planning ahead

I see you!

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The girls and I made a trip into the city today, and when we got back, I made sure to visit the mamas and kittens in the sun room.

Two of the kittens have their eyes open! The orange and white tabby does not, and I couldn’t see the face of the tuxedo to tell one way or the other.

They are so adorable!!!

In other news, we are finally ready to get the trees done. All of them, not just a half-job. I made the call this morning, and they will come out within the next two weeks.

So two live trees that are putting the house as risk and one dead tree that is a risk of falling onto the power lines will come down completely. Then the power lines will be cleared of branches the whole way. They will be bringing a chipper to do the small stuff, and we will be keeping the wood (there was the option of them taking the wood away, if we wanted).

We’re thinking about what the next big job (money wise, at least) should be a priority. It will mostly likely be to rent a heavy duty chipper for a week, and clear out the piles of branches all over the place. Getting a quote to get the driveway done with fresh gravel is also on the list, but as much as it could use it now, this will likely be a next year thing.

Little by little, we’re getting the job done!

The Re-Farmer

Looking around

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We had a very foggy morning today, and there was still fog when I went out to do my rounds. I decided to see if I could get some good pictures from behind the barn, and ended up checking things out further. I have not actually gone done this way, this far, since we moved here, so much of what I was seeing was new to me.

The first thing I stopped to check out was some fencing around trees. There used to be a pig pen and a manure pile in the area. I can see that the fencing went around the trees, but I am unsure of why. It was done long ago, and much of it has fallen.

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Seasonal things

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I’ve been able to spend more time outside in the last few days. Aside from cleaning up the downed branches in the yard and burning them in the fire pit, this has mostly been assessing things and making decisions.

I was checking around the garden area and could clearly see where the deer were coming in at the corner.

20190420.deer.path

Even with the snow gone, the path the deer made through the ditch and over the fence is clearly visible!

I was also noticing some changes. Like this.

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Found it!

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We have finally reached a point where enough snow has melted away, and the yard is dry enough, that I can walk around most of the yard.

At least while the ground is still frozen in the mornings.

Which meant I have finally been able to look for the base of the grape vine that got surrounded by spirea, next to the storage house.

I found it.

20190411.grapevine.base

It’s still hard to see, so I put the arrow in. It’s hard to see because there is a spirea growing right up against it!

I’m going to have to be very careful, clearing that away.

Then I can prune it back and set up some kind of trellis for it to climb. I’m thinking of using the left over wire fencing I used to build the back gate. After that, it will be a matter of keeping the spirea from crowding it again. Hopefully, this will translate to better, bigger grapes to harvest this year. If nothing else, it’ll be easier to get to them! :-)

While doing my much extended rounds this morning, I had some delightful company.

20190411.butterscotch

Butterscotch does make it hard to walk at times. :-)

The Re-Farmer

Ice and snow

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

20190313.lake.ice

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.

20190311.new.carburetor

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