New Birds today!

April 21, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

Another sick day for me today, so not much accomplished! My husband put out the food and water for the animals outside this morning. Now that the snow is pretty much gone and the risk of falling is reduced, he wants to do that more often, as the pain allows. He informed me that we were now out of deer feed and almost out of cat kibble, which meant another trip into town – our own hamlet for the deer feed, then the next town over for the cat kibble. We can get the kibble locally, but the brand they carry is something even the outside cats don’t like. I don’t mind going farther afield. It gives my younger daughter and I a chance to play Pokemon Go for at least long enough to get some achievements in the game. Still, I look forward to when I’m not the only one with a valid driver’s license!

When we got home, I pulled up near the house to make it easier to unload the bags, then we took advantage of the situation to clean up the garbage and recycling (yes, I keep recycling bags for sorting in our van, too! :-D ), refill the cooler we use to keep water bottles (that came in REALLY handy when we had to keep adding coolant the day the hose broke) and reorganize things a bit. So the back of the van is now all open and ready for when we do our monthly bulk shopping.

It didn’t take much to clean up the van, yet it was enough to wipe me out. I may be feeling a bit better, but wow, am I running out of energy fast. By the time we were done, I had broken into a sweat and my chest was on fire. Ugh.

Have I mentioned how much I appreciate that the girls are with us to keep things going when I’m out of commission? Well, even if I have, it’s worth saying again. I so appreciate that they chose to stay with us. They didn’t have to move out here. They could have stayed behind and done their own thing. Instead, they chose to stay and help us.

I am so blessed to have such amazing daughters.

Who also happen to be good cooks. Supper is smelling so good!

On the wildlife front, once again, we had very few deer visits. My husband had to get up insanely early, when it got too painful to be lying down, so he was there to see a couple in the wee hours. We didn’t see more again until about 7pm. I had hoped all our regulars would keep coming back; I really wanted to see how the antlers on the young males are coming in. Hopefully, we’ll still get visits from them.

The squirrels are chasing each other all over the place, but only one seemed at all interested in the seeds.

I love those little paws!

We also got a new type of bird today!

There was only one of this greyer one. The rest were much darker.

I’ve gone looking through my bird book, and there’s nothing quite like them in there.

There were quite a few of the darker ones. They are slightly larger than the redpolls. Their behavior is also more… sedate, shall we say. They seem downright chill, compared to the non-stop motion of the redpolls, chickadees and grosbeaks.

If anyone knows what they might be, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to know what they are.

Then Hungry Girl and Barbecue showed up.

At first, it was just Barbecue on her own, then Hungry Girl came trotting in from behind the house. She was much more antsy, though.

It didn’t take long before she took off into the garden area and stayed away, though I did see her grazing on the far side of the garden for a while.

Barbecue ran off, too, then came back for a bit, before finally taking off for good.

I noticed something interesting as they were leaving.

As the more shaded areas of snow slowly melt, we now have a kind of long, narrow “river” of melt water running across the opening to the garden, and then a bit past the spruce grove. After that, it’s still ice and snow, where it only gets sunlight for a short time in the mornings.

Both Hungry Girl and Barbecue carefully skirted around the water, to where it was still ice and snow, then cut across to the row of apple trees and into the garden. Going through the water would have been much shorter and faster, but I guess even deer feet don’t like getting cold and wet, if they can avoid it! :-D

I look forward to seeing who shows up outside our window, tomorrow. :-)

The Re-Farmer

Critter pictures, and feeling better

April 20, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

After another very rough night, and some major quality time with an electric heating pad, I can finally say that I’m starting to feel a bit better. This morning, I had even managed to get an audio recording of the weird noises my chest is making. While some was definitely cold related, the squeaking noise actually happens fairly regularly and is related to my chronic cough, so I figure it would be good to have a recording for the next time I go to the doctor about it.

Hungry Girl and Barbecue came by today. We are getting significantly less deer visits since the weather has gotten warmer!

