Rainy WCF season

 We are moving into Spring! The sunshine was lovely Wednesday (18 C.). Thursday it poured, about 30 mm (over an inch). There was extensive cloud cover on the radar. Some days it dissipates over the land, others, no so much.

Wednesday, in the sunshine, I transplanted the as yet ungerminated forget-me-nots into the outside basket. They need cool weather (< 15 C.)  to germinate, which is why I've not been able to grow any indoors or out. Do you like my duct tape repair?! 

Cinnamon brought a prize. He dumped it on the driveway, quite pleased with himself. I released it. Then I carried Cinn into the house.

The daffodils have begun to appear! 

Nutmeg and her friend

🐸 Chorus frogs

It's time to begin the Western Chorus Frog (WCF) field survey. I created a page to keep track of it all. 

We have to wait for 3 things:

1. Temperatures above 10 C.

2. Little or no wind

3. No rain, or light rain.

None of that worked on Thursday, so I am out of luck. I have 4 places to survey locally. JB is my point man. He drives. I navigate. He parks, and read maps or a book, while I do my work. The season only lasts about 3 weeks. Then, they stop calling and mating season is done. 

It's good news, as this is a project we can do isolated from others. 

Host family, ditch diving

 The international news is awful. It's all anyone can do but weep at the atrocities. I found a lovely moment in Ottawa.

The news documented a family who escaped Ukraine March 4th, and arrived in Ottawa this week. The family hosting the desperate people live across the street from our old Nepean home. Caitlin spotted the house on the news. It was home to a wonderful senior couple back when we lived there. Mary and Ray were just a hoot, and looked after our cats when we went away. Mary had a heart of gold, and died from a brain tumour after we moved away. She would have been so happy to see this lovely family seeking refuge in her old home.

Pitch In

Our local lake association encourages us to pick up in the spring. They track who picks up and where to try and cover the area. Tim Horton's donates the bags for citizen garbage detail. 

Tuesday afternoon I went ditch diving again, having done it on the weekend. Just one bag full, that is all the energy I had. I was at this spot (below), when I noticed a white SUV stopped up above me on the highway. She opened her window, and the passenger yelled at me, thanking me for picking up the junk. I told her I was on bag #3, and just about done for the day.

It is ironic, that most of the crap was fast food garbage, including Tim Hortons cups. They know they are a problem. There were lots of beer cans, too. Sadly, several beer bottles were chucked out of the vehicles, and smashed on the rocks. I prefer the cans.

I am not done my duty, but it is pouring rain today, perhaps 20 mm rain. This is still left (below). I'm probably over half done, although it is endless. No sooner do you finish then you see more... I could have dragged this bag home, but I didn't have the energy. Maybe it will inspire someone.

🌷The yard

The goldfish pond is melting! The sun warms it quite nicely, and it was 18 C. on the front deck Wednesday. 

Mourning doves resting and having a drink.

🐻SNUGGLE Bears

I brought the bunnies up for April. They became reacquainted with the bears!

Another job done! The anchors had worn out, there was a hole in the wall, and I couldn't figure out how to reattach the curtain hook. I screwed a piece of wood to the stud, and that worked.

We still have mice friends. I wonder if this is the same mouse, or a tribe? They aren't sure about the camera. 

mice friends from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Book Review: GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE

 📚REVIEWS <= I guess I've reviewed a fair number of books! 

I've been reading Go Tell The Bees That I am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon. There are 912 pages to this book. My main problem is holding it up in bed to read it! 

Gabaldon explains its title meaning: 

“Talking to your bees is a very old Celtic custom (known in other parts of Europe, too) that made it to the Appalachians. You always tell the bees when someone is born, dies, comes or goes — because if you don't keep them informed, they'll fly away.”

I put this book on my 65th birthday wish list, after I heard a radio interview, and when we 🎂celebrated in February, it was a gift! That said, I did not realize that it was the most recent in a series of books begun in 1991. Nor did I realize that it was a TV series! 

There are nine books in the series:

1. OUTLANDER (1991)
2. DRAGONFLY IN AMBER 
3. VOYAGER 
4. DRUMS OF AUTUMN 
5. THE FIERY CROSS 
6. A BREATH OF SNOW AND ASHES 
7. AN ECHO IN THE BONE 
8. WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD 
9. GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE (2021)

I dove into the book, and appreciated the map and the family tree in the end papers. I toyed with the notion of going back to book 1, but as I read I began to understand it. I just didn't have the energy to find book 1, and wait for it. I never jump into the middle of a series unless I can help it. 

