I had to stop at the pond on the way to work this morning.  The goose families were out foraging in the green grass.  It won't be long before the goslings lose their down to feathers.  They are growing so fast!

As I slowed and came to a stop, the adult geese began 'herding' their young ones toward the water.  It is so much fun watching them try to get all the goslings to line up and follow the lead adult.  Once they are in the water, one adult takes the lead and the other the end.  All the babes swim beak to tail in the middle.

One white tail deer came out of the forest to say good morning.  I think it was the same one that I watched a few days ago when it had a moose encounter.  She stood at the top of an embankment and watched as I drove by.

I have a day off tomorrow and am looking forward to some outdoor time.  Hopefully I'll get the remaining backyard chores done.  There's still a cubic yard of dirt to move.  My shovel is ready.  Here's hoping the rain clouds hold out until the evening.

What a productive outdoor day!  I dug out the lawnmower at noon to mow down my dandelion patch.  With all the rain, it was in full bloom when the sun came out.  The grass was three times taller than it usually is when I mow.  This resulted in having to rake when the mowing was done.

It was a beautiful day to be outside.  I had to catch up on the yard chores that have been neglected.  I dislike a messy yard so it felt pretty good when the grass was mowed, the flower and vegetable beds were weeded, the perimeter of the yard was trimmed and the remaining shrubs were planted.  I even had time to lay out the shavings underneath my strawberry plants.

A small shower came over when I was almost done.  It lasted long enough for me to have a short afternoon siesta.

While I was in the yard I was thrilled to see two oriole pairs playing tag in the tree tops.  The gold finches visited as well.  I haven't seen the hummingbirds but I know they are visiting.  I've had to fill the feeder a couple of times.

The rain over the past three days has convinced me to create a rain garden to handle the excess water when the rain barrels overflow.  I've been researching plants that will enjoy that type of garden.  My choice of plants, shrubs and ornamental grasses for nature-scaping was right on.  Everything is thriving in their given areas.  The front yard will be complete next week when the bridge arrives and gets placed over the dry creek bed.

What am I going to do when the entire yard is complete?

 

When I got home from work, I dumped out the rain gauge.  There was another 30mm of water in it.  That totaled 60mm over 3 days.  The rain stopped for awhile and the sun tried to peek through

this afternoon.  I hope it shows itself tomorrow.  My lawn is so tall that I will have to go over it at least a couple of times to get it mowed to the proper height.  The dandelions are twice as tall as the grass.  I need a bear to keep them trimmed!

The weeds are taking over the garden beds and the strawberry patch.  I need to spread out some shavings under the berry plants to keep the weeds down and the berries clean.  There are three bags of pine shavings sitting in the garage, waiting for me.  It is going to take an entire day to get the yard back to normal.

The flowers that were planted in containers are growing over the edges.  There's nothing like rain to get them going.  

I'm looking forward to next week.  I ordered a bridge for the dry creek bed that I created.  The bridge was being custom made and it's being picked up next week.  It will be the finishing touch to my nature-scaped front yard.

I took stock of all the ornamental grasses and shrubs that I planted last year.  Some were slow to come up but every one of them survived the winter.  Awesome!

 

I have the habit of leaving for work 15 minutes earlier than I need to when a little voice tells me that something special is going to happen.  Without fail, each time that this occurs, I have a 'first time' experience.  This morning was no different.

Just west of the Strathcona Wilderness Center driveway, a white tail deer stood in the ditch on the southside of the road and a young moose stood directly across from the deer on the northside.  Neither saw each other.  Both were watching me approach.  They did not move as I pulled over to the side of the road and inched closer.  I stopped and was readying my camera when I glanced up in time to see them spy each other.  The deer leapt into the trees and the moose ran through the middle of a pond; splashing water in every direction.  That would have been the ultimate snapshot if I could have pulled it off.  At the far end of the pond, the moose ran up the side of a hill into the trees.  I managed to snap a photo of it as it turned to take one last look for the deer.

I returned to the SWC this evening for a hike.  The rain was falling gently.  I could hear the pitter patter on the leaves.  Birds called from the tree tops and the frogs sang in the pond.  Mama and papa goose were taking their young family for a walk in the rain.  The little ones stopped at each little puddle for a splash.

The greens were greener in the rain.  The forest understory is filling in.  Soon it will be difficult to see the wildlife amidst the trees.  The wild flowers are beginning to bloom.  Beautiful purple clematis flowers adorn the shrubs that the vine is entwined around.  The honeysuckle is budding up and will be blooming soon.  The chokecherry trees are sporting their white spring blooms.  What a relaxing night.

