Journal 60

Good afternoon world;
Here i am working at the bag, our name for Firebag, a sagd project. This is the environmentally friendly way to get heavy oil out of the ground. That is the line anyways. The weather has cooled today,the wind chilly and I have the night shift to look forward to. I found out yesterday that I will soon be a grandfather. Oh well, the other grandfather is Brad Wall in Saskatchewan. Bye for now. Jerry

Journal 53

Good evening America;
Back at work for a two week stint at a place called Firebag in the heart of the Canadian north. Saw a Martin running along the pipe line a few weeks ago. Beautiful animal. A big weasel but much more elegant. A little chill has hit the air, it is fall. The geese are on wing as the north wind gathers strength and presences to chill our part of the world off. Bye for now, Jay

Journal

Saw a rare sight about two weeks ago along the creek in Red Deer. A blue heron was walking in the shallows, quiet and ellegant. They truely are beuatiful birds. Up north at work on enviroment friendly sagd project. Less disturbance to the ground with these projects. I finished my novel, the fifth one. Wow, I did not think I would write as much. Cehck out www.jaygeenen.com Bye for now.

Journal

Good morning from Firebag;
I am working on a sagd project to recover heavy oil in Alberta. Steam is injected underground to soften the oil which is then pumped to the surface. Last year the local say a wolverine was spotted at the plant. Very, very rare. I have a hard time believing this to be true.

Journal 55

Good morning;
I sitting at a table in City hall park looking at all the flowers. Just beautiful in Deer, the colors, the smells and the greens of the firs. A short little blog on a cooler day, was too hot the last couple days. I guess we are not use to this weather for it was warmer a few years ago. Bye for now, Jay

Journal 54

Good morning;
It is a cool rainy day in Deer again. Forecast is for rain tomorrow also which will be eight days in a row. Yesterday saw a hen duck and three little duckings. There were just out of the egg and had to paddle very hard against the current in Waskasoo creek. The creek is flowing at a good rate due to the rains we have received. It was a nice sight. The crows all seem to have their young leave the nest at the same time. They make an awful noise that is neither crow or nestling but a combination of both. Noisy birds, they are not my favorites by far. It seems the crows had adapted to the urban area and scavenge the wastes the humans make from the garbage bag pickings to the foods littering the streets. Bye for now, Jay

Journal 53

Good Morning;
Another beautiful walk for Timmies coffee and a jug of water at Safeway this morning. Raining again, it makes that lands so very fresh. All the plants and wildlife flourish with the rains. Only a light sprinkle this morning but it rained most of the night. Seems to do that everyday now. Today is one of those special number days for it is 12:34:56/7/8/9 AT twelve o'clock with 34 minutes and fifty six seconds. This only happens once. Wow. The work on the high rise out the window is coming along. City hall park is awash in blooms, great to look at. Bye for now Jay

Journal 52

Good morning;
A tornado touched down north of Red Deer yesterday. What is with the weather. Much needed moisture failing on prairies. The birds and the plants have that beautiful song and color as they enjoy the moisture. A cool day in Deer today, very nice for a walk. Bye for now, Jay

journal 52

Good afternoon;
We are getting rain just about everyday here in Deer. Was very dry but now the plants are all breathing out a collective sigh of relief. Saw a beauty of a white tail stag yesterday in the tall grass of Waskasoo park. Velvet on the new antlers, the rack impressive. Nice to see wild life in a town but it is the green spaces that allow the large animals to coexist. The ducking are in the water looking like their parents. Soon they will fly. Bye for now from Deer. The Canadian jay.

Journal 51

Good morning world;
I am in that writing mode again. Blog away. This morning the magpies were having a disturbance, a big fight in magpie land. Almost like crows. The song sparrow sang a nice tune, so did the other birds, the crows were quiet. The recent rains have put greenness into the trees and grass as they collectively breathe out a sigh of relief. It was getting a little dry, now rain. Cooler in Deer today. Coffee this morning steaming hot was grand. Bye for now, Jay

Journal 50

Good afternoon world;
In Red Deer we have been getting rain the last couple of days. It was dry and the moisture is appreciated by one and all from the plants to the animals to the human beings. I saw a beaver at about four feet since I last posted and deer eating bushes and grasses along Ross Street Hill nature paths and bush. All thisa right in downtown Red Deer. City Hall park is alive with flowers and will be absolutely spectacutar in anothe month. Hats off to the old park manager that started all this by using his own money to purchase bedding flowers. Now that was public service, something we rartely see in our day and age. Back to work on wedsday, I have this really different job where i wrok from wed. to wed. with the following week off. Fly to work on a 737 jumbo jet. It is a rush. jay from Deer

Journal 49

Good Morning world;
Went for my usual coffee this morning with the twenty minute walk through Waskasoo park and along side Waskasoo creek. It was early around 7:30 AM and the birds were all singing from the robins to the finches and the nuthatch. The fox vixen was out hunting trying to sneak up on something beside or in the creek. I watched from about fifty feet until she noticed me. Her pups are probably very demanding by now so any tidbit of food she can find is welcome. Foxes generally only eat food they have killed, no carrion. The birds songs were especially pretty this morning, the air warm as the birds welcomed a new day. It was sunny but now is overcast. The city workers are putting out the bedding plants in city hall park by the thousands. The begonias are in full bloom, red, white, orange and yellow. Good to see. Bye for now, the jay man. Back probably June 4th, off to work in the Canadian north country.

