NEW BLOG

For more current posts, please visit my new blog at

http://parallelimages.blogspot.com/

- Paula

BOOK REVIEW: DEWEY The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World

On this chilly but bright Sunday afternoon, I am just about to sit down with a hot cup of tea and read the final chapter of "Dewey".

I received this book as a birthday gift from a dear friend who knows I am fanatical about cats and it was a good call on her part. I have read a chapter almost each evening since before going to sleep each night.

This book is as much about a cat who was adopted by a small-town library as it is about the author, Vicki Myron. Vicki doesn't have an easy life, nor does Dewey, but together they help each other through the rough parts.

From his discovery as a tiny kitten in the night book depository on the coldest night of the year (who could do that to an innocent creature??), through the 18 years he lorded over the Spencer Public Library and finally, to his passing, Vicki faithfully tells the tale of an ordinary orange tabby who became extraordinary not only to the library and small town he made his home, but to much of the world.

A good read for any cat lover.

Now I'm off to read the final chapter.

Only in Canada, eh?

I actually used one of these little gadgets this morning on my daily decaf. It works great with one exception - it doesn't help you win, it just makes it easier to rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroll up the rim!

Mine was a stocking stuffer this past Christmas, but I have seen them at Lee Valley.

A must on any serious Canuk Timmy's Rim Roller's key chain!

ROAD TRIP!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending 2 days taking photos of some of the most beautiful things mother nature has to offer with a dear friend who shares my passion for photography.

Jane and I departed on Saturday morning with a van load of photography equipment and a bin of fragile cargo - blueberry seedlings - bound for my brother's farm in Vineland.

Our first stop was Humber Nurseries where we were delighted to find that they had just watered the plants and there were water drops EVERYWHERE! A photographers dream come true!

Also at Humber Nurseries is a small butterfly conservatory. Although there weren't a lot of butterflies there, it was a good primer for our visit to the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory on Sunday.

Saturday evening, we arrived at my brother's house and got some sunset shots, but the highlight of the weekend for us both - certainly the most fun part - was after the sun went down. Being the Victoria day long weekend, I had brought sparklers for my neice and nephew and naturally, once it got dark, we got the out and had fun both with them and with the cameras.

From here, we progressed to "writing with light" and, although not predicted for the weekend, the moon made an appearance and we got some shots of it as well.

Sunday, we headed to Niagara Falls early to go to the Butterfly Conservatory in the pouring rain, which ruled out any photos in the stunning gardens there. Our second stop was Bird Kingdom which yielded no good photos for me.

Our final stop of the day was the Niagara Parks Greenhouse which was our favourite stop for several reasons... #1) it was quiet. We almost had the whole place to ourselves, #2) it was filled with stunning and unique plants, and #3) it was F R E E !

A Tasty Trip Down Memory Lane...

I notice a few years ago that a little country store near my brother's house in Vineland sells pink elephant popcorn. Every time we go to visit them, we stop in at this store for fresh baked goods and I always say I want a box of pink elephant popcorn...and Darryl always talks me out of it and every time I kick myself for not getting a box.

Well, I was in Vineland this past weekend and I stopped into the store again but this time Darryl (a.k.a. my conscience) wasn't with me to talk me out of buying it.

It only took 2 pieces to transport me back 25 years ago. It was still as vibrant, sweet, and yes, stale, as I remember it being.

My tastes must have refined over the years as I daresay, as good at pink elephant popcorn is, I believe I now prefer cashew poppycock.

But it was nice to be 9 years old again... if only for a fleeting moment.

Happy 10th Birthday, Monty!Before another day gets away from me, I have to take a moment and reflect on the last 10 years of my life that have been shared by the worlds greatest dog (I know...we all own the world's greatest dog, don't we?) but Monty sure is something else.

I can't imagine a day going by anymore without him in it. He is my starter dog and he got me off to one heck of a rocky start in both dog ownership and training but through it all we have both grown to be better together than either one of us could hope to be apart. He is my heart dog.

I thank the Van Dycks for trusting me with that little bundle of energy (and teeth!) all those years ago.
I treasure the people and dogs I've met and gotten to know because of him (Hello, moosedoggers!!).

If I hadn't fallen head over heels in love with him as an example of the breed, I wouldn't also now share my home and heart with two other not too shabby moosedogs, Quinn & Toby.

So here's to Wolfsheim's Kissing Buddy "Montana" CD, otherwise known as Monty, Bud and Horseface. I love you Buddy. Thanks for being a part of my world for the last 10 years and here's to many, many more years together.

