An old homestead

The rusted out remains of a stove fill in part of what must have been a crawl space or basement for this old home, now long forgotten. Bits of lumber for what might have been a door stoop remain. And a covered over well, as well as a spot that was obviously the outdoor privy surrounded by lilacs are all that remain of a pioneer cabin, probably built in the mid 1800s when this part of central Ontario was settled.

But as I look around I see other remnants, reminders that this had been a home. Someone had cared for this place, someone had loved it enough to plant:

and then I heard the bees...  if you can - imagine the buzzing of tiny and large honey bees, yellow jackets other kinds of nectar gathers, working this clump of what may be scilla, but may also be blue eyed grass or a wild hyacinth (have to do some research.) I tried to upload a video - but failed miserably for the past couple of hours - so instead - hope you enjoy these beautiful reminders of a caring pioneer from many days gone by.  Maybe tomorrow I'll try the video of bees gathering pollen and nectar.

Weather report

Walking with the dogs in one of their favourite fields, I notice that the moss is blooming. It's growing - as we are told it will - on the north side of the rocks, old split rails and the older beech tree. It's brilliant colour indicates new growth. In February!

Goodness.

This area has in the past 10 years I've lived here, been under three or four feet of snow.

Everywhere around the world we are experiencing different weather patterns. Cold where it should be warm, warm where it should be cold. Drier where drought is threatening life itself, and deluges, floods and disasters in other places where life is being swept away: human, animal and vegitative life.

As I look at the moss, I think how beautiful. The rocks piled by some early pioneer in this area to clear a field, tree by tree, stone by stone, old fencing remains, scattered now and forgotten. Probably this pile was made and this fence built in the very early 1800s. There are similar signs of man's attempts to control and cultivate land for everything from growing food and to building cities everywhere in the world.

It sets my mind wandering about the weather changes. So often man's attempts to control and manicure in the past haven't taken into account the natural weather patterns which are now so exaggerated. The push and drive for more, for "growth," for excess, doesn't often consider the side effects of what this direction could bring.

We're told it's not climate change, that what we are experiencing is part of a natural cycle, sometimes a 10,000 year cycle, sometimes an 11 year cycle. that it was just like this 20 years ago. Numbers don't make much difference if your home is threatened and your livelihood. So it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, it just is. But can we do anything about it?

There is no question that this year is different. Perhaps it seems more monumental because we are so connected around the world. Technology allows us to see what's happening as it happens in countries half way round the world. Are we paying attention to all the effects of this I wonder? Or are we becoming accustomed and therefore immune to the disasters, the misery that happens to individuals, villages, towns and countries. Is it all like a tv show? Something that isn't real?

Or are some starting to realize that it's time we paid attention?

Another snow day

Spirit (black) and Bliss (blonde) help me feed the birds on another snow day. We went outside about 7 which accounts for the darkness - it's still not completely daylight at that time. Both dogs watch for the Dread Red - the family of little red squirrels that have taken up residence underneath my house and torment the dogs daily by getting into the trees from the feeder faster than the dogs can reach them. I watched one day while a baby ran back and forth under the eaves for about five minutes until it finally lept into a tree, down the trunk and into a hole it knew about but the dogs didn't. Always something going on outside around here it seems.

As you can see it snowed last night. This image of the drive shed (where the original pioneers used to "park" their horses and buggies when they went to church - actually it's only half the size it was in 1870 when it was built) shows how the northeast wind has blown the snow around and up sealing it against the wooden wall.
Snow now covers the clematis vines  hanging onto some netting I'd nailed in place, as well as one of the bird feeders, all the shrubs and dead flower stalks with seeds still on them... and it continues to blow. This was taken from inside my "studio" around 7:30 this morning. Currently there is a mourning dove nestled out of the wind  inside the big feeder on the deck which my cat Eleia uses as her house and hiding place when the weather is better. Other tiny birds try to get seeds, digging them out from the deck where I've put some or where they've fallen from another feeder.

7 a.m. - Outside filling the feeders, and Bliss continues to look for the Dread Red, that naughty little red squirrel has the entrance to its home under my front entry about five feet from where Bliss is standing.

The snow has covered bushes and shrubs that I had cleaned off a couple of days ago to keep them from breaking. This won't be so easy because the snow started as rain and freezing rain yesterday. Tree branches and bushes are bending low under the weight of snow.

Two feeders - suet and seed - on the west side of the church which is my home, hanging in a Scotch pine. It's branches  touch the ground. The snow has blown up about two feet around the trunk and the Blue Spruce tree's lower branches are once again covered. I'll have to go out at least twice today to fill the feeders since the birds are having a hard time finding seed on the ground, it keeps getting blown in.
Many roads and schools are closed and no school buses are running anywhere in three or four counties. It's supposed to continue for another two days.... A typical Georgian Bay three day blow!
I'm staying inside today as much as possible. It's cold out there! but not as cold as my friend's home in Igloolik where her neighbour's home had its wall and most of its front door removed by a bear yesterday afternoon. Now that's winter scary.