Fun in the sun!

The week started out quietly but ended with a whole lot of fun!  I did my regular grocery shopping, household chores, a bit of yard work and so forth completed by mid-week.  I had planned to mow Thursday morning, but the grass was wet and got even wetter when it began raining that morning.  

I did get out for a walk on Tuesday, though I almost wished I hadn't by the time I got home.  When I left the house it at about 10 a.m., it was already 24C (75F) and it had risen to 27C(80F) by the time I arrived home about an hour later.  I hadn't taken any water with me and definitely needed some rehydration by that point.

It was an odd walk, even though I walked my regular route.  The photos tell the story.

First up was this baby crow, that had fallen from the nest. It was off to the side of the path, wet from the sprinklers.  By the time I came back, it had dried off and was marching back and forth.  It's parents were close by and letting anyone who got close to back off.  That included me as well as a pair of Merlin hawks that were buzzing around.  I don't know what happened to it - hopefully the older crows were able to keep it safe from the predators.  (I don't know if crows actually have blue eyes or if this was a reflection of the sky.)

Okay, this was just weird.

Someone had hung a pancake (slightly burnt on the other side) in one of the spruce trees off the path. I presume they were well intentioned, thinking the birds might eat it.  Who knows, maybe they did.

I heard the sound of aircraft high above and captured this photo of a pair flying in tandem. I suspect they belong to 15 Wing Moose Jaw, part of the RCAF.  I checked the information on line and believe these are two CT-156 Harvard II.  The base at Moose Jaw is home to the Snowbirds, Canada's air demonstration squadron. 

At the creek, things were normal and I was thrilled to see three families of ducks.

I took the path on the opposite side of the creek, hoping to catch a glimpse of the godwit or avocet, but saw neither.

I've left this photo small but I presume you can enlarge it by clicking on it.  I believe this is a gopher skull.  

Happily I saw a few more, like this one, watching me from the grass.  The city crew were out mowing the park but hadn't reached this area.  

While this isn't really odd, it just impressed me with it shape and color.  It's a thistle of some sort, with a large purple flower.  They may be a weed but in the park they're simply beautiful.

My second encounter with a crow happened near the end of the creek. I would have liked to get a front-on photo as it was resting on top of the warning - thin ice sign.  It didn't cooperate!

Over at the pond, the goslings continue to grow up quickly.  This one appears to be nearly fully grown, with just a bit of down remaining around the face.  

Friday, I headed out of town early in the morning for a visit with D and Eli.  To quote Dr. Seuss, "oh the fun we will have".  Well, we certainly did. There were visits to the nearby park and spray pad, to the beach, lots and lots of playtime in the yard, and a brief shopping trip that resulted in the purchase of cupcakes too.  

At one point, Eli was soaking wet, but I had forgotten to bring a towel with us.  He came running over to me and gave me a big hug, burrowing his face into my shirt.  I was nearly as soaked as he was! 

Before we left for home he went down the big slide and then we stopped at the swings to watch the city crew dealing with the damaged trees from the storm a few weeks ago.  As I pushed him on the swing he got quiet, so I asked what he was thinking about, "A rocket ship G'ma", he said.  We had quite the conversation about him wanting to build a rocket ship and go into space.  

Saturday we were up early and outside doing yard work before heading for the beach.  The yard is large and requires a fair amount of maintenance that would daunt even someone who enjoys doing that work.  D got the lawn mowed, while I did some weeding.  Eli buzzed around the yard serenading us with the trumpet he found in the garage (where D had thought she had hidden it. :))  

The beach was quiet when we arrived, just two other families besides ourselves.  Eli loves the water, though a bit tentative to begin with, he soon overcomes any trepidation and enjoys himself immensely.

When the boats went by their wake would send waves into the beach.  We had some fun jumping the waves.  There was a couple of other children there for the first half-hour or so before they left.  Eli quite enjoyed their company and the three took turns on the slide.

When they left the beach, he continued to slide on his own.  But he called to me to come out to help him off the slide. Not that he needed the help, he just wanted to splash me.  Stinker!  

