Cold on Crumbly Acres

What a crazy way to being the new year. Our local two hospitals have gone to an orange code. Flu is everywhere.

The map shows Ontario's respiratory virus test results.

 

More snow! I decided a snowshoe trek would be just the thing. There are lots of tracks from Labbit. We had more snow Jan. 3rd.

This is to remind me of Labbit's visitation. 

She is borrowing Fred's burrow. I could see dirt around the entrance. Fred and Fred's daughter are hibernating.

Fred has dug 6 burrows over the past few years. 

There was frost at the other opening. This is the location in the side of the hill.

At the property marker in the forest I found a piece of orange tape, meant to mark the marker. I think the coyotes have been having fun. Little twerps!

Out back I spotted vole tracks in the snow. Where the tracks stop, the rodents burrow under the snow. I checked it out.

It reminds me of that movie with the sand worm: Dune, I think. Only in miniature. And in snow.

Crumbly Acres Critters

 Back by popular demand: the critters. 

Labbit has been busy. She's eating the deer feed, and scattered bird seed under the feeder. 

I found a baby once, while I was doing the lawn. May, 2011.

She's been going into Fred's burrow #4, under the septic bed. One with a double entrance/exit. I followed he tracks. 

During our last snowstorm, Labbit was bopping along!

 

Everyone likes the deer feeders!

   

 On Dec. 31st, there were a few deer. Jan. 1st we were up to 19!

   

 The deer are still working on this Hallowe'en pumpkin. I guess if they are hungry...

   

 The deer and the coyotes like the driveway! This is a fine looking one. They are good coyotes, and only come around when we are in bed.

   

 This is a throw back, a compilation from August. We can look forward to warmer days! That's how long this coyote has been managing its sore leg.

 

Crumbly Acres Sidewalk!

Crumbly Acres December weather was more snowy than in the past few years. It's the sudden change from rain to snow that causes issues. We have the infrastructure for both snowy and icy weather events. If only we all used what is available. 

 

We knew we'd be getting ice rain last week. This is what Joe Brian brought me: 

I worked on the sidewalk after the storm. A layer of ice was treacherous, so I scattered some Alaskan Pet Friendly Ice Melter ('safe for paws and concrete') JB had brought home. 
I used the entire container! But it worked. You can see the pellets melt a circle around itself.

"Pet friendly' it says, but the squirrels and birds were going near it. I hope they didn't eat any. It sure looks like food. 

We had about a cm of snow on top of the ice and pellets. That helped with walking.

You may well 🤣laugh, but I spent a half hour looking for this tool↓. It was my dad's and I've used it a lot. I'd forgotten I spray painted it red! Poor Joe looked for me, too. BUT I FINALLY FOUND IT! The ice was brittle and just snapped when I banged it. Whew!

That looks much better.

These are my snappy boots. They have cleats they you flip on or off on a hinge. I bought them in 2020, on sale 50% off, last pair size 9 for $90. I cannot tell you how many times they have saved me!

This year I had to glue them, as the red shoe was pulling out of the black sole. So far, so good! I've had some clients with icy sidewalks, and they are terrific. I've had 41 clients since 2009 when I began to volunteer and do respite. If only I could put these on the car, I'd be set!

 

What did we wake up to Jan. 1st? Another 6.5 cm snow.

We went back at it. It seems as if Joe's Rotator Cuff injury is finally better.

It's not so bad when the sun comes out!

My trusty snow blower was no match for the end of the driveway. It is frozen solid.

I toodled on down, past the trailcam. 

Whoopsie! Someone blew snow on it. You can see the deer tracks around it.

That was the last photo the camera took↑. I'll have to take it in for repairs. SIGH. It's the lens at fault, as the other lens works for the camera. 

Happy New Year!

We begin the New Year with a temperature of -16 ℃, an hour later it was -17! Let us see what the new year will bring. I hope it settles down for all of us. Too many have had issues that impact their lives. Even watching the news of suffering is difficult. There is so little we can do. It is important to have faith and hope. One has to look after oneself, as well. Put that oxygen mask on first.

I take solace from nature. I'd like to do forest bathing, shinrin-yoku, but it is awful walking on the crusted snow. Especially after our ice storm. [Forest bathing: what it is and where to do it] 

We had 15 deer two days ago. Yesterday there were 19! I enjoy watching them.

UPDATES: Now, I think it was a red-bellied woodpecker! Merlin heard them in summer. Both Caitlin and I spotted it when they were here. I do not have a single photo that I can find in my archives!!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

We had chats with our Vancouver kids on both Christmas Day, and the 26th, my birthday. They have just moved into a new house. Bernie the cat is outside on the railing (you can see him if you click on it). They have promised more photos once they are settled in. Buying the house was a bit of a surprise! It is a new, energy efficient home, just finished enough to move in to. There is some work left to be done. It was a short possession timeline. 

The grandkids told me by phone that Bernie explored the entire house in the first few minutes of arriving!

 

They have been so busy and stressed with all this, but they are clever, capable people.   

🥌 At the same time, Bryony and Cluny were in a panto in Vancouver.  The highlight, the girls told us, was playing curling stones, in which they twirl off the stage. 

They are at the same schools, that is good. They moved 10 minutes away from their old home, but the upheaval is quite something. We wished them the best. Things will settle down for them, and they will get back into their winter cross country skiing. 

⛷Speaking of skiing, Jordan and JL went downhill skiing, Aster went snowboarding at Calabogie. Too soon Jordan will be back at his residence at Queens. It was a great two weeks. 

I found the energy to wash floors, cleaned the fish tank, vacuumed, and made meatloaf for dinner. The next day I self-cleaned the oven. It's a lot easier than in the old days! 

I scraped the ice off of the sidewalk. Last night it snowed again! Back to square one...

We've been what my late mother called disdecorating. Slowly we've been putting seasonal things away. 

We've been enjoying the entertainment indoors. The table cleared, I put the cat toy box on the coffee table. Cinnamon gave it a good smell, and whacked them on the floor. Typical cat!