Rain, rain please come to play

The weather forecast keeps promising rain but except for a few drops we've had none here in the city. It's worse still further north in the province where forest fires are ravaging the woodlands and communities.

Currently there are 27 wildfires burning, up from 20 earlier in the week and six of which are considered not contained. At least 33 communities having been evacuated thus far, and the fires have burned over 900,000 hectares, almost 2,300,000 acres. There are crews battling the fires on the ground with and in the air, but the weather is not cooperating and high winds are causing havoc. Early this week, one group of 8 firefighters were briefly pinned down until the air cleared enough for a helicopter to land to bring them out to safely. Thankfully, we have had no deaths in the province, but next door in Manitoba, two people died.

About 15,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. While some have found refuge with family and friends, hotels in the cities are also being used to house others. Approximately 9,000 have registered with the provincial agency. An estimated 400 structures (housing as well as commercial) have been destroyed. There will be people left homeless by these fires and livelihoods ended. 

One of the communities affected is La Ronge, with the Pisew fire having reached the town on Tuesday. At least two structures were lost including a Rona and the Robertson Trading Post. The latter has been a fixture in the community for nearly 60 years operating as a grocery store and a fur trading depot. Sadly, many Indigenous art and historical artifacts collected by the Robertson family were lost in the fire - these can never be replaced. 

In my late teen's, early 20's I lived in a community north of La Ronge. It was my first job out of high school working as a bookkeeper and dispatcher for a charter air service. La Ronge was were I went to purchase groceries, do my banking, and spend time with friends at the theater or the local bars. I also worked for a brief time at another air charter service located in La Ronge. I have many fond memories of my time in the North.

After I left the area, my younger brother was posted there as a conservation officer. He met his wife there too, and bought his first home. They still have friends who live in or near the community. When the evacuation order was made, they offered their home to anyone who needed a place to stay. But, as it's a distance everyone they know has found alternative arrangements and are safe.

On Thursday morning, my brother R called to let me know he was on his way to La Ronge. He has volunteered to work at the fire base of operations there, and has told he'll be assigned to the airport (or at least what is left of it). He will be working with another fellow to assist the helicopters and larger aircraft as they move in and out of town in their efforts to contain the fire. 

He picked up a friend in Prince Albert, as Sid has a home just south of La Ronge. With a load of gasoline in the back the two travelled north. R had received permission to travel to La Ronge, but they did have to stop at RCMP roadblocks along the way. As of this writing, I haven't heard from him but expect he is being kept very busy. He told me, too, that several of the conservation officers he worked with, all retired, have also volunteered, so it ought to be a bit of reunion for them too. While I'm sure they'll be happy to meet up again, I'm also certain they'd rather it be for a much happier reason.

I should note that our province is not the only area where wildfires are raging. Manitoba and Alberta are both experiencing wildfires as well. While the fires are usually the result of human interaction such as a campfire not fully extinguished or a spark from an ATV for example, the extent of the fires is a clear result of climate change. These areas have had less rain and less snow over a number of years, and much of the moisture of the snow pack is lost to evaporation rather than soaking into the ground. As a result the trees woke and rehydrated they took what moisture was available. With everything dry and high winds, coupled with human error or a lightening strike these fires are the result. 

Simply said, we need rain and lots of it. The forecast for many areas in the north suggest there may be a bit of rain this weekend. I hope, for once, the forecast is correct.

I anticipate I'll be back to my regular post next week - this week the situation in the northern part of our province has been on a mind a great deal.

Friday Funny

 

Trip review - Manitou Resort & Spa

A bonus post as it is too long to include in my weekly post.

Our weekend at Manitou was short but fun. When I was about ten minutes out, I called S to see where she was at. Funny thing, she was in the same small town at the local thrift store! I caught up with her there, and she found a vintage "Family" cribbage board with the deck of cards and the pieces. The board was made of cardboard, the pieces were like those from a Sorry game, and surprisingly the deck of cards was complete. The reason it was a family board was eight people could play as singles.

Since we were in town, we decided to stop for lunch. The gals at the thrift store recommended the cafe across the street, "Lost Aviator Coffee Lounge." S had the beef sandwich with a pasta salad and we ought to have shared it, but I chose the sausage roll. Both were good, but pricey. 

We arrived at the resort around 2 p.m. and were able to head up to our room. We chatted for a bit before heading to the mineral spa for a soak. Later we had dinner at the Water's Edge restaurant (again pricey but good), before we settled in for a drink or two and a few games of cribbage.

S's friends, B & B showed up the next morning. We expected them about 11:30 but were returning to our room after a soak in the pools at 11:15 and met them at the elevator! We quickly changed and we all headed to B1's van for our lunch. She had picked up sandwich meat, bread and condiments. B1 drives a Pleasure-Way camper van with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Lots of storage - it's very nice.

There was a flea market happening down the road and as we couldn't get into our cabin/suite until after 2 p.m. we decided to visit it. Basically it was a garage sale at the drive-in theater. This one fellow was set up with a sound system and sang for us. :)

Back at the spa we were able to use our room from the night prior to change to use the pools. After another nice soak, we were able to pack up and move to the cabin. It was quite nice, with a full kitchen, living room area, two bedrooms with queen beds, a large bathroom, and out the back door a large deck and a BBQ. 

