Forest walkies

I must admit to being really unsettled. Politics is something I have to turn off. Our provincial issues are terrible, with an Ontario Premier trying to act as Toronto mayor and cancelling bike lanes. 

Our Canadian media is controlled by foreign owners. China has been caught influencing the election of Conservatives. This is a biased article. Even our polling agencies have been strangely biased. 

Federally, the media is trying to shape policies and convince us that our Prime Minister should not run again. I figure let the Liberals make that decision. 

People keep blaming the wrong level of government for particular issues. It's very clear who is in charge of what...

Then there is the American election. There is so much going on.

I do find peace in forest walks. Sort of! At 60 seconds in, you can hear the motorcycles 450m away on the highway. I won't be sad when they put them away for winter!

The petunias are still blooming. 

They are really hanging in! This is a south facing area, which retains the heat from sunny days.

We'll see how long they last! It was a chilly morning, -2 ℃. 

Gardening season slows down...

 While watching Jeremiah in the goldfish pond, I picked up the fish net. Two goldfish are in the aquarium. A miracle. One more to go, but it is stubborn. I just hope I don't have to drain the goldfish pond. Fishie #3 has been warned that it is going to get cold. It still eludes me! You can spot it in the second photo in the lower left. 

 I poked my head out to listen for early morning birds. I couldn't see any, and many birds have headed south. Some are still hanging out in the forest, but they aren't singing. This is what Merlin thought he heard:

I have completed my plantings. You can see how the Tiger Lilies are fading. The leaves are turning. 

My basket of Petunias and Basil are doing well.

Can you smell it? BASIL! 

My pumpkin is still growing! I am watering this morning. 

The Woodland Sunflowers are drying up. Seeds are done, the Goldfinches like them.

The Horse Chestnut tree leaves (in the background) are browning up and soon will drop.

After working so hard on the garden, I gave up on the fishies. Thursday morning I went out early, when it was cool. The water gets clear, and I could spot Fishie #3. I nabbed it. It is now officially Autumn! 

It's tricky photographing them. On the right, in the second photo, you can see my new fake plant. Joe is a good shopper! The wooden fake tree branch I have to lash to a brick. It was attached to a thick piece of slate, but it didn't weigh enough to weigh the piece down. The brick works well. 

 

I'll see what trouble I can get into today! Happy Weekend!

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! 

It's time to plant!

It might be a tad early. But last year they ran out of cherry tomatoes, and I was disappointed. I went into Perth and fetched some plants. From there next stop was the market in Smiths Falls. An actual cherry tomato plant in a hanging basket. PERFECT! 

Of course, the pansies have to be higher up as Fred has been known to eat them!

This is something I ought to transplant into the sun. Japonica or quince? It is in a too shady spot. 

Primrose

The osprey are going great guns! I noticed a half dozen nests on my way home.

I had a lovely conversation with Jess, Stacie, Cluny and Bryony in Vancouver! They are so happy, the girls, being 6 and 9 this season. Their birthdays are about a month apart, and parties are so much fun!

By the time I arrived home from shopping I didn't have any energy to plant. There were three kids playing hide and go seek, shrieking when found, roaring up and down the aisles, it's just too much for me. 

We've rain today, so I'll wait for that to finish. We lost a goldfish this weekend. I'm not have good luck. 

Crumbly Acres has birds galore!

A new bird for me: a chestnut-sided warbler. 

I went out in the heat to fill the water fountain. This bird was up in the birch tree, singing. It landed in the lilac, and moved to the electrical cord. Sitting right near me, I was quite excited.

chestnut-sided warbler from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Fred is providing much fodder for my blog.  Fred bopped off to the shed, where he has another burrow.

Fred May 31 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

You'll recall we were worried about bumble bees moving into his burrow. I hadn't seen him for days, and got up at 5 a.m. in the dawn to throw dirt on the opening. I was sitting on the back deck, and spotted him coming up from the meadow. First, he went to the shed, then I found he'd been digging. 

Sadly, the overnight clouds did not amount to rain. They were moving south east, but nada. We are quite dry. 

Watering is tricky, as you should not over water, but I do check daily.!

I've planted two basil plants in the planter. They are coming along.

The horse chestnut tree is in bloom.

The hops vine is up above the deck!

 JB found two near our house, on the highway. Victims. One was alive, and he took it to our vet, who accepts them. There was paperwork, and he had to phone it in. Turtles Kingston wants to know if you find a turtle. He did so, and they asked him to take the dead one in, as well, as they might be able to harvest eggs. "Please report any and all sightings, dead or alive to our website." 

Our turtle populations are at risk. A Midland Painted turtle. RIP.

The pansies have come back after Fred ate the flowers!

We have a cardinal nest in the lilac tree. I knew something was up! I had to look the eggs up. No wonder the dang tree was so busy, and the female cardinal chased the robin just trying to feed her family.

This is the last video of the robins. They have fledged! May 31st

Baby robins from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We made it to Friday. Happy weekend!!!