Just ducky

Being a duck is not all what it is quacked up to be.

This plucky fowl was making like, well, a duck to water, despite an apparent handicap.

In fact, although the creature seems to be lacking a leg, appearances can be deceiving.

Belated

My Mom is 92, and, although she has had her rough patches lately, I always remember being in a good mood.

I don't know why, but I find her smile to be infectious.

Surviving

Early-emerging plants have had quite a shock lately, eh?

Spring apparition

Seems that everything is bursting to life when the weather shifts. This particularly excitable species (fuzzicus inditchinatus) tends to demonstrate its seasonal colours after a warm, breezy day, and then opts for a more sedate look for the rest of the year.

One happy cat

When you see a happy cat (and when are cats not happy) taking in some rays, you just have to feel happy, too. Barny had a rough start, but after Ronna rescued him in the dead of winter, he has had it pretty good. And yes, this photo accurately reflects his sunny disposition.

The 3Rs on RR3

There are still many abandoned one-room schoolhouses in the boonies. They do tend to look lonely at a wide-open crossroad.

Luck is holding

It seems that these horseshoes work -- this abandoned house is weathered, but it is still standing after all these years.

Fading frost

We look at Old Man Frost a little differently in April than we do in October, eh?

Keep moving

You never want to stand still too long whenever a vulture is patrolling.

Greening

Hair-like moss begins to appear on a fallen log as the forests seem to almost overnight shrug off the blanket of winter.

Earth Hour observance

We observed Earth Hour again by stopping all non-essential energy consumption. So, as usual, we lit some candles, and watched the Habs on TV. Our personal overall drop in electricity use had to better the provincial average, which was a reduction of only about four per cent in hydro use during that hour.

Honk for spring

Another sign that we have almost said adieu to Old Man Winter -- the wild geese have returned.

Tagged

Ronna tagged me, so I found this photo of a singer, doing a Bon Jovi thing, at the 2008 Auto Expo in Hawkesbury, where throngs converge on the main drag to rev engines, kick tires, and contemplate the role of the automobile in the evolution of civilization.

Alexandria on the map

Good news, sports fans. Alexandria population 3,100 (on a busy Saturday), has advanced to the final 12 in the race for the 2010 Hockeyville title. The town has been showing its passion for the game over the last several months, gaining national media attention.

Immersion

One of the many duties performed by the Hawkesbury Fire Department is the rescue of unfortunates who fall through thin ice. This "victim" voluntarily broke through the ice of the Ottawa River and waited for his colleagues to rescue him during a drill on a warm Sunday morning in early March. Often, firefighters are called upon to save people who run out onto the thin ice to bring their pets back to shore and to reel in anglers who literally get wet feet when they retrieve ice-fishing huts. Ice rescues -- just another sign that spring is just around the corner.