a few years ago, when the worms hanging from the trees and bushes were so numerous, it looked like someone had decorated the neighbourhood with squirming green party favours. There were thousands of them. I’ve never gotten over it. In any case, the area is back to its usual lovely, lush self. I’m ever so thrilled that I can add this route back into my walking regimen.

4:13PM/21C

…yes. Yes it is.

Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for my complex cellular structure. And my giant can of OFF.

5:40PM/20C

Raindrops, bazillions of raindrops, have fallen since last Friday, many of them on my head. In spite of the wet, I’ve walked up and down the stairs, along the trails, one side of Mill Creek to the other, downtown and Louise McKinney Park. I submit that there is just not enough product in the world to get the frizz out of my otherwise relatively straight hair. Luckily, being on holidays, my access to human beings is limited. Tomorrow, back to work. Hope I have a good hair day.

It is astonishingly, exuberantly green in this city. Also very mushroomy. This is some consolation. The other is that we are on the other side of the drought. Whatevs, I love the rain, or at least I prefer it over excessive heat. I wish there had been a few more sunny days on my holidays, but the weather did not prevent me from walking. It did, however, prevent me from entering beauty contests.

5:00PM/15C

Magpies. Everybody is talking about them, and the word is…not good. Too noisy, too messy, too predatory. I am on record as being corvid-friendly. In fact, it’s worse than that: I am mad for corvids, and that includes crows, ravens, and especially, magpies. 99% of the time, I walk alone. That’s just the way it is, for better or worse, but even in the deepest part of the woods, on the coldest of days, magpies will be there in the trees like airborn orcas, or swooping in alongside me on the trails. They are not a nuisance, they are comrades.

Occasionally, I fill my pockets with peanuts and scatter them on the ground for their dining pleasure. I feed them on my balcony. I appreciate their presence in my life, and in the often dreary landscape of Edmonton. Barring a sudden (and rather unlikely) migration of monkeys and apes to our northern borders, corvids are the most intelligent creatures sharing space with us in this city, and like most Edmontonians, they are omnivores. Unlike most Edmontonians, they eat to live. They are not emotional eaters; they do not consume baby robins because the boy magpie they love has a girlfriend. French fries, peanuts, old wieners…whatever comes to hand (or claw) is good enough, and as champion garbage producers and litterers, humans have assured the magpies a neverending supply of tasty, tasty sustenance. Robins are just another protein, albeit one with lovely vocal abilities. I hear cows sing quite nicely (with some persuasion), but we still eat them.

As for their voices, we should all be grateful that it’s not me sitting in a tree at 5:00 in the morning singing my heart out. A magpie’s screech is not a pleasant thing, but it is interesting and highly variable, depending on the situation. I sense active, complex communication. If a magpie is yelling at you, there is a reason. Yes, it’s your fault. They are engaging with us, and I think that is fascinating. And admirable. As an artist, I appreciate their sculptural sturdiness, and their beautiful, graceful lines. When I look at a magpie in my birdfeeder, picking through the peanuts for the perfect specimen, if they happen to look at me, I feel seen. Acknowledged. I’ve yet to experience that with my cat.

Paula Simons’ article in the Edmonton Journal on July 9th, in response to the vile, hostile comments about the magpie ‘problem’ in Edmonton, was deeply satisfying, well said, and much appreciated. Nice to know there are other magpie lovers in the city. I will save my hostilities, and they are legion, for more deserving targets, like those damned robins.

Short, wet and windy. Just a quick walk in the rain from downtown. Glad it’s cooler. Make that thrilled.

11:45AM/14C