Valentine’s Day’s Soulmates
This holiday is for the young
who think that there is only one
true “soulmate” to be found among
our species, who can make life fun.
But there are many much like you.
You’re lucky. Nature can be cruel –
some species merely have a few
examples to ignite love’s fuel.
So head on out to celebrate
with other Valentines today.
You might find someone really great.
Your “soulmate” might just come your way.
We heard the Red-naped Sapsucker nestling long before we saw the adult Sapsuckers near Wishbone trail on July 9, 2023. I have also included my poem, Waterton’s Backyard Retirement for James, in this post (with videos placed between the stanzas).
Waterton’s Backyard Retirement for James
James wants a house and farm near Waterton
so he can hike there every summer’s day.
Each day in Waterton is always fun,
and James would like to live there, anyway.
He’ll raise the money, then he’ll build his dreams
to be his Waterton reality.
Each day in Waterton, it always seems
there’s so much beauty he can find and see.
I know that since James truly wants to be
content while on his farm near Waterton,
then he will get there just as soon as he
decides to go, retire, and have some fun.
If James is there, then I will live there, too
and have some fun with work I plan to do.
I have been reading (and singing) my poems both in nature and at The Owl Poet Tree open mic night (the last Wednesday of each month) for the past few months. Along with other people’s poetry, you can hear some of my poems at
Two of my poems were included on their video edit for episode 44 (at roughly 28 minutes into the show). James recited one of his poems at roughly thirty minutes into that show.
My poetry is based on my experiences. Many of my summer experiences are set on hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, many of my poems are about nature. The first poem (that I sung) on the most recent Owl Poetry night was about a type of orchid called Hooded Ladies’ Tresses which I saw (at Knight’s Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park) on July 25, 2023.
You will find me reading my poems (not about hiking) at roughly 32 minutes into the following Owl Poetry video at
James and I hiked through Waterton Lakes National Park on July 17, 2023. We had a great time, in spite of the wind (because we didn’t hike any trails that required climbing). We started off with Wishbone trail (just to Sofa Creek). Then we headed up to Cameron Lake for the rest of the day.
I typed up and included a poem that I wrote about my time on Wishbone. You’ll find it much later in this post. I had a good time on Wishbone trail this week but last week was so much nicer. It’s amazing how different Wishbone is from week to week. Last week, the Showy Asters were the main attraction. This week it was the berries.
Berry season attracts the bears. There are plenty of Saskatoons along Wishbone. On a windy day, I worry that my scent or the sound of my voice may be carried away by the wind. I don’t want to surprise a bear out there. If he can’t smell or hear me coming, he won’t know to leave the trail.
I saw so many White-crowned Sparrows on July 17, 2023. I guess they were the bird of the day (even though I saw others, too). I wrote a post dedicated to White-crowned Sparrows (with videos recorded on the same day). If you can’t get enough of watching the little guy below, check out my White-crowned Sparrow post (posted earlier this week). There are different morphs (and you can tell what morph this is by my videos, if you’re interested in looking into it).
I couldn’t find the white mystery bell flower in any of the books that I have at home. I’ll keep looking. It’s tough to tell what’s what with the Job Kuijt line drawings sometimes. I’m sure this plant would be in his book. If you know what it is, let me know. It really is worth singing about. I will find it eventually.
I have learnt how to identify so many Waterton plants over the past year. I never could have guessed I would make so much progress so quickly. This method of learning is so much fun, too!
I wouldn’t have guessed that deer could get tumors in Waterton. Waterton seems so clean and natural. Tumors don’t seem clean or natural. I suppose they are natural, though. I suppose Waterton has a multitude of natural things that can make critters ill (the ticks, for example). The deer seems alright, even with her tumor.
The Showy Aster Show
We thought that Wishbone trail would be
a bloom bouquet – a treat to see –
as it had been a week ago.
The Showy Asters didn’t show
as well – the show had faded fast.
The vibrant Bee Balm we had passed
back then became so tired and dried
so fast. We walked along and tried
to love the wealth of Golden Rod
and Tufted Prairie Aster God
had sent to encore last week’s show.
I love to watch the flowers grow
and, though they hadn’t stayed the same,
this encore made me glad I came
to catch the show the week before
that isn’t showing anymore.
Honestly, I understand that it is easier to figure out how to I.D. flowers with large colour photos, like in Jacinthe Lavoie’s book, but what Job Kuijt achieved by completing his book is most impressive.
Right after I finished filming the following video, the man who parked his vehicle there tried to bully me. He asked “is there a problem?” and I replied “you aren’t parked in a parking spot.” He said “are you a parks employee?” I said “would you like me to get a parks employee?” He became easier to talk with at that point.
I understand why he parked there. It was shady there. When people design parking lots, they really should plan for shade. No one wants to have to park in a sunny spot.
