Wearing my Terra Greenhouses colours

 Photo by Barry Wallace

Linda and I dropped into Terra Greenhouses on Friday afternoon for a few vegetable and strawberry plants.   As I hobbled along on my crutches and pushing a cart, one of the Terra staffers passed by me and complimented me on my Terra colours, in particular the purple cast on my right foot.   Terra's corporate colours are purple and yellow (or maybe it's gold).   I thanked the Terra lady for her comment and then realized I was wearing purple and yellow (see photo at left).   I have been told by the specialist I am seeing that I will probably have to wear a cast for as long as a year, to deal with my particular problem.   I may be required to have a new cast twice a month, or perhaps three or four times a month.   There are many colours from which to choose.   I started with black and then moved to purple.   A teenage male patient, with a purple cast, at the hospital I attend said purple was "THE color, man".   I think the only colour I may have a problem with is pink, although my two young granddaughters would probably shriek "YES! YES! YES!"  

Oh, by the way, I had to look up the spelling of shriek, after mispelling it three times.   Wait a minute...aren't there two Ss in mispelling?!?

Photo by Linda Wallace

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Barry Wallace

Grey squirrel owns the backyard

 Photos by Barry Wallace

This grey squirrel more or less owns our backyard.   Of the 10 resident squirrels that inhabit the adjoining backyards of my house and three neighbours, this squirrel is numero uno.   It always gets first crack at bird feeders, no matter how small the feeders are (see top photo).   As for the bird baths, of which there are three, it gets first dibs on all of them.   It mostly ignores me and my cat but will give us pointed stares as if it is asking: "Who are you people?"   If there's one thing I've learned about squirrels after all these years, it's that you can have bird feeders and squirrels, in your backyard...or you can get rid of all the bird feeders and the squirrels as well, but you cannot have bird feeders without squirrels.   It's one of nature's prerogatives.

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Barry Wallace

Avian ablutions in the backyard

"Excuse me, I'm taking a bath".

"Oh very well, take your pictures".

Photos by Barry Wallace

"Camera wet?   Too bad.   You were warned".

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Barry Wallace

An adulterant haiku for this new month

no hummingbird rushes

nor warblers or thrushs

spring bulbs are the first to appear

their blooms I'm not meant to hear

yet hues are soft hushes

                                                                             Photo and verse by Barry Wallace

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Barry Wallace

EATON HALL Pride of King Township

Pictured at right is the cover of a new book entitled EATON HALL

Pride of King Township, written by Kelly Rachelle Matthews, Manager of community recreation, camps, and the outdoor education centre at Seneca College, King Campus, home of Eaton Hall.   The history of this King Township landmark explores the property's pre-Eaton occupation, the men who designed and built this iconic Canadian castle, the many other buildings and structures on the farm and estate; and, the local people who lived there, and have felt its influence over the past 75 years.   My wife's father, Clyde Clifford Cairns, worked there in the early years and Clyde's older brother was the farm manager for several years.   The book will be available at most publishing retailers by June 27.


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BARRY WALLACE

Gardens slow to burst forth...

...but images are ever lovely

Photos by Barry Wallace

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BtheB

Baby Black Squirrel saga

 Photos by Barry Wallace

Thanks to Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge

    Our cat Jaime led Linda into the backyard on Saturday and showed her this small creature, pictured above, beneath a huge maple tree.   The baby Black Squirrel had fallen from the tree and was unable to climb back.   No other squirrel was around, so he stumbled along after us and clambered onto our shoes and tried to pull himself up pant legs - but failed.   What to do?   What to do?   We looked at him closely, cuddled him and gave him some bird seed which he promptly gobbled down.   He seemed eager to join us in our yard work but it was apparent he was too vulnerable, if not to our tethered cat, then to someone else's roaming cat, or to the nearby Cooper's Hawk, or God knows what.   Linda got on the internet and immediately found a place called SHADES OF HOPE WILDLIFE REFUGE located in the big wild wetlands south of Pefferlaw and Lake Simcoe, in the regional municipality of Georgina.   An hour later, we were at Shades of Hope's refuge and handing over our foundling to some wonderful folks who couldn't have been more receptive.   Shades of Hope is a registered charity that is totally dependent on donations from generous supporters.   It is an impressive, first-class operation that has been operating for three years and serves a huge trading area across southern Ontario.   We made a small donation to the cause and returned to King City feeling totally reassured about the little fellow's future.   When he is older, he will be released on the Seneca College grounds where one of the Shades of Hope workers is studying.   Shades of Hope always returns animals for release into the area in which they originated.   Oh, by the way, our little lost lad was one of 10 squirrels Shades of Hope had received on Saturday, which was a typical intake of baby squirrels, at this time of year. 

    

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BtheB