Saw my first coyote of 2010!

I was walking along one of the upper trails in Mill Creek when a biker stopped to say a coyote was on the adjacent trail. I said ‘thanks’ and turned around. It occurred to me later that he may have been trying to warn me, but as I am neither a poodle nor a small child, coyotes don’t scare me. I hear them all the time in the ravine, but I rarely see them, and I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to see one up close. I walked to where the biker guy had pointed and spotted the coyote almost immediately, wandering through the bush. He was relatively far away and quite blendy with his surroundings. If the coyote saw me, he chose to ignore me…not being a tasty poodle or an even tastier small child. Very cool.

Also spotted a couple of yellow birds (possibly goldfinches or warblers) and either a hairy or a downy woodpecker, but it was hard to tell from a distance. It seemed neither hairy or particularly downy…just ferociously intent on pecking out whatever was napping below the bark of the tree.

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…to stay inside, drink coffee, read a book, and be thankful I’m not one of the birds being knocked about by this wind.

2:06 PM/1C

An understatement. The wind could not decide if it wanted to restyle my hair a la Peg Bundy or exfoliate my skin, so it did both, with a bonus cornea scraping thrown for good measure. It was nasty, but I still walked for about 90 minutes through Rossdale and then over to Scona Hill, where the wind was marginally less blowy.

The weatherman’s hyperbolic promise of an epic deluge came to nought, as expected. The snow that fell last night dried up this morning. Whatevs. It was brown yesterday, it’s brown today, but there are strokes of green amongst the brown, which is encouraging.

The birds seemed to be on standby…literally standing by, waiting for the wind to subside. I ran across a goose by the Epcor side of the Walterdale Bridge, waiting for someone to come along with a camera. I happily obliged, but was only able to snap a few shots before it hissed at me. What a tease.

The thing about bad weather is that it can be deceiving when viewed through a window. In my experience, it’s usually better to be out than in, and unlike books and people, I try not to judge a day by its cover. A walk through the woods on a gloomy day is often a calming, contemplative pleasure. However, today was a perfect example of WYSIWYG. It was just as grim outside as it appeared to be inside. But I’m glad I walked. I’m always glad I walked, even when I get snowed on, or rained on, or if the wind slaps me around a bit. I can take it.

5:40 PM/5C

I am become dust.

Excuse me for stating the obvious, but wind is not rain. Also self-evident?  Paths that cross giant dirt fields should be avoided on windy days. Ouch.

5:20 PM/7C and blowing  =: o

Things are looking better out there. Overcast. Gloomy. Keep up the good work, Cumulonimbus! If there is any way I can facilitate your weeping, please let me know.

1:46 PM/13C and cloudy 🙂

OK…the sun is shining, the sky is blue. It looks like it’s going to be another beautiful day. This is not good. I’m all geared up for rain. I’ve got my umbrella, I’ve steeled myself for a bad hair day…and yet, as of 10:06 this morning, a 60% chance of rain seems terribly optimistic.

I think the thing that bothers me most about our droughty province, other than the massive amounts of hand-lotion and lip balm required to keep my inner reptile at bay, is the failed promises of rain.  So much anticipation, so little satisfaction. Just like pancakes.

C’mon clouds…do your worst. Please.

10:19 AM/9C and sunny >:(