I didn't want to leave.  I was addicted to the forest sounds and the smell of the forest in the rain.

We took the cameras out this evening.  Elk Island National Park did not disappoint us.  The Amisk Wuche trail is greening up nicely.  Birds sang in the tree tops and we were fortunate to see a variety of species; a pair of Baltimore Orioles, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, robins, ducks, geese, coots, grebes, teals, and many that we could not identify.

As we turned into the Astotin Lake area, a pair of Canada Geese watched over their seven goslings.  The little ones grazed in the green grass and then cuddled together for a quick nap.  What fun it was to watch them!

A visit to the usual beaver pond proved to be a bust so we went back to a pond where a beaver was sighted on our way to the Amisk Wuche trail.  There was no sign of it.  Just when we decided that we were not going to see the beaver, it crossed the highway in front of us; leaving a wet trail on the pavement.  The park staff may need to put up a beaver crossing sign.  

It was a beautiful evening to be outside.  The sun shone.  The birds sang and there were signs of new life everywhere.

In 24 hours there has been 30mm of rain.  Water is standing in the ditches.  The ducks and geese are celebrating the rainfall.  So am I.

The leaf buds have totally opened.  Ferns have popped out of the ground and are reaching for the sky.  The varying shades of green provide some beautiful scenery to view and some tasty nutrients for the wildlife.  Since the rain began, the midges that were giving me grief a couple of days ago, have moved on.  No more midges but the mosquitoes are hatching.

I took a walk around the backyard this morning, taking in the sights and fresh smell.  Water droplets clung to the undersides of branches, glistened on the flower petals and created intricate designs on solid surfaces.  Mother Nature's art was amazing.

The ground is close to being completely saturated.  Water is beginning to puddle on my driveway but that is okay.  My rubber boots are getting a work out.

Rain, beautiful rain, began falling today.  It was the first really good downpour this spring.  My rain gauge shows that 2cm has fallen already.  There's more to come tonight.  

It didn't take long for the greens to look greener.  I'm sure the flowers stood taller and the smell was the freshest ever.  Three rain barrels are full.  I had to open the valve on the collector because I didn't have room for more.

There was a break between showers this evening and I couldn't resist heading to the pond at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  I knew there would be some action there.  The baby geese have hatched and were swimming earlier in the day.

I was the only person there tonight.  Water drops dripped from the leaf buds.  The blackbirds perched atop some old cattail heads.  Yellow warblers flitted between the willow branches.  Ducks swam on the pond.  The geese were not in the water.  One pair was busy playing crossing guard; trying to get their goslings across the road to the pond on the other side.

Tree swallows have taken up residence in the birdhouses mounted on the fence posts alongside the pond.  As I walked by, they swooped over my head.  One did not seem to mind having a human close by.  I got to within 10 feet of it.  As I snapped my photos, it appeared to strike a number of poses just for me.

The air was fresh and cooling off for the night.  What a perfect time for a walk after the rain.

While everyone around me basks in the heat, I'm grumbling about it as every one of the sun-lovers grumbles about the cold.  Why do I love winter?  I dress in layers so am able to make myself comfortable.  I'm able to go out whenever I want to enjoy my favorite snow sports.  During the summer, I venture out for a hike only when it is cool in the morning or the evening.  The rest of the day I am hibernating inside.  The part that I grumble about the most is the bugs.  I thought those little blood-sucking mosquitoes were the worst last summer but there is something even more annoying this year.

Midges.  Millions of them.  There were so many that I've been thinking that a swarm of bees had landed in one of the treetops.  It wasn't bees making that humming noise.  It was swarms of mosquito relatives hatching at the lake.  There were so many that I had to spray down the side of the house with the garden hose, just to get into the door.  If I wouldn't have done that, hundreds would have found their way inside.
 
When I was outside, I couldn't breathe in without covering up my nose.  Each breath would have sucked those 'buggers' right up the nostrils.  Yuck.  The exterior walls of the homes along my road are covered with insects.

It was a good thing that the bugs were not out at the playground today.  We found some peace and could enjoy taking a breath of fresh air without having six legged intruders lodge up our nasal cavities.  How many more days to winter?

I worked in the yard for most of the day.  It is supposed to rain tonight and I wanted all my plants in their rightful beds.  The sun was so hot this afternoon that I had to remove the hotcaps from my raised gardens.  The cucumber plants loved it underneath the caps so much that they have already sprouted their second leaves.

