A trip to the city, more rain, and the continuing saga

After Eli went to school on Monday morning, D and I did a bit of packing for a short trip to the city. A small suitcase for clothing and toiletries, a backpack for swim gear for the three of us, a cooler for a Costco run, and D's bag for meds, electronics, and other sundry items. We were only there overnight. 

I went out to load the car while they went to equine therapy that afternoon, as well as to clear out any garbage and vacuum up the floors and the back seat. When they returned we stopped for Eli's supper at Tim Horton's (he loves their grilled cheese and bacon sandwich) and a cold drink for me. The trip is about an hour and half and we were in Regina by about six, stopping at a Burger King for D and I, before heading to the hotel. 

After dinner we went to the pool - I enjoyed the hot tub! D sat with me for a bit, and then went to keep an eye on Eli who was using the water slide. We later made a run up to my son's for a visit. Sage (the pup) was thrilled to see us, and after a bit of jumping and occasional bark, settled down. Eli and his uncle had quite the conversation, while Kota (one of the cats) cuddled up next to the kid. D and C's g/f visited on the front deck. 

Back at the hotel we all stayed up until 12:30 a.m. when Eli and I went to sleep. D said she did not sleep at all, and we were all up at 4:30 a.m. Eli's EEG was scheduled for 10 a.m. and they wanted him tired. D was given instructions that he should have no more than 4 hours of sleep. We were all tired, but he seemed to be less so than the two of us. After showers and baths, I took down our bags to the car and found that the breakfast room was set up so we headed down for a leisurely meal. We still had some time before we needed to be at the hospital, so wandered over to Dollarama and Walmart.

I dropped the two of them at 9:15 a.m. which turned out to be fortuitous, Based on the letter D recevied, the directions had them finding that the admitting desk at that area of the hospital was closed due to staffing shortgages. By the time they made their way to the main doors and back to this building, they didn't have a very long wait. Unfortunately Eli wasn't able to fall asleep during the test and we won't know until the pediatric neurologist looks at the film whether the test was successful or not in determining if he has had any further seizure activity.

Meanwhile I made a run to Costco, returning with an empty wallet about 90 minutes later. I parked in a nearby Shopper's Drug Mart lot until D texted to say they were ready. From there, we skedaddled for home. There were things to unload and unpack, and Eli had a Big Brother, Big Sister event after the school day was over. Noah, his big brother, is graduating this year and will be off to University in the fall. The two of them have created quite a bond over the two years, meeting most every Wednesday for lunch at Eli's school. D took photos of the two of the together and plans to gift Noah a framed photo to take with him. 

I went to Knit and Natter, and I suspect due to the inclement weather, and was the only one in attendance. Since I was finished the mittens I decided to start on a small project for a friend. L is undergoing cancer treatment, and is a big fan of chickens. I figured she needs an emotional support chicken. The crocheting was pretty much finished before I left that evening, and I finished it up on Thursday morning, adding the comb and beak, and added the safety eyes and stuffing. I'm not entirely sure I like it, and may use a different pattern to make a second one. 

Thursday marked the final swimming lesson for Eli for this session in the NTO. He'll continue in July at the local pool. Since there was little I could do outside, I went along. We dropped by Value Village with some donations and did a wander in the store. I found a couple of pieces of outdoor decor, a cake of yarn, two "basement" towels, and two brand new bras.

After a quick meal at Burger King (Eli's choice) we stopped at the Bookworm, a used book store. They had moved locations last fall, and this was our first time in the new spot. They still have mounds of books and of course, I came home with a couple. I dropped D and Eli at the pool, and headed over to Walmart to pick up some fruit and veg. It was a productive afternoon.

On the home front, we have battled the weather all week, with rain every day except Monday. AND thank goodness for that as we were away. I'm also grateful that the hail that hit the city happened Tuesday evening and we avoided it here. However, with more rain on Wednesday the basement continued to let in rain. We now have two fans blowing constantly to help it dry and lay down towels on various areas in the laundry/furnace room as needed. These are spun in the washer and then dried several times a day. D generally gets up once in the middle of the night to use the wet vac, replace the towels, and empty the two humidifiers. If I'm awake before her in the morning, I've been taking a turn. The ground is so saturated that the water is looking for anywhere to go. And of course, there is more rain in the forecast!

The rain guards arrived on Friday morning and I got them installed. Not perfectly, as there isn't a smooth or straight surface to watch them to. The recommended option was to screw them to the house but the base is concrete and the house is stucco. So I used window caulking....lots and lots of it. Not pretty but the seal is tight.

Despite all the rain, my plants continue to grow, along with the weeds. I can manage in the raised beds as I can reach from all sides, but the garden itself is far too wet. In the flower beds, things are starting to show blooms; lamium, dead nettle, poppies, and columbine. I had picked up a sunflower last week, and got it planted as well. It sure brightens up the flower bed!

Update on the fence situation - LND is dragging this out longer by insisting he ask his mother's husband (an accountant by trade in the city) to contact some of his customers to get quotes as a favour. When I pointed out that any contractor would likely be charging for mileage and thus increase the cost, he snapped back that he had his furnace, water heater, and drywalling his basement this way. I didn't bother to respond, but will text him again this weekend and I plan to set a firm deadline. If he hasn't got additional quotes by the end of June, I will go ahead with or without his contribution. I won't tell him that part of it, but will insinuate that I'll send him a bill at the end of the process. 

