Keeping on, keeping on

 Another week that has passed far too quickly. As you'll have seen in Wednesday's photos, the tomatoes and peppers are ready for picking. Though the peppers were a wee bit small, the darned bugs are getting to them. The strawberries, that ought to have been producing earlier in the summer, have finally taken off. We're still not getting a lot of berries, but I'm picking 5 or 6 a day. My grandson and I both love strawberries, though he thinks he prefers store bought (because of their size, not taste). We've been sneaking the home grown ones lately and he hasn't noticed. I get to eat the small ones!

The purple gladiola got so heavy it fell over in the garden. I cut it, a few asparagus ferns, and a couple of sweet peas stems and made an arrangement. Later I added the second glad to the mix. It doesn't quite match the fall decor I've put out, but I like it anyway. Note, I don't dare put the vase where the cats can get to it easily...anything with water in it is fair game around here.

Since the weather is cooling off, we decided to put away the tent gazebo. D and I took care of that on Tuesday, and I dug up two of the poppies in the raised garden bed. I can't get to the other as it has grown up between two large, and very heavy rocks. There are lilies I want to remove as well, but they too are growing in a pile of rocks. If possible, I'll get to these after everything dies back this fall, if not it will wait until spring. I'll likely have to move the rocks to get at the roots. 

Wednesday, D and I went to the next town over, as she had a dental appointment. We stopped at the Dollar store ahead of her appointment, and I did some grocery shopping before I picked her up. We made a run to the thrift store, where she found the perfect metal bucket for the firepit ashes, and I found a quilt top (a flimsy, I think it's called). It is a combination of several pieces of fabric, some with a Canada motif, the rest is Christmas. I've never done any quilting though I spent a lot of time under my mother's quilting frame. It was set up in the living room and the only way for us to watch television was to lie on the floor beneath it!  

I'll likely watch some videos and ask questions of a couple of women in the city who I know quilt regularly. Jackie, I may have to pick your brain too! First of all, I know I'll need to get batting and a backing for it. I'd love to hand quilt it, but I'm well aware how much work that would be, so it's more likely I'll tie it instead. But, it's a future project as I have other things to work on. 

Wednesday afternoon was the first meeting at the library for the Knit and Natter (or Stitch and Chat). I had mentioned it to the librarian a month or so ago, and she agreed to host it. There were seven of us, including the two librarians with more interest expressed. A number of people were looking for an evening event, so she decided we'd hold it every second Wednesday afternoon and every second Thursday evening. My concern is that participants may get confused about what week it might be. I'll drop in at the library another day and ask if it would alright if I drop in on Wednesday afternoons just in case others show up. In a small town keeping the library open is reliant on the number of visitors and activities. The librarian keeps track of everyone who comes in, and is always looking for ways to brings more people to the library.

Beyond that, it was a quiet week. There was regular housework completed, I did a bit of weeding, more watering, and pruning out in the yard. The weather channel keeps promising us rain but we've had not a drop. It looks like we'll get a good rain today, up to 40 mm/1.6 inches throughout the day and overnight. We'll see.

It will be a good day to enjoy more baseball, football, and curling. There are a couple of curling events happening this weekend with live streams available on You-tube. While there is no commentary (at least thus far), I can keep an eye on the stream while I'm knitting. Yep, I plan to be very lazy today!

To end, I'll share this photo my brother sent me of the ridge line trail he runs each day. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Thinking ahead

The Wednesday photo is a piece of lamium that I brought from the town garden. I'd found it growing as a volunteer in one of the containers - not sure how that happened but there it was. It had three or four leaves on it when I tucked into a container to bring to the city and it is doing well in that raised flower bed. It spreads quickly and I'm hopeful that with more mulch cover, it and the ajuga (bugleweed) that I planted in the spring, the plants will overwinter and fill in that bed over time.

We had a visitor to the front yard a couple of times this week. It appears quite small, so I'm assuming it is one from this years crop. The trees have been full of grackles too, which happens every year as they migrate further south. I'm not feeding the birds this year but they are clearly finding something to eat. The leaves aren't yet changing colour but it won't be long.

