Chores!

  I've been puttering. After the big windstorm, I noticed that the water had accumulated in the water fountain. I don't have a big enough tarp. I drained it, using my syphon. Using tent pegs that came with JB's birthday bears, I managed to secure the tarp to the ground. It looks snazzy!

The storm knocked at least two nests out of the old white pine tree. They are so delicate, yet strong!

I spent some time sawing deadfall into kindling. We expect freezing rain, again. No freezing rain, just a bit of snow and 4 mm of rain rain!

It's good to have backup heat. Some families were three days without power in Ontario last weekend. More kindling.

Chores!

Crows 🐦

The winds were really bad again on Sunday. I took the opportunity to try and video the crow's nest. I think you can just get a glimpse. I spent hours watching them raise the three babies.

Chores and playtime!

 I'm still cleaning up around the house, doing outdoor Fall chores. I managed to clean the back deck. Pulling the dead vines off, I scrubbed the railings.

The horse chestnut tree still has a few leaves, but the trees behind it are done..

We've had ice on the goldfish pond, yet this week we are going to be in double-digit temperatures. The fishies are happy, I cleaned their tank Sunday. 

Cinnamon and I went walkies, again.

I find that most of my photos of him show his bum! When I walk with him, he runs to be in front. Nutmeg doesn't often come with us. When JB walks, Nutmeg is in front. 

It is Joseph Brian's birthday on Monday. As he sits in his chair, the afternoon sun shines in on his face. I found a bit of a remedy for it! I washed the window, again.  

I moved another frog to the wetland. Not this one! This one slipped away from my net. When I went back later, he was back on the lily pad, but dove the moment he saw me.  

We moved the pie pumpkins from the fence to the ground. The critters love them! 

JB bought me this planter last year. I threw away the dead pine branches, saved it, and brought it out yesterday. New branches made it look good as new! 

Carl was back in the afternoon. Just sitting there, chewing his cud peacefully.

Chores, ditch diving, home repairs

Things are shut down here in Ontario. Our numbers are rising in the cities. There are some hot spots, as well. Next week is March Break, deferred to April. We'll have the girls. We're pretty safe, as the stores are really excellent with their protocols. We get our shots next week, being old farts.  The politics of this have been terrible. 

I went online. The guest room, AKA Isabelle's office, has been chilly in winter. We put up a piece of cardboard at night, and remove it in the day for light. I ordered a smokey blue blind for it, single panel.

Izzy promised to help me install it, as it arrived this week. This is both her office, her virtual school bedroom and our guest room. It's also where we installed the cats when we first adopted them. 

Home repairs are tricky in a red-level lockdown. I ordered the wrong stuff the first time. This I ordered from a company in southern Ontario. The trick is knowing what it is called. A lot of the hardware stores have really weird search results!

Then, the under door sweep needed repairs. You can see it below. I scoured the websites, and found the product we needed. After 35 years, everything needs repairs. 

We wrote out the SCU# and I sent JB off. Ta da! What I realized is that you can't just install it. You have to know how high or low to place it. Fortunately, it was subzero overnight, and in the morning I could hear the wind blowing under the door. I could feel the cold air, as well. I lowered it a tad. All is good. The hard part was getting back up off the floor!

Another operation, I put down some flashing for the bluebird nesting box. I did some research, and tried to figure out how to attach it. I gave up on pretty and just cut two strips.

Pitch In

April chores include ditch diving! I figured I best get out there. I should have been cleaning the kitchen and bathroom floors, but resisted the urge. Instead, I went outdoors!!! It was raining, but there you go. Only two discarded face masks, and no personal hygiene items. Several beer cans or bottles. It was a good day.

The hoses did not do well. This just drains into the garden, anyway. 

I took a fabulous photo of this tap spewing water in four directions. It seemed odd. We'd had it replaced in 2017. I went to YouTube, as one does, and found a video that explained how to disassemble them, check that the washers are good. Turns out it just needed tightening. Now, imagine me, this is just above my shoulder level, trying to tighten it. I was soaked as the water went right down my arm. 

OK, back to the drawing board. I went downstairs and turned the whole thing off. Back onto YouTube, and still couldn't find a tap like mine. Back out, and it turns out it was loose inside the thing. All is good!