We're expecting a warmer day today and I'm hoping to spend a good part of it outdoors. There is, of course, much weeding to be done, the potatoes need to be hilled, and I want to replace the gate latch on the front gate. I may also have picked up a few more plants (just three) on Friday, and those need to go in a container as well. If it's decent enough I need to do some caulking on the window panes out front. That needs to be done before I can get to the painting...and that won't happen until the weather stays nice for a bit. Wish me luck!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

 Don't mind the weeds - it has been raining almost non-stop the past week and the garden bed is too wet to venture into.

Thankful for the rain, but that's enough already

Wednesday's photo was definitely a lucky chance photo. I was planning to take a photo of the peony buds, when I spotted the ladybug attended by an ant and a fly. I've not seen that before, and likely won't again. The peonies are budded out and when we get some sunshine and heat I expect they'll be blooming like crazy.

It's rained this week, enough that the rain barrels are full and I haven't had to water the gardens. Wednesday evening was the worst, as it rained so hard that it came through a basement window. D was downstairs and hollered for help. We put down towels (kept for this purpose) and she set up the fan immediately. Thankfully the rain let up after a few minutes, but even so, it made a mess in one corner of the basement. I went out and measured the window wells the next day and ordered rain guards. I've watched a couple of videos and am convinced I can install them myself. The rain gauges showed we had nearly 1.75 inches in less than a half hour!

On Tuesday I did a four hour shift at the thrift store. The amount of donations waiting to be sorted through was crazy, again. We were running out of rack space in the sorting room, so I checked for gaps in the racks inside the store. Men's shirts, women's summer dresses and skirts, and sleepwear needed some additions, so I went through the racks and pulled items to put out on the floor. One of the other volunteers was clearing the "new arrivals" racks in the store as well. The store was actually quite busy and we were able to keep moving items. As for hangers, L purchased three hundred hangers from a store for just $10! I'm guessing they are changing the style of their hangers. She also purchased five more racks. 

I learned that we get a lot of donations from communities within an hour of our town. Many people don't like to donate to Value Village because it is a for-profit store. We do send a lot of things to VV that don't meet our standards. What might those standards be? Items that we don't think anyone would wear, at least most of the time. One of the outfits I put out on the floor was a woman's matching jacket and skirt, made of polyester and salmon coloured. It was in great shape but I suspect was purchased in the 90's. I wouldn't wear it but was assured by others that someone else might. We also send on clothing that has small stains. However, anything that is torn or smells of smoke ends up in the garbage. We don't have a washer/dryer to be able to clean the latter items.

Knit and Natter was held on Thursday afternoon. I couldn't do anything outdoors, so it was a nice way to get out of the house for a bit. There were two of us there. I finished a second mitten and the thumbs for both. I'm only knitting when I'm at the library so I'm pretty slow. I just need to sew in the yarn ends. For my next project, I'm planning to knit or crochet an emotional chicken. More on that  later.

Friday, I was up and moving early as I had received a call last week that I could get my mammogram at the hospital in the NTO. Booked in for 9 a.m., I was asked to be there 45 minutes early, it's a 20-25 minute drive, so I was on the road around by 7:45 a.m. to ensure I had time to find the hospital. I have a family history of breast cancer (including my Dad), thu I have an annual mammogram. For those readers who have never had the experience, I heard a comedienne once describe it as having your breast put in a vice, and then taken into another room. It's not quite that bad but bad enough. :)

A couple of updates: the fence saga continues and I am reaching the end of my rope with the LND. He, apparently, cannot connect with his realtor. My guess is things didn't go well when he listed the house a few years ago - she took photos, put up the listing and the sign, and then he pulled it down within a week to rent it out instead. If so, I wouldn't blame her for ghosting him.

Now he has decided that he needs to find a friend to remove the concrete, as he thinks Matt's price is too high. It isn't. We had Matt here earlier this week to remove some yard waste. We were discussing the issues with LND and Matt mentioned that he's dealt with him before. He wants the quote yesterday and then will hem and haw for four months before he makes a decision. I'm not having that happen. I'll give him until this weekend, and then we're going ahead regardless. I'll pay the extra to get it done because it is an eyesore and a nuisance. 

On a happier note, my gardens are doing well. The potatoes, corn, and peas are up. The carrots and green onions are lagging behind and I may need to replant the carrots. I've learned that carrot seeds like to be kept wet; we had some really warm temperatures and since they are planted in about 1/4 inch soil, I suspect these won't sprout. I'm not sure if it is the same for onion seeds, but I'll replant those as well if I don't see anything in the next few days.

Today is the community wide garage sale. Some of the sales started on Friday, so D and I did a circuit while Eli was at school. We'd planned to go out early Saturday morning, but I'll be working at the thrift store from 10-3. Normally, not opened on Saturdays, we're expecting to be busy with all of the folks out and about. It's forecast to be a warm day with a high of 25C/77F with potential light rain in the morning, and a chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

The heat is on!