It's been a mostly normal week around, some yard work, some housework, some shopping, some knitting and crocheting. Nothing terribly exciting but routine can be a good thing. 

I did get out to stitch and chat on Wednesday. There were four of us there and it was terrific to catch up with everyong. I met my friends K and L at a coffee shop on Friday morning.  L and her family spent two-three weeks vacationing in Europe this summer. They had planned to attend the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, but of course, that was cancelled because of the serious bomb threats. But they had a wonderful time visiting Italy, Greece and Austria regardless.

I'm starting to think about my cruise (just over 2 weeks away) and went through my toiletries to ensure I had what I needed. The only thing I was missing was conditioner - which is odd because I had shampoo. The ship supplies all-in-one shampoo/conditioner in the shower, but I don't care for it and always bring my own. Sometimes I just grab whatever is at the hotel the night pre-cruise as it is usually better than the cruise companies version. I think I'll be doing that in the future as the small bottle I purchased at Walmart, (of all places) was priced at $3.67!!! Or I'll pick up some dollar store bottles and fill from my home supplies. Either way, I won't be paying for travel sized products like that again.

Something I wasn't certain about was clothing for this cruise. We'll be at sea for six days and I anticipate the temperatures will be cooler than when we visit the ports. Information I located on-line suggest daytime temps around 60-65F while at sea with light winds, and about 10 degrees warmed while in the ports. I'll keep to my summer clothing for the most part, capris and tees for daytime wear, jeans for cooler days, a sweater/hoodie, a lightweight rain jacket...just in case, and of course some nicer outfits for evenings. Oh, and a bathing suit for the hot tubs. I avoid the ones by the pools as some people tend to park themselves in there all day. I know there are two in a quiet area that few people find. 

Today, I'm expecting a quiet day at home. I'll likely get out to do more weeding in the backyard at some point. We've had a wee bit of rain, so the ground, though still hard, has loosened up a bit making it easier to dig out the roots. There is football and baseball, and possibly even curling to watch. 

Have a great week ahead everyone! 

Transition time

Wednesday's photo was taken at the local rodeo event on Sunday. For $5, a child could ride on a Shetland pony or the donkey, and he chose the donkey. Understandable to me, as the two ponies were a bit of a handful for their workers. The donkey was far friendlier, coming to the fence for scratches and it didn't seem to be bothered by a child on it's back. In addition, there were a couple of bunnies but neither were interested in being petted.

We went about 1:30 thinking the races that started at noon would be over, and the children's rodeo event would be soon after. However, by 2:30-3:00 only four of the six horse races had been completed so we decided to cut the day short. We took Eli to the local arcade where he played various games and came home with a lollipon and a hand fan for his prizes, and G'ma bought a frozen slushie. Overall a pretty good day for the kiddo.

Monday and Tuesday mornings were spent out in the yard. D mowed and trimmed, while I dealt with weeds and debris, transplanted the geraniums into their winter pots, put away solar lights and garden knicknacks and cleaned out and reorganized the shed. D doesn't enjoy yardwork, so dealing with some things now will make her work easier later. While we were outside, Stanley was able to hang out in his catio, and when we finished, I brought my tea and sat out and enjoyed the view. He was a pretty happy cat with all the outside time, and ready for a long nap indoors.

Tuesday afternoon, the handyman carpenter and his helper showed up, followed shortly by the garage door company. CT removed the old garage door and mechanical, and built a header for the new door. Meanwhile his helper hung pegboard and shelving supports in the basement for more of Eli's toys and multiple Nerf guns. They finished up fairly quickly, though CT needed to return to install the flashing above the near garage door. Meanwhile the other two guys installed the new door and hardware, along with the door opener. The old door was bent and impossible to open - now D will have a place to park the car in the winter out of the snow and cold. 

Wednesday was packing day for me. I had made a list earlier in the week, so was able to get everything organized in short order. I took Stanley outside for our last tea time together, and did some deadheading, and pulled the rest of the tomatoes. D came out briefly, and we loaded the bags of sand that hold down the trampoline, into new bags and someone's little fingers had poked holes in the original bags. (I wonder who?) 

