Mouse tracks

Mouse tracks! Oh, my God! I fear what I may find come spring.

The first time I saw smooth snow broken by rows and rows of mouse tracks, I thought it was rather pretty. I had some passing concerns for the little mice dragging their naked tails through the awfully cold ice and snow, but that's all.

My concern for the mice has turned to concern for my plants. The tracks one sees on the surface of the snow are nothing compared to the little tunnels running under the snow. And if the little rodents are not sleeping, they are eating. Come spring, I assume I am going to have a lot of plants sporting damage from being nibbled repeatedly over the winter.

I pray none of my young trees have been girdled. If they are girdled, the young trees will die.

The location deserved better

I find this a head-shaker. Reservoir Hill was the site of a military skirmish during the War of 1812. The hill was possibly the location of a short battle at the point of the deepest penetration by the Americans into what would become the country of Canada. It has taken some four decades for the developer and the city to agree on the present $20-million, 12-storey apartment building now being going up on the historic site.

After more than four decades of on-and-off discussions, one would have rightly expected a more interesting, imaginative apartment building. The view from the 12-floor will be great. It should be a quite the spectacular view of the Thames River and the distant downtown. Sadly, the view of the building itself from ground level will be less than breathtaking.