Season's Greeting to you and yours!

This is a little different, Christmas in a time of COVID. Although there were many when I was alone, post-divorce, when the kids were at their dad's house. The first year, my girlfriend brought me a box of groceries! There are so many in dire situations, out of work, and visiting food banks, I know we are quite fortunate. I have made a point of donating to a couple of individuals who have called out. 

We don't have work parties any more. We don't visit with any 'neighbours,' so it's a usual Christmas, truthfully. Then, there were many years it was just the two of us. It really isn't a big deal! 

Deer on the ice, according to the tracks.

We heard, from the local feed store, that we lost a buck about 3 weeks ago. It was hit by a car and a they had it dispatched and taken away, as its legs were broken. Good on them. We last had a buck on the trailcams Dec. 5, so who knows which one it was. 

We've still pumpkin seeds.

This is what the red squirrel likes! Enjoy the dance... red squirrel

   

Then, there is the deer, back and forth! Doa deer 

I was up at 6:30 Thursday, and look who was there! If I'd only kept filming, I would have gotten it flying away. 

Whoooooo goes there in the dark? barred owl Dec 24 

No worries, I've photographed them plenty of times.

What else can go wrong?

Lazyboy

This is my chair. Sadly, a bolt split. I cannot lower the footrest. (The first is the before photo!) The cats are happy. I need someone handy. Actually, I think I figured it out, I just don't quite know how to do it! 

I tipped the chair up, to no avail. (This was when I came back in from outdoors. It's moist out!)

The issue seems to be the screw snapped off. It was in the hole where the red arrow points, but just the end remains. The brace, behind at the yellow arrow, is supposed to be latched on to this now defunct screw.

I tried every bit I own, and cannot drill out the screw shaft. It should be a bit made for metal, but I don't know what that looks like! I think I am stumped. My plan was to replace the nut and bolt. 

The bird bath

Next problem. I cleaned it out the other day, using the little hand pump, and realized that the lights stopped working on my bird bath pump. There is a lot of bird poop in it! The birds love the bird bath. It has a heater in it to keep it flowing. One year the robin overwintered and the heater went off. I have a photo to prove it.

I ordered a new pump and it arrived in only a few days. I went out in the damp cold to install it. It's meant for a fish tank, but it's fine in the bird bath. The problem is that the outflow pipe is really small. I checked the specs online. (I couldn't read the fine print on the teeny 'manual' and gave that up.)

It said, approx.8mm (sic) diameter hose. Yes, I wondered 0.8 or 8 mm. I put it in the birdbath until I could find some.  I use about 6 cm of hose to let the pump circulate the water and bubble. 

It's a clever design. 

Reading Glasses

First the $30 computer glasses from the drug store split. It Crazy Glued them, three times. Eventually, the arm fell right off. I finally went back to the drug store and bought another pair for another $30. No frames, and they are lighter (1.5) and I am hopeful.

Recharged

This was a fun one. We have lights going on the coffee table. The middle one runs on rechargeable batteries. They needed recharging, so JB plugged them in in Isabelle's office. He didn't turn them off, so when I arose at 2 a.m. to powder my nose, they were brightly lit! It was funny! 

It's way too warm for me. 

Yesterday, we were on the edge of snow/freezing rain or ice. 

We are in for a day of rain. This is not what we hoped for.

The skies are full of travelers. Sadly.

Well, there we go. I guess indoor chores are what we'll get done today. Although, I popped on the back spotlights and there was the barred owl on top of the flagpole. I'll process the video and see if it's worth posting. See you tomorrow!

Who goes there in the forest?

Every day, after my workout, I amble down to the trailcams. It's good exercise, clambering over fallen branches. There are little tiny tussocks all across the open ground. We've had freezes and thaws, and the frost heaves it. It crunches as you step on them.

Doe a deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The raccoons were awake. It was warm and above freezing, so they are out and about. Butch dec 21.

The Coyote Dec 22  was back, smelling good smells, apparently.

I haven't seen the Fisher Dec 22 in awhile, Nov. 18, in fact, according to my tracking notes: 📹Fisher. There were 6 sightings in October!

Apparently, pumpkin isn't on its menu list!

Presents and critters

It'll be months before a mass vaccination in Ontario. Ontario will have a province-wide shutdown Dec. 26th, my birthday. A terrible situation in Ontario. Still, it's better than getting sick. Ottawa was recovering, with zero cases in ICUs.

We're to stay at home, unless absolutely necessary. Shopping for groceries is allowed. This time hardware stores are requiring preordering and outside pick up, JB read.

 Yellow and green,  a risk of interprovincial and regional travel has been awful. Ottawa has brought COVID numbers down. The golden Horseshoe (southern Ontario from Toronto around the lake) is in a terrible state.

Christmas Presents

I thought I was good to go. All the other presents are under the tree. Some businesses have ramped up. Some have delays. This is what Isabelle wanted for Christmas. We were texting back and forth Nov. 24th. 

Dec. 7 

I was really upset when they emailed, Wish.com, I mean, and said they couldn't get the original. That took two weeks to determine. 

Guess when they said it'd be here? 

Dec. 21

Trailcams

I had a surprise. We have two bunnies! 2 bunnies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Finally, I managed to get the new camera working! That only took me 3 shots at it. I finally got the settings right, and had critters on the camera. He keeps circling the pumpkin, not quite interested in that!

He reminds me of that iconic wolf photo, with one eye covered by a tree in the foreground.

  Coyotes Dec 20 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Phragmites in the frog pond

Well, nothing on the trailcams, except us. I still don't have the setting right on the new trailcam. 

A full day of snow, then rain. I've been sitting on this post for a bit. Isn't it nice to see the green?

 

I've been concerned about our frogpond, with the plants growing in the shallows as the water evaporated over the summer. I've found out what it is. A native phragmite.

This is what they look like now.

Then, there are the invasive ones. Our country is getting rid of them. I saw them, they were using a remote tractor. 

Someone was harvesting them for something or other. How safe was this??!!