🐸 Moving the Frogs

But first, let's get this out of the way. We went to bed before any results from the US election. I woke at 3:30 and listened to the radio. #47 was giving a speech. OMG

"Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve."

I am gobsmacked. We are moving backwards.

There will be an federal election for us next year. We are worried about right-wing whackos in Canada, yet most of the damage done to our nation is done by a provincial premiers who deny climate change.  'Nuff said. 

Tuesday morning: 

JOE:  I'm going to shave!
Me:   You have fun!
JOE: That's the name of the game today!  

That was yesterday. 

We had an amazingly warm day on Tuesday. We kept busy.

🐸 Moving the Frogs

The result of all that warmth meant that the frogs kept waking up in the goldfish pond. They are now so sensitive to us, that I'll just walk by and they will hide from us. It's tricky. They think it is safe for winter, but it is too shallow.

I've found a pot with a lid, which really helps. The larger, green frogs can jump out, but the lid keeps them secure.

Down we went. Here is a frog who will have a much better winter in the frog pond. 

This is what I found for my troubles. A tick! I could feel something crawling, and picked it off with a piece of tape. 

 

 Nov. 5th We moved 10 frogs, then 7 + 3 + 10 + 3 = 33 froggies. It was good exercise on a lovely day. Joe helped and took turns taking them down to the wetland or the frog pond. 

 2024 total =  128 

I went down to the back 40, the wetland, and owl was there. This is the path I take.

I think she helped herself to the froggies. We all have to eat! I found 3 owl pellets under the owl tree. I'll let it dry, dissect the pellets, and then see what she has been eating. A beetle, for sure! 

I hope you can get out in nature. It's raining some today. We'll need a distraction. 

Politics, Aspen grove, frogging

Politics: The Speaker

We've been watching parliamentary procedures here and across our southern border. Joseph loves politics, and the political process. He spoke before the Senate Committee on Transportation issues the week he retired! This 🇺🇸US issue is quite unfathomable to me. Jordan looks like a fool, not knowing where he isn't wanted. I hope Congress finds a speaker they can live with. 

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart: “There is a time when you have to put country above ego and self,” he said, adding that Jordan simply doesn’t have the votes to win. “It gets to a point where this now becomes just an egofest.”

Our new 🇨🇦Canadian federal Speaker of the house began to try to give a speech about decorum, and following house protocols and procedures. Greg Fergus was heckled and delayed by Conservatives. They interrupted him, insisting that Wednesday was the day for Opposition Question Period. They argued and argued with this man. 

The Speaker, Greg Fergus

Conservatives certainly are the worst offenders, using pejorative titles for some members, including the Prime Minister, and calling out members when they should be talking to the Speaker, not the person they are trying to offend. Once the Honorable Greg Fergus was finally able to get to his short speech, he addressed the issues, stating that he isn't inventing new rules, but simply wants to enforce the existing ones. 

"Too many Canadians look on activity in parliament with sheer contempt. It is time to reverse this."

– Paul Wells, journalist

🍂 Aside from that, it was a day to continue with outdoor chores on Thursday. It was balmy (18 C.)! I did the leaves, again. Just blew them off the driveway. I am ahead of myself this year. Some years snow falls before I am done. We anticipate rain today, Friday. 

🐸 I had 4 or 5 pairs of froggy eyes on me, watching my every move. I managed to snag three on Thursday. They were less wary than a few days ago. The break from that wicked two-legged attacker was good for them! 

Sadly, my net had a hole in it. One got away. I think it will be tough to get a new one in the stores here. All the outdoor stuff is away. I do have a butterfly net that works, but it has a short handle and I usually use it to capture bats and throw them outside! I need a long handle. You can't order those online.

What worked for the old net was to staple it. I captured three! 

This time I took them out to the back 40, and put them in the wetland. It looks so pretty. I found a spot with a little bit of water for them. They will snuggle in the muck.

Our new little aspen grove. 

Nutmeg up to her old tricks. The birds are too quick for her, though. 

Oct. 11  a.m.  –  7 frogs moved

Oct. 11 p.m.   –  7 frogs

Oct. 12 p.m.   – 13 frogs

Oct. 13 p.m.   –   5     

Oct. 14 p.m.   –   3     

Oct. 18 p.m.   –   5       

Oct. 19 p.m.   –   3  = 43

Bird watching!

😷 It is Autumn, and while it is flu season, our COVID numbers for the vulnerable are significant in our small health unit. We are being careful. Below is last week compared to this week. Two more deaths.

 

🦻 In other health news, JB's hearing aids seem to be working well. It is a miracle. Since he is a senior, we get $1000 back from the government. Bonus. He was reading in the living room, I was preparing dinner, and he could hear me crinkling a package as I opened it. It makes TV watching much easier. For weeks we've been putting oil into his right ear. There is a ball of wax. That is loosening up, but it is really close to the eardrum. They couldn't remove it. No wonder he couldn't hear me, sitting on his right in the TV room.

It is a learning curve, but we're getting the hang of it. Taking off glasses requires a bit of care,  as does putting on and taking off masks. as you wrote, A/C. We only use N95s, which is less of an issue. The man at the hearing centre said that he had the same number of people losing hearing aids during the pandemic as he did in the previous 10 years. Duly noted! 