Thankfully, the girls have been able to take over for me while I’ve been down for the count. As I type this, they are busily making supper. I don’t know what they’re making, but it smells delicious. *L*

Though still feeling sick, I did have to drive into town to pick up a few things. I’m the only person with a valid driver’s license right now, so it’s not like I could foist it off on someone else, though my husband was willing to do the drive. This, in spite of having his own rough night and still having really bad pain days.

For the first time since stores started putting them out, I actually used the disinfectant wipes on my hands and on the cart handle, then hid my hands in my sleeves to push the cart, while my daughter did all the touching of product that was needed. I sure don’t want anyone else to get sick because of me!

I’ve noticed for some time, the odd fur pattern on Barbecue’s neck. I have come to the conclusion that it is the result of scarring.

We are really noticing what a difference it has been, not doing that monthly Costco shopping trip in the city. We’re having to go into town for groceries far more often, and it’s costing us a lot more per item. We’re still not spending as much as we normally budget, simply because our budget had to be re-adjusted to pay for the work on the van; the money isn’t there to overspend. However, it’s more because of what we’re NOT buying, that what we ARE buying. It has set back making up for the costs of the move by at least a couple of months.

Hungry Girl was nice enough to give me a silly face picture! :-D

But we have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and the bills are being paid, and that’s the important part.

I think this is the first time I’ve seen a chickadee, just resting on a branch, rather than in constant motion!

Still, we are really looking forward to being able to do the monthly bulk shopping again, and restocking the cupboards and freezer!

The Re-Farmer

Almost checked off the list (plus critter pictures!)

April 18, 2018April 18, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

The goal for today: get my younger daughter’s learner’s license transferred to our new province.

Birth certificate: check
Health care card: check
Something with physical address on it: ______

It was the third item that was the stickler for us. Usually, it would be something like a utility bill, but she has none in her name.

So that meant a trip to the bank. She had updated her information online, but it only had space for her to add our box number – the mailing address. There were other things, like her employment status, that it didn’t have the option for her to change.

The nearest branch of her bank is in the town my mother lives in, which is a 20 minute drive away.

No worries. We could get the letter she needed, like the one I got from my branch in the nearer town, and get her driver’s license transferred there.

When we got there, I showed the lone teller the letter I got as an example of what we needed.

Turns out, she couldn’t write up a letter like that, and her manager wasn’t in. She could, however, update my daughter’s information and print out a statement.

It took several attempts before she could get a printout that included both the mailing address (which was part of the basic information) and our physical address (which had to be input somewhere else and was not normally included in any printouts). It was part of the paperwork needed for direct deposits, so when my daughter is finally able to go job hunting and gets a job, she’ll have that on hand.

Great! It took a while, but it was done.

Next: finding a place where we could transfer her license.

We couldn’t find one.

I realize this is a small town, but you’d think they’d have a public insurance broker somewhere. Maybe they do, but just not in the business area? There isn’t much else to the town for us to have explored.

We did go to a department store in hopes of finding some underwear for my husband, that didn’t cost $15 for one pair! We did find some – three for $15 – but none in his size!

Who knew it would be so difficult just to buy some gitch?

So getting her license transferred meant driving another half hour to the town we usually go to. No worries. It’s a pleasant drive with pleasant company.

Besides, the staff over there knows us pretty well by now!

My daughter had everything she needed and a file was started. She’s never had a license in this province, since she was 9 when we left it, so that actually made it easier.

The hang up?

She doesn’t have a full license.

To get a learners license in this province, she will need to write the knowledge test again.

Which isn’t done in this town anymore. We’d have to go to another town that’s about a half hour’s drive north of our place, or a small city that’s about an hour’s drive away from home.

The main difference is that the small city has places where we can combine errands and do some shopping.

We have an appointment booked for next week, when the CPP Disability comes in. That way, my daughter has time to go online and study a bit, in case there are differences between provinces, and we’ll have money for gas and groceries.

At least this is the only delay. Everything else is just fine, and the paperwork she printed out for us has the file number she’ll need, and we can finish processing for her temporary license in the same place as where she needs to take the written test (assuming she passes, which I have no concerns about).

Meanwhile, they had to keep her old learners license. Because we’re past the 90 days, she’s not allowed to drive, anyhow.