Gabaldon, on her website, assures me that I can jump in. She has even created an Outlander Companion piece, although I managed to grab the gist of it. Even Gabaldon wrote that she cannot explain the series in under 25 words! Wiki cannot manage it (28 words!): 

"The Outlander series focuses on 20th-century British nurse Claire Randall, who time travels to 18th-century Scotland and finds adventure and romance with the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser. The books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide as of August 2014.^[5]"

I like it, but I'm not done. It's pretty heavy with death and dying, wars, and all that went on in what became the US in the good old days of yore. I have taken a break from it for now.

I made the mistake of finding book #1 in another series: Guido Brunetti novels, by Donna Leon. The next available books are numbers 5 and 9. I'm not sure what I shall do. 

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@Barrie Summy

Phoebe, raccoons and Oregano

 🐣PHOEBE

Phoebe is back. I heard him singing, and when I worked out, I saw him landing just outside the back door. This is where they built their nest last year! I shall look forward to seeing where they nest this year. I asked if JB heard them, he said, "I've not much chance of even hearing the heavenly choir!" 

Soon they will lay eggs, having built a snappy moss nest. Then they will hatch!

There was a break in the clouds, and I sat out front to read. The sun went behind new clouds, and even with a blanket, I was chilly. I did get some fresh air, though. Sunshine has been limited.

There was a pair of raccoons overnight.

Butch raccoon from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Butch in the rain, they look so wet! 

I am surprised they left my camera standing. I set it on the ground to better watch the mice.

Butch 2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Oregano was back, he climbed the snow pile, looking around.

Oregano from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Seedy Sunday

🏤LANARK LIFESTYLES

We went into town, I haven't taken many photos, but here is an update to this local build. 

I wrote some about this new senior's housing and residence built recently in Perth. They have built Tay River Healthcare, and are adding buildings for phase 2. They've put student artwork into the building! Perth student artists create masterpieces for Tay River Health Centre. 

PHASE 2

There is some controversy about the privacy fencing (Dec. 27, Mar. 16, 2022, March 31 ) for homes facing the property. They are working on it! 

This is the latest photo: 

I toodled on down to the frogpond. The wonderful melt it had begun has reversed somewhat. There is evidence that the turkeys have been sitting on my dock. 

The frogpond is filled with snow melt, making it a vernal pond. Some seasons it lasts all summer.  The meadow looks like a pond, as well.

I spotted the first signs of daffodils. Soon they will be smiling and the bees will be out!

I saw signs of the tulips, as well! Soon they will be up and blooming.

Ditch Diving

I spent a couple of hours picking up trash from our ditches. Some years they've been quite wet, and I wore my non-leaky rain boots just in case. (They were a gift!) The ditch was quite dry, which doesn't bode well for Spring flowers.

I picked up a good load of stuff. Mostly beer cans. Ironically, I was picking up what was obviously debris from a car incident, when suddenly an ambulance flips on their sirens. I've a low startle reflex and I jumped, covering my ears. Some of the trucks really do well over the 80 km/hour speed limit and it unnerves me, but I carried on. I probably have another couple of hours to do. "Nevertheless, she persisted."

🍃seeds grow

Back up at the house, Cinnamon was observing his front yard. The Orchid cactus is blooming (lower left) and the squash, pumpkins, zucchini and zinnia are coming along.

turkey tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Local School absences

The information reported to the dashboard is voluntary and may not represent the full extent of COVID-19 cases in the OCDSB. General dashboard

Spy technology

 I've written about how we can look for the helpers. Then, there are the spies and the analysts! There is spying going on overseas. I read an interesting piece, an interview with a Russian journalist living in London: The Bear Breaks Down: Andrei Soldatov on Russia’s Self-Destruction:

Andrei Soldatov, a Russian newspaper reporter, co-founded a website called Agentura.ru devoted to monitoring the activities of Russia’s security services. 

He has analysed the failure of the Russians to take Ukraine. It's a good read, if you are into that sort of thing. I was curious. He talks to Russian spies, now called the FSB (formerly KGB), and gets information. No wonder he has fled Russia.

Here is an interview with Soldatov. 

