It's a miracle!

I finally had walkies with Cinnamon. He's been reluctant, until Monday, May 25th. I've missed my walkies with Daisy.

I went down to the trailcams. I was standing here, admiring my work on clearing the path with the lawn tractor, when I heard meowing behind me. The path leads to the empty duck box.



He's been to the pond alone. I've captured him on the trail camera focused on the dock. I knew he'd been down there.
Nutmeg still isn't comfortable being petted outdoors. We spent the winter keeping them indoors. I brought her a piece of wild catnip, called her, no way, and threw it towards her. She ran off. Cinnamon helped me find the lady slippers. He was so happy.



One lone male mallard duck on the pond. Now that the one duck is settled into her nesting box, the other two boxes are empty, we can walk around the pond again.



The pond is full of tadpoles!

tadpoles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.




I just read an article on kitten socialization. You'll recall our two were found at the side of a road, sleeping and huddled together. The vet, who sold them to us, estimated that they were about 4 - 6 months old at that point. It's no wonder their fears are huge.

Socialization Tips For You and Your Kitten

Kittens have a prime socialization window which occurs at 2-7 weeks of age but can extend up to 14 weeks. During this time, the kitten is most receptive to new experiences. ...  After the window closes, unfamiliar people, objects and experiences are approached with caution, and the kitten may become fearful. In fact, the most common cause of fear and aggression is lack of socialization.

I had trouble with focus, because of my cataracts, but once I remembered I'd had it on manual focus, I did better. sigh. There were only two. We've had 4 or 5 in previous years. Thanks to Eileen, who showed photos of her captures, as I'd forgotten about them. They are so rare, and last such a short period of time.



The Lady Slippers grow on the edge of the wetland.

 

I called him, whistled, patted my leg, and by the time I turned around, he was roaring up the hill in front of me.

Chipmunk tale

How did the chipmunk get into the house? 

This is Sadie (2005 - 2015). Our cats have a long history of catching them. They appear at the door like this.

Nutmeg brought this chipmunk in.

She appeared at the door, chipmunk in mouth. I thought it was still alive, so I let her in. She rushed downstairs, and dropped it on the floor. I distracted her, and it ran into the bathroom. Perfect.

How do you get a chipmunk out of your bathroom? 

A butterfly net and hand towels. The net should have been longer, but it's worked for bats for me, too.
[Bat in my bedroom part 2 - the rescue]

Here is the last bat I captured!

This is the basement bathroom, and small. Underneath the table, a chipmunk cowered.



OK, success! Short butterfly net, two hand towels, a lot of laughing, mild bite on my thumb. I ran in, turned on the light and closed the door. JB stood guard outside the door. He said, "I haven't heard you laughing like that since you were in the basement with Isabelle!"

It kept getting into the net, and out, and started climbing up my leg. It was a hoot. And fast. They can really jump. Once in, I tried to put the towel overtop and it just jumps out of the net. I need to towels jammed in the net.

FREEDOM!



It's no wonder. This is the front yard. You can see the two entrances, or are they two exits?



Can you see the chippie? This is the side yard. They must have a burrow under the back deck, too.



Look closer!



Another chippie lives to tell the tale. I bet she had a bit of a washup after, to get off those cat cooties!

Things are growing!

The trees are wonderful.

Praise be for autofocus! The spruce tree looks amazing.

Then, there is candytuft!

The frog pond looks wonderful, too. We've just one nest box in use by a wood duck.
The greens are growing. We'll need the muskrats back to clean it out.

The goldfish are doing well.

Maggie Magnolia is about to bloom. I just have to remember to go see it. There are a lot of bugs in the front yard!

Nutmeg sitting amongst the periwinkle flowers. She brought in a chipmunk. I let her in as I was certain she'd put it down. She did. In the basement. It ran into the bathroom and the door is closed. I'm just having my coffee until I figure out a strategy. 

The cats worked in tandem to tree a dratted red squirrel. (DRS) I'm not sure who was in the tree. I think Nutmeg. sigh.

Cat trees from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Public Service Message!

It's interesting, this video. There is no point in wearing one if you don't use it properly.

"Wearing a mask can be risky, worse than not wearing a mask at all."

This is the mayor of Toronto. A Toronto park was inundated with people on the weekend. Healthcare workers are angry. All their sacrifices for nought.

Outdoor birds and work, indoor plant

The Common Yellowthroat was singing in the lilac bush. I zoomed in as best I could, but I'll have to rely on an archive photo for a better view!

I captured the yellowthroat high in the tree canopy. 

common yellowthroat from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I think this is our nesting pair. It was so funny. One had words for the other one, chasing him off. I wish I spoke robin! 

two robins from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Finally, a better photo of phoebe on her nest.

Home maintenance

There are so many now compicated chores! A neon light bulb went out in the garage. That was a project. JB had taken the car in to have the summer tires put on, he combined trips. The store had a sign to go directly to automotive, if you need it. The auto repair door, a separate entrance, had a sign telling you to go to the main door. When he phoned, he was told just to go in the garage door.

He lined up where he went into the store and fetched two new light bulbs. The old ones have last a long time. They still have lots of sawdust on them. The previous owner built furniture in the garage.

Of course, I had two stored in the basement, but they were 1 1/2", not the 1" we needed.

I've been weeding. It is endless. I gave up and chopped down a dead sumac tree, blocking a path.

This one is a little more treacherous. It may have to wait.

We had our lawn tractor worked on. I wanted something different to do. I really like riding around on the tractor. It's a meditation of sorts. Concentrating on the grass and weeds, trying to avoid plants. (The milkweeds are beginning to grow!)

New blades and a new battery. Next fall I'll take the battery in. Mr. Mechanical Bob told me how to do it, just before he hauled it away. Remove the black cable first, then the red one. Assembly is the reverse, the red, positive on first, then the negative black one. Sigh. I'm nearly out of gas, too. Another chore.

I spent a happy hour on the tractor, trying not to kill the daffodils.

Refinishing

This was a nice project. I'm having trouble finding motivation, you see. Others are cleaning, organizing, doing gardens. I like refinishing furniture.

 The cat, I bought on sale somewhere. This is an old table my parents had.

My assistant.

These chores done, I was trying to figure out what to do with the terrarium.

I've been watching my terrarium. I should have been watching it more closely, but the outdoors calls. It's a pretty plant.

"Polka Dot Plant. A polka dot plant (hypoestes) is a small colorful plant native to Madagascar"

I don't know. I could trim it, but it's kinda quirky. What do you think?!