Phoebe, cherry tomatoes, Fred, et al

 Joe Brian looked at my images of the bombers from Canada Day. His uncle flew a Lancaster in WW II. He did not come back from the war. Aster took some great photos!

Happy July 4th to my American friends. 

Phoebe's 2nd brood hatched July 2nd. This is from a brood in the shed in another year. 

I watered the garden, as it is pretty dry. Watering the hanging planters is a daily task. Look at the cherry tomatoes!

The milkweed plants are so tall. It is a good year for them. I ordered some seeds online, but they haven't come yet. I'll have to wait for next year to sow those. 

Fred is looking tubby. They have a reproductive system like the deer. They are impregnated, but the fertilized eggs don't implant right away. They've a one-month gestation, so you'd think you'd notice teats by now. Babies are born hairless, and spend 44 days depending upon momma, but begin eating greens at three weeks. Maybe my research is moot! 

I've been hearing the rose-breasted grosbeak. It landed where the feeder used to be out the front window. This proof of life I snapped from my easy chair, while watching tennis. Thankfully, I've arched photos!

Wed., July 3rd

It began cloudy, but it cleared up. It was the day to test my aquarium fix. Removing most of the gravel, I realized that I should remove it all!  As I rotated the tank, a counter clockwise turn each time, it stuck in the newly laid caulk. I yelled for help from JB. He held the caulking gun each time I'd rotate. It really helped. 

I pulled the hose up from the middle deck, and a gray tree frog popped out of the middle. Filling it half full, we went to the TV to watch Canadians playing tennis. 

  

I left it for an undetermined amount of time, and there was a slow drip out the side that had the original leak. What's with this?! I'm not back to square one, at least the other corners are watertight. I'll need to do some more thinking. 

There were air shows this past weekend!

 I had fun looking for footage of the air shows. There was a show in Quinte on Sat/Sun.,, and a lot of the same planes flew over during the Canada Day celebrations. 

July 1, 2024 – Ottawa – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces To mark its Centennial, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) held its largest flypast in 20 years on Canada Day. 49 aircraft took part in the 20-minute long ‘parade in the sky’ featuring historic, current, and future Canadian military aircraft. 

 RCAF CT-114 Tutor: Snowbirds!

Bombardier Challenger CHAL18

Lockheed CC130 Hercules

CGVRA - Canadian War plane, 79 years old:

Another 79-year-old warplane:

The USAF was here with their Hercules

Here is the RCAF Hercules at the Quinte air show, Sat/Sun:

RCAF 

They had some vintage planes, as well.

It was funny watching the images. This screen follows the plane in 3-D. Look at the name of the plane, and then the logo on the plane! 

RCAF:

There was a storm out west, and it looks like they sent up weather balloons. 

While I am at it, This nameless plane (N/A!) was doing some weird things nearby. 

First the RCAF flew to Trenton for the air show on Friday. This is what I heard overhead:

RCAF from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Caitlin took this video. They went downtown to check it out.

 

Air show Canada Day from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Canada157

While visiting my parent’s grave at National Military Cemetery @BeechwoodOttawa we saw the flypast for @RCAF_ARC 100th anniversary! Sent shivers up my spine! @CraigSearle1 jets, Snowbirds & helicopters! Incredible!❤️✈️✈️✈️✈️🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/J5GDc7vgky

— Carolyn 🇨🇦 (@CPercySearle) July 1, 2024

A massive thank you to everyone who joined us for the #CanadaDay celebrations and helped make the flypast an unforgettable success! 📷#RCAF100 Bravo Zulu! https://t.co/dX27FV11Ba pic.twitter.com/45QEYkSJjU

— Royal Canadian Air Force (@RCAF_ARC) July 2, 2024

I did it!

I have scraped and cleaned the aquarium. The caulking is now done. My able assistant held the caulking gun for good for me as I rotated the thing to be able to reach each corner. Then did two more corners. It'll have to cure. It is special aquarium caulk and won't harm the fish. Next step is to fill it and see if it holds. 🤞 Fingers crossed! 

My personal assistant is slowly improving. He has a 4-week appointment to check on his progress. He may have his 4-week dose of Doxycycline extended to 6-weeks. I think they are finally getting a handle on this bacterium. 

We found a bug on the back deck when I was working on the aquarium.  It is a Sawyer Beetle. It looks prehistoric. Yes, JB's t-shirt is on inside out. That way the tags don't scratch the back of his neck!

 

That was a lovely, sunny day! We deserve them. The Eastern Question Mark butterfly egg has hatched. I can't find it, but it is there. If someone hasn't eaten it!

I did some macro photos. It is tricky. 

My rose!

 

Trumpet vine

Evening Primrose! It has spread.

I risked life and limb going down to the frog pond. I had on long pants, and a sweatshirt. Even so, I brought a tick back. When I arrived a duckling took off into the native phragmites. Surveying the pond, it looks as if something was after it. I'd say a coyote. 

frog pond from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Happy Canada Day!

 Happy July 1st:  Canada Day! They were rehearsing for the flyover in Ottawa before today's show.

So cool to see the @CFSnowbirds and Italian aircraft fly in formation over Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/up1XDPKVZe

— Jacqueline Roy (she/her) (@jacroy67) June 25, 2024

I am getting so much pleasure from the garden. The Yucca plant is in bloom. Lilies, too.

The Trumpet flower has a potato beetle or two, having reseeded itself. I counted 9 slugs on the sidewalk after the rain. Soon the plants will grow and the bugs will go away, having done their thing. I've conquered the lily bugs, picking of 25 a day at one point. I hope the deerflies die down soon. I had another tick bite July 30th. Sigh.

Saturday afternoon, pouring rain, we ended up watching a movie. I was feeling like I was getting a cold,

so I put off washing the kitchen floor. It'll still be dirty today.

 

 I was commenting on Jocelyn's blog, we were comparing notes on being retired. Especially teachers whose lives are scheduled in 40-minute intervals. You spend so much time getting on a schedule, and filling your time. There is a guilt factor in feeling one has to be productive every hour of the day!  

Anyway, we watched the movie Ferrari (2023), and it was quite the deal. I checked in at IMDB.com to check out the actors, as I recognized some. Then I checked Wiki, as I didn't know much about Ferrari. The old footage was amazing, interspersed as it is in the movie. It is shocking how free they were to do whatever they wanted at such races. No seat belts for drivers, or safety measures for fans. 

We've been trying Blue Lights, it takes place in Belfast and it is a bit intense. 

Joe Brian continues to improve. He was soaking 3 t-shirts over night with sweats. That has stopped. He's still getting chills. Onward and upward.