Quirky Things

 A few quirky things that stood out to me when I first moved but have become part of everyday life now are:

The crooked hydro poles - It's a wonder some haven't fallen over in the strong wind.  I guess they are still solidly in the ground, simply crooked.  The hydro running through the poles along the road is quite loud, particularly on very cold days.  It often sounds like a car engine approaching in the distance.

There are a freaky number of house flies around; they are quite harmless but it took some getting used to.  They would have sought shelter under the siding and in vents of the house as winter came.  In Josephsburg we had lady bugs that sought shelter in the house over winter.  Lady bugs are used to control aphids in soybean fields and with neighbouring fields of soybeans, ladybugs were plentiful. I am sure it is not the same situation with the houseflies and keep a fly swatter close by.

                Here the farm tractors rule the road.  As a new resident, I have been warned. Many of the roads are narrow and the farm equipment is old.  Newer farm machines often have hydraulic equipment which folds up for travel on roadways.  The unwritten rule here in the valley is yield right of way to farm tractors pulling equipment: meaning do not turn down a road if a tractor is coming or pull into a driveway to let it pass or stay off the roads during planting and harvest times. There is not enough room on the road for a tractor and a car to pass each other.

 

Animal Sightings

The fox has become a fairly regular traveller around the property.  I have watched it hunting mice or moles under the snow.  Teaka has run after it's scent a few times - good girl because if the fox ever got into the henhouse that would be the end of the chickens.  There was the raccoon in my barn for a few days and a chipmunk hangs out on top of a fence post when the sun shines. I saw 3 beavers crossing the road by the creek and Teaka found a skull of a beaver the other day.  The teeth of a beaver are very distinctive which is how I recognized the skull. Of particular note twice last week I saw a snowy owl flying around.  It was quite majestic.

All winter, even on the very cold and windy days, there has been a flock of small white birds with black wings that fly around the farmers fields, often resting on the plants growing out back in my field to eat the seeds.  I have not been able to identify the bird species. I hope to attract more birds by planting a few more trees around the property. The ravens are always around and a few times pigeons rested on the barn roof but Teaka chased them away.

Since the snow has hardened, Teaka and I have walked back across the famers field and yesterday she found a den of some animal in the embankment of the creek and was super excited at whatever was in there; I’m sure the other animal was much less impressed.  I was scouting for a potential place to try fishing when the ice melts.

crooked hydro pole:

work of the beaver:

bone and an old trap: