Muskrat, Hawk, and Deer selfies videos

Depending upon where you are, our critters are emerging. Our muskrats haven't been seen on the pond, yet. I did amble down Thursday and spotted 4 ducks. Too far away to tell, as they took off, but they look like wood ducks!

I was coming home from my client's house when I spotted a Muskrat crossing the road, in March in Smiths Falls.


Muskrat on the move from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Our muskrats are still frozen under the frog pond ice. The south-facing forest hugs the sun's warmth to the land. Slowly, the snow is melting. All I can see of the Muskrat push-ups are top most parts where ice has melted.

I believe it caused a Blue Jay and Grouse to smash into the window last fall, as well as the death of our little Saw-whet owl.

Hawk at the feeder from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Out our living room window, I spotted a predator! Experts tell me it is a Juvenile Cooper's Hawk.



Deer selfie #1 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
No matter where I put it, Bambi insists on doing selfies!


Deer selfie from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Setting up the Trailcam at the 'frog pond', I was hoping to see if
a) the Muskrats were awake, and
b) if the Wood ducks had returned.
We put up a Wood duck box last year and they raised 4 ducks. Instead, Bambi decided she wanted to make a selfie. She's so vain! Happily there are a pair of wood ducks, although Bambi tries to get her face in!

Smiths Falls Muskrat, right beside the highway.

Thank you to all those who are playing safely

Know the dangers of roads, ice and snow

I'm glad we're near the end of winter. We had a couple inches of snow Wednesday AND Thursday night.
A recent driving incident report from our OPP states that most car incidents (397)  involve men, ages 25 to 34 years old.

Young Ontario men most likely to make fatal driving errors: OPP

Police release statistics that paint picture of death on provincial roads

There have been more than 3,500 deaths on Ontario roads in the last 10 years, and men between the ages of 25 and 34 are most at risk. While the Ontario Provincial Police regularly publishes data on the fatal collisions it investigates, for the first time police have shed light on those who have died as well as those whose actions were factors in their deaths. The 10-year data reveals that twice as many males (2,358) have died in traffic collisions as females (1,146) from 2005 to 2014.  According to police, of those, 310 of the men were drivers and 60 were passengers.

 Now, the danger out there is the melting ice, as well. People can take it for granted. Preserving life is about predicting risks, and taking precautions. We know that teens brains don't let them think twice. This is a sad state of affairs.

Parents of Shawn Lalonde Laframboise 
living near river says it is their son who is the missing 
divers are searching.

Calgary Sun Warmer weather may increase avalanche death toll into spring, said Avalanche Canada Calgary Sun And while the number of deaths this avalanche season is below average, ... “It's three snowmobilers, three backcountry skiers and two ice climbers, ...

From the OPP and Red Cross Know the dangers of ice  

It's that time of year! The ice fishing huts are coming off of the ice, although this week has been colder.

Self-inflicted wound incident...not an accident!

Somehow this seems adding insult to injury, but people really need to follow safety rules 100% of the time!
He fires at a grouse, misses, hops into his truck, shoots his toe through the truck floor. They had to amputate it. Thank goodness there was no one with him.

My grouse in the sumac

Now, I know that most hunters don't make the news, happily. We can point fingers at those who do not follow simple safety rules.

I think this is the same for us old drivers, we forget or let go of the basics, since we've done this for so long.

CBC.ca Shotgun accident leaves man with nine toes Bay Today Shotgun accident leaves man with nine toes ... A Sudbury man has been fined $1,500 for careless hunting after shooting himself in the foot. Prohibited from hunting for five years... complete the Ontario Hunter Education Course before hunting in the province again.

Canadians, World champs, and curlers!

We've been having fun watching them all winter.



Curling from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Good to teach the young people about curling. This was the last rock in a gold/silver medal game. It was so funny. They planned to have it the last end!

What a difference a day makes!

Snow falls
Branches wear fluffy coats
In lieu of leaves
What is the weight of a snowflake?
Their arms groan with them
Fairy tale land
Spring is hiding beyond the horizon
Deer paws through the snow
Looking for a munch
Birds haunt the feeder
Desperate to feed empty bellies
Preparing for new birth




We had about 3" of snow...which melted. After the sun came out, I spotted an eagle flying above the house.

Critter reports and spring - sort of...

Mother Nature, fickle she be. Only a few days ago the sun was shining. The frog pond is half thawed.

Annabelle and I did some work on the goldfish pond before the Monday snow.  Can you see her? She's quite camouflaged! The goldfish pond is also about half melted, but it doesn't look good.

