Misty Mornings

The first rainbow I've seen in ages 🌈

A few weeks back we had some great foggy mornings. I love fog, although it also freaks me out, thanks to a certain Stephen King story. My SO and I have also been spotting all kinds of wildlife, and we even managed to get a few pictures! Hope you enjoy...

 

The next couple of shots were taken by my SO. We've seen lots of evidence of beavers around (so many tree stumps!) but catching a glimpse of one of the artists is rare.

Blue Heron:

 

 Frog friend that got turned around and ended up hitching a ride to the creek:

 

Red-winged blackbirds are my favourite birds. I was so excited to get these photos:

 

 

Have you seen any interesting sights lately? Share in the comments...

 

When I'm not trying to spot the local wildlife, you can find me writing. Check out my books!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas, unless otherwise mentioned.

Winter's Winding Down

Of course, this being southern Ontario, winter has a few last gasps before spring finally arrives. I took these photos over the last couple of weeks. A lot of the snow in the earlier pictures has melted. Then it snowed again. Tomorrow it's supposed to be -25C and on Wednesday it's supposed to be +17C. No matter what the weather's doing, though, the birds are singing and the squirrels are frolicking, and spring is definitely on its way...eventually...

We had some impressive fog a little while back, as the snow started melting. The grey "sky" in this shot is actually fog over the Etobicoke Creek.

 

 

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac

Eastern White Pine

I was so excited to see these coyote tracks and then, when we encountered the coyote later in the walk, I didn't think to take a photo! We spotted him as we were approaching a bridge. He was on the other side of it, coming toward us. We backtracked and gave him space. He was cautious, but eventually passed us and went on his way. It was a highlight for me.

I also spotted a bald eagle being driven into the trees by a group of Canada geese. I've seen smaller birds targetting hawks in the past, but this was my first eagle (outside of the zoo). 

The sign outside Tim Hortons has a vaguely threatening energy. Or maybe it's just me. 

Round-leaved Bittersweet

I tried to capture the water droplets on the berries, but it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped.

What's the weather like where you are? Share in the comments. And don't forget to get my books! (Also, apologies for the wonky formatting--blogger is being weird today and I can't figure out how to fix it.)

My Books 

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

Blood Magic

Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Snow Days

I've always loved snow. Probably not a surprise as a Canadian. According to my mom, the first big snowfall of the year happened the night I was born. When I was younger, I would always be out playing in it. I don't play so much anymore, but I love walking in it. The fresh air, the crunching underfoot, and the quiet [Edit: I forgot to add how fresh snow sparkles in the sun]. Not only are there fewer people around in general, but snow somehow muffles background noise. Yes, shovelling sucks, and the cold isn't much fun (still better than the summer heat!), but I'd hate to live anywhere without at least one good snowfall a year (preferably on my birthday).

Here are a few photos I took recently...

Off in the distance you can see a tiny figure. I tried to get a better shot but she's a fast walker. We've gotten to know her a bit on our walks, and she's apparently out every day picking up litter. She also gave us tips on watching out for coyotes-- never underestimate the toughness of tiny older women.

Speaking of tough women, download my books and read about some whose fangs would put a coyote's to shame...

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Are you a fan of snow? What's your favourite winter activity? Share in the comments...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas

Happy 2026!

 

Wishing you all a wonderful new year!

Most of 2025 was, frankly, awful. Things started to improve toward the end, though, and I'm hoping that continues. Here's to a new year and better things...

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Start the new year with a new book!

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Happy Solstice!

 

Image found here.

At the darkest time of the year, the light returns. Whatever you may celebrate, I wish you light, warmth, and good company!

Cheers,

Aspasia  

PS: The holidays are a great time to do some reading. Give my books a try!

Love Lies Bleeding

Bleeding Heart

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

Best Way to Remove White Heat Marks from Wood (Even Old Ones)

Image from Better Homes & Gardens

Have you ever set something hot (or even just warm) down on a wood table, and then discovered that it left a white mark behind that wouldn't wipe off? Welcome to the club. These marks are caused by the heat causing moisture to be trapped in the wood, and they can ruin the look of a table. Luckily they can be fixed.

My sister inherited our parents' dining room table, and over the years it ended up covered in these stains (I'm kicking myself for not taking photos, but I didn't think about posting about it until it was too late). After I accidentally contributed a new mark, I decided to see if I could fix it.

Four solutions are consistently suggested:

1. A hair dryer

2. Toothpaste and baking soda

3. Petroleum jelly

4. An iron and a towel

It turns out my sister doesn't have an iron, so that option was out. For the toothpaste you need a plain white, non-gel kind, and we didn't have any on hand (which is fine because I don't trust this option anyway). We did try petroleum jelly, putting a generous coating on one of the spots and leaving it overnight, before wiping it off. It did nothing.

Photo by Andrea Donato on Unsplash

 But the hair dryer was a winner!

The instructions say to start on low heat, keep the dryer a few inches away, and gradually turn the heat up. This helped, but it took forever. So, my sister set the heat to high and moved it as close to the spot as possible without touching it. Within minutes, all the marks were gone, including ones that had been there for over a decade. The table looks amazing now.

If you're going to use high heat up close, please test it somewhere less noticeable first. We might've just been lucky that it didn't scorch the finish. The more cautious approach also works--you'll just need a lot of patience.

Have you had luck with any other methods? Share your experiences in the comments. And if you need a break from household chores, download my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 

Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

 

Autumn Beauty 2

Maple tree

I finally got this year's covid and flu shots, so now I can go out without worrying. I know a lot of people like to argue that these viruses are no big deal, but even if that were true, who wants to get sick? Even a mild cold is a miserable experience--I'll pass, thanks.

Apparently we're going to get snow tomorrow, which is a bit soon for my liking. It's still autumn, but as soon as we get snow it feels like winter. I'd like to hang on to my favourite season a little longer, so I'm sharing the last batch of photos I took on recent walks...

 

Milkweed with pods

 

Raindrops on a Silky Dogwood

 

The Etobicoke Creek, looking more like a pond here, thanks to the local beavers. You can't really see it in the photo, but there was some lovely mist hovering over the water in the distance.

 

The moon this morning

My sad attempt at getting a good moon photo

Are you ready for winter? Share your thoughts below...Don't forget to get my books (links follow)!

Bleeding Heart

Love Lies Bleeding

*Blood Magic

*Tooth & Claw

(Links take you to all available stores. Books marked * are free everywhere other than Amazon. Love Lies Bleeding and Bleeding Heart are also available in paperback.)

 Cheers,

Aspasia

PS: Follow me on my official site: AspasiaSBissas.com. 

All photos by Whimsy Bower/Aspasia S. Bissas