Paint Party Friday!

I finally did one!

I was in clean-up mode, too. I Marie Kondo'd three shelves in the foyer closet. Approximations of the behaviour. I had a helper.



OK, it's far less the diva recommends, which scarf I wear depends upon the season, the weather, and what else I am wearing. That's the thing, I have the space. Bungalow life is interesting. We downsized quite a bit. Our Ottawa home was a split level, sort of two stories.
JB already did the cold storage room!

Next, we are going to work on the car. I'm thinking we should wait until it is a bit warmer...

Forest friends: foxes, coyotes, deer

Things are hopping around the house, and IN the house! We're still coughing, but it will pass. Our defenses are down, as we make our way through this emotional feline situation. I get to grandie sit for two days in Ottawa next week, as the teachers continue to fight for a fair wage increase and to lower class sizes.

It's a tad chilly, though. I don't mind. It's the horrid forest conditions that phase me. That said, I'm grateful to be in Canada. I love the change in seasons.

This horrid nCoV virus is having a huge impact. Canada has 3 cases, but we are prepared after SARS. That was JB's portfolio, back when he was working. He's really glad to be retired.  This corona virus is far less communicable than SARS.  That's called the R0 (R–zero) factor.
What totally ridiculous are the horrid racist comments people are making. It's just like AIDS. Bias, ignorance, and outright stupidity flying around cyberspace by dumb trolls. I am so sorry for anyone Asian. Canada is finally preparing a plane to retrieve our citizens. Some are hunkering down. A family they interviewed said they made it through SARS in Huwan, they will make it through this. It's the poor and sick that move me. They are helpless.

My paperwhites seem to have a bud forming. I'm quite pleased. One is better than none. Stay tuned!

The kittens are doing well. We had a doe visit the bird feeder, Cinnamon was quite excited about it. You can hear him as I filmed this from the front window!

Clip0 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

After about a week of very few critters captured on the trailcam, it was a busy forest.
There were markings in the snow. I was hopeful on the way down. It was horrid walking, with a thick layer of frozen snow after freeze and thaws. Poopies and deer fur!

We had a pair of playful red-tailed foxes! They are quite playful and affectionate. It was fun to see.

red-tailed foxes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

S/he was around for quite a time.

coyote 1 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

coyote 2
coyote 2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I think the coyotes caused the turkeys to fly up into the trees, again.

coyote 3 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

turkeys and deer
turkeys and deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Auction day!

I've been playing some with the online auction. I call it auction therapy. The latest was the estate of Doreen Millier, et al. It's really interesting seeing what people keep over the years.

We've been trying to declutter, but then things break. Our old lamp.

It's quite the computer program. All automatic.



This looks really familiar to me! JB thinks so, too.

This went for something like $100!
I was tempted...

These are similar to the chair Bob V sits on outside.
I've painted mine blue, however! (It was green.)


It was my mother's.

These are some of the other auction items...


I won the picture stand, the two lamps, the bells, footed dish, bowl and plate, and bird houses. (I am collecting bird houses!)

This nifty footed basket made it home in one piece!
It sits atop the end table I similarly bought at the auction.

I put the two lamps in the spare room.



I'm going to have some fun with these in the garden.

I love this wall art, on the right.

Somehow, I have reinjured my finger.

Critters galore!

Well, JB is still fighting this cough, since Nov. 15th. Mine has returned somewhat. We're hoping for reprieve as we've put Annabelle into the cat hotel for a week until she will be adopted. We'll see if she fits in. If so, they'll keep her. We were at our wit's end. We need to relax.

The Corona virus data has been fascinating. Cases just about doubled from yesterday to today, 2886 to 4474. Canada still has only 2 cases.

I heard PM Trudeau doing a tribute to those we lost in the plane that was shot down. He said something about not letting this final incident define the victims' lives. Remember the lives they led. This is what I'm trying to remember about Annabelle. She had a good 6 years with us, after being rescued from a barn in the region. Who knows what is in feline DNA that causes such territorial attack behaviour, aggression, after all this time. I know we're not the only ones dealing with this. Thank you, all for sharing your tales. We were so happy rescuing Nutmeg and Cinnamon, who'd been at the vet's for 2 months looking for a home.

The kittens are starting to relax, Nutmeg, specifically. We are following the tennis games in Australia, taping them in the wee hours. We're curious about the birds singing in the background at the stadium in Melbourne. They are lovely!

We're binge watching Mayday episodes, too. They put life into perspective. Live each day.
Also, watching the kids have fun. They went tubing in Quebec on Saturday. Lots of fun was had by all. I live vicariously through them.

Don't blink! She's fast.

 
deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I heard a noise outside, in the dark! I knew who it was right away.



This looks like Taco, Burrito, Mary Kate and Ashley! They were released  in October. [Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary Release] They are still hanging out together. I'm happy to see them.