Once we had settled in and had a drink, the other gals headed back over to the spa. I'd had enough so stayed behind to relax. I chatted with my brother, my daughter, and my son before I started putting dinner together. I used the BBQ to roast vegetables (potatoes/carrots/onion), to reheat a loaf of garlic bread, and to grill the chicken skewers. The latter two weren't put on the grill until the gals returned from their soak. They were pretty happy to find dinner was nearly ready.

On one trip out to the grill, I spotted two deer in the backyard. I called to the others to come look, but they weren't nearly as excited as I was. 

The evening was spent visiting, having a couple of drinks, a few hands of cribbage and another card game. I can tell you, that I was skunked in cribbage and was in last place in the card game.  We were all ready for bed and in our beds by 10:30 p.m.

We had our breakfast at the Water's poolside cafe...slightly less pricey than our previous meals at the resort. After packing up the cabin, we went back to the spa for our last soak, as we had to check out by noon. I headed out before lunch and grabbed a sandwich at the Subway in Watrous. 

About a half hour before I reached Regina, I checked in with my brother and found he was home. Since he's only a 15 minute drive off the main highway I told him to put on the tea pot. While we waited for the kettle to boil, he showed off the fence he's built around the garden. I assumed it was to keep out deer, but no, it's meant to keep the neighbour's dog off the plants. Apparently Wally likes to visit when someone is working in the garden and tends to lie down on the plants. That might be fine if she was a wee dog, but she's massive! I have no idea what her breed(s) might be but she'd be taller than I am if she stood on her back feet. (I'm 5'1")

I was pulling in the driveway just after 3 p.m. and ready for a long shower. I had rinsed off at the spa, but those minerals do a number on your hair. It needed some serious conditioning! 

We've already decided this needs to be an annual event. Last year it was just S and I, we doubled our group this year, maybe we'll add a few more next year. Should we do it again, I think we'll rent the cabin instead of doing the move from one building to another. Although the hotel was kind enough to let us use the room until we moved over, we were locked out briefly when we went to pack up for the move and had to get a new room card. In addition, it was nice to be able to prepare some of our own meals, and a lot less costly. Though we will need to plan our meals a little better as we ran out of some items and had far to much of others. 

It was a great weekend get-away!

Wordless Wednesday

 

What a difference a week makes!

The photo I shared on Wednesday is of the lilies in the front flower bed. When C bought the house back in the fall of 2023, I had noticed three lilies in the bed, but there was no sign of the them in 2024. I planted a few ground covers, including a dead nettle from the house in town, and two varieties of bugleweed. My goal was to make the bed low maintenance. If you recall I moved the rocks around last fall (I found a bazillion of them in the back yard). Well, apparently moving those rocks provided an opportunity for the lilies to make another appearance. I'm thinking that the rocks would have warmed earlier in the sun. In any event, they have also multiplied. I'm looking forward to seeing them bloom - I have no idea what colour they might be.

It's been a full week with some work and some fun (and more of the latter to come). On Sunday, I had the refuse removal fellow come and he took away fence boards, the plywood and 2x4's that were the wall and work bench that I removed from the garage last fall, and some old metal pieces and other odds and ends we found in the area between the fence and the back of the garage. One old gate we weren't able to remove because a tree had grown through the wire and we would have needed to cut it apart or taken the tree down. This is one of those horrible Lombardy poplars that have a narrow trunk and grow very tall. This one has a trunk about 3 inches in diameter and is at least 16 feet tall.  Can you imagine how long that has been there? I'll leave it for now, and since the fence won't extend across the back of the garage, we'll be able to take care of it later...maybe next spring.

Monday was more weeding. I did a run to the garden center with my handy gift cards and picked up grass seed. Initially I had thought I'd just seed micro clover, but have decided to do a mix of grass and clover. I also picked up a seed spreader, with the hopes of getting a more even looking lawn at some point. 

On Tuesday, D and Eli were in the city for a couple of doctor's appointments. We were hoping that the neurologist would agree that Eli can stop taking the seizure meds as he's been seizure free for nearly 15 months, and his recent EEG was clear. However, Dr. I. wants Eli to see the pediatric neurologist as he specializes in adults, primarily stroke victims. He also suggested Eli's brain is still developing, and he's uncertain what impact discontinuing the meds would have. Eli's been on the waiting list for the pediatric neurologist for more than a year. D had contacted their office last fall and was told to wait 12 months and try again. (I should note that he wasn't considered to be a priority because he hadn't had a seizure after his hospitalization.)

Before their next appointment, an eye exam by another specialist, they met me at the McDonald's in the east end of the city near the Costco. We made a quick trip to Dollarama (in the same area), before enjoying our lunch. It was so great to see them both, and I got a couple of amazing hugs from my special boy. I was able to send back the groceries and other items I've gathered up for her, which is nice, as I'll have less to take with me in a few weeks. 

When I arrived home, I discovered the utility company rep had been out to mark the underground utilities. I had originally assumed the skid steer company had made the request, but it was actually the fence company. I learned this when Kevin called to say he'd be by Thursday morning to complete the skidsteer work in the back yard. 

