Sherri Helwig

Young man's torso wearing a T-shirt with the Women's March on Washington logo, dated January 21, 2017.

Solidarity with the people of Minnesota. #ICEOUT Protest is powerful.
(9 years ago today: "Back home in Toronto [after DC protest], my son wanted to wear his Women's March shirt to school. I asked him if anyone there would give him a hard time, and he said, "Doesn't matter. Those people suck."❤️")

Love this! I painted daisies/flowers just like these on my hippie bus. :)

Photo of a backyard with a sauna outbuilding on the left, a gazebo on the right, circled by snow-covered trees, all with a bluish tint.

My blue backyard (no colour correction/enhancement: my backyard really is blue some mornings). Happy birthday to my sister, Cindy, who would have been 59 today had cancer not taken her far too early. Miss you a ton, Sid.

For anyone who might wonder what I do at the faculty association: here (at this link) is the result of one matter I oversaw, championed a policy interpretation grievance for, helped to mediate, agreed to settle, alleged a violation of the settlement, settled again, and, at long last, voila!

Head-and-shoulders image of me in the foreground, smiling and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, round sunglasses and a scarf that I had used to keep sand out of my mouth, with wind-swept sand dunes and a blue sky with clouds in the background.

A part of a personal day yesterday involved an "adrenaline-spiking" dune buggy adventure in the Ica desert, Peru, culminating in a sunset picnic in the desert. Feeling bone-tired, sore, and every single one of my years today, but glad for the memories.

Recovered pre-Inca ruins, walking areas, fountains and palm trees in the foreground; shantytown shacks on the mountain in the distance.

The contrasts and complexity of Lima, Peru, in one photo.

Map showing flight path from Toronto, Canada through Cancun, Mexico to Lima, Peru.

On my way to Lima, Peru (notably avoiding a layover in the U.S.) to meet with a global community of cultural policy researchers including academics, policy makers, and arts practitioners. Excited!

Small fluffy goldfinch bird with its head turned and tucked beneath a wing, sleeping on a perch inside an outdoor caged birdfeeder. Behind the bird one can see a tall pillar of sunflower hearts seed.

I humbly offer this timeline cleanse: a juvenile Goldfinch enjoying a quick nap between meals.

Line of trees in silhouette across the centre, with layers of storm clouds (with sun behind) and bits of blue sky above the trees and reflected in water below.

Doesn’t even look real. Lake near Bobcaygeon, Ontario, Canada. (iPhone photo, unedited except to convert HEIC to JPG)

Dark cloudy sky, with the sun trying to break through, over dark but sun-dappled water.

View from a Bobcaygeon dock after the rain. (And yes, of course, we listened to the Tragically Hip this morning for the full experience.)

Side view of a male Monarch butterfly hanging on to my finger, with another butterfly on purple coneflowers in the background.

Monarchs released this morning. Fly free!

Light green Monarch butterfly chrysalis; because the external surface is thinning (getting ready for the butterfly to emerge in 6 hours or so), it is turning translucent, which makes the orange, black, and white wings of the butterfly visible.

Chrysalis, just a bit over an inch long, with Monarch butterfly wings just starting to show through. (This was the first butterfly of the season released this morning, but I'm sharing this photo taken last night because this one didn't hang around long enough for photos!)

The Death of Shared Governance When administrators attempt to slash programs and lay off staff, should faculty have a say?

Duke University has offered some faculty and staff buyouts in anticipation of federal funding cuts, but employees say they haven't been included in conversations, in violation of shared governance. Will other colleges follow suit? chroni.cl/46byg4f

Two cat ears peeking up over the corner of a china cabinet.

We can’t find Marc Anthony anywhere. #CatsOfBluesky

Female Monarch butterfly, with wings outstretched, feeding from pink Common milkweed flowers, against a muted dark green background.

At long last, a Monarch finally visited our milkweed patch (seen here, in a photo I took through the kitchen window this morning) & another left eggs. These are sights I take in with joy, & yet also with concern for the late(r) arrivals & the low(er) numbers of these & other beneficial insects.

Adult female raccoon, standing with one front paw in a green birdbath, facing the camera, with a drop of water dripping from her mouth.

Mama raccoon, taking a drink from the birdbath on our deck (and watching every move I make).

Head and shoulders of a small red fox, one eye closed and one slightly open, mouth open and tongue out, licking its lips. Behind the fox are plain wooden deck balusters with green yard and garden beyond.

A small fox visited our deck during breakfast this morning. (I had coffee on one side of the window, and this friend helped itself to some sunflower hearts and peanuts left out for the birds.) #UrbanWildlife #ScarbTO #Toronto

I played and lost. 😞

Hawk facing left, standing on a smaller bird on green grass. The hawk has a dark red/amber-coloured eye, rust and white chest and legs, and grey head, back, wings, and tail, and has small feathers from its prey in its beak.

Cooper's Hawk (I believe) defeathering its prey (a juvenile Starling) on our front lawn in Toronto, Canada. #UrbanWildlife #LivingNearTheRougeNationalUrbanPark #ScarbTO

Tree trunk showing a new hole (obviously the home of wildlife of some kind) and dead branches sticking out at impossible angles.

So, I guess we *won't* be pulling down this mostly-dead tree in our backyard after all. Any guesses who might be in there? If we find out, I'll be sure to share!

Small raccoon, drinking water from a bird bath.

It was a warm one for our furry friends today.

One of the six large and lovely Polyphemus moths that emerged today after hanging out all winter as cocoons in my fridge. (Or, frankly, this male is just as likely to be a visitor from elsewhere wishing to mate with one of the moths that emerged today. Either way, a bit of excitement chez Helwig!)

Image showing the head, shoulder, and one front paw of a groundhog facing left, standing on a concrete pad.

Image showing the head and neck of a groundhog, facing away from the camera and to the right, looking out through wooden balusters.

New and unexpected visitor to the back deck during my morning coffee: meet my friend Bill Murray (IYKYK). I particularly love the second photo showing Bill looking longingly out between the balusters to the back yard.

Young skunk in long grass.

Kitty...? :)

I mean holy sh*t, don’t ever bet against Ukrainians.

Half clean, half dirty cedar deck.

One of my gargoyles, surveying my initial efforts at removing the algae from the deck (and the gargoyle, for that matter). Satisfying work.

Root system - the underside of a microgreen tray.

Experimenting with growing microgreens. Underside looks good… though I wasn’t expecting ALL the seeds to germinate!

American crow standing in long grass.

My friend Russell Crowe, showing off muscular wings with feather patterns that look a bit like dragon scales.

Adult Blue jay bird standing on a branch of a maple tree.

Can't get any more Toronto than that! (Blue jay in our backyard maple tree.)

An adult male bright red bird is transferring a seed into the mouth of a brown and red bird.

Toronto backyard sighting: adult male cardinal feeding an almost-mature female cardinal who cannot stand well on her own due to a deformation of at least one of her feet (but she balances, launches, and flies perfectly).