Journal 48

Good morning;
A little cool in Deer today. Did the usual morning walk for coffee before going to the library to use Internet ans wifi. Still working on my novel called 'The Perfect ShOt' at www.jaygeenen.com. It is a free download and the numbers of people to visit site is very good. Usually only first visit is logged and at times they are missed so site is going quite well. The finches were the birds singing this morning, the robins silent and the crows mercifully silent. The mallards were on the creek. Yesterday i saw the fox vixen jump onto a maple tree stump at the bottom to have a better look around. Very leery and almost hide herself. Bye for now, the jay man.

Journal 47

Good morning world;
The morning walk to Timmies was uneventful in the area of wild life. The farmers market is in full swing and the noise scares away all wild life. I would hide too with all that commotion. It is a beautiful blue sky day and also shorts weather. It is nice that the warm weather finally came for Red Deer had about ten inches of snow last weekend. Bye for now, the jay man

Journal 46

Good morning,
Did the usual walk to Timmies for coffee this morning. Saw a blue heron take to wing behind the arena on Waskasoo creek. This is one of those truly beautiful and rare sights. Some days it is just a good thing to be alive. I grew up beside a lake in Saskatchewan and the wild life was always friend. The song spa rows were singing and the world seemed at peace. Maybe a new dawn of civilization is occurring. A dawn where we find peace. That would be great but at least for the moment when seeing the blue heron I was at peace. Bye for now, the jay man.

Journal 45

Good Morning. I am back in Red Deer again after my week stint up north. Sometimes a person has top work and I have to travel for my employment. The weather in Deer today is funny, first a nice clear day, then cloudy and now starting to become clear again. It is cool for this time of year. The song sparrows were singing in full force this morning as I walked for my morning coffee at Timmies. It seems the birds are busy with their young so the songs are not as prevalent. Also the sun is rising much earlier now and many birds sing at sunrise or shortly thereafter. Bye for now, the jay man.

Journal 44

Good Morning World;
Off to work I go, I plan to be in the Canadian north near the sixth parallel for about eight to nine days. Should have a blog on May 21st if everything goes well. When i travel up there work sometimes requires a longer stay so I'll be back blogging away in due course. The fox vixen move her whelps near the bridge over Waskasoo creek. I saw her jump the creek this morning and look back as if I did that without getting my feet wet. The fox is quiet shy but I fear her pups will not fear humans they way they should. A song bird was busy singing this morning. They put out such a nice tune. A crow had to make it's presence known, they always have such a harsh call. The weather is cold, they are calling for snow in the north where I am going. Bye for now, The jay man.

Journal 43

Good morning world:
It was a beautiful weekend here in Red Deer. I did not blog yesterday, had to give it a rest. I saw young fox whelps behind the arenas by Waskasoo creek. These young animals were about six inches high and like all young dog like pups were play fighting and wrestling. I could tell the young foxes enjoyed the horse play for the young foxes seemed to have a smile on their faces. This morning the geese took wing from the little creek bed. It is always a nice surprise to hear their honks in the morning. The crows have really become less noisy, almost as if they sense they were making to muck racket. I wonder if they know, it is possible. The plants in the city park flower garden are beginning to green and the dirt is not bare anymore. Soon a picture of beauty will overwhelm all visitors. They say the city planner in the fifties took care of the gardening chores himself for the city had not yet a budget for such extravagance. If he is still alive I say 'well done', now that is civic duty beyond anything that is called for. It is nice that we have such people in this world of ours, ready to give of themselves without any benefit. Bye for now, the Jay man.

Journal 42

Good afternoon;
A busy day today so the blog will be short. One minute it looks like rain and the next minute it looks like sunshine. Just one of those days. The grass and plants in city hall park are beginning to green up. It is a feast for the eyes. Bye for now, the Jay man.

Journal 41

Good morning;
A cold windy day here in Red Deer today. The weather man is calling for thundershowers in the am. I do not know if it will get hot enough in the morning for thundershowers. I saw a magpie and a crow do their little dance. The crow was trying to drive the magpie off, maybe because the nest was close by. The birds were in an old scrag dead spruce and the magpie just kept hoping for branch to branch. The crow was no match for the agility of the magpie. I saw the mallard drake over by Spruce drive bridge. The hen must be on the eggs. The chickadees and finches were silent when I walked for coffee at Timmies at about 8:00 am. The blue jays were also not heard. It must be the weather. At first light a crested waxbill sang in the the trees by the house. Boy those birds have a beautiful song. Well bye for now, the Jay man.

