Life goes on

Monday was a difficult day. The evening prior, two of our local police officers were shot when they arrived at a home for a domestic disturbance. Both officers are currently in stable condition in a hospital in the city, but sadly, both suffered life-altering injuries. We've learned that the dispute was between neighbours over a property line and a shed. It is just a horrible situation, and while the community is rallying around the families through fundraisers and creating cards and sending messages, our little town is shaken. By late afternoon, the lawn outside the RCMP office was filling up with Canada flags.

On Tuesday we were up bright and early and off to the city. Eli had an appointment with the developmental pediatrician at 9:30 a.m. We were far too early, so afterpicking up gas at Costco (15 cents a litre cheaper there than here in town), and a stop at McDonald's playland (with an iced coffee for me), I dropped the two of them off. D had been warned it would take most of the morning and it was nearly noon before I picked them up.

We got some good news on the drive in, when checked E-health records and read the report regarding his EEG, which showed no signs of seizure activity. She has a telephone appointment with the doctor in Saskatoon in late July, after which Eli can be weaned off the seizure meds. In addition after the discussion with the developmental pediatrician, D has been given permission to stop the anxiety medication he was taking. After the two meds are stopped, he'll just have his ADHD meds to take on a daily basis. He descibes those meds as "glasses for his brain", as they help him focus. 

Meanwhile I got in a short visit with my son and his g/f. I met them at the office and we went across the street for coffee. I was coffee'd out by this point, so just sat with them. They've got some plans for reno's and work to be done in the yard. I'm planning to spend a week there in mid-July, and will give them a hand with a few things. 

Since Eli was missing out on a school activity - it is the last week of school - we took the opportunity to visit the Saskatchewan Science Centre. Our boy is very interested in space and one of the main exhibits related to that subject. G'ma wandered a bit, but then found a place to sit and relax. Then it was time to head home.

We had more rain while we were gone, 8 cms or over 3 inches and D spent the evening in the basement. Our attempts to mitigate haven't completely been successful, but at least there is less water making its way in. We're planning to open up the wall below one of the windows to see if there is a crack in the foundation as it seems to be a potential source. That's on the agenda in next couple of weeks.

We've been having some issues with the front and back doors not properly latching - and one sneaky cat who figured out how to open the doors on his own. I called in a locksmith on Wednesday to check things out. He was here for about 45 minutes or so, and replaced the latch in the front door, corrected the knob placement in the other (it was upside down), and adjusted the hinges in both. I'm happy to say they are both working well now. I'm even happier to say that he advised we do NOT need to replace the doors. This was something D and I had discussed doing at some point.

Before he finished D and Eli headed off to the farm for his equine therapy session. This is the last one until next fall. His work with the horses and guidance from the therapist has really given him more confidence in doing hard things, and tolerance for doing things he'd prefer not to do. He's now working with a pony named Indie - at his regular session on Monday, he read to her in both English and French. This session was a make-up as he missed an appointment when he was sick last month.

I had Knit and Natter at the library that evening. Again, I was the only one there, which is disappointing, but I certainly didn't lack for company. One of the librarians, J had her daughter drop by with three small children she was babysitting. They were between the ages of 3 and 7 and provided live entertainment. They found a number of books, their babysister read while the oldest read on his own, while I continued to knit on my shawl. Things got quiet about 20 minutes before I left, as she took them out for ice cream. 

The fence guy let me know they would be starting work on Thursday. Phase 1 was the removal of the fence panels, posts, and the concrete that ran the length of the fence. I think it took Matt and his brother 15-20 minutes to take down the fence panels. The posts and the concrete took the rest of the day. Initially he had indicated that a buddy with a small skidsteer would be assisting with the removal of the concrete, but he injured his wrist and wasn't able to help so the two of them used a sledge hammer to break up the concrete and a crowbar to lift it.

