I’m sitting here in my dining room looking out at the beautiful snowstorm raging on and it reminds me of when I had bronchitis many years ago. It hung on forever, much like this winter. Finally, I decided to ignore the discomfort, the coughing, the lack of energy, and pretend it was all better. I acted as though I was already healed, before it happened. And it worked! Instead of coddling myself, making sure I was getting extra naps, drinking lots of tea, blah, blah, blah, I just got up, acted energetically, went about my usual business, and right away, I...
Polar Vortex? Or Zeus vs Mother Nature?
March 29, 2014June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I have to admit that I’m bandying words about in my title that I don’t exactly understand. I just read through most of the Wiki article on the polar vortex and I’m not much wiser than I was before. What I understood is that polar vortexes are always present, but their activity varies from year to year, which causes variations in the weather, similar to what we’re experiencing. However, you don’t need to be a weather expert to be acutely aware that spring is late this year. I’ve been away in Europe for the last 18 days, enjoying their warmer-than-usual...
Let’s Grow Some Weed!
February 26, 2014June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
Milkweed, that is. I know, funny how that headline kinda grabbed your attention, right? Anyway, my sister, Nora, a wonderful gardener and nature lover, brought to my attention something that has been hovering on the edge of my consciousness for awhile now (planted there by various headlines that I only glanced at); Monarch butterflies are in danger. Their numbers are down 90% over a few years ago. I’m going to cut and paste part of what she wrote to be included in her local horticultural society newsletter on the subject: The problem appears to have a lot to do with...
Beauty Will Save the World, Part 2
February 17, 2014June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I recently completed a run of Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, an opera that I (and almost everyone else) know a few tunes from (Summertime, I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’, It Ain’t Necessarily So), but I had never listened to all the way through. The process was both challenging and moving to me. I can’t remember another opera I’ve played with the OSM that was as difficult for the musicians to both play and put together as this one, and, as usual, on very few rehearsals, but that’s another story. The history of the piece is compelling: Gershwin poured...
Joy in the Window
January 28, 2014June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I have a private space in my house, for the first time in my married life. “A room of my own”, in the words of Virginia Woolf. It is my practice space, but it is more than that. I have plants in the window and I have a bookshelf with various music paraphernalia on it, and another bookshelf with books; some that were my mother’s; some that have been mine forever; some are gardening books I’ve gathered over the years. I love my little room, though I spend comparatively few hours there. It was Travis’s bedroom for many years, and...
About Dogs
December 27, 2013June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I’m sitting in my favourite position on the couch. Which is to say, with my dog, Monty, on my lap. I’ve been observing dogs most of my life, and I have come to certain conclusions about them, which are far from absolute fact, as I’m no expert, but they seem true to me. I have had a few dogs in my life, mostly in my early childhood, to the age of 15, then skipping about 25 years where my life was too complex and charged to contemplate dog-ownership. Since the age of about 40 I’ve had two dogs. Abe, who...
Winter and Waiting
December 26, 2013June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
Despite the short days we’ll be experiencing for the next couple of months (let’s not kid ourselves), I’m encouraged just knowing the days are getting longer now. Every day we get a few more minutes of sunlight. For me, the worst part of winter is the lack of light. I’m pretty sure I’m not as productive in the winter time, just because I feel like, well, the day is over at 4:30. Can’t really do anything after that, right? Winter in Montreal, and most parts of Canada, is an endurance test. Everyone gets an A for getting through it! My...
Winter Up-date
November 25, 2013June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I told you I’d bring you an up-date on my “winter” biking commitment. (Winter is in quotes there because we really haven’t gotten into the season proper yet.) Well, today started out cold (“felt like -18C”, according to the weather network) and I just couldn’t face the ride to work. I’m not giving up entirely, but, with the bike path in NDG closed down for the winter, I’ll have to ride along Sherbrooke St. to get downtown and I’m leery of that idea. Plus, it’s just plain cold! I’m a wimp! I admit it! My apologies to my intrepid son,...
Gearing up for the Long Winter
November 14, 2013June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
Despite what the calendar says, winter is here. Though there’s no snow on the ground, it’s cold enough to put on your winter coat and boots, so it’s winter in my book. The temperature might still spike for a day or two, but pretty soon it will be sub-zero, all the time. If you’re like me, you are feeling a little bit down about that. November has never been my favourite month; it’s grey, cold, wet and dark. If you haven’t put your garden to bed, well, it’s a bit late now. Working outside in this weather is not much...
More about Bees
November 7, 2013June 5, 2023By Vivian Lee
I already wrote a short post on honeybees a few months ago, but I’ve been reading a lot about them lately, as well as watching videos on their incredible organizational abilities . Once you start reading about bees you can’t avoid coming across something about the phenomenon known as “colony collapse disorder (CCD)” since it is a huge concern right now, as most of you know. The connection between CCD and the use of pesticides known as neonicotinoids (developed by Bayer) is not confirmed and there are definitely other factors involved, such as loss of natural habitat and monocultural farming practices...