Little teeny ice balls!

We went into town on Tuesday, after my client visit.
I saw the truck coming, told hubby to stop well back from the lines. There was a car illegally parked on our left.

 Do you think Perth needs a ring road?

The purpose of our visit to town was to purchase a smartphone, and some cell phone service. They fixed our phone line, after 15 days [The whole saga: ☎️Bell Canada – Let's Talk]. Mission accomplished. Now, we could transfer our landline phone number, which is really convenient, but not without a fight. The kids told me that when they converted their phone, and transferred their number, which took a week. We'll see how long this takes. Both phones work, for now.


The turkeys have been hanging around.


It was going to be a miserable day, Wednesday, Feb. 6th. We knew it was coming. The deer didn't look too happy.



Hubby went out for a knee x-ray, and fetched some groceries before it began. Slowly it crept northwest. First snow, then ice pellets.
 

What did it look like? After a massive melt on the previous day, there is ice everywhere. This is the end of the driveway.



The roads weren't great. It is wonderful seeing the snowplows going back and forth.


This is the front sidewalk, which I had laboriously scraped and chipped.


The 'birds' didn't mind at all. They fed religiously all day.

Book Review: A Trick of the Light

Louise Penny is a prolific Canadian author. I cannot remember where I saw the name. Hubby printed up a list, and has been reserving them at the library for me. He is an excellent Personal Assistant!

I just finished A Trick of the Light (2011), and I am on to the next. You MUST read them in order, which I've been doing. Our hero, Chief Inspector Gamache, as well sa the other characters, are carefully fleshed out. She has a grasp of human nature, psychology, art, and character. She researches and then paints her settings most beautifully, whether it is the imaginary town of Three Pines, or an old Québec City library. Penny throws in some French, and I find this interesting, it gives such flavour to the books. While we're on the topic, she regularly makes my mouth water, as she describes the gourmet offerings in the Three Pines bistro.

This is a lovely idea, Gamacheseries.com, a virtual bistro, Louise Penny calls it, where people can see the cultural inspirations for the town, and look at the art, literature, poetry, music, and philosophy behind the themes.

From her website...
“Have you ever heard of the term “chiaroscuro”? Michael told me about it after his art class yesterday. It means the play of light and dark. Am thinking of making that a theme in the book I’m about to start - hmmm.”

Louise Penny is a Canadian author of mystery novels set in the Canadian province of Quebec centred on the work of francophone Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. Penny's first career was as a radio broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

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@Barrie Summy

Snowshoe time!

Friday, vs. Saturday!  🌴Balmy!


I did a brief Facetime with Caitlin. No phone, you know. We're about to buy a new cell phone plan, I bounced some ideas off of her. (Josee and Papa were off downhill skiing.) Grampa hustled into town to get some groceries before the stores got busy and the snow had accumulated.

It was World Wetland Day: Saturday, Feb. 2nd. The wetland is pretty unfriendly right now! It's so pretty, and full of life, in summer. I can dream.

Knowing rain was on the way, I thought it best to get out on the land before conditions deteriorated. It was heavy going. There was a blizzard. I took my GPS, whose maps are out of date. It was a good trek: nearly an hour and a km. The bottom left squiggles are where I shoveled the sidewalk. The bottom right detour was where I went back for the trailcam SD card,

I fell once. Snowy head to toe. It was a soft landing... I met the turkeys on the return leg.
They were on trailcam #2. Me, too!

Here we go. They aren't too exciting, these photos, but it was quiet, the odd chickadee flew up into the trees. The critter tracks were major grooves in the snow, as they save energy using the same path.

Can you see the turkeys? I meet them all the time. I saw one fly away from me, and it smucked itself into a branch, the noise of their big wings swishing. I felt badly for it!

Monday

I was out snowshoeing, again, Monday. It was awful. I spotted some blood on the trail, which means a deer might have shed an antler. I hauled myself back up to the garage and put the snowshoes on.


Alas, nothing. A difficult walk, but good exercise. The top crunchy layer must be awful for the critters. It was an awful walk around the wetland. The top layer of frozen rain on the snow led to an ice crust, on top of knee-deep snow. The poor turkeys are up to their chests. The deer wander through knee-deep snow with a horrid crust.

We were really wise NOT to do the driveway. The back deck shows where I shoveled, and where the ice rain stuck. The crust makes it difficult walking.


This morning, Tuesday, we had rain overnight. I hope snowshoe season isn't over.

Wild turkeys

The turkeys are still quite happy we have bird feeders.

Hooper watches from the safety of the deck, then comes in and sits on the fishtank to warm up. I think I have to give away the bed, or wash it, as he won't sit on it. It was Daisy's in the dog crate.

I love watching them scrape away, looking for seeds.


See the snow on his back?!


This poor guy was cold. His foot was shaking, tucked in for warmth. I think. Or he is fine. Who knows.

wild turkeys from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.


They went and sat on the driveway, on one foot, propped up by their tails.


I moved the trailcam to the front porch. Two mourning doves, and our big doe.


This is an interesting selfie from down in the meadow. There hasn't been much other traffic.


The wee birds are amazing, too.

I resurrected a bagel

I did! I saw this on a cooking show. Last week, premourning Daisy leaving us, I toasted a bagel. I didn't have the appetite to eat the whole thing. Hubby put it in a baggie in the fridge.  About to throw it out, I thought I'd try the hack.

I took the hard bagel and rinsed it briefly under the tap. I popped it into the toaster. It came out soft. I popped it down again, it came up like a perfect, new toasted fresh bagel.

You can do this with a stale baguette, get it wet under the tap, then you bake it, warming it up in the oven. You have to use it right away, though.

stale bagel hack from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Now, it is difficult seeing photos of my girl. I have been deliberate in facing them. Rehoming her has been difficult. I think I see her on her spot on top of the fish tank. We both see a little white cat ghost in our peripheral vision. We recognize the moment, take the emotions, and let tears wash away the grief.

This video (below) popped up in a search for something else. It's part of my grieving process, I have realized. I was listening to a CBC Ottawa interview of a comedian. He said something profound. He said that during his stand-up routines he deals with some deep, emotional issues with comedy (coming out as gay, etc.). He can choose the time to deal with his emotions, many around societal current affairs, and let it go when he isn't on stage.

I had such hopes only a year ago.
Hooper & Daisy from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.  A year ago.

The other two cats hang out with JB, while he's on his computer. Hooper is slowly relaxing. He seems to know she is gone, and at night they both sit on my lap while we are watching a DVD. A cheery video (not), about Neil Armstrong. We're hitting the bottom of the barrel for videos we both like.

Another pop-up. Happy memories. It is so different rehoming a cat, rather than losing them over the rainbow bridge. She had a good life with us for 6 years. She loved the dock. Her pond froze overnight. 

Daisy goes skating from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

☏ In the meantime, we took a drive into town. I think this is where the cable is cut and something has to dry. They say Monday, but we are about to get rid of our landline. 📱
I did a search for this, 'wet pair paper cable in manhole' and came up with a photo.

Bell Canada – Lets Talk

☔We were into the deep freeze, again, with freezing rain on the way today and rain tomorrow. There is a 30cm base of snow. We didn't shovel the 7 cm snow yesterday, anticipating freezing rain. We shall see what happens today!

It's winter, it's been awfully cold. We dress for it. We did this three years ago!
Steamy water from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.