Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Delayed again, but a good week all round

The week started off well, as spending time with my friend C is always a lot of fun - lots of laughter ensues. We hit a dozen or more garage sales on Sunday and didn't buy a single garage. It's always helpful when a block has several houses participating. My best deal was an almost brand new Black and Decker toaster for $5. I have a toaster oven, but my son doesn't like using it. This toaster is meant for him, though I did use test it out and it works great. I did not buy any yarn, though I was tempted more than once. I had told C before we started, not to let me buy any just in case, but I behaved myself.

Monday morning, I had a text from the landscaper. We'd had a heavy rain (again) the night before and he advised he was going to be delayed for a few days. At least he let me know. I can't remember what I did for the rest of the day, though I pretty certain it involved a jigsaw puzzle, some knitting, and a baseball game. I did manage to pull some items for my garage sale as well.

The following morning, I had to run out to do an errand for my daughter. And of course, since it was Tuesday, and I was out anyway, I decided to hit up the thrift stores. Except I was too early, so I went to the Dollar store first where I picked up a couple of items for use on our camping trip before heading back to Value Village. There I found a 16 quart Coleman cooler for $3.85 after my seniors discount and taxes. I also found a large bag of Lego for Eli. It's one of his favorite activities, so now he'll have some to play with when he visits here. I talked to D, and all of the baby/toddler toys have been set aside for the garage sale.

We had more showers overnight, but just a wee bit of rain in the gauge on Wednesday morning. As you saw in the photo, the tomatoes are starting to develop. These are starts I seeded earlier in the spring. I'm happy they are doing so well. I noticed I have buds on my peppers as well, and though it continues to flower, the sole cucumber isn't growing at all. It was an experiment to see what would happen so I'm not too concerned. 

Wednesday was also stitch and chat. Just S and I were there. She had her first cataract surgery about 3 weeks ago, and the second a week or 10 days later. Now she needs new glasses but couldn't get an appointment with her optometrist until mid-July. As a result she didn't get a whole lot of stitching done, but we had a good chat. I had started a mitten before I left home, and came close to finishing it. 

We needed a few groceries so I took care of that on Thursday. I picked up a decent sized watermelon at Co-op for less than $5. When I mentioned it to my son that evening, he told me he doesn't like watermelon! I know my daughter doesn't care for it either - they both say they don't think it has much flavor and dislike the texture. I've already eaten half of the melon so it won't last long.  

On Friday morning, I drove out to my brother's to pick up the camping mats. We sat and had tea on the veranda before we took a walk around the yard. There were a number of birds to be seen and occasionally just heard as we visited. A Cat bird was calling, a western King bird flew by several times, an Oriole went to the feeder in the front yard, and a purple Martin made an appearance. (I can thank R for identifying each of them for me.) I got photos of none of these, but did capture a shot of the hummingbird visiting the feeder hanging on the veranda.

After a couple of cups of a tea and a chat, I prepared to head home. Before I left, we went out to the garage/shop where R had built a couple of Adirondack chairs. He took careful measurements of the chair they own, made patterns out of rough lumber, and used these to cut the pieces of the chair. One of the chairs was created using old cabinet doors and the second from lumber salvaged from a friend's tear-down of an old porch. The first is quite lightweight but still solid. The second is heavy and he plans to gift it to his friend.

From there we headed out to the garden their friend M planted. She lives in the city and R or his daughter L water it for her. They don't weed it though, and it appears a lot didn't germinate. She's planning to re-seed next week as she is staying at the farm for two weeks while the family is off on their Iceland adventures. On our way to the garden, R spotted this frog. I could not see it in the grass until he pointed it out. 

It certainly is camouflaged well in the grass. When we walked back to the house, it didn't even move.

