~ lunch's second course, fried perogies ~

This morning I caught a ride to town with Scott's dad, who was going in to do some business on main street. I was home in time to put away four bags of groceries before listening to the first instalment of Canada Reads. As the contestants talked about the books they are championing, I felt tempted to read them a second time. To hear others describe the characters in the stories is like turning a page I missed.

There’s one I haven’t finished yet: The Song of Kahunsha, by Anosh Irani; I’m just starting the third chapter. It's about a boy from an orphanage in India, who ends up on his own in a violent Bombay. I hope it won't have horrible images. When I read a particular account of torture and murder in one of Rohinton Mistry's celebrated books, I set it aside without finishing it. The images upset me enough not to knowingly risk another by reading further.

***

In the local paper ~

Excerpts from The Greenwater Report by Jerry and Doreen Crawford, reprinted from the Wadena News:

• Monday morning was quite brisk, -36C, sunny, and calm. I walked down to the café for coffee and sat by the window with Merv Miller and Chelsea. Merv mentioned mirages but I didn't know what he was talking about until he pointed it out.
On the north shore right at the treeline we could see a hill, which seemed normal enough until it moved, flattened out and disappeared. Then a trail opened up in the trees, moving across our field of vision. What looked like a ski run appeared, running down to the lake; then another opened up beside it and finally they merged and faded out.
There were two fishing huts by the point, a white one and a black one. The white one appeared to grow until it looked about twelve feet tall; a black spot appeared at the base of it and the hut seemed to move farther and farther away to the north until it disappeared. In the meantime, the black one grew taller and moved closer to us, but when it was as tall as the white one, it shrank again until it was just a little black bump in the snow. Then they both went back to normal.
Merv says the mirages only appear when the weather is very cold, and only last about an hour. We haven't noticed them from our place, but we haven't been watching, either. Of course, everyone gave Connie and Gary a rough time about putting special ingredients in the coffee.

• Shirley Miller told me a strange story the other day. A redpoll had hit their front window and knocked itself out. Its mate came along and pecked at it, trying to pull it up, but eventually the injured one died. The mate then picked it up and flew away with it! Has anyone else witnessed a similar event?

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,