Crumbly Acres action

That was a day of rain. On and off. A day of frustration. We wrestled with Canada Revenue the other day. This multifactor stuff protect us, by my goodness, when you are locked out and lose access it drives one up the wall. 

 My Poison ivy – again boil is getting better. My ointment is doing its job. No more itchies.

Joe Brian had an issue with a rash under his armpit. It was where he had the rash the last time he got Lyme Disease. [Joe Brian is under the weather! June, 2024] The doctor was going to try fit him in, but left the office prior to staff phoning to let Joe know. Next option was to go into the pharmacist. Ontario changed the Scope of Practice for pharmacists. There is a list of things they can identify and prescribe for. It is so much easier. He took a Doxycycline pill and we will watch him to see how he is.

Ticks have slowed down, but they are out there. 

The trailcams continue to amuse me. It's been a week between this and that.

Butch is on food hunts.

   

 The quick red fox has been a regular. I think we are just on his regular trail! 

   

 Soon Fred will go down for the winter. In the meantime, I admire his balancing act on the fencing. 

 

Healthcare update

I've been reading about everyone and their healthcare issues. I hear you. Between getting things done, and managing our health, things sure can get busy. 

Dog tick or moose/winter tick

May 6th we had captured a tick on my arm with a piece of tape.  Sending off the photo to eTick, they told me it was either a Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick), or Dermacentor albipictus (winter or moose tick). Neither transmit Lyme Disease. Interesting stuff.

I decided to look at Joe Brian's appointments. He has had ~124 appointments since 2013:

PART CXXIV – Bone Mineral Density test #9, Mar. 19. Maybe in prep for going off Lupron injections in summer. This includes quarterly PSA and Lupron injections. The PSA tests have gone down to once every 6 months.  

The Lupron keeps the metastasized cancer cells from growing. 

Prostate cancer tests

Bone Mineral Density Scan #9 March, 2026

CAT scan #8, 2021

Ultrasound #4, 2018

Biopsy #2, 2015

Colonoscopy 2015

Crumbly Acres Critters

Time to explore!

I came across this video. We'd purchased leftover pumpkins one year from Miller's Bay Farm (2022) for the deer. They had a bumper crop that year. Peter, the buck was quite keen.  That won't happen this year with a drought, and fewer produce than in other years.

Oct. 16th, I noticed a robin in the bird bath. There was another, then they were scared off by the mourning dove! 

 

The lady beetles gather in doorways in the sun before winter sets in.

   

 The skunk is still hanging around! It's looking for grubs, and digging little divots.

 

We've a dump of rain today. It is wonderful. I roared around on the lawn tractor mulching leaves. Mostly on the driveway, as once it rains they stick.

Our robin pair are still bathing!

Cinnamon gave me a tick. I could feel something crawling, and used the camera to check. We stuck it on a piece of tape. I won. 

We've done pretty well this year. I track them just for data. 

Garbage is out. I didn't get soaked. Let's all have a good week!

First World Problems

 I like bacon. Moderation, right?! I'll often cook up a package, and have a couple pieces on my bagel in the morning over the week. Cream cheese and strawberry jam, too! 

You can bake it, or broil it. This is the way my mom cooked it: broiling, except closer to the broiler.

I like to do cook my bacon with a little electric pan I bought at an online auction! I love this. I pack the cooked bacon in a container and pluck them out in the morning. 

What I noticed is that it took me far less to cook it all. I went on line to look it up. They are about the same price, but one has 500g in it! My package has 375 g in it. I didn't remember, but this began in 2014 when there was a pork virus. 

Bacon packages shrink as pork prices soar

2014–Packages of bacon at stores such as Cantor's Meats in Winnipeg have slimmed down from 500 grams to 375 grams in recent months, in an attempt to limit price sticker shock. 

Noticing that I went to a local store's webpage. 

I know, first world problems! 

🐸I am excited, as I won a draw. We were out and about doing the Western Chorus Frog survey in April of this year after a break. They had a draw for swag, and I was the winner.  

I was a worker this week, too. This branch was likely to whack me if I didn't take it down.

Hard to say when we'll see the first frost, meantime...

I thought this was funny! You can read about the bike and vehicle turnovers. 

Ticks

After heat and drought, Cinnamon brought me a tick on Wednesday. They seemed to have died down. It was a nymph, really teeny. Such is rural life. We stuck it in the tick jar, with some rubbing alcohol. 

It's not been too bad for ticks. Ticks will be around until frost. 

🚲P.S. Our cyclist friend, Rick, has made it a long way. Bow, N.H., with some more to go! You can follow him on Facebook. Or read about his adventure here in Lanark County! 

P.P.S. miniFred has settled into a routine. She shows no signs of moving out. Unlike mother, Fred. 

She get up around noon, and seems to wait until things warm up from our cool nights.

Crumbly Acres Fred and family

 Things have been 🐞 buzzing and 🐸 hopping. 

When I was out on the back deck, I spotted the hawk a couple of times, a few days apart. Sunday, flying from one tree, a perfect photo-op if only the camera was on hand. Tuesday, a blue jay chased it out of the forest! Here's an archive photo.

I know my blog readers are creative. You'll have to imagine the beautiful smell of the milkweed, as well as the hummingbird I enjoy watching visit them!  I must have a couple dozen in the front garden.

I've reburied Freds hole at burrow #6. When I have to do this work, it requires the bug hat, bug spray, and courage. 