The first perennials are blooming in one of the front flowerbeds.  I took stock of what's growing and what's not.  There are only two ornamental grasses that have not sprouted yet.  Everything else is greening up nicely.

I have a log bridge ordered.  It will fit perfectly over the dry creek bed in the front of the house.  I can't wait to pick it up.  Until then, the old table top will make do as a make-shift bridge.

Rather than heading to the trails tonight, I opted to stay at home and light a bonfire.  Can't get enough of my favorite aromatherapy.  I could sit by a campfire and smell woodsmoke everyday.  

The neighbor's cat decided that he had to join me.  It must have been the sizzling smokies that I was roasting that lured him to hang out around the fire pit.  Soon after he finished his snack, I found him drinking from the bird bath.  What bird is going to come and splash in there now that the cat found the water?

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day.  I haven't had a weekend off since the end of March.  I'm taking advantage of this one by picking up my little sleepover pals tomorrow.  I think a picnic and a fun day at the playground is in order.

 

The beavers will be keeping the Elk Island park staff busy this summer.  The backhoe operator unplugs the culvert at the pond and the next day the beavers have it plugged up.  Two of them were adding mud and twigs to the dam this evening.  They swam around the pond amidst the ducks and coots.

I noticed a pair of geese watching me.  As I got closer to them I could see a fuzzy little head peeking out from under mama.  It won't take long before they begin swimming.

Bison grazed along the parkway.  The adults were looking pretty shaggy.  Most were in groups of 2 to 4.  As I got close to the bison loop road, a large herd were crossing the road.  There were two babies amidst the adult bison.  One was larger than the other.  The smaller of the two was full of mischief; head butting the larger one, pawing at the dirt and bucking up and down.

After this evening, I've decided that my visits to the park in the evening need to be more frequent.  The babies are beginning to come out and I know they will provide many hours of reality entertainment.

 

 

I mowed the lawn this evening for the first time since the snow melted.  The deer were doing a good job of keeping the dandelions down but the patches of grass where they had 'fertilized' the lawn, were three times as tall as the rest.

I planted more bedding plants and gave everything a good watering.  The night was beautiful so I decided to head to Elk Island National Park for a couple of hours.  My destination was Astotin Lake.  I was hoping that the beavers would be out tonight.

Bison grazed along the roadside.  Waterfowl created ripples as they swam across the smooth pond surfaces.  The beavers were busy packing mud on a new lodge.  As I watched them dive and surface, a great blue heron flew overhead.

There were a few hardy tenters in the campground.  Their campfire smoke wafted over the beaver pond.  That is one of my favorite smells.  The calm night, the busy beavers, the blue heron and the campfire smell made for a relaxing evening.

As I drove toward home, the sun was setting.  It lit the wispy clouds with beautiful orange rays.  The sunset scene was the perfect ending to the day.

The morning was calm and beautiful.  I opened the back door and heard the shorebirds calling from the lake.  I was determined to take the camera out to the trails today.  It's been a long while since I've been out for a hike.  Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Recreation Area was the destination of choice.

The young leaves are finally beginning to break out.  The sun shone through them making them look like twinkle lights in the forest.  Beautiful.  The green up is taking longer this year.  In 2013 at this time, the leaves were out.

Waterfowl were swimming on all the ponds.  I watched the mallards and green winged teals.  A sandpiper ran along the shore of a slough. The creek that usually flows into Neon Lake is dammed up.  The beavers had been very busy.  A snowshoe hare rustled beneath the branches of some dogwood.  Chickadees and sparrows flitted from tree to tree.  The forest was a busy place this morning.

I put the hummingbird feeder out with the hope that those little beauties will be arriving soon.  Most of my bedding plants are potted and the lawn is greening up nicely.  The garden beds that I planted and covered with their 'greenhouse' covers are sprouting.  The mosquitoes have not shown up yet.  I can do without them.  

We could do with a nice spring rain that would give the plants and trees a little boost.  It would freshen things up and fill my empty barrels. 

 

One coyote on a trail at the Wilderness Center.  One moose eating willow twigs along the roadside.  One white tail deer watching me from an open field.  One hawk sitting on top of a light post.  Low fog covering the water on the lake.  This is what I saw on the way to work this morning.

I haven't had time to venture out to the trails but there is no shortage of wildlife sightings on the way to or from work.  The drive might be 20-25 minutes long but it is relaxing and scenic.  In fact, when I see the city skyline in the distance, I feel my hands tighten around the steering wheel and I see my knuckles turning white.  I could never live in the city again.