Most mornings this week saw me outdoors working on the garden beds, and attempting to rearrange the rocks in the flower bed. I managed to get most of the vegetables planted on Sunday, in both raised beds and the original garden bed. In the raised beds, I've got tomatoes, basil, peppers (green and jalepeno), oregano broccoli, cucumber, lettuce, radish, red and green onion. In the larger garden bed, I have peas, carrots, potatoes, and corn. The orginal asparagu s and the chives I'd planted last year are doing well. It appears I may have missed a few strawberries as I'm seeing some evidence some made it through. I'll leave them if they aren't in the midst of the other plants. 

The containers were planted on Monday - or at least most of them - I may have bought a few more plants since then. If you've been around for a number of years, you'll know that I have a bad habit of having more containers than I originally intend. As of this writing there are four containers out front, and seven in the back yard. Several of these are hanging containers, two I purchased and the others I planted with annuals I'd purchased last week.

On Monday, the Landlord Next Door's construction guy (Matthew) stopped by to measure the fence. When I'd talked to LND, he hadn't wanted to commit to the quote I'd received as he "didn't know the guy". Matthew is well known here and in fact, we've used him for other smaller jobs. I just didn't realize he was set up to do larger construction jobs. It turns out he is, and later that afternoon, he returned with a comprehensive quote that is much more detailed and definitely higher in price. It was clear to me he's prepared to do the work and has the resources so I'd be quite happy to go forward with the work. However, when I contacted LND he advised he would be talking to a realtor on Wednesday to determine whether replacing the fence would be beneficial in a possible sale. Hell yes! In any event, he is supposed to contact me this weekend to advise whether he's prepared to share the cost. If he doesn't, this neighbour may feel the need to point out the condition of the fence to anyone I see viewing the property. 

I spent part of Wednesday morning, digging more rocks out of the flower bed. I'm trying the move them out of the way for the fence removal and replacement. I think I mentioned last week, I'd discovered a concrete border covered by dirt and rocks. More of the border was uncovered, and I'm hoping to locate several of the rocks within that border.  Others have been moved to an area to the west of the garage. I'm not certain what we'll do with them but they're out of the way there.

Some afternoons were spent relaxing in the backyard. The area near the firepit is shaded by the tree by mid-afternoon. It's a great place to sit and read, and listen to the birds. While I've not seen many (except for the prolific robins and grackles), the Merlin app tells me there are Northern wren, chipping sparrow, goldfinch, and several others visiting the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, I'm reading Malice by Lisa Jackson, the story of a former LAPD detective Rick Bentz, his dead ex-wife, and a serial killer determined to torment Bentz. 

The temperatures were decent through to Thursday, cool in the morning with highs around 27C/80F in the afternoon. But that changed that morning, when we woke to 20C/68F, and the mercury climbed to 34C/93F. I went out to water early in the morning, and then again in the evening, and spent the rest of the day indoors. I had been weeding in the peony bed the day before and when I was out watering, I could swear they had grown at least 3-4 inches in one day! On Wednesday the plants still had a bit of a purple hue, but were now totally green. The buds are showing, and I expect we may see the flowers next week.

Our air-conditioning unit frequently throughout the day, and continued to do so on Friday. It didn't get quite as warm, a few degrees cooler, but with winds gusting to 60 km/h (about 38 mph). The plastic Adirondack chairs were blown about, while the garden and containers dried out quickly. I watered well twice, once in the morning and then again in the evening. 

It is Tourism week here in town, and D and Eli made it to three of the events. The Heritage museum tea, the Library open house, and the old Rail Station tour. I went along to the latter event, and found it quite interesting. The building was set to be demolished but with some CN rail funding they were able to start the restoration of the latter. Thus far, they've repaired the roof, added insulation, and created two lovely foyers. The fellow who did our tour suggested it could take $1 or 2 million to finish it. I suspect it won't be done in my lifetime. 

The weather is expected to improve, that is cool down over the next week with rain in the forecast. I'll be happy for both! The yard work continues, with the weeds doing their best to overrun parts of it. We'll be planting a few things tomorrow, including a couple of mint plants (peppermint and spearmint) in a container, as well as an apple seed that I was able to germinate. I doubt anything will come of the latter, but Eli was curious as to what would happen if we planted apple seeds. 

Have a great week ahead everyone! I hope the weather is fair and the temperatures to your liking.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Getting my hands dirty

I'll start this blog by assuring all the readers and those who commented that, yes, the snow photos were taken this week. The snow started on Saturday - the first two photos - we woke to snow but by mid-afternoon it had melted. Not so on Sunday, third photo, and it continued to snow all day and through the night. The fourth photo is what I woke to on Monday. It melted quickly and by afternoon, all that was left was what you see in the fifth photo. There were remnants in shady corners until Wednesday but the 17C/63F temperature took care of those.

