Some things end, and the future is near

Yes, the landscaping work is complete - at least the part I had to pay for. Over on the other side of the yard, where the trees were removed, I've got some work to do to keep the weeds down. The bird feeder was on the stump of an old evergreen, and of course, birds and squirrels aren't particularly tidy. I've been pulling weeds, and using a herbicide in an effort to do away with as much as I can. The landscaper wasn't able to get the stump grinder into the back yard because of the limited width of the space between the sunroom and the fence. As a result, one of the tree stumps is beginning to show new growth. One night, when I couldn't sleep, I did a bit of research and discovered the most cost effective and relatively easy way to kill the tree is to drill holes in the stump, add Epsom salts and a bit of water, and cover with a tarp.

I thought the recent heat would also help, so picked up the Epsom salts and spent a half hour or so one morning using my drill to put as many holes into the stump as I could. After a few days, I can already see that the stump is beginning to erode/decay from the outside. The articles I read said it takes about a month for the tree to completely die. I'll keep an eye on it, and I may try digging a little more around the stump - if I can borrow and axe from my brother, I may be able to remove more of it in a couple of weeks.

Our heat advisory lasted about three days, which wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. It cooled off considerably into Wednesday morning, and I woke to 10C (50F). It did reach 28C (82F) by noon but a morning of the cooler weather was very nice.

Wednesday was also the day we said good-bye to Chris. The service was held at the funeral home, and there were a good number of people in attendance. Her sons both spoke briefly and a cousin gave the eulogy. There was an opportunity for others to share memories at one point and a few people did. One who did surprised me, as she has only known Chris for four weeks, since Chris started her temporary job at a local company. It was clear that Chris had been well-liked (not a surprise) and had integrated easily into the office. I spoke to her after the service and she said, that unlike some temps, Chris was willing to take on any task - she told her co-workers she wanted to be the temp that they would want to keep. She said they would have been thrilled had she stayed on and were as shocked as the rest of us at her sudden passing.

I did not go to the podium - I had provided some memories to the family, and some of my comments were included in the eulogy. The service did provide some relief, for lack of a better term, for me. Seeing the photo of her next to the urn reinforced the fact I'll never see her face again, hear her laugh, or share a hug. Until that moment, it hadn't really felt real - I'd even said to my son, "I almost think when we get to the funeral home, Chris will pop out and say, ha, ha I got you." 

I did have a few minutes to talk to her sons after the service and offered my help to J, her eldest (he didn't sound too enthusiastic so I'll leave him alone). It sounds like he is going to be the one who is shouldering much of the burden of dealing with his mom's property. I do know his uncle K is the executor of the estate so hopefully those family members will be supportive too. But, I'm not optimistic as they were separated at the service, with her sons and ex-husand, his wife and daughter on one side of the aisle, while her brother, his family, several cousins and aunts and uncles were on the other side. There is nothing I can do - if in fact, that split was deliberate but seeing it made me feel sad.

Stitch and chat was a welcome event later that day. There were three of us again, S, B, and I.  B brought a cross-stitching project to show us. Her adult children gave it to her a couple of years ago for Christmas. The pattern book is 63 pages in length and the finished project will be nearly 22" by 22". It's enormous and will be simply stunning when complete. I did a search and was able to find a photo. Isn't it spectacular? There are sooo many color changes, so it's not something I would ever tackle.

She was working on her tooth fairy pillows, while S was working on her scarf, and I had a mitten on the needles. Our conversation covered the various projects they are working on at home (quilts for charity), current news, and of course, the weather. I apparently wasn't paying enough attention to my knitting, as when I picked it up that evening, I discovered I'd added two additional stitches so had to frog it back a few rows. I did complete it that evening. I confirmed the count, and this mitten is the first of the 12th pair since the beginning of June. I'm getting there.

Thursday, was "pay day" or rather the day my pensions are deposited to my account. I did some on-line banking in the morning, and updated my spreadsheets, before heading out to pick up cat litter. The last Thursday of the month is senior's day at the pet store where I purchase the cat litter, and I get a 10% discount. It isn't a lot, but over a year, it's basically like getting a free bag of cat litter. I also stopped at a couple of grocery stores and picked up some fresh veg and fruit, and a couple of other items. The best bargain was B.C. fresh cherries at $1.99 a pound, marked down from $8.99 a pound (though I do think the grocery chain marks products up before they mark them down). On the other hand, potatoes are up in price again, five pounds for $6.99. It wasn't long ago when the regular price was $4.99. Seeing the recent announcement of Loblaw quarterly earnings has me steaming mad. No one can tell me there isn't price gouging happening under the guise of inflation and increased costs. But I'm sure their shareholders are happy.

Outside it reached a high of 25C (77F) so I took a page from Patsy, and spent the afternoon out in the yard reading. Housework and knitting could wait. I'm reading another book by Jodi Piccoult titled "Change of Heart. The story of a family tragedy: a father and his daughter are murdered while the mother is expecting their second child. This child, a daughter is born with a heart condition and needs a heart transplant. The convicted killer, on death row, offers his and testing proves he is a match. The blurb on the book asks: "Could you grant your enemy's dying wish in order to hold on to the last light of hope in your own life?" It's an interesting read, and of course, there is more than meets the eye in this story. 

On Friday, I woke to an overcast sky and chilly morning. The evening prior, I'd decided I'd spend some time outdoors dead-heading flowers, giving my petunias a haircut, and collecting the sun-ripened tomatoes. It was only 12C (54F) and felt much cooler when I went out to the bin with the cat litter. Pivot! The day was spent on Ancestry and housework. 

I received an e-mail from my real estate agent advising the most recent house in my neighbour sold in one day (and it needs work), for just below asking. That means NO open house...could I be as lucky? We've agreed to meet on the 8th of August to prepare the listing. That gives me a little more time to do more cleaning/sorting/organizing and yard work. I'll be sending my son out this weekend to ensure the eavestroughs are clear of debris. 

This morning, it was even cooler (6C/43F) when I woke, but has warmed up several degrees since then. The sun is shining, and we're expecting a high of 24C/75F. I'll putter around inside for another hour or so, and then head outdoors to get some yard work done. This afternoon and evening, there are baseball and football to watch.

Here's my harvest from the containers this week. When I moved the plants in front of the fence, I dropped a few green tomatoes so brought them in to ripen indoors. But the already red ones had ripened on the vine. I'll be enjoying them later today. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!