planning ahead

Ice and snow

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I swung by the lake this morning, after dropping my daughter off at work.

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The fishing sheds are still there – from what I know, they were supposed to be off by three days ago! In the distance, I could see some people walking on the ice to a vehicle. There’s been a lot of plowing of snow, done, clearing “roads” to various areas. The open water that was visible the last time I got pictures from here, due to a water main break nearby, is all frozen over.

This morning, I finally started getting the weather alerts for blizzard conditions tonight, in the southeast of our province. The weather system is blowing up from the US, and there is an expected 10-20cm of snow.

Except locally. Our area is supposed to get light snow flurries overnight.

Starting from about a week from now, temperatures are supposed to go above freezing, and stay there. I’ve been reading about the ice breakers already hard at work on the major rivers to the south of us, that drain into this lake. As the ice will be breaking up and snow melting faster in the US and the South of our province than here, ice dams tend to form, leading to flooding. The ice breakers are working to prevent that and will work their way up towards the lake, as quickly as they can.

Here, the ice will soon start to “rot”, and form into candle ice. This can be very dangerous, as the ice still looks thick and solid, but easily breaks apart. On the lake, at least, the tides will break it apart and start pushing the ice onto the shore. I happened to be on this beach one time, many years ago, as the tide was coming in, and it was really quite dramatic!

It’s already warming up nicely this morning; we even had fog, as we drove to town, closer to the lake. We’re supposed to reach +1C this afternoon, but it already feels that warm in the sun. The outside cats are definitely liking the warmer temperatures, and spending less time in the sun room.

I’m looking forward to when I can empty that room and clean it out, though. The warmer it gets, the worse the cat urine smell. :-( Ah, well. All in good time!

The Re-Farmer

Well, that almost worked

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Today, I went out to use The Beast. We haven’t had more snow, but I wanted to clear some paths that were blown over, widen a parking area, and make the path to the fire pit wide enough for my husband’s walker. We’re planning to have a cookout on the weekend. All this, I could do with the little electric snow blower, but is just much easier with the big beast.

Plus, I just wanted to use it, now that it’s running again.

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Just look at that beautiful, shiny new carburetor! :-D

Of course, things just had to go wrong, right? LOL

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Abandoned

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Usually, when I do my morning rounds, I stick to the inner yard and the garage.  Every now and then, though, I go farther afield and check on the septic field and the sheds in the outer yard.

Today was one of those days, and it took me past the old Farm Hand tractor that’s still sitting among the collapsing outbuildings.

You know how you walk past things time and again, look at them, but don’t always “see” what’s there, then suddenly something that’s always been there, catches your attention?

I had one of those moments today, when I saw this.

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Cat Mess

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So, this is what the cats left for me, this morning.

20181208.cat.messGlancing out the bathroom window, earlier, there were 3 or 4 of them – including Big Jim sitting over the light bulb – looking at me with innocent faces.

Or, more like, “where’s our food and warm water, human?”

It’s all fixed up now, but I wonder how it happened.  From the looks of the top of that box, I’m guessing a cat slid off, taking the blanket with it.  But how did the piece of Styrofoam insulation get knocked off?  The one that was between the box and the arm bar on the transfer bench?

The one that was at me feet, as I took this picture!

I look forward to building something better for the cats, next summer.  I have a few ideas, but I haven’t built anything of substance since I helped my dad build the desk I’m using right now.  One of the downsides of being the youngest of 5, and having 3 older brothers.  My dad didn’t have much need to show me how to do stuff like that, and my mom was determined to keep me in the house, for my “duties as a woman”.

Well, I can learn, and I’ve got two strapping young women to help me out. :-D

The Re-Farmer

Winter Prep, and future plans

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Well, I’m certainly glad that yesterday was a good day, weather wise, because today certainly wasn’t!

Yesterday had warmed up quite a bit, which meant the ice and snow was melting and coming off the trees with a constant rattle of ice pellets hitting the ground.  When I had the chance, I checked around the yard to see if we had lost any other trees or large branches, and am happy to say that we did not.  Just a few little branches.

Heading over towards the apples, I could see that, while we only saw one deer over by the bird feeder, there were certainly others we didn’t see! Continue reading →

Off the “get done before winter” list

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Yay!  I can tick “straw bale” off my list of things we need to get/do before winter!

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The renter was taking his bales off our field today, and this beauty was just delivered.

That is going to be enough for so many things!

The main thing is to cover the top of the septic tank – the other thing on the list is getting that emptied, and I’ve already contacted the company about when they’re going to be in the area again.  There will be enough to cover that entire corner.  I’ll be able to put a nice, thick layer on the small garden by the Old Kitchen.  The girls plan to rake some leaves to layer on to there today, too, so we’ll be able to build up lots of organic matter onto it.  This garden slopes, so I’m loosely planning to eventually build a low retaining wall at the west end, and find a way to do the sides as well, to level it off.

We will also be able to put new straw into the old dog houses the cats use as winter shelters, and insulate the outside of them, too.  I want to see if I can move those to more sheltered places, first, though.

We might even still have enough left to use the remains of the bale as a throwing target. :-D

Oh, I am so happy!

It’s the little things that make life good. :-D

The Re-Farmer

I missed you!

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I had to make a quick trip into town this morning, and came home to DahBoy, waiting for me.

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Okay, so maybe he was just watching the action outside, and not really waiting for me, but it’s cute, either way. :-D

Plans have been changed for the day.  I’ve learned my mother is going to be released from hospital this afternoon.  They were actually going to kick her out this morning, against doctor’s orders and before confirmation for home care, but my brother talked them into making it this afternoon, as was originally being discussed.  I am waiting on my brother to let me know when they are leaving, so I can meet them at my mother’s and help out.

Which meant a planned trip into town this afternoon, to drop some stuff off at the lab for my husband, got done this morning, instead.

Home care for my mother won’t start until tomorrow, but thankfully, my older brother will be able to stay overnight with my mother and be available for her until then.  If he hadn’t already worked that out, chances are I’d be doing it.  Hopefully, if my mother does need help with stuff beyond home care, she’ll call me, at a 20 minute drive away, instead of my brother, who is about an hour and a half away!

I think she is going to be glad to be home, and away from the noise and bustle of the hospital.

The Re-Farmer

 

Pretty, but …

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With autumn making itself felt for a little while now, the changes in the leafs is sometimes showing us things we couldn’t see when all was green.

Like this beautiful splash of red.

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This spruce tree is probably 50-60 feet high, and entangled in the beautiful, horrible, invasive vine I’ve been digging up and tearing out all over the place.  It looks so gorgeous, but from some of the trees I’ve found, is probably killing the spruce it is climbing.  Whether or not it is why this spruce has branches only on the south and east sides of the trunk, I can’t say.

We’ve lost a lot of spruces in the spruce grove already.  When I get to clearing in there next year, I will hopefully be able to cut the vine at its base – no chance of being able to get it off the tree without special equipment, but I’ll pull down as much as I can.  Who knows.  It might end up like the dead spruces on the north side of the house, and come right off as one giant triffid.

Once things are cleared and cleaned more in there, I will likely transplant new spruces into the spruce grove.  Like the two my mom planted right against the chain link fence around the inner yard! :-D

The Re-Farmer