Back at home I finished the jigsaw puzzle I'd bought at a garage sale on the weekend. I purchased it because it referenced 100 chickens and a worm on the box; both C and I looked over the picture on the box, but neither of us could find the worm...so I had to buy it to try to find the darned worm. I did not count the chickens, nor was I able to find the worm either. Even though it is missing three pieces, I've told C I'm giving it to her and she can hunt for it.

I never heard another word from the landscaper. I'll give him the weekend, and then I plan to phone him on Monday morning to (hopefully) get a straight answer as to when I can expect him here. I realize it isn't a large job but still I want it done, and done soon.

There was some housework completed this week, though I must admit to slacking off somewhat. The major task was replacing the paper on top of the kitchen cabinets. I learned this hack from another blogger, who sadly isn't with us anymore, and it sure helps to keep the dust off the top of the cabinets. With all the drywall dust it was a much needed task.

Instead, I spent more time on Ancestry. The 1931 census records are now available and the hints are populating. I haven't had much luck with close family members (yet) as the detailed information is slowing being added to the database. I can search by location rather than name - but specifically with my great-grandparents, I'm not certain where they were living. I turned my attention to earlier members of the family and was excited to find a newspaper notice for my 3X great grandmother's death. Published in December, 1886, in Scotland, it provided the date of her death. 

It also provides a clue as to the occupation of my 3X great-grandfather. I've learned that a carrier regularly delivered goods between towns and villages. 

I also located in a Canadian newspaper a notice of my great-grandparents marriage in 1889. Mary Adamson was my great-grandfather's maternal grandmother. His paternal side of the family continues to be a mystery.

Today is going to be another restful day. I'll putter on Ancestry to see what else I might find, there is football and baseball to watch, and I'll continue my mitten knitting. I've got the first mitt of a fourth pair on the needles. There are "mom burgers" thawing in refridgerator for tonight's dinner, and I've got pasta cooking on the stove for a salad. I hop you are all enjoying the start of your weekend too.

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

One finish, no start

Wednesday's photo was lifted from an e-mail my brother sent me - you can see the runners ahead of him on the trail. Taken at the top of leg one of his 53 km/33 mile run, the first 20 mile leg had the runners climb 2145 feet, the next 13 miles required an additional 2122 feet of climb. As R said, he was quickly at the back of the pack, but he reminded himself that only 8 months ago he was on crutches and wearing a boot due to damaging his ankle on a fall down rocky terrain. He had the three dogs on leashes and they took off on him, pulling him down the trail. I, helpfully, reminded him he is  also now 61 years old. By the end of the race he had passed some runners ahead of him, and was pleased to not finish in last place. The entire run took him about 9 hours! I think he's nuts, but on the other hand he saw some absolutely incredible scenery.

It's been another week of some hurry up and wait. The landscaper wasn't able to start on Monday, but the flooring showed up and the crew was back on Wednesday to finish the flooring and baseboards. Meanwhile on Monday, the fence company finally appeared to repair the leaning fence my neighbour and I had installed less than two years ago. G contacted them, a year ago, but they failed to show up so her husband had tried to repair it using some foam material. By this spring, two of the posts were leaning, and the gate latch had snapped off as it kept coming loose in the wind.

About three weeks ago, I contacted the owner to make the necessary repairs, and although he responded quickly, again they failed to show. For my second e-mail, I channeled a tone I previously used in my career, expressed my concerns and suggested that legal action might be taken if a resolution wasn't reached. Apparently that lit a fire under his butt, as they were at the house mid-morning. There was quite a bit of grumbling over the foam material, as it all had to be removed before new concrete could be poured. My response was, you should have been here last year as requested. It took an hour or so, but everything was taken care, the posts were straight and level, and the metal handle and latch had been replaced by steel ones. When I checked out the gate later, it was clear the reason the old one had been damaged because the latch was installed in the wrong place. Sheesh!

After the fence guys were gone, I headed out to pick up some groceries. Our local Co-op had meat on sale, and most of the $60 I spent there re-filled the fridge freezer. It should keep us going for a few weeks. Safeway had some decent sale items too, and Walmart provided the rest of the items on my list.  It was stinking hot (32C/90F) so I was in and out of the stores quickly.

Tuesday I tackled the bathrooms and gave them a top to bottom scrub. Normally I mop the floors but this time I got down on my hands and knees to scrub to get into the corners. Doing so meant I identified a few areas were the baseboards needed touch up or paint. By the time that was done, I was ready to relax, so I started a mitten and watched some PVR'ed episodes of the various iterations of FBI. 

The crew showed up by 8 a.m. on Wednesday, worked their tails off, finishing up around 5 p.m. One of the fellows worked on the flooring in the master bedroom, while the other two tackled the baseboards in the spare room. I had moved my stuff out of the closet into the other spare bedroom to give them access, and they moved the furniture to the center of the room to finish off the baseboards. By about noon, everything was installed, and the baseboards had been sanded and one coat of paint applied. They took a short break and then got back at it. More sanding, more paint, lots of sweeping and mopping, and then they moved my furniture back into the bedroom. Last of all, they cleaned their way out of the house (one swept, one mopped), while the other fellow was loading things up outdoors. I noticed he brought out a leaf blower and blew most of the dust off the patio as well. 

I spent a half hour or so moving the contents of the closet and making up the bed. 

The rug is new - I purchased it from Amazon, and it is sooo soft and plush. I was concerned that the bed frame might scratch the flooring and I had a $100 gift card to apply, so paid about $60 for it in total. 

I texted the landscaper on Thursday and heard back from him later in the day, that he would be here Friday. Since Friday started cooler than it has been, I decided to tackle the garage while waiting for him to appear. I'd been out there a few weeks ago breaking down some cardboard boxes and getting rid of the winter debris. This time, I sorted the recycling, loaded the car with it and some old electronic items, swept, re-swept, and re-swept the floor some more. I also sorted items on the shelves and organized the items stored there by what will up in storage and what belongs to C, or will be going to his place. I had an old armoire in the garage I'd been using for storage after I bought a dresser several years ago. I offered it on the FB Free Regina and it was picked up shortly after lunch. 

Next up was cleaning the weeds that have grown in at the edge of the sidewalk in the xeriscape rocks. This is thankless chore as they'll grow in again in a week or so. I must ask my neighbour what they use because they don't seem to see as many weeds. I've used sprays, salt, hot water, and nothing seems to thwart these tenacious plants.

You may have noticed I haven't said anything about the landscaper. That's because he was a no-show. I texted him again, indicating I understood he might have been delayed on another job and asking that he contact me with a start date...perferably Monday. He responded to say, he'd was trying to finish another job, but didn't confirm for Monday. I've asked him to keep me in the loop, but I suspect I may have be persistent.

My life for the next while will be sorting, cleaning, and more cleaning. I've been washing windows, vacuuming screens (and rugs), and dusting window ledges, and cabinet doors. I want to tackle the closets and cupboards - if you only saw the amount of stuff I had crammed in the closet! As I'm doing the clearing, I'm deciding what will move to my son's and what will go into storage for the time being. I might be jumping the gun as the house isn't even listed yet, but I'm hopeful and eager to move on.

I'm off to spend a few hours with my friend C today. There may be a few garage sales to be visited, and definitely a coffee shop stop. It's been a few weeks since I've seen her so it will be good to catch up.

Since I have no landscaping photos to share, I'll leave you with some photos from my containers. With all the rain and heat, the plants are doing exceptionally well.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Weekend fun!

I'm home from my visit with D and Eli. I drove up Friday evening, and returned last evening. It was a quick trip, but a good one.

