Fall chores & Türkiye

 Yes, Autumn is here! 🍁Fall Chores are underway. 

I was up at 6 a.m., checking out back, I heard geese coming!

The fish tank is ready. I run the hose from out back, directly into the tank. Then I vigilantly check for leaks. None found. 😊

 

Next job is to drain the goldfish pond in order to catch the fishies. I try to plan this just before a rain storm to fill the tank up again. Otherwise, the water lilies could be damaged in the air. The pond fills via the water barrel, fed by the eaves downspout.

It is a dance!

¯\_(^‿^)_/¯ 

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 ((((/\/\))))

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As I have said, the critters are preparing either to migrate, hibernate, or are fattening up for winter. Barry Beaver is back at work.

Fred is fattening up... 

The cats are happy with indoor play. Little Nutmeg won the top bunk. She gets so mad when he's up there first. She leaps before she looks, and meets him up top, then jumps down. 

This is a big one! 

Meantime, my son-in-law and his two friends, have been enjoying his trip with his buddies! They are now in the Republic of Türkiye.

These are where people would shelter from invaders. The rock would be pulled in from of the tunnel.

Our Prime Minister

We look for humour in these situations.

Our PM!

That's pretty funny.

[image or embed]

— 1gypsy (🎵I/me/me/mine🎵) 🦋 (@theonegypsy.bsky.social) September 18, 2026 at 9:49 PM

But he is an experienced, well-educated economist.  

@ctvnews PM Carney says ‘it wasn’t tough to draw the red line’ with the U.S. and says more income support will be available amid the new tariffs. #newsstories #canada #carney ♬ original sound - CTVNews

Saturday's Critters

 What a week. Garden tear downs, indoor plants inside from their outside summer days. 

The critters are on the move.
The trailcams are susceptible to the cool nights and the condensation.

   

 The fox is going to run out of frogs soon. They will hibernate in the wetland.

   

 Then there is coyote. Here it was near Barry Beaver's wetland. 

   

 A young buck in the same location. 

   

 We've a doe around. Soon it'll be mating season for fawns born in spring. 

   

 Fred is still coming out in the afternoons, in the warmth of the sun.

 

Visit more critters at: Saturday's Critters # 666.

Frogs, toads, and katydids

The day begins.

Soon they shall sleep. Here are the two bullfrogs in the goldfish pond. I'll have to move them soonish.

Our bullfrog is growing, despite its left eye. 

His buddy is a bit larger.

Last year, I snapped a photo of the bullfrog catching ants. Isn't that an impressive tongue?!

Can you see the tree frog on the wall?!  Grand little bug eaters. Adorable, too!

It seems we have a resident garden toad! Still here.

Baby Katydid, looks more stirking in the shade than in the sunshine.

A nymph vs. adult, they have fulfilled their life cycle this year!

I was reading on the back deck, and noticed a toe biter! 

Trip to Carleton Place

 We went into Carleton Place (CP). Remember my root canal?  It has healed, no more infection. It was time to go back to get fitted for a permanent crown. Out we went through Perth. A sunny day, with a few clouds.

Next, Franktown, a lovely town. This is a tricky intersection, Highway #15 and Perth Rd. We drive from the lower left, Perth Rd. #10, and try to turn left here. The traffic is usually awful. Too fast, too impatient, aggressive drivers. There have been demands for a traffic light.

Someone was driving with a passenger, both fell asleep, and the car crashed into the house at 4 a.m.

This is from Google Maps:

From Facebook:

There is a major development being put in here. CP is a bedroom community for some workers who drive into Ottawa.

I wonder what is being built here? 

The planters look lovely. They have some time left. The flowers are at their peak.

After an hour and 20 minutes we were done. My dentist used a digital scanner, instead of taking an imprint. This is from the internet. 

At home, we had critters in the night! I am fascinated with them. They know humans are a danger. Then, there is the coyote.

MiniFred, gardening

 Fred was still up and about! Sept. 12th. He poked his head out of the front yard burrow Sept. 14th. No sign of Auntie Fred. This is Sept. 13th.

Spring vs. Fall! Yep, chonky.

They've been kinda slow these days. They sleep in until the day warms, stay up later than before.  

This is burrow # 6A in the corner. 

In the background, behind the bumble bee, you can see Auntie Fred in the back ground. OK, maybe not. But she was there the 12th.

We went shopping. Caitlin said she was off to check out garden nursery sales. What a good idea. We took off to Gemmell's, as they are good with many products on offer. Everything was 20% off.

Happily I had a personal assistant! I texted the photo to Caitlin. JB is wearing his Lake Ontario t-shirt from Lakeshore Outfitters. 

One Hibiscus, 4 Phlox, a Turtlehead plant, and Storm Cloud Amsonia tabernaemontana.

We have a Monarch with a badly formed under wing. I put it on some flowers, and it seems to be trying to figure out how to fly. I moved it to a weed with flowers and it seemed to eat. It flew itself onto the petunia hanging basket. 

  

My SIL, Jean-Luc, and his buddies went from Cairo, Egypt, to Istanbul, Türkiye.

The Blue Mosque.