Tag Archive for 'winter'

How To Change a Habit

amy published on March 22, 2010 in superforest journal and technology. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Wide-open windows are my favorite part of the (slightly) warmer weather (this is the view out my bathroom, and this tree is awesome in all seasons). There’s nothing like a spring breeze to make everything feel new again. Insides get a little stale in the winter, and especially this winter, when my no-heat experiment meant that I was afraid to lose even the tiniest bit of warmth.

Wait, let’s talk about that for a minute. Having lived in Maine for the last 5 years, I’m programmed to start using the heat as soon as October or November rolls around. This year, I turned the heater on it’s lowest setting for 8 hours before it was too hot and I needed to open the windows to cool down. Well, that’s not efficient now, is it? I love my clunky old heater for it’s charm, but it just wasn’t doing it for me, so off it went.

As an experiment, I waited and waited to turn on the heat for a day that I got too cold to wait any longer. October turned into November, then into December, and before I knew it, it was March and I’d made it all the way through a winter in Maine without heat.

December and January got a bit chilly, especially sleeping at night. I started wearing my super old (super soft) plaid shirt/jacket anytime I was at home and drinking a lot of hot tea, and by swapping my regular sheets for flannel ones, I was plenty warm at night. Big difference. Mmm, don’t you just want to crawl into these?

So, lesson learned this winter: examine your habits before you take action! Why do you do the things you do? Do they make sense? I have no idea what I saved gas-wise or money-wise (my landlords pay for heat – score!) but I’m sure it was at least a little significant, and I found other, less detrimental ways to stay warm.

Anyway, the point of this all was just to say that by the end of winter, opening the windows is the thing I look forward to most. Sometimes it’s okay to get off topic.

Snow and Ice = Art and Love

heather published on February 22, 2010 in art and superforest journal. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

teardrop-sculpture

Good Evening, Superforesters Everywhere!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! This weekend two of my closest friends visited and we had a fantastic weekend filled with great walks, even better talks, and of course, great food and music! We also took in Ottawa’s biggest winter event: Winterlude.

Winterlude is a winter festival centred around the Rideau Canal, a huge waterway that snakes its way through the city. In the winter as it freezes, people skate, walk and sled on the canal either for enjoyment or even to commute to work.

canal

The conditions that day were not ideal for novice skaters such as ourselves, so we opted to take the heel-toe express instead. It was so great to see so much happiness around us — skaters whizzing by, kids playing and running like crazy out of sheer joy and excitement. Major highlights of the festival are definitely the snow and ice sculptures. Not only are they artfully crafted and beautiful, they often depict animals and nature, Canadiana and winter-inspired themes.

butterflies

bird-closeup

closeup-of-skates

fish-closeup

more-gorgeous-teardrops

This year we also noticed that there were some sculptures not made of snow and ice, but rather of repurposed plastic water bottles and plastic bags. The University of Ottawa’s Visual Arts students created these sculptures, along with the kinetic sculptures that we thought looked like lovely chandeliers! Eco-friendly win! eco-sculpture-one

eco-sculpture-two

eco-spider

plastic-chandelier

Cuteness alert! In our travels, we came upon these trees, wrapped lovingly in beautiful knit scarves! The Urban Cozy Project as it was called, brought crafters together to make colourful scarves and other knit cozies to wrap around trees and other landmarks throughout the Winterlude site.

beautiful-knitwork

cozy-tree

more-tree-scarves

Once we saw these bright, happy colours, our day was brightened even more and we swooned at the cuteness of these knit leaves, hanging in a row!

tree-leaves

Trees need love too, and these scarves and cozies did the trick. Go hug a tree and a friend! Yes, I said it: hug a tree! They provide us with so much in life: food, shelter, shade, peaceful sounds in the wind, fantastic colours and essential oxygen. I’d like to think the trees were smiling inside knowing they were wrapped in warm, hand-crafted knits.

We also came across some children playing in coloured snow — I am not sure if it was natural colouring or not, but the kids sure seemed to be having a blast building structures and Inukshuks. Coloured ice = fun!

coloured-ice-is-fun

So, Superforesters, there’s my account of a winter weekend spent exploring! We did our best to spread as much positivity and love around in our travels, and we soaked in all of the artful designs that Winterlude had to offer. If you are living in a snowy climate in winter, next time you step outside, try to look for art and love — trust me, it’s all around! If you don’t see snow in winter, you can still find art in unsuspecting places if you explore your surroundings with a keen eye. This weekend art brought me smiles, deep thoughts, warm hugs from friends and cozy trees! So in closing, art and love can brighten even a cold winter’s day. I know that was the case for me!

Until next time Superforesters, I remain your Unique Canadian Snowflake,

Superforester Heather

Winter Nature Walk with SuperForester Heather!

heather published on February 15, 2010 in art and superforest journal. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Hello SuperForesters! Today I went for a little nature walk on the Ottawa River Parkway and I thought I’d share my experience with you! This is especially for those of you in parts of the world that rarely get to see snow and ice :)

park

I decided to test my video skills on this one, so please be patient with me as I hone my filmmaking ability to be less Blair-Witch-like. Also I’ve noticed that chilly weather can slow down my speech (and apparently make me speak in a bit of a sing song! Oh, the joys of listening to yourself recorded…) I promise my next video will actually show me, and not just me underneath a bunch of winter gear and sunglasses! (I’m also not quite sure why it’s such a blue hue…but I’m new to this video thing!) Also, I was a bit hasty to explain that Family Day is not really spent with family…I am sure for many it is!