Journal 40

Good morning world;
The weather in Red Deer is unsettled, cloudy for ten minutes and then sunny. Unfortunately the temperature is cool and a brisk wind is blowing. I did my morning walk for coffee at Timmies this morning. The blue jays behind the arenas were all in a tether for a crow was in the area and maybe robbing precious eggs from the nests. About ten blue jays were on guard to attack the intruding crow. The chickadees were busy singing their little lullaby songs. It is always nice to hear the little birds sing. A wax bill sang in a tree just outside the house today. They have one of the most beautiful songs in the bird world. Finches in in the spruce trees on the Ross hill, they were very plain colored being brown and grey. The mallards were not seen this morning, I think they are doing the nesting thing. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

Journal 39

Good Morning world;
It is a cold rainy windy day here in Red Deer. Good. I went for my usual walk this morning to Timmies for coffee. The birds were manly quiet except for an old crow who must have a nest near the path. The chickadees were also singing 'springs here' in unison. The mallard pair was not to be seen nor were any geese. In a week I return to CNRL for another stint of work. I kind of live the life of Reilly having a fairly good income earned in a short period of time. I am getting lots of hits to my web site of www.jaygeenen.com. Most hits are not counted if they are from a blackberry or overseas or out of the country. Twitter has helped the hit count tremendously. Sales are becoming brisk, so who knows, maybe a career change is happening and I do not even know it. Friends that are psychic tell me that this is a year of great change for me. We will see. Bye for now, the jay man

Journal 38

Good morning world;
It is one to those days, overcast and just a touch chilly. The weather man forecasts rain for the next number of days, good. I get really congested from tree pollens especially the populars and firs. The rain dampens the pollens and after a good rain I do not suffer as much. Went for my early morning walk to Timmies. A mallard pair were on the water by the bridge over Waskasoo creek. A few ducks are in the area. One crow was making a noise, must have been close to her nest. The lawns outside in city hall park are receiving their manicure, that is they are being mowed for the first time this year. Looks good. Well bye for now, The Jay man

Journal 37

Good Morning;
A little cooler today but I am still in my walking shorts. It is a beautiful blue day with out a cloud in the sky. On the walk for Timmies coffee a mallard drake was high up in the bush lands probably dining on the new green shoots that have come out of the ground. I am suppose to return to work on the 13th of May. A nice long holiday is over as I go back to the grind. The city employees are busy planting bedding flowers out. Only the hardy ones can go out for the danger of frost is far to great yet. Another one or two weeks before the majority of flowers will be put in the beds. Red Deer city hall park is a real sight to see in the summer for it is awash with blooms. Many, many flower beds are in the park. Well bye for now, the jay man.

Journal 36

Good afternoon;
Received word this morning returning to work on May 13. good show, about time. Have to get ready for the one hour flight in and out to work. Did my usual mo0ring walk for Coffee at Timmies. A goose pair landed on Waskasoo creek, I thought the female would be on the eggs by now. Maybe it is her time away from the nest. They better be smart or old foxy will get the eggs. I forgot to mention that yesterday saw a flock of about thirty swans heading north and then north west. I guess there has to be something about old twisted tree and the old growth forest reserve along Waskasoo creek. The belt is only a couple hundred feet wide but it is enough for the wild life. We should plan our cities better with green belts in them. It just is a better place for everyone including the birds and animals to live. The crows have been less noisy. They were bothersome before. The robins always sing. I saw the small version of a woodpecker today in rotary park. It is just across from Waskasoo park. Well bye for now, Jay

Journal 35

Good morning fellow bloggers;
Great day here in red Deer. I was awake at 6:00 am. and cleaned the sewer on a bathroom sink. I am of all things a journeyman plumber so the task was easy for me, just had to dig out the snake. The walk for coffee was gorgeous, the mallard male was all alone one Waskasoo creek. The creek is about twenty feet wide at the most and right now is barely flowing. It is feed by various springs and if it rained in the high country to the west the creek would almost burst at the seams. I have on my walking shorts, it is a beautiful day. I had to make a complaint about our local RCMP and it went up stairs. The local guys were giving me the run around, one of their members gave me a false name in a court of law. Not smart, not smart at all but the justice system is just that legal not just. Old boys club at the very worst. Could get real dicey for me in a hurry but I really do not care for I have been hurt by the legal system to the point that the Justice Minister of Saskatchewan has given me a written letter of apology. I wish they would take their collective head out of their ass and really look at the world. Bye for now the Real Canadian Jay.

Journal 34

Good morning;
Work is delayed, maybe a good thing. It is a beautiful day here in downtown Red Deer. Our city is only one hundred thousand people so it is nice and small. A person can drive from one corner to the other in about twenty five minutes. Most trips take only fifteen minutes. Being small is not always great, the judiciary has been here as an old boys club for far to long. Some judges are third generation people already. I went for my morning Timmies coffee. A beautiful twenty minute walk. A number of robins were singing this morning. I saw the mallard pair over by the bridge over Waskasoo creek. I had thought the hen was on her eggs already, maybe she is and was taking a break. A few times I only saw the drake so I assumed the hen was doing her thing. A fox must have been close by for I could smell the pungent odor. Maybe looking for mallard eggs. Well bye for now, the jay man.