When they removed the fence panels, I discovered that years of falling leaves and twigs had created a wonderful batch of compost between the neighbour's shed and the fence. While the guys worked at the other end, I dug out the compost and sorted through to get rid of some bits of garbage, a single brick, and tree roots. Most of it went into the compost bin, but some of it was moved onto the the space where we had removed a spruce tree last year. I managed to get the concrete cleared off before they made it that far. By 3:30 they were heading out with the third and final load for the dump. Matt mentioned he was hoping to be back the next day to set the posts.

He arrived about 9:15 to drop off his tools and wheelbarrow.  We're expecting a lot more rain over the weekend so I know he wanted to get the posts in. To stay out of his way, we headed into the NTO to do a little bit of shopping, visit a few garage sales, and stop at Walmart for a few groceries. We did visit Value Village where I found a tall metal vase and a weathered child's chair (total cost $12) I plan to use the latter in the garden as a plant stand, the vase will go south with me in the fall. The only thing I purchased at the garage sale was a pair of box cutters for $1. The groceries were more expensive! However, I did get Oreo cookies for Eli for $2.98 - similar cookies at our local stores are $5-6. 

Back at home, we found that Matt and his brother were making good headway with the posts and cross-members. They were  away for lunch and it was raining, however had left everything behind so I assumed, correctly, that he would be back. By late afternoon they had finished this stage of the fencing. I sent photos to LND; we both agreed it already looks much better than the old rickety fence. The last stage will be the fence boards which I anticipate will be done later next week.

Today is a quiet day, with nothing much planned. I had thought I'd do more weeding but it is cool and threatening to rain so indoor activities will suffice. As I'm writing this Eli is finishing his breakfast, we will be doing some reading together before heading downstairs to pick up his toys. D is rearranging the basement in anticipation of the changes to the area behind the furnace. I'm staying out of the way, she's a woman on a mission.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

A Day Late - keeping busy

The first peony bloom!

The weather continues to be erratic, with rain almost every day, but in small amounts. We had sunshine too, and I've spent some time outdoors, doing chores, and reading in my downtime. At this point the planting is done, now I need to catch with the weeds.

Our first piece of business on Monday was purchasing an upright freezer from our local hardware store. D has been suggesting it for some time and we arranged with Matt to pick it up and deliver to us. It will stay in the garage (which is insulated) and keep most of our meat and frozen vegetables. With our meal planning we'll bring in what we need for the week to keep in the fridge freezer, while the basement freezer keeps bread products, frozen pizza (Eli's favorite ones), french fries, perogies, etc. It's a bit of an experiment for now but when we filled it on Friday, we discovered I do NOT need to buy meat for some time.

I did my shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. As predicted we received and continue to get donations from the community wide garage sales. In addition one family is clearing out their mother's house and lots of treasures were found among the donations. One was a vintage Carnival glass small sugar bowl. It was set aside fo the woman who prices the more precious items. It would be worth more had it come with the creamer. We'll either sell it in the store or she'll post it on-line. There were also button containers (did your mom have a button jar?), with some really unique buttons, as well as homemade ones as well. I remember my mom making the matching buttons with material from an outfit. I did come home with a pair of wide leg palazzo pants for my daughter, but otherwise resisted the urge to shop...at least for a couple of days.

Wednesday, we had an appointment at the local credit union to open accounts for Eli and I. His mom wants to encourage him to start saving; she'd held onto the money he received for his birthday for the deposit. In my case, there is no branch of my usual institution, so I had opened an account at the local Bank of Montreal when I first moved here. I used it primarily to retrieve cash from the ATM, but they are closing as of Friday this week. Just a note: if I had withdrawn from my regular account at another institution there is a fee of $3-4. So, I closed that account and opened one at the credit union. That will allow me to access cash at the ATM with no fee. At some point, I'll start moving things from my current institution to the credit union, but that will take time as I have regular deposits and withdrawals that will need to changed. 