We left the beach when a family arrived with their dog in tow. Although there are signs that dogs are not permitted on the beach, the husband stood in front of the sign, read it, and then casually walked down to the water with the dog.  Sigh...perhaps we're just rule followers but this was a large dog and though leashed bowled over one of their children in its excitement.  My daughter was feeling quite anxious and there was no point in staying any longer.

On our way back to town, we spotted a young mule deer in the ditch.  It was feeding and although it raised it's head to look at us, it didn't seem bothered by the traffic passing by. No photo, since my camera was packed away.

It rained overnight, so the last bit of yard work I had planned to get done this morning had to be left.  But D and I got a few chores done in the house that aren't easy to accomplish on one's own with a four year old helper.  I left soon after these were done with a tinge of sadness - I do enjoy my time with the two of them though I do appreciate the quiet of my home. 

I did make a brief stop on the highway on my way home.  You likely won't recall but I've stopped to take photos of this old house before.  Those photos were taken of the front of the house, which has been falling in.  Today's photos are of the rear of the house, which seems to have fared far better than the front.

It must have been a lovely home at one time.  These bushes were likely planted as a hedge.  

On the pathway I came across these wild flowers. I've no idea what they are.  But it amazes me how hardy these plants are - out in the hot sun, watered only when it rains, and never weeded.  Perhaps I've chosen the wrong plants for my perennial bed. 

We're heading into a heat wave for the upcoming week.  Thankfully we won't be getting the high temperatures that British Columbia is experiencing; 35C (95F) on the island and 48C (118) in some places in the interior!  Even so, I'll be puttering in the yard in the mornings and spending the afternoons hiding in my air-conditioned house.  D sent me home with a project so I've got some sewing to do too. 

Have a good week everyone!

Satisfying my curiosity

 There were a couple of comments on my last post  about the origin of the saying my grandmother used: "enough blue sky to make a Dutch boy's pants".  

Curiosity led me to do a bit of research on the origin of the saying (or old saw* as I learned).  It comes from nautical lore: when there is enough blue sky to patch a Dutchman's breeches, expect clearing weather. (Old Farmer's Almanac).

Another site suggested that "sailors traditionally wore wide trousers, and Dutchmen traditionally wore even bigger ones, which in addition were blue."  Thus to make a pair of these pants, one would need to see quite a large patch of blue sky amidst the clouds.  

In some cases, the saying was changed to enough blue sky to patch a pair of pants.  Perhaps that was meant to be more optimistic.  Yet another article suggested that the blue sky had to be seen before 11 in the morning for the afternoon weather to improve.

The search results also brought up several references to Dutchman's Breeches, (Dicentra cucullaria) a herbaceous perennial in the poppy family.  I was surprised to learn that another name for it is Bleeding Heart.  It certainly doesn't look like the bleeding heart I'm familiar with. 

According to the U.S. Forest Service, this native wildflower grows primarily in the eastern United States, as well as the Pacific Northwest.  Reading that, made me curious so I googled Dutchman's Breeches and Canada, discovering this plant is also found in the Eastern provinces of Canada.

At the end of it all, I still don't know how much blue sky is needed to make (or patch) a Dutch boy's pants.  But on overcast days I'll keep looking for those holes. 

I'm curious too, is there a saying (or sayings) that you use that have their origins in the past?  One that springs to mind from my mom was, you have to eat a peck of dirt before your die.  I don't know where it came from...so that's a post for another day.

*A proverb or maxim, as in Mom's always repeating the old saw, “Haste makes waste.” This term uses saw in the sense of “saying,” and old in the sense of “wise” rather than old-fashioned. [Second half of 1400s] Dictionary.com

Another week bites the dust

 Another week where time has simply gotten away from me.  Had I not kept track on my calendar, I'd have no idea what I've been up to this week.  I mean I do remember going for groceries at one point, doing some housework, some yard work, reading, watching television, going for a few walks.  Pretty much a normal and mundane week around here.  

