Fred, AKA Trouble!

But first, some funnies.

🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀

 I am pleased that people are wanting more of Fred Groundhog! I hope not to bore you. They are truly taking up my leisure hours, as well as my work efforts in the garden. I find it immensely entertaining. So far! The summer is young, though. 

Big Auntie Fred and #75 squirrel. You can see a kit in the background.

Fred makes its bed. Leaves in the mouth, a big sign. They've been working under the deck, under the wood pile (burrow #8). The people that built the house put lots of large gravel loads around the house for drainage. Fred pokes a piece of gravel with its nose. 

   

 I find it funny trying to keep track of them. I remember taking my three kids shopping. Madly counting: 1 – 2 – 3, all is good, all 3 accounted for. We've 4 kits, plus Auntie Fred, last year's kit. The coyotes grabbed a couple of them last year. All they need is 'one and a spare!' We've still 4. 

   

 I spotted a Fred on the driveway. I wonder where they go. There isn't a lot of land where they can dig burrows. The shallow soil doesn't lend itself to deep groundhog burrows.

   

 The sidewalk trailcam captured one in the act. FREEDOM!!!

 

Caitlin's Trip overseas

 Switzerland (SRH) 

In Switzerland, she went into the FIFA Museum. There was a shoe from a game in New Zealand. Barbra Banda's boot used to score the 1000th goal. Zambia's first appearance at FIFA. It was a game they attended when they were there a few years ago.

to Helsinki (HEL), Finland. Close to landing! 

sauna in the harbour

Suomenlinna Island by Ferry

The weather is good. In the 20s, not like Europe which has a heat wave. 

"The barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) is a species

 of goose that belongs to the genus Branta of black geese..."

Saturday's Critters

We continue to laugh at our Freds. We do have other critters out and about. I've raised the pots to keep them out of groundhog reach. They are climbers. All over the deck, and into my petunias and my zucchini. 

 With Fred choosing to eat the flowers, I popped this planter on top of a plastic crate. Butch raccoon had to inspect it. 

   

 I haven't seen the Fisher for a long time.

   

 One doe ran, another, the pregnant one, popped out of the yard.

   

 We had two bucks visit. It was while the HVAC guy was here for an inspection.

 

Pregnant doe!

 

Saturday's Critters # 654 visit Eileen's blog for more critters.

More Fred & travels

 Fred has been taking a lot of time and energy. Fortunately I am retired! They are rather adorable tree ground rats. Curtain climbers for sure. They are fairly nimble now, but they have to eat their way to hibernation. They really are teenagers! 

 

 As I've written, there seem to be two that hang out together. The play fights are quite amazing. The tail thumping. Biting. I would imagine it prepares them for predators.

   

 The doe is still pregnant. The deer fence works. Fred is a little more of a challenge.

   

 If you watch the video, you'll see him climb up the railing, sit, and watch me. Then notices the chicken wire I put around my eaten petunias. (Closing the barn door...) At the very end, you can hear what I hear out back. The little thumping of little feet on the deck. I couldn't figure it out, at first.

 

Meantime, my daughter, Caitlin, traveled from Ottawa (YOW) to Montreal (YUL). From there to Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH). After a few days touring, she is on the plane from ZRH to Helsinki (HEL). Eventually, she'll meet up with her community choir, they will have a series of concerts in the Baltics. What an adventurer she is! 

Barry Beaver has been sighted!

 I wandered down there, and saw waves in the shallow wetland water ditch. The water is so low. Patiently trying to not swat the deerflies and jiggle the camera.

He's been digging out a deeper ditch for a waterway. It's much safer for him. Wetland beavers are different from those on rivers and lakes. In the afternoon we were watching soccer and I heard a big crash in the back 40. Obviously a tree falling. Both groundhogs were on the deck chirping standing on their hind legs.  

Cinnamon had wisely come up on the deck. Other than Butch Raccoon, predators don't come up here.

You should have seen us! Two groundhogs standing whistling. Cinnamon looking worried. All I could see was the tree moving sideways horizontally! 

 

I didn't see anything serious. These are trees that he'd already taken down. He left, I think. 

Then I realized... a small tree is gone. Mystery solved! 

PART CXXVI – Consult in Ottawa

Tuesday, June 23 

Joe is managing prostate cancer. Things look good. We see the urologist annually, GP quarterly. We are going to carry on as is, quarterly Lupron injections. All is going well. It'll be 10 years on it in September. He had surgery in 2014. The Lupron is keeping the cancer cells in check. No other symptoms, other than the bone issues. His bone health has stabilized with scan #9, no worse than the previous bone scan. [Bone mineral density scan #8 at Riverside hospital, December 11th.]

Off we went into the city. Lots of fields, and little corn plants growing. We left around 10:00, taking our time. We made it into the hospital, sitting down for 12:00. Parking is tricky, but I nabbed a spot. The guy sitting across from us had been waiting an hour to be seen. We weren't waiting that long, 12:35 for a 12:15. Our appointment was supposed to be the day before, but they changed us to Tuesday. We cleared our schedule! 😉

From there we went to The Swan, made it by 2 p.m. An old pub, new patio, new menu, and all was good, once Joe Brian took out his hearing aids! There was a large group, and he couldn't hear me over them. 

The view of the Marina is lovely, with boats coming and going. There was a nice breeze, a screening in porch. 

Veggie burger for me. It was very good. 

The pub hosts a Farmer's Market!

Joe Brian drove us the rest of the way home. The hay is coming off the fields.

Riverside 

Billings Bridge

Manotick

It was a glorious day, once the driving was done!

A new burrow!

 Tuesday was our big trip into Ottawa to visit with Joe Brian's urologist. More on that later. 

The miniFreds have opened up a new burrow. Truthfully, Momma Fred (RIP) began it and I filled it in a couple of years ago. They are on burrow #8, right under the wood pile. I've closed up #3, 7 and 6. 

Can you see it?! 

It looks like Big Fred, last year's remaining kit, has retaken the shed burrow (#2). Squirrel #75 seems to visit.

This is the flag garden, nestled in behind the lilac. It was an attempt to video miniFred, who was climbing the skinny elm tree to the right of the flag pole. 

This is the very best spot for munching on milkweed plants! I'll only need a few blossoms to have seeds for next year, I write hopefully!  They seem to be their favourite food.

There seems to be two that always stay together. At least there is often a pair of the 4 kits. They are voracious. Watch as this one climbs the stairs and has full access to the garden. My dippy little fence is useless. 

 

 We've critters on the move in the night. I haven't seen any coyotes in the day time, but they are sniffing around!

 

Kiwi Gardens Art Show

 Off we went. It is always a lovely show, whether we are in the market for new art or not. 

Driving through Tay Valley, with the creeks, is perfect.

We drove behind this Nash Metropolitan. 

Kiwi Gardens Art Tour

We made it early, and found some good parking.

Zimbabwi artist, Chaka Chikodzi. 

A lot of artisans use recycled materials!

Beautiful sculptures, small and big. 

Can you see us in the mirror?!

Home and safe!