(photos to follow soon...)

it's almost time...

How did YOU mark Earth Hour 2008?

We not only flipped switches off, we flipped breakers off. We left only the furnace, the fridge and the freezer running for one hour last night while we enjoyed a scintilating game of chesse by candlelight. (I lost, by the way, but it was a brutal game that took the entire hour!).

As we were going around the house lighting candles, I was both surprised and delighted to look out to the neighbours houses and see candles flickering in many of their windows, as well.

My question is, why only do this once a year? If the impact on greenhouse gas emmissions is so profound based on just ONE HOUR per year globally, why not do it monthly? Or even weekly?

It's something we intend to look at doing on our own in any event.

--------------------------------

From CBC Canada

Canadians go dark with world for Earth Hour
Sat Mar 29, 11:19 PM

Canadians joined communities around the world on Saturday in turning off the lights for this year's Earth Hour, a global campaign to raise awareness of climate change.

Canadians in about 150 communities including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, pledged to turn off their lights for 60 minutes at 8 p.m. local time Saturday night.

In Toronto, much of the downtown core went dark as Mayor David Miller pulled a ceremonial switch in Nathan Phillips Square to dim the lights at City Hall shortly before the hour approached.

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado then led the thousands gathered in the square in an acoustic version of her hit song Turn Out the Lights.

The CN Tower soon darkened in the city's skyline, along with highrises, sports arenas such as the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre.

Meanwhile, in restaurants across the city, people dined by candlelight.

In Ottawa, the Peace Tower and its four-faced clock above Canada's Parliament faded to black.

About 100,000 Canadians out of a total of 300,000 people worldwide registered online for the event - putting the country among top participants anywhere.

In Alberta, fire and oil put darkness on ice

But the evening was not marked by total darkness in Canada's energy capital.

Officially, Calgary is marking Earth Hour, but patrons and bar owners were quick to point out the event coincided with a more historic Alberta tradition - a provincial battle on the ice between hometown Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.

Wayne Leong, owner of Calgary's Melrose Cafe and Bar, told CBC News he was expecting a packed house, so he wasn't shutting down anything.

"Not a chance, I'm sorry to say," Leong said with a laugh. "Let's celebrate Earth Hour at four in the morning. That will be a lot better time, I think."

Sydney Opera House dims lights

The campaign, organized by the World Wildlife Fund, was kicked off hours earlier Saturday in New Zealand and Fiji.

In Christchurch, New Zealand, more than 100 businesses and thousands of homes were plunged into darkness, computers and televisions were switched off and dinners delayed for the hour-long period.

Suva, Fiji, in the same time zone, also turned off its lights.

Those cities were soon followed by others in Australia and Asia, as Sydney's iconic Opera House and Bangkok's famous Wat Arun Buddhist temple went dark. As the clock ticked forward, Asian cities to the west followed suit.

Hours later, darkness enveloped Rome's Colosseum, Dublin's Custom House, London's City Hall and other landmarks across Europe. But other countries - including France, Germany, Spain and European Union institutions - planned nothing to mark Earth Hour.

One of the last major cities to participate will be San Francisco - home to the soon-to-be dimmed Golden Gate Bridge.

Group aims 100 million participants

During the one-hour event, Sydney was noticeably darker, though it was not a complete blackout. The business district was mostly dark; organizers said 250 of the 350 commercial buildings there had pledged to shut off their lights completely, and 94 of the top 100 companies on the Australian stock exchange were also participating.

The number of participants was not immediately available, but organizers were hoping that this year's worldwide effort would eclipse last year's single-city debut, when 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses in Sydney shut off lights and appliances, resulting in a 10.2 per cent reduction in local carbon emissions during that hour.

"I'm putting my neck on the line, but my hope is that we top 100 million people," Earth Hour Australia chief executive Greg Bourne said.

The effect of last year's Earth Hour was infectious. This year, 26 major world cities and more than 300 other cities and towns have signed up to participate.

The Thai branch of the WWF said the campaign in Bangkok reduced the load on the electrical system by 73.34 megawatts and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 41.6 tons.

Organizers see the event as a way to encourage the world to conserve energy. While all lights in participating cities are unlikely to be cut, it is the symbolic darkening of monuments, businesses and individual homes they are most eagerly anticipating.

Even popular internet search engine Google put its support behind Earth Hour, with a black background to its main page and the words: "We've turned the lights out. Now it's your turn."

With files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press