Gramma Camp Long Weekend!

 Friday morning, Cinnamon was intent on watching Fred Groundhog. Note the bugle?!

Cinnamon cat and I were watching Fred. Cinnamon was murping and bumping me, hoping to much me into letting him out to play with Fred. He knocked over the bugle, which hit me!

Fred Groundhog from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🎂 Caitlin is in Vancouver with her brother and family for his 40th birthday. It is a long weekend here in Canada. JL has a bachelor long weekend. We have the girls. Off we went to the hostage exchange. We were driving down our driveway, when I remembered the phone. Grampa parked, and I ran in. When I came back to the car, this is what I saw! Grampa thought it was a comment on his backing up skills, but it was not!

mosquitoes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Off we went through Perth. It was getting busy for the long weekend. It is traditional to open up the cottages in May, although I think that has changed what with more people living here full time, and people visiting in 3 seasons, if not four. It used to be the ritual with 2-season cottage where water had to be shut down.

Things are greening up, as they should. 

At the Hostage Exchange, things were looking a bit worrisome. We knew a storm was moving in, but not until Saturday.

We visited briefly with JL at the hostage exchange, then took the girls to Law and Orders for dinner. But first, I gave him some homework! I cannot undo the nut on my new connector. He promised to do his best. 

There weren't any bugs, which I'd worried about! I posted the photo of Izzy on the family photo stream, and Caitlin said this is a new shirt for Isabelle! Both girls, and their friends, are avid thrifters. It is amazing how suddenly they are beautiful young ladies.

We shared the fast foods, hamburgers, chicken wrap, Mama dog, poutine and onion rings. What a treat! 

This guy had a t-shirt we didn't understand. I had to Google it! Turns out it is a quote from The Roc! His t-shirt simply said, "FIRST TWO YOU GIVE. LAST ONE YOU EARN." Of course I had to Google it!

Dwayne Johnson

 Isabelle had asked last weekend if she could make us dinner on Saturday, Josephine offered to be her sous chef. Grampa and Iz will shop on Saturday!

We knew rain was on the way. With that, and the horrid, more than usual bug population they asked if they could help with anything in the house. They are lovely girls! They are off to New Zealand this summer. They plan to meet up with Jean, which will be wonderful.

We chatted in the car. It was fun. Izzy texted her friend, who was at a birthday party! Ain't technology grand?! Josephine told us about her competing in the West Conference 2023 Junior Women's javelin throw. She originally came 5th, the highest in her high school peers ranks, but in subsequent semifinals couldn't increase her distance. She will compete in the East/West finals next week. We are proud of her! This old Gramma competed in gr. 7/8 in shot put at the Toronto school competition, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth! She's a chip off the old block! Grampa explained that he ran in the 100, 200 and 400 races back in his high school days. A discussion ensued. Jos thought about the distances, and asked if it was 100', but Grampa explained it was yards! 

Home, they put together the new mattress. I was going to make it a surprise, and show them the screen shot (below), suggesting they have to sleep on the floor, but that didn't work out! I blew it up, and put it down by the highway. Someone took it. I didn't even have to put a "For Sale, $50" sign. That guarantees someone will steal it! There is a slow leak. It is a wonderful solution for all of us. There is a motor built in and you just plug it in and set it to inflate. 

Jos was doing homework, Isabelle preparing for her shower. I asked Jos, with a smile, if she needed help. (Remember Virtual School?!) I heard 'No, thanks!' from both of them. I explained I was talking to Jos! They are independent self-sufficient girls who do their own lunches, their own laundry.

In the old days, Izzy would turn up her music while in the shower. It was a ritual. No music this time. I went to the door and asked if she wanted music. She said, "No, thanks!" 

    "Aw. I was going to sing for you!" She giggled. 

We watched a couple of the Jeopardy! Masters games we taped. Our Canadian, Mattea Roach, has been doing well. We were all tired, and went to bed to read. 

What a lovely visit!

So many critters!

