Glad the week is over!

I have been having some trouble changing over from my laptop, which is in the shop, to this very old iPad! It is slower than ________; you fill it in. I think JB deserves a new iPad for his birthday!

 Normally, I would have it easier, but on these machines you have to open an app for everything, then reset my passwords. This is a job for a patient person. Pffftttt. I won't get my laptop back until the end of the week. There m,ay be a trip to Kingston with the girls!~

I usually export my photos in a lower resolution than the originals. That doesn't work on the iPad. I had to monopolize JB's desktop computer, then upload them to Blogger from there. That meant changing passwords, again. It is tricky commenting on other blogs. I shall do my best. I hope you have missed me!


Here is my latest video, I am having trouble embedding it. It shows the funniest porcupine on its haunches.

I miss my computer!

The battery on JB's car keys has gone. I switched fobs with him. You can lock it from the inside, then close the door,which is fine. BUT when you insert the actual key the alarm goes off. It is not good for my anxiety. He found us a battery, once I figured out how to open the danged thing. We're good now.


Saturday night the microwave pooched out on us. Do you know how much we use it? Sigh. I have had a microwave oven since 1976!JB did research and thinks it might be a simple fix with a part. It will require a professional, though.

We shall see what is next to go.
Annabelle is the summer Norwegian Forest Cat. She doesn't mind the 31 C. temperatures. Hooper goes out at night.

This week is Gramma Camp. We shall see how things go. We've brought in monster juice, bottled water (Izzy doesn't like our well water!). The pool is full, and warm. We will make up a menu for the week. Izzy likes shopping with Grampa! It will be fun!

I started sprouts a few days ago.

Josee likes them on her sandwiches.

This has two caterpillars, and an egg!

This leaf has THREE eggs!
This is supposed to be unusual.

On the scorched front lawn, there was one large monarch caterpillar.

I was thinking of moving it, as the plant looks like it is on its last legs. It is so dry and hot.

The deerflies are not as bad, but still horrid.


I'll see you soon, fair readers. Bear with me. Deep breath!

Brockville, architecture

I'm not a happy blogger! The battery in my computer was recalled. I'm struggling with the iPad... I know it is a silly thing, but blogging every day helps me reflect on the fun things we have done. With two traffic incidents near by, I am just happy to be home and safe.
Our internet is slower than molasses, too. So, bear with me!
JB, by the way, has been a brick. The raises my anxiety levels!

It's monarch season!

I tagged them last year, but none appear to have been found. I was a bit late ordering them.

My 2019 tags arrived this week. Here is last year's tag.

There was a press conference in Mexico City last winter. The butterfly sanctuary numbers came in. They estimate their populations by how much of the forest is covered by butterflies. They had the highest recorded since 2006: 14.9 acres of forest was covered in butterflies, a record high and an increase of 144%!

There has been both good and bad news about North American Monarchs. Monarchs have two separate populations, one in the west, and ours in the east. Our eastern ones have had a population increase. The ones in the west, wintering in California, are at risk.


They lay about 300 eggs.  We await the next 3 generations over the summer months, May to September, when the final supergeneration flies back south to live over our winter season.

Our first monarch appeared, Sunday, June 9th. I've been peeking at the milkweed, they only lay eggs on milkweed, although they eat the nectar of many plants, and found nothing.

First one! 10:45 a.m. July 24th

6:49 p.m., July 24th, the first one had moved,
and I found another egg!

This is where they are laying their precious eggs, right beside the front step.


Another egg.


I've been tracking their progress up the continent through Journey North: Monarch Watch. They travel 5000 km, above ground about a 1km, to conserve energy. Early May, the first generation landed in places like Texas, where they laid eggs for a new generation.

May, 2019

Only 1% survive from egg => butterfly.

First ones migrate to Texas, laying eggs on milkweed.

500,000 million eggs!

May 24

May 30

This is a fascinating video: 

CBC The Nature of Things - The Great Butterfly Hunt

The remarkable and most incredible Monarch migration, and the determined Canadian scientist, Fred Urquhart, who spent 40 years trying to discover exactly where they mysteriously disappear to for winter.

These are my notes from the video, although, the video is amazing, if you have the time or inclination. They carefully recreated his adventure, with historically accurate details. After the video, they showed how difficult it was to film in Mexico, and how much care they took to avoid harming them.

It was a Canadian, Dr. Fred Urquhart ,who tried to track down this mystery for 40 years, as a child to 2001 when the mystery was solved. The butterflies can be victims of habitat loss; there were fires in the habitat one year; pesticides, drought as they were travelling, as they only lay eggs on milkweed plants.

In the 1950s new sticky labels to tag groceries were the answer. He and his wife, Nora, tagged them. Now, tagging is a huge production. The video recreates his huge wall map, where they pinned monarch locations.

By 1967 they were tagging across N.A. It was in 1973 the breakthrough, from Ken Bruger working in Mexico. Ken and Catalina on the Aguado Trail found large populations of Monarchs in Mexico.

On Jan. 9, 1976, the Urquharts went to mexico. It's an amazing moment in the video.

Population News From Mexico: Highest Since 2006 (<= read more)

Brockville Harbour Part II

Lunch on Wednesday, July 24th, [Off to Brockville!] 


We took a walkabout around the harbour. It was quite warm, the cloud cover was lovely.


There is a restaurant and they were selling lots of ice cream.

There were a couple of cormorants.



Brockville Harbour II from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Everyone was keen on checking out the old car!


I love the oversized Muskoka chairs!


I love the old houses.


Farewell, Brockville.


"Look," we heard, "a plane on a stick!"