Last winter blast?

 The temperature dropped Friday afternoon. About a degree every hour. It was startling to watch.

Saturday was a cold one.

Cinnamon found a warm spot on my lap after I'd removed the tag from JB's jacket. Fortunately, JB didn't need the jacket!

The deer are sitting on the pine needles to chew their cud.

There were quite a few deer as we wrap up the rest of winter.

I think the contact paper is working. I am loathe to use your pie plate idea, AC, as we've had a lot of wind. The tapping would be louder than the bird! I just don't want him sitting on the railing and pooping. He keeps this up all year, not just during mating/nesting season. 

Saturday's Critters

The coyotes are beautiful. In all our years here (14), I've seen them in the yard twice. Once was when he was sneaking up on Daisy, the other time was this week at 7:30a.m.:📹 backyard coyote. 

Our turkey, Archie, whom he chased up the tree this week, wouldn't agree. I think that is who Chad coyote was after. He flew up into the big pine tree.

All of my images come from screen captures on the trailcams as they are wary of humans here and elusive. They are quite aware that our local farmers and hunters have weapons, and they aren't aggressive when humans are around. 

 

coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The poor critters in the snow!

coyote feb 18 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I love how they mark their territory in front of the camera!

coyote cedar corridor from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

The deer don't mark!!!

 

deer cedar corridor Feb 18 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They do wash ups where ever they need to!

 

deer in the sun from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Have a great weekend! Visit more critters here: Saturday's Critters # 532

Deer and coyotes, Woody Woodpecker the Cardinal

 I am having trouble typing. When I type I try to type I hit a key beside it at the same time. It's my own fault for putting the bandaid on this way! I decorated it, for some reason, then thought of those pussy hats they knitted during protests. I played with Graphic Converter!

Barb had a good question, I cut my finger with a steak knife. I managed to get gas on it, from refilling the snowblower. Then blood, I thought, but it was just spaghetti sauce! 

Yes, I have time on my hands. It really is enervating trying to type comments, however. I'm keeping my comments short, as it is so frustrating. I manage to hit caps lock, as well. 

Woody Woodpecker, the cardinal, lands on the railing and taps at himself. He also poops on the railing, which isn't fun. This behaviour will increase as nesting season begins. 

 

cardinal from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I am still working on the front door window. I've come up with Plan C, or D?! The square dots don't work, even with the tape on top of it. I removed the tape, which didn't dissuade him at all, and put on the contact paper. 

I had another idea, and sent my personal assistant in for contact paper. JB tested it out for me! It seemed fine, easy to apply, although I'm not good at making it straight or flat. I was awake at midnight, went to the door to see if it was raining yet, and realized that I couldn't out unless I was standing on my tiptoes. I cut off a piece and put it on the bottom. I only heard Woody Woodpecker, the cardinal once afterwards. 

Nope!

Walkies in the sunshine are wonderful.

She is having a rest, Feb. 12!

deer in the wetland from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We've not had more than 3 coyotes at a time.

3 coyotes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Soon this will all melt!

4 wetland deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Backyard Chad coyote visitation

<= That was chilly! This morning: 3 C. and it was raining.

I warmed up by playing Angry Birds! 

Fair warning, people. We've stories of people in pairs doing this in parking lots across the province: Belleville, Barrhaven, Kemptville, Carleton Place, etc.

Great excitement in the yard, Wednesday, Feb. 21st! JB was watching the deer out the kitchen window, and he spotted a pair of coyote ears peeking up behind the wood pile. I grabbed my camera, when he called for me. Coyote ducked back down, went behind the shed. 

This is what I saw outside, out on the back deck, while Archie turkey complained most miserably. 

backyard coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It warmed up, and the sunshine was delightful. I went walkies to fetch trailcam cards, and to see if I could figure out where the coyote came from. The first thing I found was some deer fur. Somebody got into conflict.

 

I wandered around, looking for evidence. Lots of tracks, they seemed to come from across the highway, along the drive, through the forest on top of the frozen snow.

This morning we are back to 'normal,' except the wind is really spooking them. They are vigilant. Duke, formerly known as Prince William, is hanging in. His ankle has been dislocated since Feb. 1st. He helped himself to lilac twigs. In spring the buds swell, and provide some food.

