Curiosity Satisfied

Several years ago, from my east facing kitchen window, I noticed a row of blinking red lights in the distance. Because my travels never take me in that direction I had no idea what they were for.

But on clear days, I could see they coincided with a string of wind turbines. Last Fall, thinking they might be only four or five kilometers away, I decided to take a little drive and look for them. But my line of sight was obstructed with fields of tall corn, bush lots and rolling terrain. I never did find them and gave up looking. 

Well, last week my brother and his son were out for a visit and we decided to hunt them down. It was quite misty and visibility was not good but at least the corn fields had been harvested. We drove and drove without finding any trace of them. Then, FINALLY, there they were! Much farther away (about 20 km) and further to the south than I had reckoned. They were huge and utterly silent, with slowly turning blades. I checked the website of the company that owns them, Nation Rise Wind Farm. There are 29 wind turbines, all Enercon E-138 3.4 MW. Their parent company is EDP Group (Energias de Portugal), a multinational utility company. 

 

Even up close, they were completely silent.

Nation Rise S1 and Nation Rise S2.

There are six of them in this shot from my brother's van.

 

 

I like their logo design.

*   *   *   *   *

My sister has made and given away dozens of quilts. A couple of decades ago, she made one we call 'The Heritage Quilt'. The blocks are made from cotton and flannel shirts once worn by our mom and dad. 

But this quilt is not just a work of art or a fond reminder of our kind and hard working parents. Except for very hot summer nights, it's been keeping me snug and warm all these years. One of the lighter fabrics, originally a blouse mom wore, has started to fray. I decided to cover the damaged squares with patches from my stash. 

I gave each patch a square of polar fleece backing to maintain the quiltiness.

This photo was taken in 2007.

One of the fabrics has started to fray.

My first patch job.

My second block repair is a better style match.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

I'm still loving to knit socks and have enough yarn on hand to see the winter through without aimlessly twiddling my fingers. 

One of my cousins is an expert knitter and even owned her own knitting shop. Some years back she surprised me with a gift of hand knitted, wool blend socks. They were gorgeous and my feet never felt so pampered!

So I asked her what her favourite brand of yarn was. Her opinion was that European yarn is superior to North American yarn. She recommended a German yarn called 'Regia'. I bought some and now see what she means. Much easier to work with. Better twist and little fuzz and splitting. Same content ratio of 75% wool and 25% nylon.

Yarn from Germany. So nice to work with.

Five pairs of socks in waiting.

 

*   *   *   *   *

November has been exceptionally mild. In fact we even had a green Christmas this year. So on Boxing Day, I decided to take a long walk to our bush lot.

Two things became clear:  

1.  I need more exercise.

2.  I need some rest benches along the trail.

*   *   *   *   *

Decided to make my own 2024 calendar. I used The City of Ottawa garbage schedule for the months. It worked out quite well I thought.

Kudos to my trusty Epson Econo Tank printer!

*   *   *   *   *

So as 2023 fades away, I'm wishing you all a splendid and peaceful 2024.

 

Gateway

Winter is about to start and I think I'm pretty much ready for it. Snow tires are on my car and my winter bird feeders are up. Looking forward to months of quality couch time. I call this my holiday time because yard work is suspended until Spring.

Jays are now making frequent feeder patrols.

The colder it gets, the more demand for suet.

Shelling a seed on a comfortable perch.

The tray feeder is a favourite of everyone!

Christmas colours.

There are about a half dozen of these little guys.

No feeding station is complete without a squirrel or two.

This crow quite often uses this exact spot for a lookout.

 

I have both ravens and crows here. At the moment, there is plenty of food for them. Since most of the grain farmers have harvested their crops, there is plenty of spillage and exposed mice nests for easy pickings. Not to mention road kill and garbage dump opportunities. But I did give handouts to a pair of ravens last winter and well, precedent has been set. Plus I love how they swoop past the house and call out in their raspy language. Lately I've been cutting up hot dogs for them. Their favourite treat seems to be rotisserie chicken scraps.

 

There may be dog kibble among the gravel.

One of the two ravens who make regular visits.

The raven on the right has raised and bushy eyebrows.

It usually stands by while partner does the picking up.

Hey! Not for you!

 

An update on my cell phone signal booster. I got a line of sight of the actual relay tower closest to my house and fine-tuned the aim of my indoor antenna. I'm now getting a full five out of five bars. Yay-y-y. So I'll know that if my call is suddenly disconnected, it will be my caller or callee's fault.

 

Turns out that my introduction to knitting has been a sort of gateway drug. Thought I'd be happy if I just learned how to knit a pair of socks. But then I started hanging out with the knitting crowd on the street corner of YouTube. Oh my gosh!!! So many pretty projects to tempt the weak! Add in some podcasts or an audiobook and time simply streaks by. 

Pair number two in progress.

Pair number three in waiting.

 

Knitting paraphernalia including a neck light.

When I finish my THIRD pair of socks, I'm very tempted to knit this yummy mitred square throw. And I've discovered a very nice yarn shop only a forty minute drive from home. Yikes!!!

Photo nabbed from Louise Tilbrook Designs

 

Ellie Mae takes a break from mouse hunting.

A Well Needed Boost

Nasturtiums can always be depended on for a nice showing, lasting well into the late fall. Plus they attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. I love the way they cascade down the front of their pots and their bright and cheerful faces.  

 

A planting close to my back steps.

Up close and personal.

 

Last winter and spring, this area was hit by several ice storms. Branches and trees downed everywhere! One of these storm casualties was my owl box which was bashed to the ground by a large, ice laden branch. This month, I neatened up the ravaged old Manitoba Maple and built a new box. I used the front of an older one.

New winter roosting box for my screech owls.

It was tricky fastening it to a leaning and uneven surface.

Tossed in some dry leaves for soft furnishing.

The front is from an old box. Added a perch.

Looking out my kitchen sink window. Waiting for owl visits.

 

My cell phone signal has been weakening to the point where I've been missing calls. And deep and meaningful conversations would rudely end mid-sentence with a dial tone. 

Part of the problem is that my house has a metal roof, metal siding and even metal doors. Also, I'm situated in a bit of a valley. Although the relay tower is only a few miles away, I've got mature spruce trees that now block much of the signal. Cutting down my precious trees just did not appeal!

If I wanted an uninterrupted chat, I'd have to either take my cell phone outside or sit close to a north window. From my favourite spot on the living room couch, I'd only get one bar or no service at all. My signal certainly needed a boost.

Reluctantly, I bought a cell phone booster kit. I say 'reluctantly' because I'd have to drill a hole through a wall and I was not keen on more wires and gadgets about. On the other hand, I do like my little gabfests.

So I broke down and bought a cell phone booster kit. And very glad I did because it works beautifully! From the comfort of my oh so comfortable couch I'm now getting a quite respectable 4 out of 5 bars! Yay-y-y-y!!!

Best choice for youth? Huh?!?!

A solid four out of five bars on my trusty flip phone.

 

A few October snaps of my fellow creatures:

A bespeckled young robin stopping by on it's way south.

They sure like to keep their feathers clean.

Catching the morning sun.

A katydid perched on my garden hose hanger.

The cottontails here are almost tame.

Washing up after another satisfying meal.