I awoke today to a thick, soupy morning fog. We don’t often get fog here in Calgary and there is something wonderfully mysterious and beautiful about it. I happily finished my morning ablutions and comfortably settled into my home office with a mug of hot tea to begin my day. Deeply engrossed in my work, it took a while for my brain to register that there was a knock at the door.
The Meringue Mountain Range (so-named for it’s remarkable resemblance to dreamy meringue topping) is a remote area of snow-covered glaciers and high-altitude peaks located in a seldom visited part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
In this short video, you will have an incredible flying adventure. Experience the thrill of a close-up aerial flyover of the famed Mount Meringue—the highest peak in the Meringue Mountain Range. In this exciting flight, you will see rare, never before seen aerial footage of the fabled Meringue Mountaintops.
True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done,
the zest of creating things new.~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I’ve been enjoying the company of the Danbo Brothers immensely since they returned from their last (rather unexpected) lengthy winter sojourn. They never fail to surprise and delight me. Last night, just before I went to bed, I found them sitting together on the couch, happily watching their favourite movie, Ratatouille, on my iPad.
Peter and Lillian
For me, spring officially kicks off with the arrival of Peter and Lillian, two fanciful rabbits who have been turning up here each spring for eons.
Evidence of their existence came many moons ago. It was Easter break and I was in my second year of undergrad studies, buried up to my eyeballs in textbooks and study notes, frantically trying to prepare for final exams. I had a heavier course load than my friends, who had all taken off to go somewhere fun, while poor, poor me was stuck in the study hall. Continue reading
A Zentangle is meant to be a surprise that unfolds before the creator’s eyes, one stroke at a time. Zentangle is one of the few art forms that you intentionally do not plan out. There are no expectations of planned goals of accomplishment to worry about attaining or disappointment stemming from unattainable expectations. There is no plan to follow, there is nothing to detract the stroke being drawn. The lack of planning and the tangles allow the unexpected to occur.
~ Beckah Krahula; One Zentangle a Day
With the brand New Year in full swing, my partner and I are feeling happy and refreshed from having enjoyed a wonderful holiday season. We planned a quiet, restorative and relaxing holiday and opted not to travel anywhere this year, choosing instead to stay home and enjoy some time together. In the mornings, we slept in and lazed about, reading and relaxing. We cooked together, sipped wine and feasted on simple but delicious food. We laced up our skates and glided around the lagoon at Prince’s Island Park. We took many beautiful walks out in the fresh air and enjoyed the frosted evergreens and snow-covered paths. In the evenings, we snuggled in next to each other to read or watch some of our favourite feel-good movies. We also did something new, something fun I recently discovered, called Zentangling.
A Minor EmergencyAnother Arctic cold front has settled in here—there’s a ton of fresh snow and it’s colder out there than a tin toilet top. But, truth be told, I’m rather enjoying it! It’s so pretty outside and inside it’s so wonderfully warm and snug and cozy—perfect weather for snuggling up in front of a fire with a good book and nibbling on a little something. I must say, however, that I do have a minor crisis on my hands: for some of us, fine chocolate is the fuel of choice in extremely cold weather and my chocolate supply is evaporating rather quickly—diminishing to dangerously low levels, ebbing just below my psychological comfort zone. And that will certainly never do, especially not in the face of this chilly winter cold front.
The Danbo Brothers caroling in the neighbourhood.
“Carols of gladness ring from every tree.”
~ Frances Anne Kemble
Who knew the Danbo Brothers could sing? Tonight, they joined forces with a couple of choir mice who come around here every year to carol and they spent a glorious evening singing their little hearts out around the neighborhood. All those small voices blended together perfectly and, I have to say, they sounded very sweet, even if a bit squeaky.
The Danbo Brothers surprised me early this morning when they walked in sporting beautiful, brand new, hand-knitted hats and scarves! I just knew those guys would be able to procure some proper winter woolies!
“If you want to be happy, be”.
~Leo Tolstoy
The Danbo Brothers are fiercely independent and they not only survive on their own, they thrive. I don’t even think they are conscious of the fact that they are relatively small-statured—nothing seems to daunt them. They simply enjoy being wherever they are and doing whatever they do. But perhaps their favourite thing to do is get out and about to explore the world—they often disappear from here for long periods, apparently off to enjoy some sort of new adventure. Given their love for exploring, I was neither concerned nor surprised when, as soon as the weather warmed, I awoke to find that the brothers had vanished once again.
The Danbo Brothers painting in their studio.
“This world is but a canvas to the imagination.
~ Henry David Thoreau
The Danbo Brothers generally love to spend the whole of their days outdoors. But a recent Arctic cold snap, coupled with an inability (a temporary one, if I know the Danbos) to find suitable winter hats and scarves, has kept them housebound. Yet, to watch them happily while away their time indoors, one would never know they have such a decided preference for being outdoors. Their secret, I believe, is that they always seem to go with the flow—they simply have a knack for finding the silver lining on any clouds that drift their way.
Forever is composed of nows.
~ Emily Dickinson
The snow and bitter cold have arrived and The Danbo Brothers stayed indoors today, possibly because they’ve been having some difficulties acquiring winter hats and scarves for their small and rather boxy heads. I wish I knew how to knit—I’d happily have knitted up some winter wear for the brothers by now if only I could.
I know the Danbo Brothers would have rather been outdoors today, but being indoors didn’t seem to dampen their spirits one bit. They hung around the kitchen this morning, intently watching my every move as I cooked up a belly-warming batch of roasted butternut squash soup. And early this afternoon I watched them as, curiously, they began to gather some of my books, a good number of them actually, dragging them one at a time off my bookshelf, down a long corridor and into the living room. I had no idea what they were up to.
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