Open your eyes

Tipping the Scales

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Laura

Hiding seedkers

I am back in Hamilton just in time to miss a great opportunity to snow-shoe at THO.  Even so, the birds here in Hamilton are happy to have me back.  My feeders are covered in snow that is at least a foot and a half deep now and showing no sign of stopping.  After the drive and walkways were shovelled, I cleared off a spot on top of the patio chair and the air-conditioner and dumped a bunch of seed and peanuts there.  I am unsure if you can see just how many birds there are here, sheltering themselves in the cedars in between turns, but I am guessing there are about 50-60 of them.

The drought last summer makes food so scarce this winter, so I am tipping the scales for these little creatures just a little bit.  There are lots of varieties of sparrows, dark eyed Juncos, starlings, purple grosbeaks a cardinal pair who depend on my feeders.

They pay me back by sharing their beauty with my eyes and mind and of course by singing.  They always remind me of my great love, Townes Van Zandt.  Specifically Townes haunting voice and lyrics, “the birds were talking all at once” come to me…  and so I sing too, along with the little chatterers, in my off key and not so wonderful way.

Thankfully my dogs don’t mind much.

Lunch buffet

 

Feathers and fluff

Categories: Nature, Ontario, Open your eyes | Tags: , , , | 3 Comments

Songbird: Chantal Thompson

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Laura

When I was a youth, I worked many mc-jobs and at one of these my colleague was a younger girl, Chantal Thompson, who could sing like a bird.  We lost track of one another some number of years ago.  Both of us married and moved away from the Kingston area, but with Facebook the world gets smaller, so again we have had the opportunity to get to know one another a little again.

Screen Shot 2013-01-28 at 3.38.18 PM

I share this with you because I recently got the news that Chantal is FINALLY getting an album together.  Jazz.  I invite you to listen to her here.

I had thought about sharing that Chantal and her husband are keenly interested in the environment, about their small cozy home, about the interesting ecological project that her husband is working on. I even considered sharing information about her addiction to recycling and repurposing… but I know you would see through me.  The fact is that I really want to be able to put her voice on my MP3 and listen to her buttery silky voice any time I want, so I am asking for your support.

If you liked her voice, and I know you did, Kickstarter is a new way to finance the recording, so please her throw in a few bucks, like I did.  The cool thing is that with the Kickstarter it is like buying a package in advance and if she does not get enough financial support (I really hope she will!) your credit card will not be charged.

To learn more about Chantal and the other musicians in her group, here is another article.

Chantal Thompson

 

UPDATE: Chantal’s project was funded!  I am aware that at least four of you helped out and that about 50 checked out her link, so a big thank you to all of my readers who were able to support her!

 

Categories: Art, Ontario, Open your eyes | Tags: , , | 2 Comments

Monochromatic

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Laura

At Tiny House Ontario, the forest floor is crisp and white with snow and the trees are simply grey scale.  At night, the moon has been large and round in the sky drawing shadows across the smooth white surface.  It is lovely.  This morning when I woke it was snowing it was so breathtakingly lovely that I curled myself into a ball on the plush brown blanket and rested my head on my arm, simply watching the snow fall.   It is absolutely monochromatic here except the house which is, of course, the colour of chocolate.

I realized when my tummy started grumbling that I had been there three full hours.  I don’t know how the time got away on me, really… I felt as though I were there for just a moment.

The good news is: now I can snowshoe!  Woot!

 

Categories: Forest, Nature, Ontario, Open your eyes, Simple living, Tiny House Ontario, View | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carbon Footprint

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Laura

I took a test this morning to see what the carbon footprint for Tiny House Ontario is.

Here are the results

House 0.03 metric tons of CO2
Flights 0.00 metric tons of CO2
Car 0.00 metric tons of CO2
Motorbike 1.22 metric tons of CO2
Bus & Rail 0.00 metric tons of CO2
Secondary 1.76 metric tons of CO2

Total = 3.01 metric tons of CO2

It went on to say:

  • Your footprint is 3.01 metric tons per year
  • The average footprint for people in Canada is 20.00 metric tons
  • The average for the industrial nations is about 11 metric tons
  • The average worldwide carbon footprint is about 4 metric tons
  • The worldwide target to combat climate change is 2 metric tons

It is a pretty good result, but I have to say that I am very surprised to learn that I am over consuming in the secondary section.  Here are the answers that I gave:

Carbon Footprint Screen Shot 2013-01-18 at 2.44.03 PM

I guess this means that next year I have to hope for a better growing year so that I can reap as much as I sow. I am not sure how else I can reduce really as my bike is essential for me to get around and I really don’t buy much besides food and things to complete THO.  This gives me a lot to think about!

What are your results?  Do you see any way that you can reduce this number?

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Update: I just found that an acre of 15 year old forest will carry 1-2 cubic metres of carbon per acre.  THO forest is at least 9.5 acres of forest which means that it likely carries at least 19 cubic meters… not sure still what the different measurements are, but this does make me feel a little better.

Categories: Off Grid, Open your eyes, Simple living, Sustainable living, Tiny House Ontario, View | Tags: , , , | 11 Comments

A Special Viewing

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Laura

Today, this blog reached 85,000 reads.  I knew this would happen so I have been holding something back from all of you.  The truth is, I wanted to mark this number by thanking you in a VERY special way.

In Canada the most famous group of artists are, without question, The Group of Seven.  I first saw their work when I was a child in grade four.  I was not from an artsy family, nor even from a family who visited galleries, museums or theatres.  Still, one of our primary teachers was an Art lover and she arranged for us to see Art, with a capitol A.  We had been to see an Andy Warhol‘s Soup exhibit at Agnes Etherington earlier in the year and so this was my second gallery trip with my class.  This time we were at the McMichael Gallery and I remember looking up at the paintings by Lawren Harris with my child eyes; these works took my breath away.  It was my first real “identification experience” with Art and it is a feeling that has never left me.  Over the years, I have gained a huge appreciation for the entire Group of Seven.  I LOVE these works they all take my breath now.  Gallery visits to see these works are serious exercises in oxygen depravity and breathing for me.  In my adult years, I think there is not a week gone by where I have not looked in on them in one form or another, be that a gallery, a book or the internet, they captured me totally.

About a year ago, I sat chatting with a girlfriend D who told me that she really likes my paintings. Can you imagine my absolute awe when in the next breath told me that she is the niece of Frank (Franz) Johnston?  Then in the next she said her mom has many of his paintings; some of these she has loaned to galleries, the others she has hanging in her home.  “WHAT?” I squealed like a little girl!

On her last trip home D, who is not really a fan of her uncle’s work (no kidding), took a photo with her cellphone of this painting because she thought I would like it.  Of course I love it and would really want to see it up close and personal!

I asked and D has given me permission to share this image with you and as far as I know this is a world premier.

Frank (Franz) Johnston's: Small House

Franz Johnson: “Little House”

Thank you for reading and enjoy the view!

Categories: Art, Ontario, Open your eyes, Tiny House Ontario, View | Tags: , , | 10 Comments