It had cooled off on Friday, which was wonderful as she doesn't have a/c. D had set up a box fan with a pail of ice behind it in the living room, and that kept things quite comfortable. Both nights, Eli and I slept (sort of) on the main floor. D had brought down his mattress and we set it up in front of the couch. We started the night on the mattress with books read and cuddles enjoyed, before the movement between couch and mattress started. I'd move to the couch first, as the kiddo tends to wiggle, kick and steal the covers. It wouldn't be long (at least it seemed to me), before he'd join me on the narrow couch. His head at one end, and mine at the other. I'd last a hour or so, then I'd be back on the mattress, and we'd both stay put for the rest of the night. 

Saturday, we did some house work and yard work before heading to the park. There was a event there with games, a canteen, and a fire truck with a slip and slide for the kids. There were lots of kids, and several that Eli knew from school. 

Although, he doesn't appear to be that happy, Eli was excited to get to climb into the fire truck. Thumbs up!

He and one of his classmates had a wonderful time climbing the spider apparatus. It wasn't long ago, he was too afraid to climb it. Now he climbs to the very top. He doesn't, yet, climb over the top....something G'ma is quite happy about.

I didn't take a whole lot of photos on Saturday as I knew I'd be taking lots the following day. We spent a couple of hours at the park, before heading back to the house. Eli and I stayed outdoors, where he played in the water sprinkler, while I read a book. Then he decided to attach his sled to his tricycle to take his stuffies for a ride.

While we were playing outside, D had prepped dinner inside. Between the two of us, we barbecued chicken breast and hotdogs, she cooked some noodles for Eli, while I made a tossed salad for the two of us. Eli and I ate our meals outside while D enjoyed the peace and quiet indoors. 

Sunday, our boy woke up excited about his party. He managed to keep himself busy with his cartoons and video games, while D mowed the back lawn and made a trip to the store for a few last minutes items and I tackled weeds in her back flower bed. I cleared it out the last time I was there, but apparently the weeds didn't get the message. I also planted a couple of lilies in the bed out front (in the photo above). After a call from my brother, who was driving back from his Saturday, 9 hour, 53 kilometer run, I grabbed my book and spent some time reading. Soon enough it was time to pack up and head for the park.

Eli can't be seen in this photo - he is there beside the girl in the rainbow bathing suit (I can see his bathing suit between her and the red head in pink). D started the event off with games, but that didn't last long. Not only was it hot, but the kids were more excited about a mud puddle. Someone had dug a hole in front of the spider web apparatus, and the kids were taking water from the splash pad to make the mud puddle. There was much splashing and digging, and occasional tossing of mud...the latter usually brought a shout from a parent.

They did take a break to enjoy donuts and drinks, before the presents were opened and appreciated. Then it was off to play some more while the adults relaxed in the shade. 

J is the same age as Eli but nearly a foot taller. J was about to spray Eli with his super soaker, and then came over and sprayed D and I too. The temperature had reached 27C (80F) so it felt good!

By shortly after 4 p.m. everyone was heading home. I'd loaded the cars while D handed out treat bags to the invited party guests. (There were at least three kids who crashed the party and while she gave them donuts and drinks, she didn't have extra treat bags.) I took Eli home and unloaded my car while he chilled with his I-pad. D had run to grab us a bite to eat, and after helping her unload her car, we ate before I headed out for home.

It was a wonderful weekend, making great memories with Eli and his mom. I'm grateful for the time I get to spend with them, and know that it won't be long before our big boy won't want to hang with G'ma quite so much. For now, I'll enjoy every minute of it.

Making progress

The construction slow down continues....this time because the contractor failed to order sufficient flooring. They are short about 150 square feet, so my master bedroom was only partially complete. The baseboards were applied in the hallway and living room and one of the spare bedrooms though, the railing was finished, and the walls were painted by mid-week. The baseboards were painted on Thursday; this photo was taken a day earlier.

Yes, I am leaving the oak trim and doors as they are, though I'm sure they'd look great painted white. If the next owners wish to paint or replace, that's up to them. The flooring looks slightly darker in person, and I love the wide plank look. This is LVP (luxury vinyl planking), supposedly waterproof - I'm not about to test the theory, and feels lovely on the feet. It does show every speck of dirt, so I am sweeping or vacuuming frequently.

