Flowers, Freds

 I took the day off from outdoor work. Having been a couch potato most of the winter, it takes a toll! I had a volunteer gig, and it was good to get out. 

I changed my header to show the greens! And the lilacs.

The weather has been crazy with temperatures fluctuating. We have lots of wind from the north.

The highs have exceeded expectations, but overnight they said it'd be cold, i.e. 4 ℃. It was. It has been, for 3 days. 

I keep moving the flowers to the sun shine, and then bring them in the house over night. Basil, cherry tomato plants, and my Mother's Day gift of gorgeous-smelling petunias, all brought in over night.

More cherry tomatos (don't ask!) and the hummingbird fuschia are happy to be indoors.

I covered this planter with a blanket. 

Dratted Red Squirrel, DRS and Cinnamon's favourite critter to watch,  is undeterred. It has fur!

He sat there in the shade. 

Phoebe's 5 eggs have hatched. Fledging should be June 2nd. Non-mental note!

 

Our big news is that Momma Fred has at least 2 kits. They are born without fur, and spend some time in the burrow before emerging. 

Yam  had a good question: "As for the Freds, I also wonder if Mini has her own brood... or is supposed to have gone off independent and formed her own? "

It seems as if MiniFred is trying to come back home. She's only a year old, they can have a brood this early, but she is trying to visit the place where she was born...  That is my thought, as she keeps coming and going.

I spotted her on the driveway the other day. It happens from time-to-time. I don't think she'd leave kits if she had them. Momma Fred doesn't go far from the burrow.

 

Groundhogs are solitary. The only time I saw two here was on the videocam (April, 2024) there was a fight, or they mated. I didn't ask.

Momma Fred is vigilant. Last year coyote took 2 or 3 kits. Circle of Life. I don't think we'll be over run with groundhogs. I think MiniFred has a burrow across the highway. (What could go wrong?) 

Storm warnings...

🥶 There were storm warnings... but it was the cold that preceded it! Saturday, -29 ℃, I kept a fire going to supplement our propane.  This morning, a balmy -23℃. It is a huge storm, with lightning. It should roll in this afternoon. We are ready.

We always say, on days like this, 'It's a good day to be retired!' Joe Brian spent years dealing with issues like this. Something like 1400 flights cancelled. 

Jordan was in Ottawa for the weekend, attending the Canadian Space Conference for the weekend. He took the Flix bus. I can't believe he is 18! 

Even more amazing, Aster being up early, during this exam period, on a Saturday morning. The family had breakfast together, although they won't see much of him! The schedule is packed.

"The Canadian Space Conference is the flagship conference of SEDS-ÉEDS Canada, a national space industry non-profit that serves students and early-career space professionals."

Just when I get it all cleaned up...  

It is a time for throwing veggies and chicken in a hot oven! I cubed sweet potatoes, added broccoli, and what I thought was canned pineapple. (It was crushed, oh well!) The chicken was wrapped in bacon. I threw it together, threw it in the oven, and put my feet up watching a new show: Newton's Law. A fun mystery, lawyer legal series from Australia. 

I found weasel tracks beside the frog pond. This is what I think. I can't find my laminated chart! 

Maybe 6" stride.

Sept. 20, 2022

A cat got it, I think. Sept. 22, 2022:

It took the cardinal eggs one year, 2020.  Also, the wood duck eggs in 2020. Circle of life...

I peered out the kitchen window. The deer had a hat! The red squirrel (DRS) has figured out the cat door nearby. It's been cleaning up spilled deer and bird seed in the garage. It is helpful, truly. 😁

This is the right idea, two cats sharing a bed. Wrapped in sunshine, in a warm bed, in a warm house.

Crumbly Acres Critters

 It's been a whirlwind. Rain, snow, sleet, hail. Possible power outages. We made it through.

Chipmunk has been out and about.

Labbit has been around!

Butch raccoon

 

Labbit in snow

 

Indoor cat play 

These cards are so much fun.

 

We've a limping coyote

   

 A healthy coyote

   

 The dratted red squirrels seem to be in a mood!

 

Saturday's Critters on Crumbly Acres

Things have been pretty quiet, in terms of critters. We're expecting very cold temperatures and a Polar Vortex tonight, over a few days. This kind of thing affects our critters.

The birds eat more to keep warm, the deer resort to eating twigs and dead weeds. The racoons are active in single digit weather, but once it freezes hey go back to hunkering down. The red squirrels are really busy, eating under the feeders. 

I woke in the dark, and peeked out the bedroom window. A doe was hunkered down in the snow, grooming. She leapt up as soon as I tried for a photo. Then, she stood here for 15 minutes. They are not tame at all. They feel safe in the yard, which is a good thing for us. 

Dec. 2022

I'm still wrestling with this trailcam. I've read the setting 5 times, at least. Again, 5000 images, taken every few minutes, triggered by snow, me, dratted red squirrel. You must laugh at these trivial things, frustrating as they are.

This is the view out the kitchen window. We seem to have about 6 regulars. Of course, they don't have name tags or antlers, the bucks winter in their yard somewhere else. 

They amble about in the wee hours.

   

 But come around in the day, too! I was watching from the window! I could see a furry doe under the feeder.

   

 It's Dratted Red Squirrel (DRS) who drives the cats nuts. Cat TV.

   

 The Mourning Dove on the nicely cleaned sidewalk!

 

We've just one turkey hanging around. It sees me in the kitchen window and takes off.

 

They do share.

 

Visit more critters at Eileen's: Saturday's Critters # 579!

Fall is in the air

 We had manager Jamie in from Aussie Tree Care for a quote on taking down our dead elms in the upper meadow (Dutch Elm disease 😑). They are still seeding themselves, but not surviving too long. In the meantime, I worked on trimming this Maple (on the right) on the driveway. The propane delivery people back up the driveway, and I want to make it easier to see. 

I'm not sure one can see a difference! Maybe that is a good thing. I used the reciprocating saw on the branches. It takes ages, since it doesn't hold a charge too long, even with my spare battery. OK, I must be honest, I don't last too long either, with saw dust blowing in my eyes, and holding the heavy tool. 

I threw the branches onto the vacant lot. I am hoping to encourage the sumacs to come back. They are suffering from various periods of drought, on shallow soil. Let's see if this helps. 

Jeremiah seems to be keeping the smaller leopard and green frogs away. Happy dance. I will have to figure out when to move him to the frog pond for winter. 

He is an asset. He'll need time to bury himself in the mud for winter.

It is time for Autumn decor, as many are doing inside and outside their homes. I like the changes in seasons, and changing things up. Maybe it is just that after doing bulletin boards and display cases in school for 25 years, it's in my blood! 

I'm at the point where I forget where I've put things, and find them in a different season. I may run with that some time, just to keep everyone on their toes! 😆 

I took out the Fall flag, and found life imitating art. 

🕷Can you see it?! 

The horse chestnut tree is providing much food for the Dratted Red Squirrel (DRS). They have a little collection under the tree. I've never seen both the black squirrel and red squirrel eating them like they have been this year. 

I've moved Peter to the deck. Last year I put pine cones in his wheelbarrow. 

I thought he could carry the chestnuts in his wheelbarrow until winter, when the critters are desperate. Apparently, they are desperate now! 

All that was left in the wheelbarrow was one chestnut, and a cluster of rose hips. Apparently, they were good eating! Ain't nature grand?!