Rest easy, Geraldine.

 About 6 goldfish and several frogs are frozen in the ice.  Geraldine floated up dead, as well. I'm so sad. I've removed 3 goldfish, and three frogs, more are frozen in the large chunk of ice. It stinks to high heaven, I tell ya! It's not a deep pond, 2 - 3', 6' long.

Our bullfrog turned up in 2012, when we thought 'she' was a 'he', and Jesse named her Jeremiah! I weighed her, and she was 469 grams! They reproduced in the frog pond down below.







Daisy is happy with the grass appearing from beneath the snow.


Annabelle likes the flower box, with the fake poinsettias, but she was thrilled with the tree house.

I uncovered the fountain.
Buster wanted to be king of the castle!
Can you see him on the top?

Daisy found a mouse. Annabelle kept getting closer and closer to the action. She's still not a full-fledged member of the tribe. No mice were harmed in the activities. It got away. Typical!

Daisy (middle) found a mouse, but earned the interest of her sisters.

 

Senior drivers – let me know when I should not drive

 Do we become better drivers, the older we get?

Apparently, the statistics show us nothing, and we shouldn't regard them as facts, but elder driver abuse!

My MPP has a strange bandwagon.
He's blocked me so I can't even show him facts!

This is ridiculous. The facts show that the older we get, the riskier we become, again. 
Our eye sight fails, we can't look over our shoulders as well to check blind spots, we slow down.
Current stats, in the Ontario move to more severely curtail teen drivers, reveals statistics that demonstrate seniors are more risky than newbie teen drivers:

• 6.4 % of fatal accidents caused by those less than 20 years of age 
• 7.3 % caused by those over age 65 (with fewer km traveled). 
• 16 - 19 yr. olds have accident rates of 2.47 per 10,000,
• Adults 66+: 2.9 per 10,000 .

There are a great many drivers on the road who should not be. This includes those with suspended licences, drunk drivers, or no insurance, and there is nothing we can do. Somehow, the rest of us must be protected from those who are a danger to us. Driving tests, specifically road tests for those over 80, is not too much to ask. If you have an accident, and you are 80, it might be a sign. Too many adult children are afraid of intervening.

We know what aging does to a body, reaction times are slower, vision and hearing impairments occur, undiagnosed dementia is likely, and physical infirmities reduce mobility.

There are many quick, 10-minute, cognitive tests physicians may administer in their offices. 
The clock test is a test for dementia, which is the ability to process cognitive functioning. If you cannot use abstract thinking, you are unable to make decisions about your driving ability, or make decisions in the moment. There is no excuse for this lack of testing by either Transportation Departments, physicians or family members.

The 10 Min Geriatric Assessment from MedicineAndHealthNeurolog

But this isn't enough. It's up to adult children to monitor senior drivers. It's shameful that people are not reporting their adult parents who clearly have dementia. Potential victims, me, my grandchildren, will thank you. Someone has to bite the bullet, since doctors are unwilling to do so. It is said that only 3% of doctors report poor drivers.

Federal Highway Administration data

SLower drivers piss off everyone.

• drivers 75 years and older have higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes than any other age group except teenagers.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

• drivers 85 and older have nearly twice the number of fatal accidents as those 16 to 19.

Collisions and traffic violations in the elderly population reflect:

• errors of inattention
• failure to yield
• difficulty maneuvering
• driving too slowly

Dangerous decisions are made every day on the highway

• left-hand turns are dangerous. 

Warning signs of unsafe driving include:

• Forgetting how to locate familiar places
• Failing to observe traffic signals
• Making slow or poor decisions
• Problems with changing lanes or making turns
• Hitting the curb while driving
• Driving at an inappropriate speed (too slow or fast)
• Becoming angry and confused while driving
• Confusing the brake and gas pedal

It is not about our dignity, our inadequacy, or ageism.
We do not target senior drivers. 

We target those who are statistically proven to be a risk.

How old is too old to drive? 

This is the wrong question. How frail is too frail to drive?

Who should report dangerous senior drivers?

We've seen our fair share of drivers, with dementia. Family members either do not know, or are afraid to comment. Seniors who are bad drivers populate rural towns. Everyone knows. No one does anything. It they aren't bad drivers, then a test won't hurt them. Otherwise, they should be retested, and/or  take the senior driver's course. I have photos. 

Woman dies after dad hits her trying to park near Ottawa hospital

WWW.CBC.CA

A 54-year-old woman from Trenton, Ont., has died after she was struck just outside The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus as her father was trying to park the vehicle.