Footnotes to a Conversation, March 7, 2022

“When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad” (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

Bookstores by the Sea

My sister and I had an overnight trip to Sidney this past weekend. The sun shone. There was a bald eagle flying overhead, daffodils flowering, delis brimming with delectable baked goods (we highly recommend Quince Cafe and The Fickle Fig), and there were bookstores. Lots and lots of bookstores. It was probably fortunate that I only visited Tanner’s Books as I came out with 3 new books of art, poetry, and nature (plus I picked up a first-hand account of living in France in a thrift store).

Poetry

A while back, I listed some of my favorite poetry anthologies, including one about cats with fabulous illustrations. Well, there is now The Book of Dog Poems by Sarah Maycook and Ana Sampson. Once again, there is a delightful collection of poems from across the ages as well as well-matched illustrations.

“I’m off again: muck, pond, ditch, residue

of any thrillingly dead thing. And you?

Either you’re sunk in the past, half our walk,

thinking of what you never can bring back,

or else you’re off in some fog concerning

- tomorrow. Is that what you call it?”

(from Golden Retrievals by Mark Doty)

Beatrix Potter

I remain entranced by Beatrix Potter’s drawings and sketches. Her art extends far beyond her children’s books to encompass insects, mushrooms, wildflowers, and landscapes. As a result, I was thrilled to discover Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The plants and places that inspired the classic children’s tales by Marta McDowell on a display table in Tanner’s. I haven’t had a chance to start reading it yet, but I love the variety of images, ranging from photos of Beatrix herself and her homes and gardens to some of her sketches and illustrations.

Here’s a slideshow from the Victoria & Albert Museum’s current exhibit of her work.  I particularly enjoy the watercolour of rabbits putting their coats on and kissing each other on the cheek as they say goodbye. Such an accurate rendition of human behaviour but in very lifelike rabbit form. [Victoria & Albert Museum]

Daylighting

Daylighting – it’s a fascinating term for uncovering hidden rivers and streams that were buried long ago out of efficiency or to hide pollution. In Victoria, a group of volunteers seeks to uncover as much as possible of Bowker Creek and recently released thousands of chum salmon eggs in the hopes the salmon will return once they are full grown. [CBC]

A Calgary creek was paved over and treated as stormwater. Daylighting it could help mitigate against flooding. [CBC]

Proponents of uncovering London’s hidden streams make the same argument. Even uncovering small portions can help restore native species and create opportunities for city residents to enjoy a natural environment. [Discover]

Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.

If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.