Gramma Camp – Week 31

Firstly, signage. We white people really have to get together to fight racists, and be allies. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to do. These hateful acts can blatant, or be microaggressions, which we whites never have to face. There were terrible murders last week in London, Ontario, a hateful man attacking Muslims. A family, mother, father, grandmother and daughter gone in an instant, leaving a young 9-year-old boy orphaned.

Our kids gave us two of these signs, and I've had comments from various delivery people who liked it (we don't have visitors here). JB gave one of our Welcome signs to Picnic Cafe in September of 2020. Picnic Cafe has now printed 50 up and people are buying them, the money donated to the orphan. They will be placing them around Perth. There is a Facebook page for Welcome Your Neighbour Canada. 

 

That was a day. With the Internet failure Wednesday, both girls plugged away on their schoolwork on Thursday. Grampa had some footcare, and after our 2nd vaccine dose the day prior, we thought we'd take it easy. We were pretty good. 

I went in to wake Izzy up by opening the blind, and she popped her eyes open, startling me! She had a good giggle about that. Isabelle had breakfast outside, listening to her music.

Isabelle's teachers made up a different sort of plan for Wednesday/Thursday. It is really tricky keeping track of it all. With this schedule, she's right opposite Josephine's schedule. They usually read while they eat, anyway, but it does make the adult's work more difficult, having to keep track of yet a different time to stop and eat.

After our day was done... Grampa brought us an afternoon treat.

MVI_0643 

Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, with chocolate mint ice cream in parfait dishes, served by Isabelle! 

Lymantria caterpillars (LDD) 

This tree in the back 40 is looking pretty whipped. May 27 and June 10.

The LDD caterpillars are up to 32 mm, and I've been picking off the ones on my roses, rhododendron, and hops vine. It is discouraging.

Phoebe babies are doing well! They should fledge any minute. We've been severely limiting outdoor cat time. We let them out to pee, and feed them later. when they come in. That way they come back in, hungry.

Finally, a lovely visitor. great crested flycatcher  

Gramma Camp – Week 31

 Wednesday dawned. Grampa did an early walk, 6:45, to beat the heat. I worked on my blog post, and at 7 a.m. I went down the hall to open curtains. Isabelle wasn't in bed. She was in the bathroom. Happily, she didn't scare me as I have a low startle reflex! Downstairs, I opened the curtains, and Jos sort of sat up. She didn't quite wake up, so I had to go back down! 

The day unfolded. I take joy in the garden. Here is a huge spider, I think with an egg sack! I didn't want to bother her too much.

I figured I should take photos of the lilies our You Two deer beheaded, just for a reference point. There were 5 she took out. I didn't seen her all day Tuesday, so maybe my chicken wire and flags alerted her. (See my header!) JB spotted her this morning on the other side of the wire. 

The poppies popped. In the second photo you can see the bee.

The goat's beard has spittle bugs. I'm sure there are Latin names for them, but this will suffice. It's an interesting strategy.

I so miss these colours in winter. 

Lymantria caterpillars (LDD) 

There is devastation in the forest, with great white pine trees dropping needles like mad. It is LDD, and it is terribly discouraging. This is a video of this tree, and the damage.

My rose bush... one was destroying a rose bud, and it was promptly dumped in the soapy water I keep by me.

My poor rhododendron... I pop out several times a day to pluck off the caterpillars with my tweezers.

The spruce tree is heavily infested. It is discouraging. I think we'll have them for a few years. I'm still wrapping my head around all this. Nearby people had hired a company to spray their forests by helicopters. They use Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) which kills them in a week. There is no more Btk to be had around here, though.

It's a three-year process, they tell me. The folks nearby are in their third year, and they have migrated over here to our forest. We had a couple of them last year. I am not hopeful. Biologists are saying the trees can stand 3 years of this, and will come back.

Gramma Camp

We had an interesting day. At 12:15, JB and I left for our 2nd COVID_19 injections. All went well. We are now fully vaxxed. Jos is next week.

When we returned home, an hour later, the Internet had been wonky. Isabelle had texted Momma and told her. I checked in with Caitlin, and she couldn't find any information on Xplornet. I had a hard time on my phone. I finally phoned the company, and they said that the 'Jupiter' satellite was down, and internet could be  gone or wonky. The girls finally gave up at 1:30. The girls hung out together and relaxed.

Jos and I played Skip-Bo!

We had fun watching America's Got Talent. The girls liked the magician. They don't have satellite TV at home, and this is just fun. After a stressful day, we were happy to sit and relax.

The Internet came back up while we were watching TV, and Jos began to work on stuff due that day. (Caitlin had emailed their teachers explaining the problem.) At 8:00 p.m., Isabelle told Josephine it wasn't a good idea to work on the computer so late near to bedtime. I've been talking to them about sleep hygiene, and I'm glad the message got through!

They were tucked in, and the day was done.

Gramma Camp – Week 31

 Tuesday, June 8th

Looked like a rainy day... indoor recess! Not that they did that much until later in my career. We toughed it out, and went outdoors, back in my day! Kids borrowed mitts and all from the lost and found.

