Power outage, critters

 Monday, I had a plan. I was going to wash sheets. I didn't begin until after lunch as somebody in our house went back to bed for a nap. He's fighting a cold. Sheets done, bed remade, Suzy Homemaker wins again. 

With that, and the looming tariffs, it was a helluva day. Many are angry and unsettled in Canada. USA, what are you doing? 

We're getting tired of explaining ourselves! Americans aren't listening to our news. Finally some of your media are getting it and providing push back.

Our countries have been connected. There are a lot  of goods and services crossing back and forth on the border. Ontario sells electricity to 3 states, for example.

Grampa has new regalia.

☔Rain all day Tuesday, more today. Well, truthfully, we had rain, snow, ice rain, and graupel.

I am trying to find solace in nature. If you have a conscience, what is happening in the world is devastating for many. I continue to think of those facing war, famine, diseases, and then North American citizens who are suffering, with the 1% having vast wealth, and sucking more out of those with less. Then there are tariffs... 

Here is Labbit and a deermouse. 

🔌 We were thinking about dinner. Abruptly, our power went out. My first idea was to check the outage map. We weren't on it. And then we were! 

At first it was declared to be 'planned work' but we are always informed of that in the past. Nada. Next, they changed the restoration time to 7:45, then 8:00 and at one point 8:45. I reported it on the phone, which was down to 29% power! Whoopsie. 

🔦Joe got out lanterns and flashlights. I made a 🔥fire, just in case. 

We scrambled for dinner. Reading by flashlight isn't so bad. I texted the kids to let them know. Suddenly, you know how it is, various electronics came on again. That was about 6 p.m. Not so long after, I could hear an alarm going off. It wasn't the smoke detectors. It was the carbon monoxide detector in the basement. Who would you call in that case? The company that installed the furnace? Fire department? At least we had lights. My instinct was to get out of the house, but what if???

Down we went. Flashlights in hand, just in case. If we were gonna go, we were going together! It occurred to me that it may just be that the detector needed resetting. I unplugged it and plugged it back in. No alarm. It took awhile to calm down. 

He is trouble!

 Can you see who I am complaining about?! 

Josephine and Isabelle named all the fishies for us. The trick is to get photos of them.

• Percy is the large one.
• Whitey is the one that lost its goldfish orange colour.
• Sour Cream – orange and white face.
• Cow – orange and white spots.
• Moustachio – orange spot on hip and nose.
• Rainbow death murderer – orange.

There you are!

I guess you noticed my boy. The cardboard Caitlin brought over helped keep Cinnamon out for a week or so. Percy is fascinated, and thinks Cinnamon might feed him. Hah! I'm up for plan D. 

I hesitate to put something with weight on top, maybe a book would do. I found a heavy book, but I think Cinn would just whack it off! 

Maybe carve out the styrofoam and try nestle it in. Voilà! So far so good, but Cinnamon will come in for breakfast soon, and we'll see what happens.

Maybe put the book back on top!

🕷️TICKS 2021

JB found a tick in the bathroom sink. Probably mine. They tend to climb up small trees, and hop onto victims, like me.

We've done well in 2021, if you compare the graph over the years. I wonder when they invented the goop for cats? I think 2017. It took longer to formulate than the Bravecto for cats. Daisy was the champ and brought in 121 herself in 2016. 

With winter coming, it'll stop the ticks, at least. They'll be buried under... nope, the graupel won't do it! We have had these long ribbon streams of clouds, dropping graupel, and then sunshine!

I drove JB into the GP's office, couldn't go in, of course. He had his Lupron injection for his cancer treatment. He has a sore hip, which is not necessarily usual. It depends upon who gives it to him, his state of mind and body, as well. We're done for another three months.

Today is a cold one. It was cold overnight, and the furnace is working hard. Once the light dawns I'll check on the heater in the birdbath. I'm sure the goldfish pond is frozen. 

