Wetland Walkies

I've been stressed, anxious and shaky. Such is the life of someone with anxiety. Getting the sink in and done was a relief. It was amazing how difficult it was for me. Gone are the days of being union president, on committees, professional development. My life is shrinking, from necessity. I'm bent but not broken. JB has been amazing. Very supportive. 

Monday I have to do some excessive cleaning in the bathroom. I shall see you on the other side of that and photos will come. It's a good day to do indoor work. They are giving wind warnings out east.

 In the meantime, my special place. I do love my walkies. We noticed a pine tree that lost a lot of branches in the forest. The debris from the last rain/ice/snow storm was awful. Broken, not bent.

I noticed lots of evidence of animals, very few animals in real life! Thankfully. I am loud and talk to Cinnamon.

 Coyote, raccoon, maybe owl and deer!

On our walk I found a HUGE owl pellet. It is twice as long as the ones I normally find. I shall dry it and see what it has been eating. The white stuff, above, is owl poop, but it regurgitates fur and bone and undigestible material. It doesn't smell, the pellet, and give lots of clues.

Cinnamon loves the trees:

cinnamon walkies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Look up, waaaay up. You can see the damage to the trees. They've lost their tops in wind and snow. There are more that will grow in their place.

I moved the few branches last damaged in the storm. I'll cut them up sometime.

Our our squirrels are busy, eating pine cone seeds. They have a little pile around the forest.

I like the wetland in the background. 

This is looking across the wetland to our island in the wetland. There are fallen branches and Cinnamon wanted to go out there, he knows the drill, but it was too wet. 

Mama and twins show up.

Feeding deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Wetland walkies

 Rolling Thunder descending on Ottawa April 29/30th

Well, a new day dawns. Ottawa anticipates this Rolling Thunder rally downtown. It is a rally meant to imitate the annual Washington one. It is stirring people up, and the wackadoodles are coming out of the wood work. They've arrested a couple of people, whose bail conditions forbid them from being in downtown Ottawa from the last time they invaded the downtown core. We shall see what unfolds over the weekend. It is Isabelle's birthday party, and one of the outer ring routes recommended by the instigators runs through Bells Corners. They have designated residential locations to park. 

The exclusion zone is in effect now, with ticketing and towing of parked vehicles beginning this morning. People who work there have to show police why they are there, so says our local CBC radio host. I hope nothing happens this time. Such a waste of gas, noise and air pollution.

Wetland Walkies

Cinnamon and I went walkies around the forest. I find the wetland so beautiful, especially over the seasons. Cinnamon ran down another day, hoping to visit the island. I had to explain that we've lost our ice bridge and it is pretty wet. He reluctantly came along and we followed the shoreline.

This is a view across the middle of the wetland, all the brown is where the green bulrushes come up, and then the forest on the other side. The mosses on the dead trees is so green. 

The mosses thrive in this weather. The greens are heart warming! 

The edge of the wetland gives a good view of the forest beyond. Soon it'll all be grown, and the forest invisible.

Cinnamon had his regular visit to this tree. I'm thinking he thinks he's part doggie, except for when he roars up a tree! 

Cinnamon in the wetland 

Cinnamon in the wetland from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

When we approached the frog pond, there were two pair of mallards on it, as well as 4 - 6 other ducks who flew off in disgust. The trailcam shows a male wood duck as he walks from the wetland (left) to the frog pond. 

wood duck walking from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is where the ducks like to be, when they aren't on the frog pond.

I loved the pattern of these roots and mossy branches. 

Back at the house, the Lenten Lily is blooming! I'm sure Anvilcloud could tell me how to get on my belly and snag a better photo, but that isn't going to happen! I do have an archived photo of it from 2017!

I just noticed that the little clump of crocus (above photo, middle right, behind the lily) is down to only one flower. Ah well. I have photos of them from 2018!

The bird bath is leaking. I noticed, when I looked out at the mourning doves. I still have some cement dust and I'll empty it. Repairs will have to wait until this cold spell stops. It's not bad in the day, but overnight we are dipping below zero. Good to have projects.

@Red asked why there aren't any riparian plants around the frog pond. It is a vernal pond, and often dries up in summer. I have left it natural, and this is the way it's been for a kazillion years.

P.S. JB's PSA test was the same as last time. We are good for another 3 months. He'll have his regular cancer treatment (Lupron) next week.

Cinnamon and I went to the island

 This is our little island in the middle of the wetland. Several trees have fallen over. It looks like good habitat for one critter or another. I hadn't been able to make it out there as the ice was uncertain. Jan. 8th I ventured forth with Cinnamon. 

 It is quite pretty, and raw, and this was prior to the knee-deep snow we had. 

Cinnamon thought it fun.

I could go and scrape off the LDD moth eggs. 

He went up the tree!

"Wait for meeeeee!!!!"

In the middle of the wetland, he climbed a tree, and was watching something. "You're on your own, Mummy!" I hope it was a deer or something. He is quite alert. This would have been a great photo of him, except for autofocusing on the foreground! 

First he led me down the deer path, they he climbed a tree. He was looking at something. I figure a deer, or a coyote!

 

Cinnamon wetland tree from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I went walkies alone Monday, it's just too deep for Cinnamon. (Although Daisy would trod in my snowshoe steps!) He's such a sweet boy. I thought I'd walk down without snowshoes on Tuesday, and that was a mistake. I'd forgotten I'd not broken a track through, but around The Point to the wetland. Whew, I was tired. Good exercise for this old body! 

I was happy to hunker down indoors with both cats! They were sitting at our feet, together.

They've been playing together a lot, it being -25 C. this a.m., things have been chilly. We were watching The Repair Shop, and could hear things going on around the corner in the dining room. Nutmeg was on the table flicking pencils onto the floor for Cinnamon who was waiting below! I laughed.