In the afternoon, I took Eli to the park. It was sunny with a slight breeze when we arrived but two hours in, the sky was overcast. It feels like the beginning of fall, the sun is warm but the breeze has a hint of the cool weather that is to come. There were several children in the park. Unfortunately, Eli doesn't always grasp social cues and a couple of the kids were quite annoyed by him. There was some pushing and shoving at one point - I intervened.  The children were not being kind to him, but he doesn't understand when they ask him to leave them alone, he ought not to follow them. 

On Thursday, I was up about 6:30 with plans to get away by 9 a.m. After Eli's bath, I had a shower, and then stripped my bedding. D put it in the laundry so we could re-make the bed before I left. I left the house just before 9, right on schedule. It was cloudy and cool, with a high possibility of rain. About 45 minutes into my drive, I noticed the highway was wet, but I drove another 15 minutes before the light rain started falling and about 5 minutes later, it started to pour. That lasted until I was nearing the city when the rain just seemed to stop. 

Saku (the cat) was thrilled to see me, though I wasn't at the house long. Just dropped off what I'd brought with me, checked the fridge, freezer and pantry and headed out to buy groceries. My son (and daughter) both eat differently than I do, so there was very little in the fridge for me. I brought home fresh vegetables, whole wheat bread and bagels, some meat for the freezer, and cat food for Saku. He didn't know it, but he was down to a few cans of wet food and a container of dry. 

I had to laugh when I saw this sign at Walmart.

That's quite the rollback (not).

I spent the rest of Thursday afternoon and Friday morning catching up on housework. Before I leave this time, I'm going to give my son a lesson on using a vacuum cleaner. I ran out to run a couple of errands, and stopped by the walk-in salon to see if I could get a haircut. They were busy, but were able to fit me in that afternoon. By the time I left the salon, I felt human again. 

I ought to have spent time outdoors weeding, but knowing that my son likes to sleep in on the weekend, I figured I'd wait until today. (At least that's the excuse I'm sticking with.) The temperature is lovely this morning, around 13C(55F), so after a cup of tea, I'll go tackle the front flower bed. The backyard is going to take several days. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Visits and autumn colours

This week has flown by in a flash, and I'm reminded we're a mere three months away from 2023. Autumn is definitely here with cool nights, though the heat has been turned up during the days. Thursday, we broke a record of 135 years, with a high of 31C (88F). It's cooled off since and I will spend some time this weekend pulling annuals from the containers. There is definite frost in the forecast this upcoming week and I'd rather pull while they bloom than clean up a sodden mess.

As I mentioned last week I spent a couple of days visiting my daughter and grandson. Lots was accomplished inside the house on that first day so we took a break at the park on Saturday afternoon. As soon as Eli arrives at the park, he removes his shoes and socks - hence the foot photo from wordless Wednesday. I swear if he ever grows into those feet, he's going to be a very big boy. D tells me he is six inches taller than most of his classmates, and at least 3 inches taller than the next tallest. This surprises me as neither his mom nor dad are tall, however my son and my brothers are all over 6" so he does come by it honestly.

One of his favorite pieces of equipment is this swing. He sat on the swing, asked us to give him a push, and then climbed to his feet. Evidence of great core strength and no fear! 

I drove back Sunday morning, planning to stop in the valley if the autumn colors were evident. But it was still pretty green so I kept on driving. I did make it home in time to watch the final curling game of the weekend. (I didn't miss out on the women's final as I'd PVR'd it and watched it later - priorities, right?)

Tuesday I headed to pick up a few grocery items that were on sale. Since it was senior's day at Value Village I headed there too. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, and was mostly browsing. Then I spotted these lamps (the photo makes the one shade look smaller but it actually isn't). I got the pair for less than $20. When I got home I discovered they are tri light lamps - perfect for my need for better lighting for stitching. Even though the bulbs were $20 a piece these were still a decent bargain. They replace an old set I've had for 15 years or so that will be passed on to my daughter. 

