Canada Post

Day 79: We often tease our friends north of the border about how long it takes mail to be delivered by dogsled or carrier-beaver. Last year, a package I mailed to Ontario took over a month to arrive. This year, a box coming the opposite direction took over two weeks to show up on my doorstep. It was packed with assorted goodies including hand-turned lace-making bobbins and shells formerly inhabited by an invasive species of snail (thoroughly cleaned). Spread out together, I thought they made a lovely warm-toned still life. Thank you, Di!

Namesake Lichen

Day 78: Meet Evernia prunastri, namesake for the Christmas Faerie featured in yesterday's post. This exquisite lichen is notable for its soft, supple thallus, very pliable to the touch yet able to retain its graceful form without appearing limp. Its flexibility separates it from the Ramalinas when observed in the field. It is largely a West-coast species although a few have been catalogued from East-coast locations. Known also as "oak-moss," this lichen is used commercially in Europe as a fixative for perfumes. Its relative scarcity in the United States prevents its exploitation by the industry for reasons of cost-effectiveness.

Magic

Photo courtesy Kevin Bacher

Day 77: Everyone needs a little magic in their life. How else could it have come to pass that a person who asserts that she loves children best when accompanied by a hot, sweet chutney and side salad flew into a role as Evernia the Christmas Faerie? There certainly had to be a lot of magic at work to effect such a dramatic transformation. The young lady in this photo (daughter of a Park employee) approached hesitantly at first, skittered off as soon as the Faerie had given her a gift, but minutes later returned to remark in utter awe, "Your hair is WHITE!" The ice broken, her confidence increased and she engaged me in an animated conversation while other kids gathered behind her. Their faces were lost to me in myopic blur; in fact without my glasses, I could barely tell that my little friend's dress was blue and sparkled like the midnight sky. It is impossible to say which one of us felt the magic of this moment more strongly.

Techno-Baroque

Day 76: For as many years as I've been alone for Christmas, it has been my tradition to buy myself a present. Okay, I haven't always bought it in December, but when I made the purchase, it was designated "Christmas present to self" regardless of the month. This year, I decided to forgo the custom and instead made a substantial contribution to my favourite non-profit. On Christmas Day, I had dinner with my fishing buddy's family and somehow got roped into playing carols on an electronic keyboard. I faltered badly due to the fact that I haven't played in a long time, and it made me realize just how much I'd missed my old upright piano. I'd sold the beast a year or so ago to free up space in my living room, an idea which was great in theory but in practice, not as effective as I'd hoped.

Over the last several days, I've been looking at electronic keyboards on line. What I wanted and the cost I could justify were dreadfully out of alignment. Nor did I like the idea of making a purchase without actually playing the instrument, so today when I went in town, I hit one of the region's best-known music stores. I came out with exactly what I had wanted...no, even more than I had wanted!...for a very reasonable price thanks to a close-out sale. This model has more keys than many I've reviewed, plus it has pressure-sensitive volume and half-weighted keys which make it feel more like a real piano. As for what all those buttons are for, I'm sure I'll find out eventually. Right now, I'm enjoying the sound of techno-baroque on the most basic settings.

Little Things

Day 75: Sometimes little things pack the wallop. I've mentioned the "12 Days of Christmas" gift exchange I share with two east-coast friends. One #12 gift (Christmas morning) was a very small, light box from Mousie, aka Alison. My initial reaction of "What the...?" lasted no longer than it took to think it. Then I burst out laughing, surprised and deeply moved by the significance of a tiny metal pea pod holding three peas, symbols of three sisters-of-the-heart who, by some bizarre twist of fate, happened to have been born miles apart and to different parents. It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to put it so that it could remind me of my friends every day, and I finally settled on entrusting it to a rustic raven, a wood-carving which sits atop my desk with other representations of corvids. Raven is often represented carrying a star in his beak in classic Americana, perhaps a spin-off from the native peoples' legends which say he stole a piece of the sun to bring light and fire to the Earth. The love my "sisters" and I share certainly brightens my day and warms my heart!

Snug As A Bug

Day 74: I can think of better places to take a long winter's nap than glued to the side of my house, but when a biological urge as strong as this is upon one of Nature's creatures, it cannot be suppressed. Given the markings and the distinctive shape of the chrysalis, I am going to assume that this is Pieris marginalis until someone corrects me. Margined Whites are common in my yard. Some old-school lepidopterists will refer to them as Pieris napi, but marginalis is now considered a distinct species. The older terminology tends to slip between my lips more often than not, force of habit from having learned them from an out-of-date field guide. Note the dark spot and obvious veination in the wing, as well as the "belly-band" thread securing the chrysalis to the wall. Just how did the butterfly manage that, anyway?

Merry Christmas!

Day 73: Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings from the residents of Lichenopolis! However you celebrate the holidays, our best wishes will follow you into the coming year.