Happy birthday, Caitlin!

 When daughter Caitlin was born, we were living in Toronto (see my post on that house)! We moved to Ottawa when she was two. We are very proud of her. I remember sitting in a small kiddy pool in that teeny (18' wide) backyard trying to cool off, very pregnant and very hot. Summer is a great time with a new born. 

We are so very proud of her. A wife, mother, hydrogeologist,  and a wonderful daughter. 

Over the years, we've had fun with cakes for her. Well, it is mostly Grampa who comes up with these brilliant ideas! 

Joe ordered this one.
They can put anything on the cake.
It's a Game of Thrones thing.

This one was really fun time, a bouquet made of fruits, some dipped in chocolate! This was in Bala.

Caitlin followed a crazy cake account, with a cake fail meme. We ordered her a 'Happy Anniversary Katelyn' cake, one year. The cake maker followed the account, too, and was tickled with the brief. 

I asked if there was anything she wanted for her birthday this year, since we haven't been any where to shop, or find a special something. It's difficult to but your adult children clothes, they have their own styles. 

Caitlin requested flowers! That was a great idea. That I could do online. This is what I hope she gets! 

iPhoto has a feature, and I created a video of Caitlin over the years.

Caitlin from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happy birthday!

Well this is Joseph Brian's actual birthday. It began well, with a glorious sunrise. 

I put up a banner in the dark. It says, 'Happy Birthday!' Trust me. The big party was two weekends ago [A birthday party]! 

We both have our creaks and chronic pains. This we can live with. It makes me grateful that we are at this stage in life. Every day you don't see you name in the obits is a bonus! 

I washed sheets and banged my hand on the end of the bed remaking it. duH! I usually take photos of owies for posterity. That way you can tell if it is getting better or worse. It is a serious bruise. I've been icing it.

He had his Lupron injection Tuesday. We'll hope for another 3 months, for another PSA test and another injection, if all goes well. I caught him on the trailcam. He walks almost every morning. 

Joseph will begin the day with apple pie for breakfast. His favourite. He bought it frozen and baked it himself on Tuesday. Of course, we had some for dessert on Tuesday.

His hearing aids are working well. We looked at them in 2013, but were told they wouldn't make a difference. I was happy when he went back this year and they said they could help him.

 This is what we looked at in 2013.

hearinglife.ca

They are very sophisticated, and compact. I don't notice them. Today we pay for them, after a month of trying them. I am pleased with them, as I do have a vested interest! We get $1000 back from the government. Bonus!

We have forest friends.

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happy birthday, Jesse!

 Happy 40th birthday to my son, Jesse! Stacie, our DIL, has her birthday May 19th, as well. AND they were married on May 19th. They live in Vancouver. 

Jesse - Over the Years from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Caitlin is on her way to visit from Ottawa for the weekend. She has a stopover in Calgary, then on to YVR!

Chores and playtime!

 I'm still cleaning up around the house, doing outdoor Fall chores. I managed to clean the back deck. Pulling the dead vines off, I scrubbed the railings.

The horse chestnut tree still has a few leaves, but the trees behind it are done..

We've had ice on the goldfish pond, yet this week we are going to be in double-digit temperatures. The fishies are happy, I cleaned their tank Sunday. 

Cinnamon and I went walkies, again.

I find that most of my photos of him show his bum! When I walk with him, he runs to be in front. Nutmeg doesn't often come with us. When JB walks, Nutmeg is in front. 

It is Joseph Brian's birthday on Monday. As he sits in his chair, the afternoon sun shines in on his face. I found a bit of a remedy for it! I washed the window, again.  

I moved another frog to the wetland. Not this one! This one slipped away from my net. When I went back later, he was back on the lily pad, but dove the moment he saw me.  

We moved the pie pumpkins from the fence to the ground. The critters love them! 

JB bought me this planter last year. I threw away the dead pine branches, saved it, and brought it out yesterday. New branches made it look good as new! 

Carl was back in the afternoon. Just sitting there, chewing his cud peacefully.

Weather station, snowfall, critters

 It was so cold! I have finally figured out the weather station. That little dash in the middle beside the cloud, is the minus sign. It's a bit disconcerting, and it is an odd shape. 

The birdies are busy and keen.

The goldfish pond is frozen over, again, with a skiff of snow.

The frog pond...

As I walked back to the house, Cinnamon roared out from Oliver's Lot, over to me. Quite pleased with himself.

Wednesday, more snow.

The 4 cm snow was followed by warmer temperatures. It's a mess. I did the driveway before the rain made a mess even worse. Turns out, we didn't get any rain, just snow! (And another skiff overnight.)

I love the lights! 

Two tired cats...

The peace and quiet of country living. (Hint: it's a myth.) He roared down the highway, turned around and came back. peace and quiet from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This silly coyote! He pooped on camera, again, staring right at the camera! Coyote Dec 9 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Before the snow...  Deer tolerating turkeys. deer turkey from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Nutmeg did a song for Josephine's birthday on Wednesday! It's a song I heard many years ago when I was still teaching. I transcribed it and have kept it in mind all these years.  happy birthday Josee from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.