I might not have said anything on another day. I had already been waiting for James for an hour. The wind had chilled me but I was also thirsty so I didn’t want to sit in the sun. Not having a key to the car sucks. Still, I love that James takes me to Waterton.
If I hadn’t been waiting for James for so long, I wouldn’t have found the Yellow Rattle plants beside the parking lot. Cameron Lake is always hopping with tourists and James loves to talk to people. I really need to leave a sudoku book and pencil on the hood of the car to return to.
There are two types of Wintergreen plants that I am trying to find around Cameron Lake (and I dread going back there to try to find them because it will probably mean that I’ll be waiting for James for a very long time). I’ll remember to pack water with me next time and then things will work out better. I still had a great day in Waterton on July 17, 2023. Every day is a great day in Waterton.
James and I saw a Mountain Blue Bird while hiking on Wishbone trail on July 9, 2023. We hiked Wishbone on the way to the Vimy trailhead. We saw a lot of birds that morning.
We hiked “the great circle route” to Twin Lakes in Waterton Lakes National Park on Friday, July 15, 2023. It was a Poetry in the Park hike (a free guided hike we offered) but no one showed up to join us. James still managed to find many people to talk with at the beginning and latter part of our hike. It was just us and the flowers for most of the walk.
It will take me a while to upload the videos and put together my Highlights of Twin Lakes blog post. I will write it when I’m in better spirits. My spirits are brighter than they were first thing this morning.
When I woke this morning, I was worried about the escaped calf that I saw along HWY 5. Not being able to help the little guy made me feel helpless. I’m still worried about him.
Then going out to see my peat bale row flowers certainly didn’t cheer me up (watch the videos to find out why). Not everything works out perfectly. Yet, I was able to see that I really am very lucky after all. I do have people who care about me. I see many beautiful flowers every day. Some are in my garden; others are in God’s garden in Waterton Lakes National Park.
When I visited Waterton on July 15, 2023, I even got to see a flower that I had only ever admired in books. I saw a flower that I had never seen in the real world ever before and it looked even more beautiful in person. Once I get the Highlights post done, you’ll get to see what I found. I am truly blessed.
Last week, James and I saw something huge fly over the windshield as we drove past Mountainview. We didn’t know what it was. We both figured it must be a crane of some sort (or possibly a strange-looking Canada goose with a long neck).
While we hiked through Wishbone on our way to Vimy yesterday morning, we saw two of the same type of bird flying overhead. Luckily, they had landed ahead on the trail so we got a good look at these two Sandhill Cranes. I have typed up my poem, Sandhill Crane, and pasted it into this post. I have put videos in between the stanzas.
Seeing the Sandhill Cranes was a highlight of our hike on July 9, 2023. We had many noteworthy experiences on that hike, though. It will take me some time to get the Vimy highlights post typed up. Expect to be able to read it by the weekend.
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane is some forty-five inches in height.
They’re light grey, but their forehead’s dark red and they might
have some reddish on wings (due to preening with dirt
on their bills). They’re attractive, and Sandhills won’t hurt
the northwest in the summer, when dining on grain,
seeds and animals. Cranes fly down southward again
for the winter in Mexico, where the sun’s bright.
Sandhill beaks are jet black, but their cheeks are bright white,
so the contrast of colours looks fashionable.
They have long, slender, model-like legs (that aren’t dull,
though they’re grey). Their beak’s orange-ish when they’re still young
and look rustier when they are flying among
other Sandhills in huge winter migrating flocks.
Each karooo’s in a deep-sounding voice when it talks,
and you might even hear it repeatedly call
since these birds aren’t endangered – oh no, not at all
(though a subspecies: pulla, does happen to be).
So far, most of the Sandhills are gracefully free.
James and I hiked the Wishbone trail (in Waterton Lakes National Park) on June 16, 2023. I sang 13 songs to flowers that I found along the trail. I won’t be posting any of the songs that I sung in this post. I will just be including videos of other highlights from our hike.
I have found that I am still very excited about the hike long after I get home. Last night I stayed up writing poetry about the day’s events. I’m tired but still excited by the memories of life (and mountain scenery) that I saw along the trail.
I am including one of the poems that I wrote (Wishbone’s Wood Lily Walk) at the bottom of this post. This Wishbone hike was one of our Poetry in the Park hikes. James and I are offering these Poetry in the Park guided hikes for free to anyone who wants to join us on a Waterton hike this June. If you are interested in learning more about the flowers in bloom in Waterton right now and would like to learn how to make your memories of your Waterton experiences more artful, come and join us.
Many people practice journaling these days. Keeping a diary (a journal, scrap book, or some other record of events) can be beneficial for one’s own use in the future. Using poetry when creating journal entries can potentially benefit others well into the future. Even if your journal only reaches your loved ones, they will appreciate the art that you put into it. The more art you put into your journal, the more of “you” becomes a part of it.
