February 2020

February 2020 has been an action-packed month for us, with several important things happening.

Mary Malloy’s Birthday

Brian’s mother turned 100 on February 5, and we went to Ottawa for a family reunion and birthday party.  Mary lives in a senior’s lodge, but requires no special care, and as you can see from her photograph that she is active and well.

Fun milestones like this are great reasons to come together, and Brian saw all other 3 of his siblings, Barb, Gini and Dave.

Multiple generations were present, and this was a great picture of the family matriarch with the newest great-grandchild, young Declan.

One grandson, Connor, came all the way from Germany, and it was a special treat to see him.  (I love this picture of him with Ted, Gini's husband.)

In the meantime, we also got a chance to visit my aunt Marion, who is also doing well.  Our visits are always stimulating because she has so many interests and projects.

Penticton Multi-Cultural Event

The City of Penticton, population approximately 40,000, is about a 1 ½ hour drive north from here.  Brian noted a news item about a multi-cultural event being featured there one Saturday, and we went to explore.

The event was held in a ballroom hall at a local center, and although it was small in floor space, there were a lot of things packed together in that venue.

Most of the items for sale were food items, and the variety was more than enough to keep us all stuffed.  One particular favourite was the strudel lineup at the Austrian table.

Individuals of various countries sported traditional gear such as these from Thailand, Morocco, and Portugal.

The best part of it was the ongoing dance exhibitions.

Local aboriginal artists made a fantastic display.

Mexican dancers swirled beautiful skirts with many ribbons in rainbows of colour.

There were a couple of kinds of Asian dancing, including representatives from a Chinese dance school in Penticton.  Notice the red-haired Chinese dancer—she was one of the best!

I ended up deleting a number of dance pictures because the low-set stage was often interrupted by children having a wonderful time running back and forth participating in their own inimical way.

When we left the resort to return to our car, we walked by a small city park that featured ducks in no small way. 

One duck was determinedly making his way down the sidewalk to meet a large group of others who had apparently been fed.  This was clearly a bad duck mob scene.

Spring is Coming

We have had Red-winged Blackbirds back here for a couple of weeks now as well as Northern Flickers and Grackles.  The snow on the ground has diminished to 13” with no new accumulation in a couple of weeks.  Ice is receding from Osoyoos Lake, although it is not entirely gone,  there are definite signs of hope.  I was up in a town called Peachland, north of us and on the water, a couple of weeks ago, and there were bulbs sprouting, geraniums starting to show, and many buds on shrubs.  This is very hard to resist.

The Wildlife Update

Last week, I had one of the most interesting experiences of my life here.

I have 5 bird feeders hung on a cable well above the ground to avoid predators, and they require filling every day to satiate the number of feathered pigs we have flying about.  In the winter, we have had Clarke’s Nutcrackers, Stellar Jays, Black-Capped Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Pygmy and Red/White Breasted Nuthatches as well as Cassin’s Finches.

I also put down cracked corn on the snow below the feeders to attract ground-feeding birds.

Suddenly, it seemed that the mule deer (AKA Mammalian Pigs) loved to come to the feeder area to lick cracked corn off the snow.  We saw Jane Doe and John Deere.

Last week I was in a bit of a rush to refill the feeders in the afternoon, because it is sometimes hard between feathered mobs to get the job done.  John Deere was underneath the feeders and wouldn’t budge.  Finally, I decided that my needs were greater than his, so I proceeded out with refills for 3 things, including the cracked corn.

I got to the point where the sidewalk intersects with the snow path to the feeders and started talking (and moving in a slow considerate fashion) to tell him that I was coming and he should get out of the way so I could put more food down.  He was not only deaf, but blind.  

He ignored me completely with head down eating corn.  I started up the snow path, step by step, talking more loudly, in the most polite fashion of course, to tell him I was coming and although he shouldn’t be alarmed he really needed to move along.  His head did not even come up.

Finally, I am within 10-12 feet of him, and I am telling him loudly that I don’t want to interrupt, but he should go away.  At this point, he lifts his head from the ground and turns around to face me.  We are at a standstill—I wait and he waits and he is outlasting me.  I have still moved forward.

I lift the container of cracked corn so he can see it, and again explain that I would really love to give it to him.  He apparently understands because he doesn’t budge and continues to look.  In desperation, I move my arm out slowly and pour the grain out about 3 feet away.  As I back off, he moves forward and enjoys my offering.  Apparently, I am now well-trained!

We finished off February with a casual get-together of neighbours for a “Thank God It’s Leap Day” celebration.  (I keep forgetting to take pictures, but these things are a lot of fun.

Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to March!

PS  Brian has even gained a couple of pounds and things are on a fast forward track.  Things are good.