April snow showers

What a surprise the ducks and geese had today. The sun shone, then it clouded over, then the snow fell and the sun appeared again. A brisk wind blows cold.

The daffodils are drooping; shivering in the cold. Overnight there was frost on the cottage roof. We were teased with double-digit temperatures last week. Hopefully, these temperatures will return soon. The wildlife are hungry, and most are in the midst of breeding and raising hungry young.

With overnight lows below zero, I hope cottagers haven't turned their water on yet. There likely isn't much risk, as the temperatures are not going far below zero, but it depends upon the location of the cottages.

The cats are pretty much upset with the weather. They have been out trolling for vermin. One day they caught two moles, and two mice and left the remnants of another critter by the door (a tail and two feet!). Yesterday, Sady was quite proud of herself as she chased a raccoon off our property, across the road into the forest. She came back quite proud of herself, almost wiping her paws as she brushed the dirt off.

You see, the ducks and geese are allowed to go after our birdseed. I think that the raccoons are too much mammalian for her liking. She chased one her size, and treed another twice her size the other day. Today, the went out briefly, and now sit wailing by the door. Who turned off the furnace? I shared some of my lunchtime salmon with them, feeling sorry for them.

We cannot complain about the weather. With issues around taxes, job losses, and an industry that is jeopardized by our failure to plan for a changing economy, we are grateful to be retired and living our quiet lives. Travel is expensive, and we refrain from big trips. There are many people with far more money, but many more with far less, no savings and work very hard at their jobs.



Many rely on tourism, and others travel far for work. There are large distances between towns. Let us hope the politicians do the right thing to ensure we have a viable economy, with people finding meaningful work. Work that gives them a good quality of life, contributes to the economy and does not harm the environment.