Tree work is nearly done!

 The horse chestnuts are coming along. I see our black squirrel and the Dratted Red Squirrel up the tree after them.

I am so feeling better! I did some serious yard work. The front yard was a bit of a dark mess, not actually darkness. The Maple branches were encroaching. I was in danger of decapitating myself when zooming around on the lawn tractor. 

BEFORE:

The Maple, below on the left, shades the Catalpa tree that died, and regrew from the roots.

AFTER:
There is much more air flow under the Maple and around the Catalpa tree.

I screen captured from the Dashcam from the other point of view. Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself I actually did some work!

Unfortunately, I ran over a large sapling I'd dug out of the garden last week. Then the chopper blade stopped working. Oh, dang. Deciding against putting it away in the shed, and tucked it under the tree beside the house. Hhhhmmmm. Figuring I'd have to call our repair man, Bob, it was a good spot. Walking away, it occurred to me. I'm not mechanical, not at all, but I thought it through and gave it a good look. The belt was off of the driver! I fixed it. I gave myself a pat-on-the-back. Finished the job!

A view along the flag stones below. Non-mental note! A view from the end of it, and the front porch. It was very satisfying taking down the deer fence. 

I even managed to lift the bell back up into its rightful place.

Work to be done: branches to cut up for kindling or the brush pile. 

A bit of work cutting them up. I've two batteries for it. Once the first one runs out of juice, I take a rest!  

The only disaster was a scraped foot. My most recent blackfly bite is under the bandaid! I decided to read and rest.

And, I'll leave you with a memory that popped up on Facebook. This was 19 years ago! Joe and I visited Jesse in PEI where he was performing in Anne & Gilbert, the musical.

Farewell summer...

 It is a poignant time of year for me. We always came home from the cottage the week before school started. Mom would do a massive house clean while playing Christmas music at full blast. She didn't start work until September. Dad escaped to the office!

We haven't gone anywhere or done anything, since we've been so ill. Joe has been great about figuring out meals. We've a couple of things coming up and I will look forward to getting out of the house. The Perth Fair (the heavy horses), the Sundance Artisan Show, are two things we shall try for. 

The garden is wearing down. I am very behind in weeding. I filled a large garbage can yesterday. Once the seeds disperse one is doomed. My one pumpkin and one zucchini look good 😣, thankfully we've lots and lots of cherry tomatoes. 

It is joyful reading about all the people preparing preserves for winter. 

The thunder storms will stop. I figured out how to do a live screen capture of the recent August storm on LightningMaps.org.

 

 The hummingbirds were still here as of Friday, visiting the petunias and various wildflowers. Soon they will be gone. I spotted one the other day on the petunias.

The Woodland Sunflowers are still in bloom, but some are losing leaves and petals. I'm not ready! The butterflies are disappearing. The large ones don't last too long. The season is so short.

Bees, wasps...

Our Ottawa kids are canoe camping in Algonquin Park this week. They rent a canoe, and have it dropped off at their launching point. Then they canoe along the lake, portage, and find their camp site. 

Then school begins. 

Caitlin bought a canoe on Kijiji for less that the cost of renting a second canoe. They tried it out at the beach! Aster and Jo sure are growing.

Saturday was a let down! We'd watched the DNC speeches. VP Harris is amazing. Driven, positive, determined to improve the lives of all Americans in terms of housing, healthcare, human rights. It's a lot to hope for, but all the people around her have changed the tone of the election. 

The dawn has arrived.

Saturday's Critters

 I transplanted this sputnik bush. I've had it for years and it isn't doing well. It had a little friend. 

Our buck!

Porcupine

Turkey on both trailcams!  

 The doe was in the forest

 

They move so fast, the coyotes. Porcupine, not so much.

Backyard doe and cottontail

Saturday's Critters # 558 <= visit more critters here.

Hooray, it is Friday!

It was time to bring the Bluebird nest box. Here is was in 2020, when it was newish. I kept moving it around, hoping for a bluebird.

We've never had a blue bird, but the House Wrens like it. 

We didn't have any wrens this year, though. I usually bring the nest box in during our harsh winters. I'll sand it and refinish it. It is getting on, just like the rest of us. Sadly, it had tenants, again. Wasps! It'll sit here until they are done. It happened last year, but I didn't learn my lesson.

Our Monarch caterpillar was still here, but by the end of the day it disappeared. I hope it is going to eclose. This is the generation that flies back to Mexico for the winter. 

The hibiscus has a guest.

I'm always checking for tree frogs. Can you see it in the window? I think the bugs are attracted to the kitchen light at night, and therefore the tree frog is here for 'clean up in aisle 15!'

We spent Thursday morning watching the PVR'd Democratic National Convention. We were easing ourselves into the day. It was very moving, the speechifying, and the energy in the room is amazing. There were many speakers we'd not heard before. It's quite a different system than Canada's electoral system. 

I worked on the water fountain, which had slowed to a trickle. I knew there was something wrong. I dismantled it, and found mineral deposits blocking the valve. I am easing back into activities after COVID and my lingering cough. This is a good sign. 

Cinnamon and I were reading on the back deck. He decided to try to leap up onto the railing. I am not sure why. It wasn't elegant. He managed to hook his front paws up there, but was a bit short. He hauled himself up, however, and made it. I'm not sure his purpose. 

Joe gifted me a new piece of heron art. Also, a new drawing pad, with a cover by a First Nations artist, and some lovely coloured pencils. I sat out back and began a drawing. Soon it'll be too cold to sit out here. 

Happy anniversary!

 Here we are, Aug. 22nd. It is our 22nd anniversary. We talked about going to Kingston for an overnighter, but that isn't going to happen. It is chilly and maybe rainy. I did have a surprise!

 

I spotted a really tiny tree frog on the railing. It has to be this year's baby. Another one. It's good to see.

Wednesday I saw a storm move in, there were pop-up popcorn clouds all day Tuesday. It is an unusual storm, as it came from the north north east. Another cold morning, at 12 ℃. but I haven't had to put the heat on! 

The bumble bees are busy gathering pollen. Our woodland sunflowers are providing ample food.

I love a good storm!