We've had some more heat early in the week, so the containers needed to be watered daily.  My tomatoes are starting to bloom. This has become a hot topic on a gardening group I follow on FB.  To pinch the first flowers or not? Some believe you'll have more fruit if the first flowers are removed, others say don't.  To be honest, I haven't a clue and I've never removed the flowers on the tomatoes I've grown in the past.  So I won't this time either.  

I ran out to Costco to pick up cat food for D on Wednesday - the sale price was terrific and much cheaper than she can get in her small town.  While I was out, I went to Home Depot to pick up a few bags of dirt and a peony. I've been so very envious of the various blog and FB posts this spring but didn't think I really had a spot for one.  But then I had lightbulb moment!  There is corner of the lawn area in the back yard, where the sunroom and deck meet, that is very awkward to mow. I always end up using a pair of scissors to cut the portion I can't get at with the mower.  So the next morning I spent some time digging up the sod, adding fresh dirt and mixing it in with our not so wonderful clay soil, planting the peony and adding mulch.  Then I mowed and appreciated the changes I'd made. 

This area is shady in the morning because of the spruce tree, but gets lots of sun as it faces south. I know I won't see blooms this year but maybe I'll be lucky and it will next year.

While I was out and about, I made a stop at both the Salvation Army and Value Village stores.  I picked up a couple of books by Sandra Brown (both mysteries) at S.A.  I did well at V.V. finding another pair of shoes and a bag of Lego for Eli, a t-shirt for myself, a candy jar, and a board to use for a sign for D.  

I had picked up the stencil at the $ store, so it was a simple process to add the stickers.  On the back I've attached a couple of picture hangers as the board is pretty heavy - we'll just have to put in a couple of nails in the wall to hang it from in her laundry area.

I did manage to walk several days this week but I didn't have the camera with me until Friday.  It was cool and overcast when I started out but the sun made itself known occasionally.  The breeze was nice as it kept the mosquitos (mostly) at bay.  

My maternal grandmother used to say it wouldn't rain if there was enough blue sky to make a Dutch boy's pants.  Apparently this was enough because I did not get rained on.

The gophers weren't the least bit shy this day.  I saw a least a half dozen of the critters.  This one appeared to be yelling to its buddies. :)

The wildflowers are blooming and some of the grasses are heading out.  

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I've no idea what any of these are, but they sure are pretty.

During my walk, I saw the Avocet pair - I'm still hopeful they have had young ones though I've not seen them.  But more exciting (to me at least) was spotting the Killdeer.  There was a pair nesting last year at the creek and it would appear they are back.

Over at the pond, most of the birds were on the opposite bank, until I reached the far end.  There were three pelicans, one grooming itself and these two coming in for a landing.

I've only seen the cormorant once this spring.  The water level was very high so the spot where it often sat (some sort of a pipe) was underwater.  It isn't now, but I have to wonder with fewer goslings and ducklings this year if it found another area to feed. There certainly aren't fish in this pond, yet last year the cormorants were around most of the summer.

Speaking of goslings, they are growing up quickly. While there are some more recent youngsters, this group are rapidly approaching adulthood.  Teenagers perhaps?

Today, we started out sunny but it is clouding over as the day goes on.  We may get some rain this afternoon but the possibility is still low.  I should have gone out and weeded the side yard this morning but instead I've been sweeping and washing floors, cleaning toilets, interspersed with reading blogs and FB, doing some Sudoku and crosswords, and putting things back where they belong. It isn't the most efficient way to get things done but it seems to work for me.

On that note, I'll wrap up this week's post. I'm sure you're all bored by now. Have a great week everyone!

After the rain

It's been another week of weather - isn't every week you ask?  Well, yes that's true, it's just been an up and down week that kiboshed some of my plans.

I started off the week in the best way, getting my second COVID vaccine.  This time I didn't have to wait in the drive-through, I had an appointment for 8:30 a.m. at the mega clinic.  When I arrived there were about 12-15 people waiting in line ahead of me, and although the doors were delayed in opening, I was in and out of the clinic by 9:15 or so.  I stopped on the way home to pick up groceries.  Once home, I received a text from the optometrist's office letting me know my new glasses were available for pick-up.

