Winds, storm, and a bat

 We had a massive storm go through. High winds all day. The screen door kept banging. I found out why. Thankfully we don't have to buy a brand new system. There are parts. 

The power kept flickering off and on all evening. There were lots of thunder boomers. At the peak, 7:20, there were 95,812 customers without hydro. We've clocks to reset. 

Finally, the storm blew over. There were lots of lighting strikes. 

🎁 I'd sent a wee parcel to Bryony, in Vancouver. She turned 7 this week. They phoned us and we began to chat. We sent money, as we don't know them very well, or what might be suitable. Jesse sent a photo after Bryony explained that she'd bought roller skates! Isn't she cute?!

 

🦇Did I tell you Joe tried to catch a bat in the house on election night at midnight in the living room? He fetched the fishing net, while I was trying to sleep. No luck. I was too tired to get up. 

As we were on the phone, Grampa yelled, "There's the bat!" Oh sigh. I quickly said goodbye to Jesse and Bryony and spotted said bat. It was on the chimney brick. Perfect. It's not our first bat, won't be our last.

I sent Joe to the door, ready when I captured it to let it go. It worked, I held up the net leaning over the back deck, and as I did so, another bat circled me and the net. Our captured bat took up off out of the net.  I was so happy it found its friend! 

RVCA has a grant to study them.

Birding and voting

We approach the last of the bird feeding. They don't need it, but I selfishly like to watch them in winter.  I know we're in Spring, but I am savouring our last days.

Mourning Dove

Female Red-winged Blackbird

Tree Sparrow

White Throated Sparrow

Goldfinch

Not such a great photo of the goldfinch (↑above) but I wanted to show the colour of its mate.

Those Grackles are bullies,
but the mourning dove hung in.

bird feeder action

I wandered down to the owl tree, and what do you think I found?! 

This is a sure sign of spring, the Lily Bugs are out. Of course, this is why all the migratory birds are back: prey! I shall have to watch my lilies.

Happy, yellow faces. 

The election is over. We've PM Carney to stand up to the chaos and the trade war from the south. It looks like the Opposition Leader wasn't re-elected. I hope that is a message. We don't need abrasive politicians to lead us.

I went to bed at 10:30. It looked good.

They gave extra time for the Opposition Leader's riding. Some idiots signed up non-existent candidates. They are in some sort of movement to disrupt.

Candidates explain why they're part of Longest Ballot protest | Ottawa ... 

This morning, it looks close. Good riddance, Mr. Republican wanna be.

Choir Concert!

With great excitement, Joe and I went into the city of Kanata to attend Caitlin's end-of-year community choir concert, All Voices Community Choir. There were two shows, we went to the Saturday matinee to avoid weekend drivers. 

I did my hair, in order to look presentable. This is a wonderful, diverse community choir. Several people had great hair, lime green, purples. I chose a combination of blue and bright pink, which makes me sort of purple.

 

Off we went. You can see the scilla, those lovely violet pops of colour on lawns.

The wetland is thriving with all this rain.

Such a typical home!

Time for snow fences to be removed, once the mud goes away!

We were a bit surprised to see all the traffic. Carleton Place was busy.

We hit highway #417, and actually had to pass a slower car!

We met Caitlin in her uniform in the foyer. 

All volunteers, the stage was set up with risers.

The audience was ready. We had a lovely conversation with a teenager sitting in from of us. They heard Jordan talking about going to Queens University. Turns out that's where they are a student, as well. They took our photo for me!

There was a junior choir, a teen choir, and then the adults. 

The finally was Skinnamarink, an old song I sung with my kids and my students.  Sharon, Lois and Bram (📹) performed it, they were a famous Canadian trio on the kids circuit. Now retired. A Canadian moment. 

Caitlin's choir friend took a photo of our group. Who is the shortest?! Moi.

I must admit, I didn't notice any 78-year-old falling asleep at the concert. Not so for the Pope's funeral. Somebody fell asleep, after using his smart phone in the funeral, and wearing a blue suit, despite the dress code being a black suit, with a black tie.

Anti-woke

Apparently it has happened before.

Ir's election day today. I think I'll have to stay up late for results. Fingers crossed.

Friday on Crumbly Acres

 The yard is so busy! For a person who grew up in inner city Toronto, it is wonderful living here. Lots of critters, especially in Spring. 

I spotted two garter snakes on the lawn, on top of the septic bed. I'm not sure why they hang out there. Maybe their winter hibernaculum is near by. It is warm in the sunshine, too. For those not appreciative of snakes, I wanted to show their behaviour. They are so quick and anxious to get away. 

First daffodil in bloom. There will be more! Yippee!

There were a pair of  Yellow-bellied sapsucker 📹 playing the mating game. Up a tree, follow me! These are the birds who bang on something metal to woo their loved one! You can hear and see it in the video.

A pair of flickers are trying to avoid Blue Jays. I think they will nest in the dead Elm tree. The flickers have been singing about their territory for several days.

xxx

🐸The pond pump is working well. All I need is warmer temperatures in order to put the goldfish outdoors. I removed about 14 smelly dead frog bodies. 😞 There is a healthy frog in it as of April 25th. It's unusual, as they usually flock to the pond when the vernal ponds and wetlands dry up. Welcome, little froggy!

🐦Phoebe seems to have chosen the traditional spot under the deck. If you look closely, you can see a carefully positioned circle of mosses on the green shelf. I'll keep you posted. It is an old shelf, perhaps one built by the previous home owners. He was a carpenter. I repurposed it knowing Phoebe wanted to nest there. I rigged up a paint roller with my late parents mirror visor. 

 

🥀Spring Cleaning: Much yard work was done. Tarps away, empty kindling containers to shed. I ache, in a good way. I didn't suffer too much from ditch diving.

We did a walkabout out back. Cinnamon was disappointed that we didn't go down to the frog pond.

😩Measles cases are up in 2025. Canada has hit 1000. We know why: antivaxxers with their conspiracy theories. 

😡We can blame 💉antivaxxers, like our neighbour, and former MPP Hillier. He went into the city and was out targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Ottawa along with Bernier. I apologize for this. 

 🇨🇦  Election: April 28th, we are on the edge of our seats.

There are attacks on many people. People vote from such a myopic point of view, self-centred, one-issue voters. There are so many programs at stake. My American readers understand. The lies and invented claims about PM Carney abound. The anger and hate is terrible. The Cons are importing the US president's Project 2025 issues: DEI, race, immigration, gender issues, LGBTQ+ issues, healthcare, all things the rich have no problems with: securing food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and safety. 

Gotta love these messages: