Trailcams, wind sock, bats

It's been raining, for which we are grateful. 🌧 JUNE 🌷 Sadly, Ontario had some storm damage and power outages. 

JB left at 7 a.m. to do groceries. Bless his heart! 

We've had some characters on the trailcams!

The frogpond is turning into wetland. 

P.S. I found my book. It lists cattails, but mine aren't listed there. 

Mine are the same, but minus the cattail at the end of the summer. They have feathery flowers. I shall persevere. It's narrowed down to grasses, sedges and rushes. Yet, cattails are in the aquatics family, typha latifolia. I have some more research to do!

I did end up with a clean book shelf, though. General Grant guards it. We bought the print in Seattle way back when. JB is a history buff.

JB is walking twice a day, as evidenced by the photos above! He found his hands were getting itchy. He wears gloves to keep the mosquitoes off of them. Looking at the new glove packaging, he found a warning: " This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer..." They are now in the garbage. Just the thing a man managing cancer shouldn't use. What is wrong with companies?

I bought a Pride flag for June, Pride Month. I guess it is a wind sock. The pole is a clever design, heavy has heck, though. It spins on a piece of rebar, secured with two more that have to be removed for service. I'm finding a bit more energy and hope, and managing to get yard work done.

And, just to keep us on our toes... we had a bat in the house last night. It flew down the hall. They come in through the chimney, methinks. JB noticed it asa we were watching the Australian DVD mystery series dear Yam suggested, The Code. 

You'll recall this happened before. I knew what to do: close the bedroom doors. Sadly, the little thing went under the bed. We both went to bed, hoping for the best. The cats sniffed around, but didn't find it.

JB woke up at 10:30 to pee, and realized Cinnamon was tracking the bat behind the mirror. He grabbed the butterfly net and threw it outdoors. I didn't even wake up. I was tired. I hope you like this video, it's a golden oldie. 

Dock tails!!!!

I went down to check things out. First, Cinnamon came with me. He thought this old tree might be fun.

I went to check for mail and spotted a deer! Isn't that fun? She watched me like a hawk.

Finally, the dock tails. The tadpoles are grooving along. I love watching them bounce in the water, popping up for air in the frog pond. I need my muskrats back to create some more space. They build push ups from the weeds. 

There are some frogs, but I cannot see them for the wetland reeds. I must research them, as they aren't cattails. Just for laughs, I was looking for it on my small book shelf and couldn't find it. Hubby came to help. He kneeled down carefully. Still couldn't see it. I lay down on the floor in front of the shelf. It's not there. It was tricky getting up, but we did! 

This is what we are looking for, JB!

Can I tell you how bad the bugs are?

I just noticed at 6 seconds in, along the bottom edge, a salamander larvae with gill buds. It's quite a treat. 

We have lots of salamanders and newts here. These are the most amazing little things.

This is a red eft, which is the middle stage (teenager) of the eastern newt.

Blue spotted salamander I found a number of years ago with Buster.

Things are easing up!

Is new Blogger driving you crazy? It is me. I cannot bear it some days. Old dog, new tricks. 

COVID–19

Interesting announcement yesterday! We (Ontario) are moving into Level 2 in this pandemic, in all but Toronto, and a couple of health units hard-hit near the US border. People will be able to eat out on patios, but not inside restaurants. They are opening up day camps and water parks in the city. People can get their hair and nails done, as well as tattoos! I began to wonder at the priorities, but realized that there are a lot of people who depend on this work for their livelihood. The middle class can help this part of the economy again.

We're going to have the girls over the summer. We said that if their regular day cams opened up we weren't comfortable taking the girls for a week in July and August, as we usually do. Happily the girls chose us over camps with their peers. They really do help my mental health. My respite client is quite ill, and they now have homecare 8 hours a day. I am not needed, anyway.

If one bundles up, hoodie and all, the bugs aren't horrible!

Freedom

People are getting out and about, as we did. We saw this red convertible. It was funny that it passed another convertible (third photo) and the 2nd driver did a double take as he saw the car go by!

Parham in shock after shooting, destructive fire

We had an unsettling crisis in Parham, with another white man going nuts. It's about 50 km away, as the crow flies. The OPP were amazing, according to the mayor, going door-to-door to help people. 

As if we need any more worries. Both of us got outside. I gardened and JB read, did a couple of walks around the yard. 

Outdoor play

We've been sitting outdoors. I reorganised the deck. It was too cold to sit in the shade! We'll put up our kiddie pool on the lowest deck soon.