I went with some trepidation as Dr. Kelly had mentioned I might have some difficulty adjusting to the new prescription.  When the tech gave the glasses to me and I slipped them on, it was like a new world opened up.  I obviously didn't realize how bad my eyesight was getting.  I have had absolutely no issues with stairs or focusing near or far with them.  Hooray!

This time, with the COVID vaccine, I did have a sore arm.  My daughter described it as someone punching you very hard in the arm and that pretty much how it felt.  I was a bit tired the following day, but I think that had more to do with the general busy-ness of the two days.  Tuesday I was up early in the morning, it was going to be a hot day, and got busy in the yard. I swept up pine needles and pine cones on the driveway, weeded the front area by the containers (it is xeriscaped but the weeds come in by the sidewalk and driveway), cleaned off the deck chairs and tables, and watered containers before heading inside for more housework.

Wednesday and Thursday were considerably cooler and overcast.  So housework kept me busy, sweeping and washing floors, and cleaning the bedroom carpet (thank you cats...not!).  I spent some time working on Ancestry as well...it's quite the rabbit hole at times. 

We had a storm pass over on Thursday morning, but the sun made an appearance in the afternoon.  Out I went - our spring/summer is so short I need to spend as much time as possible outdoors. Other than checking on the progress of my containers, I enjoyed just relaxing in the sun and reading.  Earlier this week I finished a Sandra Brown novel Rainwater, and then I started Stranger in Paradise by Eileen Goudge.  I'm almost certain I've read the latter book before as it seems familiar as I read it, but I don't remember it well enough to not find it interesting.  I do recommend Rainwater - it's not the usual Sandra Brown fare, and was a very interesting story.

The storm clouds blew in again overnight Thursday into Friday morning.  I was wakened a few times in the night with the sound of thunder but was far too tired to get up to watch a lightning show. When I woke at 6 a.m. it was to the sound of water running out of the downspout at the corner of the garage - the weeping tile that drains the water down to the street just couldn't keep up.

It's not entirely clear in this photo but the eavestrough wasn't able to keep up either.  It's pouring down onto the edge of the spruce tree, and then running down the driveway to the street.  At noon we'd had close to 2 inches of rain in less than 24 hours.  That is close to average monthly rainfall for June in the city.  We can certainly use it as it's been so dry here but I'm sure the farmers and gardeners wish it would have come in smaller increments.

This photo was taken mid-morning Friday, and the amount of standing water in my backyard is gone now at midday Saturday.  I thought this was bad until I looked over to the backyards of my two neighbours to the west. The furthest of the yards looked to have a large pond forming. They have a fire pit and it was surrounded by water.  My next door neighbour told me today about a dozen years ago everyone along the street had to trench their back yards because one neighbour was getting flooded every year.  I'm thinking we may be close to needing some remediation again.

Today I woke to sunshine and decided it was past time for a walk.  After my morning call from my daughter I packed up the camera and headed out.  I keep thinking I should change up where I walk, but I really enjoy the paths near my house.  The terrain may be familiar but every time I walk there I see something new or interesting.

I spotted this young squirrel along the path just as he spotted me.  It initially didn't run away from me but waited until I got the camera out, changed the lens, and then it took off but not very far.

The prairie roses are blooming at one spot on the path.  These bring back memories to me of my childhood, as the bushes grew along the ditches near our farm house.

This fellow was enjoying it's breakfast in the sunshine.  I wonder if it eats dandelions?

After the heavy rain, the creek is beginning to fill up.  (That's a wee duckling swimming and perhaps it's father sitting on the bank).  

Just off the bridge were the mother duck and another of her young ones.  I was amazed how quickly the little ones can swim.  

I couldn't walk down the path on the opposite side of the creek as it was just too wet and muddy but I did risk a wander through the grass to get closer to the edge of the creek.  I was focusing on the Avocet (out of focus in the background) when I heard the sound of a gopher calling out a warning to it's friends. Ha, there it was just a few meters away.

