Mary Soderstrom's Blog, page 90

The Waters of March: Good Sounds in Both Brazil and Quebec

For a long time I thought this Brazilian classic referred to the wonderful abundance of water that appears with the melting snow. But of course, March is the end of the summer in Brazil, not the end of winter.

The Brazilian rains are those that break the drought. But the song works just as well here.

       



Here are the English words:

Waters of March : English Version: “Aquas de Marco Antonio Carlos Jbim Lyrics”

A stick, a stone,
It's the end of the road,
It's the rest of a stump,
It's a little alone
It's a sliver of glass,
It is life, it's the sun,
It is night, it is death,
It's a trap, it's a gun
The oak when it blooms,
A fox in the brush,
A knot in the wood,
The song of a thrush
The wood of the wind,
A cliff, a fall,
A scratch, a lump,
It is nothing at all
It's the wind blowing free,
It's the end of the slope,
It's a beam, it's a void,
It's a hunch, it's a hope
And the river bank talks
of the waters of March,
It's the end of the strain,
The joy in your heart
The foot, the ground,
The flesh and the bone,
The beat of the road,
A slingshot's stone
A fish, a flash,
A silvery glow,
A fight, a bet,
The range of a bow
The bed of the well,
The end of the line,
The dismay in the face,
It's a loss, it's a find
A spear, a spike,
A point, a nail,
A drip, a drop,
The end of the tale
A truckload of bricks
in the soft morning light,
The shot of a gun
in the dead of the night
A mile, a must,
A thrust, a bump,
It's a girl, it's a rhyme,
It's a cold, it's the mumps
The plan of the house,
The body in bed,
And the car that got stuck,
It's the mud, it's the mud
Afloat, adrift,
A flight, a wing,
A hawk, a quail,
The promise of spring
And the riverbank talks
of the waters of March,
It's the promise of life
It's the joy in your heart
A stick, a stone,
It's the end of the road
It's the rest of a stump,
It's a little alone
A snake, a stick,
It is John, it is Joe,
It's a thorn in your hand
and a cut in your toe
A point, a grain,
A bee, a bite,
A blink, a buzzard,
A sudden stroke of night
A pin, a needle,
A sting, a pain,
A snail, a riddle,
A wasp, a stain
A pass in the mountains,
A horse and a mule,
In the distance the shelves
rode three shadows of blue
And the riverbank talks
of the waters of March,
It's the promise of life
in your heart, in your heart
A stick, a stone,
The end of the road,
The rest of a stump,
A lonesome road
A sliver of glass,
A life, the sun,
A knife, a death,
The end of the run
And the riverbank talks
of the waters of March,
It's the end of all strain,
It's the joy in your heart. 

Saturday Photo: Signs of Spring

Okay, the snow is melting rapidly during the days--Saturday morning was really wonderful--but the nights are still cold.  This makes perfect weather for potholes.
The freeze-and-thaw cycle is a fact of life around here in the spring, and the appearance of pothole patches is a sure sign that changes are on the way.  
Another sign is the way that the sun is now shining in our back bedroom as it rises.  Its progress northward across the sky usually brings it in alignment with the windows the first week in March.  I couldn't not the day this year because we've had so little sun, but this morning there definitely were bands of sunlight on the wall.
Next up: snow drops?

Happy International Women's Day: Dance with Nana!

This showed up on Facebook this morning and I think it's perfect to celebrate International Women's Day. The woman can dance! I just wish that my sister Laurie and my dear friend Virginia (both great dancers) were still with us so we could groove together.

Buddies: Couillard and Porter

Can't repeat it often enough: when the health  minister is a buddy of the head of a big super hospital project, no one should be surprised.

What should be questioned is when the pair plan on going into business together, and one of them turns out to be heavily involved in some pretty shady dealings.   Quebec Liberals, who are you going to vote for?

Camels and Climate Change: Will We Be As Lucky?

Lots of space given in the last couple of days to the discovery of fossil bones of ancient camels that once roamed the Arctic about 3.4 million years ago.  Camel-like animals are still found in South America--llamas are their cousin, after all--but it seemed that nobody really thought they might have walked their way across the top of the world when sea levels were much lower.

But wooly camels, well adapted for chilly weather, apparently did just that.  Not that the Arctic was as cold as it is today: scientists estimate that aveage temps were 2 to 3 degrees warmer than now.  The reconstructions of the beasts from what few fossils that have survived are sort of a kick, but what is really interesting is the kind of reflection their evolution and travels should incite.

So temperatures go up?  Some animals might be able to take advantage of the changes: storing food in humps works just as well in snow-bound regions as it does in the desert.  The key is how quickly beasts with traits useful in the changing climate can reproduce.

Now the question is: are we going to keep up with pace?

"The Coyote's Nothing Sceery, Just Singing to His Dearie"--A New Lullaby for Montreal?

We haven't heard them, but it was nice to hear they're not far away: coyotes in Montreal.

Seems that at least two females and a male have set up housekeeping along one of the railroad right of ways entering the city.  There have been reports of them howling as well as some sightings.

I've always admired the toughness of the beasts who can live so close to humans, and who are not really pests if you stay out of their way--and keep your own pets under control.

"Coyotes have a tremendously positive impact on an area’s biodiversity and ecological integrity," says the SPCA. In ordinary times about the only other non-human predators in urban areas are cats and dogs, species which don't go after a lot of the nuisances animals that our garbage attracts.  But coyotes can be a match for young racoons, and after our experience last summer with a large family of that species, I'd love to think that coyotes would do a little maurading around here next summer. 

Elin's in New York, "Babysitting" the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal

The Studio make a different sort of music, but this is a lot of fun!

The concert at Carnegie Hall is tomorrow, and they all left this morning by minibus.  Hoping that there are no problems with Border Service cuts when they cross over to the US.

Saturday Photo: It's Lent, Time to Take Down the Decorations

Well actually I took most of them down at the end of Janiuary, but the branches and stocking (which belonged to our late cat Calie) have stayed up.  Each time I looked out the kitchen window, I was reminded of what a nice holiday we had.

But the days are getting longer and it's time to recognize that all good things must come to an end, if only in order that we can appreciate them more when the holidays come around again.

Quebecers Highly Taxed? Don't Bet on it

Another interesting study from IRIS, the Quebec think tank.  The perception is that residents of the Belle Province pay more taxes than anybody else in North America.  This supposed tax discrepancy is grist for the mill of "fiscally responsible" folks in various political parties.

But it seems that we're not taxed all that badly, and middle income famlies are doing quite nicely, thank you, when compared with their opposite numer in other jurisdictions.  Defintely worth looking at in depth. 

What's Wrong with Canada Post? "Post-Modern" Modifications

For several months our postal service has been deteriorating, with our mailman delivering letters well after dark by the light of a sort of headlight.  I've complained to Canada Post and been told there is nothing that can be done about it.  I've also written to the ombudsman but so far not received an answer.

La Presse today confirms my worse suspicions today, though. Misguided changes, involving rather large capital expenses in the form of mail trucks for every letter carrier and the reorganization of routes have resulted in 10 and 12 hour work days, masses of overtime and worker burnout.

The corp lost a lot of money last year, in part because it has had to make up for inequitable pay practices following a Supreme Court decision.  Paying women less than men was a stupid decision at the time, and it would seem that current management isn't much smarter.