I spent mornings with the cat out in the sunroom, and afternoons in the craft room in the basement. On Sunday, I'd driven over to my friend K's house to sort through yarn with her. Her partner J, is cleaning out his mother's house as she has gone into a care home. They came home with bags and bags, and more bags of yarn, fabric, and various notions. It took us about an hour to sort through the yarn bags, and I came away with a several bags of yarn and a couple of partially completed projects. (Because, I needed more yarn, right? Of course I couldn't say no!) Monday afternoon, I spent some time sorting through the yarn, sorting it mostly by color and identifying skeins I'll use for mittens.  

On the far left, the variegated blue/purple yarn is partially knit into a scarf. My daughter called dibs so I did some knitting on it while I chilled in the basement. In the center of the photo, there is some cotton blue variegated yarn, that I'm using to crochet a few dishcloths. I'll drop a few of them off at K and J's as a small thank you. Several of the single skeins have been tucked into a bag to take to my daughter's this weekend. I'll use those for mittens and toques. The principal of the school mentioned to D that they go through about 30 pairs of mitts a winter, as children are sent to school without mitts, or lose them at some point. Taking the yarn to D's will give me projects to do when I'm there (though I'll have to do some at home too), and I won't have to take things back and forth with me. There is a good amount of a navy and a gray, both 50 gram skeins. I'll have to do a pattern search to decide what to do with these. The rest will likely be used together with my current stash for other projects.

I also started sewing together a top that I'd cut out sometime in the last year. I'm a very slow sewer, as I can't sew a straight line to save my soul but it's an easy pattern so I should be able to finish it in the next week or so. The material is more see-through than I realized but it will make a nice top to go over a tank top. 

House cleaning has been hit and miss. I dust every evening, as it seems every thing is covered in a layer of drywall dust, or tracked inside from the flooring cuts. Now that most of the flooring is down, I've either swept or vacuumed every second day. The guys sweep before they leave but I still find debris in the corners. Since I'm not doing any major cleaning, I've had time to read too, and have finished two books. Child of the Phoenix by Barbara Erskine, is a historical fiction novel that was a great read. The second book Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer is the fifth in a series of books featuring a character, William Warwick, a Detective Inspecter with Scotland Yard. I do enjoy crime drama and this latest book in the series does not disappoint. 

Book club was held on Tuesday evening at a nearby restaurant. I'm happy to say that there was a great deal of discussion on this book, Mad Honey by Jodie Piccoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. The story of two women, a mother and her son's girlfriend, is told in two voices by the authors. Olivia is a beekeeper, following in her father's footsteps, after she leaves an abusive relationship with her, then toddler, son Asher. Lily, is transgender, and has moved to the small community with her mother, a park ranger. Both women have secrets that are revealed throughout the book, and the story is told in flashbacks juxtaposed with the current days events. It's a compelling mystery, and at the same time, educational. I'd give it a 9/10....simply because nothing is perfect. 

Wednesday was stitch and chat; S and B were there and Io stopped in for a brief chat. She (Io) is really going through it at the moment. Her husband was recently diagnosed with a recurring cancer and the prognosis is not good. Meanwhile she finally got in for an appointment for an ultrasound and MRI. She told us she'd had a call that day (the same day her husband came home from the hospital) advising she was being referred to a surgeon because her situation was urgent. Within two days she had surgery to remove an aneurysm, and they sent her home the following day. Thankfully, her daughter was able to come and stay for a bit to assist them at home. She, and her husband, are both spending much time relaxing - she mentioned they do a lot of sitting in their recliners, but she wanted to drop in and say hello to all of us. It was certainly good to see her again and know that, at least for her, her issue has been resolved. She's been waiting for this appointment for nearly a year and it was postponed several times. 