I quite enjoyed my volunteer shift on Monday at the thrift store. When we walked in there was a mound of bags to be sorted through. But instead of sorting, I spent my time in the store, sweeping the floor, pulling empty hangers, and putting "new arrivals" on the shop racks. Meanwhile in the sorting room, the other women had managed to make a good dent in the bags of donations. Again, we were running low on hangers! It's amazing how much comes into the sorting area. As I was leaving with L, we noticed that in the two and half hours we'd been at the shop, the donation bin outdoors had been completely filled. She went back to grab a cart and with the help of a few others we emptied the bin onto the cart. While I headed home, two others took the cart back to our hallway. I bet the Tuesday shift were kept busy.

Since Tuesday morning was cool, I spent the time indoors doing very little. It warmed up nicely in the afternoon, so the three of us went outdoors. (It was an in-service day at school so he was home). I did a bit of reorganizing in my garden shed, sweeping it out and moving things to open shelves. We won't be putting up our gazebo until the fence is replaced, so it is sitting on a shelf for now. :( I did discover that I have five bags of mulch...won't need to buy any this year! I also got a string of LED solar lights hung on the shed. It wasn't a particularly sunny day so they didn't light up that evening.

D and I went to NTO on Wednesday morning, after dropping Eli at school. Our first stop was Value Village (I know, I know - I volunteer at a thrift store). But we had coupons to use, D and I each found two summer dresses, and I picked up a towel and a couple of face cloths. The latter items aren't something we see a lot of in our thrift store.

We stopped at the dollar store - they have inexpensive garden planters and tools, and D met a friend in one of the aisles and had a good visit while I shopped. In addition, there were stops at the garden centers at Canadian Tire (bell peppers and pansies), at Real Canadian Superstore (two bags of compost and jalapeno peppers). The garden center at Walmart was a huge disappointment, so after we picked up a few groceries it was time to head back home.

We unpacked our purchases before I headed back out to the garden centers at Independent Grocer and Canadian Tire. I was "only" looking for vegetables but some darned annuals just jumped into my cart. I picked up red onion, broccoli, curly grass and two baskets of annuals at the first store, and geraniums, verbena, salvia, and calibrachoa at the second. There were many more options but I'm trying to limit myself to a half dozen containers of flowers this year and focus more on the vegetable gardens.

Back at the house, D was out running errands, so I got busy in the yard. I took all of the plants I've started in the house to a table outside to start the process of hardening off. The new plants have been out in the greenhouse or on racks outside so they were set out as well. The raised beds needed more soil as it settled after the snow, so I added more soil and compost, along with some fertilizer. The soil got turned in the beds as well as the larger garden bed. I had drawn out a plant map one evening and I took advantage of a rest in my chair to reconsider the plan. Oops, I can't plant carrots in the raised bed as they aren't deep enough! That meant a little more shuffling in my plan. I am trying companion planting as well; basil and tomatoes, onions and peppers. I'm also going to try putting a row of radish between two rows of lettuce. I've seen suggestions that the lettuce will shade the radishes, and slow down the potential for them to bolt. 

When my work was done, I sat and read and listened to the birds before dinner, and then again after dinner. It was so nice to enjoy the warmer weather. The robins, grackles, and sparrows were happy too. There was a potential for rain that evening but it did not come to be. Before heading indoors I moved the plants into the shed for the night. While no frost was forecast it would be cool overnight at 5C/10F.

The rain came overnight, not a lot of it but enough to wet down the grass and garden soil. Time to pull some weeds! They're far easier to pull when the ground is wet. The plants came out of the shed to enjoy the fresh air too. 

The rain fell overnight and everything was wet! I took advantage of the loosened soil to tackle the day lilies in the area in front of the flower bed. They block the view of the lower plants in the bed, and we've got mounds of them in other locations in the yard. I will tell you, in case you didn't know, that day lilies have a ridiculous root system. The tubers look like gnarled old feet with strings or roots going everywhere and to a depth that is hard to conceive. Remember when you were a kid and tried to dig a hole to China? Or was that just me. In any event, that's what I felt I was doing.

This photo was taken mid-way through the process.

I filled three garbage bags with detritus from the lilies. What I discovered was the bed is, like the peony bed, encased in a concrete edging. The lilies had spread well beyond this barrier. Imagine the fun I had when I hit that hidden concrete with my shovel! I plan to move the dirt out completely, locate that border and then refill the space with a ground cover of some sort. We have dead nettle and other lamium, and will use a piece of one or the other. I'd prefer phlox but can't find it at our local garden centers. Perhaps I can find some in the neighbourhood and beg a piece from another gardener. 

Friday was wet and cool, with more rain having fallen overnight.  I did get out and move the plants outside when I picked Eli up from school. It had stopped raining and the temperature reached 12C/54F. I'm eager to get out to the garden this weekend to plant seeds and start the process of transplanting the starts. Hopefully things won't be too wet to get at it on Saturday. 

The weather forecast suggests we're in for a hot week next week (in relative terms). Most of the week will range between 25C-30C/77F-80F. No concerns about frost or snow. I'm looking forward to it! 

