Skies, leaves, and forest walk

 Bathroom reno update Oct. 2

The pieces have arrived for the new sink. All we need is the counter to be delivered. And an installer. Installers are hard to find, especially in October, hunting season. We could be waiting months. Meantime, the hot water tap still leaks.

🚴 I featured Josephine yesterday. Now it is Isabelle's turn! She had a weekend camp with her Pathfinder's group, and they did archery. She texted me to say she enjoyed it so much she was going to take lessons. 

Izzy posted a wonderful video of herself riding on her bike to school, with her cup of tea in the new cup holder her momma bought for her. It made me giggle. I hope it makes you giggle, too!

Izzy's bike ride from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

☔ In anticipation of the upcoming storm, I blew leaves off the driveway with my lawn tractor. The sunrise told me I was glad I did. I've been reading about people NOT mulching and raking leaves off gardens. I certainly leave them on the garden, as there are quite a few critters that shelter under the leaves over winter. I try to mulch the driveway, however, before the critters begin to hibernate. 

We still have dragonflies as of Thursday!

"Ribbonsnakes hibernate underground in animal burrows or rock outcroppings." They are a species of 'special concern,' due to wetland habitat loss. Thankfully, 9 of our 16 acres is wetland. They must be heading for their winter burrows, and staying nearby. Apparently experts on iNaturalist say it is a northern ribbon snake, not eastern as I thought. 

That is 3 I've seen last week. Can you spot it?

Leaves were blown off the driveway, no snakes were harmed. The leaves are so slippery on the driveway when wet, and impossible to remove.

While I was doing the leaves, I tried to capture a drive-by shooting. There were two bees on the wild aster. You'll have to trust me!

The storm wasn't what they'd predicted, 30 mm or so they'd warned. Our total over the two days was 13 mm. We cooled down Saturday night. Percy seems relatively happy in the tank. I assured him it was going to get cold. They warned of snow in Northern Ontario. We shall see!

Percy gets excited when he sees us. He wags his tail, hoping for food. I have to clean the tank. After thanksgiving, which this weekend!

Percy & Joseph from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We made it to Friday!

 It has been quite the week. Trump has been indicted. 😼 Things are awful in Ukraine. 

We've had a reprieve from the smoke from Quebec, and Ontario fires are getting under control, although there are 34 fires in northeast Ontario. We are very lucky, here.

More smoke later today, though. It's coming from the north, now. Some weird counterclockwise front from the maritimes. I cannot complain, as many have lost homes, or are displaced across Canada. 

This is worth a listen.

200+ South African firefighters landed in Edmonton, Canada to assist in the fight against the raging wildfire. 🇿🇦🇨🇦pic.twitter.com/flXKqlvYxG

— Made In Canada (@MadelnCanada) June 8, 2023

Still no rain for a few days. It has been cloudy and cool, which has helped in this situation. I am watering outdoor planters once every two days, whereas in the heat it was daily.

I strolled around the garden Wednesday, wearing my N95. I am playing with my iPhone. I think it: peony 'Yellow Crown'. The smoke lessened Thursday, but I was fatigued, and feeling a bit of vertigo. I took it easy. Happily there was 🎾tennis to watch, in between indoor chores. But, I should be gardening!

Thursday, I thought better about my photographic choices, and did better. I pulled up the netting and held the flower. That is much better! There is another bloom, well-hidden, and a bud to come. 

My lilies are growing, protected by my Lee Valley netting. I have high hopes! I haven't seen any deer about, but I am ready. They are likely have their fawns now. There is lots to eat, besides my plants. 

The cherry tomato plant is doing well! I'm thinking I will need to support the plants! Tying them up last year didn't work well. They sagged and sat on the soil. My indoor orchid is tipsy. It, too, needs a bolster. I am working on that.

Our nesting birds have been busy. The robins are gone. The phoebes under the upper deck continue to feed their nestlings. The cowbird, laid in their nest, seems to have flown away to another lilac tree. I've been wrestling with Siri to get a one-handed photo. It isn't working too well! 

According to my notes, they hatched May 25th, and should fledge in 15+ days. That would be June 8th. Any day now, and I'll be able to stack my wood. 

I post an archival photo to help get a picture. 

Isabelle (gr. 8) and Josephine (gr. 10) are finishing up school events. They are housed in Bell High School, where their mother and uncles attended. The school is now a joint space for the high school and middle school. There was an art show. Both girls are excellent artists. 

Isabelle's piece is the lower right.

Josephine's artwork is the skull, on black.

I'll leave you with critters. We've had many bugs, setting off the alarm. 

bugs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

What a pain, the camera is so slow!

coyote June 1st from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've been watching for Fred Groundhog, they seem to have vanished. I did get a skunk crossing the lower deck! I haven't seen one in the daytime in ages.

Skunk from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

UPDATE: I began writing this previously. Fred turned up Thursday. Dunno what they are up to. I did barricade them out from under the propane tanks. 😜 

Gramma Camp Long Weekend

 Saturday we eased into the morning. We had brekkie, and planned out the day. The risk of frost is over, so I had left my plants out to enjoy the rain.

I'd already been out, trying to get the pond pump to work. I failed, and took it apart. I knew it was going to rain, and the water barrel would refill the pond. I wouldn't want to be messing about in the rain. I decided to work on it another day.