At least it should be easier for my older daughter. Hers is just a photo ID, not a driver’s license.

Little by little, it’s getting done.

The Re-Farmer

Deerly Deer

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

I only saw Hungry Girl and Barbecue come by today. They were much distracted by the antics of the cats while here!

Hungry Girl kept a close and nervous watch on the cats, and ended up taking off fairly quickly.

Barbecue took off and came back, several times.

Barbecue also graced me with some entertaining faces!

Such a silly girl! :-D

As for me, though it is still early, I am done for the day. Time to have some tea with lots of lemon and head to bed early. Hopefully, I will be feeling better tomorrow!

The Re-Farmer

Cats, cats, cats!

April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 / Re-Farmer / 2 Comments

Definitely not feeling well today.

Woke up and discovered I’d lost most of my voice, and what speaking I could still do had me sounding like Barry White.

It was a beautiful day, though. My husband actually made it outside. Not only that, but he was able to walk to the end of the driveway and back. Twice!

Okay, that second time was pushing it a bit, and he did have to stop and sit in his walker a couple of times, but it’s the first time he’s been out of the house, aside from doctor’s appointments, in months.

While out, I took a look at the area in front of the shed where we are storing my mother’s stuff. Right around it, things are clear of snow and dry, but there is a large area of water and ice that I’d have to drive through to get to it. We probably could still do it, but I’d rather not deal with all that water while hauling household goods. I’ll check it again in a few days.

Not feeling well meant getting some quality time catching up on projects – I finished a rope basket I was making and got it blocking, along with another basket I’d made a while back, with a lid. I’m testing out a stiffening method that uses Epsom salts.

Blocking 3 dimensional objects is definitely a challenge. The round basket and its lid have a forest of bamboo skewers sticking out of it!

I also got a couple of beaded bracelets done. Need to get my Etsy shop going again, and new inventory is always a good thing.

Which all meant I was near the living room window for much of the day, and finally got photos. Along with the deer, I got cats, cats and more cats!

And a story, in pictures.

Nasty Crime Boy: So there I am, munching on a rodent, minding my own business…

Nasty Crime Boy: … when suddenly BAM!!! I get attacked! Like, out of the blue, Man!

Nasty Crime Boy: And then he was gone, just like that. And I was like… whoa. What just happened, Man?

Squishum: I know nothing.

Squishum: The leaf! I caught it! I have vanquished mine enemy! Bwahahahaha!!

Trüllbus the Crime Eater: I am not associated with those guys over there. I just want my sun spot.

The Hand disapproves.

The Re-Farmer

Rough

April 16, 2018April 16, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

Rough night. Rough day. Ugh.

I didn’t get a single photo of the critters out the window today. In fact, it’s almost 9pm, and I still haven’t had my first cup of tea!

I did get a photo last night to share with you. Nasty Crime Boy came to the window upstairs for attention again. :-D

“Touch me, now. Don’t touch me or I’ll scratch you. Touch me, I said. No! I’ll scratch you! Touch me. I batt at thee!!!”

He didn’t really let my daughter pet him. He kept batting at her hand while still wanting her to reach out to him. Too funny!

I ended up awake until about 5am, unable to sleep. My chronic cough is tickling again, and I spent much of the night listening to my trachea squeaking. Inhale. Exhale. squeeeeeeeeaaaaakkkk. Inhale. Exhale. squeeeeeeeeaaaaaakkkkkkk. Inhale. Exhale. squeeeeeeaaaaakkkkk. All night.

Then I woke up to this, over my head.

Good Morning.

It was another really bad pain day for my husband, too. He’s have a very rough time right now. :-( I did make it into town to pick up prescription refills for him. Then I tried to stop at the department store to see if I could find him some new undies. There is one basic store in town, with clothing, shoes and accessories. There are a couple other stores that have clothing, but that’s not their main thing, and one of them caters more to the touristy, trendy stuff.

I just about choked when I found the men’s underwear. A single pair of briefs in his size cost $15.

We’re talking your basic gitch, here. Not some name brand, fancy-shmancy stuff. The next size up cost $17.

For one. Just one.

