the first robin & canoeing

Favourite thing today: stepping outside this morning and seeing a pair of robins in the tree beside our porch. When I was Michal's age I used to record my first robin sighting each year (I can still remember the sense of time passing that it gave me after I'd done it for three years) and each time I see my first spring robin it reminds me of my early bird-watching years. I wanted to be an ornithologist from about 10 years old through 16 and my all-time favourite game (typically played with Steve, the only person I could convince this was fun) was going through our Field Guide to the Birds of North America, covering the names of the birds, and seeing who could identify the bird first. Another variation, possible to play alone, was to go through the Field Guide, covering the names, and to time how long it took to get through and at what level of accuracy. I have recently tried to introduce Michal to the pleasures of birdwatching (most of which I've now forgotten) and am learning what I suppose all parents know: that our own passions are not always our children's. She, alas, rolls her eyes. And I am dumbfounded since for me, still, there is a little bit of awe and wonderment (that feels so visceral that I think it must be universal and everyone must feel this way) with each bird sighting.

And since today's favourite thing is a robin, I thought I'd consult dad's favourite things from the list. One of them is: "paddling on Lake Rosseau." Canoeing, in fact, is another category in which there was a lot of overlap. At least five people listed canoeing as one of their favourite things. Including Steve L who wrote: "Waking at the crack of dawn to go on nature walks or canoeing."