Up in the skies!

Gardening is tricky, we need rain, and the bugs are horrid. I had several blackfly bites and a tick biting me inside my bra! It kept itching, and then I looked. 

Historical Tick Counts

 Many know I watch the skies as I sit on the back deck. I wonder who they are, why they are going in circles, and how much fuel they are using! I'm trying to relax, and I'm reading an excellent book. No bugs. Then I get distracted... 

This Cessna is registered to an American according to my research. My curiosity was piqued. I wonder how much fuel per km they use. I'll bet they are people who complain about the Carbon Tax! 😖😏

You can track their trips.

CFEEM

This one belongs to the Smiths Falls club. They had a busy May 24, 9 a.m.!

This one, in the US, caught my eye on the radar. Wonder what they were doing!

This is an Ornge Air emergency vehicle. You wonder what has happened and where they are going.

Having lived in Muskoka, there were a fair number of small plane crashes. It happened here, too.

A military helicopter went over. I could hear it, but I couldn't see it!

military helicopter from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The 3-D view on Flight Radar is amazing! You can see another plane on the radar page. GLDD is a frequent flyer, a 3050'.

They are tricky to video! Others don't appear on the radar.

airplane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This one caught my attention. 

This guy flies out of Carp. "CAR Standard 549 - Amateur Built Aircraft" built in 2011.

C GOGO airplane from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Cinnamon and I were watching Fred at the same time. Cinnamon was in the chair and decided to get down and keep an eye on things.

Let us see what today brings. All the best.

An afternoon in Westport

 That was a long day! I toodled off to Westport for a funeral. On the way there was some excitement.

incident Westport from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They were still there on the way home!

It's a lovely church, rebuilt after a fire back in the day of wood stoves and all.

A lovely Celebration of Life for a man of deep faith, followed by a Legion ceremony. A man who served as a teacher, police auxiliary inspector, active member of the Legion, and a town  councillor. It was moving. 

We all drove behind the hearse to the cemetery. Do you know how easy it is to turn on your flashers accidentally? I have done so. It took me a moment to find them for this. 

A beautiful day.

For some respite (the town was busy), I drove home through empty, quiet backroads, stopping for photos. 

Even met a ruffed grouse!

The park has new signage. Well, new to me?! "CAUTION ENDANGERED SPECIES AREA"

Sure enough, an actual example of an endangered species! I'd just passed the park, and there was traffic coming and going. I thought it best to get out and usher it across the busy road.

Here I am on the dashcam. 

turtle guarding from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

June is looking promising

 It is a new week. It is June. We've enjoyed 🎾 tennis being played in Paris, although half the battle with the rainouts is to figure out when, where, or if they are being broadcast. 

I am happy to start a new month. The Mother's Day basket from Caitlin is so beautiful. This is a glorious season, when we have enough rain and sun. 

Those of you in our latitude will appreciate how much the spring means to have the brilliant colours. All we need now is a balance of sun and rain for the summer. 

As discussed with a couple of bloggers, you put on bug spray (or netting), do your work, and shower. It is necessary. JB uses a anti-bug hat.

I have to remove the moss and encroaching twitch grass and weeds. It's tricky with the phoebes coming and going. I don't want to disturb them too much. There are various methods, other than hand pulling them. If I can't get the roots I'll use vinegar water from dill pickles, etc., or sprinkle salt. 

Our growing season is relatively short. The Hops Vine is growing very fast. Here is May 17. Growing like mad underneath, and not up to the railing. I took this photo to show Fred on the lower deck, but it shows my rain gauge, and the railing.

May 31st I figured I ought to put up the green twine supports. The vine is up over the top of the railing, kind of swinging in the breeze as it searches for something to wind around.

Out front, the clematis is blossoming. I reached up over my deer fence to grab this. Now, at 5'4", it is tricky!

After working on the lawn tractor I finally managed to have a full tank and a full battery. I worked on Oliver's Lot. I just create a path for walking. The wildflowers can grow on either side. The Field Hawkweed is wonderful. Mind you, this is a spot where the soil is less than shallow! 

Saturday's Critters

It has been a busy week. We're still tying up loose ends on the bank account fraud. My client's funeral is this afternoon. It will be a lovely celebration of life. I managed to sleep in until 6 this morning. This is good. I think I have it together enough to attend the funeral. 

 Spring slowly flips to summer, as the early plants bloom. The seasons unfold as they should. The milkweed is huge, and I hope we get monarchs this year. 

I sit out back and listen to the birds. They'll drop off after nesting season. Things get a little quieter. I have to enjoy them while they sing! It was chilly and with cold northwest winds, I needed a blanket. My toes were warm in the sun. I'm having issues with my tractor, hence the lovely patterns on the lawn. 

Phoebe continues to fee their young. It's about two weeks for fledging. I think they hatched  May 22/23. 

This is from another year, when they were nesting on a shelf.

 I just love them: both the horse chestnut tree and the bees on them!

bumble bees on chestnut tree from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Our cottontail bunnies has disappeared. In their place, a hare. You can see the bat flying about, as well.

 

hairy tails from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

In the predawn, the bats still flit about until bedtime. The birds begin their chorus. I love listening to them. Sound up, if you want to experience dawn!

 

bats & birds from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Every morning I go through the Reolink videos on Crumbly Acres. We had an unusual guest appearance.

 

hummingbird from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The millipede was on the lower deck again. I am not sure how much of a coincidence this is. Last time I saw it, it looked to be headed down into Fred's burrow??!!

 

Millipede from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We didn't see a new fawn last year, as I recall. This is the time of year. This doe seems pregnant.

 

pregnant doe from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The black-throated Green Warbler has been a hoot. Singing away out the back 40. I've only one photo of it!

Saturday's Critters # 546 <= for more critters visit Eileen's page!