Comin' home for Christmas!

There is so much going on! My son, Jesse, in Vancouver moves today. Last I heard. Things are hopping there, I am sure. They visited in October, and had a grand time here and in Ottawa. I am thinking of them, Bryony and Cluny here in our front yard.

Bryony, Aster, Caitlin, Jordan, Jess and Cluny:

This week, Aster had a Junior Band concert at her Ottawa high school. Last week's trip wore us out, so we didn't not attend. Aster belongs to Trex, a girls group. They are planning a camping trip. 

Thursday, Dec. 18, I asked if Jordan was good to go, well, to come home to Ottawa! He kindly posted a photo from Kingston, packed bags. I live vicariously through our kids. With great excitement, I tracked Jordan's bus. It's only $40, and he likes the independence. We have volunteered to help out with transportation if needed, but look at this! The Flix Bus goes from Toronto to Kingston and on to Ottawa. I heard later that he missed the city bus connection and had to grab a later Flix bus! At least I was amused, and occupied! 

This was the sunrise.

The cats seem to know things have melted. Cinnamon was running around this morning, even though it was raining. Usually, in the recent extreme cold, he stays in bed. They both sat on the front deck, watching #75 in the rain in the tree! 

We had a major melt, 18mm rain, and today we're back into the deep cold. I finally managed a photo of 75 near his nest box. I think he sneaks back into it most of the time!

There is another black squirrel, they either chase one another, or share scattered seed under the feeder. Perhaps it should be #76?!

76!

Joseph Brian is still have fun with lights. 

 

Mamma doe showed the fawn where the pumpkin was. 

You can see the second deer bed under the fawn's belly! Sadly it was just off camera. 

  

The fawn has been working on the one uncovered pumpkin. Of course, all this snow is mostly melted. 

Crumbly Acres: coyotes and deer beds

December is always a 🎲 crap shoot for weather. I am fascinated by the critters, and how they cope.  It's such a dance, the seasons. Butch raccoon has been in slumber. They don't truly hibernate, and I expected to see them. Also Labbit! 

I got some exercise and fresh air, walking down to the frog pond trailcam. I was very excited, as I spotted coyote tracks all over the place. (I almost never see the coyotes during the day time!) I've 4 trailcams, with two down in the forest. You can see how the paws sink down in the snow to the ground, which isn't frozen. 

Non-mental note: the tracks were down the hill, through the cedar corridor, past the frogpond trailcam, back up the hill, and along the driveway, to and from the highway. The clever things avoided 2 of 4 trailcams! I readjusted a trail cam, because I think I am smarter than they are. 😖

Here are the doe and the coyote, at different times in the same location.

It's fun roaming the forest and seeing who has been there in the snow.  This is a high traffic corridor, sort of higher ground between the wetland and our frog pond. 

The deer seem curious about trailcams, unlike bears, etc., who can wreck them!

  

I've a lot of images of deer beds. I took a photo of the deer beds in the cedar corridor, coyote tracks crossing them. There were three beds.

 

Miracle of miracles, I have a video of the deer making their beds! This is the first time I've captured it on the trailcams. As I wrote, it is a high traffic area, and maybe a silly place to sleep. The coyotes can't take down a healthy deer, however. Not with those hooves. 

 

 

 Here is the second time a few days later!

   

 We've had rain all night, and the snow cover is dwindling. It might not be a white Christmas! There is a flash freeze tonight. I'll have to change my header!

George Conway's take on tarriffs

This is for Joseph Brian to read, and so we can discuss it. Sometimes I post things just for him! Feel free to watch or read the synopsis.  

Our Prime Minister Carney is getting all sorts of questions on what is going on between our two governments. In an article, he is quoted as saying,

Carney told Quebec’s TVA that Trump has made clear in private that, “in effect,” he wants Canada to have a “relationship of dependence on the United States, and I don’t accept that.”

This is a circular, but sound take on Canada/US relations. Conway has been watching what our Prime Minister is doing!

If you have a half hour...

 

 19,299 views 17 Dec 2025 #Trump #Canada #TradeWar Trump declared victory over Canada, imposed tariffs, and his base cheered. The headlines declared American strength. The theatrics dominated news cycles. And everyone thought they witnessed Trump winning another confrontation. But while Trump was celebrating his apparent triumph, Canada was executing one of the most sophisticated strategic victories in modern economic history—and Trump NEVER EVEN REALIZED he was being comprehensively outmaneuvered.

🔥 THE BRUTAL TRUTH: Trump played a short-term theatrical game for headlines and applause. Canada played a long-term strategic game for actual economic power. While Trump celebrated "winning," Canada was: 

•  Diversifying trade to eliminate American leverage 
• Building domestic industries to replace American imports 
• Attracting international investment from partners seeking stability 
• Positioning as the reliable North American alternative to American chaos

Crumbly Acres in snow

We've a bit of a melt. The snow cover shrunk. I figured I'd best show our friends in the snow. I took a walk down to the frog pond. There is a melt in the middle. People best stay off rivers and lakes. We're back to the deep freeze after rain today and tomorrow. Yikes. I can't use the snowblower on that! We may have a skating rink on the driveway. 

