My first blog posting. Spring is the time for starting new projects, right? So here’s what I’m planning:
New blog, new website update coming this summer, and starting the research for a new historical novel. Details to follow as it goes along.
In the meantime, I spent the weekend planting: wildflowers for my butterfly garden, which was a huge success last year, and herbs for the kitchen and summer meals. Squirrels ate all my tulip bulbs except for about six, however. I’m not feeling very fond of the critters at the moment. Should I try again? Do hot red pepper flakes planted with the bulbs really work?
I’m attaching a picture of a neighbour of mine. We have osprey nests on the telephone poles all along the road leading into our village. The Hydro people didn’t think it was a good idea for the birds to build right on the poles, so they built platforms for them. The birds built quite fantastic nests on the platforms and come back to them every year. This particular osprey has had a hard time of it for the past two years, but hasn’t let that discourage her. The winter before last she had a well-established nest, but the wind blew it down. I was there on the day she returned. I have never seen quite such an indignant bird. She strutted from one end of the bare platform to the other, obviously furious. I could imagine what she was thinking:
“I left a perfectly good nest here last fall and just WHERE is it NOW?”
But, she rebuilt it.
This year the nest survived the winter, and she spent the spring embellishing it with colourful bits and pieces of all sorts of stuff. Plain old twigs weren’t good enough for her. Then the winds came up, and down it went again. Undaunted, she is rebuilding yet again, and searching out even more colourful decorations.
A lesson for us here, perhaps?
If at first you don’t succeed, make it better.
The new blog looks good, Karleen!
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Thanks, Cheryl. I’m still just feeling my way around here.
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Congratulations on the new blog! Any time is a great time for starting a new project.
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Thanks, Beth. Your recipe for soda bread looks delicious. And my best wishes to your daughter.
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Great piece, Karleen. Welcome to blogging!
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You ended up in my trash! Am doing my best to get you out of here.
And thanks for the comments!
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Congratulations, Karleen! I really enjoyed your blog, especially the part about the ospreys. We have a pair that return year after year and we look on them as one of the first joyful signs of Spring. You’ve inspired me to seriously think about starting a blog of my own.
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Thanks, Marilyn. We love watching the ospreys raise their young. Do start your own blog. It took me a while to get up the nerve to do it, but I’m glad I did.
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Great start, Karleen. Welcome to blogging. I love the look of your blog — the wonderful colours at the top.
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Thanks, Rachna.
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It’s look great Karleen. And wonderful photo!
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Thanks, Lilian. The photo is Capri. We’re going back to Italy in two weeks. Can’t wait.
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Kathleen, please don’t use anything like hot pepper flakes for the squirrels. They get them on their feet and rub their eyes and go into excruciating pain, sometimes even blinding themselves. What are a few tulip bulbs? I find that if you feed the squirrels nuts, they leave the bulbs, which aren’t that appetizing, alone
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Okay, no pepper flakes. I certainly don’t want to cause squirrels pain. I guess I can live without tulips. Thanks for letting me know about that, Barbara.
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Love the osprey photo and your observations.
Spring is indeed the time for new beginnings, fresh starts and bringing forth new projects like a blog 🙂 We’re not very different from those birds at all..
Looking forward to more….
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Thank you for your comments, Colleen. I hope you keep on enjoying the blog.
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Congratulations, Karleen! Welcome to the blogosphere. 🙂
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Thanks, Debbie. I’m enjoying it so far!
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Welcome to the blogosphere, Karleen! Good job with your new blog. 🙂
Kim
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Thanks, Kim. I dropped by your blog, too. Your book, Red Zone, sounds fascinating.
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Wow, 20 comments already! Most blogs don’t one month in and month out. Nice work and good luck.
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I’m really delighted by the response. Thanks!
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Way to go, Karleen! Nice to have you among us bloggers.
Love your tag line. We writers really DO write about anything and everything. That’s one of the best things about our profession. We get paid to learn all kinds of neat stuff, or as in my case … to travel and eat magnificent chocolate.
Cheers,
Doreen.
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And what could be better than chocolate!
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Hi, Karleen — So glad you’re doing this! It just might make me miss chatting more regularly just that little bit less. Have fun — I know we all will. x Marie
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We will chat more regularly anyway. I really intend to come down to Toronto when we get back from Italy–after June 19th.
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