Have a great week ahead everyone!                                                                              

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Better or worse weather, pain or no pain

I had no problem keeping busy this week, starting on Sunday when we made a trip into the city to Costco. I was watching a You-tube video from a Canadian creator who showed all the sale items ending May 10, and some for the the entire month. So many of these items are ones we use regularly; furnace filters, toilet paper, paper towels, dishwasher tabs, batteries, and other shelf stable food items. The sale prices made it make sense to make the trip in. Of course a few others jumped in our cart and the end of the day the total was a wee bit eyewatering. However, the savings based on Costco pricing was over $100 and when we compare prices to what we would pay for the same amount of product the savings were even higher. For example, furnace filters are about $25 each in our local stores, and three were $40 at Costco. I won't bore you with more examples but suffice to say we are stocked up now for awhile.

We left home around 7:30 a.m. and were home before noon. After a bite to eat, D and Eli headed to the nearby park, while I went to the backyard to start building my raised beds. D and Eli returned as I was readying to set up one of the beds, and she gave me a hand connecting the side rails. The neighbour children came over to play as well, so it was a bit chaotic with four children running about, jumping on the trampoline, riding scooters, etc.

After grocery shopping first thing on Monday, I headed over to the thrift store for my shift. When I had left on Thursday, there were no bags to sort through. Not so on Monday! The area in the sorting room was filled, and there was pile of bags and boxes in the back hallway. We managed to get through the pile in the sorting room, and made a start on the second pile. Obviously there was a fair amount of clearing out by some folks on the weekend. We also clean the store and tidy the racks - with eight to ten volunteers, a lot gets accomplished. AND I came home with nothing. :)

D and Eli went to equine therapy that afternoon, and we were all saddened to hear that Rocket, the miniature horse he worked with early in therapy had to be put down over the weekend. Apparently she developed a lung infection, and at her age, they decided the kindest option was to let her go. On the other hand, there was a new foal in the pasture and Eli and his therapist were able to go see the baby. The mama is a bit protective but allowed Eli to pet her. There were also baby chickens and baby kittens to see. One of the cats is called Potato, and her kittens are Potato chips. 

Tuesday morning, I was helping D unload and reload the dishwasher when I felt a pain across my lower back. I took a pain med, and used some cream and carried on. We had a busy day planned - we may have found someone to tear down the old fence, remove the concrete, and rebuild it. Wally came by to take measurements for his list of supplies. Once he has a cost for those, we'll discuss the cost of labour. We'll be in touch with the next door neighbour - he lives in Winnipeg and rents the place, and has agreed to share the cost. We'll see what he says, if he doesn't like the price, we'll suggest he find another quote.

In the afternoon, we headed into NTO to do a bit of shopping, some time for Eli to play at his favourite park, and for his therapy session. Our first stop was Value Village, where we dropped off several bags of donations. In the store I found a couple of glass baking dishes (I'd broke the one we had), a good quality towel, two plant containers, and a pillow insert for less than $20. D was looking for books for Eli - the child would prefer not to read, but reads with understanding and emotion when he does. He read a chapter of a book on the way in, and he had me giggling. Not only does he read, but he has a habit of making side comments as well. 

Since we were at the mall, we stopped in at Coles bookstore. I had a gift card from Christmas, so we used that to pick up a book for Eli, two for me, and got convinced to purchase a beach blanket. It will be handy when we go to the lake (soon, hopefully).

After a bite to eat, we dropped Eli off at his therapists, then dashed over to Walmart where I picked up garden soil, topsoil and potting soil. D stopped to fuel up her vehicle, so we didn't get into the store for the few grocery items we needed, so did that after Eli's appointment. We were home shortly after 6 p.m. and after unpacking our purchases, a painkiller and more lotion, I was in bed. In all of the movement I'd done,  I had realized that my hip was out of place,  It has happened before, especially when I was driving my standard transmission vehicle. How I managed to do that just bending over, I have no idea.

It was a restless night, and at one point, I could barely straighten up to walk to the bathroom. By morning, I had decided to call the chiropractor's office to see if I get an appointment. In the meantime, I headed out to the back yard to put away some items that were left out overnight. We were expecting big winds later in the day, between 80-110kph (50-68mph) and I didn't want things to blow away. As I was moving something into the garage, I managed to catch my foot on the threshold and tripped, catching myself before I fell. Within in minutes, I realized that my hip wasn't giving me grief, and though there was still muscle tenderness, I was walking easily again. Crazy!

In fact, I walked to my appointment with the hairdresser just a few blocks away. The temperature had already reached 20C/78F. She and I had a great conversation about gardening. She did a great job of my cut, and I left the salon feeling human again. 

D had something to pick up at Canadian Tire so I rode over with her and walked through the garden centre. Oh my, there are so many things I'd like to purchase. But despite the wonderful weather, we still have a couple of nights ahead where the temperatures could fall to near freezing. I likely won't be able to hold off for more another week but the less time I have to haul them in and out of the garage the better. First I need to make a solid plan for planting the vegetable gardens. My peppers never did come up, so I'll need to buy those, along with a broccoli (D's request), and red onion. 

Back at home, I felt good enough to empty the bags of soil into the raised beds. D was concerned that the loose dirt might be blown around by the wind, so I opened up a couple of Amazon boxes, covered most of the beds, and weighted them down with rocks. I don't know that the wind would be that much of an issue, but it will keep her happy. :)

Last, but not least, I did some weeding out front and planted a lily bulb that D had purchased. I had planned to plant others I had bought but the package suggested they wouldn't do well in full sun, so I will have to hold off and plant those later in another spot. I am truly enjoying getting my hands in the dirt.

The weather turned on Thursday, with potential rain and heavy winds forecast for the afternoon.  I was determined to get some work done outside so was out in the garden bed when D left to take Eli to school in the morning. My goal was to remove the rest of the old strawberry plants. They didn't produce much and were full of weeds. D ran a few errands and I was just finishing up when she got home. 

As i mentioned, we have found someone to tear down and replace our fence, with reference from one of the thrift store volunteers. When Wally first came by to check the scope of the job he brought a friend with him. When I learned that Chris was a mechanic, I asked if he might be interested in a used car. Long story short he purchased D's old car and took it away. 

This left the garage empty so D and moved things out of the garden shed. Camping gear, the lawn mower and trimmer, snowblower, and weed torch all found a new home. (Neither of our SUVs for in the space.) I'm addition the bins of outdoor toys were moved in too. Later she moved tools from the back porch and basement.  I still need to clean up the garden shed and I have the space to reorganize it.

I attended Knit and Natter at the library, while later in the afternoon, D and Eli drive to NTO for his swim lesson. It continued to get cooler and more windy. Shortly after the returned home we had an hour long power outage. We were fortunate as several areas in the province lost power for nearly 24 hours. 

As a result Friday was a quiet day. D and I did run out after Eli went to school after lunch to an Estate sale. Our purchases included a step ladder, a large water jug, and a pretty kitchen towel. I've been planning to buy a step ladder so finding a lightweight aluminium one for $20 was a real bonus. 

The forecast is suggesting we may see a bit of that dressed 4 letter word overnight. It should melt as it falls....

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Funny Friday

 

Good days, good deals, and plans for the future

I'm starting this post on Friday, which might suggest I've had a busy week. That wouldn't be completely accurate though it has its moments.

I did my first shift on Monday morning at the thrift store, from 10-12. The store wasn't opened and this time is meant to give the volunteers time to clean and organize the store, as well as sort incoming donations. I'll be part of this shift for the month of May. (Not entirely sure what happens in June, but I'll find out later). 

We eventually ran out of hangers, and with one of the Facebook group administrators in attendance it was decided that we needed to have a sale. Most clothing items in the store sell for $2 or $3, with the option of getting a bag - filled as much as one can and be able to tie it closed for just $15. For this week, that price was changed to two bags for $20. One purchases the bags on entry and then browses and shops as long as they like.

D and I went to the store on both Tuesday and Thursday. Primarily she picked up items for her friend who is expecting her third child in August. I don't know what the count was on Thursday, but I do know that she got close to 60 items, mostly baby and small toddler sizes, plus a few items for S's older girls. We also found some t-shirts and shorts for Eli, and a couple of hoodies. I did get a few items too, but I won't be keeping the pants (too small) and a pair of capris (too big). We don't have the space for dressing rooms so it can be hit and miss.

On Monday, though, I did find a piggy bank for my daughter. She's been wanting one for awhile as she's been keeping spare change in a jar. Most piggy bank's at thrift stores tend to be missing their plugs...this one was complete.

Wednesday, we had a contractor out to discuss replacing the wooden fence. It was in bad shape when we moved in two years ago, and my brother helped us brace it as it was badly leaning. It's gotten worse, especially since the new tenants moved in last fall. The grandparents are great, their son and grandchildren not so much. When the elders are home, the kids are supervised and well-behaved. When left with their father, not so much. As you can see, several boards on the fence have been broken and the length of the fence is leaning even more so.

D has spoken to the owner, and he has tentatively agreed to pay his share for the fence. However, we cannot find a company willing to replace it with another wooden fence. I'm hesitant to put up a vinyl fence because I fear the damage those children might do. Plus the parking area in the back is gravel and I'm concerned about stones thrown when D is snowblowing. The contractor suggested that these vinyl fences are better than they were in the past, and can handle the impact - he suggested we might see scuffing. The benefit, of course, is no need to repaint or stain every few years and the posts used are steel. If any of my readers have experience with this type of fencing, I'd really appreciate hearing your opinions.

Something else I managed to finish this week was the poncho I started when I was in Yuma. It primarily used stash yarn from the previous owner of my unit (I did say I hit the motherlode when I found those containers of yarn), and about four skeins of yarn I picked up on sale at the Walmart. All in all, it likely cost me $20Cdn to make, plus lots of time. Unlike most ponchos it has a front opening, and I could crochet or braid a belt for it, but it works without one. It's quite heavy and warm and I suspect both my daughter and I will get use of it, especially in the cooler weather of spring and fall.

Back to the thrift store, I did another shift on Thursday evening as the store was open extended hours. There wasn't a lot to sort, so most of my time was spent going through the racks, removing empty hangers, moving mis-hung items to the appropriate and bringing out more items from the sorting room as needed. The earlier shift was apparently very busy, however we were pretty quiet. Remember how I said on Monday we were out of hangers - here are the hangers that were back in the sorting on Thursday evening! The sale certainly cleared out a LOT of items.

The weather hasn't been great this week, but I did get out on Wednesday to do a bit of cleaning up in the back yard, mostly of the day lilies. In the flower bed, I'm seeing the poppies start to show some growth, and in the garden the chives are doing really well - we can start using them any time. Indoors, I had to repot the tomatoes, as they starting to get root bound in the smaller pots. My cucumbers are both up, and once they have their third leaves, I'll repot them into something bigger as well. I am going to try to grow them in containers, using a trellis for support. It's the first time I've ever grown cucumbers so we'll see how it goes.

This weekend I'm hoping to spend more yard outdoors, and start the process of building two raised garden beds. I purchased the kits last fall on sale, and I need to put down cardboard to kill/limit the growth of the grass. But I also need to buy dirt to fill them, so I'm thinking I'll make a trip to NTO. There is more clean-up to be done as well, and I've bought chicken wire to attach to the fence as I'd like to have more sweet peas this summer. This is core memory from my childhood as my mom grew them every year. They separated the yard from the garden (perhaps to hide the weeds - not likely, her gardens were always well kept). I can still recall the scent of the flowers! I did have a obelisk for them last year and they did well, but I'd like to give them more space.

It will be a few more weeks before I can start planting outdoors, but that doesn't mean I'm not planning. I want to plant corn, carrots, peas, along with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs. I haven't any luck with the peppers sprouting so I'll have to pick up a couple of plants at a garden center. The new garden beds will provide more space, though I'll still do some container gardening as well. 

I may have convinced my daughter that we should put in some raspberry bushes as well. Eli asked about growing apples, and I may try to find room for a Morden apple, which originated in Manitoba, Canada, and will be hardy to our climate. So many plans! Let's see if my ambitions outlast my energy levels. :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. I've just realized I haven't been reading, and therefore commenting on blogs this week. Oops, I guess I was busier than I realized. I'm off to catch up now. 

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Hooray for May!

April is in the rearview mirror and don't a moment too soon. It was a month of weather, most of it not very pleasant. Between snowstorms we had cool/cold temperatures, lots of melting and that meant water in the basement. My daughter was responsible for dealing with that issue, thankfully. We're waiting for a warm day before we do some waterproofing both inside and out. I should note, we're lucky in that we know exactly where the water is coming in, as some of the parging on the foundation has come away. The best way to resolve the issue would be to dig up the corner of the house, put in weeping tile and paint the foundation with some type of sealant. We can't afford to do that, so we'll simply be coating the foundation and the interior walls with the sealant. With the rain barrels set in place and the water draining away from the house, we should be in a good place until we get a downpour...when the window wells become an issue. I've been looking for window guards, though my daughter doesn't think they will suffice. Instead she wants to put in new windows. Owning a house is never inexpensive.

Speaking of difficulties of home ownership, my son sent me this photo earlier this week. One of his g/f's cats managed to get into the drop ceiling. She started to fall through one tile and made a mad dash across the ceiling knocking panels out as she ran. C tried to replace the tiles, but the system is in rough shape, so has decided to contact the contractor who did the work in my house in the city to get a quote for replacing the entire ceiling. 

We had another full week, highlights included my second stint at the thrift store on Tuesday, and a trip to Saskatoon on Thursday. At the thrift store, I spent about 4 hours, again sorting items for resale, trash, and to be shipped on to the Value Village. The bags of donations keep coming in, though the store had a big sale on Saturday, with loads of items going out the door. Next month, my shifts will be shorter, just two hours on Mondays from 10-12. I must admit being on my feet for four hours straight was not easy. I almost left without buying anything, but spotted this bag on my way out the door. For $1, I came home with another bag to hold a knitting/crocheting project. Will that encourage me to finish one? No, I have not finished the project that I said was nearly complete two or three weeks ago - the knitting is done and it can be sewed up - but D has asked for pockets.  It never ends. 

The trip to Saskatoon has been in the works for over 2 years now. We just had to wait for an appointment for Eli with the pediatric neurologist. As many of you will know, Eli was diagnosed with epilepsy with absence seizures in February 2024. He had his first seizure in mid-January and then a second one in February. After the second seizure he was sent by ambulance to Regina, where he was in hospital for about a week. His diagnosis was made after an EEG. With medication, he has since been seizure free. There is no pediatric neurologist in Regina, so he's been seeing a neurologist who works primarily with stroke victims. He had another EEG that didn't indicate any issues, but it is up to the pediatric doctor to determine if he can stop the meds or at least reduce his dosage.

I went with them, as it is a 3 1/2 hour drive to Saskatoon (without stops), and after an appointment, I knew my daughter would be emotionally exhausted. We planned to take Eli to the NTO on our return for his private swimming lesson depending on how the two of them were feeling.    

Good news! The appointment went well, though another EEG will be booked in Regina (1.5 hours away). Once the neurologist has those results and confirms no seizure activity, Eli can be weaned off his seizure meds. If there is any evidence that suggests otherwise then he must wait for another year. I'm addition, further appointments with the neurologist can be done by telephone, hooray for no long drives.