Stitch and chat was Wednesday afternoon. It was an easy morning, with a bit of housework, before I headed out before lunch. It's been a long time since I've gone for a walk in the old neighbourhood and decided it was time. I ought to have taken my Canon with me but here are a few photos from my cellphone.

I was shocked to see that many of the trees that lined the pond had been removed in the last year or so.

Not only did they provide some shade for the geese and ducks who nest here, but the blackbirds would often be found singing their hearts out atop the trees.

At the other end of the pond, the trees were still in place, as you can see the pair of mallards enjoying the shade. 

On the right, I was able to catch a Canada goose landing on the water. It was so bright, I didn't always capture the photo I was wanting!

Like this photo below there are two families of ducks. Mama duck on the left was leading her brood out of the drainage area into the creek, while the second mama on the right (who I didn't see at first) appeared to be marshalling the troops. 

And, of course, I couldn't leave without a photo of the younger goslings!

Early Thursday morning, about 8:15 a.m., I heard noise in the backyard. I went out to check, assuming it would be Kevin the skidsteer guy, but instead finding Garrett, the fence guy. He and his worker were taking down the last of the fence and gates. He'd had a call from Kevin so came over to get some help removing the fence posts. Kevin arrived minutes later and used the skidsteer to lift the posts out of their holes. We had thought they might be cemented in, but in actuality several of them were dug at least three feet in. No wonder my con C, wasn't able to remove them! The skidsteer did the job in seconds. 

Once the fence was removed, Kevin went to work. Here's the before and after:

This was taken on Sunday after I'd done much of the weeding but before the fence was taken down.

It's difficult to tell in these photos but Kevin moved the dirt higher at the front of the yard by the house to ensure that the rain moves towards the alley. (I put the drain pipe back after the photo was taken). He also filled in a dip between the back yard and the alley. We didn't have to bring any additional dirt into the yard, it's just been moved around. I am beyond thrilled with the work.

Garrett and his helper/Dad arrived on Friday morning to start the process of replacing the fence. First off was digging the postholes. They were able to use some of the older holes but needed to dig a few news ones for reasons not known to me. The materials were delivered mid-afternoon with the exception of the fence boards. Garrett was back just before 5 p.m. to set the posts. I went out to talk to him because I was certain there wasn't enough material - he explained that there weren't enough fence boards, more are expected to arrive later this week. He finished up the posts before heading home for the day and said he might be back Saturday to finish the supporting rails. 

I'm actually hoping he takes the day off. We are currently under a weather advisory due to the smoke that has blown in from the fires in Northern Saskatchewan. By noon'ish on Friday, the smoke had settled in and the view towards the highway looked like this: 

It's only expected to get worse through Saturday. As a result outdoor activities are not recommended. No yardwork for me, instead I am heading to Manitou Beach to meet my friend S for two nights. (I'm hoping the smoke will have passed through there, though the mineral pools are indoors.) We're staying in the resort Saturday and then joining two more ladies in a resort owned small apartment across the street for Sunday night. The apartment has a kitchenette, a 2 bed bedroom, and an outdoor area with a BBQ. Meals have already been planned for Sunday and the other women will bring the groceries; we'll share the cost. Although we can't check into our room until 4 p.m. today, we're meeting earlier in the afternoon as we'll have access to the pools. S was told that we'll be able to get into the apartment as early as noon. I'm looking forward to relaxing and hanging out with the group. I'm more than ready for a break!

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

All about the weather

One thing that is a constant in Saskatchewan is that we talk about the weather. Good, bad, cold, hot, wet, dry, it's a guaranteed source of conversation. This week started out very cool, with a high on Sunday of only 12C/54F. I managed to get out to the back yard and start on the weeding. It wasn't as wet back there as I expected, but damp enough that digging the weeds was quite easy. I put in about 90 minutes before heading back indoors.

Monday was cold for May, 8C/46F, and wet as the rain started early in the morning, with a short break in the afternoon and starting up again in the evening. It continued through Tuesday and we were cooler still. I did get out on Tuesday to get a few groceries and run to a couple of the thrift stores. I came home with this pottery kitchen gadget holder - it was likely an item painted, glazed and fired at a pottery shop. I say that because there were two of them, one with brown lettering, one with green, and both had a different set of initials on the bottom. I thought it was cute!

I also picked an almost brand new 10" frying pan for my son. He does cook for himself, mostly breakfast type items or bacon and perogies. The old pan is looking pretty worn. There wasn't a single scratch on this new pan. In addition, I found a pretty top, a long sleeved sweater and a pair of pajama bottoms. That's the fun of thrift shopping, I go with little to no idea of what I'll find (though I was looking for the pj's.) 

On Wednesday afternoon, I made my way over to the library, not knowing for certain that anyone would be there for Stitch and Chat. My last visit was in October last year, and there just a few of us. But knowing that three of the women would have returned from their winter homes in Arizona and California, I figured there would be someone else there. Imagine my surprise to find that along with two of those women, there was R who had come a few times a couple of years ago, and three new (at least to me) participants. It was nice to see the ones I knew and meet the new women too! But silly me, I didn't bring the entire project I'd planned to work on, and didn't have the right yarn for a knitting project. So I played with a crochet hook and some yarn for a bit and visited for most of the time. Next week I'll check my bag more carefully!