Journal 33

Good morning world;
Off to work I go, I owe, I owe. Made my morning walk for coffee at Timmies. Beautiful day, sunny bright and hardly a cloud in the sky. Just one of those days. Doing all the prep work for employment, I have done this many times, almost on contract basis. Work on the novel is going very well, the hits are up there. Thanks for all the went to my site at www.jaygeenen.com Bye for now the Jay man from Canada

Journal 32

Good morning;
Bummer day for I had planned to take the 2:45 am red eye to Edmonton. Set the alarm but did not move it ahead for time change. Big mistake, but I hope to bounce. Walked for my morning coffee at Timmies, a beautiful day, just great. Just a short blog today The jay man from Canada

Journal 31

Good afternoon.
Went for my Timmies coffee this morning and decided on the return trip to walk past twisted tree a few times. The path in the forest is about a Kilometer and a half long and I walked it twice. The over night snow on the trees was beatiful, with small fluffs of snow falling from the trees as the sun warmed the earth. Very peaceful, very alone, just meet one person on the path. Love it. The crows seem to less noisy lately, maybe they know I do not like all their yakking. I will not be blogging tomorrow, going to Edmonton to see I can get a steam fitterposition. Need some cash so have to go back to work. I will finish the perfect shot, at 31,500 for word right now. When I reach 40,000 then I know it is close to complete. A novel usually becomes a chore for me at about 35,000 words but sometimes the words just seem to jump onto the paper. Watch James taylor on Elvis Costello and he said that he really did not ever know what he would write. Very true, as if someone else guildes the pen or key board. I will try to blog on tuesday, see what happens. Bye for now, The Canadain Jay

Journal 30

Good morning;
Big fluffy snow falling a minute ago has changed to drizzle here in Deer. Saw a flock of one Hundred swans on the wing north fly right over the house. Beautiful sight to see. Last night I saw a muskrat doing it thing in Waskasoo creek. I was walking for a jug of water, tap water in Red Deer is absolutely pitiful in the spring. Very brackish, run off from all the foothill bogs along with every farm yard along the way. Pucky. The grass is starting to green, even with our low temperatures. I have a follower from Australia on twitter that says it is cold there too. Al Gore's global warming is horse poop. The orbit of the earth around the sun varies by as much as fifteen percent and the earth's axis tilts by as much as seventeen percent. Right now we are close to the sun and the northern hemishpere is tilted toward the sun. We are three degree Celsius warmer than normal and the southern hemishpere is two degrees colder. Gore you are full of it. The rare birds on wing this year tell me so. The Jay man from Canada.

Journal 29

Good morning;
A little snow rain thing happening in Deer today. A robin was having a sip from one of the puddles on the pavement. I think a moose calf was calling out for mom in Waskasoo park. I did not hear it perfectly, a little muffled by the trees. The chickadees were doing their thing. We only have a slight breeze compared to the gale we had yesterday. The blog is happening early today, posted before nine thirty our time. I see I have few people following, good. The clouds are black and low today just like clouds in the very late fall. I wonder if it is going to snow all summer. They forecast a high of plus seventeen Celsius for a week from now. Of course I did my walk top Timmies this morning, that is a must. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

Journal 28

Good morning America;
It is a cold day here in Red Deer with a temperature over night of minus 7 Celsius. Burr. Very windy, just not a nice day. The only birds out on my walk to Timmies were the crows and even they were not calling like they usually do. The squirrels were surprisingly active, maybe they have their young ones already, probably do. We have a skiff of snow on the ground, it is just one of those days. I made a mile stone yesterday with thirty thousand words on The Perfect Shot' project. Next mile stone is forty thousand words. Just have to keep plugging away at the work, it is one of those things. I think I am going to buy a bird book or borrow one so I can identify the species of birds quickly. I always think the nuthatches must have been blown in from the south because their call is 'yank, yank, yank.' The magpies are fling around outside the window. I believe these birds came over with the pirates or early sailors. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

Journal 28

Good morning;
It is a cold windy day here in Red Deer. The snow is beginning but it is still mixed in with rain. Only the crows called out today, to cold for all the other birds as I am sure they are holed up somewhere. A mallard pair was in the tall grasses across Waskasoo creek and took to wing as I near them. I guess it was too cold in the water today. The construction workers are busy building the twelve story tower across from the library. I know this provides lots of jobs but here in Red Deer there is a lot of commercial space that needs redevelopment. A fire that claimed a bunch of old buildings on Ross Street has yet to be rebuild. A hole in the ground has remained for about eight years. The same can be said of the old Arlington hotel. Parts of the building were over an hundred years old. The city took over the property for back taxes owed. It will be a paved parking lot for many years to come. I would hope that the city fathers would think of redevelopment, but with the new high rise tower the office space will be flooded. That's a pun, twelve stories in the air and flooded. I guess I will get out the ark. Take care to next blog, The jay man from Canada

