Wacky weather, yard work, and seeing results

The weather has not been cooperating, so there has been little outdoor work accomplished here in the city. Call me a wimp, but when the overnight temperatures are just above freezing, my desire to start digging in the dirt is limited - at least until later in the day, if and when the sun returns.

I had a lovely, quiet weekend and I'll admit to spending much of it curled up on the couch, with our cat Saku, watching television and taking the occasional nap. The photos from Wednesday were taken out the front window with my cellphone of the crows' nest across the street. (I left my Canon behind so it wasn't very clear to those who read the post what you were seeing). The pair clearly have young ones in the nest, as they continuously seemed to be bringing food. Their efforts were entertaining to watch.

Too, there was baseball and hockey to watch. The Blue Jays team is having an up and down season with some great games and some not really poor showings as well. I've definitely learned that pitching has an incredible impact on winning or losing. The Edmonton Oilers are on to the next series after winning game 7 in Vancouver against the Canucks earlier this week. I hadn't watched hockey much this year, and the last two games of this series were quite enjoyable. I'm not sure if I'll continue to watch should our sole Canadian team bow out at some point though. It helps to know a little about some of the players for me to keep my interest.

I took my car into Midas Muffler on Tuesday and left it at the shop overnight. I really hated driving it any distance when it was so very nosy. Since the shop was downtown, I decided to deal with some banking while I was there. My first stop was the Royal Bank where I have a small RRSP (I believe that would be an 401(K) or an IRA in the US). The funds represented my vested pension contributions from a former employer and were locked in until I turned 65. Assuming, that the lock would be lifted automatically, I had asked my financial advisor to request a transfer to my RRSP at the investment company. RBC refused on the basis that the funds were locked in.

So, I went to the bank to find out what was going on. Well, it turns out that the lock isn't lifted until I complete some paper work. Of course, I couldn't do that during my visit that day. Instead, I had to book an appointment for Thursday to meet with the bank employee to open a PRIF so that the RRSP funds can be transferred to that, and then I will be able to withdraw the funds and transfer them to an account of my choice. Just for fun, the last step will require a second visit, though I did confirm that I can do that by telephone rather than in person. Confused yet? I know I am. It all seems like a bureaucratic boondoggle. 

Then it was off to CIBC, my primary institution to do some every day banking, and finally, I stopped at the Bank of Montreal to deposit some funds into an account I have there. (All of the banks are within a block of each other). There is no CIBC in town where I live with my daughter and grandson. To obtain cash, I would e-transfer funds to my daughter and she would withdraw the money at her bank. Now, I'll be able to access my funds at the local branch.

In some ways it would make sense to transfer everything to the Bank of Montreal, but I have several direct deposits and withdrawals set up for my primary account, and changing that situation would be more of a hassle than it is worth. Transferring a bit of money each month to the BMO, may just help keep my cash spending in check. I guess we'll see.

Wednesday was a quiet day, waiting to hear back from Midas. Mid-afternoon I had the call the car was ready, so I took the bus downtown to pick it up. It sounds so much better. I stopped at Safeway on the way home to pick up a few groceries. I'd bought a few things last Friday, but only as much as I could carry walking the 1/2 hour home from the store. We've been eating out of the fridge and freezer and the options were getting quite limited. The freezer is now full and the veg crisper has great options for salads.

My bank appointment was scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. Before hand, I went to Walmart to pick up a few things and did a wander through their garden centre. I was looking for a ground cover to plant in the rock bed out front. There are a few lilies in the bed (about 3 from what we could tell last fall), and the rest is weeds. There wasn't anything there, so I continued my travels, checking garden centres at various other stores. Eventually I found a couple of bugleweed at an okay price at ? They should do well, and though it will take a few years, should help to fill in the bed.

After I finished weeding on Friday

The RBC appointment took nearly 45 minutes - just to fill out two forms and one letter of direction. It can take up to 3 weeks for the funds to be transferred from the RRSP to the RIF, and once that is complete, I'll be able to complete the paperwork to have it transferred to my CIBC account.  

After my banking was complete, I ran out to Costco for a few bulk items, and on the way home I stopped at Value Village. All of their summer clothing was 50% off and other clothing items were 30% off. I found another hooded jacket and two pairs of capris for a mere $12! Back at home I started digging in the dirt. It took me an hour to weed a small part of the bed.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day in the yard. I did run to Canadian Tire to get a leaf rake and a present for my son; a whipper snipper/line trimmer. I mowed for him last weekend but the edges need to be trimmed. Now that he is a homeowner, he has to learn how to care for this stuff too. I tried to convince him to buy a condo last fall but he was set on a house. He may be regretting that decision soon. At the house, I cleared out the front bed of weeds and added four bugleweed plants. They should, in a number of years, fill up the bed. There is another bed in front of the living room window that needs weeding, but I left that for today (maybe). 

I also spent a few hours out in the back yard, pulling up landscape fabric and landscaping timbers, digging out rebar, and carrying rocks and bricks. It's a mess back there. I plan on cleaning up the leaves and other debris, digging up weeds (as best I can), and then I'll find someone to rototill the yard. I foresee doing lots of raking and moving the dirt around to level it. I've got some plans to discuss with my son before I start seeding the microclover. 

The bricks are in a separate pile opposite to this pile of junk. I'm planning to move the rocks around to the front bed, where I'll try to create an actual rock garden. 

Speaking of gardens, D sent me a photo yesterday of the alyssum. It is huge! She says the peonies have gotten tall enough to hide the solar lights I'd put in the front flower bed. 

I'll get to see it all for myself later this upcoming week. Our realtor and his photographer will be out to initiate the listing on the old house. The painting is complete, D has finished the cleaning, and the remaining few items have been removed to the new house. Hooray! 

Today, I plan to spend some time out in the yard again. More weeding, and my son will use his new toy to clean up the edges of the lawn and along the fence line. We'll also pull out the last of landscape timbers that was covered in several inches of soil. If it hadn't been for the rebar I saw sticking out of the ground, I might not have realized it was there. 

We're forecast to reach a high of 17C (63F) with sunny skies, so it will be a lovely day for it. It's only 2C (36F) as I'm finishing this post but this is supposed to be the last of the cooler weather. More reasonable night time lows of 8-10C (46-50F) are expected for the foreseeable future. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!