When I got to the pond, most of the geese were on the far side, but I noted these two families swimming across towards me.  I waited nearby and was thrilled as they came right up out of the water just a short distance away.

This little one wasn't the least bit shy. It hopped right out of the water and came onto the path were I was standing.  I can see the feathers are starting to come in. Amazing how quickly they grow up!

There were two pelicans flying over the creek (I took photos but they weren't worth sharing) and two at the pond.  This one was feeding at the far end of the pond.

It's been a good week, even with the changeable weather. And I'm about to head outdoors to enjoy the rest of the day on the deck with my book.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A tale of two cousins

 I've been spending some time (or rather a lot of time) researching my father's family history.  I was aware of some information because a distant cousin wrote a book many years ago detailing the history to that current time - I would have been a teenager so that would have been (gasp!) nearly 50 years ago.  One of the stories I recall from the book was that nearly sixty families with the family name immigrated to Canada about 1850, likely fleeing the potato famines in Ireland.  

Many of the families settled in what is now Quebec or Ontario, while some made their way into the United States.  My immediate ancestors made their home in a county in Quebec near the community of Shawville.  Someday I hope to visit the area and explore where they may have lived and worked.

Lately I've extended my research to encompass the siblings of my great grandfather Adam and their families.  It is the stories of two distant cousins I want to share with you today.  I should note they were first cousins, their grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers.

The first is the story of James Gordon, more commonly known as Gordon.  He was born in May  1888 and died just a week before his 24th birthday in May 1912.  On the surface the fact he died young wasn't initially surprising to me, there were so many who died early, however it turned out his passing was truly tragic.  

Gordon worked as a clerk in a local bank in Shawville. On a Friday evening, he left the bank with a revolver that was normally kept on the premises.  Before he left he wrote out the combination to the safe and left the note where it would be found by the bank officials.

There were two newspaper articles published around the event. The first reveals that Gordon spent the evening in the company of family friends; Teresa, her siblings and a number of other friends. After all the others had retired for the evening, the two spent a few minutes alone before Gordon retrieved the gun and shot her three times.  The first bullet lodged in her jaw, the second grazed her cheek, and when she turned to run, the third struck her in the neck below her ear.  Gordon fled the scene while Teresa made her way to her brother's bedroom screaming she had been shot, and she was rushed to the nearby hospital.  In the article she was reported to be in a "precarious condition".  The whereabouts of Gordon were unknown at the time but the revolver was found by the wharf covered in blood, so it was suspected he had committed suicide or had drowned.

The second was written and published after George's body was located about six miles down the river with a bullet hole in his temple, conclusive evidence of his suicide. Teresa was reported to have survived surgery to remove the bullets in her jaw and neck and was expected to recover.  Her father was quoted as saying: "My daughter and Gordon have been friends since childhood, and I know of no reason why he would shoot her. They went to school together and outside of his being a friend of the family there was no closer relationship. He was a fine boy and I am sorry for him."  

Despite her father's suggestion there was no relationship beyond friendship, and while I don't know for certain, I can speculate that Gordon likely had feelings for her that were not reciprocated.  In a tale as old as time, it likely was a situation of, "if I can't have you, no one can."  Thankfully, he did not succeed in taking her life though I have not been able to determine what happened to her subsequently. It is clear that Gordon had some inkling of how the event would unfold, having taken the revolver and leaving behind the note to allow the bank officials access to the bank vault after his passing.

No matter the reason, it is a sad tale of one life cut short and another forever impacted by the actions of another.  

The second tale is that of Genevieve; she was born in 1895, and as I later learned, died in 1976.  She married in April 1915 at the age of 20, and gave birth to her son Frederick in October of that year. When I first started my research other family trees had indicated she died before 1921.  At first, I thought this was credible because she was not included in the 1921 census. At that time, her son Frederick was living with Genevieve's parents, and listed as the child of her sister Eleanor and her husband.  

However as I reviewed the materials for her husband I discovered he had remarried and his obituary made no mention of Genevieve or her passing. This in itself was unusual.  In addition, I could not find any notice of death, either official - such as a death certificate, or at the very least reported in the death column of a newspaper.  Thus I discounted that her death occurred before 1921 and removed it from my search parameters.  

