Fun and games

We did something I've never done before last Sunday - we visited a corn maze! About a half hour from town, on an acreage, a family has created an incredible wedding venue. Almost directly across the road is this old stone church. The property has a large parking lot and several buildings including a hall for a reception and dance floor, a commercial kitchen and a gift shop, as well as an outdoor tent that can be used for receptions or dances. Out behind these buildings is a small cabin, which I assume is for the newly married couple as well as a fire pit with a good number of chairs.

In the fall, when the wedding season has slowed down, they open up a corn field they planted earlier in the year, and bring in a bouncy castle and small petting zoo, set up a corn kernel pit (like a ball pit but with corn kernels), and offer snacks and drinks at their canteen. The price of entrance was $10 per person, and except for the pony rides and the canteen everything else was included. 

There are two exits to the maze depending on whether one takes the "short" cut or the longer version. Eli took the lead and as it turned out he choose the latter path. I think we were in the maze just under a half hour. The walk back to main area was another ten minutes or so! We all enjoyed it, it was a first for all of us. We ran into several people D and Eli knew, and he enjoyed petting the rabbits and feeding the goats, as well as climbing and sliding on the combine bouncy castle. 

Monday saw me heading to the next town over to the dentist. I had a couple of teeth giving me some grief and it was time to have them checked out. Yes, it has been some time since I went to the dentist. I have a very unhealthy fear of dentists stemming to incidents that have happened from the time I was a young child into adulthood. The last one, at a time when I could ill afford to see the dentist (single mom, two kids, low paying job), the dentist completed an extraction and then took the time to lecture me about dental health and my responsibilities. When he left the room, I was in tears and a dental tech came in and held me as I sobbed. Suffice to say I did not go back to the dentist for many years. In fact, I usually have to be in some pain before I make an appointment. 

I've had two appointments now, the first a check-up where x-rays were taken and the dentist looked at all of my teeth. No pain relief after that first appointment. However I was able to get an appointment on Wednesday where two of my teeth were filled. I'm due to return next week and the week following for an extraction and another filling. This dentist has recommended more work, but I'm about at my tolerance limit.

Back at home, I got work done in the yard in preparation for winter. I put a generic version of Roundup on the weeds that have grown up in the area where the old evergreen stood. I don't plan to plant in that space until the fence is replaced next year so any residue should be gone by then. After a couple of days I dug up the majority of the weeds. I'm sure there are others hiding in the soil and it will need clearing again in the spring but for now it is good enough.

In the garden bed I dug out about 1/2 of the strawberries. While we've been getting a handful of berries every few days in the last few weeks, we couldn't get to the plants nearest the fence and thistle and other weeds were filling in spaces. I've kept the plants at the front of the bed and plan to make a narrow path down the middle to allow access to both sides. It will give me an opportunity to grow other vegetables that I simply don't have room for now.

Speaking of plants, the photos of the various mushrooms were all from our yard. Most are simply the Inky Caps variety which truly do spread black "ink" when left to their own devices. My patio has a large black splotch left behind. The colourful mushroom, Google tells me, is a ringless honey mushroom. This one tends to grow on wood fences or trees. It's definitely quite pretty.

Knit and Natter saw four of us joining the librarians for a productive time and a good visit. I've started a sweater for Eli, and worked on the back piece. Since then I've started the left front and hope to have it and the right front done this weekend. That's a fair amount of knitting (for me), but there is curling to watch! I've cancelled my Sportsnet app as the recent price increase was more than I was willing to pay. I learned about a new channel on the Roku Channel, the Rock Channel that is specifically dedicated to curling. The last television I bought is a Roku TV, and these channels are free...at least for now anyway. I'm a happy girl! 

This weekend I'll fit in yardwork around the curling draw. It is time to finish clearing out the containers, disconnect the garden hose, empty the rain barrels, and put away the solar lights. I'll be heading into the city in mid-October for a couple of weeks, and I don't want to leave all of the work to my daughter. 

