Another Five Mile Bush Walk

This was at the start of the walk. She was still perky.

Five miles, and no birds or deer to photograph. We did see two Ruffed Grouse, but Daphne spooked them before I could get a shot

 all in all, a good afternoon

Call it Lucky!

We bought these Orchids about 5 years ago and after the initial flowering, nada!

This summer, I got mad and was going to throw it out. Elaine gave an emphatic "No" to that idea.

So, I bought some orchid soil, split the roots, repotted and voila! instant flowers.

 I should have split one of the plants one more time, but I didn't  Anyway, a long story short. Elaine was right and we have flowers for about 5 more weeks. Life is good!

From This........to This

In only two days!

 The Larch, or Tamarack are beautiful

 The access trails are sunny and bright

 Then came the snow!

 It doesn't faze my faithful companion though.

 -3 C, feeling like -10 and she still wants to run! Oh well, only six months till spring!

Bits and Pieces

 I figured that I should maybe post a blog before I forget how! Its been very slow in the great outdoors probably due to the miserable weather. Everybody is in hibernation mode, including me.

My faithful companion is always up for a walk in the woods, or a trip to the Dog Park. Whitecourt is blessed to have a facility as great as Rotary Park! I caught this little guy sitting on a rock wall having breakfast. 

There are still a few Mallards hanging around. If it were me, I would be

in the deep south by now instead of freezing my tail feathers off!

 I have bee adopted by about 6 Blue Jays that are eating my bird seed like its going out of style.
 Then, there is always this guy that figures he should eat for free also. Hopefully the weather improves and I can go farther afield for some photos.

The Dog Days of Summer

A day in the woods with Daphne is great! It gets me out and working towards my 5 miles per day

Over hill, over dale and over logs. Nothing stops her!

 A brief stop at the dog park so that she can show off her retrieving skills rounds it off well

 The Kong retrieve comes right back to my hand.

 Along the river today, I spotted this Osprey. I am surprised he is still around.

 Fishing must still be good!

 This Mule Doe was another bonus until Daphne put the run on her. Daphne does a token chase and doesn't go far. I guess she knows that catching deer is not easy!

Our Blue Jays

I say ours, because they seem to have adopted us, or at the very least, our bird feeder. 

Some people don't like them, but I enjoy their loud and quirky habits.

Hopefully, they will over winter in our neighbourhood.

The nail strips that were supposed to deter cats don't seem to bother them. I put the bird houses in 3 foot iron posts that seem to work well.

First Day of Season

I took a walk for some deer today. All I found were a couple of very young does.

 They were not at all frightened, but posed and posed.

 Finally, one decided to give me the "eyeball" before wandering off.

Why Me?

Today, I drove a friend into Edmonton and got back about 1:30 pm. As Daphne was locked in the house all morning, I took her for a bush walk. I had just stopped the car and let her out when she bounded off the trail after something, likely a small bird.

However, it was a skunk! She came back a few minutes later, whining, rubbing her eyes and rubbing her head on the ground. Yep! She was skunked! She was also coughing, sneezing and trying to throw up. Definitely not a happy camper!

I loaded her back into the car, opened the windows and headed for home. My car now smells like a skunk farm. I headed to the vet for the latest in skunk odour removal. They said to forget tomato juice as it doesn't work.

Instead they gave me a recipe that does:

1 cup of lemon juice,
1 cup of dish soap, Dove or Palmolive
1 cup of baking powder.

Mix them all up together and use as a shampoo, rubbing it well in. Then rinse

It worked very well, but I may have to repeat tomorrow. There is still a slight odour.

I sprayed the car heavily with Febreze, but figure on driving with the windows open for a while.

ALL my clothes and 3 dog towels, and jacket went into the washer with 2 power balls. That seems to have worked!

 I hope none of you experience this experience, but can recommend the home made shampoo.

On the Positive Side

Yesterday was our first snow day of fall. We had a lot of moisture come down, but fortunately it was half rain and half snow, and has now pretty much melted.

The Magpies were flitting around , much like normal

 Its funny that every year after the first heavy frost or snow, the Robins descend and attack the Choke Cherry tree. I guess the cold sweetens and/or softens them.

Here is one trying to reach a clump of berries. Too dull a day to get a fast shutter speed!

On the positive side, the snow didn't stay!

River Walk

Besides the header change, here are a few of the "big game" shots taken today. Had to get a walk in today because we could have 5 to 10 cm of snow hit us over the next few days. The chipmunk was busy filling his cheeks with grass seed

 He was hard to pick out when he got in the grass. Daphne wanted a piece of him, but was on the leash.

 There was only one goose on the main river. The Sand Hill Cranes have been cruising over at about 3 to 5000 feet in big Vs of about 150 birds

 This Mallard hen either found something good in the mud, or was beached.

Snow! Not ready for it!

Patience Pays Off

All summer I have been watching for this guy. We have seen the grass move, and Daphne has chased something through the very tall grass. The Town cut back the grass from the pathway, and today we caught him out in the open. He was fast and this is the only shot I got of him.

Anybody know what type of critter this is? I think it is a ground squirrel, but am not sure what type.

Any help in identifying this critter would be appreciated!

Groundhog Day?

I thought Groundhog Day was in the spring. I guess I was wrong. In all the time I have spent in the bush around here, this is only the second time that I have come across them

 It could be that with the colder weather, he is looking for a place to den up. Anyway he was not shy, but kept a good eye on Daphne and myself.

 He liked to pose! He would disappear for a bit then come part way out. Now that I know where he is, I will do a quieter job of sneaking up. 

 Yep, definitely a wary eye! 

Spa Day

Twice a year Daphne goes to the trimmers where she gets a wash, perfume and a trim. In the fall, and spring, she can get confused with a floor mop. She likes to grow hair!

The after photo shows her in a better condition While at the vet today it seems everybody coming and going had positive comments and had to stop to skritch her. Daphne loved every minute of it. Other than 3 pounds over weight, she passed with flying colours. I was told to cut down on the treats and food. Hopefully, the Vet was talking about her and not me!

Now she is good until spring!

Two Against One

Here are a few shots of one of my grand daughters sent to me by her mother. Thanks, Jonita!

Actually, she is normally fairly normal

This is a normal shot.... of her hedgehog Biscuit


And this is what happens when grand daughter and friend attempt to gang up on poor Grandpa with the intention of tickling him. By the way, Grandpa is not ticklish!

Sure wished they lived closer.

Have a great long weekend!