Journal 28

Good Morning;
It is one of those days again. A flock of twenty nine sandhill cranes flew over the Ross hill. In the last three weeks two flocks of swans and a flock of sandhills and this is right over the heart of down town Red Deer. The place is magical, why else all the birds over the ross hill. Saw the mallard pair on the foot bridge over Waskasoo creek. They were on land and he drake looked beautiful in his white and black coat with the green head. A merganser pair were further up steam on the Waskasoo. Nice to see. Seems there is always wildlife by the Waskasoo park. A moose cow used to call it home till either the police or a newfie shot it. Sucks, well bye for now, the jay man from Canada

Journal 27

Good morning. Did my usual twenty minute walk for a Timmies coffee this morning at about 8:15 am. A flock of thirty swans flew over head on their way north. Nice to see. Mr Mallard duck in his fluorescent green head plumage was on Waskasoo creek. Maybe the hen is on the eggs already. It was cool this morning in my walking shorts. I wore them because the weather forecaster has predicted a high of twenty Celsius, or room temperature. I am looking out the library windows at city hall park and see the city workers beginning to prepare the flower beds. It is that time of year with May just around the corner. The sky looks warm, pastel light blue. Bye for now the Jay man from Canada

Journal 26

Good morning;
A brisk north west wind is blowing in Deer today making walking for my morning coffee a little cool. Dust is blown up by the wind and always seems to land in the eyes. A robin sang his song as he sat upon the top of a fifty foot spruce tree. The song I am sure was ' it is great to be alive.' The wind all but drown out all other birds other than the noisy crows. A long finch or song sparrow sang briefly. The sky is that deep blue cold color reflecting out temperatures. I missed seeing the mallard pair by the bridge over Waskasoo creek. The usually hang out there, probably for the last couple years nest close by. The summer air is full of other smells so I have not noticed if the fox is in the area. Must work on my novel today. The men are working on the new high rise building to the north west. The wind must make their work very difficult at elevations. Bye for now the Jay man

Journal 25

Good morning;
Today was one of those days early in the morning as I went for my walk to Timmies. A flock of thirty to forty swans flew over my head at a low altitude. Two almost silent honks was all I heard to let me know to look up. It is one of those sights. They were on wings heading north to the breading grounds. When I crossed the bridge over Waskasoo creek a Mallard duck pair swam fifteen feet away. Silent and glistening with his fluorescent head of green was a sight. Further down in the park three Mallards ducks took to the air in acrobatics. Spring has come for these birds. Yesterday on my walk home a tree that had been trimmed had a hole in the wood. A chickadee couple was setting up house as they went back and forth with their twigs. I checked out the little water fall on the creek. Turned out to be an old beaver damn. Cold and windy today but one would never know it. One of those days. Bye for now the jay man from Canada.

Journal 24

Good morning;
It is a beautiful day with a sky that has just a small hint of cloud being a whitish color. I walked for my morning coffee at Timmies again. it is a twenty minute plus walk through old growth forest. There really is only a hundred feet of forest but the smells for the spruce and a few pines is great. A robin was singing cheerio, as they do. The crows were noisy, they always are. I have heard a small rill or waterfall and check the situation out on Waskasoo creek. Found a foot drop to a pool on the creek, will have to go down there and have a look. I bet the wild life abounds near the pool, there just is something that soothes all living things with the sound of rushing water. The city is busy today, it seems everybody is driving somewhere or someplace. I going to change my routine today and do something different. I will discover that adventure when I get to it. Bye for now, the jay man

Journal 23

Good morning;
Did my usual walk for Timmies coffee this morning. It is a beautiful day, the temperatures are warming. The sun shone on my back and my neck. It felt great. The snow that fell yesterday is pretty much gone. the sky is that beautiful blue color reflecting the air borne sea we see above. Ever wonder why the sky is blue? Comes from all the air borne moisture, we literally see an airborne sea. The birds were basically quiet except for the honk of the geese and the usual crows. A goose pair would land in Waskasoo creek just in front on me. I heard the splash of their crash landing. The squirrels were busy in the trees but quiet. It is just one of those days, I guess. Well bye for now, the Jay man from Canada.

Journal 22

Good morning;
The Easter weekend is over, so it's back to work. Walked for my usual coffee this morning. We have a cold northerly wind and wet snow, 5 to 10 centimetres. The birds are all huddled up, only the crows are brave enough to call out in weather like we are having. The weekend was beautiful with temperatures of plus 15 Centigrade. I walked along Waskasoo creek in the evening and saw a pair of beavers doing beaver things. They would climb on the bank every twenty feet or so and push on the ground to see if it was still hard. Plans of a dam I think. Big changes occurring where I stay. Three bachelors share a house but John just could laid off at the end of the month. He is heading back to Cape Breton. John was an excellent guy to share a house with, very quiet and reliable, we will miss him. He plans to return late in the fall or just before Christmas. Alberta has a changing environment economically. These guys get tight with their money in a hurry. Well bye for now, The Jay man from Red Deer

