Random Animals of this Late Fall, Early Winter

All those photos were taken at the cabin, not miles away in the bush apart from the coot.

Black wolf.

Boreal Chickadee

Coot

A fisher. I had  never seen one before, than I saw one in my yard and then later in the same morning I saw another one. Two the same day!!!

A fox

A ptarmigan

And ravens

The Unfinished Wood Shelter

Once I got into cutting poles, I had a phase I think and just started to think as all kind of projects using poles. And this is how the 6-cord-woodshelter got started. I decided to do a.... you guessed it.... pole structure.

I cut my own poles, dug 3 feet deep holes, tried to line up the poles as much as I could, and raised the 6 poles needed for the structure that way.

Than it was time to put double girts across and this is when I started using the truck as a ladder. Because I am on my own I had to find a way to hold the 2x8 on one side while I was putting it up on the other side and this is what the  pole which appears to be lining on the structure is doing. It is holding the girt up for me.
First I just put one screw in, then drill a 1/2' hole through the 2 girts and the vertical poles and then bolted them together.

Since later on the rafters will rest on the girts I needed them to line up just right.
I first put the 2 most outward girts then put 2 rafters on top and all other girts were added so they would fit snugly under those rafters which means that in time they will be sharing the load the rafters will be carrying.  No point in putting 6 girts in all if the rafter only rest on two or three.
I had to think in terms of possible snow load here.

...And unfortunately it is pretty much where it is at right now, and has been for the last 5 weeks since I sprained my ankle. I do have all the girts (so 6 and not 3 as in this picture... one on each side of the poles) and they are all bolted in place.

The Tipis or Teepees

 It actually has been a very busy summer. Mostly I have been tanning moose hide, trying to build a wood shelter, garden etc but somewhere in there I build two tipis. The first one is quite small (9 feet tall inside) but just the same I quite like it.

The second one was a bit harder to put together because it is a lot taller (19 feet inside). 

First I put the tripod up.

Then added the rest of the poles

It is hard to show how big it is

But to give you a sense, here are the poles when they are still in the truck (yes I cut the poles myself, I did the entire thing myself alone)

The poles for the small tipi

The poles for the bigger tipi

Early Fall it Seems

Fall is here and really has been here for over a week.

Here is a view of our weather forecast as it stands today.

For people who work with Fahrenheit: 15C is 59F, and 3C (the low for Sunday night) is 37F so just above freezing. I have to make a decision on the garden but I think that especially the basil needs to be harvested or covered.

Yesterday I harvested all the beets. I had two rows, I had already pickles 6 jars worth and yesterday I got a bucketful, so I think I did alright.

The predictions for this winter are the worse El Nino in a 100years, so the coldest winter in a 100 years!
I was building a wood shelter to stack up my wood but I sprained my ankle and had to stop pretty much everything requiring any standing up and now I haven't even started to cut wood!!!
Here is the wood shelter (which will be able to hold 6 cords of wood) being built. The truck is in it because I am using it as a ladder.

In this picture you can see one of the tipis I built this summer.

Spider footsteps

Just to illustrate how quiet my place is:

I was home reading (nursing my sprained ankle) when I heard a noise and thought that it might be a small rodent gnawing at something. I got up to get something to bang on the walls but somehow during th process I realized that the noise I was hearing was a regular sized spider walking across the geological map I have on the wall.
Footsteps of a spider on paper that's what I was hearing!!!!!

Weasel Again

Here are much better pictures of the weasel who hangs out by the cabin.

Beaver Tail

I had a chance to try eating beaver tail. Curtis brought them over and prepared them.

 First this how amazing beaver tails look like from close.

 First you have to roast them over open flame

As the scales/skin bubbles up as it gets burnt you scrape it off.

The scrapped off parts are white because the flesh underneath is sort of like gristle fat

This one is ready.

My 2015 Christmas tree

So I did have a Christmas tree, though clearly a Charlie Brown of a tree. I totally decorated it (apart from the lights) with beaded tree decoration from South Africa.

A very tall tree. It went all the way to the ceiling.

And I had batteries operated lights in it

Here are the ornaments

An angel

One N'debele angel and one N'debele woman.

Stars and Christmas trees.

more angels

slose up of the N'debele angel... my favourite ornaments this year.

A giraffe behind the angel

I haven't had a tree in years and years, and I really enjoyed putting it up

Bare Naked Feet in Snow

The weather is so mild (-7C, 20F) that I somehow started walking very short little distances around the outside of the cabin bare feet. I only quickly go and do something because after all it is still cold.

I never ever would I thought that I would do such a thing, but there you are:

Standing long enough to look at the northern light two nights ago I managed to melt a footprint on the deck.

Random Pictures for November

Somehow I am not blogging a lot, but this "random pictures for the month" thing seems to work for me.

The quintessential northern Skidoo

I was in Calgary briefly this month and these are photos of one of my favourite thing in Calgary, a "recycled metal" horse sculpture", a huge thing way bigger than life size.

From the municipal garbage dump (called "nuisance ground" here) the pattern of ravens wings as they take off.

Muching with a quad as opposed to a sledge

This curious owl spotted me and took off soon after

A little woodpecker

Just snow on a branch of jack pine

Snowy landscapes

Fluffy squirrel

Snow piling up on the steps I never use

Ptarmigan prints across the Salt River

The whiskey jack coming to eat his breakfast on my front steps

A big wood pecker. Love the red cap!