On Thursday, I went shopping at the thrift store - my feet are always tired after my shift. I found a number of items, though I messed up on the sizing of two of them so they will be returned as donations. Even so, I spent less than $15 for 5 pieces of clothing, one of which was a pretty top to match the palazzo pants I bought for my daughter. I noted that the sorting room wasn't as full as it had been when I left on Tuesday but the racks are full again. There may be another "sale" in the near future. 

One of the women from the thrift store mentioned that Canadian Tire had there annuals reduced in price. Can't pass up a sale, right? I picked another four six packs and a Gerbera daisy. I've never had much look with the daisy, but will give it a try - at $4.99 for the plant I won't be out much if it doesn't survive. 

On Friday, D and I visited a pair of garage sales, where she picked up some new baby clothes for her friend S. My big splurge was another puzzle and a piece of metal art for the yard. I was looking for a plant stand to put up in front of the house but D convinced me a bench would be better. Home Hardware had one for sale so I gave in a purchased it.

On Saturday, I put the bench together, and got the new plants into their pots. I'm now up to seventeen containers, although three of those are perennials that will go into the raised flower bed in the back yard. At the moment that project is on hold until the fence is complete. The next project will see me recaulking the windows and painting the trim in the front of the house.

On a happy note, I finally heard from LND and the fence is a go with Matt. The actual work won't start until July. Matt works full-time for the fire department and is busy with ball season with his daughter. We're also having him do a bit a reno in the basement to remove a wall behind the furnace. The water leak has made it's way to that area in the past and we'd like to have better access to that area.

We've done everything we can to mitigate the leak. I added the rain guards to the window wells. I did dig down and discovered that the wood window frame is rotten. There is a plan to replace windows in a few years so the basement windows to that list. D managed to get the sealant applied to the wall this week, and while we've had rain we haven't seen any evidence in the a basement. There was an area in the back where water was standing. So I've added soil and sloped it away from the foundation. I'll need to let it settle and add more as needed. But fingers crossed, that issue is managed for the time being.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

A trip to the city, more rain, and the continuing saga

After Eli went to school on Monday morning, D and I did a bit of packing for a short trip to the city. A small suitcase for clothing and toiletries, a backpack for swim gear for the three of us, a cooler for a Costco run, and D's bag for meds, electronics, and other sundry items. We were only there overnight. 

I went out to load the car while they went to equine therapy that afternoon, as well as to clear out any garbage and vacuum up the floors and the back seat. When they returned we stopped for Eli's supper at Tim Horton's (he loves their grilled cheese and bacon sandwich) and a cold drink for me. The trip is about an hour and half and we were in Regina by about six, stopping at a Burger King for D and I, before heading to the hotel. 

After dinner we went to the pool - I enjoyed the hot tub! D sat with me for a bit, and then went to keep an eye on Eli who was using the water slide. We later made a run up to my son's for a visit. Sage (the pup) was thrilled to see us, and after a bit of jumping and occasional bark, settled down. Eli and his uncle had quite the conversation, while Kota (one of the cats) cuddled up next to the kid. D and C's g/f visited on the front deck. 

Back at the hotel we all stayed up until 12:30 a.m. when Eli and I went to sleep. D said she did not sleep at all, and we were all up at 4:30 a.m. Eli's EEG was scheduled for 10 a.m. and they wanted him tired. D was given instructions that he should have no more than 4 hours of sleep. We were all tired, but he seemed to be less so than the two of us. After showers and baths, I took down our bags to the car and found that the breakfast room was set up so we headed down for a leisurely meal. We still had some time before we needed to be at the hospital, so wandered over to Dollarama and Walmart.

I dropped the two of them at 9:15 a.m. which turned out to be fortuitous, Based on the letter D recevied, the directions had them finding that the admitting desk at that area of the hospital was closed due to staffing shortgages. By the time they made their way to the main doors and back to this building, they didn't have a very long wait. Unfortunately Eli wasn't able to fall asleep during the test and we won't know until the pediatric neurologist looks at the film whether the test was successful or not in determining if he has had any further seizure activity.

