Ahhh…the smell of spring. Tiny leaves unfurling on the branch, releasing their sweet, living scent. Pine sap heating in the afternoon sun. Wet, fertile earth. An old box of rubber bands. Wait, what? That’s not spring…it’s…cannabis? Oh right, it’s April 20th. 4/20. International Stoner Day.

Last year, same day, I wandered into the Legislature grounds and straight into a cloud of marijuana smoke. At the time I had no idea why so many people (teenagers mostly) were gathered on this spot, some in groups, others scattered about on the grass, all blissfully unaware of the wide-eyed phony in their midst. Was it to publicly declare their love of black t-shirts and hacky sack? And why were they all smoking dope? It seemed rather flagrant and as per usual in social gatherings, particularly this one, I felt terribly out of place.

Today, there seemed to be even more people, very few over 30 and those who were over 30 looked 90 (but were probably 35.) Strangely, the hula-hoops outnumbered the hacky sacks two to one, but as I observed, there was lots giggling and very little hooping. I thought I saw a woman with a falcon on her shoulder but as I got closer I realized it was a pigeon. I didn’t tell her. I also spotted a guy who had a large variety of bongs attached to his overalls, and I thought, he’s a ‘bong-man’, and then he turned around and his hat said ‘bong-man’.

There were also quite a few dogs, mostly pitbulls, or pitbull adjacent. I’m not quite sure what the connection is between dope-smoking and muscular dogs, but there wasn’t a collie or a lab in sight. Then again, the visibility was almost nil.

As I emerged out of the cloud and headed toward Rossdale, the beneficence I felt toward the crowds of shiny, happy people and their sturdy little dogs lingered for awhile and then dissipated, like a puff of smoke. The rest of the walk was unremarkable. Couldn’t wait to get home and murder a bag of chips.

Read another post about 4-20 here.

5:45 PM/23C

Another lovely day…too lovely for a t-shirt. It was only 14C when I left around 11:00 but I think the temperature spiked as soon as I stepped out the door. Without any clouds, it felt hot. Really hot. I suppose there are worse things that can happen to a person than a little sweat. Still, I’d rather be too cold than too hot. It’s the Canadian in me.

Speaking of worse…the stairs on either side of the Low Level Bridge are now a matching pair. Both have been burned and both are inaccessible. The last thing the river valley needs is an arsonist, but at least the fires were contained. The north end staircase has been a blackened stump for several weeks now, and it’s anyone’s guess when the City will be getting around to repairing it. Had it been repaired right away, I wonder if the copycat fire on the south end would have happened? These braniacs have to get their ideas from somewhere.

On a happier note, my favourite staircase, which serves as one of the prettiest access points to Mill Creek, has been restored to its creaky, weathered self. During the wind storm last week, a tree uprooted itself and slammed down on the staircase, smashing a few steps (you should see the tree), and rendering them unsafe, but…with a little fancy maneuvering, still usable.  Nevertheless, the stairs were repaired almost immediately, most likely by the folks who live nearby. Hooray, and thank you to them.

This staircase, which also includes a short bridge across the deeper part of the ravine, is one of the hidden gems of Mill Creek. It’s a tiny thing, but well used, and evidently, well-loved. It’s soft, wooden boards gently yield to the feet (and paws) of the human and dog traffic bounding its way down the stairs and across the bridge on a daily basis, not to mention the rain (when we get it), and snow that further soften the old wood. This resilient little staircase just gets lovelier and lovelier with each passing year.

1:05PM/21C

Is there anything nicer?  Reminds me of family trips to Jasper when I was a kid.

A summer walk, minus the foliage. Can’t believe it’s so warm today. Wore my shorts and a tank top, exposing my sparkling white skin to the sun and fellow albinos on the trails. All non-green life has returned to the river valley. The bugs, the birds, the motorcyclists…all of us surprised by a July day in April.

Wallked through Rutherford again (still looking for that moose)…through Mill Creek (still looking for that coyote) and then over to the north side of the river. Lots of pale Edmontonians sucking up the vitamin D as they walked, strolled, snogged, jogged, biked, and roller-bladed  along the promenade at Louise McKinney Park. One exception…a deeply tanned and very buff gentleman, generously (and entirely conspicuously) displaying his shirtless torso to all onlookers, making the rest of us appear to be suffering from tuberculosis. Loser.

I’m a little worried about the frog bog. It’s so dry, there isn’t even any muck for them to muck about and make little tadpoles. It’s usually around this time…maybe a week later, that I can hear them croaking in the bog. It’s a very unusual sound, more like a cracking than a croaking, and I look forward to it every year. Hopefully it will rain soon and all the little froggies can go a courtin’.

2:59 PM/23C

Just a quickie today…only about 40 minutes, but long enough to get overheated. Capris tomorrow…shorts on  the weekend. Spotted a spotted chipmunk, who spotted me and then buggered off. So skittish those chipmunks, not at all like Chip n’ Dale, the lovable (and courteous) gay couple from the Warner Brothers cartoons. Oh no wait…Chip n’ Dale are gophers!! I mean, Theodore, Simon, and Alvin, the lovable (and courteous) gay singing trio.

No rain, no surprise.

5:24 PM/15C

Looks gloomy, but I found the walk home to be rather mild and pleasant. I don’t know why some cloudy days seem oppressive and others, like today, feel cozy. Maybe it has more to do with my own internal weather patterns than what’s happening in the sky.

In late fall and early spring, I find the dull, but exquisitely detailed browns and greys of an unfoliated landscape wonderfully calming. Unless I’m in a bad mood, and then I just want to open a vein.

Walked through the woods behind the University to the LRT bridge, over to the Leg grounds, Rossdale and then various monkey paths to home. I wasn’t intending on a long walk today, but I was having such a good time listening to Dean Martin and Stevie Wonder on my iTouch, I just kept walking. (About 75 minutes)

5:48 PM/4C

Took the LRT to the north side of the river to see if the wind was any less windy over there, and I can now say with full authority that it is not. The wind tunnel that is downtown Edmonton extended all the way into the river valley.

Three of the four McKinney geese were sitting in their usual afternoon spot sunning their feathers and pecking at the brown grass. Don’t know where the fourth one was…maybe picking up a few groceries. Can’t be too many yummy things on the hill to eat this early in spring.

Once I got into Mill Creek, I kept my eye open for the coyote, but he must have moved on. In fact it was surprisingly quiet on the trail. No other walkers, no bikers. Few birds. Well, I did see Mr and Mrs Mallard (or perhaps they’re just wading in sin) sitting quietly on a bit of sand near the creek, and another small flock of waxwings, but the usual cacophony of birdsong was absent. I wonder if the wind disturbs them? It certainly disturbs me.

5:31 PM/7C