Tracking in the snow!

Saturday night I was in bed reading when I heard wild barking. Not the normal coyote yips. It was scary, and loud. I thought maybe they'd had a kill. Cinnamon was snuggled at my feet, and he stood up in shock. Sunday morning Joseph Brian was doing his usual walk and he looked, but didn't see any signs of a carcass. I decided to go out, too, knowing that there was a storm on the way and anything out there would be buried under snow.

Cinnamon was a great helper.

It was above zero and the snow we had was quite wet. 

Cinnamon helped me search for evidence, but we found nothing. See him on the fence!

From there we searched for tracks. I found some large coyote tracks.

We searched up and down the hill beside the shed. By now it had begun to rain. Oh yuck! It was tricky tracking anything.

We are surrounded by wetland, and there are a few paths the critters take. We ended up going to The Point, me and my cat. You can see, how there is no snow in the forest, as I stood in the wetland to take a photo. 

This is the track that leads right into the wetland. It looks like bobcat tracks, I think. They are much smaller. 

I have a working theory that one of our big coyotes met our bobcat, which I only have on a short trailcam video. They avoid humans at all costs, both the coyotes and bobcats.

Sunday afternoon, in the rain, King Charles IV licked up all the bird see under the feeder.

I had a nice Facetime with Jesse, Bryony, and Cluny, who were at the cottage. 

They were going back to the city soon, since the girls are in a Vancouver panto, Beauty and the Beast. Both parents are trained actors, although Jesse is in finance these days. 

We hunkered down, JB by the fire in the basement, and me with my Christmas RomComs upstairs. I visited Norway, and very much enjoyed the adventure as we watched the rain fall outside. My Norwegian Holiday (2023) it successfully showed us some of the language, culture, food, and traditions of their holiday season. It was quite lovely, with some Nordic actors with lovely accents. 

OK, busses are cancelled today. It is a snow day, although the problem is the ice underneath the snow. Road conditions are horrid. My only job is to get the garbage 100m down the driveway by 8 a.m. Wish me luck! 

Winter is on its way

 I avoided washing the kitchen floor for a couple of days. I did so, then realized that the grout needed its own scrub. I managed to do about half the floor, crumpled on a step stool, using a scouring brush. I will get to it another day.  

I am much happier in the forest.

Some days... you know how it goes, you wonder what you'll write about. Then I check the cameras. It is far more interesting than housework. Here is a screen grab from the frog pond trailcam, down in the forest. 

I moved the oldest trailcam to the driveway. It doesn't work all that well. I captured coyotes and deer trotting along the drive, however. Proof of life, I guess. The deer amble there, as well.

two coyotes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The snow has since fallen, but Pickles, the young buck with pickle stabber antlers, has been cleaning up. This was a big pumpkin, reduced to nothing.

 

deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I let Nutmeg out for her morning run, and she looked to one side. I noticed a buck going at my last large pumpkin!

buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The buck was going at a pumpkin, just off camera. I moved the pumpkin, in the rain. I included that in the video as proof.  He came back shortly thereafter. Hubby coming home in the car in the dusk sent him away. It took Charles all that day and night, the pumpkin was gone the next day!

King Charles IV buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The snow fell. Gravenhurst had 42 cm (16") of Lake Effect Snow. 

Today they are warning us about another 10 -20 cm snow. Maybe freezing rain. We shall see. I shall have to ensure we have gas for the snowblower!This is me, in Bala, Muskoka, Dec., 2009. We had 60 cm snow, but other places a bit more north, had 120 cm.

We had about 2.5 cm of snow. A different buck came along. A little older than Pickles. He was looking for food under the bird feeder.

 

teenaged buck from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters

Our morning began with my waking someone up to come and see the buck out front! I shall call him King Charles IV! He was after the pumpkins, but came back after I went back indoors.

I know that coyotes are our frequent visitors. Well, on the trailcams. We very seldom see them around the house.

  

coyotes startle from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The new placement of camera #2 has been great. This is the hill leading up from the meadow to the driveway.

doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

coyote on the hill from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

deer doing selfies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I took Cinnamon for a walk. He loves them. Heading out to the little islands in the wetland, I was sure he'd jump across the ice.

cinnamon from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The deer have been enjoying the last of the pumpkins.

deer feeding from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday Critters # 520 <= Thanks to Eileen for hosting! 

Hairdressers and hair styles

 I have had many over the years. My favourite was the one who was psychic. You could feel magic in her hands, and she read people. After high school, I cut my hair from waist length to a shoulder bob, then a short haircut, and had perms from 1974 until around 2005, when I found a hairdresser who cut it short. 

When Caitlin got married in 2005, the bridal party went to her salon. The hairdresser curled and puffed up my hair. When we went home, I had to flatten it with my hands. This is what I looked like after that. Can you believe it?! Caitlin's hair was lovely.

When I was teaching, short, and easily styled was the key. 

After 25 years in Ottawa there was a 2006 move to Muskoka. I found a hairdresser driving around Port Carling who shortened it massively, and I came out of there looking so ugly. Or feeling ugly, and lacking any actual hair style. I cried! It was even worse a few years later, once I went gray.

We were eating in a Bracebridge pub, and found a server with an amazing hairstyle. She said she often got compliments on her edgy style. I found that new stylist who was great. She stopped working to have twins as a single parent, and I found someone else in that salon. I didn't have too many disasters there. Until moving to Perth in 2010, I thought I'd be fine.

 I found one hairdresser who simply worked too fast, and didn't blow it dry. From there, I found another woman who opened her own new salon, having left one where she was employed. I liked her. She hired two employees and I was pawned off on one of them. These two employees were suddenly fired. They found a place to rent, and opened up. That didn't work out. I tried yet another Perth salon, until my hair dresser took maternity leave. They paired me up with another woman. That worked reasonably well, until COVID hit. That salon folded. 

I cut my hair 4 or 5 times during COVID. It worked out pretty well, all things considered. 

I'd taken Isabelle and Josephine to a new salon one summer during Gramma Camp. They had had a kid's summer special, and it worked out well. I thought I'd try there. I tried one stylist. I was kept waiting more than 3/4's of an hour, while they fit in a spouse. I was stressed, and had an anxiety attack. I didn't do too well post-COVID. Next came a new stylist, at that salon, but she reduced her worked days, to only a couple days a week, and that didn't work out for me. She was terrific, as she understood my social anxiety. I randomly tried another stylist there, and found a day of the week when she worked alone. It was lovely and peaceful. No one laughing too loud, stopping to discuss something personal, and delaying the next client. 

Then, there were the colour phases! That began in Perth.

I cut my hair again last month. It wasn't too bad. My bangs were driving me nuts. Sadly, my latest hairdresser has had an injury. They phoned, and I rescheduled. Going in, the receptionist had neglected to cancel my appointment. I had to trim it.

I walked out, with a new appointment, with a replacement stylist. This is where I am at. I've a new lipstick from Cheekbones, and it goes well with my red shirt for Christmas.