June is looking promising

 It is a new week. It is June. We've enjoyed 🎾 tennis being played in Paris, although half the battle with the rainouts is to figure out when, where, or if they are being broadcast. 

I am happy to start a new month. The Mother's Day basket from Caitlin is so beautiful. This is a glorious season, when we have enough rain and sun. 

Those of you in our latitude will appreciate how much the spring means to have the brilliant colours. All we need now is a balance of sun and rain for the summer. 

As discussed with a couple of bloggers, you put on bug spray (or netting), do your work, and shower. It is necessary. JB uses a anti-bug hat.

I have to remove the moss and encroaching twitch grass and weeds. It's tricky with the phoebes coming and going. I don't want to disturb them too much. There are various methods, other than hand pulling them. If I can't get the roots I'll use vinegar water from dill pickles, etc., or sprinkle salt. 

Our growing season is relatively short. The Hops Vine is growing very fast. Here is May 17. Growing like mad underneath, and not up to the railing. I took this photo to show Fred on the lower deck, but it shows my rain gauge, and the railing.

May 31st I figured I ought to put up the green twine supports. The vine is up over the top of the railing, kind of swinging in the breeze as it searches for something to wind around.

Out front, the clematis is blossoming. I reached up over my deer fence to grab this. Now, at 5'4", it is tricky!

After working on the lawn tractor I finally managed to have a full tank and a full battery. I worked on Oliver's Lot. I just create a path for walking. The wildflowers can grow on either side. The Field Hawkweed is wonderful. Mind you, this is a spot where the soil is less than shallow! 

Walkies, flowers, owl pellets

 I took Cinnamon walkies. He found a spot where something had eaten a bird. He was quite keen on inspecting it. The mosquitoes are really bad, hovering about a foot off of the ground all throughout the forest.

The wetland is greening up. 

You can see where the ice storm forced the trees and bushes to fall over.

This fungus is growing on some downed birch trees.

cinnamon from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

 I'd heard the barred owls, and we found TWO owl pellets. This is the result of the owls regurgitating the fur and bones they are unable to digest. Of course I took them apart to see what they'd been eating. I took a photo of the spot, just in case they are regular visitors here. When we had a pair nesting in the backyard, the male had a favourite tree. I took a photo trying to remember where to look again! 

Two vole skulls!

We went to the Smiths Falls market and bought some plants for summer. I planted JB's cherry tomato hanging basket.

The water is slowly going down to normal levels. We sat here waiting for the light to change on the Rideau Ferry Bridge! They are working on it until July, and there are traffic lights for a single lane.

Fred groundhog appeared. I took this through the screen, just in case he ran away when I opened the door. A cute little photo, I've yet to get a good one of him.

He went back to feeding on the grass.

Then he heard me, and fled the scene. Back under the lower deck to safety.

Here we go. Another sunny day. I've wood to stack, but I think I will wait until the birds hatch. The House Wrens are back, as well as the phoebe and robin's nests under the deck. The back deck is not too buggy, what with all our flying friends.