 
4 raccoons from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Nutmeg, we may go for Meggie, I don't know, has been squirrel watching. She is fascinated. Actually, so was I. The black squirrels can't fit into the feeder. The red squirrels do.

I was squirrel watching, too.

black squirrel from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We're still waiting for the 'other shoe to drop.' Actually, antlers! My trailcam mentor, in Ottawa, has reported bucks without antlers. It's a matter of time. In the meantime, we're enjoying the TV show from our kitchen window. It's slushy walking, but I haven't seen anything, or any more signs.

buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Snomageddon in Newfoundland!

We didn't have snomageddon over the past few days, for comparison see the video below from Newfoundland (76 cm).

I did realize, after a few cm of snow, alternating with splatty rain, that this is an opportunity for a good workout. How's that for a glass half-full attitude?! Rain, snow, sleet and ice pellets, all on one day!

Today's workout brought to you by precipitation...



It is so warm, the bird seed is starting to sprout.




I began Sunday doing the sidewalk. It was snowball snow. It was heavy shoveling, so I changed my plan. I made a ball and rolled the snow along the sidewalk.

This is an amazing summary of the people of Newfoundland. An amazing sense of humour, Mark Critch is a hoot.

.@markcritch’s ode to the Newfoundland blizzard. #nlstorm2020 #nlblizzard2020 #nlwx pic.twitter.com/ksZEcH0EQe

— CBC News: The National (@CBCTheNational) January 21, 2020

Meanwhile, in the US of A, they laugh for different reasons.

CNN’s Don Lemon collapses on his desk in laughter as guests Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali dunk on Trumphttps://t.co/Ud6hjDrUyy

— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) January 26, 2020

Hormones Part IV – feline aggression

Sat., Jan. 25 – evening

We were watching Along Came a Spider (2001) .Excellent, Morgan Freeman, kidnapping, suspense all for distraction.

In desperation, JB has been reading the insert on the Feliway package.

"Diffuser is not recommended for overt aggression between cats..."

It's a bloody myth. We've been bashing our heads against the wall. We're done. Annabelle will go back to the vet, where we got her.

Annie slept in the spare room. The kittens were free to play.

Sat., Jan. 25 – morning

 Feliway is in the living room, the spare room, and on Annie's collar. We'll cross our fingers. The deadline is next Friday, Jan. 31st.
Annie was in the spare room overnight. No banging on the door. The kitten had two stints out in the Muskoka room. They quite like it. Cinn came in and had a play, so we brought in Nutmeg, and put Annie back in the room.

The new litter medium, the wood pellets, are working out well. Annabelle stunk up the room with a big poo, but I took them out, and all was well!

Friday, Jan. 24

We brought home Nutmeg, who had her stitches removed. Dr. Brianna gave us Feliway spray. 

We have been putting the collar around Annie's neck since Tuesday, and putting the Feliway on it. It can take up to 7 days, they say.  

JB went out shopping to beat our predicted Saturday ice rain storm. (It ostly snowed!) We put out two Feliway diffusers: one in the living room, another in the spare room. We kept Annie in there overnight.

It's $60 for the two pieces, $30 for a refill. JB bought two refills.

Nutmeg and Cinnamon were encouraged to visit the Muskoka Room. When I checked on them later, they were happily sleeping, curled up around one another in the small cat bed. They moved when I peeked, of course.

I let one kitten in, I thought it was Cinnamon. He went into the kitchen to eat. JB was in there. He said, "You let Nutmeg in!"
"That's Cinnamon," I replied. Annabelle came in the room, roared at the kitten, trapped her in the pantry. I realized I made a mistake. It was Nutmeg. I am so stressed out with this. My stress symptoms are increasing.

They slept together on the couch. At one point, I looked over and they had their paws on their sibling's shoulder making an X!

PART III: Plan D Friday, Jan. 24

We're keeping Nutmeg isolated from Annie. Annabelle is out in the night. Then, when she sits and sleeps, we put her into our bedroom and let Nutmeg out to play. We made a mistake and while I was on a 2-hour conference call for ODPRN, we forgot about Annie in the bedroom. She peed on my cotton t-shirt, which soaked it all up, fortunately.

We have plan D. We will try Feliway on Annabelle's collar. We can't put it in all the rooms of the house, but this could work. It could take 7 days to work, if it is going to work.

Once Nutmeg gets her stitches out on Friday, she is less fragile. Hopefully, the hormones in both kittens will work their way out of their systems, too. Annie hunts Nutmeg down, and just goes for her. Nutmeg is cautious. They are fine early in the morning, when they are hungry, then things go awry.

If this doesn't work, the vet has said they will take Annie back. She was rescued by one of their former employees, and that is where we adopted her from.

How to make a cat collar

Annabelle and her bird collar

Cat tales: 

Kitty Hormones... |   Hormones, cats – part II