Bark butter, and other chores

 Are you tired of my wee goldfinches? I'm not. We're still in chaos here in Ontario. Six of our automotive plants are shut due to the occupiers. It is defeating. They have gathered at the borders, Sarnia, Windsor/Detroit, shutting down the supply chain.

Our premier, who is the one with the authority to bring in SWAT teams (the feds do not), has been silent. He is up for re-election June 2nd. No one is happy with him digging in his heels. The crazy people, who don't listen to scientists, and entertain conspiracy theories, are getting air time. They aren't even making logical sense. OK, back to nature, and my goldfinches. 

I keep watching them for signs of their spring/summer colours. Below: now and Aug., 2015.

This is a photo fail! It wouldn't look at me! American tree sparrow. I kept waiting with baited breath!

The male house finches have arrived. I thought they might be purple finches.

Things have been treacherous here indoors. I had a bit of an argument with a sardine can. Nurse JB fetched a bandage, and went to buy more finger bandages later on. It's like a thick paper cut. Yowzers. 

Sewing a hem on my pants, after months of having it on the To Do list, I was making progress. Sadly, the pins were on the arm of my chair. They began to slip, and I caught them, and caught a needle in my thumb. My nurse wasn't home, but the finger bandages came in handy.

The front walk was slippy, I chucked some sunflower seeds on it. The birds eat the seeds, leave the hulls, and a little bit of traction. The freeze and thaw is difficult on walking. We're at 2 C., this a.m., with maybe rain and/or snow ahead. 

Cinnamon had gone back to bed, and didn't even venture outdoors. Clever lad!

I learned a word, or maybe I'd forgotten it: pareidolia. Where you perceive a face in objects. What better than a pansy face? It's a bright spot of colour for us. I'm happy visiting my blogger friends with lots of greenery and many colours, far to the south. We are getting there!

I made bark butter for my Fat Head, inserting it in the holes. This is great stuff. There are lots of recipes, a small batch recipe, or another. Cornmeal, lard, flour and peanut butter. I put it up at 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. We'll see what happens today. I may have to move it away from the underhang. Those raccoons will be awake soon. It's a dreadful photo, but you get the picture. I'll do more when the sun rises.

Here is a birding idea...

The birds have been very busy. The twittering of the Goldfinches have been delightful. This one is looking a bit more yellow, getting dressed for the summer season.
We've several pairs of Purple finches visiting the feeders, as well.




Mourning doves have been frequent fliers, as are the red-wings and the grackles!

I spotted a Turkey vulture Sunday. First one this year!

easily spotted by the white beak

turkey vulture archive photo

Cedar waxwing spring 2015

I saw that Eileen had put out some dog fur for the birds for nesting materials. What a good idea! I know that last year, I snapped the Waxwing grabbing some burlap string from the Horse chestnut tree.

I collected the fur from the cats, and put it out in a basket. The first one was a bit of a failure!
The enclosed suet feeder is better!


Hubby went out to fill the feeder for me. I asked him to put some of the fur in Fat Head's mouth, just for fun! That didn't last long. The woodpecker decided that there was still some suet left in the back of Fat Head's mouth and she whipped that out.



Cats are happy to be outdoors. We've had our first bird kills of the year: last week the cats got two chickadees. Fortunately, we have a sturdy population of chickadees.


Primrose are peeking through the leaves!

AFter the storm: I've clean-up to do! Part 2

That was a day! The conifers, essentially our ancient White Pines took the brunt of it. The spruce bent and didn't break. The deciduous trees shed their ice slowly over the day.

I have a bit of work to do. This was what I did yesterday:
First, laying the dead branches on the ground, whacking the ice off of the lower branches, I managed to free up the ones touching the ground. The aromatic pine needles were frozen into the snow. Next, it'll be my skilsaw and a bit of hauling and cutting. I'll have to chop the big branches up for firewood and haul the smaller ones to our grassy knoll. I know someone I could hire, but there isn't a rush, and it might be good work, if it doesn't break my back.

This is what Ice Storm '98 sounded like: the tinkling of ice falling, just like the sound of rain.
Icy White Pines from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I soaked two coats, and hubby's work gloves, and shovelled the walk, again. At least the ice is gone. Also, I did the bottom of the driveway, where there was much slush from the plows.

Tuesday, Feb. 16th storm

WE HAVE MAIL! They put it into the wet, snow-filled, yellow newspaper box, which is all that is left after the plough zipped by. During the last storm, it was tipped, and ripped from two of the screws. Now nothing holds it there. The EMC local paper was soaked, but all of the ads are nice and dry! :-(

The 5+ C. has gone and I got the ice water off of the sidewalk just in time. Next, it snows. Today, Friday, we woke to -15 C. (5 F.) and I have a fire going.


Our poor Austrian Pines.


The birds have been happy at the feeders.


This is the after, as the temperatures rose, and the ice crystals fell. Bambi was not amused.

Do you like my Fat Head?

Mr. Fat Head!

We traveled to Almonte  (snow pellets, dark skies!) for bird seed and I spent the family fortune (again) to buy a Fat Head, as they are called.

I love their store, Gilligalou.

cardinal from Gilligallou

Such good people.
We have bought quite a few products for the yard, as well as bird seed. I keep spotting the red cardinal, and having to remember it's store boughten! The bird bath heater is from them, as is the bird feeder beside Mr. Fat Head.


P.S. All cats were sleeping on this lovely, sunny day. No cats have killed any birds all winter, despite dire invented cats-as-killers statistics!

My Fat Head

It's a bit of work, but what the heck. I took an apple corer, and took some suet, shoved it into the five or so holes. It was work, but more play. The sun shone, the birds were excited. I put a few sunflower seeds on the outside, just to entice them.
The Chipping Sparrow gave it the eye, as did the blue jay.
Once fixed up, I hung it and soon spotted a nuthatch. By the evening, Bambi was back at the feeder, too!


Then, I went for a walk in the forest. You can see, on the right in the first photo below, the broken tree is still standing, still swaying in the winds. [Broken tree in our forest] The deer trails are deep. They walk slowly along the paths in the chest-deep snow. Two of them were kindly trimming the lilacs for me just out the back yard!


Down to the frog pond...Where is that dock?! Ah, found it...The posts were a giveaway.


Here are the '"BEFORE" photos from the summer!

Worked hard on it!
With feline helpers, of course.

Soon...