Spring is our season for birthdays. Grandie Cluny in Vancouver turned 8 on May 16th. She had her ears pierced! 

 

As predicted, it went from 24 C. Tuesday morning, to 14 by the afternoon, and it just kept on getting cooler. This morning it is 1 C. and we shall see how the plants fared. We didn't get the rain, and the clouds cleared out.

 The lilacs are out! The smell is wonderful. I was walking around the garden and looked around trying to figure out what the fragrance was. Silly me! With the mosquitoes, I prefer to find some archived photos!

Speaking of which...

I used my scope to check for Fred. Still no sign of him. This is under the lower deck. This is a good thing!

The orchid, indoors, is doing The Dab! Do you remember dabbing?! 

Whoopsie! I misread the pickled asparagus recipe. It says to eat them BEFORE two weeks in the fridge, not wait 2 weeks to eat them. They are yummy. I used to grow veggies, and pickled things. I simply do not have the patience now. I bought 5 bunches, used 2 when the kids were here, sent them home with another, grilled up some more. Oh, YUM for fresh produce.

I'd been down to the trailcams, and had to go back. There is a branch damaged in the storm, blocking the way. I took my handy tool, which promptly got stuck in the tree. I cannot remove it. I'll need a ladder and another saw. Remember the mosquitos? I might wait a day or two, as I hurt my foot, again, working on it. 

That for which we've been waiting: trailcam captures!

May 12th was a busy time. First, the porcupine:

 

porcupine May 12 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Another visitor is Chad Coyote:

 

Chad Coyote May 12 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

A bear came by May 16th. He was here in October, 2022 getting a back scratch (I believe it is the same one!), and used the same tree. The twerp went after a neighbour's tap lines, and chewed them. Fortunately, tapping season is over and they've time to work on and repair it. But, what a pain! 

Bearly there! from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Outdoor chores

OK, this was an indoor chore, trying to hang this on the wall. It was a gift for JB at Easter. I have to use a small chain, and an old cat collar to hang it. It was tricky.


This was indoors, as well. I killed my first mosquito of the season, in the house.

Speaking of mosquitoes... larvae are in the pond. In the frog pond they are having a flipping good time!
Mosquito larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I convinced hubby to bring home some pansies. Yes, it is cold, but they will tolerate it.

The goldfish pond is bubbling. It's a bit too cold to put the goldfish in, I think.


I brought the table and chairs up on the deck, from the shed.


This is funny. I managed to push the tractor from the shed, up to the garage and charge the battery enough to get it to start.

I put it away, hoping. Monday, I raked the leaves under the deck and off the garden and mulched them with the tractor. I'd put a tarp, originally protecting the wood, on the ground to dry. I stopped the tractor to move it out of my way. I've run over them before!
Sadly, it wouldn't start. It didn't have enough juice. I gave up. I'll have to wait until I have a bigger job to do.


Out went the decor.


I put out the new birdbath pump. It has lights.

The orchid cactus is still blooming.

Mosquitoes - you'd think they were done!

They were terrible in southeastern Ontario this year. Early spring mosquitoes appeared. It got too hot too quickly for blackflies, but it was ripe for the other biting insects.

I've hung on to these photos, but another mosquito in the house was a hoot.

I found one in the fruit fly trap, too. They can live in the house for a month or two. <SIGH>

I did some research. Just for fun. I grabbed a photo of a pair on my window sill and was struck by their differences.

fruit fly and wasp trap

You can see the one on the left.




If you have fruit flies, this trap works well. It's a wasp trap, methinks, but it works.

I was fascinated with their little furry bits during mating season. The males have plumose antennae.
I know that our famous David Suziki studied fruit flies, and this continues. Who knew there was this kind of research on mosquitoes?!

A Photographic Key to Adult Female Mosquito Species(PDF)

Males are most easily distinguished from females
by the presence of plumose antennae.

Mosquitoe surveillance project at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.

CJAI

Species of mosquitoes in Ontario