Monthly Musings – April 2026

April Musings: Spring Has Finally Arrived

After a few final snowfalls, spring has finally arrived. It felt like winter was reluctant to let go, even long after we were ready to move on. But slowly, almost all at once, things shifted – the air softened, the ground began to wake, and the yard started to sound alive again. The seasonal shift always feels like an unfolding in the yard – when the stillness starts to break apart and life begins threading itself back through the space. 

Projects – In Progress & Completed

I finished varnishing the bookshelves this month, and seeing them complete feels so good. I found trim pieces that should work well, though the top detail I had planned ended up being far too small in person. Back to the drawing board to figure out what to do now, but it’s getting close.

The coffee table base is now stained, and I finally landed on a colour I love – one that I’ll likely carry into the future sofa table as well. Paired with the trunk on top, it feels grounded and cohesive in a way I had been trying to articulate for a while.

The den is getting closer to being finished. There is one final piece I’m working through – something I’m keeping to myself until I know it will turn out – but once that’s done, the space will finally feel complete. After moving between testing different approaches for that final element, I found myself slowly shifting focus into the dining room.

Outdoors, I’m so behind with everything. I had just started cold stratifying a few Alberta native seeds earlier in the month, but beyond that I haven’t even thought about anything else. 

Found Treasures

This month’s finds felt especially serendipitous – a mix of long searches and unexpected timing:

• Green glass Christmas ornaments (and in April, of all times) – after not finding too many last year, they appeared when I least expected it.
• An Autumn Flight print by the late Ojibway artist Benjamin Chee Chee – something I’ve been casually searching for over the past few years.
• An Antique Waterbury mantle clock – a piece I’ve wanted since we’ve moved in, now sitting beautifully in its place. It needs a bit of work – the chime isn’t quite right, and the hands need straightening – but it’s a start. 
• A bulk haul of brass decor found on marketplace – priced low enough that I didn’t think twice. A mix of vases, trays, candle holders, and more, priced far too well to pass up.
• And possibly the find of a lifetime: an antique Victorian (or 19th-century English) copper coal scuttle with brass claw feet. I bought it online from a local thrift shop without paying much attention to the size – when it was brought out, my jaw was on the floor. It was far larger than I imagined. I was so stoked!

Moments From This Month

April felt full in a different way – shaped by the moments in between.

• A quiet afternoon on the patio with my pup. The neighbour dogs have made things harder lately (they rush the fence and bark as soon as we step outside). He relaxed, fully. Even if it was just for a while, it felt significant. A reminder that the same space can hold completely different experiences depending on the moment.
• The return of familiar birds – American Robins, Bohemian Waxwings by the hundreds, and a Merlin making themselves known again – the shift from winter silence to layered sound is unmistakable now. 
• I attended my husband’s great-uncle’s memorial – a celebration of a remarkable life I was fortunate to know, even briefly. Bittersweet, and a chance to see family I hadn’t seen in a while.
• My pup celebrated his third birthday. In the two years we’ve had him, he’s grown so much – both in size and personality. He’s gone from a chaotic bundle of energy to a more steady presence in the house, still playful, but with moments of real calm and understanding that weren’t there before. I’m so proud of who he’s becoming. 
• One of the absolute highlights of the month was holding a physical copy of A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta for the first time – with a few of my own photos published inside. It still doesn’t feel entirely real. It all started with small observations out in nature, and a growing passion for it over time – never really expecting where those small actions would lead here.
• The arrival of a birdhouse I’m beta testing. I set it up in our maple tree, now it’s just a matter of waiting to see who decides to move in. Another small layer added to the yard’s ongoing habitat structure.
• I was so close to getting a Black Forest cuckoo clock (with birds and leaves), but somewhere between the time I opened up the page and hit add to cart, it was already gone. One has been on my wish list for a very long time, so I’m still on the lookout and hope one crosses my path again soon.
• Went up to my parents for the day so my Dad could change the tires on my Jeep. I left at sunrise and the bird activity on the drive out was incredible! Throughout the day (including at my parents’), I saw:
  • American Coot
  • American Crow
  • American Robin
  • Black-capped Chickadee (heard)
  • Black-billed Magpie
  • Black-necked Stilt
  • Bufflehead
  • Canada Goose
  • Cackling Goose
  • Common Loon
  • Common Raven – the biggest one I’ve ever seen!
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Mallard
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Snow Goose
  • Tundra Swan

And a few unidentified birds:

• Owl – possibly a Short-eared Owl
• Raptor – too quick to confirm
• Possibly a Pied-billed Grebe
• Gull 

• I also raided my Dad’s stick pile and brought home a few fallen branches for the yard, plus some willow twigs to try my hand at basket weaving and growing more for future projects. They also sent me home with a few houseplants and some brass decor.
• And finally, after years of thinking about it – we bought a BBQ. A small thing, but one that feels like it will shape a lot of future evenings. 

What’s Taking Root

I’ve added a new section for things I’m thinking about or exploring – ideas that aren’t quite in motion yet.

I’ve been seriously considering removing the raised garden beds and reimagining that space as a small woodland – layered with native plants, designed for year-round structure and habitat. It would be a significant shift, but one that feels more aligned with how I want the yard to function: less seasonal, more ecological. It could also help address the drainage issues we’ve had during snowmelt by increasing ground cover and absorption. Likely a mix of native plants with some herbs and vegetables woven in.

We’re also planning how to create shade on the patio. The heat buildup is intense – much higher than the actual air temperature (it was 23°C outside, but 36°C on the patio the other day) – and it’s limiting how the space can be used. Solving that will change how we live out there.
I started experimenting with a trail camera to capture more candid wildlife moments – I’m still figuring out placement and angles, but it’s opening up new possibilities for observing the yard. A different way of noticing what’s already happening when I’m not looking directly.

I also got a few camo nets and a mat to experiment with building a photography hide in the backyard. I’m still deciding whether to make something more structured (space is tight), or keep it flexible and adaptable. Most of my birding happens in short bursts throughout the day, so having something ready to go would be ideal. Or I might just go with the simplest version – sit or lie down with the net draped over me. 

Closing Thoughts

April feels like a turning point month – not because everything is finished, but because things are finally moving in a clear direction. Projects are tightening into place, even when they don’t go exactly as planned. The yard is shifting back into motion, and the ideas sitting in the background are starting to feel more real than theoretical.

There is still a long list of things in progress, and just as many (if not more) waiting to be started – but the pace feels different now.

It feels like the kind of month where things start to take shape – even if you can’t fully see what they’ll become yet. More noticing, more adjusting, less forcing – just letting things respond to each other.

If this post sparked an idea, made you pause, or nudged you to notice the life in your own space, share it. Every share spreads the invitation: to garden with purpose, to rewild a yard, to create a place wildlife trusts – and helps this little patch of land inspire more backyard birders, native plant gardeners, and nature-lovers.

Thanks for reading! Until next time,
Tracey

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