Wednesday was stitch and chat with six of us in attendance. One of the regulars, D wasn't able to make it; S said D had Covid a few months ago and hasn't completely recovered yet. All the more reason to try to avoid it, knock wood. One of the ladies is working on a knitted kitchen towel; it is working up so nicely that I'll have to ask if I can photocopy the pattern. S had been to the optometrist that morning and had her eyes dilated so she sat and kept us entertained. 

On Thursday I took a drive out to my brother's place in the valley north west of Regina. Neither he nor I know why but in that part of the valley the leaves have changed color and the wind we've had this week has taken a lot down already. I did get a few photos to share. As I was driving above the valley I spotted a hawk on the bale in the field and came to a screeching halt to take a photo. It flew off, but then I noticed there was another hawk just a couple of bales further along. This time I was a little more cautious and was able to get the shot before it flew off. R thinks it is likely a red-tailed hawk. 

This next photo is my favorite of the day and was taken as I drove down the hill to the valley. I pulled off to the side of the road, and for the first time in my memory of making that drive, I had two vehicles pass by. Almost a traffic jam, lol!

It is unusual to still see the green on the valley floor at this time of the year. The red roofed Anglican church is rarely used, mostly for weddings and a few funerals. There is a cemetery on the property too.

After checking R's newest project, a rocker for the front porch, the two of us took a walk over to a nature reserve next door. I should mention my back was giving me grief so our walk was mostly limited to the lower elevations though there were a couple of places where we had to climb. Thank goodness for the small saplings along the path. At the end of the trail, we reached the parking lot and turned around there to return to the house. We had Kola with us (the dog) and dogs are not permitted in this area. 

R's property runs up against the preserve and he maintains many of the trails that lead in and out. Since he's done started doing this work, they have started marking the trails for their members. It works for R as he likes to run the trails and they appreciate the widening of the deer paths. 

We headed back to the house and sat out on the verandah chatting for a half hour or so before I headed back to the city. By the time I arrived home, my back felt even worse, so I called the chiropractor and made an appointment for Friday morning. Good thing, as I woke up in the morning in the shape of an S. My left hip appeared to be an inch or so higher than the right and any movement that required me to bend was extremely painful. 

My appointment went well, starting with a ten minute electronic massage - a first for me. I felt absolutely no pain while that was happening. She did an adjustment in my lower and upper back and I can't say that wasn't somewhat painful. Before I left she explained that my muscles are tight and my sciatic nerve is inflamed causing the spasms that shifted me into the S position. I'm to take an anti-inflammatory, and keep active as sitting or laying down will merely cause things to seize up.

So I came home, took a couple of Aleve and headed outdoors to start the fall clean-up. No heavy lifting was done, I merely cleaned up a couple of containers, cut back the ferns, and swept the front patio and back deck. Indoors I did sit briefly for my lunch, and later to do a bit of crocheting. But I timed my breaks based on the television, and got up to move during the commercials. As the day went on, the pain did lessen quite a bit and I got in over 14,000 steps. 

I might have overdone it a bit, as I woke this morning feeling quite stiff and sore.  I'm continuing to move though as sitting definitely is not good for me. The laundry is done for the week, and I'm heading outdoors to pull a couple more containers. Then there is baseball and football to keep me amused until bedtime.

Just one last photo before I end this post.  It was taken with my cellphone early one morning as the morning light was shining on the tree. Since then, the wind has come up and the tree is almost bare.

The rest of the trees on the street have yet to change colour, but I suspect it won't be very many days before they too are losing leaves. 

Have a great week ahead everyone!

A Brief Reprieve

The cool weather moved out and we're enjoying a few days of absolutely gorgeous weather.  D, Eli and I walked on Sunday and Monday, and I headed out this morning.  I had my camera with me today, and have some photos to share.

I think this rabbit thought he was hidden in the shade.  Sorry, buddy you won't be hidden until the snow flies.  Just the other day, the rabbits I saw were still mostly brown, but they're obviously changing fast.

I was surprised to find geese at the creek.  Two were standing guard while the others fed.

There were ducks too, enjoying a feed.

Over at the pond, the geese were flying in and landing.  These four chose to land on the ice.  I laughed as they skidded about 3 to 4 feet!

