Gardening, fishing and observing....

July 7, 2026

The last day of June gave us a good 5cm of rain, then the heat and humidity moved in for the first few days of July. Everything in the gardens grew like crazy. Just when the heat and humidity got almost unbearable, there was a bit of a cool down to comfortable temperatures and no humidity. We had a few days when the windows and doors could stay open, but today, things are heating up again. 

Everything garden-wise is doing well. Yesterday I harvested and processed over 4 pounds of broccoli, and in a couple of days, a few more heads will be ready to be cut. 

Peas are starting to fill out. We had a first taste last night, and soon we'll be inundated. 

Wild strawberries are fat and juicy this year. These were picked in just a few minutes. Absolutely delicious.

There is not much happening on the trail cameras. The usual deer, this doe and fawn at a salt block...

and Turkey vultures squabbling over the fish entrails put out after our fishing expedition. The Raven in the background is patiently waiting.

The Phoebes in the nest on the verandah have just fledged, so we no longer get scolded for using the verandah. The Catbirds are still ferrying food to their nest in the lilac bushes, and there is a Song Sparrow nesting in the east side cedar tree out front.

We are only now, beginning to see the odd Monarch butterfly around. Over the last few years, they have been arriving later and later.  

There are five mystery plants growing in the front yard, over along the bush edge. Their alternate leaves are longitudinally veined, and sure look 'orchid-like' to me. The bud spike on the most advanced one, has gone from drooped over, to vertical, and there are little buds all along it. 

Meanwhile, another outing on the beautiful Bonnechere, the clouds drifting along with us, and a couple of nice Pike, a Bass and a big Crappie in the cooler.... 

  

Garden stuff...mostly....

 June 30, 2026

Just back from a quick perusal of the gardens, as thunder is rumbling and rain is starting to fall...yeah. Mother Nature has been good with the moisture, but more is now due, and she seems to have gotten the message. 

Just some random pics of garden stuff...

This is the rhubarb...one could use the leaves as an umbrella. That is a meter stick in the middle, and some of the stalks are almost as big as my wrist. Thankfully I harvested and froze enough for winter treats while the stems were young and tender.

Lemon lilies have been delightful, but there are only a few still blooming now, time to dead head.

On the subject of flowers, we went searching for Wood lilies, and found them...

 

Close by, I found these guys... 

What a thrill!  Showy Lady Slipper orchids! Getting to them would require hip waders and walking sticks, so this was taken from a distance with a shaky zoom. That stem is close to a meter high! Bonus, I could see several clumps beyond these! (click on the picture to see how beautiful they are.) 

My 24 celery plants are doing well. One is supposed to hill each plant up with soil once they get around 8 inches high. I pushed bottomless pots into the soil around each plant, and filled them with vermiculite. When the girth of the plants gets bigger, the pots will come off. 

There are 4 beautiful Caraflex cabbages in the end of the brassica bed. I bought one at the Farmer's market last year, and made a trip back to ask the vendor the name of the cabbage. It was amazing.

The broccoli are forming heads,

and all are living happily, well mulched, under the row cover.

Peas are blooming and making pods along the pea fence which will transition to the cucumber fence, as the vines along the front grow. This arrangement worked well last summer, so I'm doing a repeat.

Determinate tomatoes are looking good, stakes at the ready for support as they grow. 

The beefsteaks are in the field garden, mulched with straw and with much sturdier stakes. I've tried cages, but prefer stakes, as the plants are more accessible.

Down the side of the field garden, are the glads, another bed of spuds beyond the tomatoes, one of more beans, a random bed on which I threw all my old seeds, (they are surprising me), pumpkins and squash on the far side and end along with some climbing beans on another piece of fencing there. 

A bigger bed of potatoes is planted down near the barn. Deer are not supposed to like nibbling on plants in the Solanaceae family, but apparently I neglected to inform them, and they all have to try a leaf or two to figure it out for themselves. The plants on each corner have been sampled, particularly the right foreground.  

Our peace was a little shattered for a couple of weeks, but seems to have returned now. A nearby property had it's large Red pine plantation thinned, and the sound of saws and skidders was cringe-worthy to this tree and bird lover. Here is maybe the last load, awaiting the truck.

