Monday, 25 September 2023

September is nearly done!

As we head into October, a peek at September rains.  

rainstorm Sept. 17 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've been having fun with outdoor decor. Scarecrow sits atop the cat. 


Just before I placed her there, I found a dock spider attacking a caterpillar. 

dock spider from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Some birds migrate, like phoebe. I heard one a couple of days ago. 

Some of our birds do not migrate.

I have heard our hawk in the forest. It is a juvenile rough-legged hawk, and has figured out how to fly and eat prey!


The crows and blue jays are having issues. They are calling to one another. It made me think of West Side Story 1961, The Jets and the Sharks. I heard quite a few motorcycles making a lot of noise on the highway on the weekend. For someone with anxiety (triggered by noise), I got so irritated. I am glad to know what the point was. There were 400 motorcycles in Perth to honour veterans.

   

Sunday, 24 September 2023

Charlie spider & Susie snake

 🕷️Just for fun, Charlie was on the move. I was worried about her. Her 🕸️ web was damaged, and she disappeared from above the hanging tomato planter. I spotted her above the steps!


It was a tricky spot to navigate. This is what iPhotos says she is: Araneus.

I didn't think that a good spot↑. She was right over the step and on the metal, having trouble negotiating it. I was able to just reach her with the bug catcher, and move her to the tree frog ledge up in the corner. (Installed by the previous home owners, I might add!)  She didn't like it, and moved to above the door.

She was still there, Sat., Sept. 23, and this morning. 

It is a busy spot, the front deck. My Mother's day hanging basket is still doing well. There was a moth beside it. 


Joseph Brian is doing morning walkies outside, around the house, and was looking for a replacement battery for the stop watch↓. He visited several stores in town, but none had it. One young man in a hardware store asked if he had a computer at home. Then, he asked if Joe had heard of Amazon. What a little turd! 

The wooly bear caterpillars are looking for winter shelter. There were several on the driveway.


I was looking at more dead trees I have to chop up and move off the path near the shed. I found a snake. Now, it could be a black snake, but I think it was a more aggressive water snake as it tried to attack me several times. It's difficult to snap a photo when you are laughing. 


It would coil up and launch itself at me. Bold little thing, uncomfortable on land methinks. It'll be looking for winter shelter, as well.

This is our new little aspen grove at the back of the property. It is coming along nicely. The previous owners kept mowing this area, but I've been leaving it. 

The house, from the back 40, nestled in the sunshine.

We sat out with Cinnamon and Nutmeg. They didn't go far. 

I thought I'd had my last rose, but another is budding! Yay!
 
I'm still working on 🍁Fall chores, as well as trying to plan a new 🏡 bathroom sink. I created a page to ponder my options.

 Google knows! I was doing my morning Waffle puzzle, and look what came up. Items on my Rona wish list.


Saturday, 23 September 2023

🇺🇦 Ajuinnata, Canada! Ajuinnata, Ukraine!🇨🇦 ❤️

President Zelenskyy visited Canada, where he and his wife, Olena Zelenska, were shown much love and support. Not only that, but many Ukrainians live in Canada. Some have citizenship, others are here until the war is over, in safety. He was warmly welcomed by our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and our Deputy Minister, Christia Freeland, is fluent in Ukrainian. Many traveled kilometres to witness this.

Media interviewed one young lady after the reception, an immigrant from Ukraine, who said she and her mother attended a stand up night where President Zelenskyy performed a routine, well before he was president. She approached the stage and gave him some flowers. She was just about in tears, with joy.

 🇺🇦 Slava Ukraini !🇨🇦 ❤️


P.S. I never thought to post that information, Barb. Our GG is Inuk! She is the first Indigenous person to hold the office.  Some people were ticked off that she couldn't speak French, only English, and taught Inuit at university.

Camera Critters

I went down to trailcams, in the peace and quiet. Behind me – the frogpond, in front, the wetland slowly turning colours.

  I took a photo of trailcam placement. I walked right by it, looking for the magical place I'd placed it. I hadn't downloaded the photo. Oh, gosh, I laughed.