We had a high temperature yesterday of 20C (72F).  Even with the warm temperatures the ice on the pond didn't entirely melt.  The water level is dropping significantly - with the sand bar in the background.  I'm guessing this is being done by the city though I don't recall it this way last year.

These geese took the more traditional option of landing in the open water.

The thistles have dry remnants of themselves.  I thought about clipping a few and bringing them home but I'm sure they'd just fall apart.

Finally, from Sunday evening a couple of photos of the eastern sky over the neighbour's homes.

The sky was so pretty, and I lucked out as the show lasted just mere minutes.  D went out with her phone when I came back in and missed it entirely.

The nice weather will be with us through Thursday, then we'll see the temperatures drop back to just above the freezing mark on Friday and even colder over the weekend.  Along with the cold, we may get as much as 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) of snow!  I'm definitely going to enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts.

Take care everyone!

Mixed and muddled

Ugh...it wasn't the start to the week that I hoped it would be.  D and Eli went home on Saturday and I started to feel ill that evening, just a tickle in my throat. Sunday, my throat got more painful as the day went on and my head started feeling stuffed up.  By Monday morning, I was feeling absolutely horrid I spent most of the day in bed.  By the end of the day I'd used up a half bottle of Buckleys cough medicine (yuck), a box and a half of tissues, several lozenges, a scoop or two of Vaporub, two envelopes of Neocitron, and two tabs of Tylenol extra strength cold and flu meds (one day, one night).  I was pretty much throwing everything I had at it, with the hope I'd get over it quickly.  I woke a couple of times through the night, to take more cough medicine and to blow my nose.  By morning, I wasn't as fuzzy headed but had that darn barking cough.  

I kept up the regimen for the day, more cough medicine, the Tylenol for the sinus pain, and Neocitron before I went to bed at night.  Because I felt like I'd been penned up for a week, I went out for a short walk.  The fresh air was definitely good for me, though I was pretty much exhausted by the time I got home.  The rest of the day was spent mostly relaxing though I did get started on these little ghosts for Eli.

D asked me if I could find a pattern to make "pooping" ghosts.  I thought I'd have to adapt this pattern, but quickly realized that leaving the bottom open would leave enough room for her to stuff a mini chocolate bar into it.  They are having a mostly at-home Halloween this year.  They'll decorate the house, he'll wear his costume (a pirate), and she'll hide candy for him to find.  Her friend F has invited them to join her family for a special Halloween dinner, and D and Eli will stop at the neighbour's on either side to trick or treat.  Some Halloween cartoons will likely be watched as well.  Eli is young enough to not realize this isn't the norm and I know he'll enjoy himself.  The little stinker has already found the box of treats - he definitely knows what those are about.

I slept much better on Tuesday night, so woke Wednesday feeling much better.  Still a little congested but not feeling the need to dose myself up.  But damn did my muscles hurt from coughing.  Guess I need to work on that core a bit more.

It was a beautiful morning for a walk.  Since I hadn't taken my camera with me for the last few days I grabbed it on my way out the door.  I'm glad I did. 

As I snapped this photo, the jack rabbit on the left came bounding into the shot.  I wish I'd been a tenth of a second later but I laughed as I saw it flash on the screen.

There were hundreds of geese on the pond today.  Just a solitary duck on the creek, and one cormorant. My brother R says most should be heading south my mid-October.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but this new blogger is sure a nuisance when it comes to placing photos where I'd like them to be. It used to be I could drag and drop them in place but that no longer seems to work.  And then there are the darned changes in the size of the font.  I don't know how many times I've had to correct it through this post.

I took these photos intentionally to print and use in a frame with openings for four photos that is hanging in the main bathroom.  The current photos are from my last few cruises and I think I'd rather have something else to look at - there won't be any cruising in the near future.

The next photo is my very favorite of the day. We don't have a lot of red in our fall colors since we don't have any/many maples. This grape vine provides it instead.

