I'll leave the title of this post to your imagination

I spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with other people's poop.

That's not a metaphor. Most of my patients take heavy-duty narcotics like OxyContin and Percocet, which can cause constipation. This, in turn, not only causes grumpiness and added discomfort, but can lead to paralytic ileus if not caught in time. The physician overseeing our patients' care is extraordinarily attentive to the state of the everyone's bowels, and it is best to be on top of the shituation when she makes her rounds. Failure to have this information at one's fingertips can cause certain substances to hit the fan. Therefore, I don't take poop for granted.

What I have taken for granted, is that everyone has a safe and hygienic place to take care of business. This morning, on BoingBoing, I read about an initiative to bring what I believe is a fundamental human right and necessity to the low-caste girls studying at the Pardada Pardadi School, in Uttar Pradesh, India. A small amount of money will make a huge difference in the lives of these girls. I hope you will check this out!

On the trail today

As always, the bullfrogs are plentiful.


This Mallard attempted to remain inconspicuous.


As did this Momma Robin.


By the time we passed this spot on the trail again, Momma Robin had flown the nest.

Have you ever noticed ...

the artistry found within the mundane?

I was struck by the beauty of this head of red cabbage.

Strange, isn't it?


(What? Were you actually expecting profound thoughts on this gorgeous day?)

Victory!

Sanity has triumphed in Ontario. As of today, fascist Homeowner Associations can no longer ban outdoor clotheslines! To celebrate this veto, Toronto Hydro will be giving away 75,000 retractable indoor/outdoor clotheslines over the next few weeks.

Well done, Ontario! Let your freshly laundered freak flags fly!

GSD day 2 - Gardening

Today's efforts were muted, as I am working tonight.

Ridiculously large and exuberant pansies were planted amongst the tulips. This required a great deal of weeding. As a bonus, we incorporated a science lesson into this activity: earthworms and the definition of a hermaphrodite.


I started my tomato and cucumber plants. It will be several weeks before they can be put into the garden.


Several of the raised beds were weeded and aerated. Next week I'll take a gamble and plant a packet of mesclun mix lettuce seeds.

I suspect that my muscles will be screeching at me later on tonight. Ah well!

GSD week

Inspired by Redneck Mother, I've been making a concerted effort to Get Stuff Done. Here's one such project:



Twisted Tales, or When Four Cats Meet.

Posted for my Sister-In-Law, the Engineer

An Engineer's Guide to Cats.



I'm not an engineer, but I am that weird woman with three cats.

Across the pond, they've taken notice

The lead story in Sunday's online edition of the London Daily Mail is a sharp rebuke of the way the UK honours its fallen soldiers upon their repatriation from Afghanistan. The article lauds Canada for the way it honours her fallen. Both the government and the ordinary citizens of my home and native land do it with class. It should be noted that 82 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan in the past six years.

Meanwhile, nineteen American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the past six days. Can you hear the crickets chirping? South of the 49th parallel, the fixation has been on what is being reflected in a certain chickenhawk's sunglasses. It's rather like a national Rorschach test, isn't it? Personally, I see a hand holding the neck of a fiddle, with flames dancing in the background.

A walk in the woods

Momma Osprey on her nest. This is at the entrance of Wellesley Island State Park.

Poppa Osprey stands guard.

Poppa Osprey in flight.

Porcupine gnawing on tree. See the damage?

The first butterfly of the year. I think this is a painted lady. She's looking a little rough around the edges, but she's here, and that's all that counts.

By the dawn's early light

It occurred to me that I should bring my camera with me when I hung out the laundry this morning. Turns out, it was a good idea.

Peacefully coexisting

This was the view from my upstairs window this morning, at about 0700:



A flock of turkeys had gathered to partake in their mating ritual, with the toms competing for the attention of the hens. The deer were mostly minding their own business, but from time to time they would look up to see what was happening. Maybe it was the equivalent of Animal Planet for the deer.

Dis speeks 2 mee

For our daily laughs, my son and I are regular visitors to the LOL Cats. It could be argued that I spend too much time there, because my speech is now peppered with illogical phrases like "Oh Noes!" and "I can has anudder coffee?" My son tells me to "stop with the LOL-ish!"

And on that note, I leave you with this LOL Cat: