Too busy to talk

Image source

I'm sure you all thought that I'd forgotten about you. All the contrary, I was feeling guilty for not posting. Two reasons 1) Lack of inspiration (le syndrome de la page blanche, si vous voulez) 2) I have been really, really busy making all the things that I said that would happen in 2012 happen.

Classes have been a lot of work this semester. The teacher was not kidding when he said we'll have to work at least 10-15 hours/week on our project. And that's just one course. The second one is a little less time consuming.

I've also been involved in two projects, writing for websites (AVEQ, Parc du domaine vert). And I'm working on getting a third one started. There's still some tweaking needing to be done and a lot of more stuff to add but, it's a start.

My photo exposition is starting at the end of the month, Oh my God, it's in three weeks. So I've been working on getting that done. I hope that the ones that live nearby are going to come have a look. There is a "pseudo vernissage" on Saturday April 14; 2h to 4h at la Maison du citoyen et Place de la culture de Boisbriand. This is my formal invitation, everybody is welcome. Bring your crackers and wine because it's not included. Just kidding. The pictures are for sale too, cash and check only, kidding again. Actually they are really for sale, but that's not why I'm exposing, it's for the fame and to pay for your cheese and crackers.

So that's that, what else? My website on wild flowers. It's up and running but barely. I mean, there's just a few flower descriptions on it, so far. I'm trying to get more before the picture show so I can tell people about it. As my readers, I will give you a "primeur" and let you have a peek. In return, I would appreciate some comments, especially if you come across a bug or a link that's not there when it should or anything that bugs you when you're looking for things in it. You can leave a comment on the Homepage, or on my email posted on the site, or on Facebook, or on this blog, as long as you comment I'll be happy. And don't be shy, I can handle it. Here is the link: Flore des basses Lautrentides. Oh just one last thing, it's in French.

That's about it, and that my boyfriend will kill me if I don't get off this computer.

More news latter



  

Rosemary and Winter

I was watching TV Sunday night and thinking that I needed to vacuum because the rosemary had lost a lot of leaves and it was all over the carpet.  So yesterday, I decided to prune the shrub since it didn’t look very healthy.  There were a lot of dead leaves but to my surprise there were also some small purple flowers.  I guess it’s not doing that bad after all.  I could not resist taking a couple of pictures and that made me think I could write about keeping an herb garden inside over the winter season. 

So here is the story of our little rosemary tree.

Close up of Rosemary flowers

As you know we have a small garden and in the summer we grow our own vegetables and fine herbs.  One of them is rosemary.  Chris bought it two years ago; it was a small seedling that we planted sometime in June 2010.  In October it had grown quite a bit and we wanted to keep it but were unsure if it would survive winter outside.  So we transplanted it in a large pot and brought it in.  It spent the winter in front of the patio door facing south and did not suffer too much except for some branches that were facing away from the window.  Came summer, we put it back in its spot in the garden and it grew some more.  Now it’s in front of the same door waiting for summer to come.  Seems like it’s doing OK since it's blooming.  We also brought some parsley and chive inside but those guys are not doing so great.  The parsley might survive but I’m not convinced that the chive will.  We certainly won’t be eating fresh parsley and chive this winter unless we buy them at the grocery store.



Close up of Rosemary flowers

Did you know that rosemary is an evergreen shrub and that it can become as tall at 6 ½ feet.  Ours is about 3 ½. It is drought resistant and its name derives from the Latin words ros marinus, which translate into dew of the sea because in many locations it needs no water other than the humidity carried by the sea breeze to live.



Rosemary shrub

I have to admit that this last picture is not the best but I wanted to give you an idea of what the whole thing looked like. 

So next fall if you feel like it, just take a pot, a shovel and some earth and have your own inside winter garden.  Freshness is always good in the middle of winter.

PS: I haven't vacuumed yet.  I'll get to it soon, I promise.

What will happen in 2012 ?

 Is it going to be the end of the world as some illuminates say or is it going to be the same ol same ol routine stuff day after day?  As we say in Québec “Métro, boulo, dodo”.  Well actually, lately it’s been more: stuck in traffic, work, stuck in traffic and sleep.  But let’s not start the New Year on a negative note.  Let’s get positive.  Let’s say that the Champlain Bridge won’t fall, that the economy is gonna get better and I’ll stop getting older.  Wishful thinking? Maybe for the last one anyway.  

However, there are some things that I’m sure of:

1- I will get a new computer.  I have been thinking about it for awhile but now I have the perfect excuse to go get it: I need a portable one for class.  It’s required, so now I don’t have a choice. I need one since I have been working from my boyfriend desktop for the last year.  Hurray, I finally can get a MacBook Pro.

2- I will start my website on Laurentians wild flowers.  Those of you who’ve been following me know that I love flowers, so I decided to put my love and knowledge to use.  I’m building a site that will help people easily identify the flowers that they find when they go for a walk in the woods, a park or in their neighbourhood.  I’m hoping that it will raise awareness in the importance of preserving environment.