Meanwhile I made a run to Costco, returning with an empty wallet about 90 minutes later. I parked in a nearby Shopper's Drug Mart lot until D texted to say they were ready. From there, we skedaddled for home. There were things to unload and unpack, and Eli had a Big Brother, Big Sister event after the school day was over. Noah, his big brother, is graduating this year and will be off to University in the fall. The two of them have created quite a bond over the two years, meeting most every Wednesday for lunch at Eli's school. D took photos of the two of the together and plans to gift Noah a framed photo to take with him. 

I went to Knit and Natter, and I suspect due to the inclement weather, and was the only one in attendance. Since I was finished the mittens I decided to start on a small project for a friend. L is undergoing cancer treatment, and is a big fan of chickens. I figured she needs an emotional support chicken. The crocheting was pretty much finished before I left that evening, and I finished it up on Thursday morning, adding the comb and beak, and added the safety eyes and stuffing. I'm not entirely sure I like it, and may use a different pattern to make a second one. 

Thursday marked the final swimming lesson for Eli for this session in the NTO. He'll continue in July at the local pool. Since there was little I could do outside, I went along. We dropped by Value Village with some donations and did a wander in the store. I found a couple of pieces of outdoor decor, a cake of yarn, two "basement" towels, and two brand new bras.

After a quick meal at Burger King (Eli's choice) we stopped at the Bookworm, a used book store. They had moved locations last fall, and this was our first time in the new spot. They still have mounds of books and of course, I came home with a couple. I dropped D and Eli at the pool, and headed over to Walmart to pick up some fruit and veg. It was a productive afternoon.

On the home front, we have battled the weather all week, with rain every day except Monday. AND thank goodness for that as we were away. I'm also grateful that the hail that hit the city happened Tuesday evening and we avoided it here. However, with more rain on Wednesday the basement continued to let in rain. We now have two fans blowing constantly to help it dry and lay down towels on various areas in the laundry/furnace room as needed. These are spun in the washer and then dried several times a day. D generally gets up once in the middle of the night to use the wet vac, replace the towels, and empty the two humidifiers. If I'm awake before her in the morning, I've been taking a turn. The ground is so saturated that the water is looking for anywhere to go. And of course, there is more rain in the forecast!

The rain guards arrived on Friday morning and I got them installed. Not perfectly, as there isn't a smooth or straight surface to watch them to. The recommended option was to screw them to the house but the base is concrete and the house is stucco. So I used window caulking....lots and lots of it. Not pretty but the seal is tight.

Despite all the rain, my plants continue to grow, along with the weeds. I can manage in the raised beds as I can reach from all sides, but the garden itself is far too wet. In the flower beds, things are starting to show blooms; lamium, dead nettle, poppies, and columbine. I had picked up a sunflower last week, and got it planted as well. It sure brightens up the flower bed!

Update on the fence situation - LND is dragging this out longer by insisting he ask his mother's husband (an accountant by trade in the city) to contact some of his customers to get quotes as a favour. When I pointed out that any contractor would likely be charging for mileage and thus increase the cost, he snapped back that he had his furnace, water heater, and drywalling his basement this way. I didn't bother to respond, but will text him again this weekend and I plan to set a firm deadline. If he hasn't got additional quotes by the end of June, I will go ahead with or without his contribution. I won't tell him that part of it, but will insinuate that I'll send him a bill at the end of the process. 

We're expecting a warmer day today and I'm hoping to spend a good part of it outdoors. There is, of course, much weeding to be done, the potatoes need to be hilled, and I want to replace the gate latch on the front gate. I may also have picked up a few more plants (just three) on Friday, and those need to go in a container as well. If it's decent enough I need to do some caulking on the window panes out front. That needs to be done before I can get to the painting...and that won't happen until the weather stays nice for a bit. Wish me luck!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny