One of the cardinal things we appreciate about the Ottawa Valley. It is green, indisputably green. You cannot go very far without encountering forest. Ever since we moved here almost fifty years ago we've lived in green space. When we lived in Toronto, a trip to a park was never out of the question, Toronto has plenty of them, including High Park, its park-of-parks. In Ottawa we first lived within the city Greenbelt area in Blackburn Hamlet where the small city-within-a-city was designed with walking and green spaces running through the area.

 

Our second home here is located close to the first and it too is in walking distance of forest, more so in fact than the first. Green space is everywhere in this city, and the further away from the central core, the more immersed one is in green, although the urban forest within the city itself is treasured. The health of the air quality in Ottawa is unparalleled. And suddenly, for only the second time we can recall, when forest fires decades ago sent spiralling grey clouds of smoke into Ottawa, our air has once more become polluted.

 

This latest catastrophic round of forest fires throughout much of Canada has exposed millions of people to the affects of air pollution. Exposure threatens the health of the elderly, the young and the health-compromised. Health outcomes directly linked to fine particulate matter in the air like what we're experiencing, includes increased acute respiratory symptoms; chronic bronchitis; asthma; cardiac hospital admissions, emergency room visits; pediatric bronchitis and premature death, if that isn't enough.

 

Elderberry

We're just on the edge of the worst of the circulating air quality collapse. We've had a few days of bad quality, when Ottawa qualified as having the worst air pollution in the country for a number of days -- just off the scales -- to where it sits today, at 'fair'. We've had ongoing thunderstorm series whipping through the landscape for the past three or four days and more to come, along with high wind. The wind is what brings the wildfire haze and acridity to us, the rain is what diminishes its effect.

 

Irving went out soon after breakfast today to run a number of errors. After heavy overnight rain once again, it was sprinkling as he left. After I finished my household chores I took Jackie and Jillie out to the backyard and it was up to them whether to stay or to go back into the house; I kept the door ajar. I was busy doing some shrub trimming, pulling weeds, and decided because Irving had no opportunity to cut the grass, to haul out our push mower and mow the grass in the backyard. It didn't take long and I don't mind doing it.

 

Then I resumed filling up a compost bag with woody detritus and the snips of spent flowers. It's amazing how quickly those large compost/compostible bags fill up. All the while the sky was full of steel-grey clouds and it looked and felt like rain was imminent, but it held up. I decided to make preparations for a quick walk in the woods with Jackie and Jillie in the hope we could be in and out before the rain commenced. Just as we were preparing to leave, Irving returned home, and we all set off together.

 

Winterberry

The differences we see in the ambient vegetation in the ravine, particularly in the area around the creek and all the more so in the forest's pollinating meadow is astonishing from day to day. Rain has a lot to do with it, needless to say. The forest has been soaking it all up. The creek is fuller now and little rapids froth down the creek raceway taking wind-blasted detritus with it.

 

The Elderberry trees numerous in the forest understudy, challenging the primacy of the dogwood shrubs, are now in bloom. We saw Yarrow beginning to bloom for the first time this summer. Winterberry shrubs have already turned bright red; they waste no time at all. Even milkweed, more of them and more robust than we've ever seen them before, are blooming, though we've not yet seen any sign of Monarchs about.

 

We weren't the only ones challenging the weather and trusting we could make it through a shortened circuit without encountering a heavy downpour. Dedicated trail-walkers with their equally dedicated dog companions were out as well, alert to the tell-tale invitation expressed by Jillie's barking to guide them to where Irving happens to be anywhere along the trail system. They arrive, excited at the prospect of being treated to cookies, and when Irving pats them on the head and tells them 'that's all for now', off they go back to wherever it is they left their humans.