I still have one cubic yard of black dirt to spread in the yard and bedding plants to put out.  Those chores will have to wait for another few days when I actually have more than a half hour to spend outside.  Until then, I'll enjoy the sunrises, the sunsets and all the scenery in between on my travels to and from work.

It was a beautiful day to work in the yard.  Three cubic yards of black garden soil was delivered.  I moved two of them into flower beds and planters.  The remaining dirt will fill two more raised garden beds.

I planted some vegetables and some bedding plants.  The forecast is for rain overnight and I wanted everything put in before that happened.  The neighbor's cat decided that she was going to guard the garden.  I hope she keeps the deer away!

While I worked in the backyard, the birds entertained me.  A rose-breasted grosbeak showed up at the feeder.  The red winged blackbirds called from the treetops.  Chickadees landed beside me as I planted the flower beds.

Before I had my new home built, a kitten was born under the old home.  When I moved away during the construction phase, the cat took up residence underneath my garden shed.  

'Spike' is a good mouser.  He heads out daily to the forest behind my yard and comes back with a treasure most times.  I haven't been able to get close to him.  Today was different.

Spike and I have history.  When I lived in the old house, Spike was just a small kitten.  He would fall over the edge of a retaining wall in the crawl space under the house.  I would hear him whining and climb below to rescue him.  After having this happen a number of times, I brought him upstairs and he lived in my bathroom for months until it was warm outside and he could join his mother.

Today, Spike watched me from the corner of the yard.  He would move closer but each time that I tried to approach, he would run; that is until I brought out a piece of chicken.  It brought him closer.  Eventually, he took chicken from my hand and allowed me to pet his head.  I have a feeling that we'll be friends by the end of the summer.

 

Warm temperatures and I don't get along.  I managed to get some shrubs planted in the backyard while it was still cool outside.  When the sun was at its highest, I was hibernating inside with a good book until it began cooling off again.

While I was outside during the day, I noticed that the tree swallows had taken up residence in the old tree trunk in my backyard.  The red wing blackbirds fed at the sunflower seed feeders.  

I planted some Virginia creeper vines against a fence.  While I was digging the holes, I noticed that the birds had hidden sunflower seeds in a crack in the fence post.  Silly birds.

I just came inside from putting my bedding plants into the garage.  The overnight temperatures are still too cold to have the plants outside.  While I was out there, the frogs serenaded me from the forest behind the yard.  The shorebirds were calling from the lake across the road.  

I looked up to the cloudless evening sky and saw an almost full moon peeking through the tree branches.  It's going to be a beautiful night.

 

It was calm, clear and the sun was shining this morning.  I was off work today so opted for coffee on the back deck.  The only sound I heard was being made by the red wing blackbirds.

I was not out there very long when the deer wandered into the yard.  They went straight for the grain tub.  I stood up to watch and they didn't mind.  Shortly after the deer left, a horse from the farm behind my yard, walked along the fence line.  I brought some carrots and watched him munch 4 of them.

The day was beautiful.  I dug up the raised garden and flower beds.  The strawberry patch was turning green but more so from the dandelions than the strawberry plants themselves.  

I drove into town to visit the greenhouse and came home with some bedding plants, saskatoon bushes and virginia creeper vines.  Three cubic yards of dirt is being delivered on Wednesday.  Let the planting begin. 



 

 
It was chilly out at 6am this morning.  I stepped onto the back deck and heard the chickadees singing their songs.  The sun was beginning to rise.  A light fog hovered at the tree tops.  Mist rose off the many bodies of water on the way to work.  The ducks swam through the misty peaceful scene.

A young moose hid in the willow thicket at the edge of the largest pond.  It did not appear to want its photo taken this morning.  Before I could ready my camera, it moved into the thicker shrubs.

I've had numerous animal sightings over the past three days, having to leave for work early.  Moose, deer, porcupines, hawks, waterfowl, squirrels and muskrats are just a few of those observed.  They appeared to love the early morning as much as I do.

 

On the way to work this morning I was blessed to see a young moose feeding in the willows.  Its long snout maneuvered the young willow branches easily.  As I snapped my photos, it continued munching; paying no mind to me.  Beauty in action.

I saw many more of my favorite creatures on the drive home.  Two porcupines waddled through the ditch.  Two deer grazed in an open field.  One moose nibbled some tender branches on the edge of a forest.  Two muskrats sat on a log while eating the tender grasses in the pond.  

What a great way to begin and end the day!