!@(/spring2005/spring2005_4.jpg:R240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_4.jpg) A short walk around our subdivision to see how spring is progressing. Like dinosaur bones on a wind swept Albertan hillside, the garbage of last year is emerging from the ice and snow. Water bottles, pop cans and dog shit seem to be the legacy of 2004 as far as debris is concerned. Spring really can be an ugly time of the year. If it wasn’t for the promise of things to come it would be depressing watching the cast offs of our consumer society rising from their deep, cold slumber.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_1.jpg:L240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_1.jpg) All through Brampton you’ll find what the city likes to call “Greenbelt”. Really it’s just a place for the water to flow when it rains and the storm sewers overflow but once in a while you do find some beauty. The creek here is muddy from the runoff from the roads, full of sand and salt but the bushes that line it are trying their best to get started for another year. Lovely red branches amid the snow and dirty water. A hint of green in the grass – yes life is renewing.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_6.jpg:R240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_6.jpg) More green, this time as lichen on a tree that leads a hard life. In the middle of a flood plain, shopping bags caught in its branches and root deep in mud and polluted water. Still, it’s a hint of color that is good to see after so much white.

!@—
!@(/spring2005/spring2005_7.jpg:L240 http://www.eyeno.net/images/spring2005/spring2005_7.jpg) Aah, young love. Some ducks stick around all winter now so I don’t know if this couple has returned from the South or never left. Doesn’t matter, he’s noisy and she’s playing hard to get. Hopefully soon they’ll have a new family and the cycle of life will continue.

!@—

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Easter is one holiday that moves around more than most. Wonder why? HowStuffWorks has the answer.

You’re welcome.

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>“The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.”

Spent part of the day yesterday assembling our new gas grill. A Weber “Silver C” that is probably about 3 times larger than we’ll ever need. Don’t care, it hardly cost me anything. All winter, I’ve been saving all the toonies and loonies and managed to hit our 6-49 pool twice at work so I ended up with about $900 without any pain.

Hopefully tonight I’ll grill a couple of steaks just to try it out. Of course I’ll probably freeze my nuts off. Temperatures during the day are consistently above freezing but they drop quickly once the sun goes down. Don’t care, still got to give the new toy a workout.

Jan is frantically looking for the first Robin of the season. I guess it’s not really spring until she sees the bird for confirmation.

John Z and I went to a driving range this morning to whack balls and see how many muscles will complain later. The Jeep is washed and looking fine.

Screw the Robin, spring IS here. At least until the next snowfall.

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This is another plugin for WordPress that allows Picasa (from Google) galleries to be shown in posts. Click on any picture to see it larger.

Today is officially the first day of spring. Judging by this picture taken yesterday at Maxine’s house, someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. That’s a lot of snow that has to melt.

Click image to enlarge

I was sitting here in EyeNo Central Command pondering important
issues like the meaning of life and wondering whether if they find
a cure for baldness, will it be retroactive? It struck me that it’s
difficult to find the proper balance between work and relaxation when
you’ve got a blog. Keeping a blog up to date involves a lot of the
same discipline that my job entails.

This came to mind because I spent part of my day on the laptop meeeting
a deadline to get some information overseas and, when I took a break, I
immediately moved to my other computer to check for interesting items
that I’d like to put on my site. What was I doing in both cases?
Looking up information,entering into a word processor and passing it
down the line where I hope someone will find it of interest. One task
pays my bills, the other feeds my obession to keep the blog up to date.
By simple definition, both would count as “work”.

I only went outside twice today, both times I bought something (I am Consumer
see me spend). I did chores, I cooked lunch and supper and I watched some
golf. At no time was I any further than 20 steps from these computers.
Even now, I’m trying to watch a terrible Sci Fi movie while typing this.
How many millions of keystrokes have I logged in the last 1/4 century.
Scary thought.