First Snow

My subject line is a little misleading, because the first snow fell on October 13 ... just a dusting, and mixed in with hail. But it didn't cover the ground, and was soon gone, so I don't count it. :) So, yesterday we got the first real snow of the season. Molly is delighted, and I think she remembers snow from when she arrived here as a tiny puppy!

 

View of the barn from the deck. Note the ominous dark sky - at 9 o'clock in the morning!

 

Winter has definitely arrived.  The view from the deck.

The other clue to the onset of winter is the nesting of animals.  We have a resident squirrel who has decided to make his home in our woodpile.  Molly is, of course, intrigued and very excited about this.

 

Here is our house guest on the back porch rafters.

 

Chirping away on the woodpile.

 

He's figured out that a rather exuberant dog is close by.

 

Watching for that dog.

It need hardly be said that Molly can't catch the squirrel; but she has a marvelous time trying. 

 

And here she is, warming up after a hard morning's squirrel-chasing. :)

So, now that winter has finally arrived at Willow Retreat, it's time to cozy up in front of the fire with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. We're excited about all the improvements and additions that we've been working on, and next winter we plan to be open for business: winter camping, snowshoeing, backcountry hiking, winter survival courses, and of course Willow Retreat's signature offerings: Reiki and meditation.

Speaking of winter survival: I'm excited to announce that our affiliated company, Survival School Canada, has a re-designed website chock-full of courses and activities for 2013. If you've ever been lost in the bush, you know what a scary feeling that is. SSC has courses on map reading and navigation, wilderness first aid, as well as survival courses from absolute beginner to expert level.  SSC operates from our home location right here at Willow Retreat in the beautiful Cape Breton Highlands.  Check it out! http://www.survivalschoolcanada.com 

Until next time, I'll leave you with a photo of another recent visitor, enjoying a meal of fallen apples.  Molly had a good old time barking her head off at this young lady!

 

A young lady moose snacking on fallen apples outside the sunroom.

A Deer's Breakfast

I don't care how many times it happens, it's always a magical experience to see a deer.  The other day, this beautiful animal was out having a good old nosh of the wild apples along Willow Lane.  Don't worry though; I managed to collect enough to make a decent batch of wild apple jelly!  




Checking out the neighbourhood.



Listening.



That's a big mouthful of apple!



Crunch, crunch ... and it's gone.



Yum!



She stayed for about 15 minutes just happily eating.



Wait ... is someone taking pictures? (:




Wild apples are everywhere along the pathway.



In this last shot, you can just see the hail which had begun to fall.  She whipped her head around, then suddenly pranced away into the woods. She knew the hailstorm was imminent. Smart lady! :)

A Time to Sow

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but we've been really busy lately. June started off cold and wet, but has now turned over sunny and warm. We had a couple of late frosts (one the morning after I'd planted out the cucumber seedlings!) which messed up my gardening plan somewhat, but I think that danger is past now. So I'm busy planting seed potatoes, with Molly's "help": I plant the potato, she digs it up and eats it. (:

We picked up a load of lumber for building projects, and Paul laid the gravel down for the base of the shower cabin.  We may find another use for this, but for now, that's the plan.  Watch this space!



We also had a load of firewood delivered, which is now stacked outside the back door where it will season in time for winter.

It's been a busy June so far!  I held my first Reiki class, which went very well, and we're getting enquiries for both sides of our business: the retreat/Reiki/meditation side and the survival school side.  Right now though, I'm trying to get the vegetable garden planted, and hoping for rain ... !

If May was yellow (with an occasional splash of red tulip), then June is shades of blue, purple and mauve. We've passed from the gentle haze of blue forget-me-knots and precocious indigo of johnny jumpups, to the exuberant lilac in full bloom, the deep purple lupins that line the roadside, and my favourite, the wild meadow columbine. Don't forget the blue starflower or borage, which is rampant all over the garden, and the secretive blushing ladyslipper hiding in the woods.

Before I wax too poetic, back to work! We've planted garlic, onions (red, white and yellow), spinach, swiss chard, sage, thyme and leeks in one bed. I'm trying companion planting, which basically means planting stuff which is friends with other stuff. So for example, garlic planted around the base of a peach tree will keep borers at bay.

