The Polar Vortex, trees, deer and pie....Oh my!

 January 18, 2025

We've had a lovely run of cold weather, although today the temperature is just above the freezing mark, and icicles are dripping off the front of the verandah. The Polar Vortex is apparently heading our way later this weekend, so that will firm things up. On our snowshoe walk around the bush this morning, the snow was a bit sticky. It tends to ball up under one's feet on the snowshoe webbing, when it is really mild, and you end up tapping the shoe against trees along the trail to dislodge the lumps. My old-fashioned webbed shoes are much quieter than the modern aluminum and vinyl (?) decked ones, but the modern ones don't have as much issue with sticky snow.

The bush is absolutely riddled with tracks, predominately of deer, but because we've been getting lots of little snow flurries, the tracks are mostly blurred out. One track is distinctive though, that of 'Stumpy'. That is a name we've given to a large deer, probably a buck, whose walking track is well spaced, sinks into the snow further than other deer, and each foot makes holes in the snow the size of a small tree trunk. 

This doe and her fawns show up quite regularly on the cameras..

Here, they are gathered near a salt block we've placed with a camera.
We have had some lovely cold, clear days..

and others, milder with hazy sunshine....

both of which are great for getting exercise and fresh air.

Tree harvesting continues, preparing for the 26/27 heating season. The snow is not too deep, there is only about a foot in the bush so the plough on the ATV keeps the trail drive-able. Most of the beech trees are past their best before date for firewood now, due to the Beech Bark fungus which is decimating Ontario's beech trees, so we've turned to birch, which puts out a decent heat when burned, and they are not long-lived trees. Here and there along the trail, we pick ones that are not in optimum health, and are more accessible.

Timberrrr....

 

This big poplar was more of a handful, but a bit of poplar is better for the 'shoulder' heating seasons, when not a lot of warmth is needed.

The beginnings of the pile behind the barn...

A couple of the latest 'builds' from the sewing room...

Needle books... one for regular sewing needles, and the mauve one for darners used in sewing up knitted goods.

A better solution than rattling around in a little tin box getting their points blunted. 

A bit of mindless crocheting for these dark evenings...

A Tunisian crocheted afghan to use up yarn left over from this Corner to Corner afghan I made a few years ago for our son.

As always, one needs food to keep body and soul together, particularly in the cold weather. The makin's of potato-bacon soup...All the vegetables from my garden.....

And to use up the lemons purchased for Christmas baking, (waste not...want not!) a lemon pie, cooling in the 'back porch refrigerator',