Duke and Archie have at it from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Earlier in the morning, they were here from 1:38 until 1:46 a.m., there are reasons they they gather in winter yards. There is safety in numbers. A coyote can't take down a deer on its own, here in the forest. There are no fences, and they just run faster. They came towards the camera only a couple minutes before and then stood here thinking about things:

Feb 21 deer from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

📚 Book Reviews! 📕

I was so happy to see the sunshine. And it is WARM in the sun. I sat out in my winter coat, under a blanket, reading! It was delightful! I finished this book Tuesday afternoon.

 Wonderland (fiction 2015)

This is a psychological thriller, by Jennifer Hillier, who resides in Toronto, Ontario, with her family. It is not for the faint of heart. 

Originally, it was only released as an eBook (which I do not, as a rule, read). Happily she persuaded her US publisher to release it in paperback in 2023. It was a great, gruesome murder mystery. In terms of the setting, it is loosely based on Hillier's experiences at Canada's Wonderland, north of Toronto, and time spent in Seattle. She is quite the tricky writer, with a vivid imagination. 

Moon of the Turning Leaves 

Waub Rice is a former CBC Ottawa reporter (20 years). He has written a sequel to his previous book, as well as moving back home to Sudbury. He is now a full-time author, living on his ancestral lands in Northern Ontario. Here is an excellent review of this book. 

When I reviewed his first book (BOOK REVIEW: Moon of the Crusted Snow) in 2018, he had one child. He and his wife now have three sons. 

The response was amazing to his first book. I was anxious for the sequel. He writes about the end of times, when people are fighting for what little food there is. He lauds Anishinaabe culture and Anishinaabe people! He provides a pronunciation guide online: 

 

The Dive 

This is a heckuva book, published in 2021. It is the true story of a deep sea rescue.

On August 29th, 1973, a routine dive to the telecommunication cable that snakes along the Atlantic sea bed went badly wrong. Pisces III, with Roger Chapman and Roger Mallinson (Wiki) onboard, had tried to surface when a catastrophic fault suddenly sent the mini-submarine tumbling to the ocean bed—almost half a mile below.

After a deep sea diving submersible exploded, the Titan (Wiki) in 2023, I was curious. ←This book provides a lot of information about the history of  submersibles. I got bogged down, put the book down, and skipped to the rescue. I finished it when sitting with a client. The Dive is being made into a movie, apparently. 

McGinty, Stephen (2021). The Dive: The Untold Story of the World's Deepest Submarine Rescue. New York: Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-64313-746-9. OCLC 1202305663

The In-Between, by Hadley Vlahos, RN

This is an interesting book, basically an autobiography by a palliative care nurse. I was quite amazed. Since I do regular hospice and respite care work, I was curious. It is a good book for anyone caring for loved ones who are dying. The end-of-life care people recieve truly depends upon where they live, their socioeconomics, and how much help they find. The important piece is to find peace of mind.

What I find interesting was that she confirmed many things I've heard, seen, done or read about end-of-life care. It is complicated. I remember sitting with my first mother-in-law who was dying of lung cancer, as well as a secondary brain tumour. She was worried about my sister-in-law, and I assured her that her daughter fought hard for her parents (both in the same hospital),  and she would be able to cope. When my father was in a coma, dying, I said that he was OK to leave us, and that mom would be waiting for him to take him under her wing. 

Sun and snow

We are on the good side of winter. Sunrise is earlier, and the sun, when it is out, has a warmth to it. My orchid is setting buds, again. Happy dance! They say not to put it in full sun, but the winter sun seems good for it. It is snowing again this morning, which is why the photos give me hope.

They didn't seem to know how much snow we'd get. We had a delivery Sunday afternoon and he said the driveway was OK. I left alone. Monday, my trusty blower was waiting for me! We had had more snow than expected and it required removal. I started her up and all went well. 

You can see where the mice friends came in under the door. The rodents have chewed it.

It looked lovely, with the sun shining.

Since I did the driveway, JB decided to work on the sidewalk. He did the back deck, as well. This is good, as his rotator cuff has precluded much of this for a couple of years.

Both the back deck and the middle deck were covered. The middle deck will have to melt. 

There is something about that blue sky and sunshine that warms the heart.

I had to use my snowshoes later on to fetch trailcam SD Cards. I haven't been down there in a week. 

There were lots of videos of deer and coyotes. I appeared in the cedar corridor.

 

snowshoes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Also, Caitlin did a walk by herself. I have evidence on two cameras!

Caitlin Feb 18 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.