The rain continued off and on all day, most lightly and the temp reached about 10C/50F.  We had planned to meet with the fence guy the week prior but with the heavy rain, I'd asked him to postpone until this week. He arrived just before 7 p.m. and I went out with him and my son to discuss the work that needs to be done. We'll be getting a quote in a few days, he has contacted a fellow with a skid steer to regrade the back yard, and provided a phone number for another company that does eaves. The garage has eaves already, but they were DIY and have no end caps, and are full of holes. Useless! 

Thursday started off cool, only 9C/48F by 11 a.m. but we were promised sunshine in the afternoon. I wanted to get outdoors to do some weeding in the backyard, but decided to watch the Blue Jays game before venturing outside. I did get out in the afternoon and cleared up more weeds, and met with the guy from the skid steer company. We've got a bit of clean up to do but he'll be able to do the work to move the dirt around, level and smooth it out, sometime in the next two weeks.

On Friday morning, I decided to go garage "saling". It is at this time of year, I most miss my friend Christine. She loved picking through people's tchotchkes, all the while chatting up a storm. Heaven help us if there were a baby or a dog out and about. I'm more of grazer, I tend to look over the tables and shelves, and only stop if something catches my eye. There were many times that we stayed at a sale for much longer than I would have liked. But, boy I miss her company, there was always something to share a giggle about.

While I stopped at several sales, my only purchase was a piece of lightweight purple fleece. It would make a great backing for a quilt...though I don't quilt. If I find a lightweight blanket, I may sew the two together with some batting, and do a tied quilt. At only $3 for 2 meters, I couldn't resist.

There was a stop too at the thrift store where I found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt for me, two pairs of shorts and a short sleeved shirt for Eli. I also found an older Thermos - I think this might be good for road trips, (more on that another time), and a mug for my son. It made me laugh, and he said he's probably going to take it to work.

Since it had warmed up to 18C/64F, another 90 minutes was spent in the backyard doing more weeding. The backyard was sadly neglected by the previous owners, and my son did not do it any favours last summer. I weeded A LOT last fall, but of course there seeds that have morphed into more weeds this spring. I've informed C that he must mow back there this summer, regardless whether I get it seeded before I leave in late June. That should help with getting it ready for the grass/clover mix I plan to use at some point. 

Today, the to-do list includes more weeding, some knitting, more baseball and hockey to watch. My life is rather mundane and boring these days...and tends to revolve around the weather. Speaking of which, check out the next five days! For those who use Fahrenheit, that's a range from 68-73F. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. Wednesday's photo was my completed lap blanket. It was very useful early in the week. 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Our weather takes a turn and I head to the city

What a difference a few days make! The heat of the weekend cooled quickly and by this weekend, we're expecting temperatures overnight closer to freezing. It started raining on Wednesday and kept that up through Thursday.

I did get my bedding plants into the containers on Monday. D has had to shelter them in the front porch and shed as a result of the colder weather. I knew if I didn't plant them before leaving, there would be no planting for me as my son does not want any containers to worry about. Fair enough, it is his house and...he did leave me some weeding to do. :)

Eli had a dental appointment in the NTO on Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. We all left at the same time, around 7:30 that morning, going in different directions. The photo I posted on Wednesday was a little over a half hour from home, and Connie was the first on to be correct in suggesting it was bridge work underway. I had been talking (handsfree, of course) with my brother and had mentioned the long line of vehicles I kept meeting...very unusual for that highway. When I saw the construction, it all made sense as the construction crew had us down to one lane, each side taking turns. They didn't keep us long, just long enough for several vehicles to come through and then it was our turn.

Speaking of my brother, he was on his way to Saskatoon to visit our cousin B, who had a stroke several weeks ago. B spent 27 days in hospital and will be needing physical therapy for some time. Apparently, his right side is most affected, but he has returned to work, albeit with assistance. His son is working with him to do the physical labour and the driving, while his wife manages the retail store, and B spends his time talking to customers. They are hoping to sell the business soon, but it is a particular niche that I think will be difficult for someone else to take over. He and my brother had a good visit with another friend from our hometown.

D, Eli, and I had gone to a couple of garage sales on the weekend, and I had found a brand new wallet in purple, my favorite colour, for $5! I'd transferred everything over to the new wallet, and realized I had a number of gift cards to various retail outlets here in the city. So I decided that Wednesday, I'd go spend these, or at least some of them. As it turns out this was harder than I thought, as one of the businesses no longer exists, and two of the others had more money on the cards that I expected. What a problem to have, right?

My first stop was at Dutch growers, a local gift and garden center. I was looking for one item in particular, a new rain gauge as the one I had was somehow misplaced. It should have been in the shed but I couldn't find it. As I later told the cashier, the store intimidates me. It is built along the line of an Ikea where you are expected to follow the arrows as you make your way around the store. Do you want to know what happens if you back track? If you do, as I did, then someone comes out of nowhere to ask you what your are looking for. Seriously, I hadn't seen anyone that appeared to be working there, until I started walking against the arrows. In any event, she directed me to the rain gauges, though I didn't entirely follow her directions, stopping to take a photo just inside the greenhouse. It clearly wasn't real, but it was definitely a wow! After payment there was still a few dollars left on the card, and I still have another one to use.