Journal 21

Good morning;
I did my usual thing of a twenty minute walk to Timmies for coffee this morning. It rained last night or early this morning. The birds just love the new fresh biosphere. A robin was chirping and then intermittently asking for breakfast, "Cheerio" Either the robing was asking for breakfast or it was an English bird. Saw two little yellow finches and couple either bird species that I do not know. I guess I should get a bird manual and look the birds up. One of the birds I saw looked like a female sparrow, brown and white dabbled but it had a red patched throat. Another bird that sang a beautiful song high up in a tree was about twice the size of a sparrow and rusty brown in color. It also had a red patch on it's throat. A pair of ducks fly by also. Waskaoo creek is running almost full tilt. A mists of fog in the morning always drapes the trees along the creek, I think it was the way Eden looked so many years ago. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada, smiles

Journal 20

Good Morning;
I slept in today, the stress of writing on line has taken a small toll. Did the usual twenty minute walk to Timmies for coffee. It was refreshing cool day perfect for walking. Waskasoo creek is flowing full bore almost, it is the storm drain for a good half of the city and with the melting of ice and snow it is full. Temperatures should reach plus 12 today and maybe stay above 0 Celsius all night. There seems to be a lot of chickadees this year, they are kind of a neat little bird. Hard to believe they may have evolved from dinosaurs. A song sparrow was singing for a mate, so were the chickadees with their familiar 'springs here'. Most of the song birds are back but I have yet to see the old staple, a robin. Have not seen any ducks either, I wonder if their numbers are declining. The sky is neat today as I look out the forth floor library windows for it is a marshmallowy blue. It is almost like an artist painted the sky blue first and then put a hint of white over top. It is one of those great days to be alive. Bye for now the Jay man from Red Deer, Canada

Journal 19

Good morning;
I went for my usual walk to Timmies this morning. Saw a little chickadee putting twigs in a one inch hole that was in a steel light standard. Industrious little fellow, the crows were not going to get his young as eggs anyways. the small or lesser woodpecker was busy pecking at a wood power pole, wonder if he knows the pole was treated with chemicals. Waskasoo creek is flowing, the weather is warming, it is great to be alive. The view from the window of the library is great, can not wait until the grass is green and the flowers are in bloom. City Hall park is always awash with flowers in Red Deer. Bye for now, the Jay man.

Journal 18

Good morning;
Did the usual walk to Timmies for coffee. Was lucky this morning for under the rim was a free coffee. It is a beautiful warm day, they are calling for a high of plus 11. Most of the snow in City Hall park is melted, only a few ice banks remain. Saw a little chickadee on a willow bush as I walk to the library by Waskasoo creek. The bird was really tiny, I do not know how such a small bird can survive our Canadian winters. Seems I am get a few hit to the blog, I can tell by the hit counter. Nothing spectacular but hits never the less. It seems my web site goes in spurts, twenty five on Saturday, twelve on Sunday and one yesterday. Oh well, mind you I am sure only some of the hits get registered. I think if a person goes directly to my site page they may not be counted in the hits. I am absolutely sure of this. Have to go work on the novel. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada.

journal17

Good morning; Alberta is warming up, a high of plus 10 predicted. The old friend, the Chinook is howling today in the mountain passes. Did my usual thing of going for a coffee at Timies this morning before heading to the library to do the computer work. It was a beautiful morning for a walk, warm and hopefully the ice will melt soon on the steps on the Ross hill. The steps pass through the spruce trees so very little direct sunlight can help to melt the ice. The birds were singing but no new returnees for the summer yet other than the geese. Have not seen a duck as of yet. Hits are happening at my site, thanks to all those that have a look see. Bye for now, the Jay man from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

journal16

Good Afternoon;
I am at the computer a little later today for the library does not open early on Sundays. It is a windy day but the weather forecasters are calling for highs of plus 8 all week. Sure hope that happens. I did the Timmies thing for coffee this morning and then I picked up my mail from the Post Office box. It is a sleepy Sunday afternoon and I have a lot of work to do on my novel. See you tomorrow. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

Journal15

Good morning; I did my usual thing of walking to Tim Horton's for a coffee this morning at about 8:15 am. The crows seemed to be wrapping up their convention but I know they will be discussing things every morning until the cold weather forces the birds south. The Blue Jays had a noisy meeting with nine members present. The discussion topic was who was going to mate with who? After a heated discussion the meeting was adjourned with all members deciding to visit the Holmes bird feeder to see if any sunflower seeds were out. Two Canadian Geese did their slow flight and honk as they flew over the city. Their voices always seem to quicken when they notice open water. It is minus 8 Celsius this morning so all water is solid unless it is flowing. The geese flew over Waskasoo creek and park. Waskasoo creek is a city drainage ditch but also has underground springs that feed it. Red Deer is very fortunate to have many open green spaces. Bye for now, The Jay man from Canada.