We had more thunderstorms on Wednesday evening with more rain. The rain gauge had 2 inches in it the following morning. I haven't had to water the containers a lot this spring/summer even with the heat. The front flower bed is filling up nicely and the containers are coming along too. 

Back to construction, the crew arrived on Thursday for a half day of work. The baseboards were sanded and painted, the walls were given their final coat of paint, and the nosing at the top of the basement stairs was replaced to match the rest. Late in the morning we heard that the additional flooring has been located; the contractor is paying for expedited shipping (I should hope so) and it will be here next week.

All that remains is the remainder of the master bedroom flooring, installation of baseboards in the master and second spare bedroom, and caulking, sanding, and painting of those baseboards.  As well, there are a few spots that need to be touched up where paint has bled. I've also noticed they've covered the second heat vent in the master, so that needs to be taken care of as well. My guess, a full day should take care of everything...but I've been wrong before.

A mid-construction and after of the living room:

I'm off to D and Eli's later today, so will set this up to post tomorrow morning. There will likely be another post of our fun times on Monday. We're heading the pool on Saturday and the birthday party in the park on Sunday, and I'm certain there will be some yard time too. After the party, I'll head home as the landscaper is supposed to start on Monday. At least that work is being done outdoors. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Wild weather, waiting, and mishaps

We had thunderstorms roll through last Saturday evening, and through the night. While other areas of the city got pummelled in the earlier storm, my area didn't see a whole lot of rain until 1:30 a.m. A loud clap of thunder woke me, and my son came up the stairs to join me in the sun room so we could watch the lightning. For about 30-45 minutes the storm raged, with lightning flashes coming one on top of the other. My lightning app showed that there were strikes just a couple of blocks from here. The rain poured down and my back yard became a pond again. I had gone out during the evening and pulled my vegetable containers closer to the shed, in case we got hail. Thankfully, while other areas of the city did see hail, we did not.

The following morning, I went out to check and found the rain gauge (Wednesday's photo), indicating we had received over 1 1/2 inches of rain in just over an hour or so. The lawn was still soaked but the standing water had receded. One of my tomato plants appeared to have taken a bit of a beating but by the afternoon was standing tall again. Sunday was a cooler day, but we didn't get any more rain, and by Monday the temperatures were on the rise. Can you say mosquitos?

The construction saga continues. Jason, the contractor called on Sunday to advise that they would be delivering the flooring late on Monday afternoon. The reason: he has sold his house, possession date is next week, and he and his wife (who is pregnant) haven't found a new place to live. So, he's using his crew to move his household goods into temporary storage while they continue their search. He thought at that time the crew would be here to work Tuesday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Friday, and assured me the project will be completed next week sometime. There was no point in arguing with him, I can't change his circumstances, and I want the job done properly and not rushed. 

The crew showed up on Tuesday, all of us assuming that the flooring would be installed in the two spare bedrooms, and the hall. However, after doing some prep work, it was discovered that there is a hump in the floor. It could be resolved in a extended period of time by adjusting the teleposts in the basement (Carter suggested up to 2 months!), or they could use a leveling compound. Not leveling was not an option or the laminate flooring would pop as one walked on it. I chose the most timely (and expensive) option. The guys spent the rest of the day mixing, spreading, and cleaning up the material. It couldn't be walked on for at least 8 hours - which meant no access to my bedroom, so Saku and I spent the night in the sunroom. I have a recliner out there; with a blanket and pillow it was quite comfortable.

Wednesday was a quiet day, I did get out to stitch and chat which was very nice. There were only two of us, I crocheted a dishcloth, while B worked on appliqueing tooth fairy pillows. I've asked to purchase one for her for Eli. It was good to get out of the house; everything is covered in drywall dust. When the crew isn't here I vacuum and dust, but I can't seem to keep up with it. Living in a construction zone is not only a nuisance but oh so tiring.