We've prescriptions to pick up in town. It took JB 3 calls to the drug store, 4 calls to our GPs office to get it right. Long story, basically miscommunication, but he managed to have his Lupron injection yesterday morning, and we made it through the day. I ended it with a massage. Such a relief.

More graupel

Well, we made it through Mother's Day weekend. I used Cognitive Behaviour strategies. My mother died the day before Mother's Day in 2006, but I just kept pushing it out of my mind. I didn't want to do a sappy post, while others are bemoaning their lost mothers, and celebrating theirs. I just have to motor on through it.

My Mother's Day gifts from Caitlin. In the middle of a graupel storm! We hurried to bring them in.



The daffodils are just fine, despite zero or subzero temperatures. Notice the hose, below in the photo. I had to drain the fishtank. I had a sick goldfish, one died, and another. Turns out one was dead up top in the back, and there was bacteria in the tank. I decided to just chuck the healthy ones into the goldfish pond. They'll be fine.

This meant Monday morning, I had to clean the fish tank and the hoses out. I emptied the tank with the black hose, and added more water with the garden hose, as I scrubbed the algae off the inside of the tank. I was pretty tired!



Can you believe this?



Things are settling down in Canada. But not Quebec, who found thousands of old cases, previously undiagnosed. Their March Break is a week early than Ontario's, they had a head start, and snowbirds brought a lot of COVID–19 with them, as well.

Both Montreal and Ottawa have quite a few cases. Things are easier here in rural Ontario.

Meanwhile, Isabelle's drone, a birthday gift from us. We have the open space, and it is a small one. It is tricky. It got stuck in the tree!




drone from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Grampa got a bit silly! At first he pretended to be driving a car, then a plane.

There is a female turkey hanging about. She had a dust bath. We're going to have to find a name for her!

Hooray for the critters!

The weather has been strange. It's well below the average 16 C. for May. And more on the way.

More graupel, even in my hand, in the battery case of the trailcam!

This was really cool. The graupel was stuck in a spider web!

The bad news is it is cold. The good news is the lilies don't have lily bugs!

Graupel – it's rather peaceful! It's something between hail and snow.

graupel from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

wood ducks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Don't blink. They are so fast!

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I love the landings.

ducks on golden pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Here is one of hubby's deer!

deer in pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.


deer may 8 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I love their big old waddle!

porcupine from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is interesting. I think, perhaps, a raccoon was in front of the camera? In the first few seconds a blue jay and then a furry something!

Trailcam May from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It is spring, right?!

It was a damp, rainy, cold morning Tuesday. Cinnamon was hot to trot and go outdoors, in the rain. Somebody let him in, and he snuggled up to have a bath on my lap.



After my morning routines, I went out to ditch dive again. It was COLD!!!! There was more graupel. The ditches are steep in spots, and I put in more time in this spot, now that I was warmed up from yesterday.



I found a hole in my rainboot. I said 'found', but I could feel the ice water seeping in. Bleh! I'll have to go back to this spot later. It was too cold, wet, and slimy!



I saw this on Twitter, posted by a wildlife agency (@NewhouseRescue):
"A baby porcupine is called a porcupette. A mom and baby together is called a prickle."

Their claws are amazing. 

We've had several taken out by drivers,

I took photos. 

On the trailcam, we had a brief glimpse of our porcupine (@7 seconds in). I have not seen it for the winter. They are like bears. They go into a sleep, and come out around their dens, venturing no farther than 100m, if it gets warmer.

trailcam from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

GRAMMA CAMP – Week 5.2

Izzy had breakfast out front, it's cold.

All across Canada, people like Canadian author and illustrator Tim Huff are finding ways to thank the essential workers that are still going during the COVID-19 pandemic. For all the free downloadable colouring pages, click here.

Grampa will take these⬆ into our local stores.

Cinnamon being cute with Tiberius.

The morning was a bit of a shock.



By the afternoon, graupel.



What a day!