HARE HE IS!

HARE HE IS!

Pee Wee’s back! Our local snowshoe hare has kept out of sight all winter, camouflaged by his seasonal white coat, though his tracks were everywhere. He did leave a trail of chocolate at Easter, but did not show his face until today. He is as friendly and...
GROUSE IN THE HOUSE

GROUSE IN THE HOUSE

All winter, Tulip has cast longing glances at the ruffed grouse watercolour hanging on the stairs to our loft. It reminds her of her frenemies Thelma and Louise, who are wild turkeys, but of the same Phasianidae family. Turkeys, in Tulip’s experience, are not...
DEATH STARE OF THE VIKING CAT

DEATH STARE OF THE VIKING CAT

Any ferocious predator, such as a Norwegian forest cat, can lose her edge after a long winter marooned in a cabin. “Hairball control kibble” tastes okay, but hunting it is not very challenging. So, when the first housefly of the season makes the mistake of...
TELL ME WHEN IT’S SPRING

TELL ME WHEN IT’S SPRING

In the wilds of Manitoulin Island, real spring is still weeks away. The first geese have just returned to our North Channel shoreline and the early robins wear tuques to ward off frostbite. Still, Tulip figures, a girl can dream can’t she? Our Norwegian forest...
IT’S A BUFFET OUT THERE

IT’S A BUFFET OUT THERE

Chickadees, sparrows, nuthatches, redpolls, our bird feeders among the shoreline cedars are loaded with them, filling up before foul weather moves in later today. It all looks so delicious to our Norwegian warrior princess scanning her domain and taking a break from...