My next stop was Chapters/Indigo, for which I had two gift cards. Like the garden center, these were Christmas gifts, most likely from my brother and his family, so clearly I've had them for awhile.  I found books for D, Eli, and I that I will pack in my carry-on for our flight to Halifax. I came nowhere close to spending what I had available, so have promised D a trip to the NTO Cole's bookstore, the next time we are there. 

Eli came home from school on Tuesday, with a spider plant for his mom for Mother's Day. (I didn't ask why it didn't come home last week). One of my gift cards was for Michaels, and I found a macrame hanger to hold it, high enough to keep it away from the cats. I was so pleased that my gift card matched it's price, until I got to the counter and learned it was on sale. So I still have a few dollars to spend there. Oh, and hooray for me, I did not buy any yarn...though I was tempted.

The next stop was M&M Meat Shops, which are now called M&M Food Market. That's how old the gift card was. It was a gift to my son from a co-worker, and he'd given it to me. I picked up his favorite beef burgers, and a Chicken Pad Thai casserole. That used up the card, and I paid another $10. We had the casserole for supper that evening, C didn't like it, I did, so the leftovers were my lunch for the next two days. 

My last stop was at Tim Hortons, where I did not use the gift card, but instead added another $50 to the card for our trip. It will come in handy at the airports, where I won't have to fumble with cash. I do use my debit card, but I can hand this to my daughter and ask her to place the order. Now, that's thinking ahead, right?

Before I headed home, I stopped at the mall and was able to get a walk-in haircut. She relieved me of more hair than I intended, but it will grow out quickly. No gift cards, but I did stop at the Dollar store for a basket for my bathroom items. That reminds me, have I mentioned that C's friend B will be moving into the house in the next month or so? She'll be moving into the basement, and I had mentioned moving my bed out of the bedroom and into the alcove. However, she and C have decided my bedroom will be the guest room (I may very well be the only guest). 

I've spent some time clearing out the bathroom of my items, and storing them in the closet. The basket I bought holds my shower items, as well as my toothbrush and toothpaste. I simply grab the basket on my way to the bathroom in the morning and tuck it back in the closet when I'm done. This clear out was a good thing, as I was able to donate a number of items, and toss some broken/empty items that were still sitting there. I also cleared off the bookshelves of my books and puzzles, and these went into the closet under the stairs in my room. 

Since it rained on Thursday, I used the time to do a good cleaning of the rest of the basement and stairs, vacuuming rugs, wiping down baseboards and shelves. A table that I used for puzzles was folded down and tucked away in the storage room off the furnace/equipment area. Saku's cat litter remains in the main room and will stay where it is until we take him home to town. B has five cats and plans to put the cat boxes (10 of the, I believe) in the former laundry room area. I can understand not wanting to keep that many boxes in the main room. 

Friday was quiet - I finished some additional cleaning in the basement, washed bath mats, re-installed some baseboard in the main room, and sorted through the last basket of stuff. In the basket I found a sweater I had started crocheting a few years ago. Better still, the pattern was with the start. However, I remember why I gave up, as the yarn is a dense yarn with black and white flecks, so I cannot "see" but have to feel for each stitch as I move along. I found another project as well, a lap blanket, that I started about the same time. Guess which one I've decided to finish first? If you guessed the latter, you'd be right. Will the sweater ever be finished? ...only time will tell.

The weather is not expected to improve much through the next few days. High temps of 12-13C/54-56F, and overnights will be cool, though slightly above freezing. I foresee spending mornings indoors, afternoons out in the garage or backyard (once it dries a bit), and evenings watching baseball and hockey. If the weather doesn't cooperate, I can always play around in Ancestry too.

Have a great week ahead everyone! I hope it's warmer wherever you are.

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Where did the time go?

I normally start my post early in the week and add to it as the week progressed. Not so, this week - as I write on Thursday evening. This is what I remember from the week. It might be short post!

The weekend was hot, hot, hot! Temperatures reached 30C/86F and 27C/80F on Saturday and Sunday respectively - that's mid-July temperatures. We headed to the lake on Saturday afternoon. Eli spent time in the water though it felt a too cold to me!  Then we took a drive to the next town over (NTO) on Sunday as there wasn't a whole lot getting done outdoors. My daughter picked up a large BBQ for a reasonable price. More on that later.

Monday was a housework day and Eli had equine therapy that afternoon. Each time he's attended, the weather has been crappy, wet and cool, this day was no different! Such a change from the weekend. In addition to working with the horses, he was able to visit the baby chicks. The therapist he works with was impressed how quickly and gently he could catch the little critters. He told his teacher at school that he had "chick therapy" this week. :)

I recall I posted on a couple blogs that I thought I'd wait another week before purchasing my bedding plants. Ha! On Tuesday, I took a drive to the NTO, stopping at a few garden centers, before heading home to visit two more here in town. I was looking for a couple of perennials for the side yard. While NTO had a few, they didn't have what I was looking for, and here in town, the perennials won't be available until next week. I'd like to find a bleeding heart though I may consider hostas as well. It all depends on price and availability. The area gets late afternoon sun, but is somewhat sheltered by a large evergreen.

