🐸 Moving the Frogs

But first, let's get this out of the way. We went to bed before any results from the US election. I woke at 3:30 and listened to the radio. #47 was giving a speech. OMG

"Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve."

I am gobsmacked. We are moving backwards.

There will be an federal election for us next year. We are worried about right-wing whackos in Canada, yet most of the damage done to our nation is done by a provincial premiers who deny climate change.  'Nuff said. 

Tuesday morning: 

JOE:  I'm going to shave!
Me:   You have fun!
JOE: That's the name of the game today!  

That was yesterday. 

We had an amazingly warm day on Tuesday. We kept busy.

🐸 Moving the Frogs

The result of all that warmth meant that the frogs kept waking up in the goldfish pond. They are now so sensitive to us, that I'll just walk by and they will hide from us. It's tricky. They think it is safe for winter, but it is too shallow.

I've found a pot with a lid, which really helps. The larger, green frogs can jump out, but the lid keeps them secure.

Down we went. Here is a frog who will have a much better winter in the frog pond. 

This is what I found for my troubles. A tick! I could feel something crawling, and picked it off with a piece of tape. 

 

 Nov. 5th We moved 10 frogs, then 7 + 3 + 10 + 3 = 33 froggies. It was good exercise on a lovely day. Joe helped and took turns taking them down to the wetland or the frog pond. 

 2024 total =  128 

I went down to the back 40, the wetland, and owl was there. This is the path I take.

I think she helped herself to the froggies. We all have to eat! I found 3 owl pellets under the owl tree. I'll let it dry, dissect the pellets, and then see what she has been eating. A beetle, for sure! 

I hope you can get out in nature. It's raining some today. We'll need a distraction. 

🛩 'Controlled flight into terrain'

Most of my US-based blog friends have voted. We will watch the news with baited breath from this side of the border.   🤞 It's been a wild ride. It will have an impact on Canada, and Canadians. One candidate doesn't understand how tariffs work. We spent 4 years confronting this. He doesn't understand the supply chain, the cars, for example, are built in both our countries, with different plants creating different parts of the while. He doesn't understand that businesses put the cost of tariffs onto the consumer. It's that simple.

Deep breath, people. We shall see what unfolds.

I was awake at 4:30 yesterday. Today I slept in until 5:30, I was so happy! 

I like watching and tracking flights, as my faithful readers know! I spotted this plane, C-GSGV, and tracked it. Well, you may laugh, but I was proud of myself. Between a secondary cataract in my left eye, and floaters in both eyes, I thought I did well. 😏 

Once I was back indoors, and looking at the radar, there was this one, Nov. 3rd: N331RF:

N331RF - Cessna 208B Grand Caravan [208B0754] - Flightradar24 .

This one was a bit strange, as well! KASI AVIATION SERVICES, from Quebec.

🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩 🛩

 🛩 'Controlled flight into terrain'

Now, to my title piece, the OPP released this information:

A pilot from Elizabethtown-Kitley was able to walk away with just minor injuries after his small plane crashed near the Smiths Falls Airport. Officers with the Lanark County OPP responded to the Russ Beach Airport, just east of Smiths Falls, shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, 2024. A pilot had been conducting a training flight, simulating repeated take off and landing maneuvers, when the Cessna 172 lost power and crashed about half a kilometre from the runway. The pilot, who had been alone in the plane, was able to walk to the Smiths Falls Flying Club’s facility. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) was notified of the crash.

I had to look it up. Of course! 😎 

 I tracked the flight: C-GPTW. You can see where the track ends 500m from the airport. The pilot must have had a time getting back to the airport through the bush. This is a plane I often see around. It belongs to the Smiths Falls Flying Club. 

The Canadian government TSB investigates incidents. 

☔It's been cold, and rainy. Snow tires are on. We're ready. Today, however, we begin with a warm front from the US. Last week it was a cold front from the north! 

The lightning, and tornadoes are epic. I feel so badly for people affected by the weather on this continent, and across the pond. 

How cold is it?

Hooray for the time change. 😣 I woke up at 4:30! Gonna be a long day.

I'd washed the bathroom floor, and put the mop out to dry. It froze overnight. That morning it was -6 ℃., no wonder it froze solid. Today it is only 1 ℃.!

The frost on the bird feeders!

I put up our Remembrance Day flag. 

We decided to take a walk along the highway to see the condition of the deer carcass. 

A porcupette also met its demise on the highway. The vultures have migrated. 

