Dock tails!!!!

I went down to check things out. First, Cinnamon came with me. He thought this old tree might be fun.

I went to check for mail and spotted a deer! Isn't that fun? She watched me like a hawk.

Finally, the dock tails. The tadpoles are grooving along. I love watching them bounce in the water, popping up for air in the frog pond. I need my muskrats back to create some more space. They build push ups from the weeds. 

There are some frogs, but I cannot see them for the wetland reeds. I must research them, as they aren't cattails. Just for laughs, I was looking for it on my small book shelf and couldn't find it. Hubby came to help. He kneeled down carefully. Still couldn't see it. I lay down on the floor in front of the shelf. It's not there. It was tricky getting up, but we did! 

This is what we are looking for, JB!

Can I tell you how bad the bugs are?

I just noticed at 6 seconds in, along the bottom edge, a salamander larvae with gill buds. It's quite a treat. 

We have lots of salamanders and newts here. These are the most amazing little things.

This is a red eft, which is the middle stage (teenager) of the eastern newt.

Blue spotted salamander I found a number of years ago with Buster.

Docktails by the frog pond

I love my new dock. As I sat, I heard a doe walking behind me. She came out across the pond. The cats love the dock, as well. They watch the bugs, check out frogs hopping (the frogs get away), and then they come back and sit with me. The water is now about knee-deep somewhat deeper in the middle. The lovely little pond plants, European Frog-Bit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae, are invasive, apparently. They protect the pond, however, and give sanctuary to the frogs.



Annabelle and I built a turtle basking platform! Buster came and sat on my lap. See the fallen maple leaves? August is coming to a close, it's cooler at night. Still, perfect days with few bugs and warm temperatures.

Daisy goes frog hunting; docktails

Who is in the forest? from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Daisy was watching her sister, then she did 'bear' pose. She heard something in the forest. Turns out it was a doe. She wisely climbed the tree. Then the doe was watching something else. It was another doe, which the first doe chased off down to the point. We went to sit by the frog pond. Finally, Buster and Annabelle followed us to the dock.




docktails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
This video is about docktails: water snake, daisy, green frog, gone!

I know Spring is coming, but baby it's cold outside

I love watching the deer.
The one in the rear was keeping
to the forest.

 Another cold one. I wanted a bright spot of colour, in this

So cold! -30 C. = -20 F.

frozen January. Outdoors yesterday, I cleared the driveway of about 3" of snow. Not so bad, at -11 C., but when I went to the back to feed the birds, my fingers went numb. I couldn't feel my thighs, as I don't have any snow pants. But I did it! A nice, hot shower followed.

The 4-legged critters amble about slowly. Birds bop about on the frozen feeders, eating the black sunflower seed on the frigid trees. Frantic chickadees seem grateful for the food.

Today, it's rather brisk out there. The arthritis makes my hands  hurt. I'm glad it didn't snow last night. With an anticipated high of -20, I have full bird feeders and I might not venture forth!

The Meals on Wheels dispatching
- hard to find volunteers to do this!

Hubby will be dispatching and delivering Meals on Wheels.
I feel badly for anyone out there today.

Indoor recess, for sure! (Those were the good, old days!) You
build character doing yard duty in -20 C. temperatures. The kids were fine, as they were sent to school with good winter clothing or 'borrowed' it from the Lost and Found. These days, principals seem reluctant to send kids out in winter, or in rain! We all dressed for it; fresh air and fun.

They walk, like ghosts,
in the forest.
Crunching footsteps on the snow.

Somedays, docktails can be cool!
This is not a good day for play.
This, back in Bala, playing in the snow.

Bear has a Valentine cape; Frosty has his February t-shirt.

Frosty needed a certain something.
A snappy hat, too.
He needs another paint job in Spring.

Dapper red tie, with mirror sequins!

It's snowball snow!

When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade!

SnowJester and SnowQueen!

I love the changes in weather. I love the four seasons. After yet another 5 - 10 cm of snow, I figured out it was snowball snow! Today it is -15 C. and I hope they freeze well!

It was 4 C. Sunday afternoon, and it had been snowing all day. Out I went to shovel the front walk. We had snow forecasted to last until 9 p.m. but after doing the sidewalk the snow called to me.

The crazy thing was after I finished my snow pair, I realized the snow on the driveway was getting deep and I ended up doing the driveway with the snowblower. Great exercise.
My biceps are getting pretty tough, and I'm not doing any handweights these days!

I like making snow critters. After 25 years of yard duty, I really didn't learn much about them. I spent too much time trying to stop fights.

I loathed the arguments, though, how kids will build one during one recess, and then other kids rush out and try to take it over during the next.

Then there were the snowball fights. Every principal outlawed the dreaded snowball.  There were no end of kids who couldn't resist. In some middle school kids had to write a 500-word essay about the dangers of snowballs if caught doing the deed.

Snowman 2010

In another school, the custodian made the kids a target, up against the fence. It was brilliant. It channeled their need to throw, play, keep active, and meant no snow in someone's eyes. I remember kids going to the ER with a snowball that contained a stone. A shame kids have to me like that.

But back to my efforts. The kids know how to do it! They get buddies to help. I wish I'd taken photos of those days! I keep making the first one too big.

2011

Last year, I made a huge first ball, wrestling it along the yard. Then the second one, to be in the right proportion, is REALLY big and I cannot lift it up. I figured out that if I split the next one I could lift it up half a piece at a time!
She melted and I made a time-lapse movie from photos!

Death of a Snowman
The pros go out and film tornadoes, hurricanes, crespular clouds, sunsets, macrophotos of bugs... These are my PlantCam photos of my latest (2011) and best snowman. May s/he rest in peace. I am loathe to put copyrighted music to it, you may hum Mozart's Requiem, or other dirge, at will!

2009

2009 SnowAlien

This one was fun. It was 2009 when we lived beside the lake. I ended up putting solar-powered lights on it as ears on one. It looked great from up at the house in the dark.

When we lived by the lake, the ice proved to be another source of creative fun. One year I made sculptures of the ice!

Docktails after my hard work!