Like a Maniac

I read recently that there is a fixed order for adjectives in English, although almost no native speakers could specify that order. Combining and reconciling a few online lists gives me this: quantity, opinion, size, physical quality, age, shape, colour, origin, material, type, purpose, and then (whew) a noun. To extend an example given by one expert . . .

You can have three lovely, little, dented, old, rectangular, green, French, silver, two-bladed whittling knives.  But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac.

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Greenhouse Butterflies

For a week every October, Carleton University’s Biology Department hosts a butterfly show. I’ve been meaning to go to it for years, but the weekend lines have always put me off.

But having gotten some photos of butterflies (one species only) in my front yard, I figured that this year I should make the effort. So I went on Monday morning just as they opened up. Continue reading

Posted in Appreciating Deeply, Photos of Fauna | Tagged | 6 Comments

Mid-Week Movie #9: Geysers

I visited Yellowstone National Park as a child: The distances seemed longer, the visitors seemed fewer.

I didn’t know then what I learned in getting ready for this summer’s visit: There are only about 1,000 geysers in the world, and 60% of them are in the Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone. (I note that some sites claim “only” half the world’s geysers for the entire park, but I trust the Park Service to have this right.) Continue reading

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Frontyard Butterflies

They’re small. Flitty. Skittish. Other than that, they make fine photographic subjects.

For about a week, we had mid-day swarms of butterflies on our in-full-bloom hydrangea in our south-facing front yard. From a few hundred shots, I got some photos that I’m proud of. Continue reading

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National Treasure #164: Banff Springs Snail

In only a handful of thermal springs in Banff National Park
lives an inconspicuous little snail that is found nowhere else in the world.

Endemic species are those that exist in only one geographic region. In this sense, all species we know about are endemic: that is, restricted to Earth.

But it’s a concept used more frequently with a smaller geographic region than the whole planet. When we visited the Galapagos, for example, we saw endemic lizards and birds; likewise when we visited Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading

Posted in Appreciating Deeply, Laughing Frequently, Through Canada | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Enough

Would that there were an award for people who come to understand the concept of enough.

Good enough. Successful enough. Thin enough. Rich enough. Socially responsible enough.

When you have self-respect you have enough; and when you have enough, you have self-respect.
– Gail Sheehy, in “Passages”

In the excess of a typical Thanksgiving, this is my prayer: May I have enough.

Enough security to be comfortable, enough uncertainty not to take that for granted.

Enough success not to be bitter, enough failure not to be conceited.

Enough friends and family not to feel unloved, enough enemies not to feel perfect.

Enough ability to complete most things I tackle, enough honesty to appreciate that I’m selective in what I tackle.

Enough good memories for happiness, enough bad ones for humility.

Enough pleasure to enjoy every day, enough pain to recognize it in others and to reach out every day.

Enough.

 

Posted in Feeling Clearly, New Perspectives | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Redux: RMCC Recruits, Laura Secord, and Abortion

Recruit Grit

The original: I posted a video on the recruits at Canada’s Royal Military College doing the obstacle course.

The follow-up: A teacher-turned-psychologist does a TED talk on grittiness.

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Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

I’m cheesed off. I tried to beef up my skills to bring home more bacon, but I can’t seem to get on the gravy train. And it looked like it would be a piece of cake: as easy as pie.

I seem to be in a pickle, the soup, or a jam. I wonder why.  I might be full of beans, but don’t think I’m saucy. Indeed, I likely err on the side of being a square, or even corny. Continue reading

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Recruit Obstacle Course, Kingston ON

This was the second time I’ve seen the obstacle course for recruits at the Royal Military College of Canada.

Last time, I wished I’d thought to take video.

This time, I wished there were 10 of me, to get still photos and video of every team at every obstacle event.

This being the real world, I got what I got (mostly video), but I learned that I can clip stills from video. Continue reading

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