The local thrift store is having a sale at the school gymnasium to clear out their storage area so we'll head out for that. I met the manager of the store a couple of weeks ago, and they're hoping to move into another area of school (currently they are in a classroom area) this year. They definitely need more space. I also learned they need volunteers during the summer, so I think I'll look into that in the spring. Not only to be helpful, but for a bit more selfish purpose of meeting more people.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

P.S. An update on my brother and his running: To celebrate the fall equinox he ran 80 kilometers/50 miles over 24 hours. He set up a loop of 5 kilometers and ran it 16 times. Not for me but good on him.

 

Fall is in the air, but summer is hanging on

This past week has been about getting ready for the fall season. In the garden, the sweet peas are setting their seed pods, the tomatoes are starting to ripen on the vine, and the grackles were back, presumably on their way south. The leaves on the big tree out back are turning colour and starting to fall too. It's likely due to the lack of moisture; with the exception of a few heavy rainfalls we've had a very dry summer. We also a very cool night on the weekend, with the temperature dropping to 2C/36F.  Yep, fall is in the air! 

And of course, that means it is time for school to be back in session. Eli heads back to class this upcoming Tuesday for Grade 3!!! As I've mentioned D has been working with him all summer on his language and mathematics skills. He's looking forward to seeing his friends, his mother and I are looking forward to some time with him out of the house. :) On Wednesday afternoon, they went to the school to drop of his backpack and school supplies, and to meet his teacher.

While New Year's Day is officially the start of the year, I've always been more inclined to think of September as the beginning of the year. Obviously when my kids were in school that was a definitive new start, but even as they were beyond the school years, there was a similar delineation in the work world. People were back from their summer vacations; if we were hiring that year, new employees were coming on board with orientation and training to prepare for and present. It was also the time when our teams would be shuffled with changes to our reporting structure. 

On the note of new things, we're getting at least* one set of new neighbours. To the east of us were a young couple who recently had a baby (late July/early August). They were renting the house next door for the past two years. We've called the town office a couple of times since we've lived here, as they let the weeds in the back yard go, resulting in weeds six feet tall in places. The owner of the property must have given them notice after this year's by-law infraction, as their lease was not renewed. He advertised it on the local FB classified site. D reached out to him, to let him know we would like to replace the fence between us next spring. He was thrilled to hear this as he had been unable to convince the previous owner to take care of it previously. Best of all, he has agreed to share the cost.

The owner lives in Winnipeg, several hours away but arranged to be in town on Sunday. He held an open house in the morning and had several showings and applications for the rental. Both D and I were able to talk to him and he was disgusted with the state of the back yard. He told me he's planning to have his Dad come in to clear the weeds and spray. We'll keep Eli and Stanley (the cat) indoors, but I'll also cover the plants closest to the fence to (hopefully) keep the overspray from harming my plants.

D also asked about removing some low hanging branches on the large tree out front. He agreed, and lent her his pole saw/pruner. She cut branches and I helped drag them into a pile in the yard. She plans to let them dry over winter, and will cut them up for fire wood next spring. 

Meanwhile I tackled the stumps of the cedars in the back yard. Two of the stumps were relatively small and I was able to use a hand saw to cut up and clear those. The larger of the stumps had me .... stumped, but I later found a You-tube video that gave me a potential option. It's been too hot to be outdoors for long so I'll give it a go in a week or so.

I'll be glad to see the end of August, it's been a very spendy month! This past weekend our water heater started leaking and by Monday there was clear evidence of the seam expanding due to pressure in the tank. D called the plumbers and they came just before lunchtime, set up the equipment to drain the water heater, returned after lunch and in a short half hour they had a new hot heater installed. The old one was installed in 2017 and they advised that is typical for the lifespan of a hot water heater in our town. I know nothing lasts forever, but that seems too darn short to me.

We had some warmer weather this week too, with temps of 25-30C/77-86F so Tuesday we made a trip to a nearby lake. The local pool has closed for the season, as their employees are primarily students. Sadly when we arrived there, we learned that the water wasn't safe for wading or swimming due to bacteria in the water. This is the sign we found, and Eli's reaction to it. 

The heat wave we're in is expected to last through until Monday. We've been spending some time outdoors early in the morning and/or evening as the mid-day sun is far too hot. My Dad used to say, "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun". I had to look it up, and apparently, it was initially cited as a quote from Rudyard Kipling (although there is no evidence). I frankly doubt my Dad read Kipling, so I've no idea where he would have heard it. Perhaps from his father, who was well educated.

