First, sad news. I went down to check the driveway entrance. We'd had snow, it does pile up when the snowplow goes by. A pair of crows flew up. I looked around, and found a half-eaten cottontail. It's so sad. Drivers just fly along the road. R.I.P little bunny.
A busy week, it was. I went into town to fetch deer food. Saturday we had 10 friends visiting! Not at the same time, once I went out. Several aren't our regulars, and took off. We've a healthy group of deer. All of them get a mouthful. Not a lot, but enough. I am watching for an antler this year, but I am not exactly hopeful. I haven't seen any bucks in weeks. They drop them January/February here, after rutting season, and testosterone drops with lack of food and the cold.
Friday, I had major errands. Kitty litter, cat food, potassium chloride for our hard water. These are errands Joseph usually does, but his back is not great. With his health issues he cannot lift them, but last week he didn't even feel up to driving. This is serious. We have great people who carry out the heavy things for us. It is an aging community!
Home Hardware has two little sheds for shopping carts! It makes sense.
This is the best, though. A sauna! I would love a sauna and a hot tub. It's not going to happen, although my brother, from whom I am estranged, said he'd buy us one! What a dreamer.
Not too many shoppers and/or weird drivers, hell bent for election. The trunk filled up.
I have a story! I was so proud of myself. I began to shovel the sidewalk, but found ice underneath. This isn't good. I put on my boots with cleats. They are wonderful. On sale, the last pair in the store and I scooped them up.
Not being too happy with slipping, I figured I'd best put some salt down. It can be very dangerous for us old farts. The problem is, I haven't used this for the pool in a couple of years, it's too small for our teenaged grandies. The salt is hard. Using a hammer, I smacked it to break up the chunks. Well, most of them.
I had a chunk, flung it at the pavement hoping it would smash to smithereens. It did. But some bounced off the step, backwards into my hair. I forgot about it until bedtime. Reading in bed, my scalp was itchy. Sure enough, salt all over the pillow! I could have gotten up and washed my hair, but I resisted the urge. Manana...
Speaking of shovels, apparently you can't have too many! They were quite necessary in Bala, Muskoka, in Central Ontario.
That was a great day for chores! I dressed Frosty for November. He has a little vest, a big poppy, and a cute tartan.
I fixed the flagpole. Again. And I put up my red ribbons for November. Remembrance Day is on Nov. 11th.
We have a flag from the Legion. That is on the right. JB gave an old WW II map to the Legion. In return, they gave him the lawn sigh on the left!
In the late afternoon, it clouded over.
Remember my 100 daffodil bulbs? Apparently, something dug up one clump. There were two bulbs left, and I threw them back in the hole, as well as the scattered dirt.
I finally remembered to bring the shovels up from the shed. I dragged the snowblower up from the shed and put it into the garage. We are ready.
Down at the frog pond, I noticed that the baffle is coming off of the one tree. It prevents raccoons from getting into the wood duck box. The second box I shifted to try and check it out. It fell off at the top, the top screw gave out. This is a job for another day. The wood ducks won't be back until spring to nest.
I still have to fix the third wood duck nest box. Maybe I should just replace it and move the one box. This is what it looked like in 2021. The other photo was this year, after the bears ripped it apart. [Momma Bear and Two Cubs]
I got mail! Our Vancouver grandkids sent me some art and art puzzles. I managed to piece them together. I often send them a piece of my sketches and make them into a puzzle. Isn't that fun?
We've a lot of juncos about. This one was released.
It was a good day to get outdoor chores done, if you dressed for it.
They give great ideas, except this one was a hoot!
They featured Do-It-Yourself, and inexpensive make-overs for furniture.
I was watching this show, which shall go nameless, and the host had two 'experts' do-over an inexpensive Ikea dresser. I laughed so hard.
The first one was not-too-bad. She painted the top and sides, and put wallpaper over the front, replacing the boring factory knobs.
The second woman, she did some fancy painting, using tape to block, and decided to put on some legs. Rather than buying some, she couldn't find any she liked, and so she BOUGHT A SHOVEL and sawed the handle into pieces. A long-handled shovel. Seriously. It was so funny!
I priced the shovel, and it is not cheap!
Seriously! She chopped it off! A new shovel...
We have a lot of shovels. I inherited my late parents' shovels, and the former owner of this house left a couple, as well.
How many shovels
do you have?!
I have to rearrange the shed to bring the shovels to the front and put the lawn tractor to the back. Won't be using that anytime soon!
I like March. As a retired teacher, March Break was a blessed relief. This year, having recovered from my bereavement and depression issues, to hear children laughing is a joy.
To see crocus raising their heads to the sunshine, well - need I say more? I did see them. This isn't an archival photo!
On our walkabout, taking the cats for their daily exercise, I called hubby over! The green clover looks beautiful, too. Speaking of green...
Green beer, what is not to love?
We were discussing our backgrounds, and I don't think I have much of the O'Jilks in me (as an adoptee), but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate! Hubby, we figured, is 3/4 Irish descent...
The pub was hopping with fun!
Now, the shoulder seasons in Muskoka are the best. Restaurants are running full tilt. The kids are still in school, there are no lineups at the stores, it is warm and peaceful on land sea and air.
The flowers have begun growing, and the tourists haven't crowded us out of town.
The shovels have been put away.
How many shovels do I need? Define 'need'! One for the back door, one for the front, one for the dock, the basement door...roof rakes...(two in the shed) we've got them all. I used all of them when we had 60 cm of snow in December.
The Raucous Ravens, about which I blogged the other day, have been busy. I captured this one on the ice.
There is open water where the wind whips up the waves. Things are beginning to look hopeful.
And then the sky!
This Lake Buccaneer began showing up last April, I captured this photo in July, and it is becoming more frequent. I wrote, lovingly, about the sounds of spring! This is getting ridiculous, however, with the number of small planes, unregulated, in our little skies.
In the video: we are, quietly finishing our dinner in the dusk of the day. We heard the Lake Buccaneer, again. It has been circling over head about once a week. I notice it, because the lakes are still frozen, and such planes are loud, obnoxious, and misplaced in quiet Muskoka skies.
This, a shot from a still of my video. Same one?
By the 4th time it buzzed, I had gone out onto the dock, and captured it on video. It is an irritant. Same circle above our heads. Same noise making you wonder if its the end of the world!!!
Do you think it is preparation for G8 in Haliburton?
There are mumblings about the cost of the G8:
the new signage is lovely, towns are beefing up streetscape plans, there will be a demand on water, infrastructure, housing, security and Hunstville will host the G8 in 2010, read my posts about the impact to 'locals'.
Fencing contracts: Fowler snags $3.9-million G8 contract "Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), the major purchaser of products for various federal departments, has confirmed contracts with two organizations on behalf of the RCMP."
The G8 Summit, June 25-26, for only eight world leaders, there are great expectations of: international media, protesters and thousands of support staff and bureaucrats to the Muskoka area. Out tax dollars are work. Heaven help us!
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