~ little lamb lookalike ~

Dad phoned last night, returning my call. He said about Baby Ben that “He’s pretty goodlooking, and I don’t usually say that about newborn babies.” Obviously he's already got a soft spot for this one. Just looking at the photo Joan sent makes me happy (and sad at the same time, because I know how much Mom would love him), and the one of Jordan holding him makes me happy for her. I’m also glad for Dad, who will enjoy watching this little one grow.

Found out this morning that the little fellow is in the hospital again. Karen called to pass on the news that he wasn't peeing so yesterday Joan took him in right away and they discovered he was dehydrated. They're keeping him in a day or two for observation, but he seems to be all right. I haven't talked to Joan yet, for of course she's spending her time at the hospital. I had a feeling something was up when she wasn't home either yesterday afternoon or later in the evening when I tried to reach her. It wouldn't be unusual for Joan to be out and around a lot, but with a newborn ... less likely.

***

There is an elegant, long-necked, male northern pintail down at the creek, and a couple pairs of what I think (judging by the bird book) are goldeneyes, which I had mistakenly thought were buffleheads; there are many pairs of northern shovellers, and of course mallards and coots and blue-winged teals are ubiquitous. After living on a farm all these years, you'd think I'd have noticed all the wild birds before now. This year it’s as if a whole new avian world has opened up to me. I'm thinking as I stroll down the road with a big smile on my face, feeling utterly grateful, inhaling the scent of something (it has to be the poplar trees because I see no sign of wolf willows yet, though the smell reminds me of them) that hey, life doesn't get duller as you get older, it gets more fascinating. There are always new things to discover, apparently, and sometimes they've been under one's nose all along.

Was not quite as warm yesterday as I’d like, for wearing shorts, but didn’t find that out till I was already walking down the road. I went around past the corner and north to the north end of the creek, and spotted in the water three avocets and, among the usual suspects, a pair of what my Birds of Saskatchewan book identifies as canvasbacks.

Also saw a big muskrat (twice) swimming earnestly past me, a hawk (probably a red-tailed; I wasn't close enough to tell, but we have lots of them on the land just north of the yard) flying back and forth across the road ahead of me, a set of blackbirds (one sat peeping high in a tree along the road, and when on my way back I started singing, it did its bicycle-bell trill several times as I walked past, and put me to shame), and a grey-bodied, white-headed snowgoose that flew away when I tried to get close enough for a photo. Last night we identified a common bird in these parts as a merlin; this is a small hawk we always see north and east of the yard.

The Canada geese have not been at the creek the last few times I’ve walked down there, and I feared they'd nested somewhere else. But on the way back I saw one floating across the water, honking in some irritation, and then realized why: there was Sara, swimming earnestly after it. It must have been leading her away from a nest, otherwise it probably would have flown up and away before it reached the water's edge. Once it did, it flew low across the road and along the ditch on the other side, with Sara in full-out pursuit. I tell her -- "You'll never catch it, and if you do it'll take a round out of you," but she is determined to see for herself.

~ dog swimming after goose ~

Reprinted from "The Greenwater Report" by Jerry and Doreen Crawford in the Wadena News this week, following Mothers' Day:

"I took Doreen to the Beach Café for lunch today; things had slowed down after an early rush so we had no trouble finding a table. We had a great lunch, and a visit with Ted and Birdy Krzak. Connie was giving away a free plant to each mother. Ronnie Hirtle said he thought he should have one too, and Connie told him to go home, shave his legs, and come back with a skirt on, and she would give him a plant."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police now contribute a list of criminal events in the area. FLFN is the Fishing Lake First Nation reserve just south of the farm here a few miles. This is also from the Wadena News:

"RCMP Report

May 8:
Theft at FLFN. Thieves took new shoes, left old ones behind."

***

The boys and I are off to Saskatoon later this afternoon. They'll spend the weekend with their dad at a hotel with a pool, and I'll be staying with a friend who is moving to Saskatchewan for a couple months to teach at the university.

I picked up a few packs of red nicotiana at the greenhouse the other day and planned to mix the old planter soil with some well-rotted manure before putting them into the pots. Before Scott left for work this morning I asked him to water them in the mornings, as these tiny plastic packs dry out every day if it's warm and sunny. He said, "I'll try." Usually he is on the ball enough to remember things like that, but after he drove off, I thought what the hell, I'll stick 'em in the dirt right now, then they're more likely to survive and he won't have to worry about them.

What a pleasure to do it, and to see it done. Flower Fever hasn't hit me this spring because it's been cool and wet and it looks like all my perennials will have to be moved away from the house so new weeping tile can be put in. Unless the garden is dry enough to be worked, new flower beds back against the trees will have to be dug. That's my plan for Sunday and Monday, with Everett's help. The boys have the day off school so I'll be taking advantage of that.

NP: silent house, but for the gurgle of the water running through the aquarium filter

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

If you're wondering why you don't receive notifies like you used to, it's because -- well, don't make me explain, just sign up again: