We have lots of snow now, I can’t pretend to like it but the dogs are at least clean when they come in from being in the garden. we’ve had two really cold nights, -15C (5F) but mostly it has been between -4C to -8C (24,8F to 17,6F).
There’s so much snow now that the forest birds have problems reaching their food so yesterday I saw the first Bullfinches. I didn’t get any good photos of them, the best is the one shown below. That is a male, the females are more towards mauve colored.Ā I also have a, in this area, very rare visitor and she comes by every day, a Wood Grouse. The roosters can weigh up to 7 kg (15,4 pound) but the hen usually around 3kg (6,6 pound). I’m not sure what she is eating here, they usually eat pine needles. So my guess is that she eats buds from the lilacs and some of the seeds on the ground. We haven’t had a wood grouse in these parts since long before I moved here 23 years ago so it’s kind of cool that when one comes it chose my garden š
We went down to the creek this morning. The snow that the weather sites said wouldn’t fall started to fall already yesterday evening š It didn’t stop falling until we were almost at home again š Lots of tracks from animals in the snow, mostly from wild hogs, roe deer, hares, a fox (possibly the one visiting my garden every night and either a small mosse or a big red deer. Only one human had walked there since the dogs and I walked there last time and that was a couple of days ago. My guess is that it is the beekeeper who has made those tracks, very few other people walk there in winter.
Alma was a bit impossible on our walk today so my back feels a bit sour. She has behaved so much better lately but today was a day when she just couldn’t.Ā Turns out that she isn’t especially quiet at nights when I am at work so now I have to figure out a way to either make her quiet down or dampen the sound from her barking. I’ve ordered two sun powered lights that will shine as soon as she’s outside in the dog yard, if that doesn’t help I’ll have to put up a wooden fence instead. Turns out that she sometimes is so loud that she wakes up my neighbors youngest daughter. They are the kindest and best neighbors one can wish for so I wish they would have told me when this started.Ā Well I’ll figure out something to make her at least not sound as much.
I’ve baked a bread today, I checked recipes online and the recipes are either really complicated or they all use a ready mad mix. So I just checked how much flour/ mix they were using and tossed in what I had (in this case oat flour, sorghum flour and rice flour) in the same ammount š I haven’t tried it yet because as soon as the bread was ready I put in french fries and meatballs in the oven. I’ll have a sandwich with meatballs, christmas ham and beetroot salad after writing this š As worse it’ll just taste like the breads one can buy and they work if one toast them š
Hunters out in the forest tomorrow and I hope they will hunt for wild hogs because we have so many of them now. They are now slowly destroying the forest roads I usually walk on and it is hard to see where they’ve been now when the snow covers everything. It is very surprising when there’s a deep hole beneath my foot when I can’t see it by looking at the snow š š
Have a great day!
The Cottage by the crane lake. 
When you said earlier that you didn’t know what would be attracting the grouse to your yard I thought to myself it would be funny if it was the lilacs that you like do much. š
Barking at night when you’re gone is a difficult problem. Are the dogs in the dog house at night or do you leave in them house? I hope the lights work.
No snow here. Supposed to be big rain tomorrow.
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Hi Caryn!
I do hope she eat those lilacs š š š
Yes it is a tricky problem to solve. She didn’t behave like this when I worked day though, so I’ve ordered two strong lamps that will start to shine when ever she’s outdoors. If that doesn’t help I’ll built a wooden fence towards my neighbors but still have it open towards the forest behind so that most sound travels out towards that direction. I do hope it helps with the lights!
They are in the dog house/yard/garage when I’m at work, I’m not sure how much damage she would do in the cottage if I left them there. Nova and Albin would just sleep while I’m away though.
Have a great day!
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I just read an article written by a couple who adopted a 7 year old lab mix 3 years ago. The dog had several anxiety behaviors which they finally managed to mostly control with doggy Prozac. But the dog still had to have a sitter whenever they went out. The wife had a recording of a 2 hour Zoom lecture she had given. They loaded that onto one of those photo frames that had internet connection. When they went out, they’d turn it on in another room and leave by different door. It worked. They’re pretty sure the dog knows she’s not there but is calmed by her voice.
Maybe you could record yourself reading The Lord of the Rings and play it on continuous loop for Alma?š
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I was thinking in the line of that but more towards a radio. I think however their idea was better so I have now ordered an Ipad and will record me reading something, perhaps not the Lord of the Rings though š š š She didn’t behave like this when I worked the day shift so we’re all a bit surprised she started but then again we didn’t have wolves here so it could be because she feels the smell from them even though they might not be close.
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