On a happier note, we did get out for the opening of Bass fishing season. It was a cool day, but the clouds were beautiful, and we caught our limit plus a few nice Perch. 

 

Critters big and little, furred and feathered....

June 20, 2026

 Happy Solstice tomorrow!

So, to recap a bit, here is Hubby up the tree mounting the owl nest box. 

It was a bit of a struggle getting the long ladder in to the chosen tree, and then extending it up. I was under the ladder holding it against the tree for dear life as firmly as I could, so he could go up the first time and ratchet strap the top of the ladder to the tree for the stability needed to affix the box. Meanwhile, it was a hot, humid day, and we were both being eaten by swarms of biting insects. With a pulley ratchet strapped to the tree, and a long rope, we got the hefty box up, positioned and affixed. It is mounted on a large branchy hemlock beyond this ridge from which we have a vantage point to see it. 

Meanwhile, in the bush, the lady slipper orchids are fading, but they were beautiful, and I am always amazed at how well those bright pink ladies hide amongst the greenery.

The glossy leaves of Goldthread is carpeting the ground in more moist areas of the bush.

I pulled up a bit to show the reason for it's name. The roots have medicinal properties, and from childhood, I remember folks who harvested and used it. 

Robins are the first birds to herald the dawn, and here is a picture off of Bird Cam, capturing the moment!

We know the catbird has been hanging out around here, proven by many pictures of it on Bird Cam.

Furred, as well as feathered critters are using the net-ball of roving in front of the camera. Regular visitors are chipmunks, (perhaps it is lining it's burrow?), flying squirrels, and mice.

This picture was captured on a trail camera last week. 

Last evening, a doe and fawn wandered in the driveway and the doe browsed her way along the south edge of the clearing, the little one keeping close to her. 

This morning's trail camera surprise was this...

Darn, just missed you!



 

 

Blogger is thwarting me....

 June 14, 2026

Blogger has been giving me issues, particularly refusing to let me post photos. I wanted to show you the owl box being put up. That involved a lot of bug bites, bushwhacking and sweat, but we are happy with its place over on the back side of the property, in a place far away from trails and roads. A few years ago, on a walk through the area, I encountered two fluffy owlets watching me curiously from above, so I know the owls like the territory. 

I'm pretty sure the Gray catbird is nesting in the lilac bushes. It is quite a dense tangle, and the birds frequent it all the time. We've seen her popping in and out, foraging for bugs on the ground throughout the flower bed. Eastern phoebes have a nest up under the eaves of the verandah, and Hubby was sure he heard little peeping sounds yesterday. An American robin has chosen to nest in the top of one of the pyramidal cedars out front, just under the eaves, behind the drip line of the verandah. Robins have tried that spot before, unsuccessfully, as Blue jays raided the nest that time. We also found the robin's nest in the woodshed on the ground...raided we think by raccoons. The same critters, and perhaps maybe a skunk has been doing some unauthorized cultivating here and there in the food and flower beds, so everything is strategically covered in screens and hardware cloth. Once the plants get big enough, I'll feel okay with removing the deterrents. The deer have been doing a little nibbling on my fruit trees, so a batch of homemade anti-deer spray is being concocted to go into service before the store-bought stuff runs out. Gardening is an on-going battle. Yesterday the trail cameras showed a new member of the herd, a tiny, spotted fawn following her mom by one of the cameras. A new inductee into the art of garden raiding.....

Mother Nature has been good and consistent about giving us sufficient rain and warm temperatures, so watering has not been needed, although we are ready, with the big tanks pumped full. 

The gardens are starting to show their mettle. Now is my favourite time, waiting, watching and doing regular maintenance on the plants. Every early morning garden reconnoitre is a new adventure.

 

 

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It's Apple Blossom Time...

 May 31, 2026

The crab-apple tree just west of the house has pretty much lost all of it's petals in the ferocious winds we endured Friday afternoon and evening. She was a thing of beauty, her aroma permeating the air all around, full of buzzing life, and an amazing bird magnet...

