Smoke, fires, Bluesfest!

A new week begins. I am ready for it. Saturday it poured rain. Hooray for new shingles! 

Perth was having its big three-day music festival, sadly it was wet. 

We have had the orange felon blaming Canada for smoke and fires. NW Ontario there are nearly a thousand wildfires. Canada has one of the largest Boreal Forests in the world. Texas can fit into Northern Ontario twice. It is 2.8 million hectares of land impacted by fires. First Nations communities are being evacuated.

They are demanding and threatening, and are going to add tariffs. One Congressman wants to delay open the new bridge Canada paid for. We had a deal. Which they reneged on, again.

Boreal Forests

wildfires out west
Smoke from the US is blowing up into Canada!

Fires and smoke in NW Ontario

What are Canadians doing? Helping neighbours to the south. We lost a helicopter pilot working in the US, as well. 

Canadian Air Force rescues teens

Most of the victims of these fires are First Nations in Ontario. They have accused our Premier of being unresponsive. Ford is an admirer of the US president...

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

🦷 My root canal is easing up. Thanks for your empathetic words. My kind daughter sent me some beautiful flowers! Joe Brian was running around trying to find soft foods I can eat. Quiche was a good choice! 

Aster, JL, and Caitlin went to BlueFest on Friday in Ottawa. They saw a group called, Lord Huron. 

Saturday's Critters

 What a week! So happy to relax and watch our critters. New shingles on the roof, and a root canal for me! The pain is lessening. We're moving into the Computer Age, and watching the news and soccer, hopefully, on the Internet. 

In the peace and quiet, after two days of banging, hammering, and chaos, the critters came back out. 

I have to repost Barry Beaver, who is cleaning up his mess. It all blew over in our big storm.

July 11th, our regular pair of kits were hanging out.

I think this is Auntie Fred, July 17th. 

In the peace and quiet, I could hear the Black-billed Cuckoo.

 

 It's not a good video, but I think it is the Fisher at the back door. July 7 Between humidity, heat and rain, condensation tends to condense on the camera lens. 

   

 Labbit came by! I haven't seen her in ages! 

   

 Butch has been active. 

   

 The coyote colours are amazing. 

 

Saturday's Critters # 657 Visit Eileen for more critters from around the world.

New shingles, new root canal, no TV

 The roof is done. My root canal is done. Our only frustration is getting Shaw, bought out by Rogers, to realign the TV satellite. 

The roofers, Bruce Rogers, began on Wednesday. They arrived around 7:30, and we kept the cats in. 

Cinnamon was wondering who was on the roof: Butch Raccoon, squirrels?! 

I cleaned up the back deck with this. It has a magnet. There are lots of roofing nails that popped out. They cleaned most of it up the next day when they were done.

Our roofers came back Thursday, but the cats were out. We didn't see a cat all day. 

What a job this is. I kept offering water, anything. 

At 1:30 we took off for the dentist. I've never had a root canal. I hope never to have one again. Still on antibiotics, and Tylenol 3. 

The jay walkers really get to me. 

Can you see the back of this car? Don't park near them. 

Note to self: avoid highway #15. Flaggers and single lanes. It's a busy highway at best. People want to go 20km+ over the speed limit.

I made it. The technician was great. She actually held my hand. I have this mortal loathing of needles.

There was a co-op student, as well. He aspires to dentistry. The two of them spoke of computer games, and totally distracted me while the anesthetic took hold. I did have laughing gas. I look a little the worse for wear, but better days ahead!

Escorted to the waiting area, Joe Brian checked me out and drove me home. He'd done groceries while waiting the hour and a half. 

The cats greeted us upon our arrival home. They hadn't eaten all day, and were quite happy to get inside.

I had TLC, and Tylenol 3s. Vanilla pudding!  It is sore this morning, and will be. The cats are quite happy with the peace and quiet. I'm going back on the phone to try book something with Shaw Rogers TV Satellite.

Smokey Crumbly Acres

 Life carries on. Day 2 of the roofers. I haven't heard an F-bomb once! They work hard, and efficiently. We've still got smoke from the Quebec fires. Hence the orange glow.

The Cherry Tomatoes and Amaryllis are looking good. Bright pops of colour.

This planter was ravaged by miniFreds. Half has recovered, the other half got soaked in the heavy rainfall. I am loathe to put a hole in the bottom. I am crossing my fingers.

This is a teeny, weeny biting bug. The deerflies are bad, but this bug is insidious!  Bites as bad as a blackfly.

The phoebes have fledged. This one liked landing on the trailcam. 

I had one little Fred in the backyard after the roofers left for the day. They have dispersed, as is their way.

 

Down in the forest, one wee Wood Frog. They mated in the spring, laid eggs, grew into tadpoles, grew legs, and now they hop about the woods. They are pretty frogs.

Berries and bear!

 I love our Serviceberry bushes. The birds depend upon them: Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Woodpeckers, Grouse, they make bird watching easy! 

 

One year, I bought a dozen of these small, local plants. I planted a sapling beside the old Elm tree, killed by Dutch Elm Disease. This bush has thrived ↓.  As I took out garbage Monday morning, I noticed it was rather flattened. The old Elm stump was knocked over. There is an old wagon wheel there, also knocked over.

  The old carved Bear is falling apart. I had to move him. 

I used to dress him up...

 

Now Bear sits in the garden, wearing a nice orange t-shirt, as he is deteriorating.

Speaking of bears... I know who sat on the Serviceberry! I went Walkies in the forest. Obvious sign of a bear!

On the other side of the driveway are more serviceberry bushes, as well as milkweed, and a couple of evergreens.

Tuesday morning we could see the orange from the Northern Quebec forest fires.

I've been asked what I was chewing when my cracked tooth chipped off. Wild salmon bowl! Corn, beans, soft stuff. I am taking my antibiotics, and pain relief until I get my root canal. One has side effects of constipation. The other has the opposite effect. Sigh. 

Our roofers arrive today. Gonna be a day! We had 21mm rain yesterday. We'll see how we do.