We walked around the store some more and saw things like an ordinary t-shirt – something I’d expect to find at Walmart or the like – for $50. Even the higher quality T’s in Walmart cost less than $10.

I realize that it costs more to run a business in smaller towns, where it takes more resources just to GET inventory, but this is ridiculous, even for here. My daughter and I wondered how anyone could afford to shop there, and how they stayed in business. Then we realized that some people might not have any other choice. Which is a rather depressing thought.

We tried going to a discount, kinda-like-a-dollar-store-but-not, store, thanks to my daughter remembering that they had clothes, too, and while they had better prices (we could get 3 pairs for $15), they didn’t have the size I needed.

So that’s going to have to wait until the end of the month, when we can finally get to the city to shop.

After we got home, I had to lie down for a much needed nap. Which is really going to mess me up for tonight, but I just couldn’t stay awake. Still ended up lying there, listening to my squeaky breathing, but I was tired enough to fall asleep.

So our daughters took care of things around the house, and my younger daughter even had a chance to block a project she recently finished.

Beautiful, but frustrating. She has made several lacy projects from this one crochet pattern book, and they’ve all turned out about 1/3 of what the finished size should be. My daughter does stitch more tightly than I do, but she also checks her gauge, and so on. Her stitching is meticulous and the stitches are always perfectly formed. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. Instead of a full sized shawl big enough to tie in front, she has a baby shawl that, before blocking, looked too small to even be a cowl or kerchief. It would have been the right size for her sister’s 18″ Josephina doll.

Blocking is making a big difference, but it’s still a fraction of the size it’s supposed to be. This particular piece is made in three sections; the 2 side triangles, then the middle strip, which is then used to join the side triangles together. That middle strip is actually about the size it should be, so it’s not just a matter of her stitch tension.

She plans to try again, using a larger hook and thicker yarn.

For now, it’s getting late, but I’m going to have at least one cup of tea before bed, dangit! :-D

The Re-Farmer

A Day of Rest – and critters

April 15, 2018April 15, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

Today was a day of rest from things like breaking down that wood pile in the garden. Unfortunately, it was also another bad pain day for my husband. With the weather getting warmer, he’s itching to get outside for a bit of a walk, but it’s not been working out lately. :-(

The outside cats were out in full force when I fed them this morning. All the regulars were out. Even The Hand came out, though she was still very stand-offish.

Yes, there are actually two food bowls with food in them. They just like to all be around one, I guess! :-D

My going back and forth to put away the bowl I use for the cat food, then getting the deer feed, was too much for her, though. She still didn’t go far, and watched me closely. Can you see her?

“You can’t see me!”

I look forward to when she is comfortable enough to at least not run away from the food when we’re around.

Butterscotch, on the other hand, has no such qualms.

“MY FACE! TOUCH IT! NOW!”

When she wants pets, she does get rather insistent!

Myself, I didn’t see a single deer, though they did come by. One, I just missed. Hungry Girl had been outside the window, while three squirrels were busily chasing each other through the branches, when Beep Beep suddenly made a flying leap into a tree after them, startling her away! :-D My daughter did manage to get a couple of photos first, though.

“Yo!”

I did notice a group of blue jays at the seeds and went over to get pictures, only to have them fly off into the trees. They used to stay when I went to the window, but now they don’t. I think something in the light has changed as spring progresses, and now they can see more movement through the reflections on the glass.

This was the best I could manage!

So uncooperative! :-D

My younger daughter and I got to take advantage of today being Community Day in Pokemon Go and went into town to play the game. That was enjoyable few hours together. :-)

Then we got home, and found this.

“I will haunt you in your dreams.”

Waiting for us.

Turns out my older daughter found it hidden away in the yard and left it for us to find.

It’s still there.

:-D

The Re-Farmer

No Deer Today!

April 14, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

I saw only one deer today, and it took off before I had a chance to take it’s photo.

Sadness.

Today was a day I ended up spending mostly on the computer, though I did manage some time outside enjoying some manual labour, working clearing up the pile of wood in the garden. It seems we can only go so far, then have to pause for the day, so that newly uncovered ice and snow can thaw, and we can get more out.

