Git yerself outta the gutter!

 I needed to clean out the shed eavestrough. An annual chore. 

The easy part was getting the ladder out and up. Next, I waited for Joe to come home. 

ladder up

Up I went. I have bad knees, and once I made it to the top, I couldn't step-up knee-up! I thought I might just turn around and sit, then stand up. I got stuck. My big butt! I laughed so hard, as my attempts increased. 

Joe could barely look, fretting, but he was moral support. Bless him, he was too worried to laugh with me. I was roaring. 😆😜😹 Picture me, my butt stuck between the ladder prongs. I had to turn around and back up the top rung. It was filled with dead leaves and pine needles. My gloves were a mess. 

The Aspen trees still have some leaves. Poor Joe was cold. I was tromping around and heated up.

I need to reshingle the wood shed part of the roof. (Non-mental note.) 

The previous owners seem to have reshingled the top roof. Not the lower one. It's falling apart. 

ladder down

I was a bit stiff by the time the ladder was put away. Walkies were a good idea. The frog pond is good with several inches of water.

We've more rain on the way. I'm glad the shed is done. 

It'll be indoor play today. At least I think it's rain. Could be snow. Snow tires go on next week! It is November, and this is the way it goes.

Crumbly Acres & Fred

First, world issues... Since you must stand up to a bully, things are hopping in Moscow, where Putin is having his military parade. (Sound familiar, USA?) he wants a cease fire. Hah! 

 Talk about bullies! Our PM had an interesting meeting in the USA. We were fascinated. In the 34 minute meeting the president spoke for 30 of them, PM Carney spoke for 4 minutes! 

It's going to be domestic political pressure that will move US policy, as store shelves empty, job losses. the automotive industry shuts down, and the US is starved for our steel and aluminum. The heads of Target and Walmart met with the president to give him warnings. This won't bring manufacturing back to the US, where cheap good and cheap labour can produce cheap goods. Maura Healey (Gov Mass) says that 35 states have Canada as their largest trading partner. Especially the north east states.

Canada is working at sourcing goods and reducing trade barriers between provinces and territories. (It is We are talking to the EU to find new sources. Small Canadian producers are ramping up production, as well. The big box stores haven't bothered with these producers before. It's time for that to change.

Everything is turning green! The leaves are bursting, the critters, too. We had 16mm (0.62") rain and an amazing thunderstorm at bedtime. I should mow, but it is soaking wet. 

Oh, Fred! I have always called him 'him.' It's sorta like determining a fetus's sex, if you don't see a penis...! Aw, gender can be a continuum. What do you think?

A busy critter. Apparently, even with acres of grass, he's in my front garden.

It's quite the hole.

This is the shed: the lawn tractor is sheltered in here, I back it out when I do the lawn. Fred lives under the wood shed at the side. He's lived under here since, I think, 2022. I've tracked him over the years, since 2019.  I think. The only way to ID them is to watch their behaviour. They won't wear name tags.

"In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being the average life expectancy. In captivity, groundhogs reportedly live up to 14 years."

May, 2023
We had trees down from a storm, and deer visiting.

The wood shed seems to be his place of choice. 

I've switched around trailcams. Fred bears watching!

I have rethought this burrow exit – directly in front of the shed. If you give him an inch, he'll take a mile and move a mountain. 

I was sitting on the back deck, and he inspected his former exit. I could imagine thought bubbles above his head. They included swearing!

There was a secondary exit under the wood pile. He began excavating there. The wood is piled on one of those industrial wooden flats. This is where the other tunnel exited. I am going to encourage him to excavate here. We don't use the wood shed in summer. 

Crumbly Acres Bat & Birds

Even the wee Grecian windflowers are a delight in Spring.

The horse chestnut buds are bursting!

Nope, not going to look at the camera! I was indoors, with the camera on the tripod. Swearing at the durn thing. 😧

Do you see it?! It had the right idea. 

Yes, another bat. I let it sleep there the whole day, until late afternoon. The fish net accepted the little thing, and I set the net outside on the back railing. When I went back it was gone. 

 

I took a photo from the front deck, the outside.

The daffodils are wonderful. Fred was trimming in between the flowers. He's so helpful.

Now, groundhogs like having at least two entrance/exits. I piled up the wood in the shed over one of his entrances. This one I left open, although I filled in the hole. Fred's been digging out. 

Apparently, he's been using the end of the broom! 

He's been digging. And digging. What I didn't realize, is that he's digging a new exit. The mounds of dirt seen above↑, has been moved from the front of the shed, along the tunnel, and shoved out of the other hole.

Putting the cleaned bird feeders away in the shed, I noticed said hole. Stepping into the shed, I turned around, and there he was.

We don't have horses, which could hurt them, stepping in a hole. I guess I'll leave it. Determined little twerper!

 

Fred on Crumbly Acres

Fred Groundhog has been a challenge. We adore him. These are last year's photos.

I caught him in the act, in 2023, eating the pansies Emily was holding. 

This is the camera on the wrong setting. He is so fast, running to the shed. 

Fred has a series of burrows. Some I have blocked, like #1 under the propane tanks. (What could go wrong?!) #3 is under the deck and has water due to snow melt. 

Last year Fred dug out under the shed (location #2). I've since stacked the wood we had cut up from dead fall.

Last year vs. this year!

 

He's been chewing on the pallet. 

There are 4 entrances and/or exits under the deck. (Location #3)

We've warnings of another ice storm Wednesday. It's stressing me out! Deep breath. Our trees have lifted as the snow and ice melted. What a relief.   

Ontario still has about 280,000 homes without hydro. Broken trees on the wires, and brought down by ice.

Midland, Ontario

In the meantime. The water barrels were full. Well, one was. Sadly, Ms. Maintenance forgot to close the valve at the base of the other one. With cold temperatures, below zero overnight, I emptied this one to drain it, and tipped it over. Breaking the hose. Argh!