Black flies, Butch, Fred, Maggie, and other tails

I've been pacing myself with my tenosynovitis in my foot. It is a repetitive strain injury on my upper foot, first done in 2011. Ice, rest, and a foot brace help manage it. Plus, TLC from hubby! Sitting on the back deck has been lovely. Finally, the mosquitos aren't active there on the deck. The blackflies are another story. I've oozing welts on my arms. You don't feel them land, and they are horribly itchy. You don't even realize they are there. 

🐻 Hunting Seasons  🦃 

I did go to the back 40, to the duck nesting box Saturday morning, wrapped up with bug spray on. While there, I heard the neighbour hunting. Apparently, it is bear (May 1 - June 15) and turkey (Apr. 25 - May 31) season. I like to know, as it prepares me. There are turkey hunting requirements in Ontario: you can't bait them, or call them. They are required to have a licence, and report their kills. Our new neighbour was out hunting Saturday morning and I heard 3 shots. He proudly posted the photo, offering his outfitting services. I worry about Black bear hunting season, as I enjoyed seeing our black bear on the camera. 

The lilac bush is amazing for action. As I sat on the deck, the robins landed in the bush, as well as the phoebes and the hummingbirds.  Lately, I've noticed two female cardinals in the tree. One chased the robin awa. The robins are busy shoving food into hungry mouths. A female cardinal came by and chased them away.

I've done some work on the front garden. Funny story, I spray painted my garden fencing. It is a barrier to keep my lilies in the garden, as they fall over. I spray paint them just for fun. I leaned them up on the fence. Thing is, I had a brain fade and reached to move them, and sort of forgot that they were wet. I scrubbed with the brush, and had trouble getting it out. I had to throw the brush out! Baby oil worked to get it off me, and time! 

There is Fred, watching me. You can see the remaining bed frames leaning up on the fence, this is my repurposed fence strategy. Placing the two rails I'll put up some string later. 

May 18th, I realized the wood ducks have taken up a nest into the box we'd moved. I accidentally flushed her, thinking it still empty, and she took off into the wetland, landing and taking off to safety.

  

Wood ducking from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Having set up the trailcam, I realized she is too fast for this camera. I may just monitor the action. 

 

That said, I wonder if Bear will find it. Butch raccoon certainly did. May 25-26, The wood duck is sitting on eggs in here. Butch raccoon knows it, I'll bet. I realized I'd have to tip the camera up a tad. Hit and miss! The baffles baffled Butch. 

Butch is busy from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Finally, Maggie magnolia has bloomed. The chicken wire protects the blossoms, sometimes. This one I'll leave alone, as it will break if I touch it. (I learned that last week!)

We think we've bumble bees who have moved into Fred's burrow under the deck. More on THAT action later! Have a wonderful day.

Gramma Camp – Week 28.1

Tuesday dawned...

Morning Glory muffins for brekkie, and fruit. These were a treat for the girls.

 Incoming rain,  twas dark and there was some reluctance to rise! It was dark, although it cleared off. Just a mm of rain!

Lenten lily

Out the front window: mourning doves. 

There were hugs down at the dock.

Dinner: spare ribs and roasted veggies.

Virtual Girl Guides and Isabelle did some art.

By bedtime, we had another storm roll in. Everyone was given flashlights, teeth done, last pee, lots of thunder and lightning, but it avoided us. Our total was only 6 mm.

There was a power outage farther west, so we prepared.

Butch was inspecting the wood duck nest box .

 

Contrary to the date stamp, this was April 24, 5:47 p.m. Every time I put in new batteries, it goes back and hour and a month and I keep forgetting to adjust them. crows on pond  

 

Daffodils, muskrat, art

 That was an interesting weekend. As I told you yesterday, we've both had our vaccines. My arm is still sore, but no other symptoms. I haven't been 100%, but I did miss taking my antidepressant Friday, and remember Friday, so blame that on myself not the Moderna vax!

The nurse told us to keep moving our inoculated arm, as that helps the blood flow, and the spreading of the vaccine throughout our bodies. She said I could vacuum and JB could do yard work. I held back a snort! Mind you, I did vacuum, as I moved chairs around. Poor JB is unable to sit in his new arm chair without moving and I made such a mistake ordering it in. He's been sitting in my late mother's wing chair, and it seems to be the best bet. 

Cinnamon likes to give JB a head butt as he gets up or down from the caterpillar. I finally snapped a video of it. cat head bump  

We've been around and around this. I moved the wing chair to the corner, and the news lazy boy back out. The space is too small for all three pieces, as well as the two end tables. We have to rethink it. We might move the caterpillar downstairs. We may switch the old and the new ones. We're still thinking.

I'd planned to install these three metal birds (a gift from Caitlin) with the girls, but we were busy last week. I ended up doing it myself!

Sunday was the strangest day, with showers, warm sun, more popcorn clouds and spotty showers. The dark clouds are pretty from a distance. I did some more garden work, despite all that.

I went off to secure the dryer vent with the drill bits Caitlin loaned me. I took a moment to admire my last year's garden. It's up this year. If you strain, you can see the forsythia in the background, to the left of the tree trunk.

Ta da!

Then, there was the bee nests, or whatever the heck they are! I've dug them out, and cannot find a nest. I decided to put it all back in. I didn't do too well, though. I've been searching my photos to find out how they were placed (for lo these 35 years) and they just don't fit in. 

I redesigned my paint box, bought at an estate auction. Took out a few pieces that gave me more room for the actual paints. Josephine repainted it for me. I cut up one of the pieces to finally fix the wood duck box. It was my first one, and they did change the design for the newer boxes, but this one lets the wood shavings fall out without either a piece of bark or a piece of repurposed wood.

Josephine, bless her heart, cleaned up the paintbrushes after finishing her art. 

Afterwards, the bathtub needed a rub. I had a hot bath after my chores to see if that helped. I needed to use an abrasive cleaner. I love the outline of the brush, though! The rust from the paint brush can came out easily after I'd soaked in the tub and the tub was soaked. It's quite artsy!

Muskrat appears quite hungry, down at the pond. I took a photo of the phragmites, just to see if it makes any difference and if they keep on eating them!

 The ducks basically ignore it muskrat Apr 17!

We brought dinner in. I sent JB off for Swiss Chalet chicken in Smiths Falls. A lot of our restaurants in Perth have been closed until they figure out the new lockdown laws. We'll see what the new week brings. Police are monitoring the provincial borders. The US border traffic has been limited. 

Ducks, flickers, phoebe

Wood duck nesting

Box #1 has some downy feathers in it.

Box #2 (on the left) is empty. 😞

It was warmer in the sun on Sunday, Apr. 28th. I thought I'd nip down and check the wood duck boxes. It's a busy spot.

It looks as if box #3 has about a dozen eggs (above, right box).

Phoebe

Phoebe has begun a nest in the shed. They finally agreed on a location!

Flickers

I noticed them in several spots, the lawn, and in the trees, then spotted the nesting hole. This is our dead elm. 

They have been dancing about, you can see in the video. It seems as if there are two males and a female. They've been at it in the trees.

Flickers from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I started up the water fountain. First try! We were cold last night, just below zero, so I either had to drain it or start it.


Also, the lawn tractor battery was dead, and I shoved it down the hill from the shed, and plugged it in. It was good to get on it, and roar around mulching the leaves. I used to have to do that every time I used the old one. We'll see if the charge holds on my new, red one. I'm hoping it's just needing a wee boost!