I opened their curtains at 7, and waited until 7:30 to wake them. Grampa did that this time. The girls arose, Jos liked the soft oatmeal cereal, and it didn't stick to her braces too much. Izzy... I couldn't find her at all! Finally, I saw her coming in from the back deck, where she was eating breakfast! 

Jos forgot her power cord for her laptop. Happily, we all have Apple products and mine works for her, we've been sharing it!

During school breaks, Jos will read and Isabelle listens to music while she sketches. Grampa is following tennis. 

We had a pretty good day, they worked hard, both worked 40 minutes past their scheduled asynchronous time. For dinner we had a pot pie from our local market, as well as peas and corn. The girls cleared the table, rinsed plates, and loaded the dishwasher. Grampa had bought Josephine's favourite ice cream, and the three of us had mint and chocolate chip, which they dished out in parfait dishes. Grampa can't have ice cream, but he cleaned up the kitchen. 

Isabelle had virtual Girl Guides, which was just a chat. Then, teeth and jammies. They listened jointly to an audio book until it was lights out for Izzy (8:30). 

We're in a heat wave, with little rain, clouds dissipating over the land. It was 35 C. and hopefully it'll break tomorrow.

Poor Jos, in the basement, was cold, as I had to put the A/C on. She had to put the heater on. I asked her if we could try the dehumidifier, instead. It gives off some heat, but helps with the humidity. It worked well, raising the temperature in her basement room to about 20 C., while I turn the A/C off in the night.

I decided, before they fledged, to grab a video of the robins. I know Eileen can watched her feeders and bushes while she works out. I can see the robins coming and going to their nest when I do my workout, as well. 

Setting the tripod out the door, when momma robin was gone, I pressed record, disappeared, and hoped for the best. She didn't like the camera the first time and flew towards it. Momma was deeply suspicious. Then, having recharged the camera, I tried another 13 minutes. I estimated it took her 10 minutes to find the food. feeding robins  

The phoebe  are growing and may fledge any time now. 

Doe and fawn, the little one on wibbly legs. You can hear the gray tree frogs singing for love! doe and fawn

The meadow trailcam caught Blond Butch and the crow in the meadow. Both are feeding babies! butch crow  

 

I put on my red hoodie, sprayed my back with bug spray, and prepared for a trip to the 3 trailcams. I began at the far end of the meadow, moving towards the pond, and I could hear the strangest bird, I thought. I checked cams 1 and 2, and could hear it again. I decided to walk around the pond, as that's where the sound was, and was I ever surprised... raccoon kits  

Gramma Camp – Week 31

Heading towards the trailcams, I thought I saw something the other day. She is lactating!

She passed by the good trailcam in the daylight. Then she appeared with the fawn on the cheaper camera. Pffftt. new fawn  

 

Monday, June 7th

The day began at 5:15 a.m. for me! (Dunno why!) I did my blog post, and did my Angry Birds playtime. I have to play prior to Virtual School, as Google Meet takes up a lot of bandwidth. I was #1!

Downstairs at 7:00-ish I opened up both girls' curtains. Izzy popped out of bed a vit later. We both went down to wake Jos. Izzy took Chaucer, Jos' sleep toy, and put a paw on her nose, "Wake up, Josephine!" Chaucer gave her a hug. Next, Isabelle pulled off the blankets, and said, "This usually works!" It did not. 

"OK," says Isabelle, "It's small annoying bell time!" Eventually, the teenager arose.

After breakfast... "So, motorcycle chick, how's my head?" (That meant there were teeth to do before Momma ripped Grampa's head off!)

"Oh, gotta fix that." Off she went. Jos was taking more time with her bagel, with her new braces. Grampa had to go to the drugstore, and he picked up some oatmeal and plain bagels for today. It doesn't hurt as much compared to last week, she tells us.

I'm continuing to enjoy the birds, not the bugs. I know we cannot have one without the other, but it is ridiculous! There was an eagle high above, from nearby Otty Lake. They have a nest there. 

The kestrel is buzzing the crow's nest, too. I hear it screaming and the crows yelling back. Also, there is a great blue heron who flies overhead almost every afternoon from the lake to the wetland. I've seen it quite regularly.  I wonder where the nest is??!! This is a fun heron photo from Bala.

The morning flew. I looked out the front window, and there was lactating doe, I think it's You Two. She ran across the road, as I held my breath, where she must leave the fawn while she ate my flower buds. She nibbled the lilacs on the way out.

I had a project: fencing. There: chicken wire, which I had in the shed, with flags. My pride flag, too. I'd forgotten about all that, but it came in handy.

• 😷COVID-19

We're booked for 2nd doses!!!! After an hour online at the provincial website, the second screen came up, once I waited the hour. After I waited, then got to the next page, they said there were no doses near me.

