June Days

My husband, my daughter, and I were all born in June. 

 

It really is the loveliest month.  Fresh greens, soft blooms and butterflies abound.  The days are warm but not oppressive and the nights are cool.  The air is sweet, and all of the birds start to sing their summer time songs.

 

The mosquitoes are certainly terrible this year, and I am finding myself inside more often,  but when the wind is up and the sun is shining, it's simply perfect.

 

 

Hiatus

I'm sure you've noticed my posting has become quite infrequent.  Being 39 weeks pregnant, I've had other things on my mind and on the go.

 

I'm still here and I will be back! 

 

But for now, I am enjoying my last few days with only one child and finishing many last minute tasks.

 

See you soon.

And the Sun Returns

After a week of rain and ice (yes, ice) the sun has returned this morning. 

The blackflies are still nagging us with their presence and temperatures have been less than favourable for getting rid of them.

I really don't mind the rain - and we needed some, and the cooler temperatures don't bother me, but I am pleased to see the sun this morning.

The Longest Weekend

I'm sure what I'm about to write won't go over to well with some readers.  That's fine.  I'm sure I sound like a grumpy old man who is shaking his fist.  I've come to terms with that.  Maybe I just hate fun.  Maybe.

The first long weekend of the summer is upon us, and once again I need to complain. 

Cottagers.

Cottagers punctuate my perfect peace and congest my daily activities.

Once again, I long for the work week to return, and better yet, Labour Day.

I'm Here

...and so are the bugs.

 

I find the days passing so fast lately, and I hardly have time to sit down and write.  Or think, for that matter.

 

I have five more weeks before my due date, and things are feeling pretty busy right now.

 

The greening of the land has begun - leaves are springing out on the trees and with the next few days of rain fore casted, the grass and other plants will start growing very quickly.

 

I hope that you are enjoying these lovely days that spring has finally bestowed upon us.  Right now everything is alive with possibility, all is fresh and green, but soon enough the summer heat will be here.  Enjoy these last few weeks of spring while you can.

 

 

BUG RAGE

As I have mentioned, I've been avoiding longer walks and hikes due to the fact that deer flies and mosquitoes are thick right now, and are amongst my least favourite things.  Well, last evening, I'd had enough of staying indoors and decided to head out across the fields, to the river to find that elusive stream that I had spied in the spring. 

I set out in the field at a rather fast clip because I didn't have much time and the bugs were bad...or so I thought.  There was a steady flow of deer flies around my head - maybe 5 - 8 at the most.  Not a huge deal.  Totally manageable.  When I felt like leaving them behind, I broke into a faster run, brought up the breeze, and they were gone.  As soon as I stopped, they seemed to multiply, brought on by my activity and heavy breathing.  I like running, and I do it almost everyday. Just not, you know, in jeans and heavy hiking boots. 

Still, they weren't too bad.

On I went to the river.

Crossing was a bit of an issue, and I had to venture father upstream to find a narrow spot.  I crossed at the top of the falls with my shoes tied around my neck and my socks stuffed in my pocket.

Once across the deer flies found me again, and this time they had brought all their friends.  I was starting to get just a bit nervous about my situation.

I followed the dry creek bed up through the forest where the mosquitoes found me.  OH FANTASTIC.

I broke into a run again, pausing every so often and snapping all the photos I could, knowing that this would be the last I saw of this place until the fall.

I stumbled up the the upper field, snapped a few shots, down to the creek bed, raccoon print, oh yay, more forest, bugs, deeper pool, bugs, rocks, this must have been pretty in spring, bugs, bugs, no more thinking, just running.

Mosquitoes and deer flies are swarming now.  I'm back at the river ripping off my socks and shoes.  Forcing myself to slow down and calmly cross so that I don't slip and smash up on the rocks.  I felt like I was crossing blind.  I was in a BUG RAGE.

At this point, there was no more time for pictures, the camera was to be used a weapon only.

I ran through the thick blackberry canes, the spines ripping at my sweat heavy jeans.  I startled a white tailed deer.  No time to admire.  I kept running.

I came out of that field running as if Satan himself had risen from the depths and was chasing me across the sweeping grasses.  I hit the road and briefly considered laying down.

I was absolutely dripping with sweat.  Slick.  Disgusting.  Spent.

The jury is still out on whether this little adventure was worth the bug rage and copious amounts of cortisone I used when safely ensconced in my blissfully bug-free washroom.  I don't suppose I'll be returning to the scene of the crime anytime soon, but I do look forward to a more leisurely stroll come late August.

Bug rage!

Garden Update



Finally some carrot sprouts!

Radishes before thinning

Onions

A lonely bean plant

Corn!



Tomatoes



Melon

Look what I found when I thinned the radishes! 

By the Riverbank

We have been avoiding our afternoon and evening adventures lately for a few reasons.


1.  Bugs
2.  Too hot
3.  Bugs
4.  Too wet
5.  Everything has grown up so it makes navigation off the path difficult
6.  Bugs



This afternoon was cooler and the wind was up, so we set off across the field to see what we could see.  I wanted to get to the falls, but the growth in the field off the path was just too thick and full of raspberry and blackberry canes.  I was wearing shorts and didn't feel like tearing my legs up!


We managed to get through the forest a bit and down to the river by walking north along the upper bank.  I wanted to double back along the lower bank to the falls, but it was wet and muddy, and again the growth was too thick.

The bugs were still bad, and I managed to still tear my legs up, but it was nice to get out in the sunshine with my sweet little raccoon.

From the Weather Book

May17
- blue heron on the shore

May18
- blackflies- awful

May 19 - 21
- GORGEOUS long weekend
- sunny, hot

May 22
- cool, rainy, clouds
-terrible mosquitoes

May 26
- warm, sunny, lovely

May 27
- cooler, clouds, sprinkles

May 28
- HOT 30 degrees
- radishes up

May 30
- Sparkling bright day

May 31
- cooler 13 degrees
- cloudy off and on
- breezy

June 9
- rain, green
- wet, humid day

June 10
- warm, humid morning
- sunny, hot!

Wildlife Count

Animals seem to be everywhere this week.  Coming out of the dark green woods.

This week-
2 moose (one within metres in the middle of the road)
3 deer (one just this morning on my run)
2 bear (one outside the windows at the community centre where I take Henry for playgroup!)
Countless turtles (it's that time of year - big and small, they are all over the roads through wet, marshy areas)

Butterfly

There's a serious love affair happening in my garden right now.  It involves lilacs and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails. 

They are beautiful and these photos do not do our experience justice.  Henry and I stood out by the lilac and had butterflies flutter all around us, chasing each other away from the prime spots on the sweet smelling shrub.

It was like a fairy tale.

Sprouts

The radishes are up! (and have been for a few days now).

There are also some beans starting, and one lonely corn sprout. 

Things are growing!