There is nothing left except fur. There was a path trod, running up the hill towards our house. 

This is why we thought we'd go look. Joe was doing his regular walkies around the yard, now that his back is slowly improving. Look what he found, the spine and a hip bone. 

 It turns out that the coyote yips I heard at bedtime, WERE in the backyard! The bones were found right out the back, behind the large white pine!

That means they dragged their food selection about 100m to the back yard, away from the highway.

Out and about <= in my first post about this, I didn't realize they were so close. 

Two piles of coyote poop! You can tell it is coyote from the fur embedded in it.

On the hill down to the wetland, beside the shed, lots of deer fur.

And I finish with a funny story. After mom died and we moved into her house, Joe would smell the smells of cleaning products in the air. I am sure it was a message from mom to clean up more! She was fastidious in the era of Cometizing one's house. Germs were feared. A real 50s and 60s woman who kept her home very, very clean. 

Joe and I were sitting with morning coffee, and he told me he could smell cabbage. Then, he said he could smell burned cabbage. (I don't like cabbage much, so it wasn't me!) He left the room, and I could smell it. It was the dead mouse smell. Pulling out my chair, there it was. They are trying to move into the house for winter, and the cats are snapping them up!

We've a rainy day. There is a long storm moving north east up the continent. The US has had terrible tornadoes and thunder and lightning. It peters out as it moves north towards us. 

I must put on my big girl pants and raincoat, as soon as it is light, and take the garbage out. Joe is some better and collected it for us this week. 

 

Cleaning up on Crumbly Acres

 I cleaned out the leaves from the eaves on the shed! It's a fun chore. Satisfying, I guess. I had to wait until the last maple shed its leaves. Last week daytime temperatures went up to 24 ℃ several days in a row. Saturday morning it was 1 deg., with a high of 7 ℃! I am SO GLAD  got this done in the warmth. This morning it is -6 ℃! 

Still waiting for that maple to drop its leaves:

Oct. 26, 2024

It is a sweet little shed, made of old barn board.  Two owners ago, at least, it had electricity somehow. I rather think extension cords were involved, and that isn't particularly safe. It was taken out.

May, 2023
We had trees down from a storm, and deer visiting.

Dec. 2012
Kitten Daisy and Buster were playing.

There is an ivy growing around the shed. I thought I'd looked it up before, but... I forget.

It was a nice view from atop the shed.

I could see Joseph doing his walkies!

BEFORE

AFTER:

I called Joe to bring supplies. Next year, I have to remember gloves, as well as the broom, a long-handled something to dig leaves out. I forgot my gloves. It took several tries, which is why we are laughing over it all. 

This is the ivy growing rampant climbing the dead sumac and nearby trees. I still cannot figure out what it is. I am loathe to cut it all down. 

Any of the recognition apps think it is a tree, when it is simply climbing a tree. 

Barb asked, "I wonder if Mr. Owl eats frogs. Just thinking of all your effort to save them!"

I have a story about that! I let the penultimate bunch go at the top of the rise in the back 40, and set them free to head down the 6' to the water. Joe took down the last of the frogs, as I was weary, and as he headed down he saw the owl on the ground. I presume she was eating a frog or two. Well, she deserves it.

The 'back 40'

Saturday's Critters

We had a warm spell, and now we're back to 'normal' November temperatures. Our leaves are down. 

Coyote

 

The deermice are powering up for winter! They are happy the feeder is out.

   

 I moved frogs, again. I have to take a video in order to remember my counts! 

🐸 2024 total =  88

Oct. 30 – warm day, moved 19 + 6 + 7 = 32

Oct. 31 – warm day, moved 5, nearly caught Jeremiah! Tried again, caught him.

Nov. 1 – last warm day; 10 + 8 + 9 = 29.

It's only 1 ℃ this morning. 

 

It's been 3 days of temperatures between 15 and 24 and Jeremiah finally woke up. I snagged him and took him down to the frog pond.

Jeremiah is actually the third bullfrog I've had in the pond. We had Jeremiah 1, who was a female, renamed Geraldine, and she had a smaller male move in. Geraldine and Jeremiah both succumbed to the freeze/thaw from climate change in the goldfish pond. It was gruesome. 

Geraldine – Sept. 1, 2013

 

It was an epic few days.

 

Barred owl was in the owl tree on my last trip to the wetland to dump another pail of frogs.

 

For more critters visit  Saturday's Critters # 568, where Eileen hosts.