BBQ, gardening, activities

I hope we come out of this soon. We're doing OK, here. My kids are all able to work from home. Ontario has had a bit of a setback with numbers. I think there are a fair number of asymptomatic people out there, as well as those who are undiagnosed. They are trying to ramp up testing and contact tracing. That will help. 

Spring continues to ease us gently into summer. Our horse chestnut tree is beginning to come out. It has blossoms, as well.  

The bird bath is sparkling. I've had a couple of birds visit, some bathing standing on the rocks, or drinking.

The bleeding hearts are out!

We've some tulips, too. The deer haven't been around too, too much! Thankfully. They left me some.

I found a solution to COVID hair. I can trim it at the sides, but it's getting long and thick at the back. I transformed my cap into the perfect thing to keep my hair out of the way. Cutting the top off, I sewed up the seems, and magically have made myself a visor. That's my gray hair poking out on one side, black on the other. 

The phoebe have settled down on 5 eggs, the nest is right over the chain. This is the view from outside.

The robin has decided to build nearby, too. First on the right, and then on the left. 

The robins built here last year, but there was too much traffic for them. 

I can peek out the basement door and eyeball her, the screen doesn't give a good shot. The robin's nest is behind the piece of wood I put up in the corner. 

They are pretty frisky! 

robins from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I snagged a video of both the robin and phoebe!

birds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

In the meantime... in our new normal, we needed a new BBQ! JB went to Crappy Tire and found one. This little two-burner one has been good for us since 2011. All told, you can spend over $1000 for some. This one was $400. The same one is still about the same price. We found a similar one in the flyers for $200, but how good could it be? You have to weigh the price and the quality.

For more critters:

Saturday's Critters #336

I'm TRYING to take it easy!

I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I love hard, physical work.  Trying to keep my foot elevated, and pacing myself, is all. Sigh. Hubby's been great, fetching dinners and being supportive.

I love working outside:  cleaning up the workbench, stacking the wood, throwing the rocks around the goldfish pond. However, I overdid it. I gave my left foot some tenosynovitis. I did it in 2011 to my right foot, where the sheath around the tendon swells and becomes painful. I have to learn my lesson, and slow down when the pain comes. Then: foot up, ice it, and take it easy.

DRS was in the pile
(Dratted Red Squirrel!)

I'm sure you know how hard this is! I have several piles of wood to stack, brush to move, and other chores.

Today, I figured out I could weed the garden sitting on my butt. I had a buddy, Daisy, and I met a blue-spotted salamander! That was fun.

It's important to stop and smell the roses! This tiny little creature, with delicate little toes, is such an important part of the environment.

The colourful flowers in the front garden are wonderful. I laud the previous gardeners at this house. I've added bulbs! Dorah had to give a big hug to the day lily, wrapping her arms around it, with joy and love of the season.  The dratted red lily bugs are out...

I ambled down to the pond with Annabelle. We spotted a bullfrog catching brunch. We sat on the upturned logs, and smelled the beautiful spring smells, inhaling the beauty with all of our senses.

I sat on the front porch, foot elevated, and watched the birds. (I'll post those photos tomorrow!) I could see the Trillium blooming. A sure sign of the turning of the seasons.

Goldfish are happy in the pond. Where the overflow comes in, they dance under the waterfall. One zoomed by, like an orange shark, fins out of the water. We're all happy with the changing scenery.We have 10 goldfish now.