Hey, good morning! It’s very nice to see you. I hope you had a great week.
It was so absolutely sunny and gorgeous yesterday. After the rain of the week, you could watch your grass grow over the course of the day. This time of spring is amazing.
Hey, I’ve got a pot of tea steeping over here. If you’ve got a few minutes to hang out, would you mind grabbing a couple mugs from the kitchen?
Super. Let’s catch up.
Return of the cross-breeze
As I sat with Erin on the back deck yesterday with the sun beating down on us and a light breeze in the air, I realized I needed to take half an hour to hang the old screen door on the front of the house.
We bought this old door a few years ago from a lovely older lady who was sad to see it go. Her husband had installed it on their house in the early 70s, and just that year, her son had replaced it with a new aluminum door.
The old door was still in great shape. The dimensions were also exactly right for our front door, which turns out to be a much greater coincidence than I would have imagined in my adult life.
We took it home, Erin painted it bright green to match our planter boxes, and I hung it in the frame.
The second that door went in, our house changed forever. The cross-breeze that runs through the first floor in the summer is just the loveliest thing you’ve ever felt. I swear it brings the temperature down of the whole house by several degrees.
My kids think my love of the cross-breeze is ridiculous, and I’m totally fine with that. I shall forever live in their memory standing in the kitchen on a sunny day saying “feel that? FEEL THAT?”
Merlin spots a merlin
I have been walking the same paper route now for 8 years, minus the year I took off last year. I am now quite familiar with the birds that live and migrate through the area. It’s part of what I love about walking the same route every day over time. I know the sights, I know the sounds.
Which is why I was surprised Tuesday morning to hear a birdsong I’d never heard before.
I was walking on on Orelebar when I first heard it. It got louder as I approached Gerald. I stopped and looked around and spotted a bird high in a tree I didn’t recognize. It was partially obscured, but it could have been a small hawk or falcon.
I pulled out my phone and turned on the Merlin Bird ID app. The function that identifies birds by sound is a lovely party trick, but I’ve tried to only use it as a part of the identification process. I turned on the recording function and stood still for a moment.
The app didn’t hesitate. The second my little falcon began to sing, the Merlin app quite confidently identified it as a merlin.
I ran back to get the bird in my sights to get a better look. I compared it to the photos on the app. I was pretty sure what I was looking at was a merlin, but I’m not an experienced enough birder to say for sure.
I felt fairly vindicated Thursday night as I sat at my friend Josie’s table for games night. She was so excited to report she’d spotted a merlin that day in the exact same spot.
Anyway. I haven’t seen it since, but if you’re strolling through the Walthen/Gerald/Orlebar area of Charlottetown, keep your eyes and ears open.
The many faces of Gaylene
I’ve been making sourdough bread for a few years now, and I’m amazed by the miracle every time. When I first made my sourdough starter, I never imagined all the hundreds of loaves of bread and pancakes and bagels and cakes and biscuits it would help me make.
I named my starter Gaylene, and she’s never let me down. Here she is in her many moods.
Beware
I suspect this warning is a few seasons out of date, but I’ll be careful nonetheless.
Dunnock Bay
I’m just the kind of crazy that I write two weekly newsletters and they both come out on Sunday mornings. There’s The Quack, which I’m pretty sure you’re aware of because you’re reading it right now. Here’s where I talk about the real stuff of every day life.
Dunnock Bay is my weekly fiction newsletter. Every week, I write a little dispatch from my made-up little town in Maritime Canada. It’s an excuse for me to further explore the joy and quirks of every day life and relationships. Within that, there are a couple running story lines I keep coming back to. This week, we’re back with Jess, a high school student who was invited by a dude named Grease to join his band. Grease is sure the Renegades are ready for their first gig at Bobby’s coffee shop. Jess isn’t so sure. Catch up on the latest here.
Thanks for hanging out with me another Sunday morning. If you enjoy reading, please consider liking and sharing this post. Every little bit helps.
Have a great week.