🛩 I watched this plane go overhead and looked it up.

I'm getting a little better at filming them!

air plane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐦 Closer to the ground, bird watching has been enjoyable. I've the zoom lens on the tripod looking out the front window. 

They've all mated and nested, and I can't tell adults and babies apart. A blue jay and a white-breasted nuthatch. 

I sent Joseph Brian in to the feed store for cracked corn. I love the mourning doves, who like the corn. 

Mr. Cardinal has that cute little tilt to the head! Poor froggie, with a bird on his head.

I have seen the female, but she is a less frequent flyer, and the blue jays are bullies. They have to be careful.

Something the citizen science bird watching sites tell us to watch for are bird-bird interactions. The mourning dove and cardinal will feed side by each. 

Incoming! 

🐸  I relented. I could see several and they challenged me. (It's good to have a purpose in life!) I moved 5 more. The few days I took off helped. We've rain on the way and I am tempted to drain the pond some and get a few more. The water barrel and eaves system will refill it to protect the water lilies. 

I think I am down to a handful. 

Oct. 11  a.m.  –  7 frogs moved

Oct. 11 p.m.   –  7 frogs

Oct. 12 p.m.   – 13 frogs

Oct. 13 p.m.   –   5     

Oct. 14 p.m.   –   3     

Oct. 18 p.m.   –   5       = 40

Craft show, spiders, caterpillars, frogs

 Saturday, bright and early, I went off to the craft sale. It was a fundraiser for Mel's Animal Rescue, and the $2 entrance money went to that cause. 

Charlotte is still there, and so is her friend. 

The woolly bear caterpillars are all over the place, as well as this, the Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar. I should have cut off that piece of foam in the second photo. I filled the cracks one year.

I blew the leaves off of the driveway, again. I am glad I did because it looked like the leopard moths caterpillars were sheltering in the leaves at the side of the driveway. I'd blown them all off because the Northern ribbon snakes were sheltering there, and isn't a good place. In the cold November rains, and spring thaw, this is not a good place to be.

Having picked up two of them, I put them into a clay pot with leaves. 

We've had cool weather, but it smells like fall. The clouds have rolled in and out. 

Caitlin, I found out, has a ton of forget-me-nots, and she dug out some to send home with me after Thanksgiving. I planted them, and we shall hope for the best. I've ordered more daffodil bulbs, in some fit I had, wanting to expand my spring joy. I can't wait until they come. 😝  What was I thinking?!

We've still frogs about. As I did some more work on my lawn tractors, I saw quite a few wood frogs and a leopard frog in the garden. 

My buddy has helped me frogging. In 2021 I moved 51 frogs by late November. I had the grandies with me that year, and they ran them down to the large pond for me! They will be much happier in springtime!

It is getting trickier. I used to be able to see them without them diving. Then I'd get 2' away and they dive deep. Now, I get 6' away, and they are gone. I think there are about 4 or 5 left. I keep warning them, it's going to get freezing cold! It will look like this down at the frog pond: 

Oct. 11  a.m. –  7 frogs moved

Oct. 11 p.m.  –  7 frogs

Oct. 12 p.m.  – 13 frogs

Oct. 13 p.m. –    5     

Oct. 14 p.m.   –  3     =   35 total.

Birds, no bees

 Just when I don't know what to post... stuff happens that I have to tell my peeps about. The goldfinches are wearing their winter couture. I managed a nice close-up of the pair on the tray feeder, grabbing the zoom lens, but they were blurry. Not so lovely! They moved to the other feeder. That I managed.

Speaking of blurry photos, this is a photo fail. The branch is right across her face! She was stomping at Cinnamon who was rolling around on the sidewalk.

Fall chores

I managed to stack three loads of wood. That was enough. Exercise is good for lots of things that ail us. It takes your mind off things, at the very least. We've been struggling this week with our health. We are being kind to one another. 

While I was in the wood shed, I managed to move a partial row. I'll do more another day. I want to move as much as I can before the snow flies. Then, I have to haul the wood with the sled. 

I found evidence of Fred the groundhog or gopher, or whatever the heck he is, in the shed. Smack dab in the middle of the photo you can see a tunnel under the wood. To the left of it, a nice pile of dirt. I haven't seen Fred in ages (archive photo)!

I saw another toe biter. As I was looking at it, I spotted another frog or two. The crazy frogs just don't know what is best for them. I guess they have water, and find this a good place to be after the normal drought in August. They have no idea that it is a bad place for them in during freeze thaws in the winter!

 There were three here, one just dove for the depths, all you can see is the rings on the water. I caught one, and sent JB to the frogpond with it. As I looked, there were two more on the side of the goldfish pond. My body said to stop and give up for the day. Moving the froggies <= That mean we've moved 38, with at least 4 left. 

JB finished his walk and offered to go with me down to the store for lawn tractor gas and a beer run. He's on meds and cannot drive. He offered to grab me a frozen pizza, as well. I took him up on his offer. I am so achy! 

I am still collecting chestnuts! I have no idea how to roast them, and I've no energy to try. They sure are pretty.

 🐻SNUGGLE Bears – Grampa was creative. I found the castle behind the couch. We used to play with it so much.