At this juncture I did find a border crossing of a woman with her married name indicating a destination of Oklahoma City. At first I wasn't certain if it was her as Genevieve was not an uncommon name so marked it as a maybe.  But later, as I was reviewing her sister Eleanor's information, Eleanor's obituary indicated she had a sister living in Oklahoma City.  At that time, women were usually referred to as Mrs. X X and so it was in this case.  But this gave me a potential second husband and a clue to what may have happened to Genevieve.

I returned to Genevieve's profile and discovered, she did in fact, make her way to Oklahoma City in 1921.  She remarried in 1924 - I found both the marriage license and certificate - and went on to have three more children.  She died there in July 1976 and is buried in a local cemetery.

The questions abound, why did she leave her first husband and young son to travel to Oklahoma City? Was there something in their relationship that caused her to flee? There was no evidence that her second husband ever travelled to Canada, so it is unlikely they had met previous to Genevieve making her residence there.  Interestingly she had shaved four years off her age when she married Tom - he was only 22, she reported she was 25.  Did he know about her first family?  She obviously kept in touch with her sister but I found no further cross border travel for any of her siblings or Genevieve and her husband.  

I have not been able to ascertain if her son Frederick continued to live with Eleanor and her husband or if he went to live with his father as there is no census data available after 1921 in Canada. I do know he was not mentioned in Eleanor's obituary.  I wonder how his mother's absence was explained to him and whether he knew of his other siblings?  

There are so many things I can learn from the documents I read but the stories that accompany those documents are often left to my speculation and supposition.  In the case of Gordon, I feel I have some certainty in my understanding of his story, but with Genevieve, though I did discover where she went, I'll never know the why.  But in any event, it makes the research that much more interesting.

Going up and growing up

 It has been a hot one this week.  Our temperatures started rising on Tuesday reaching 30C/86F plus and have continued to stay high, even overnight for the rest of this week.  The highest temp was reached on Thursday at 36C/97F.  Those are July temperatures around here!  By Sunday we'll be back to more normal temperatures in the 22-25C/71-77F range.  I won't lie, I'm looking forward to it.  These few days the house has not cooled down overnight and I've had to run the a/c to keep it reasonably cool.

As a result, I spent more time indoors than out this week.  Outside chores were dealt with early in the morning, I would have my tea out on the back deck or front patio, and then head back inside.  The indoor chores have been ticked off my list, some of which have been neglected for some time.  Good thing, as I expect most of next week I'll be heading back outdoors.

I did get out for a walk early on Tuesday morning.  Here are a few of the photos from that walk:

I had walked over and beyond the creek to take the dirt path back to main road.  Most people stay on the pavement and it was fairly busy at the time - this let me stay out of their way.

Check out the photo bomber in the back.  I cropped this photo as I hadn't seen the gopher when I took the picture of the hare and didn't see it until I got home and was reviewing the shots.  It's funny because I kept hearing them call to one another as I walked - there are lots of gophers holes on that side of the creek and I kept wishing I'd catch sight of one.  Little did I know I already had. :)

The creek water is still quite low but there were a few ducks and geese about.  This one was new to me and after a check of the ducks of Saskatchewan, I believe it is a blue winged teal. The blue is supposedly in the color of the head, though the lighting wasn't right to check, but this duck does has the distinctive white band on the head, black bill and speckled belly.  There was a female nesting down the creek a ways, that likely was it's mate but I didn't want to disturb her so passed on by.

The avocet was busy feeding along the edge of the creek. They are such pretty birds! It's likely that the mate was nearby but, if so, she was well hidden. Nor did I see the marbled godwit this time, perhaps they've found another spot to nest this year. 