Wednesday was an outdoor day, with the major project being the building of the BBQ. I sent this photo to my brother saying, "no blood was shed." The air was blue a few times, but my daughter and I got it done.  We haven't used it yet, as we need the propane tank, and I told D we'll use up the canister on the table top BBQ first. 

In addition, there was some weeding done and I planted a crown of celery and lettuce. I've read that celery will regrow from the crown and thought I'd give it a shot. I had it in a container of water for three or four days and was pleasantly surprised to see the green leaves starting. The lettuce was in a bag of dirt, that Eli grew at school - the lettuce, not the dirt. Of course, after I planted these, the temperature overnight dropped to 0C/32F. However, they seem to have survived.

On Thursday morning, I was outdoors at 6:30 a.m. with my tea and the cat. I'd been awake for a couple of hours at that point, the temperature was already at 12C/54F, so it seemed a good idea to get out early. When D left to take Eli to school, I headed out to pick up groceries. 

We also had another project that morning, to revise the set-up for the second rain barrel. There was rain early Monday morning, and our connection didn't work as we wanted. After some discussion and a bit of work, we had the barrel set-up with the downspout extension in the proper place. With rain expected for much of next week, we wanted to make certain the water went in the barrel and not the basement.

Speaking of next week, I'm heading back into the city on Tuesday morning. I contacted the fence guy and we've arranged to meet on Thursday evening. My son will be home then too, and since he's paying for it, he'll be able to provide his input. With Sage, it will nice to have a fenced backyard. He'll need to be out there with her...that dog can jump...but he should be able to play with her and let her run some. While I'm there, I plan to paint my bedroom and work on seeding the back yard to grass and clover. I suspect the weeds will be thriving by the time I arrive, which will require some clean-up first. 

It cooled off slightly on Friday, and though I had planned to work in the yard in the morning, but had to wait a few hours. We woke to a cool morning, with an air advisory. The winds we had on Thursday, blew in the smoke from the wildfires. Not only could we smell it, but there was a haze in the air. I did go out briefly, to pull my annuals from the shed for the day, and to put the seedlings out to harden off.

I was out shortly before lunch, chatting with my friend K and my brother R. K and her partner J, are leaving next week for a road trip to Nova Scotia, and then taking the ferry to Newfoundland. They may be back in Halifax about the same time as we arrive, so if things work out, we'll see them there. 

More yardwork was accomplished, including filling a large orange garbage bag with pinecones with another pile to be cleaned up this weekend. The gladiolas were planted and more of that damned creeping bellflower was dug out of the raised bed. I'll never get ahead of it, I've found tubers at least an inch around with runners going here, there and beyond. Keeping it from flowering, and then seeding helps a little, but when it is in all the yards around us, I know I'm fighting a losing battle.

Hockey and baseball had kept me entertained in the evenings with two of our three Canadian teams leading their series. (I'm watching the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panther game as I finish this up - the Panthers may be the winner tonight). 

We're into the heat again this weekend, before the rain starts Monday afternoon. Eli woke up congested on Friday morning, and is still feeling punk, so I suspect it will be a quiet weekend. I've got a bit of a sore throat too (thanks kid!), but plan to get more work done outside. I think the fresh air is good for me and I'd rather do that then housework. 

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Full on spring

The weather has continued its up and down trajectory this week. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, no wind and reaching a high of 18C (65F). I know that doesn't sound particularly warm to many of my readers but after days near or slightly above freezing it feels incredible. We managed to get a good amount of outdoor work done over the weekend, cleaning up winter debris, working on the raised garden bed, and putting out containers and outdoor furniture. I planted several tulip bulbs, that I bought last year, with the hopes we'll see some flowers next year. 

The photo from Wednesday is a surprise I found in the front flower bed, according to Google lens, a striped squill. This is a bulb that I found in the garden at the old house and transplanted here last spring. I had no idea what it was, but decided to see if it would grow. According to the internet, it is hardy (no kidding), grows about 6-8" in height, blooms early in spring, and depending on the site is either non-invasive or invasive. I guess I'll find out one way or another in the next few years. 

The poppies and day lilies are popping up too. The lamium/dead nettle are greening out. I expect they'll fill in much of the raised bed over the summer. That should keep the weeds somewhat at bay. In addition we found some flatter rocks and build a pathway through the bed, which should help with access for weeding. I can't tell you the number of times, I've nearly tumbled out of the flower bed from tripping over the rock edge. On Tuesday, I picked up some gladiola bulbs and will plant those after the final frost/freeze. 

Eli had a day off on Tuesday because his people (TA's/teachers) were away for various reasons. He does like his routine and does best with those he trusts. The school did send home more phonics schoolwork for him and his mom to work on. After our trip to the next door community, the two put in an hour or so on some of the new work. D had an appointment for blood work in the morning, then we drove to the nearby community to do our shopping, went to a favorite park for Eli to play, before another quick stop for fruit and bread before heading home. After a quick lunch, I hopped into bed for a snooze. I'd been awake until 2:30 a.m. watching the results of our federal election. The results weren't entirely decided, and more counting happened in the morning. There are four or five ridings (districts) where recounts are also likely as the differential is less than 400 votes.

