Mouse tracks

Mouse tracks! Oh, my God! I fear what I may find come spring.

The first time I saw smooth snow broken by rows and rows of mouse tracks, I thought it was rather pretty. I had some passing concerns for the little mice dragging their naked tails through the awfully cold ice and snow, but that's all.

My concern for the mice has turned to concern for my plants. The tracks one sees on the surface of the snow are nothing compared to the little tunnels running under the snow. And if the little rodents are not sleeping, they are eating. Come spring, I assume I am going to have a lot of plants sporting damage from being nibbled repeatedly over the winter.

I pray none of my young trees have been girdled. If they are girdled, the young trees will die.

The location deserved better

I find this a head-shaker. Reservoir Hill was the site of a military skirmish during the War of 1812. The hill was possibly the location of a short battle at the point of the deepest penetration by the Americans into what would become the country of Canada. It has taken some four decades for the developer and the city to agree on the present $20-million, 12-storey apartment building now being going up on the historic site.

After more than four decades of on-and-off discussions, one would have rightly expected a more interesting, imaginative apartment building. The view from the 12-floor will be great. It should be a quite the spectacular view of the Thames River and the distant downtown. Sadly, the view of the building itself from ground level will be less than breathtaking.

A dangerous place for rabbits

It is not uncommon to see rabbit prints in the backyard snow. Rabbits are very adaptable and have learned to live within cities. Still, it can be a deadly dangerous place for a rabbit to live. Cars are bad but cats are worse. Last week I found a large rabbit dead in the snow. Its head was completely ripped from its body. It was gross. Cats left to roam free take an awfully large toll when it comes to wildlife. Rabbits, chipmunks and birds are the main targets but they take the occasional groundhog too. My granddaughter has never stumbled upon one of the bodies and I am dreading the day that she does.

Snowbanks make crossing the street dangerous

Snowbanks make walking difficult. To cross a street one must find a break in the wall of snow and then take care that drivers see you before you enter the street.

This pedestrian was crossing at a light when hit by a car making a right turn. Both the pedestrian and the car driver had the right light but the pedestrian had the right of way. The height of the snowbank hid the walker from view until the driver was well into the turn.

After being struck, an ambulance was called. I understand the pedestrian was lucky and may have suffered only a broken leg.

One last fog photo

One last image from the fog. Just couldn't resist.

Thick fog yesterday

I had to take my granddaughter to her Irish dance lesson yesterday. The thick fog amazed her. She couldn't understand why the air seemed so thick with smoke. Cars passed us, disappearing into the mist. Oncoming cars, lights ablaze, appeared first as just two dots in the mist. She thought driving in this was dangerous, and she was right.

Rain, fog and flooding

Today, just days after breaking out of an extended deep freeze, the snow in London, Ontario, first it was thick fog followed by a heavy rain to wash away the remaining snow. I'm sure the area creeks and rivers will overflow their banks. The flood plain in the city core will be under a foot or more of water, no doubt.