Saturday's Critters

Yes, a polar vortex. Again. It's -29 ℃ and it is bitterly cold. 

I celebrate the ubiquitous chickadee.

   

 And the deer in a snowstorm.

 

Coyote in a snowstorm!

 

We had 16 deer Jan. 23rd. 

Cinnamon chooses from the toy basket. Hooray for indoor play! 

 

Greenland has a sense of humour!

 

We're losing ours. We responded to 9/11, as the US called for Article 5 and other countries helped all around the world. We sent 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. We lost 158 souls, including 3 solders shot by US troops in a friendly fire incident. 

 

Saturday's Critters # 632 

We're still snowy!

Winter is pretty. All that white is pretty. It does get to be too much, though.

The sidewalk needed doing, and the snow we shovel off the upper deck, falls onto the ground.

It is all so much nicer with blue sky and sunshine!

 

Jean sent me the best neck warmer a few years ago! 

I have fun figuring out who has visited the forest. I'm thinking coyote or fox! It was too quick for the video.

I messed up this video, but I thought it funny. What a hoot. I tried to type in 'doe' in the opening clip. Instead it says 'title!'

 

I love watching them!

The back yard garden and a Labbit tale

I really enjoy the lilacs. It is lovely and green in spring.

Our grandies back in the day!

But, here is the tail. Fred dug a burrow in the garden.  You can see where it is at #5, under the rhododendron.

Cinnamon inspected Fred's hole at one point!

Here is Fred in her burrow #5. We had a good relationship. She is sleeping and won't emerge until March or so.

It looks different in winter. The lilac tree sits dormant. The deer wander around.

April, 2025

Labbit is in burrow #5:

You can see some rabbit droppings!

These are Labbit's tracks. She's moved from burrow #4 to #5. It's tough leaping through the snow!

In the past, she's been eating the tender new shoots of the lilac tree. Fertilizing as she went. It's been quite a winter. I do enjoy seeing tracks in the snow. This wee furry critter is managing to get through the storms. It's something we all have to try to do. As best we can.

"We are in an era when the strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must."

                     – Greek historian Thucydides, as quoted by PM Carney

Crumbly Acres tracks

 The day began with an actual sunrise. It's been cloudy, it seems, for ages.

I decided to go for a snowshoe and fetch trailcam SD Cards. I caught myself on the camera! 

Who else did I catch on the trailcam? The fisher and the deer, running!

 

I love the forest. The deer, coyotes, and I follow the paths critters create. 

Did I mention how nice it was to see the sun?

The coyote use the deer tracks and seem to step right into the centre print. 

There are lots of reasons for them to follow the path. It's easier than trudging through deeper snow. It saves energy.

The critters feel safe on the frozen frog pond.

Actual blue sky! There was a plane roaring overhead, but it is the sky!!

We had our hydro metre replaced. It was starting to fail, and took him 10 minutes. It is supposed to connect with a satellite to deliver readings to the company. It doesn't work out here in the country with trees. 

I warned him not to fall into the goldfish pond. He asked where the goldfish were, and I said I bring them in for the winter. 

I remember showing Aster the frozen pond one winter. She was wee. She wanted me to dig them out! 

Look at the snow on them! Hopefully we have had the last delivery of propane for the winter. The dude asked us to clean out a path.  (The last dude didn't need that, he told me. He had snowshoes in his truck.) 

He said to just use the snowblower. As if. I couldn't get it up the rise and around there. Mind you, Hydro does like to hide these around the side of the house, but it isn't convenient for those who deliver the propane. 

 I created a path with my snowshoes. They are terrific. I've had them for years. They were a present from my kids. I think ~25 years ago!

PM Mark Carney at Davos 2026

World Economic Forum at Davos Switzerland 2026

"If we're not at the table, we're on the menu. 

We actively take on the world as it is, not wait around for a world we wish to be." 

🇨🇦 Speech: PM Mark Carney, Jan. 20, 2026

Mark Carney earned a rare standing ovation in Davos.

Greek historian Thucydides, specifically from his work History of the Peloponnesian War

"We are in an era when the strong do what they will, the weak suffer what they must."

Full transcript  from WEF.

🇺🇸 Meantime, Trump's wandering speech had many lies. One hour 20 minutes...

Germany!

NYTimes story on how much money Trump has grifted:

Trek to town

 Joe went shopping the day before, I had an errand the 16th. Afterwards, I was to pick up Joe's Rx.

The trek to the drugstore... it wasn't easy. I drove in on Elliot St. This is where I wanted to go, the building on the far left is the drug store. (Even though it is labelled Canada Post!) Highway 7 runs through Perth, is terribly busy, I tend to avoid it. 

I thought I was at the parking lot when I turned right, but realized the truck was trying to get to the delivery ramp at the ↓black arrow.  I'd headed up Gore St. W. and didn't have much choice after turning left on Elliot! 

This is what I found, a large semi blocking the road. 

What could I do but go around. I presumed he was delivering to the drug store. I cannot imagine doing this. These big delivery trucks have to drive in off Elliot, drive up to the highway and back up to the delivery ramp. Funny thing, I met it at the other entrance. 

 

Monday was busier. Someone put out his shoulder. I hustled into town. I took in  a suitcase full of children's books. Classics, like Dr. Seuss, and some wonderful nature picture books on frogs, toads, trees and such. Two bags of potassium chloride and some frozen M & M's meals from Home Hardware!

I rewarded myself with a panini and caesar salad from the cafe for lunch. Somebody was sitting in his chair with headphones on. He didn't notice me, and I ate my lunch at the table. 

Back home to more snow. Either rain, thaw or snow!

 

 It's so much nicer when the sun is out. 

 

Tues., Jan. 20. Bundle up!