We did get to Eli's swim lesson and he had a great time. By the time we drive home and had a bit of dinner, we all fell into our beds.  

Friday was our first day of truly lovely weather reaching a high of 19C/70F. I spent some time outdoors, cleaning up the peony bed. I ran out of steam after I cleaned up the debris, so will continue my efforts through the weekend. There are four more peonies as well as day lilies to cut back. Then there is the big project, moving the rocks from the flower bed in the back yard. It's supposed to cook down again by midweek so I expect that will be delayed.

In the meantime the seedlings I planted a few weeks ago are growing list with the tomatoes and basil looking good. No pansies or peppers so I re-seeded these as well as a couple of cucumbers. Fingers crossed! Can you tell I'm looking forward to this gardening season? I just have to be patient a little longer.

   

Yes, that is an onion in the middle pot - my daughter found an onion growing in the bag and asked if we could try to see if it would continue to grow - I don't believe it is, but sometimes you have to humour the kids (even if she is in her 40's). :)

With the nicer weather, I plan to spend more time out in the yard, though will work on some knitting this weekend. Happy May to all, and have a great week ahead!

Friday Funny

 

Wordless Wednesday

 *courtesy of my brother

Spring cleaning and fun at the pool

This week was much busier than the last...which has it's good and less than good points. But before I start in on a recitation of this week's happenings, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Sunday's special event. I posted a photo on Wednesday, of Eli with his mom and his godmother M, taken after the confirmation service. He did very well during the very lengthy proceedings. We did not stay for lunch, though, as we were all ready to get home to relax and visit. After our lunch, D and M left to do a bit of bonding (shopping), as it has been some time since the two have been able to spend time without children in tow. M's children range in age from about 12-19, and the two met when they both worked at a call center in the city.

I did my first volunteer shift at the thrift store on Tuesday. I arrived late, not realizing that I should have been there about 11 a.m., rather than noon. I met several ladies including our team lead G. They were having coffee when I arrived so we sat and chatted for a bit. G gave me a tour of the various back rooms, and I got a sense of just how much stuff that gets donated. We could use a thrift store that is 2 or 3 times it is now (and that's after they moved into this larger space this winter/spring).

It also seems that many people have recently decided to go their closets and purge! I can't tell you how many bags we emptied but when I left at 4 p.m. there were 5 racks of clothing filled, along with shelves of shoes, two or three carts of kitchen ware, and mounds of books, DVDs, etc. AND that was the better stuff as we filled three or four large bags of garbage, and sent off a few more to be donated to the NTO's (next town over) Value Village.

Wednesday was quiet, and a needed rest day. Late in the afternoon, D received a package for a new piece of furniture for the kitchen. If you recall, I purchased a storage cabinet for the office/craft room a couple of weeks ago, and D decided we needed more storage in the kitchen. That late in the day was not the time to start putting it together.

Thursday morning, we got busy and had most of the cabinet put together by lunch time. Eli went back to school after lunch; we picked him up at 2 p.m. and went to NTO to do a bit of shopping and for his swimming lesson at 4:30 p.m. at the indoor pool. D receives Autism funding for Eli (and will until he is 12 years old), so she arranged for private swimming lessons. He had a blast with his teacher, while D and I sat and relaxed. 

There was rain and snow in the forecast, and when we'd left town the highway was wet. After a quick stop for a bite to eat, we headed home with snow falling quite heavily. The roads were slushy and wet most of the way home, and though it was around the freezing mark, the conditions weren't as bad as I thought it might be. In fact, by the time we were about 10 minutes from home, the highway was almost dry, and there was only about a centimeter of snow on the ground.

On Friday, D and I finished the cabinet, and began emptying and cleaning three cupboards, and reorganizing. We moved the pots and pans to the new cabinet. These were originally stored in a cabinet near the stove that ought to have had a lazy Susan but instead was simply an large open cabinet with a small shelf at the back. It meant we bent over and sometimes knelt to get the right piece. The cabinet solved that issue. 

The old cabinet now stores a couple of small appliances that we rarely use, as well as the baking pans (in those standing trays), bowls, and measuring cups. The cabinet that previously held to the Ninja creamy, blender, and handheld mixer now holds all of Eli's lunch kits and water bottles (and he has a lot!). Finally the cabinet that stored the bowls and measuring cups, now has the crockpot and bread machine, and still has room to be our snack cabinet. Moving these appliances from the pantry provides more space, though I've no intention in filling up the shelves! We have enough items in there to keep us well fed for some time.

Despite the snow and cooler weather, spring has arrived. There are a multitude of robins, Canada geese, and most recently a pair of flickers. The latter were on the big tree out back one morning. D and I stood at the window and watched. What fun! I did notice a pair of juncos one day but we don't feed the birds, so they didn't stick around. The robins, though, are quite happy to hang out in the yard. Spencer, is quite fascinated by them and watches out the window, chittering at them. Great cat television too.

I'm late posting today because I got caught up in Ancestry yesterday. It's a cool and cloudy day, with snow flurries, but the snow is melting as quickly as it falls. I'm off to catch up on blog reading, and have no plans for the rest of the day. :)

Have a great week ahead everyone!