30x30 Challenge

Good morning!! The sun is trying to peek out which is a whole lot better than the forecast of rain. When I was in the forest yesterday I didn't feel the heaviness of the cloudy sky at all - so what does that say? More trees and bushes were in leafy bright green bloom and any day now the whole forest will totally transform into a leafy green wonderland. The trails will be harder to find (in some crowded sections) and the animals and birds will be harder to see but I love it. I love being enveloped by a huge green hug full of chirps and tweets!

Oh, and let's not forget the tree tapping woodpeckers!

Northern Flicker

That was the only bird I managed to get a photo of - a Northern Flicker who was so focussed on his job that he paid me no attention.  All the other birds I heard and saw briefly were a lot more shy - but I saw the usual blue jays, cardinals, robins, chickadees etc and the gold finches are back!! I also saw a wild turkey but boy did it ever move fast! I lost it before I could even get the camera turned on. Have you ever seen a wild turkey run? It's hilarious!

I'm happy to say that Annie is joining me in the 30x30 nature challenge. The goal is to spend a minimum of 30 minutes in nature for 30 consecutive days. Here's more from David Suzuki's website...

"Evidence shows that being regularly immersed in a natural setting, like a park, wetland or woodlot, reduces blood pressure, anxiety and stress levels and boosts immunity. Simply having a view of nature leads to faster patient recovery times in hospitals and higher job satisfaction and increased concentration in office workers. Outdoor exercise increases energy levels and reduces anger, depression and obesity."

* So Anne in the Kitchen I think it's about moving through nature although I'm sure being surrounded by trees/plants and flowers in a garden would provide many benefits too!

If you're interested there is a good article from the National Geographic that explores nature's effect on our brains - it's fascinating! 

The end of my day was a lot noisier than the forest but very melodic :) A favourite band of mine has come back together to tour and played at the Music Hall where Kazi works as a bartender. The band is called Collective Soul and I still have some of their music that I purchased back in the 90's.......... on CASSETTE!! Time to visit iTunes again :)

Ed Roland - he can still hit the high notes!!

One of my students, a very bright girl with autism, was in love with Ed Roland while I was her teacher. Every day she'd ask me if I had phoned Ed yet (on her behalf) and we would go through our usual routine:
Her: have you called Ed yet?
Me: no, I haven't. Why haven't I?
Her: because he's married?
Me: yup, you got it!
(Maybe I should check - he could be divorced now for all I know!)

I thought this guy was pretty cute - turns out he's Ed's younger brother.

They have a new lead guitarist - he was amazing!

All in all it was a good day! Kazi put me on "the list" so I didn't have to pay to get in. It was disappointing, however, that there wasn't a lineup that I could walk to the front of - what is the point of having "power" if you don't get to use it? Oh well, I got free beer and free coat check and Kazi took me by the side of the stage where I had an excellent view, they played all of their #1 hits and it was FAB!!