The weather was cool'ish Tuesday, warmed up a bit on Wednesday, so I got outside to start on the spring clean-up. First up, though was moving several rocks out of the raised bed. (All the ones near the fence in the photo above.) I used my new wheelbarrow to move them to the edge of the alley and posted them to a free group on Facebook. I cleaned up the small garden area, digging out weeds and preparing the area for planting. After setting up the trellises, I planted the sweet peas and peas, as well as a row of carrots. I won't expect to see these sprout for a few weeks yet, but the seeds will be fine in the ground. 

I also moved some things around in the yard, including installing the bird bath and filling it. I've seen several robins and heard Blue Jays in the neighbourhood, the latter having quite a distinctive call. The chair my brother built for me is placed where I can see the gardens and keep an eye on the cat when he's in the catio. My final tasks for the morning were cleaning out the window wells of the leaves and other debris, and I started digging out grass that has infiltrated the day lilies. In some places it has actually choked out the day lilies - I was able to dig up a few of those and plant where I'd cleared the grass.

By lunchtime, I was to quote Patsy, kapooped! I went indoors, had a shower and cleaned out all the dirt under my fingernails. I always start off wearing gloves but soon peel them off to play in the dirt! After a refreshing shower, clean clothes and a good lunch, I settled down to stream "Beyond Borders", and began crocheting a dishcloth. Baseball and hockey took up the remainder of the day.

We got a wee bit of rain Thursday morning, and the temperature cooled. As a result I spent most of the day indoors, first rearranging my bedroom in anticipation of Saku's residence (in July), and continuing my crocheting. When the skies cleared some in the afternoon, one of the resident cats, Stanley convinced me to take him out to the catio. :) I planted green onions before settling into my chair to have a cup of Chai. 

The weather started to warm up a bit more on Friday, though it was early afternoon before I headed outdoors to do a bit more yardwork. I did get our groceries in the morning, and took my daughter with me to pick up the bags of potting mix, garden soil, and mulch I'll need for the containers and to mulch the flower beds. We also stopped at the city hall office to purchase our fire pit license for the year. 

Eli and D came outside as well, and we got one of the two rain barrels we picked up on Monday set up. This is in the corner where the water came into the basement when our last dump of snow melted, and I'm hoping diverting it to a rain barrel will help keep it from reaching the basement. We may just find out on Monday as we are expecting rain then. We also prepped the area for the second barrel. D cut back a ground-cover juniper (that smells like cat pee according to her), while I gathered the branches and filled the garbage bag of debris. We plan to finish that set-up today.

There is still other work that needs to be done, putting out the solar lights, cleaning out grass between the rocks that line the raised bed, a day lily bed out front, and the mulch needs to be spread in all of the flower beds. Since I plan to be in the city later this month, I'll also work on prepping the containers for planting ahead of time. I'll leave a list of plants to go in each container. This time of year is always busy, but exciting, at least to me. I enjoy the fresh air, the sunshine, and seeing the green growth.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Did I say spring? Maybe now!

Mother Nature clearly decided to hit re-set on spring this week. On Sunday, while the kiddo was out Easter Egg hunting, the temperature was a balmy 6C (43F) and the yard was clear.

By Tuesday evening, the snow was back in earnest. The photo I posted on Wednesday showed the boughs of the poor evergreen tree in the side yard weighed down with the snow. The backyard looked like this:

Over 36 hours we had nearly 10 inches of snow! Eli had day camp in the next door community on Wednesday and Thursday (Easter break). We waited until noon the first day to determine whether we'd drive in. D heard from the group leader who said their community hadn't received nearly as much snow, our roads were clearing, and after shovelling around and behind my vehicle we were able to get down the alley. We were a bit late the first day, as we were stopped by a train. D and I spent our time shopping, the first day at the Dollar store to pick up storage for our new shelving unit, and for groceries on the second day. Nothing exciting jumped into our cart.

Thursday morning, Eli and I spent some time outside. I had asked him if he wanted to make a snowman with me. The snow we got was heavy and wet, perfect for rolling. He had said yes, but when he brought out several other toys, he decided to play in the snow and left me to build. When I finished, I brought out a chair and enjoyed the sun while he played.  

Friday, I ran to the grocery stores here in town for a few groceries that were on sale, or unavailable at our last stop. D discovered we'd gotten water in the basement - with that amount of snow and how fast it melted, it wasn't a surprise. If you recall we had flooding last June in the basement. This was nowhere near as bad - it was mostly in the laundry room area (which has a cement floor). She was able to use the shop vac to clear up any standing water. We will need to buy new extensions for the downspouts as a couple of them have sprung leaks. I had checked for them last week at the Home Hardware, but they only had brown, ours are white. 

