stone cold

I'm not terribly fond of lawn statues.  But when I walked past this one in a neighbour's yard, it stopped me.  Cold.

Nothing brings a chill to a warm evening like the cold distant stare in that girl's eyes.

in the darkest of hallways

A balmy Saturday evening.  Dinner downtown, basking in the warm sunshine on a sidewalk patio. Nothing creepy about that.  Right?

 And then I went inside.  And at the end of a long and narrow and poorly lit hallway, I encountered this.

It made my evening. And warmed my heart more than even the brightest sunshine.

spooky beer season

This Victoria Day long weekend was the warmest and sunniest in recent memory.  It was the perfect beginning to beer-drinking season, typically a warm-weather activity for me. And as such, it was the perfect excuse to add to my spooky beer bottle collection.

As usual, the label was more interesting than the contents of the bottle.

suddenly, summer

Okay. There were three days back in March with summer-like temperatures. Days when I thought, "This is it!  It's come early.  I can throw open my backyard shed and start living on the deck again!"

And then . . . nothing.

Those three days were followed by the chilliest, wettest, most miserable early spring in recent memory.  So I went back inside.

But now, it's the Victoria Day long weekend. And it's warm and sunny. And I'm thinking, "This is it!  It's come (somewhat) early.  I can throw open my backyard shed and start living on the deck again!"  I kicked off the weekend with some yard clean-up yesterday.  And I encountered this welcome sight.  Remnants of black spray-paint from work on my Halloween fence extension last autumn.  Apparently, I missed the target a few times.

Good memories.  And the rhodo doesn't seem to mind.

scarecrow in springtime

Typically, throughout the winter and early spring, I experience a dearth of Halloween.  Too cold and wet for my workshop (which doubles as my backyard).  And not a pumpkin in sight.

And then, I stumble upon a sight like this on a neighbourhood walk.  And my faith is restored.

Getting home late from the party.  Or preparing early.   Either way, it made my night.