It is easy to find inspiration on a Waterton hike. I expected to be inspired by the Yellow Mountain Avens near Sofa Creek; and the Orchids and Twining Honeysuckle along the Wishbone trail. I wrote songs for those and other flowers I expected to see before I went hiking. I pour through plant identification books to organize what I expect to see according to bloom dates and locations. I see so much more because I spend so much time and effort planning ahead of time.
Even though I plan ahead, and know what flowers I should expect to see, it is always a surprise to see them somehow. Sometimes flowers that I expect to see, like the Woods Lily, surprise me by being more beautiful than I could ever imagine. The Woods Lily has just started blooming along Wishbone so its petals are all fresh, vibrant, and new right now. The wildlife is always a surprise.
We saw many butterflies and other insects but few other animals. James saw a coyote bum (running away from us); a deer tail (I saw more of the deer than the tail); and a fresh bear footprint in the mud along the trail to Wishbone landing. I saw the bear print first. It was certainly a bear print but didn’t look really big (no bigger than my foot). We chose to turn back rather than continue on as we’d planned (the bear appeared to have headed where we wanted to go).
We heard a lot of birds but saw few. I saw a ground bird of some kind running up the trail to try to get away from us as we hiked. James didn’t see the bird (I was ahead of James at that point).
Wishbone’s Wood Lily Walk
We walked along the path mid-June
to see a Honeysuckle and
some Orchids (they’ll be over soon).
The Orchids looked so tired and bland
compared to Lilies there that grew
beside each Slipper yesterday.
The Lilies glowed bright red and new
and made each Slipper fade away.
Though Honeysuckle’s such a treat,
it was eclipsed by Lily-red.
The Lily’s blooms looked fresh and sweet
so we just saw the blooms instead.
Who would’ve thought it possible –
an Orchid, such a fancy thing,
could be turned plain from beautiful
and yet, it seems it has this spring.
We planned to hike Horseshoe trail again this Wednesday (just to the first creek crossing). Horseshoe is known for the Woods Lily also (but Wishbone is far better for the Woods Lily and other flowers right now). We will not be offering another Poetry in the Park hike this spring. Sorry.
The weather wasn’t looking good for either Tuesday or Wednesday, so James and I just headed up on Sunday, June 18, 2023 and hiked up past the falls along the Sofa Mountain trail (accessed from along HWY 6). We hiked Horseshoe (only up to the 1st creek crossing) afterwards. Horseshoe sure seemed unimpressive after Sofa Mountain.
Although the weather prediction for Wednesday has now improved, now Friday is predicted to be rainy. Therefore, we have decided to only offer one free Poetry in the Park hike this week. We’ll be heading up to Goat Lake on Sunday, June 25, 2023. I’m wishing for a great hiking day.
We’ll meet in the Red Rock parking lot at 8 AM. We hope to see you there. It is a long hike. I suggest you familiarize yourself with it (see the official Parks Canada site for information) and come prepared.
All of our Poetry in the Park hikes are free. Just show up if you want to learn a little more about the flowers you see and/ or about how you can improve your poetry.
I performed my song, Common Yarrow, while I was resting on a local urban hike. You will find the video-link attached below. I have attached a poem that I wrote, Lethbridge, below. I have noticed that the Yarrow is in bloom along Waterton trails I’ve been hiking lately. If you want a change from the Lethbridge scenery, Waterton Lakes National Park is just a short drive to the south/west.
James and I are offering free Poetry in the Park hikes in Waterton this June. If you would like to hike with us, we will be hiking along Wishbone trail this Friday (June 16, 2023). There is no need to book ahead. Just show up at 8 AM at the trailhead.
Wishbone trail may not have seemed that special (in comparison with other Waterton trails) years ago. Wishbone trail was not hit by the wildfires that torched many other Waterton trails a few years ago. Therefore, Wishbone has remained much as it was prior to the fires whereas so many of the other trails’ biodiversity has changed significantly.
There are sure to be plenty of Yarrow in bloom along the Wishbone trail (as there is along other Lethbridge and Waterton trails). There will likely be some flowers in bloom that you won’t see along a Lethbridge or other Waterton trail (such as two different types of beautiful orchids). If you want to see (and smell) orchids, your wish will likely be granted this Friday if you show up to hike Wishbone.
Lethbridge
When asked to describe it, she said
“it’s a place where the old come to die.”
I think many who live here are dead
and I can’t really understand why.
The coulees are lovely to see
and there’s plenty of trails there to hike.
When you’re in them, you really feel free
up until you run into a bike.
It’s blown everyday there has been –
from the mountains and not “back and forth”
so the air in this city smells clean
(that’s unless it blows in from the north).
There’s vegetable crops and there’s beef
produced locally, so it is cheap.
