Thursday, July 18, 2013

Just for fun! July 18, 2013

Some times.......you gotta do it......just because.
Well, yesterday morning, when we did have some sun.......for a while.......I was scratching Toby's ears and checking for the ever present ticks.....and noticed that on the wall.  Well, there is absolutely nothing I can think of I can do with this photo.....yet, anyway!   But, I thought the shadow was so striking I had to take it. 
No shadows today.....just rain...and fog.....and more rain......and more fog.  Wow!  For the first time ever, my basement floor is sweating so bad, I went online and ordered a de-humidifier.  If the weather continues like it has been, it will get some serious use when it arrives. 
Today, there have been deer playing outside all morning....plus lots of twins.  No matter which window I look out of, deer are playing or laying under the big spruce trying to avoid getting soaked by all the rain.  Pretty neat!  And....the fawns can really play now.....or just jump in the air....just because. 
Here's a particularly cute one of Shadow's twins....discovering they are being watched. 
The garden is at the point it is producing food to eat now.  Very limited quantities yet....but, the first tastes of fresh vegies are always the best!
One thing I will say for all our moisture.....it's been a while since everything was so lush and green. 
When we hear about the nasty fires out west.....we can appreciate this aspect of what rain does.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

July 13, 2013 A what to do day.......in the summer, even!

While I am trying to decide what I should do with today, I will show you what I did yesterday afternoon.  I have been out with my DR Field and Brush mower doing trails now...it's marginally ok for mowing, but still pretty wet in areas.  As I have been walking along behind the mower, I have been seeing all these nice wild strawberries this year.....too nice to leave just growing there!  Oh, I have picked handfuls to eat along the way while mowing; but, yesterday, after mowing yet some more trails, I went home and got a bucket.  This is a Schwans ice cream bucket.  Those berries are so big and juicy with all this rain we are having........yum, wonderful!
Of course, picking strawberries means you are getting right down in the middle of everything......which means......ticks!  I picked about the 4th strawberry and a tick came crawling up my berry picking finger!  Sheesh...that didn't take long.  I had them in a few other places by the time I got home.  Toby had quite a few more.  Luckily his newest appication of Advantix has kicked in.  I didn't get any ticks on me the past few days while mowing in that tall grass.  I still have a few miles to go so I hope that continues.  But, I can't get to some of those places yet because it is too wet. 
Heavily grey and overcast.  I didn't see much on the radar as far as imminent rain.....but, it would be nice if a little sun came out on the area to make all the Art Fairs on the shore more appealing today.  We put so much in to these endeavors, it would be nice if Mother Nature would cooperate too.
It won't be long, now, til we get to start sampling out of our gardens too.  Between building new beds to add to the fenced in area, more fence, more dirt hauled to fill them, etc.....they got started a bit later than usual.  It was so cool and damp early on, some stuff probably wouldn't have germinated anyway.
All my deer friends are being busy out here these days too.  The critters always give us something to smile or chuckle about.  When Toby and I were out for a walk this morning, one of the does and her fawn was playing in the ditch and splashing around.  Ample water for that.  Deer do love to play in the water.  Then, there are the antics between the deer trying to get a bite out of "her" bucket when the chipmunk crawls in and sits in the middle and stuffs its little face.  Deer looked at it sooo hard, ears back, head trying to go in the bucket.....but couldn't quite do that what with that little varmint in there.....and finally paws the bucket a few times with her hoof until chipmunk jumped out!  Yup...cute!
I will leave you with a photo of a fawn playing "chase" games......   :)

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Summer of bugs!?..... July 10, 2013

Here is a photo my  husband took yesterday morning while I was working on Hovland Arts Festival paperwork and writing checks to all the vendors for their credit card sales.   The deer were really busy out in the yard.  There were several does out there with their fawns, two sets of twins in the bunch.  So darned cute to watch....you almost forget to pay attention to what you're doing.   The fawns, of course, were having a wonderful time running and chasing and just being "kids."  The moms, however, were beside themselves.....since, they don't yet like anyone else by their kids.  Interesting to watch, for sure.  Zoe is still managing to find someones fawns to babysit on occasion.  So.....now and then, I guess it's ok. 
I am guessing yesterday morning, the reason so many were there at a time, was bugs!  They were terrible .....what with no breeze out there at all. 
This afternoon, Toby and I found it out....so did the deer.....even with a good breeze....that the deer flies were simply awful.  Jeez, Louise......I like to had a fit.  Toby didn't even want to be outside they were so bad.  I was watching Shadow's yearling buck.....with his cute little velvet spikes......out here stomping and having a fit!  He finally went tearing off, trying to lose some of those darned deer flies. 
Then, Shadow came out of the woods on a fast trot.  She was heading for the basement door........so, I knew it was treat time.  She was just covered with deer flies.  I brushed and squashed them off of her by the handfuls.  I think she appreciated it.  But, the other deer aren't lucky enough to have that option.  I really feel sorry for the critters having to put up with those dratted bugs this time of year when they get so bad.  Trouble is....if it keeps on with the rain at the rate it's been coming down......we will probably have bugs til frost.  Not particularly a nice thought.  Hopefully, the deer flies soon are done.  I don't know enough about their cycle or what makes them "buzz!"
I have been really busy just recently too.  With the Hovland Arts Festival work just about done with for another year.....I will have a bit more time to do this again.  I should have the bills all paid by tomorrow, I think.  Then, I will know how much is left over to pay the musicians. 
We had a just amazing turnout this year.  Saturday was so busy, I couldn't believe it.  They ran out of  food at the church and had to go for more.  I guess, when you are fund raising, that isn't a bad thing.  But, the people were amazing and from all over.  Several southern states were represented.  I talked to people from California.  There were, of course, Canadians.  It was a wonderful day and event.  But then too, we had a lot of amazing artists this year, several of which are professional, year round  artists.  Hovland does have talent!
I have started mowing my trails now.  I made a couple of trips around one of the circles today.  It is so wet in many places, it is a pain.  However, if I am going to wait for it to dry up, I may never get it done.  I haven't had the chipper out there, as planned, since I would cut the trail all up trying to get that heavy thing back there.  I have hopes August will cooperate a bit, anyway. 
The garden is coming along nicely.  It shouldn't be too long until we can start sampling.  I have been nibbling wild strawberries on my walks now.....yummm.....
I had another pleasant surprise in my emails today when the moose biologist emailed me and asked to use my moose photo with the ticks again.  I guess that photo is really popular.  I think I posted one of them some time back...probably the one with me in it.  This one, however, is just showing the almost one year old moose laying there, half bald and covered with ticks.  It most certainly make one feel bad to see a critter in this shape.  It is another one of those photos, that when I took it, I had no idea it would become so popular.  I most certainly never expected a professional publication to post it in their book.  So.......I guess one never knows.  The biologist told me he has seen it a number of places as it is one of the best representations around of a sick moose while still alive...showing the issues. 
I just hope, somewhere down the road, they find out what is killing them.  I miss seeing all the  moose around here that we used to have. 
I'll end with a photo of one of the growing fawns.  They are growing fast now....and so darned cute to watch when they are playing. 
Then......for me......back to business as usual until another big project or festival comes up!  :)