As a result of the heat, the rest of the week has been pretty quiet. I've watered the containers a couple of times a day, watered the garden every second day, and done some deadheading. Indoors there has been the usual housework, a bit of cooking, and a whole lot of television watching. I finished watching the series "Bosch", and was disappointed when it came to an end. I've moved on to "Ballard", which has cameo appearances by Harry Bosch, but doesn't seem quite as good as the original series. These are both detective/cop series set in Los Angeles. 

This weekend is Labour Day here in Canada, which is a holiday for most workers. The highways will be busy, with people heading to the lake and others heading to city for the big football game. Our Riders will play the Winnipeg Bombers on Sunday evening. Although the Riders have played well this year, the Bombers are their biggest rival and always play tough. No matter who loses, they'll have another chance next weekend as the teams square off in Winnipeg. Go Riders!

Finally, a note about the Wordless Wednesday photo - I've unpublished the post as it had over 500 views by Thursday morning. I don't know how this happens, but suspect the shape of the Shaggy Mane mushroom somehow attracted a bit of unwanted attention. While we do have the odd mushroom pop up in the lawn, this was the first time I've seen one, and I've learned it is edible if picked in the early stages as it quickly liquefies after 24 hours. I haven't checked on it but didn't see it when I went outdoors on Thursday.

Have a wonderful weekend and a good week ahead everyone.

*We are really hoping our neighbours to the west also move. It's a weird situation, where the mother may have abandoned the family last winter. Her partner, father of two of the four children is currently (sort of) caring for them. I say sort of as they haven't been to school, aren't permitted to play outdoors, and while he disappears for hours at a time, his dog is trained to keep the kids inside. We know the latter because he has told my daughter this fact. We do worry about the kids, but between D and a few other people in town, Social Services have been called a number of times, but they say the kids are dressed and fed...apparently that is the minimum standard. The water has been turned off several times, most recently this week, but he must have come up with the payment as the city workers were back later the same day. He disappeared with the kids for about 10 days earlier this summer and I had my fingers crossed they'd left for good, but he later told D they'd been to visit family and attend a funeral. Lately, there have been delivery of food packages almost daily, delivered by an older gentleman. We're assuming he has asked for assistance at a local church and/or foodbank. Another neighbour has gotten annoyed with the mess of the yard, and has paid for someone to mow the front lawn every few weeks. I'm not sure what he does all day, though see him outside with the dog a few times a day from my bedroom window; he sits on the back step and smokes and talks on the phone. If/when they move he certainly won't be missed.

That darned pain in my back

After a week of it, I am tired of this constant pain, so I called my doctor's office to discuss the issue. I explained that I had fallen, landing face down, bruising my knee and my chest.  The pain radiates around my back to my chest and is worst when I am trying to turn over in bed or twist to bend, or if I cough.  It feels like a stabbing pain at times, sometimes burning, and often like it's tearing along the rib cage when I have to move.  After this description, my doctor (via telephone) diagnosed the pain as intercostal neuralgia.  The nerves between the ribs have likely become inflamed because of my fall.  

He doesn't believe I broke a rib, because the pain is not severe and breathing is not painful all the time.  It's still bad enough, about 8-9 when I make those movements that exacerbate it and between a 1-3 the rest of the time.  

The only treatment is time and anti-inflammatory drugs, ibuprophen (Advil/Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve).  I read a bit more on the condition on the 'net because I wondered how much time, and was not happy to read it could take 2-3 weeks or more to resolve.  Arggh, I am an impatient patient.  It annoys me that I'm limited in my movements.  So far, though, I'm able to sleep well at night, once I've gotten into a position that doesn't hurt much.  I'm also wearing a tensor wrap to bind the area - it helps to hold things in place when I move.  Fingers crossed, I heal quickly.

Thanks for your kind comments on the previous post.  I'm going to suspend comments for this, just wanted to update.  I'd never heard of intercostal neuralgia before and had no idea that a simple fall might cause something like this.  Consider it your personal service announcement.  Be careful out there.