I didn't get many photos at the pond because it was pretty quiet.  (The white blob in the grass at the far side is the single pelican).  I only saw the one family of geese, these ones were older than the group from last week.  I have to assume the others were on the far end of the pond or in the grass somewhere.  While I was walking there was a man checking around the trees, for what I'm not certain, but I was worried he was looking for nests.  There were reports last year someone was destroying nests and this year there have been far fewer goslings than I remember in the past.  I know geese make a mess but that is just cruel! I stuck around and tried to keep on eye on what he was up to but was never close enough to confirm what his purpose was. 

On Friday morning, I hazarded the heat to go out to a few garage sales.  The rules are: all items must be outside the garage on the driveway and masking is recommended.  Well, there seemed to be a lot of people who were not following the rules.  At the one sale, I did go into the garage because the folks running it were outside of the garage and I was the only one inside.  However, I was the only one with a mask on there and at most of the sales I dropped into.  I picked up two shirts, a pair of jeans, and a hoodie for Eli for $12.  The first few items will fit this fall, the last not for a year or two.  That was all I was able to find - while there were some lovely items, there was nothing I really needed.  I did stop at the Salvation Army store too, and had better luck there finding a few books for myself, a pair of Keen's sandals for Eli for $4, and a cute little decorative watering can. I have a plan for the latter that I'll show you later. On the way home I stopped at a couple of garden centers for some lawn soil, more grass seed, a couple of small basil plants to add to my tomato containers, another pack of impatiens and some alyssum.  I lost a couple of impatiens - to the heat maybe, damaged during transplant, likely.  

This morning, I got the new plants transplanted and the containers watered, and washed windows in the screen door and garage door before I sat down with my tea and my book.  For not having read for much of year, I've finished three books in the past few weeks! Two of them I enjoyed a great deal, the third I wish I'd passed on.  But I kept thinking the story would get better, it didn't, and the ending just left the reader hanging.   

It's heating up outdoors so I'm inside with a few things to accomplish this morning before I settle in with another book or maybe my crocheting.  Before I came in, I wandered the yard and took a few photos.

The front flower bed is almost completely in the shade, just gets a brief bit of sun late in the day. My hostas are starting to come up (the new one is quite large), and the annuals will fill in some spots.  My ferns are going crazy though - I've got seven now and they are making their way across the bed.  The Canadian flag banner is there, as I attempt to keep the birds from hitting the window.  I've had a few bounce off the window but so far no deaths this year in the front.  Sigh, the back sun room is another story.

Out in front, I've stuck to my habit of filling the two tall containers with the contents of hanging baskets I've purchased.  I've added an ivy to each as well.  The round pot contains the petunias, and this year I added a trailing verbena.

Looking onto the patio from the driveway.  The neighbour's vine is filling in and soon I'll only hear the noise of the a/c as it runs. It's a lovely private area where I sit to read in the morning. 

I fell in love with these speckled petunias.  They are in containers off the patio, along with verbena, curly grass, calibrochoa, and another plant, whose name I can't recall.  When the planter fills in, I'll be sure to share a photo.

In the back yard on the lower deck, where it gets the most sun, I have my vegetable containers. The clay pots have peppers, along with marigolds and lantana, while two of the square containers have tomatoes, basil, and marigolds.  The center container has radishes and peas.  The peas are tall enough now to start winding their way up the trellis.  Out of sight to the right is a container of lettuce with sweet peas.  The latter are taking their time, but I'm hopeful they'll filling the trellis on that side as well.

These are the three new pots this year, and they are in the area where the shed once stood.  I've been moving them around as I'm digging up the gravel in this space. The bricks in back I'd pulled up from one area of the yard and plan to get rid of as I want to put in more grass...it's a process.

These are the deck planters.  They get sun early morning, and then most of the afternoon. (I have a large spruce in the back that shades the deck mid-morning  and the sun room shades it later in the day.  The calibrochoa are already growing like made, as are the creeping jenny.  

Finally, one last photo that makes me smile.  The pansies are just outside the front door. They are the first plants I put in this year, and their sunny little faces always make me happy.

It's been a good week, especially for the garden.  A little rain would be nice and there may be some in the forecast later in this upcoming week.  In the meantime I'm enjoying my time outdoors when I can, and catching up on inside chores when it's just too warm for me.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!