The fawn rediscovered the pumpkin, attacked by the raccoons, who are now sleeping. They've been frozen.

The snow looks lovely!

   

 

There is an impact on driving. (Get it?!) Joe witnessed someone who was in an incident. You feel so badly for them. People seem to be very busy, and for me this would be such a challenge to manage. 

 

I don't know if I like this or not! Poor little elf legs!

Coyote in snow

 

 

 The deer in snow

 

We are enjoying the celebration of light indoors. My indoor stylist has been fine tuning his design.

🚑 🚔 I think of the First Responders

😼 We arrived home from Ottawa, the roads were now cleared. I guess the cats didn't miss us much. I thought they looked sweet and innocent when I saw them in the office. 

The trailcam reveals the action.

I took a walk on the day we had sunshine! The cedar corridor is a lovely spot. The 2nd photo shows a deer bed. They scrape the snow out and settle in. 

Sometimes they bed down in our backyard. This is a fawn in Feb., 2019.

🚑 🚔 I think of the First Responders, out there in the cold doing their best to rescue people, and get them help or to hospital. We laud them. What a calling it is. The storm on Saturday was awful for driving.

On the way home from Ottawa there was a car incident. A car went into the railing📹. 

🎣 On the way into Ottawa, we spotted people ice fishing. It's a bit worrisome as there were two separate ice fishing incidents in Ontario. One man died in Latchford, the other man rescued. Another incident, in South Frontenac on Dog Lake a pair were rescued.

   

Death on Roadway Black Ice

It was a terrible weekend for incidents. When we were in Ottawa, I had a text that our power was out at home. Later we found out what it was.

 

It was a very sad incident. Matthew Bigras was in his truck was taking his 4-wheeler home. He skidded on black ice on highway #7 and hit a stationary police SUV cruiser. (This was the afternoon we drove into Ottawa.) I took Perth Rd. #10 into the city, and I am happy I did. The police officer went to hospital. On a post, a mother spoke of losing her infant in a similar situation on highway 7. Photo by Dennis Papa on FB.

The son, Michael, was airlifted to CHEO in Ottawa, but did not survive. He was ejected through the windshield. The mother donated his organs to others in need. "Michael will have the walk of life to the surgery room. He  is saving 5 beautiful souls, 4 adults & 1 child." The family invited family and friends to walk the halls when life support was turned off to honour the child. 

The mother is doing a Go Fund Me in order to bury him. The father (Matt) won't be able to work for a while.  Chastity Tharp, the mother wrote:

"Matt is stable however he has a broken leg, a crushed pelvis and a punctured spleen. As for Sharon they have brought her to Kingston Hospital and I haven’t gotten any updates."

UPDATE Dec. 20: The third person in the vehicle was Sharon St. Amour. The poor woman is in an induced coma, needing a hip replacement, so her sister says on their Go Fund Me. 

Ornge helicopter whisked him into the Children's Hospital.

Hold your family close in your ❤️ heart.

Crumbly Acres in snow

Thank you for your kind comments on our trip to Ottawa and Caitlin's concert. It was nostalgic. Life changes so much over the years. It sure brought me back.

 That was a fast weekend. It's good to be busy and out of the house! It's good to be home, as well. 

I threw out peanuts for #75, our rehabbed release squirrel. We released him in May. I am not sure he is using his nest box.

He is a hoot. He grabbed one peanut where I tossed them, and ran back to the horse chestnut tree. Then he buried it in the snow at the base of the trees. He repeated that. Then went up the tree, across to the evergreen, and buried it in the snow under that tree. Again, rinse and repeat! 

Along came his buddy. Honestly, the only the way I can tell them apart is where they go when they are done feeding. This one goes towards the driveway. 

75 went back to the chestnut tree and took out a couple of peanuts he'd buried and ate them. He dropped one whilst eating, and then joined buddy under the bird feeder.

The cardinals are a bright spot of colour.

I don't know if I like the photo of him eating better than his thoughtful pose!

We still have a starling hanging about. 

Their colours are lovely, changing with breeding season.

In May, 2012, I spotted a juvenile European Starling on the gravel near the mailbox. I had help identifying it, as juvenile birds can be such a challenge to ID.

The deer have returned. I love the snow on its face. They've a thick coat that insulates them. 

The one in the foreground has hurt her back left leg. We'll see how she does. 

I've noticed #75 going up and down the trees, finding the bird seed the blue jays have cached in the tree.

   

 Prior to our big snowfall, the fisher and coyote were doing inspections of Barry Beaver's lodge. There was no sign of them after the snow.