A flock of at least of 10 Cedar Waxwings made daily visits to the tree, to eat the blossom petals, and I got occasional glimpses of a warbler busily flitting about, harvesting bugs. I think it was a Nashville warbler, but it never held still long enough to give me a good view. We will be inundated with fruit late this summer, if things go well.

The wind on Friday afternoon was scary, 55 to 70 Km/hour wind gusts, lasting into late evening. Doubly concerning, was the appearance and smell of fresh smoke. What a burst of adrenaline that causes, living as we do, surrounded by bush that could use a good rainfall. How does one report a fire when one doesn't know where it is?? On contacting the fire chief, we found out there were 3 fires to the north of us, caused by arcing where the wind had downed trees onto power lines. The bush is tinder-dry, as we haven't had rain for a while. We are so thankful for the folk who dealt with the fires.

Saturday morning Hubby scouted the road with a chainsaw before we headed out, and did have to remove some obstructions. Our destination was a tour of St. Francis Herb farm in Barry's Bay. 

It is early in the season, so the fields were being prepped and the greenhouse was full. 

https://stfrancisherbfarm.com/

 Off to the side of the fields, their pollinating partners...

On Thursday, we built something I've wanted for a while....

An owl nesting box. We made it out of spruce boards from trees harvested and milled on the property, but had to do a little 'board and battening', as the boards were not quite wide enough. We may need a chain hoist to mount it when we find the perfect place! It is too late for occupation this year, but putting it out now will allow the critters and birds to become accustomed to it, and hopefully it's garish new wood look will weather a bit.

On the subject of owls....These pictures came off of Bird Cam today.

Our resident Barred owl really likes to sit up on the branch in front of the camera. A good solid place to preen his/her toes...(click on the pics to get a better look at those amazing talons.)

The Gray catbird who has been hanging out and serenading us from the crab-apple tree and the lilac bush for quite a while, took a break in front of Bird Cam, and in one shot appeared to be pulling wool roving out of the ball of nesting material.

In the woods, things are blooming. 

Fringed Polygala,
 

Star flowers....

and Lady Slipper orchids. 

In the garden....hopefully tomorrow, the tomato and pepper plants will get planted out, and seeds for warm weather crops put into the ground. The forecast for the next two weeks shows gradually warming temperatures, particularly the overnights, which have been very inconsistent about reaching the 10C (50F) mark so far.

 

It was just a matter of time...

 May 24, 2026

...until these guys spotted the pond and green grass,

so now the Geese Wars are on. Usually we only have to open the back door to start them on their merry way, but I walked toward this pair, and they continued to graze some more before they waddled away complaining, and finally took to the air. 

It's Time .... to start planting! Today I planted out my well hardened off little celery plants and put a few marigolds among them, then covered the bed with hardware cloth propped up on bricks. For whatever reason, the local fox family have to investigate by digging, anywhere I have disturbed the soil, so until plants grow and fill in a bit, the hardware cloth stays on. 

The pea patch is up, onion sets, seed onions and garlic are looking good, and yesterday we got the anti-cabbage moth, anti-deer, anti-any other critter netting stretched over the brassica patch. 

Some potatoes have been planted, carrot and beet seeds are in the ground, and there are young lettuces almost big enough to start harvesting a few leaves. 

In the kitchen, processing lovely, young, fresh rhubarb for the freezer, for winter pies and puddings.

When Mother Nature gives you so many dandelions, it's time to try your hand at making dandelion wine....

Picking all these blooms is a brutal exercise for one's back. Yep, those are tweezers for picking out any green bits I missed.

Time will tell how well I succeeded.

In the bird department, some pictures taken through the window. Credit goes to our son for the shots. Somehow he was able to focus between the bird anti-collision dots on the windows, and avoid any blurring.

An iridescent Grackle on the seed tray,

two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the nectar feeder,

a female American Goldfinch in the crab-apple tree,

and a male Purple finch, ditto. 

This spring we have been daily serenaded by a Gray Catbird, who seems to like sitting up on the highest twig of the crab-apple tree. He has quite the song repertoire.  

Out and about, Marsh Marigolds are blooming in the ditches,

 and Lady Slipper Orchids are budded up.