 JB was more successful with a helpful person at the store. Having done his research, he found a pharmacy near us with Moderna. He phoned from the pharmacy, the person said to go online: pharmachoice.ca. I did that while he was on the phone, and he waited. It did not work. The young lady somehow did it for us, I thanked her profusely.

Jos was working away at the dining room table, and I told her to look outside. There was Butch ambling across the yard! 

Gramma had an idea. It was 35 C. outside, I thought after school wrapped up for the day, we could just pop in at the beach. It was cold. There were tons of caterpillars, a half dozen on our chosen picnic table. There were many LDD caterpillars floating on the water. 

There were 37 people there, a busy spot. There were a couple of water machines zipping around the cormorant or loon, not sure which. Typical. Someone was smoking, and it just stinks as it wafts across the beach. Just a short visit, we toodled home to get warm!

Isabelle had her shower, and I began dinner. We had grilled chicken, with roasted peppers and carrots. Sadly, I didn't cook the carrots long enough for Jos. I felt so badly. 

After dinner, it was teeth (and water pik for Jos), and jammies. The girls listened to an audio book together. 

We konked out not too long after. A good day.

Gramma Camp – Week 31

 We are here, again. The last day of school is June 25. They've worked hard online, as this pandemic unfolds. Teachers are now writing report cards. 

There is much talk, by those with shrill voices, about how disastrous a year it was for education. I think teachers did a pretty good job, for the most part, in getting them through Virtual School. Kids are being taught how to learn, not to memorize facts. Every year we teachers manage to teach a wide range of kids in one classroom. 

Josephine, being 13, gets her COVID–19 vaccination next week.  We're getting closer to getting people jabbed who want the jab. That'll be good to get past. We'll see if we can book earlier than our scheduled 2nd dose in August. 

Warnings for our girls

This week begins with a warning or three. Firstly, I shall teach them about the 🍃LDD Invasive Caterpillars🐛, gypsy is a pejorative term. Some people are getting rashes from picking up the LDD caterpillars. A lot of hairy caterpillars have poison in their little spiney things. This is what I use to pick them up: reptile feeder tweezers. You can see that each instar is a little hairier than the previous ones.

Poison Oak and Poison Ivy Abound

I'll just leave this here: leaves of three...

Junior Bear

We hadn't seen one yet this year. This one was sniffing around for food. Stretched up a tree???? As he left, the dweeb was sniffing around the camera, and fogged up the lens. I laughed. Junior Bear  

🐣PHOEBE  is doing well. They should fledge June 8 or 9th. Twas a lousy video =>📹, but you get the picture!

The Garden

The weigela is doing really well. It gets lots of visitors, including the hummingbird. I tried to photograph a bumblebee, but you can see how well THAT went!

The clematis just bloomed.

I submitted my caterpillar to BAMONA. I found it on the aspen saplings out back, amongst a bazillion LDD caterpillars. It was confirmed as a 

Copper Underwing
Amphipyra pyramidoides

It's not an exciting moth, but we'll watch it this week, in the aquarium, and see what unfolds.

Devil's paintbrush in bloom.  It's not an artsy photo, like some of my nature buffs, but it is so pretty, the carpet of yellow.

Off we went to the hostage exchange. The air conditioner doesn't seem to be working in our car. We opened the windows. Poor Isabelle! After requesting we close the windows, she tied up her hair, and we opened her back up for the air! Doesn't she have beautiful hair?!

The corn is starting to grow in the fields. Recent rains helped, but we need more.

I wonder what happened here! I've a photo of a bear on the dash cam around here. Who knows?!

We arrived home after the hostage exchange and unpacked. Gramma had a wash to hang, indoors, due to the caterpillars. I hung up their bathing suits, as they'd had a swim at home. They'd visited Hogs Back Park, and the locks, for an adventure. It was Papa's birthday, and they'd done cake the day before. 

"Come on, pose, Jos!" Jos wasn't feeling too hot. She's get better slowly. 

Soon, it was dinner time. Poor Jos had braces put on last Thursday. She'll get some TLC. We discussed a menu, and Jos thought we might play it by ear all week. I doubted that would fly! Jos opted for a soft chicken pot pie. She really enjoyed the crust, nice and crispy. I nuked it, while Isabelle helped me unwrap the BBQ, and get the hot dogs going for us. They are such wonderful girls.

After dinner, Jos used the water pic on her teeth and brushed. It's three times a day for a couple of years! She's not as sore as she was, which is good news.

Cinnamon and Nutmeg were put in the Muskoka Room around lunchtime. I'm keeping them away from the nesting robins and the phoebe out back. I let the cats into the house after dinner, as I was in and out BBQing. Jos saw Cinn, and said, "Cinnamon, did you know I got braces?" The cats roared up and down the stairs. 

They listened to an audiobook together in Izzy's room until lights out at 8:30 and 9 for Jos. Gramma and Grampa watched a show, on Grampa's Chromecast through Amazon (it was a gift!), Rebecka Martinsson. It's a Danish murder mystery series, with subtitles, you might like it A/C. We konked out soon after.