A Peaceful Day

I am staying at my parents' home now, in a small town on the outskirts of Edmonton. It's not at all like southern Ontario, where large cities of many hundreds of thousands come one after another down any major highway. In Alberta, there are only a handful of sizable cities, with suburbs and small towns scattered across the prairies like seeds. There's a whole lot of nothing between here and the million souls in Edmonton!

The weather has been very clear, and not too cold, considering it's February in Alberta. The moon was full last night, the stars glittering like chips of ice against the black velvet of the night sky.
It's very peaceful here. My parents are quite elderly, both well into their eighties, but in pretty fair health for their age. They sleep a lot. This makes for a very restful stay, although I have plenty of siblings and assorted family members nearby to keep things interesting.

I'm not used to having some time to myself, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to look around for photo subjects. My sister Kathy had brought a bunch of tulips for Mom when she brought me out of the city to Mom and Dad's house, and I take a few minutes to photograph their beauty before it fades.

Dad still climbs the short but sturdy ladder to the bird feeder to sprinkle in the sunflower seeds. The chickadees love them, and when I go outside any time during the day, I can hear them all around me, declaring themselves with their cheerful call, "Chicka-dee-dee-dee!". They are very small, and so quick it is difficult to catch them with my camera. They are less skittish than the ones near my house in Ontario, and they let me approach a little closer, but still shy enough to keep hidden in the bare branches of the hedge. I can see their beady black eyes looking back at me as I peer into the bush.

I am hoping that the cedar waxwings will come back. I didn't get a chance to photograph them yesterday when they flocked around the crab apple tree, still covered with wrinkled apples, feasting on the preserved fruit.

No luck, but I found a different treasure. A vine climbing up the outside of the gazebo near the garden, still adorned with wild cucumbers. I had never seen these before! They look like large white burrs, but the spines are soft.

Almost dusk now, and I'll have to hope for waxwings tomorrow. The sunset is beautiful, with layers of colour, as if the sun is pulling up a striped blanket over her head for the night. A peaceful ending to a quiet day.