So, take a nature walk with me and enjoy your day.

tree-and-clouds

I saw some tracks in the snow, probably from a dog, but look how they run in a single line, that’s not very dog-like… what animal do you think made these tracks?

tracks

For some reason I like photographing benches! At least this one had a friend to hang out with…

bench-buddies

I came across some sculptures on the ice…

superforest-sculpture

At first sight, this sculpture looked like two heads…then it reminded me of SuperForester Patricia’s handiwork, but now that I look at it again, it reminds me of the Superforest logo! What do you see when you look at it?

I loved this beautifully symmetrical tree. There’s something about winter trees that is so dramatic.

trees

Well, Superforesters everywhere, I hope you enjoyed the photos and videos! Would you like me to take you on some more nature walks?

Wintry yours,

SuperForester Heather

Winter at Dusk

heather published on February 11, 2010 in art. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Some photos of my favourite time of the day — dusk, in one of my favourite months of the year — February. Enjoy.

blue-and-mauve-sky-at-dusk

I looked up, and the sky was blue and mauve…

winter-foliage

I wonder what these blooms will look like in the spring…

another-lonely-bench

Benches must get so lonely in winter…

looking-up-at-dusk-in-winter

Don’t forget to look up — sometimes you get some really beautiful views.

Poetry: The Paperweight

chris published on January 24, 2010 in art. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Good morning, SuperForest. In my AP Literature class we’ve been concentrating on poetry. I’m not a very good reader of poetry, but I still love the craft. That said, every year each senior chooses a poem and presents it to the class (this also entails a report, paper, etc.). I chose this poem, by Gjertrud Schanckenberg:

The Paperweight

The scene within the paperweight is calm,
A small white house, a laughing man and wife,
Deep snow. I turn it over in my palm
And watch it snowing in another life,

Another world, and from this scene learn what
It is to stand apart: she serves him tea
Once and forever, dressed from head to foot
As she is always dressed. In this toy, history

Sifts down through the glass like snow, and we
Wonder if her single deed tells much
Or little of the way she loves, and whether he
Sees shadows in the sky. Beyond our touch,

Beyond our lives, they laugh, and drink their tea.
We look at them just as the winter night
With its vast empty spaces bends to see
Our isolated little world of light,

Covered with snow, and snow in clouds above it,
And drifts and swirls too deep to understand.
Still, I must try to think a little of it,
With so much winter in my head and hand.

I am glad I picked it. I hope you enjoy.

Love,

Chris

(image via DDOI)

Heather’s Journal (1/5/2010): Thoughts on a Winter’s Night

heather published on January 5, 2010 in superforest journal and zeitgeist. 9 Comments Tags: , , , , .

winter-bench

There’s something about winter that always makes me turn inward. It’s definitely part of my personality to analyze and reflect  —  I suppose that’s why I write. There’s something in those snowy winter months that demands reflection and thought, unlike any other time of year. All cozied up inside in my favourite house sweater, cup of tea in hand, I often take this hibernation time to heart and try to look at my life with new eyes. It’s true what they say: new year, new you.

I recently went for a snowshoe in the trail that I often to go when I’m near my parents’ home, and I was able to clear my mind and experience a snowy solitude in the woods. Looking back, I would say that my 2009 was a year to stop and reboot, to change my life and embark on a new journey. I think it’s important to realize we can always turn the page and start over.

on-the-path

I moved to a different city, changed my career track, and started writing more. I spent more time with my parents and my grandmother, enjoyed  a small-town summer and was able to take time to think about what I really wanted to do with my life.

Although I do miss my former city and the community of friends I built there over the years, I am feeling positive about this fresh start, this new blanket of pure white snow, if you will. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, these photos are especially for you, to provide a glimpse of a Canadian winter. Having said that, not all Canadian cities get as much snow as Ottawa, but it often is true that if you come to visit, you might need a parka. Here I am in mine, soaking up the trail in my new snowshoes.

me-snowshoeing

Now that it’s 2010, I want this year to be a year of change, growth and peace in my life. Change, growth and peace are things to strive for every year, right SuperForesters?  Aside from those annual goals, I want 2010 to be a year of action. I vow to act on more of my passions and causes, to do more each day and to achieve more life goals. I vow to remember to be grateful every day, to remind myself of everything that is good in my life so that I can be a positive light to those around me. When I think of some of my favourite people in this world, they are and have been the most positive, sunny people that radiate love. I want to be more like that, but in my own unique way :)

This year I will embark on experiences, projects and new adventures in an attempt to bring more peace, positivity and growth to my life and I hope you’ll join me on my journey. I want to try new things, step outside the box and be as SuperForesty as possible! As cliche as it may sound, I want to laugh more, sweat more, think more, play more and love more. I want to get outside more! I want to smile more! I want to give more hugs and receive more hugs. I want to be around animals more. I want to create more art! What do YOU want to do?

Your unique Canadian snowflake, SuperForester Heather