Russian security services, elites, finance sector reportedly blame Putin 4 how bad the war in Ukraine is going. "It looks like right now Vladimir Putin decided to attack his own people. People he always trusted the most, the security services & the national guard"-@AndreiSoldatov pic.twitter.com/sRrRw5gUn9

— KT CounterIntelligence (@KremlinTrolls) March 29, 2022

It was reported that Ukraine captured a spy truck. This fascinated me!

#Ukraine: We managed to identify this bizarre "container", captured today by the UA forces near #Kyiv. It is likely to be the command post of one of the most potent Russian EW system - 1RL257 Krasukha-4, used to suppress AWACS radars & radar reconnaissance satellites. pic.twitter.com/1VvKjGoM2p

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 22, 2022

This is such a hi-tech piece of equipment. 

Devices called cell-site simulators, which mimic a phone mast, are stationed inside drones and trucks and sent over the battlefield to pick up the signals of nearby phones pic.twitter.com/pzPa1Dp2uH

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 31, 2022

There is a theme here. If you recall, we have a mouse hole on the front deck. The cats, Cinnamon and Nutmeg, even Oregano, peer in the hole like spies. I've captured them on the trailcams, at night in the dark!

I imagined what the deer mice were doing! 

Using mixed media, coloured pencils, and fine coloured sharpies for outlines I chose pastels for the frame. I realized I'll have to be very careful scanning it, since the pastels are likely to transfer. Whoopsie!

Saturday's Critters

We do have curious deer. They were quite intent upon the grassy knoll!

curious deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

First up was Butch raccoon. In the background you can see the solar powered light atop the water fountain. A beacon in the dark!

Butch March 30.mp4 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We still have mice friends under the feeder! I simply park the camera on the cement slab outside the door. It works pretty well.

mice friends from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Our three crows are still around, although I did witness a bit of a fight in the air. They aren't silent! They were just above the driveway and one was definitely an intruder. They have such an interesting variety of calls.

3 crows from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

For more critters: visit Eileen's Critter party #433. She's gone on some marvellous walks, and snaps many birds!

Canada Revenue Agency and a foggy day

April 30th 2021 taxes are due. I've vented and ranted about Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and our year long quest to resolve our issues. [💰Canada Revenue Agency😓]

Finally, I had a message that they would accept our medical receipts for 2020, if I uploaded them. This is good news, although we sent them via Canada Post, tracked and securely delivered to a Newfoundland office a year ago. 

I showed JB how to lay out the receipts for me, in order to scan them all. There were 14, but the most important ones were the cataract surgery I had. My $300/month healthcare plan doesn't cover this, nor does it cover my anxiety meds. 

You should have seen us! He was down the hallway in the office, and I'd yell down saying, 'next' and he'd replace it. He'd yell back, 'OK' and I'd scan them remotely on my laptop app. 

My troubles are nothing compared to many. But they do wear heavily on my psyche. I look at the damage in Ukraine, and simply cannot imagine. Man's inhumanity towards man. 

Satellite images of Mariupol show the devastation from Russian shelling in a residential district of the besieged Ukrainian city. The first picture from Maxar Technologies is from June 21, 2021, and the second is from March 29.

Live updates on the war: https://t.co/fMGSPuW6vI pic.twitter.com/G0iPVLcHQT

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 30, 2022

We found a local CA to do our taxes. I tried TurboTax for the 10th time this year, and we apparently owed $44,000+, so I am relieved. His office is in a retrofitted school, which didn't give me too many heebee jeebies! 

💰   💰   💰   💰   💰   💰   

OK, fun sign of spring this morning: 🐣PHOEBE was calling for love! He appeared for the first time on April 8th last year. (Archive photo above!) They usually nest in the shed or under the back deck.

☔  March Precipitation Summary  🌂   ⛅  

We've snow on the way today, Friday, and the big rain storm yesterday only gave us 3 mm rain. I'm OK with that. We've had a lot of cloudy days. Not at all what they had predicted.

If you examine my seed tray, you'll see three rows of ungerminated seeds. I checked the seed packet, and found out why my forget-me-nots haven't germinated. They prefer 15 C. temperatures, and I set the night time temps here to 16 C.! 

The cats weren't too pleased with yesterday's graupel, but they did have to inspect it.

 

There was a break in the clouds in the afternoon, the temperature went up to 16 C., when the sun shone. (It came and went!)

The temperature inversion caused evaporation. It was quite interesting.

 

foggy world from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.