Oh, Fred! I was sitting out back, reading. Then Fred caught my attention. She eyed me carefully. I kept an eye on her because something was up. She ran past my half-eaten hostas 👀😏, then onto the driveway. I didn't have time to don bug gear, as I watched her run up the driveway, then towards the arbour. GONE!

Deerflies abound.  Sure, I thought, might as well get out of this funk and go looking for her. (I'd been awake since 3:30, for no apparent reason.) The deerflies will lessen in the month after mating season. Bug spray, long pants, off I went. 

No sign of Fred or a burrow. I am sure one if not both kits are there. I think. She was back 20 minutes later. I could not find a sign of another burrow. Well done!

I picked myself up another tick. You can compare the nymphs to the adult I found last week. I should have put my clothes out in the sun after I came home. Rookie mistake. I felt the pain and itching right away, plucked it out with tweezers, and popped it in the jar. I applied polysporin and a bandaid, and hoped for the best. I think it was only attached 5 minutes before I felt it.

The red-eyed vireo are coming along. I try not to disturb them. They are above the path from the garage to the shed and I have to avoid it so as not to flush her.  

🇨🇦 I had a lovely Canada Day phone call from Jesse and his family in B.C. They are at the cottage for three weeks. Jesse just passed another exam to add letters to him name! We're so proud. Jess took Cluny to Cultus Lake, where they did paddle boarding. Bryony and mom went to the pool. Happy kids, happy parents! 

Bernie, their cat, has has some expensive healthcare, something about a UTI. He is a pistol! Think Bernie Saunders!

Our Ottawa grandies: Jordan went to his prom. They had so much fun, a group going as buddies. Jordan is busy choosing a residence at Queen's for astrophysics. This was taken before they left. I photoshopped out his friend as I don't have permission to post her photo.

 

Aster wrote me a lovely letter and included some flowers she dried. She goes out for walks and collects flowers. Aster is taking an online summer course to get that off her plate for gr. 10 next year. She graduated from Pathfinders, with some awards. 

It was a great Canada Day across the country. We've taken our flag back from the convoy lunatics. We are in good hands with PM Carney, a clever, experienced leader and economist. 

Joe Brian is under the weather!

 Poor JB is suffering. It began last Thursday night. Day and night sweats, chills as well, headaches, fatigue, stomach pains, rash under one armpit, etc. Two naps a day. I had to do his laundry for him as he was soaking 3 shirts a day. 

Monday, I booked an appointment with the doctor for Tuesday at 4. Trish called Tuesday just before noon and offered two appointments that afternoon as they had a cancellation. I told Trish I'd best pop a bra on, get dressed, and hustle him in! We headed in for 1:30. 

Into the doctor. Turns out he has Lyme Disease. The rash under one armpit is the Bull's Eye rash.  I dropped him off at the Lab for a blood test to confirm it and went back to the drug store for the drugs. By the time I returned to the Lab he was just done. Off we went home. He has Doxycycline pills for a month. Depending on whether it kills the bacteria, we go back in a month and he may get another 2 weeks of drugs. 

🕷Tick Data

There are lots of way to prevent tick bites. The big trick is to get them off ASAP with tweezers if they choose you as a host. Sadly, when my lawn tractor pooched out on me, I got behind in trimming the grasses beside where JB walks. He had a tick bite Oct. 29, 2023, and the pharmacist gave him the Doxycycline for it. He was good then. We'll hope for the best. Still chills overnight. 

2018 harvest

You can see that our tick count over the years is reducing. It just takes one, however. It was 2017 when they released the prevention for cats, Bravecto. You put it on the back of their necks. Works like a charm. In the doctor's office I suggested we slap some on the back of Joe's neck. 

We had a hard frost!

Yes, Autumn is truly here. We had our second snowfall Tuesday night. The poor Trick or Treaters! I've been doggedly doing Autumn chores, but forgot to bring the shovels up from the shed! Chore fail!

🕷I found myself a tick on Tuesday. Unknowingly, I brought it inside with me. I was sitting processing videos when I felt a tick crawling on my hand. It was quickly wrapped in a piece of tape and chucked in the garbage. Easy peasy. 

 JB had what we think was a tick bite. He went to the pharmacist who gave him a prescription for Doxycycline. We've learned so much about Lyme Disease, and how to prevent it. We've done pretty well fighting ticks. Unlike the year Daisy brought home 200. You can see one on her cheek.

 

With the cold they will nestle in under the leaves, ready for next year.

The amazing Datura plant is done for, after a hard frost. 

Hopefully, with all the flowers I had, the seeds will produce another plant or two next year. 

They sure were pretty over the summer.

The frost is so pretty, and I am done with gardening. 

The hanging planters were done, as well. During the cold day they just wilted. I've put them away. 

🦌 I keep looking for new signs of the season. This is a big one. It is rutting season. Each doe will only be fertile for 24 hours, so the bucks hang around. I did capture a video of a pair mating Dec. 20th, 2019. It is quite the sight. Raw nature.

It doesn't look like much, but it is a deer scrape. The bucks scrape out the leaves under a tree branch. They urinate over their tarsal glands to put their scent down and let other bucks know they are there. They also nudge the hanging branch above. I put the trailcam on this spot, but haven't gone down to fetch it yet.

Soon, I shall put lights around the water fountain.

These lawn ornaments have to be put away, as well.