journal14

I guess this means I have been doing this for two weeks, it is neat. The crows had a secound day of convention with highly talked about raven topics. Four crows joined together to drive a raven away. The crows have the higher pitched caw, caw whereas the ravens are deeper voiced and sound like craw, craw. The hawk or falcon was calling again today as I walked for my morning coffee. I wore my boat shoes that have better griping soles as not to fall on my butt again. It is not any fun but I still bounce. I like doing this blogger thing, it is like a daily journal, an excellent idea to keep. Most business operations require a person to keep a journal. I do when I work but never use it to prove a point, that just causes a lot more trouble than it is worth for one then has to totally defend their position. The journal is good to keep to know when certain things were looked at. Bye for now, The Jay man from Canada.

journal13

Good morning;
Went for my usual walk to Tim Horton's this morning. The Ross hill steps were very icy and I landed on my but again. Saw a pair of geese flying south, those tow will nest in the area maybe Three Mile Bend park. Hear a hawk or a falcon calling out this morning also. The walk through the old growth forest and Waskasoo park always lifts the spirits and I use the time to plan my day, be it writing or what ever. I see a sparrow as I look out the windows of the forth floor of the library onto City Hall park. The city park is always very beautiful awash with blooming flowers in the summertime. I can not wait for summer, get rid of this cold weather. Bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

journal12

Good Morning;
Did the usual walk to Timmies for coffee at about 8:30 am. Beautiful day, only minus 5 this morning. The crows were having their annual convention with the agenda being what they were going to do about the ravens and territory disputes. Everyone of the crows joined in for a rather heated discussion. Well it seemed that way. A fox was in the area, could tell by the smell and the tracks on the overnight snow that we received, about 9 mils or a half an inch. The fresh snow made the Ross hill steps icy and treacherous. I took great care walking down the steps holding onto the handrail. The hill is about one hundred feet high and overlooks Waskasoo park. This is a real treasure in red Deer. I guess I have to do work on the novel, that is the normal thing right now. Bye for now, the Jay man from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.

Journal11

Good morning;
A beautiful minus 8 Celsius this morning as I walked for my Timies coffee. Timies coffee is almost a must. The forecast for the rest of the week is only highs of zero. yuk!!!! Walking home yesterday I heard the honk of Canadian geese. They were on the wing, going north in a hurry. Nice to see. The perfect shot is beginning to load, great. I will try to get a snippet every day on the site of www.jaygeenen.com, works available, the perfect shot, watch it evolve. Hit in that order and you will get to the site page. It is a big project for me, writing on line. I think it will be harder that I anticipated. Well bye for now, hopefully see you tomorrow, the Jay man from Alberta, Canada.

journal10

Good Morning;
Cold today here Red Deer, Minus 12 Celsius or 10 F. We should see a high of 5 Celsius today. Did the usual morning walk to Timies at 8am. The Ross hill steps are still very icy, must hold on to the handrail or risk failing on ones keyster. The city noise overwhelmed the bird sounds this morning with only a few calls being audible. Worked on my web site as usual. The novel, The Perfect ShOt is coming along very nicely, two more weeks and I should almost be there, close to complete. It will take another month after that for editing for sure, maybe longer. I probably will be back at the patch by then doing my thing to earn a living, but writing is my passion, I will succeed. I know it, arrogant but true. It is a big world out there and a guy from small town Saskatchewan never really looks the tiger in the eye. Maybe that is our secret to success. Well bye for now, the Jay man from Canada

Journal9

Beautiful morning at 8 am when I waked down for my coffee at Timies. There was moisture in the air to the east which made the sunlight a special hue, warm and golden. The sun felt warm even though it was only minus 6 Celsius. The birds were alive and singing with a chickadee calling 'are you there' trying to attract a mate. The blue jays were there noisy self's, the crows cawed and even the nut hatch chirped their song. All the birds liked the sun light. The ravens were missing this morning, maybe a good thing and that might be why all the other birds sang. The wind in the afternoon shifted to the northwest bringing with it a little chill in the air. Across from the library the men are lifting the 'hammerhead' crane upward into the sky above. It is a long slow process, the work that is. Today will be busy as I hope to start uploading 'The perfect shot' to my web page of www.jaygeenen.com. To reach just hit works available and then the title. On the bottom in blue click on the watch the novel evolve and this should take you to the page. I hope this get wings, it time. Bye for now the Jay man from Canada

Journal8

Good morning;
My usual walk for coffee this morning had a different turn. We got about 3 inches of fluffy white snow last night. I slipped on the stairs on the Roos Street hill path and fell. Luckily I still bounce. The lab top went down hard also, I need this old girl with the new novel coming up. Should start Monday on that project, hope I can pull it off. Early into my walk a raven flew overhead and cooed. Not the usaul raspy caw, caw, caw. Yesterday a raven right before Timies came flying in from the south in a straight line and a hurry caw three times, then a moment of silence only to repeat. The natives would say I am getting a message from the south soon, a very important message. They are probably right. The usual wood pecker drummed out their beat, the blue jays spoke as they always do, they are niosy birds. The weather man says we are getting colder but the old friend was in the west, could easily hear him, the chinook that is. I think the weatherman is wrong this time. Bye for now. The Jay man from Canada

Journal7

Good Morning America;
Did my usual thing of a twenty minute walk for a Timies coffee this morning. It was great, could smell a fox or coyote, mabe a skunk, aready awakened from winter. The smell was not strong but I knew that some animal was there the night before. I saw deer tracks on our walking path today. Have not seen the tracks since the heavy snow, the deer walk on the human paths to stay our of the deep snows. Th old friend, the chinook was whistling in the west like a freight train sound in the distance. It's warming up in Alberta after a long winter, good. Getting hits to web site and hopefully today have most of the techie stuff taken care of. Heres hoping www.jaygeenen.com flies. Bye for now, the Jay man.