It has been quite a quiet week. There was housework accomplished, some sports watching, and I spent a fair amount of time working on ancestry. A distant cousin popped up in a story from 1939, in Pennsylvania, as the wife of a man who had been arrested for the murder of a two year old child. Based on the newspaper articles I was able to locate, the couple were separated, he was living with another woman, a single mother with a young daughter. He became jealous of the child (perhaps because she looked like her father, or because of the attention paid to her), and began physically abusing her. When the couple took her to the hospital where she would die a few days later, he was arrested and admitted to the abuse. I won't get into that, but the newspaper articles were quite explicit and no child should ever experience the torture he put her through. What really made me angry was, although sentenced to a life sentence, the governor commuted his sentence just 12 years later! He remarried a few years later and died in 1986. The mother was indicted as an accessory to murder, but I could not locate what happened in her case, other than she was expecting a child in prison, who died shortly after birth. I certainly went down a rabbit hole on this particular story. 

Meanwhile his wife, my distant cousin returned to Canada and re-married. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find much information about her son (by her first husband) but did locate her obituary. It is noted that he predeceased her and I found information to support that fact. 

Our snow has disappeared quickly, with the temperature reaching 14C/57F on Friday afternoon. It will be even warmer this weekend! I hope to get outside to clear out the shed and work in the raised flower bed. The snow certainly interrupted that work! I also need to transplant several pepper plants and some herbs. The window sill is already full, with tomatoes and herbs so it needs to warm up so the older plants can go out to the front porch. I do know, I won't be planting anything outdoors until mid-May at the earliest. We have a short growing season here.

Whatever your plans for the weekend, I hope you're enjoying sunshine and warm temps. Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 

Monday

Tuesday morning 

Tuesday evening 

The end of an era, a quiet week, and Happy Easter!

Another sad family moment this week, when the last of my parent's generation passed away at the age of 92. If you've been reading for some time you may remember I visited my cousin B and her husband, and Uncle G on Vancouver Island a couple of times in the past 10 years. He was an avid golfer, out on the course two or three times a week until he was in his late 80's. Sadly, he's been quite ill for a few years and was ready to join Aunt A (my mom's sister). There was no service. This is a photo of Uncle G and Aunt A, at Christmas 1971. 

Speaking of services, my brother and I did not make it to our cousin's service. He had to be out of town on Friday. I didn't feel I could manage a long day, with about 8 to 10 hours of driving. Another cousin shared the link to K's obituary, so I did send a memorial donation. K was just 62, and two months younger than my younger brother. 

After hearing the news about Uncle G, I called my older brother to let him know. We realized we are now the oldest generation, and M is the eldest at 75. Unfortunately his health isn't great either as he contracted long Covid. He has been sick off and on for several months, and had a bad spell in February.  It's been 10 years since we were together for his 65th birthday. 

As for cousin B, he is still in the hospital but is improving. I haven't heard what caused the stroke, though that side of the family is well acquainted with the issue. My maternal great-grandmother lived bedridden for several years after a stroke, my maternal grandfather had his first stroke in his early 70's and my mom was even younger, at the age of 66. B is younger still, having turned 63 this past January. Hopefully, with physical therapy he'll regain the use of his hand and arm, and his speech will get better over time.

On the home front, it hasn't been a terribly busy week but good nonetheless. D has been organizing various spaces in the house.  She had purchased a new bookcase for her bedroom so brought down the older one for use as a side table in the living room. As a result, I was able to unpack the photo albums which were packed in the summer of 2023 in preparation for selling my old house. I spent an afternoon adding labels indicating the year and subject of the contents. I have several albums that belonged to my mom, a few from when I left home, a few more for my children, and the majority from the trips I've enjoyed over the years. It was fun to flip through the pages and re-live some of the memories. Though I'll admit there were more than a few photos that are no longer prominent in my memory.

As you'll have seen in Wednesday's photo, Eli had equine therapy on Monday afternoon. He shows little to no fear, even with the larger horses. Of course, they are used to children and very gentle. He wore his noise cancelling headphones as the wind was up and the barn was noisy - he's not a fan of the horse poop either. :)

We did get to the local thrift store on Tuesday, where D (mostly) filled a bag with clothing for $12. There were two pieces for me, a tank top and a pair of capris. She got two pairs of jeans and several t-shirts. Unless one "fills" a bag, the cost is $2 per piece. She did extremely well. I picked up another book to read though I have several books yet to read. I'm nowhere near the 52 that Connie at Far Side of Fifty has on her list. :)

On Thursday, D and I spent much of the morning putting together a shelving unit for storage. We'd bought a small hutch when we moved in, and it was proven to be too small for our needs. Like wallpaper, this is a job that was meant to be done by someone other than the two of us. Partially due to having only pictures, no text in the instructions, and also due to our differing interpretations of said pictures, the process took a little/lot longer than it needed to. But it is in place and we plan to pick up a few more baskets this week for storage. 

The snow has mostly melted with just a few places where the snow was piled from shovelling. The outdoor furniture should be out next week, and we're planning to use the BBQ for the first time in months. 

Though warmer, it has still been cool, but the weather is supposed to improve on Sunday. I'm hoping to get out to do some clean-up of the perennials and D is planning to do an Easter egg hunt with Eli outdoors. I think she'll need to wait until the afternoon...

Happy Easter everyone! Have a great week ahead.