No Kings around here!

 It was with great interest that I watched the #NoKings gatherings. The signage was quite something. 

#NoKings 

There were protests in Toronto (100s with Elbows Up posters), Vancouver, Dublin, South Korea, London, as well as in the US. 

You wonder why we care? Canadian snowbirds, off to live in the US for the winter, are being photographed, and fingerprinted. Their RVs searched, after they are registered and charged $30 USD ($42 CAD) apiece for the honour. 

In January, the Canadian government said an estimated 3,600 citizens have listed "X" as their gender on their passports — an option that has been available to Canadians since 2019.

I was watching Flight Radar on No Kings day. I used the filter. These are only government planes, drones and helicopters. 

They were serious! 

Closer to home

Things are ramping up here. Just when I think it's quiet, there is something...  The Blue Jays have been interesting. I think they are looking for the feeders! The chickadees have done the same thing: looking in the window.

I'm not quite ready to put feeders out. There is lots of food. Nature Canada says there was a banded Blue Jay bird who lived 26 years! 

We haven't done 🧸Snuggle Bears in ages! It was a thing. The young grandies inspired Grampa.

The bears had pizza for dinner. I sent the photo to our Vancouver grandies!

Nutmeg thought it was a fun party! 

Our driveway! It is always nice coming home, but this is nature at its best.

Jean had questions about the raccoon release: 

Do they have tags, And do the wildlife people come to check up every so often?

They don't have tags. Sadly, they are often road kill or preyed on by coyotes, owls, foxes. Their lifespan in the wild is only a few years. They are especially vulnerable when they are small.

There isn't any follow-up by RVWS, since they disperse into the forest around us. We may never see them again. Although, how would we know?! We have one raccoon with a bad leg 📹, who travels with another. And a single. Their numbers seem down to me, this year. 

This is the raccoon I spotted on the driveway on the trailcam.

Fires, rain, indoor games

🔥Well the fires are still firing across Canada. Our smoke has gone. Thankfully. The numbers are slowly evolving. There are some fires they simply do not fight, as they have to prioritize them, with limited crews. 

 "Canada lost 30,000 firefighters over the past six years, according to a national survey."

Canada is a nation of volunteer firefighters🚒. Apparently 70% are volunteers. The big cities have permanent, paid staff, but our rural areas rely on men and women to drop everything and go fight a fire. They've gone from 156,000 firefighters (2016) across Canada to 126,000 (2022), as the economy and the nature of the work evolves. Most calls are NOT for fires (medical, environmental, accidents): only 10% were actual fires. There are shortages in budgets, affecting equipment, and training.🧯

Our PM visited Ukraine. More money, more sanctions. Something needs to be done. Perhaps Ukraine joining NATO will make a difference. 

PM Trudeau, Freeland in Ukraine

🌧 We had 4.8 mm (0.19") rain yesterday afternoon. Praise Be!  That is only 7mm this month, so far. We need a long day of rain. In 2020 we only had 29mm rain, whereas there were two years we had 150+ mm.

During the smoky days we've spent our time indoors, although the last couple of days have been cloudy and cooler. I was happy to get outdoors Saturday and Sunday.

Fred has been gathering nesting materials:

On Friday we went into Perth and had our booster shots for COVID. I booked it online. Our last shots were October. 

When we came out of the store, I spotted this car, licence plate: PLAINFUN! Snazzy car, for someone!

Friday, June 9th Phoebe has fledged! I went to check on them and two flew away. There were none left, so I am going to assume we had at least survive. They have been checking the nest for remainders! I was going to be able to load up the wood, but I forgot about the cardinal nest in the lilac tree. I checked it Saturday, all gone. I guess I should have been more vigilant. 

The cardinals are gone!

Nutmeg has been out. She caught herself a rodent, and threw up some guts on the front sidewalk. At first I couldn't figure out why the crow was flying by and/or perching in the tree. They must have a good sense of smell. Here she was checking out a bedside table.

On a happier note: I've been having fun figuring out the panoramic setting on the phone. I took a regular photo of the most recent Bears, but you can see how good the panorama is showing 🧸Snuggle Bears🐻!

This is a regular photo:

The panoramic image is far better↓. The signage says, BEARVILLE ANNUAL ART SHOW! (Grampa was inspired by the art show at the Ottawa girls' high school, they put photos on the family photo stream!)

Indoor plays vs. outdoor play

Indoor play

The second 🥀amaryllis bulb is in flower. I couldn't pick just one photo. They were begun in December. Which do photo you prefer?! My clever photography peeps could make it perfect. I read up on it, and snipped the dead flowers off of the other bulb, and popped it in the fridge. It's supposed to be there 8 - 12 weeks. I wrote it on the calendar!

The polar bear has been outside for the holiday season, beginning in November. 🧸Snuggle bears welcomed him back in. They've been hibernating, but decided to see what was what.

Outdoor play

More snow. I'd put out the garbage, and realized that the slush at the end of the driveway could pile up, freeze, and be a mess. Later Monday I was out bright and early to do the driveway. We had 5 cm, and it wasn't much, but if it warmed up we'd have a nice skating rink as it cooled overnight. 