The first mishap of the week occured on Wednesday, when C advised that the downstairs toilet was clogged. We, unsuccessfully, took turns using the plunger, then he ran to the local Rona to pick up a toilet snake, however that wasn't enough to clear whatever was causing the blockage. While the water did eventually drain, it just won't flush. A plumbing company was originally scheduled to be here on Friday to deal with that issue.

The next mishap occured on Thursday, when I decided to repaint my master ensuite as there were a couple of dings that have happened over the last few years. All went well, until the stool I was standing on slipped out from under me as I was painting the top of the wall above the mirror.  On my way down, I managed to break three of the four light bulbs in the light fixture and splashed paint on the mirror and vanity. After checking the linen closet, I had to run out for more bulbs, but first I finished the rest of the painting, and cleaned up my mess. 

Carter arrived around 4 p.m. to do another coat on the drywall. He assured me they would be here at 8 a.m. on Friday. 

We had more thunderstorms roll through on Thursday night, with accompanying rain. When I checked the gauge the next morning, we'd had another inch and a quarter of rain overnight. There was flooding in various parts of the city which had traffic backed up. Carter's drive, normally fifteen minutes took over a half hour. The rest of crew live even further away in the north end of the city, and their commute took an hour! 

This is one of four underpasses in the city that consistently flood every time we have a good amount of rain. And, as usual there are at least a couple of drivers who tempt fate. As I said to my brother, who sent me this photo, "exposing idiots, one storm at a time." 

Once the crew arrived, it didn't take long for the saws to be set up and the guys got busy. One of the crew was installing the flooring in the hallway, while the other two worked on the railing for the steps from the kitchen to livingroom. When they left about 3:30 p.m. both spare bedrooms had flooring (including the closets), and the hallway was near completion. The railing is up, but needs to be sanded to round the edges, and the pickets put in before it can be painted.

While all of this was going on, the Roto-rooter guy showed up to clear the blockage in the downstairs toilet. Thankfully it was nothing more than that, so he was in and out in less than 30 minutes. After he left, I went downstairs to wash the floor. 

We had more thunderstorms and rain again last night, with another 1/2 inch in the rain gauge this morning. As you can imagine, I haven't had to do a lot of watering of the containers this week. Today, we're expecting a high of 30C (86F), so I'm sure I'll be pulling out the watering can again shortly.

I'm off to go garage sale-ing this morning with my friend C this morning; my son and I will move my bedroom furniture to one of the spare bedrooms later in the day. The crew will be back Monday to pull the carpet in there, and prep the room. I'm hoping they will be able to finish the hall, and start that bedroom flooring that day too. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Thursday Throwback

This is not a throwback to an earlier post, but to a childhood memory. 

I remember my mom always had a bleeding heart in one of her flower beds. My plant was planted a couple of years ago, and currently flowering. I pulled one of the blooms yesterday, thinking about my Nan (maternal grandmother).

Ì

I don't recall how old I was when she told us this story, but I'm certain I was less than ten. The story has stayed with me for many years. I'm sure I'm not telling it word for word as it was told to me, but it went something like this:

Once upon a time, there was a prince who lived in a far away land. He had fallen in love with a princess who lived in a nearby kingdom and began sending gifts to her in the hopes of winning her heart and hand in marriage.

The first gift he sent was a pair of rabbits. Sadly, the princess wasn't impressed and the rabbits ended up in a stew.

The next gift was a pair of beautiful dangling earrings. Again, the princess spurned the gift and gave them away.

The final gift was a pair of dainty slippers. These too, were rejected.

When the prince realized he would never win the love of the princess he died of a broken heart. I recently read a post on FB that told a similar story, but it ended with the prince stabbing himself in the heart with his sword, hence bleeding heart. Perhaps my Nan didn't want to share the gory part of the story.

I'm curious, did any one else hear this story (or something similar) when they were a child? My Nan has been gone for over 50 years now, but I will never see a bleeding heart without thinking of her.