Which reminds me! We went and picked up our fruit trees from the local nursery: 1 peach, 2 plum and a pear. We planted them, and they're doing great so far! And just today I noticed we have tiny little pear buds on our old pear tree, the one that lost a limb in a storm. So pear jelly come Fall ... :)

I'm nursing some seedlings in the potting room, much to the disgust of our cat, who lives in there. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet basil and thyme are all coming up well, plus I've planted another batch of cucumber seeds to replace those that were killed by the late frost. In the garden, I have pole beans coming up like crazy, and I just planted peas and carrots. Fingers crossed!

But enough talk from me! I know what you really want are pictures, so here are a few I took this week:




Columbine grows quite happily next to the tea rose.



Chives in bloom!



A crowd of buttercups, cheering on the sun.



Speckled trout, basking in the pond.



Misty blue forget-me-nots.



I walked out onto the deck and there was a garter snake!  Yikes!



And a tiny green frog was investigating the vegetable bed.  My fingers show the scale.



Irises are in bloom.  Love these.



In the woods, the Ladyslippers are a hidden treasure.



And of course, a post wouldn't be complete without Molly.  Here she is, taking a break under a shady tree.

Moose Moose

Q. When do you know it's finally Spring at Willow Retreat?
A. When Mr. and Mrs. Moose and Junior Moose come for a family visit!

A couple of days ago, as I cradled my first cup of coffee of the morning, I happened to glance out of the kitchen window.  Across the lawn, and staring straight at me, was a moose.  I soon realized that it was not just one moose, but three: Mom, Dad, and Baby.  Well, the calf was hardly a baby anymore, but most definitely still a youngster.  Of course, I scrambled for my camera, stuck the telephoto lens on, and got snapping. Here are some of the better pics:



Mom and Junior having a conference while Dad is busy with the important stuff: eating!



I felt like he (or she) was staring right at me!



Now they're all looking at me!



Nice profile shot there.  Kind of looks like a cross between a camel and a donkey ... ?



Check out their white legs.



Not arguing with this fella!

It was really cool to see these guys at the bottom of our garden.  It serves as a reminder that the wilderness is all around us, and we must respect the habitat of these majestic creatures.

Furry and Feathered Friends

Hey everyone, I thought you might like an update on Molly.  She's growing really fast and is such a quick learner.  She already knows a few basic commands and is so smart!  I did have to install a baby gate because she's now able to climb up and down stairs and she had a bit of a run-in with our cat (who lives upstairs).  Here are some pics:




She knows "Box" means go to your crate.  She's going to be too big for it soon!



Reading the label on the door?



She loves her Kong rubber chew toy - especially when it's stuffed with peanut butter!



Am I a good girl?  Am I going to get a treat?



Fed up with waiting for me to take her for a walk.

As well, our blue jays are back, and they brought some friends! Here are some cedar waxwings, hanging out on the spirea:



Here's a close-up:



The spirea gives a mass of lovely red berries. As well, I put out a block of suet in the feeder, but so far only the jays seem interested.

We have bald eagles up on the west mountain, and ravens on the east.  Anyone know how I can attract some cardinals?

The snow is pretty deep around here, and we've been able to see some interesting animal tracks.  A rabbit ran across the road:



.... closely followed by a raven:



We've also seen moose, bobcat and coyote tracks. This morning I saw deer tracks.  And there's a rumour of a cougar sighting ... yikes!

Okay that's all for now, a certain puppy is demanding her afternoon walk!

Fall Visitors

Every season brings its different wildlife visitors to the gardens and woodland.  I had recently hung up a suet bird feeder, which soon attracted a pair of blue jays.  Every house we've lived in, we've always had blue jays visit, and so it was great to see them here.  They've been scolding me for picking their grapes!  I managed to get some photos:







Such pretty birds!  And they always look as though they're posing for their portrait.  :)

We've also had a visit from a pair of ruffed grouse.  I think it's the male I've been seeing around the garden - first in the apple tree, and then on the grass collecting fallen berries.  It was definitely the male the second time because he was fanning his tail and had his ruff of collar feathers standing up.  This is a mating display, and I was lucky to catch it on camera:



He took a few turns around the base of the apple tree, then started strutting towards me.  He put away his feather display and became more interested in food, picking up fallen berries in his beak.





He's a beautiful bird.  The previous day, I think it must be the same grouse, was up our apple tree:



He was making some hilarious faces at me through the kitchen window:





Between the apples, berries and rosehips, we're certainly keeping him well-fed!  Maybe if his mating display is successful, in the spring we'll see chicks ...  :)

I'll keep posting wildlife photos, as and when I can capture them.