Down I went. Just after I snapped this photo, a driver in a compact red car slowed down. I should have been suspicious, they scream by at great speeds. I kept on going, however, made it to the end of the driveway, and saw that the person in the red car had stopped and was coming out of the driveway up the street. I know neighbours have had issues with people dumping their garbage here. I'll bet that is what happened. 

I kept on going!

I threw down a turkey carcass for the critters. The crows had a ball:

crows from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We've a trio of young 'uns. I think triplets. One has lost one antler, the others have not! It's just a matter of time.

young bucks from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I often feature Richard Deer, but we need to watch for doe, a deer, as well! 

sleepy doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🎂 Happy Birthday JB!

🎂Today is a big day for Joseph Brian. It is his birthday, and he has a cancer treatment (quarterly Lupron injection) in town with the GP. He told me he was happy to be alive to be able to have another birthday and a treatment! Thankfully no trip to Ottawa this time. 

He was supposed to have Bone Density Scan #7, this month. His first was in Oct. 31, 2013. Our Ottawa surgeon's office tried to book one in Smiths Falls, sending a fax. Finally, they faxed again, and Smiths Falls hospital informed them of a one-year waiting list for this test. Plan B they will try book him into an Ottawa hospital. We have such a shortage of staff here in rural Ontario. Normally they want you to have tests in your health unit. Not this time! 

His back is easing up, but I have to do chores that might risk pain or a further injury. It's been a time. I did his laundry for him on Sunday. We nearly ran out of kleenex, too, I had to actually shop. It was shocking. I wore my mask. 

JB took a walk on the driveway, as he hasn't been walking, what with the back pain. He had a buddy this time. Cinnamon goes out for an hour, then comes back in. This morning it was -7 C., and the days are getting brisk. Nutmeg isn't allowed out, she is a wicked hunter.

JB & Cinn from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

His friend, and our kids sent gifts, which we will open later. Maybe we can do Facetime with them, if they don't have too much homework! 

We're still working on preventing the rezoning to allow a gun range nearby. Another letter to the editor has been posted online. I'm trying to keep the stress down. It's such a frustrating process, politics. JB is not supposed to have stress, not when you are managing cancer.

I got out the swear jar. 'Nuff said.

Just a bit of snow Sunday, more on the way. We've booked our car to get winter tires put on. 

🌴Caitlin is still in Punta Cana, having a blast. Yesterday was a new activity on the beach!

🐈 The cats have been happy indoors in the sunshine. I'm glad we have two who get along, finally.  You have to picture it (I've yet to get a video), when Cinnamon is on the top deck, Nutmeg barrels along and up. She glares at him, always looks so mad at him if he got the top place, flinging herself back to the ground. 

Cinnamon is such a happy, gentle boy. He's been snuggling in bed what with the cold!

Cinnamon & Nutmeg from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've been doing Wordle. I think I was influenced by the ad! 

🐻 Snuggle Bears have had some inspiration. A Facebook friend has been posting terrible puns. The sign says, "The Bears and the new Watchtower!" 

Spring unfolds

I've begun a post on my Spring Chores, but I'm not quite ready to post it. I keep finding more chores to add to the list! You know how that goes. 

You can see the leaks in the bird bath. I checked and even though it has begun raining, I think the mend is holding. It cracked up around the base, as the snow got in after the heater busted. 

It's been chilly. They ended up sleeping in the same bed two days in a row!

The hosta has survived, and is beginning to grow. We'll see if their days are numbered, though. 

This may be the only evidence of my tulips, and please don't tell the deer they are here. 

Then, there are the lily bugs. I have my neem oil spray.

The horse chestnut buds are amazing.

tulips raise faces to the sun
leaf buds burst with sweet sap
-deer snap off a snack

The backyard daffodils are coming along. Don't blink! The season seems so short. The deer don't like the daffies. Isabelle helped me plant them, such a wonderful memory!

Trailcams

I've been thinking about the camera placement, screwed into the tree. I think it is a mistake. I'm sure the raccoons could use it as a stepping stool. I have a video of them trying to get into this nest box – not that I can find it! If ducks lay eggs in this box (they didn't last year) I'll have to move it. 

I managed to capture the deer at the pond. It attracts a lot of wildlife.

 

deer on pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

 The wood ducks I finally have on video. Almost. All I have to do is turn the camera a touch. 

You can see what I mean, he's just about in frame, though. I've begun reporting them on Project Nestwatch. Those, and the 🐣ROBIN  (3 eggs), as well as 🐣PHOEBE  who seems serious about nesting. 

wood duck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Things are hopping in the pond. The fairy shrimp and mosquito larvae are quite active. The irony is that the Wordle of the day was 'larva' but I did not get it. I'd just processed this video!

 

fairy shrimp & mosquito larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

🐻SNUGGLE Bears – Blues Bears Band!

JB is so creative! It's lots of fun.