Forest walkies

Cinnamon was out exploring. I asked if he wanted 'walkies' and he did. We went to the back 40. This is a photo of me standing in the Aspen grove, June 2020. You can see the house in the background.

After being stripped of leaves, the Woolly Moth caterpillars didn't do them much harm. The deer have trimmed these for years!

Can you see how much they have grown?!

Along we went. Cinnamon headed to the wetland, I veered left. Hopeful anticipation that maybe the Barred Owl was there. She was! She kept her eyes on Cinnamon. I approached and Cinnamon ran over to me. It didn't like that. Off she went.

🦉Barred Owl

The lighting is awful, with her backlit. Fortunately, I have other Barred Owl photos. The key to finding them is looking for the white mute under the tree. No owl pellets this time.

They seem to like their regular perches. This ought to be the Barred Owl Tree, since many owls have sat here.

One year they were nesting back here. This is their call, 'who-cooks-for-you?'  – June, 2016

 

Checking the wood duck nest box, I think something has been scratching at it.

A dust bath, and back we went to the house. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 We had an early Thanksgiving last weekend. Our SIL, Jean-Luc, was going to be traveling to Las Vegas for business on a last minute basis, and we were worried about him bringing COVID back. 

Many of us have a holiday on the second Monday in October, on either side of the border.

From my reading, some Americans are marking Columbus Day today, yet there have been changes. Of course, Columbus' and his men brought disease and they put native into slavery. He didn't actually 'discover' this land. Nor did he have any respect for its people. 

Some states have replaced this day with Indigenous People Day or Native American Day. I  like that. 

Back to us! I sent Grampa out for a turkey. He couldn't lift it, and staff were very helpful in putting it in the cart, and putting it in the car for him. This one was 9.4 kg. It thawed in our little refrigerator. We have two bar fridges. The previous owners put the regular fridge in the basement, we gave it away. We've a chest freezer in the basement. 

I worked on the table. There were adjustments. Did you see it?

They arrived. While dinner was cooking, we were catching frogs. This took me back! The days of kids and nature. Jo and Aster took them down to the pond.

As they were headed down the hill to the frog pond, Jo found a ribbon snake. He came back to show us. Aster held onto the frog bucket.

Back down he went...

JL stuffed the turkey with Caitlin's stuffing, and then put the turkey in, I could barely lift it! (9.4 kg/ 22 lbs.) Then he used the power washer on the sidewalk. He was soaked. He loves a project, Caitlin says!!

xxx

The turkey was great. JL did a really good job. I sent home half the leftovers for Caitlin. 

We had a surprise dessert. Aster decorated it for us. Jo turns 17 in early December, but we seldom are able to celebrate it since things are busy at school. Both kids are in the musical, The Addams Family, in the chorus. Rehearsals after school for a couple of weeks. Also, Jo has to train the tech crew. Then, there is school work! 

His gift was a piece from an artisan in the Sundance Art Festival in Maberley. You can hang it on the wall. 

Crumbly Acres, we're limping along

 Things are hopping around here. Well, it is Crumbly Acres, we're limping along. Poor Joe put his back out shopping on Friday. Sigh. He suggested it was too late for me to trade him in for two 37-year-olds. Past his best before date! I'm a wreck, too. Our Pink Eye is better. That's a good thing.

Then there is the tech stuff... Before my VISA was compromised, the football TV pooched out on us. This is the room downstairs with the fireplace where Joe goes to watch his teams. I phoned them up and went through the troubleshooting. Nope. Unplug, plug her in, wait 30 seconds: all stuff I'd done before. I tested the box on the other TV and it worked. The assistant said she'd send a technician. Funnily enough, he checked everything, found the cables, it's a bit of a spaghetti mess. He climbed the ladder and found the needle in the hay stack. When we had it fixed last time, he'd stapled through the cord. All the new dude had to do was pull it out and we were good to go. 

As with many in our latitude I have been busy working outside: power washing and edging, and putting the garden to bed. These stones were covered in moss and slippery.

I think that the stones look much better. The fossils are cool. The original house owners made these paths, and I have to look after them. 

Look at my shoes and pants, though! I was cold and soaked, so I sat in the sun eating a fruit salad Joe fetched for me from the fridge before finishing up my work. I was cold and tired, but I didn't want to stop. The next day I started AFTER lunch! 

I did this spot since the bird feeders go here, and with freeze and thaws, there is often a puddle. That is the next chore, once the frost hits, to put out the feeders.

The maple at the end of the driveway keeps getting more and more red.

The deer are on the move.

Power washed and cleaned: 

The water fountain ready for winter weather! It is dried, wrapped with Christmas lights, and secure. It has to be wrapped since the snow collects, melts, freezes and thaws and can wreck the cement. 

Just for fun, our Vancouver grandies are in a panto show in winter. This in between ski lessons, and school! They are busy, bless their hearts. Cluny (with rabbit ears) and Bryony, in front on the right side of Robin Hood, will have so much fun. They did a show last year, and were chosen for the photo ads. 

Meantime, on the acreage. They are having lunch. We ended up seeing 5 of them. They gather together in winter in herds by gender. We usually have females.

I truly believe the critters are looking for the bird feeders. We've had a bunny, Butch raccoon, and the deer. No bears, so far. We must get some bird seed!

  

Saturday's Critters

💰Firstly, I am irked. I've had an issue with my credit card. It's been compromised. It is so frustrating. The bank caught it, phoned me and sent an email to contact the bank's department. The card is cancelled and they will send a new one. No money disappeared. Thankfully. It happened last May, as well. We finished watching Mr and Mrs Smith (2024) for a change of pace.  Wooh.

We were out last week in Smiths Falls. A woman got out of her car and proceeded to throw food at the gulls. This is so dumb. This only encourages them and they are big poopers.

 

 

Cooler temperatures and the critters are on the move. It's not cold enough to put out the bird feeders. The bears will still be out and about! However, Blue Jay is lobbying. Every afternoon it'll come to the railing. It is the funniest thing.

Then, I spotted a grouse out in the front yard. 

 

 Out by the frog pond, coyote! They keep marking the spot.

   

 I've been trying to capture the woodpecker who is going after the dead tree. So far, no luck!

   

 The deer have been gathering. They are after my hostas. They might as well. We're getting a frost soon and they will not be worth eating.

   

 The fawns have lost their spots. Apparently the was some grooming required!

 

Saturday's Critters # 565 <= if you like critters, visit Eileen's meme.

More froggies...

 Things have cooled off here. It was fairly sudden. And, yes, it is football season for Joe!

🐸Moving the froggies <= up to 16 this year. (Nothing like the 144 last year.)

I am still trying to capture Jeremiah bullfrog. It is time. The kids were here last weekend and caught him. I should have let them move him. It seems too late now. I haven't seen him for several days. Me bad.

In the meantime, there are several leopard and green frogs who need to be moved. The freeze/thaw of Climate Change means the goldfish pond is too shallow for them. 

Down at the frog pond, there are some red leaves.

It is so bright and green in the frog pond. For now!

Cinnamon came 'walkies' with me. We had a mission.

He helped nudge them into the pond for me. I left and he sat here until I returned with another frog.

My pumpkins are out. Things unfold as they should.

We are being careful with respiratory issues on the rise. Hospital visits are up in our health unit. I'm sure it is a familiar story.

Stay safe, warm, dry and be careful out there!