By Thursday I was feeling much better, although still coughing, my head felt clear.  I don't know if it was the cold, or the amount of meds but the day before I'd caught myself putting the clean cat bowls in the fridge instead of the cupboard where they belong.  When I tried to start knitting a toque for Eli I had to tear it out three times as I kept making mistakes.  On Friday I looked at it again and realized it still wasn't right so I've started again with an easier pattern.

With my head cold seeming to be at bay, I did get out of the house on Friday, to pick up cat food, bird seed, and a few groceries. I went early when the stores were quiet and was home and putting things away in just over an hour.  The weather was cool, but with a forecast of 24C (75F) for Saturday I decided to leave the containers of flowers just one more day. We're going to get colder temperatures next week so I guess, whether I like it or not it's time to pull them up and put away the patio furniture.

Today I still woke up congested but am feeling better through out the day.  It's a windy and sunny day here with the temperature forecast having been revised to a degree or two cooler. I got out in the morning and finished clearing up the flower containers as well as putting away the last of the garden ornaments and patio furniture.  I will admit it made me feel a bit sad.  Everything looks so barren and lacking in color except for a few trees that are hanging onto their leaves (and the blue sky).

I probably should mention I'm certain this isn't Covid - I haven't had a fever or any body aches, just the congestion, coughing and sneezing.  Nor have I have I felt short of breath, well, except after a coughing fit.  But nothing abnormal from having a cold.  In any event I'll be glad to be over it.  

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada. I won't call it a long weekend, because since I've retired, every weekend is long. :)  I'm cooking a pork loin roast for dinner on Sunday, as it will just be my son and I, as D and Eli will be on their own.  They were here just over a week ago so it makes no sense to have them travel again.  I'll visit there next weekend and spend a couple of days with them.  

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers.  To all, take care and stay well.

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn in the valley

 

Walking my way

I'm posting an extra post this week because I've lots of photos to share from my daily walk.  Don't feel like you have to read any further if you're tired of seeing these.  

The smoke from the California/Oregon fires arrived here on Monday.  The sun didn't stand a chance, and there was an almost yellow glow to the air.  It didn't smell smoky though and it was quite warm.  I can't imagine what it is like where the fires are burning and my heart goes out to all those who are affected by them.  

Autumn has arrived, seemingly overnight as these photos would suggest. At least I don't recall seeing the colors when I walked on Sunday.

I know for absolute certainty that this tree had leaves the prior day.  It's the only one that has dropped all of its leaves so I assume there it is stressed for some reason.

Tuesday was a walk with lots of critters! First up were the bunnies in the closest park, but none of them would pose for me.  So here's a photo from the following day instead. 

Over at the creek park I ran into a fellow with his dog.  The owner told me the dog loves to have his photo taken, so of course I obliged, after a few scritches and pats.  What a handsome boy!

The ducks and the Godwit were at the creek too, but I have taken so many photos of them I carried on over to the pond.  The geese were gathering, with pairs and larger groups flying in overhead and landing on the pond.  This pair made me laugh, I can almost hear the one saying to the other, "landing gear down!".

I get so excited when I see something different on my walk and this day it was a snow goose.  Normally when I see these, there are out in a field north of the city.  R said that he's not seen them this far south this early in the year before.  I wonder what they know that we don't.

A bird or an alien?  It looks a bit like both!

Today's walk took me to the creek again, where the ducks and Godwit were seen.  Along the banks the vegetation is still green  but the rest of park is pretty brown and dry.

The jack rabbit hunkered down as I passed.  If it weren't for the bit of green he would have been hard to see.

As I arrived at the pond it was evident the geese are gathering. My goodness the noise!

There was another surprise for me at the pond too. This was the best photo I could get, and I'm pretty sure it's a beaver.  I've send the photo to my brother to confirm.  It  headed into the water after this photo and dived under and though I stood and watched I couldn't get another photo of it.  (Update: Kea mentioned it may be a muskrat and my brother has confirmed that is indeed what it is.)

I've heard of having your ducks in a row, but never one's geese.  What can I say, I'm easily amused. 

No birds in this photo, I just love the colors reflecting on the pond.

The smoke has cleared and the sun is shining brightly this afternoon.  The cats are in the sun room and I'm going to join them there in a bit. 

Take care and stay well everyone!