I do, however, still have some critter pictures for you to enjoy.

First up, this dapper little gentleman.

Oh, those adorable little hands!

Then I found these pictures on the card, that my daughter took. Too funny!

What, after I’ve posted these, and now that it’s getting too dark, a whole herd of deer will show up. :-D

The Re-Farmer

Our Daily Deer

April 13, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

I got very few photos today, but we got good progress on the wood pile in the garden.

The deer path goes through not far from some of the new piles we’ve made, so I half expected the deer might be a bit stand-offish about coming over, but nope; Hungry Girl and Barbecue came right on over, soon after we left the garden area.

It is nice to finally be able to get outside and get more stuff done, even if the snow made our footing a big treacherous. I am really looking forward to more manual labor!

The Re-Farmer

A New Furry Friend! Plus techie updates

April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 / Re-Farmer / Leave a comment

This morning, I had an appointment with my cousin, who had replaced the water pump on my van a while back. That would be the one that the garage is saying needs to be replaced, and that it was loose.

The water pump is fine. And if it weren’t, it’s still under warranty, and he’d be fixing it, at his own cost.

Also, that small coolant leak?

Has stopped leaking. This one, I saw leaking myself. I guess it just needed some time after work was done.

I told him about what had been happening with the coolant, getting the thermostat changed, then discovering the coolant had been leaking out the back. He commented that it was too bad they’d changed the thermostat – but it still might have needed to be changed, considering the age of the vehicle.

Everything checked out fine. My alternator is making a slight whining noise. He told me that I only needed to be concerned if it started to get louder. Which might not happen for a year, even. It would be an expensive job to do, because of how difficult it is to get to, so there’s no point in doing it now.

I also asked him about the stalling problem. When we first start the vehicle, it sometimes stalls right away. I start it again, while giving it a bit of gas, and it’s fine. He talked to me about the sensor and how, on starting, the onboard computer checks all the sensors. It could just be reading a lack of oxygen or something, but if I just give it a bit of gas while starting it, it should be fine. Nothing wrong; just a bit inconvenient. Replacing the sensor would be very expensive.

His recommendation? Change nothing. If there’s a problem with the water pump, which he can’t find, he will change it, at no cost to me. There is nothing to prevent us from taking longer trips, like going to the city and back. Not that we can do that, since our budget has been completely blown by all the work done on the van, but it’s a relief, to be sure.

I’m going to have to have a talk with the garage about that water pump recommendation.

As I was typing this, my husband just updated me. We got a notice in the mail from our satellite internet provider. They have access to a new satellite, which can offer increased upload and download speeds and less stuttering in service. There is also the option to upgrade plans with higher data. Which we don’t need right now, since we got two accounts to get the higher data that we do have. I don’t mind that too much, since one of the accounts will be something my daughter can claim on her taxes next year.

In about a week, we’ll get a call from a technician to come over and align the satellite dishes to the new satellite.

So that’ll be nice.

After I got home from getting the van checked, I was in my crochet corner, working on a new basket, when I noticed Hungry Girl coming up to the feed. And oh, look – there’s Barbecue over by the trees.

No. That’s Barbecue coming up now…

They brought a new friend with them!

A strange new friend…

My first thought was that was an odd sun dappling pattern.

Where there is no sun to dapple.

Wait a minute…

Sure enough, it turned out to be a piebald deer!

Clearly, a deer they were completely comfortable with. There was no animosity of any kind, like we see when Mama and the Twins or Detail and her boy come by.

There’s even a little big of it on her other side.

What a remarkable looking deer! I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve seen photos of albino deer, but that’s it.

Eventually, they left because of the cats. I hope the new one comes back! We’re thinking of calling her Patches. :-D

The Re-Farmer

The Re-Farmer

Sometimes, you need to go back, to go forward.

picture of the day

New Birds today!

Critter pictures, and feeling better

Almost checked off the list (plus critter pictures!)

Deerly Deer

Cats, cats, cats!

Rough

A Day of Rest – and critters

No Deer Today!

Our Daily Deer

A New Furry Friend! Plus techie updates

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