Grampa took Isabelle shopping for supplies for making spaghetti. I loaned her my raincoat, as it dumped rain all day. She stuffed her list into her pocket. I'd sent them out to get some 8' bamboo stakes for my deer fence. It was tricky. Grampa phoned, as they didn't have what I'd researched online. We'll make do. 

Isabelle wisely took off her white blouse to make the spaghetti sauce from scratch! It was excellent. 

We had a lovely day. Chatting, hanging out. I was reminding them of the old days when we did crafts, when they were so wee. We wrote books together. I showed them a video of their photos over the years!

Finishing off a couple more Jeopardy! Masters shows, was a wise choice. We had 12.7 mm rain. A long, slow rain all day. I think my garden needed it. I showed the girls my Fred videos. I'd moved a trailcam to in front of Emily and her pansies. The pansies have disappeared.

Fred is busted!

Fred is busted from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We are watching this series. It is a prequel to The Hobbit, set thousands of years prior. 

I don't know where the day went! 

Sunshine, then snow!

Look at the sunshine! 

I've been looking for signs of pregnancy. This doe seem to have a lovely round belly! 

This is their favourite spot to sit, on the hill, in the sunshine. There are two here. This faces south, and warms up.

My embroidery is coming along. It is no longer a surprise for Caitlin, and I share it here! We've been watching tennis while I work on it. 

To feature our Ottawa grandies today (we live vicariously), the fabulous Isabelle (Gr. 7) had a concert, a Kiwanis competition. She plays clarinet in her gr. 7/8 band. This took me back in time. All three kids played in the band! While I used to play the autoharp, piano, and guitar, I only ever did vocal music in school.  

On the weekend, Josephine went to a leadership camp at her high school, the same high school her mother and uncles attended, and the same camp her mother attended. (I don't remember if my sons attended it!) The parental unit took turns volunteering at the school over the Friday/Saturday/Sunday. The kids sleep over at the school. 

Whilst Caitlin volunteered, JL took Isabelle to his alma mater, Carleton University, for a tour. He took her to the pub. They had a great father/daughter bonding time! After that, JL went in and spent come supervision time. Isn't that fun! 

 

There seems to be an upswing in COVID in our Health Unit. There was a huge jump in the middle of the month. There are now six outbreaks reported, all in congregate care facilities, accounting for 138 cases. 

We had more snow Wednesday. Compare that to the photos above, and spring is still struggling to break through. They were huge snowflakes.

First there were winds, and our power flickered, but came back on. I had a frozen lasagna in the over, and crossed my fingers. 

It could have been rain or snow, it began with rain (2 mm), then flipped over to snow (3 cm). You should have seen me out there with my rain gauge, flipping out the containers as the change occurred!

 

It was a cold morning! High of 2. 

I had walkies down in the forest. More on that tomorrow, barring actual exciting events! That's Canada, mostly we talk about the weather! 😜

Windflower, Lenten Rose, Tulip

🐣PHOEBE

 First phoebe egg May 7th. The cats are intrigued, as they can see and hear them flying under the deck. Fortunately, it's only 0 C. and they went out and came back in for breakfast rather quickly. I may put a baffle up for the robin's nest, as Cinnamon climbed the post last year. Happily, he's a bit heavier this year, and may not be able to do it! 

Phoebe loves the daffodil garden. They'll perch on the fairy lights, keeping an eye out for bugs.

This photo is from May, 2016! I try not to bother the phoebe too much. We had a contractor in to give us an estimate for new eavestrough. The birds are phased by the action, but come back. Phoebe is reusing a nest from 2016 on top of the green shelf.

Cinnamon and I went walkies. He'll meow to get out in the afternoon, then wait on the front deck for me. Off we went. His first stop is a roll around on the pile of dirt. 

Waiting for my walking pal, I took a photo of the flowers. My Lenten Rose is magnificent this year. Tons of blooms, maybe 8 or 9! 

Grecian windflower

And I'm up to 3 tulips, including this pretty pink one. Take that, deer!

Off we went to the frogpond. This was trip #2 for me. The batteries on the farthest trailcam were needing some more juice. 

We passed the robin's nest in the big old white pine tree. They are all around this area. I didn't notice the brown creeper, even though I took my zoom lens. Perhaps it was too cold for her. I think I could use a monopod stand, as the lens is very heavy to lug around without the tripod. That will be my plan when it warms up this week – before the mosquitoes are bad!

Batteries reinserted, we headed back to the forest. Cinnamon wanted to sit on the tree stump. He watched a red-wing blackbird intently, but he knew it was too far away. 

The wetland is greening up. So good to see. Off in the middle ground, something grabbed Cinn's attention. 

I had my rubber boots on and I found the frog. Cinnamon wasn't too interested. He anticipated something more exciting than a cold frog, I think. 

It was Isabelle's 12th birthday Saturday. Izzy and Caitlin did a Facetime with me. Grampa was out fetching groceries. We'd sent her a card. Caitlin's MIL is there, so there is no end of celebrants at their house! I grabbed a screenshot to show grampa.

Happy Mother's Day – to all who mother one another. The cats were up early to prepare a sumptuous display for me! Wasn't that sweet?!