Sunday catch up

Summer continues to unfold. COVID cases have diminished, praise be. I'm feeling so much better after what we surmise was a reaction to my 2nd vax! I was negative for Lyme Disease. My GP is sending me for a repeat of blood tests, but I can't face it until next week. 

The aphids, and a cutworm (?) are attacking the milkweed, but the monarch caterpillars are fine.

The milkweed attracts the mosquitoes!

Poor rabbit, I dropper her – you can see where her seat smashed. She's still hanging in! 😜

We had a late frost in spring, and the squash on the left has come back. The pumpkins on the right are growing (my daughter brought me some seeds), but I'm not hopeful, it's pretty late in the season.

A fritillary on the clover!

She is just catching it to play. sigh. Third release in four days.

There are many people who have suffered from the pandemic. Emotionally and financially. I spotted these notepads created and sold on RedBubble, by an acquaintance who is an artist and on disability. She is having trouble making ends meet. 

Our grandies are coming this afternoon for the week, and Grampa has prepared an elaborate graduation celebration as they go into Gr. 6 and Gr. 9 for next year. (More on this later!) Usually they are at day camps part of the time in summer, or canoe camping with the family. They were hoping to go to an overnight camp, but they aren't open.  Such is life. I wonder how many grandparents are stepping up, like us.

I am always hopeful for rain. This petered out to nothing! I was so hopeful on the 25th.

 

We are the stone in the river! The storms seem to follow highway #7!

 Rain, glorious rain! Despite the rain avoiding us the 25th (above), the 26th brought some heavy rains. I'd forgotten to empty the water barrel after the pollen was done. It was putrid, generating bacteria in the barrel. I opened the spigot on Friday, knowing we were getting rain Saturday. We had a total of 16 mm, which was welcomed.

The beauty of the storm, the fish pond is full from the rain barrel. 

This was a weird result of the storm, it looks like a crop circle!

The slugs are happy with the rain.

The LDD caterpillars are slowing down, although they are approaching the end of their life cycle for this year. It's a mystery as to how some are still half the size (20 mm) of the older caterpillars (42 mm). Why don't they all hatch at the same time?

The pine needles are a green carpet on the ground.

These are from June, 2011. Fond memories of eating on a patio in Westport!

The catalpa tree has been in glorious bloom.

Saturday Critters

I spotted TWO monarchs at one time. This is a good thing. I also found some eggs, and two teeny monarch caterpillars.

  

I moved the trailcam. First up, blond butch. She's a lactating mom, with a lovely blond colour.

 

This poor doe has an issue with her hip. hippy doe

 

Somebody referred to a trailcam video as a smelfie, as our subjects like to smell and do a selfie! Doe  in the meadow.

 

Crows 🐦

I've lots of sightings and just by watching the nest, I've tracked them. 

I've been watching this great white pine tree, the crows are nesting about 6' from the top. I thought, with a windy day, I might just have a chance to see the nest. Well, no luck. I was out back reading and I could hear the babies screaming in the forest. They have fledged. crow hunting  

 

I've not been able to see mine up in the tree, although the needles are dropping due to the caterpillar infestation. []🍃LDD Invasive Moths🐛 They don't eat the needles, just nip them at the base and then they drop.

Hands down my favorite part of summer is watching baby crows absolutely scream into their parent's face even though they've literally just been fed, the parent rightfully dipping out, and then the kid being like, "Fine, I'll feed myself! Is this food? I don't even know!" pic.twitter.com/34OLm5CDbm

— Kaeli Swift, Ph.D. (@corvidresearch) June 23, 2021

Thanks, Eileen for hosting Saturday's Critters # 393 . 

It's been a sad decision

 I have come to the decision to give my canoe away to the neighbours who let me berth it in their bay for a number of years.  I'm at the point where I have to work up to canoe rides. A half hour is the max for the first time, then I should increase my time in it.  

This was my most amazing canoe ride on Otty Lake. A canoe ride marathon: 9 km! <= THAT was a trip. I'd worked up to that distance, but no more. It's not worth back pain for days.

There are so many happy memories canoodling. I was a bit verklempt as I thought about it. Beginning with my first canoe, bought second hand from a kiddie camp when I was 15. I taught my kids to canoe in it! Here they are, back in Bala. 

The grandies haven't wanted to canoe in a couple of years. Now, they have gone canoe camping all over southern Ontario and in Algonquin Park. My canoe is too tippy for me with the girls, anyway. I bought it from the previous house owners. My old one, in Bala, was just about tip-proof! 

I used to wheel it back and forth to its berth, spring and fall.

 These days, I cannot sit for long, my back hurts too much. I love the wildlife, turtles, frogs and water snakes.

You can hear the birds on the creek that leads into the lake.

Canoeing on Jebbs Creek from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

July, 2012 

 

Loon on Otty Lake, Lanark County from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Long Lake

I remember gunnel bobbing, and twice in one day fell and hit my nose. Aye, youth! Long Lake is 2 km long, and I would do the full circle by August.

   

My most epic canoe ride was on a Monday morning, on a rock, sunning itself... It was happy the tourists had gone home.

 

2008

   

This bay was my favourite part of Long Lake. We could see the rocks from the cottage, and the meltwater shone in the sun in spring.

 

Jesse on his way for a canoodle.

Josee waiting for her ride!

A fall trip on the lake.

Life on the lake has changed. The motor boats and jetskis have changed the lake. People chasing loons, and each other. The power and the speed of boats, especially on these small lakes, has changed lake culture. 

We're doing pretty well today. I'm feeling human. I had three meals yesterday. A miracle. We may do Gramma Camp next week. JB isn't too bad. Still cannot use his one arm, has a few hot flashes from his Lupron, and his sore neck, but we're managing! Thank you for hanging in there with me. 

We are Windsor fine, upright and breathing! (A story for another day!)