Simon 2000-April 13, 2010

Almost 10 years ago my roommate came home with a 'friend for Spencer'. His name we decided would be Simon. His job was to be a friend and give some life and excitement to all of us, especially his new brother. He did that well, eating his way through the years and expressing his feelings in a very clear way. He endured the addition of sisters Jo-Jo and Bella very well and even accepted being their punching bag and scapegoat for all wrongs imagined or real.

Simon lived a good life. full of soft and warm places to sleep and especially enjoyed the fall season with all its falling leaves that needed to be caught and inspected. One fall, in an apartment on Bathurst st. in Toronto, i brought in a bag full of leaves from the park. He loved that box full of smells and fun! I was cleaning it up for the next month too!
Simon wasn't concerned about being on a leash when it came to birds outside. One day we went back and forth between 2 trees as 2 birds went back and forth. I laughed so hard to be with him through such an exciting time!

Simon could and would sleep anywhere and look comfortable being there. I never understood how he didn't fall from this spot! It's like, big as he was, he somehow had balance. That said, he was never a jumper after his kittenhood. He used to climb up to my shoulder and hang out there when he was really little but eventually, he decided it was to far up i suppose (despite my short stature!) and after a time, food was kept up high to help him not get any bigger so this was kinda a good thing.

Simon, you were very much loved and I hope you enjoyed your time with me and your family. We moved around a fair bit during your first few years, but I like to think that the solarium and space here in Forestville, was good re-payment for any places we lived that you didn't like very much. Spencer misses you as he keeps looking out the door to see if you're there and I know that I can't make him understand that you're not coming back. 

Thank you for being in my life and letting me love you.

You were a good friend.

Lunenburg nova scotia

This is a primary school. I love this style of archtecture. I'm told that inside the stairs are small -graded for little people and their feet- and even have a whole curved form due to years of kids tramping and sliding feet over them.






Blue rocks. My dads favourite place. Note all the lobster traps-the season is over for them here.






Boondocks in dartmouth.





The "farley mowat". Google it. Greenpeace. It's a pretty cool thing to see this boat. Apparently it's here for repairs after encountering a Japanese sealing or whaling boat. Check it out! Got in and close despite stern warnings of 'authorized persons only' fences and gates...

Happy bunny weekend!


Ok addendum:
R/v farley mowat (seashepard.com)

R/V Farley Mowat

In August 1996, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society purchased a new long-range, ice-class, heavy-duty, conservation enforcement ship in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Originally christened Sea Shepherd III, she was re-named Ocean Warrior in 1999 to reflect the missions and campaigns that face her in the new millennium.

She is definitely up to withstanding the ice floes of the Labrador coast, the harsh unpredictable waters of Antarctica and challenging any pirate whaler on the high seas.

The ship was built in 1956 as a Norwegian Fisheries research and enforcement ship. At 54 meters (180 ft) in length and 657 tons (displacement), her one-inch thick riveted, welded steel hull was built to withstand the violent pounding of the storm-haunted North Sea.

The ship's massive German-built diesel engine drives a variable pitch propeller that is protected inside a Kort nozzle. This means 1400 horsepower, coupled with the swift maneuverability of bridge control of he pitch.

In 2002, after months of bureaucratic paper shuffling and payments of extortionist demands by the Cayman Islands Bureau of Shipping, the Ocean Warrior was re-registered in Canada. She was renamed the Farley Mowat after Sea Shepherd's International Chair, Farley Mowat, Canadian author and animal welfare advocate.

The Sea Shepherd flagship, the R/V Farley Mowat officially began her career in the waters off Costa Rica appropriately immersed in controversy over policing actions against illegal fishing activities.

She is a protector, and a symbol of hope for a better, more humane, and more ecologically conscious future. The Farley Mowat is, has been, and will continue to be the world's greatest defender of marine wildlife.


Sirenian / Yoshka

Apple’s Canada iPad launch set for late April - thestar.com

still drooling and waiting for the best product for me! late april?!?!?!?!

Apple's Canada iPad launch set for late April - thestar.com

the groundhog saw his shadow...whatfun!

and willy, pete and whoever the gaspesie groundhog is all saw their shadows so it looks like a unanimous prolongation of winter. not that that has much effect for us up here in middle of nowhere land! one of my SK students asked me "and then it will be été Miss?" nope, spring first i replied, and that is when i was asked, ummm.... around easter time "OK, and that is soon Miss? " ummmm (again) well, about 8 more weeks during which we can play and ski and slide in the snow and make forts... ect. ect. anything to keep a positive spin on this 'winter'. almost seems like a non-season. for the most part it's been mild (warmer than toronto on many occasions!) and very temperate. just to remind us though, that it IS winter, we've had the occasional dump of snow and last week's fun of freezing rain that closed schools for 2 days and made the daily commute treacherous. i say daily commute because, on both occasions, i was already off and speeding to work long before the decisions were made and calls started, oh, and also one day they simply forgot to call me. nice. oops!

it's not so bad though for all the folks who HATE winter but i'm not one of them, i love the snow and freshness of these months but going from +4 to -24 in 24 hours is getting a little annoying. tough to stay healthy and not all sick from the yo-yo temps. i'm guessing heating systems in most regulated buildings must be getting their workouts this year. i know dressing for the indoor climate of my classroom is a guessing game most days. huh.

here in kindergarten, we're having fun learning about winter, groundhogs, v-day and of course the upcoming olympics. i'm racking my brain for some classroom olympics we can have over the course of days that will merit 'medals' and a graphing/tracking system for us to implement. 'sharing for the gold' anyone? how 'bout a silver for helping others? obviously, it's still a mental work in progress. i've got til the weekend to figure it out i think then i'll need to make/create my props to get the ideas going in their heads for the training period (yes, training. all participants in vancouver have been training, so why not us?!!?)

here's a few pics of who my days are spent with, a happy group shot, and then everyone 'taking 2' while i get my thoughts in order lol. or when they need a few moments to settle.