At the market, you feel like a thief,
but imported food prices are steep.
There’s school if you’ve time you can kill.
If considering if you should stay,
there’s dead end jobs that need little skill
(but there’s not many jobs here that pay).
In summertime, there’s little rain
so the tourists start settling down.
But the drug scene that’s grown is insane
where the tourists are tenting downtown.
The library’s movies are free.
There are thousands of movies we share.
But it’s not entertaining to see
all the druggies that congregate there.
The streets are alive all the time.
When downtown, you are never alone –
there are dealers and plenty of crime.
When you rent here, you won’t want to own.
They’ll bury you here with the coal.
You won’t leave, though you don’t want to stay
‘cause this town’s like a greedy black hole.
People come and then can’t get away.
NOTE: our scheduled Friday hike (up to Goat Lake) has been cancelled (due to serious forecasted rain). Our next Poetry in the Park hike will be on June 13, 2023 to Bertha Lake from the townsite. We will start at the trailhead near the parking lot at 8 AM. If you would like to join us, just show up.
We did a Poetry in the Park hike in Waterton Lakes National Park on June 6, 2023. It was excellent. I expected to find almost as many different flower types in bloom along Red Rock to Blakiston Falls, and along the Crandell Lake trail as I did in Horseshoe Basin on June 2, 2023 (I found 90 different types of plants in bloom there on that day). I did expect that many of the flowers on the trails hiked on June 6, 2023 would be repeats from Horseshoe Basin hike on June 2, 2023. I will highlight some of the differences for you.
I sang 16 songs to plants on June 6, 2023. That doesn’t mean that I found that many more plants on June 6, 2023 as on June 2, 2023. I may not have had those songs with me (or cared to sing them) on June 2, 2023. I haven’t uploaded any of my songs that I sang while doing the Poetry in the Park hikes. I don’t know if I will do so until fall. I don’t care to spend my time indoors uploading videos. I do enough of that already.
Bears were a common theme at the park on June 6, 2023. After having seen one on the way to Red Rock, we were heading up from Crandell Lake to Akimina Parkway while a woman was descending towards us with her two dogs (and bear spray). She told us about the bear that she’d just passed less that a kilometer in the direction we were going. We decided to just turn back there rather than having to worry about the bear on the trail ahead.
I wasn’t keen on going from Crandell Lake to Akiminia Parkway and back anyhow. Since we finished earlier than expected at Crandell Lake, we headed over to Wishbone to fill up the rest of the day. While there, I saw very fresh evidence that a bear had just been there on the trail. Then James and I heard the bear crashing around in the woods beside the path. We didn’t have any trouble with the bear, though. We just spoke loudly. We have never had any trouble with bears while hiking.
Aside from bears, there were many mosquitos, ground squirrels, and a deer near Blakiston Falls; there was a very large black and orange jumping spider and a chipmunk near Crandell Lake; and a dark bird with copper (very shiny) wings in a tree at Wishbone with many other birds.
While we ate snacks in the car with the doors open, a Yellow Warbler kept flying by. He definitely wanted our nuts. I thought he might fly right in to get them. We felt bad. He likely thought we were being greedy by not sharing but everyone knows that you can’t feed the wildlife in National Parks (everyone besides that Warbler, that is).
James’ highlight was meeting a sister of a hockey player James knew about. James likes hockey. They talked for a very long time while I played with the spider and looked at flowers. I also spoke to the couple a fair amount. They were friendly and I felt comfortable with them. Perhaps I’m getting to enjoy socializing with other humans more as I age.
Dame’s Rocket
While on a hike to Crandell Lake,
a purple flower seemed to make
the best impression for the day.
We finished, then went on our way
to Wishbone for another hike.
A picture of that plant we like
was posted on the boot brush there –
a joke, it seemed we both could share.
As it turned out, we did see as many plants on June 6, 2023 as we had on June 2, 2023 (at Horseshoe Basin). Many were “reviews” and many were “new” but all were a treat to see. The Dame’s Rocket find brought some humor to our hike but finding the orchid turned out to be funny, too.
I was trying to find the mystery bird with the shiny metallic wings and was looking in the opposite direction from the orchid. I looked down and there it was, like it appeared out of no where. We laughed, having nearly missed it while looking for something else.
Finding that orchid on Wishbone was a wish come true. I’d been worried that all of Waterton’s orchids were destroyed by the fire that took out the trees a few years back. James and I had just been talking about it with a couple we spoke with on the Crandell Lake trail.
Had we not spoke with the woman who’d come across the bear on Crandell Lake trail, we wouldn’t have turned back at the Lake. If we hadn’t turned back, we wouldn’t have went over to Wishbone trail to fill up the remaining hours of our hiking day. If we hadn’t hiked Wishbone on June 6, 2023, we would not have seen that orchid. Life is magical.
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