Both of us now have our coughs back. I was awake by 2 a.m., and listened to a couple of podcasts. The first called 'Not That Kind of Rabbi", and a radio show your about the history of toothbrushes. Finally I took some sleeping meds and woke at 6:30.  

Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare)

The far end of the backyard lawn has some wildflowers the butterflies like 'blueweed'. This is where the septic bed is located. 

Last year, these beautiful blueweeds died in the heat of the summer, and didn't bloom. This year I shall water them. The soil isn't very deep here. It's the reason why many settlers gave up their land, like ours. It is not arable.

I've decided to let this section of the lawn go to wildflowers. The area where we planted daffodils, and clover, I plan to spread seeds from the front yard, the poppies, for example. Then, transplant some iris, etc. I can't plant a bush, I don't think, but I'll have to check. Any suggestions gladly accepted! 

I've been doing walks, as has JB. It really helps with stress relief, leg muscles, balance, and all that. He's back on meds for his shoulder and arm. 

I hope you enjoy the greenery! 

The forest

Take a walk with me.

Ferns

Isn't Cinnamon a hoot?!

Back up at the house... this is 'Oliver's Lot' and it has shallow soil cover, and the previous owners regularly cut this with the lawn tractor. I've been letting it grow for most of our 10 years here. The sumac are barely hanging on with drought and heat. I've transplanted a few trees: two spruce, and the lilac, which bloomed this year! I had two apple trees from the nursery, and they have both officially died. So sad.

The flickers appear to be working on their nest. Here is an archive photo.

A second brood, perhaps? Listen carefully! 

Maggie Magnolia is nearly done!  She is well-wrapped with chicken wire, to keep the deer away!

Meadow vole tunnel. 

They are ubiquitous. I stepped out onto the back deck mat to light the BBQ for dinner, when I screamed like a girl. I had stepped on a dead vole. It was awful! 

What're you at?

Black Lives Matter

I am reading, listening, to the horror stories, as we must bear this testimony in Canada, as well.  CBC News: "Protests across the country have given voice to the belief that there is an anti-black, anti-Indigenous bias that has poisoned police forces from coast to coast to coast." 

Why are police using guns and tasers to deal with individuals on a consistent basis? I had non-violent crisis intervention training when I was teaching violent students in Parry Sound. In the UK, police don't commonly carry weapons. These violent police officers must stop assuming that every person is armed and dangerous.

As a privileged white woman, I must bear witness. This cannot be ignored. After our local MPP's stupid tweet, there was an peaceful protest outside his office:

‘Racist, offensive and disgusting’: Protesters call for MPP Randy Hillier's resignation in Carleton Place

COVID–19

Ontario is reporting about 300 new cases a day. Most of these are in and around Toronto. Lanark County is doing pretty well. I know people were amazed that our dumps are open. This is why. We're in good shape here, all told. 

JB managed to get a COVID–19 test, as Ontario testing has now opened up to anyone who feels they should have a test. It took four phone calls, but I snagged it for him. He has a cough, and wants our GP to check out a sore throat. 

The next project is to get his quarterly PSA test prior to his quarterly injection/cancer treatment. I tried online. It did NOT go well. I tried 5 times. 

 

This was an interesting study. Men are more likely to get COVID, they think, but this is what JB is on!

Olga's comment, after our disaster Saturday, nails it:

"But the stretch of dithering panic -- oh, yeah, I know!"

It all sets me off. 

What has helped me is the change in weather, until the last few days!
It's been cold, with a polar vortex coming through. The rest of the week should be better. 

I noticed that the poor milkweed fold up their leaves in the cold of the night. 

Otherwise, we are ready for the monarchs who are working their way up the continent. Journey North reported one from a citizen in our area, Lanark County, around June 4th. 

The critters are out and about. The song birds are missing my feeder, but I had to take it down, with two or three bears in the area, as well as the rascally raccoons. The chipmunks are escaping Nutmeg. 

I was happy to get out and garden. I was happy to have any motivation at all. As I weeded, a great flock of geese flew north! There are always some later ones, headed to the far north.

The phoebe babies are a couple of days old, now. JB held the mirror for me and we grabbed a photo. They should fledge in 15 days. We'll watch for that! In the meantime, we are avoiding the basement door area for now. It's been cold, as I said, so the poor little things need to grow some feathers.

Our patio door screen is ripped. Poor Nutmeg banged into it as I opened the glass door. In the recent warmth, she didn't realize the screen was there. I'm going to switch out the basement screen, once the phoebes have fledged. (Non-mental note!) 

Things are unfolding as they should. I hope you are taking care of yourselves. It's not easy.