3- I will expose my photographic work at the local Community Art Center. This is all part of the plan to get people interested in their immediate natural environment so they will be more incline to preserve it.  Some of my wild flower pictures will be shown for one month starting April 1, 2012 at la Maison du citoyen et Place de la Culture de Boisbriand.

4- I will continue taking courses at the HEC Montréal to improve my management and e-marketing skills.  I have already taken two courses and I am working toward a DESS (Specialized graduate diploma) in E-business.

5- I will work as a consultant for l’AVEQ (Association des Vétérinaires Équins du Québec).  I’m in charge of getting their Website functional and writing its content.  That’s a project I have been thinking about for a long time.  Now it’s going to happen.

As for the rest: eating better, getting more exercise, being more patient, and winning the lottery…..I’ll try to make it happen, but that, I’m not sure about.

To all, I wish a Happy New Year and a lot of sure and less sure things.

It's that time of year again

Snow on a buch of Echinacae

Well, it's that time of year again, Christmas Eve.  What are you guys doing right now?  Running around trying to buy a last minute gift for uncle Whatchama Callit that you haven't seen in ages and is coming over tonight.  Or maybe trying to figure out how you are going to sit everyone at the table for dinner or better yet, you just burnt the turkey and will have to get St-Hubert and stuff it with what you were able to save for the bird that is now looking like the Griswold family one in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  Or maybe you are a well organized person and have everything ready and is enjoying a hot cocoa in front of a nice fire looking forward to gift giving time.

However you are celebrating Christmas, my cats, my family and I are wishing you all a nice Holiday with the ones you love.

I tried to get the cats to sit for a Christmas pictures but they didn't feel like sitting still with a Christmas hat (which is actually a Christmas stocking,  shhhh.....everybody doesn't have to know) on their head.  Sachat stayed around long enough for me to get one shot.  Grisgris saw me coming and ran away so here is what you get.  I have added a couple of wintery pictures so you wouldn't feel like I let you down.

Sachat before she decided that the hat was enough

Mésange à tête noire (Black-capped Chickadee)
Boisbriand, QC Décembre 2011

For those who were wondering if Québec is going to have a white Christmas.  It seems like it.  There is about an inch of snow on the ground that fell yesterday. And the forecast calls for cold temperatures so the snow is going to stay at least 'til after Christmas.  We will have a white Christmas, at least in Boisbriand.

Ice on a Rosebush in our yard

Snowfall from yesterday

So Merry Christmas to all of you who are reading me and I talk to you next year or maybe sooner.

My Cats Nicknames

Officially my cats have one name each; in reality they have about a dozen.  It’s always been like this.  Over the years none of the cats I owned kept their original name.  They had their official name, the one I gave the vet or told my friend when they asked.  But in fact, I started given them new ones as soon as I got to know them and they showed me their personality.  Since that changed over time, the names evolved along with it.

As you know I presently have two cats, a brother and sister.  We brought them home 1 ½ year ago.  After a few days of trying different names to see if they fitted and debating among ourselves which one would fit the best, we decided to call the female Sachat with a t (cat in French is chat) and the male Grisgris like the voodoo charm and because he is gray; gris being the French word for gray.  It didn’t take long before their name started to chance.

Grisgris when he was 3 months old

Grisgris became Gris for short than Risris or Ris.  Sachat became Sache.  As they grew older their hair coat became longer and ticker so, I started calling them les Wooly moumoutes in reference to the extinct wooly mammoth and, moumoute in reference to a French word used to designate a man’s hair piece.  The name Wooly moumoute turned into Moute again for the sake of shortness or Woolute and Woolite. On another tangent we got the unavoidable reference to cats being flee bags, which in French is les Sacs à puce.  From that was born the derivatives Les Sacs à pouette and Les Pouettes.

Sachat at 3 months

Grisgris is also called Gros Ronron Ponpon or Le Point.  Don’t ask me where that last one came from. I don’t have a clue.  Recently I started calling Sachat Choupette.  You know the Disney movie about the VW bug called Herbie? Well in the French translation it’s called Choupette.  It’s also used as a term of endearment.  Of course Choupette could not stay Choupette so it became Choupe, than Shwip and Shwipette.  Oh… and before I forget there is also Chouine and Chouinette.  Since these are feminine names, I needed a masculine counterpart for Grisgris, so came along Le Chouin and Les Chouins designating both of them.

Grisgris this Fall

I use the names alternatively depending on my mood and theirs, I guess.  I know, you all must think I’m crazy and crazier yet to talk about it on a blog.  I would be happy to hear what nicknames you call your pets.  It’s ok, you don’t have to have as many as I do.   Don’t hesitate, in doing so you’ll reassure me that I am not alone in my craziness.



Sachat a couple of weeks ago