Coyote Sept. 17, 1 a.m from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I'll show you the momma bear and 4 cubs. They came by, again. I wonder how they keep heading towards the neighbours, and I don't catch them coming back. They don't like to walk in the wetland, it appears. Perhaps they are going in circles!

 

bear 4 cubs Sept. 14 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've since moved that camera, all I caught was Butch. Twice!
 

Butch Sept. 16 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is what I think scared Cinnamon in the forest. A fisher. Nutmeg doesn't go in the forest, but sticks to the field where her mice friends live. 

 

fisher sept. 17 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Thanks to Eileen for hosting => Saturday's Critters # 510.


Friday, 22 September 2023

A chair, Perth, and fall colours

It is that time of year. I added painting the teak chair to my To Do list. It took longer than I thought. It was lovely in the heat. I took a photo when I was nearly done. I used Australian Timber Oil, and I'll have to remember the colour choice, as I really liked it. Whatever was on there before has worn off. 




Poor Joseph had to come get me, as we had a 2 p.m. appointment with Rona to work on our new vanity plans. I had to rush in, wash the brush, scrub my hands, and shower. It is peculiar how stressed we get with only one appointment in the day, when our days used to be full of work deadlines. More on this later.

Videos don't work well, but this is what I did:

counter samples from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Off we went, through Perth, to Carleton Place. Now, I saw a guy riding down the highway on a bicycle, holding a coffee in one hand, and not holding onto the handlebars. When we stopped at the crosswalk, another dude riding and holding a cup of coffee, riding across the crosswalk. 

I love this home, you can see a little spot of colour in their planter on the left. 


Every year I have to check for Ontario's hunting season. Deer season is Nov. 6 - 19. Turkey season is October for bow hunting, 2nd half for shotguns.

The colours continue to inspire.



It is harvest season!

The homes in Perth are looking wonderful.



This is progressing slowly: house with fire damage <= Jan. 2023
They have torn it down. I feel so badly for them. We are working on one bathroom vanity, I cannot imagine replacing a whole house. 


We noticed this place for sale. It is huge. With a granny suite and its own entrance, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, on 12 acres. 



Thursday, 21 September 2023

Autumn, and a drive to CP

It was a post for both good and bad news yesterday, wasn't it? I found, when my dad was failing, that writing about what was going on helps. And it does. It helps me process it all. . I do have to enjoy the good things in my life. 

The decor is amping up!


Isn't she a hoot, scarecrow girl ↙?! She needs a name. I tied her to the wall ornament. I know the November winds will come.

I painted the birds climbing the wall ↘. They were a gift!
 


I did my transplanting. Taking two lilacs and one maple, that had begun growing in the front garden, I plunked them on either side of the bench in the front yard.  




One of my Autumn chores is to remove the ivy from the railing, and then wash the railing. I can't start yet! There are too many critters sheltering in it.

Like these, I think these are Yellow Woolly Bear Moth caterpillars. They began in spring being yellow.

 

caterpillar from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.


Then there is the red caterpillar with black spikes: Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar. It is looking for a place to stay over winter.
I put it in a container, to take it to a safer place, then forgot about it. I couldn't find it until I moved the towel. 

Hypercompe scribonia
Great Leopard Moth

Giant leopard moth hypercompe scribonia 3.jpg

Wiki By Jeremy Johnson, - CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

We got out of the house today. We are still looking for a new topper, sink, and faucets for the bathroom. It is a process. We took off for Carleton Place, driving through town. Perth is usually known for its colours, with all the maples. 


There seemed to be Algonquin students doing to video work. (Note the colour of the tree.)

Do you think Perth needs a ring road? The trucks are just too big for a town that used to only have horse and buggies in 1816 during its founding.


Our old Hostage Exchange location during COVID. Poignant

What the heck, squeeze left? New hydro poles.


Look at the colours!

This is a little section of a county road that goes through a small town! I guess drivers forget that it is STILL 60 KM/H!

The decisions are the problem! We were really tired after looking at taps, counters, and sinks. Leftovers, and we put our feet up.

We've a new show we are watching: Professor T. It is about a quirky professor with OCD, is on the Autism Spectrum, has a whacko artist mother, and consults for the UK police. It is based on a Belgium crime show of the same name. After the first show we warmed up to it!