Journal6

Good morning;
A cold wintery day here in Deer, Minus 22. Burr. Did the morning walk to Timies for coffee, no free ones, I think they keep those all for them selves. Have alot of work to do before Monday, want to complete the rough draft of The perfect Shot. that's about 20,000 words. Final edition, I hope, will be 45, 000 words plus. That's novel length. Finances are good, probably return to the oil patch in mid April I hope. That should give me enough time to do my work. Today is a mellow day, yesterday the site went crazy. One guy had a look at 'The Iraqi SoluTion' from the states and said politely that is was good, but he was American. It has a little political zing to it, but of course it is all fiction. I was told many years ago that i would write, at the time thought that was pure bunk. I was told i would do the Iraqi solution as a sort of penance, using my long hidden creative abilities to help with discovering who we are as a poeples of this earth. Who would have thunk? Not me. I set aside a certain time of the day to write, it just feels natural. Bye for now, and hello world.

Journal 5

Went for my Timies coffeee as usual. Saw an accident on Gatz ave, actually saw the end result. A bad rollover, the little car must have hit the mini van just right. I do not think mini vans are that safe. Cool day here in Red Deer. Should have my web site for 'The Perfect ShOt' up and running on Monday. A free download will be available if you go to my site of www.jaygeenen.com Hit on works available and then 'The Perfect Shot.' Click on the blue writing at the bottom and it will take you to the page. I plan to log every day with a date that I work on the novel. It is going to be about a curling star from Littletown, Saskatchewan, Canada. Good book, I can feel it. Hopefully it will be complete in three months. Thanks, Jay

Journal4

Hello is anyone out there? Cold windy day in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Went for my coffee as usual, slipping on the new snow and ice as I walked the kilometer to Timies. Tim Horton's, a coffee shop chain, is a really big thing in Canada, line-ups are always happening at this place. Going to write after I do the blog stuff , then maybe facebook. Bye for now, hope to get some feed back, I am at jaygeenen@hotmail.com.

Journal 3

Is anybody able to see this blog? Let me know by e-mail at jaygeenen@hotmail.com
Took two days off, went to the country side by Rimbee, Alberta. Where the hell is Rimbee. Well it is near Bently, Alberta. Snowed 6 inches in the west country, but beautiful sunny sky today. Have to work hard on my novel, the perfect shOt. Thought I had it up to par , but some more techie difficulties, I think Planned. bye for now, jay.

Journal 2

Quite a day yesterday, web site got a bunch of hits. Found a cousin living in the United States. Did the usual thing of lugging my 15 inch lab top with for coffee, a twenty five minute walk to Timmie's and then over to library. Weather is warm, a very nice spring day. Should go get mail today or tomorrow. Like this blogging stuff, work on the book is coming along great. Rough hand written draft at 10,000 words, half complete. Great ideas for the characters, should be able to bring them to life easily. Just another normal day for a writer, going to have to go hard on 'The Perfect Shot'. It will probably end up like 'The Iraqi Solution' were I complete the story on the bus trips to Fort Mac to work. Bye for now

Journal

Good Morning America and maybe the world. I walked down for my coffee at Timies as I usually do on a very nice morning. It's warming up here in Alberta, can hear the warm winds in the mountain passes. The sky overhead was cloudy but the friend in the west had a robin egg blue arc, a Chinook is coming. I have a e-mail from my web producer, should have the page for the book I am going to do online ready in about a week. Great news. Spirits are high, the sky is blue, the last piece of the puzzle found. Blog away and let the winds of change carry me and all that view this site. Bye for now, the jay man

March 18, 2009

Good Morning;
To update my wish list of writing a novel online the time frame to get the techie stuff in order is about three weeks. Hopefully it will only take about three months to complete the blog. Will probably link to my web site off www.jaygeenen.com Now for the journal. Walked for coffee today at timies. Then over to the library to do the Internet and newspaper stuff. The weather is chilly today but tomorrow it is likely to have a warming trend. Happened yesterday to go to an Irish pub in town and was lucky enough to sit where there was a little Irish Coaster with a guy with Red beard. Free green beer was the order of the day and I am not even Irish. I guess a little of their luck rubbed off on me. Bye for now.

Opening entry

Hello;

I am a new Canadain writer that plans to do a novel on line. Hopefully I can complete this project in three weeks. The novel is going to be about women's curling in Canada. It will be fiction.