The heat is on

The photo on Wednesday was, indeed, the remains of the tree stump that the landscaper left behind. He wasn't able to get the stump grinder into the back yard, and I guess they decided not to try to chop it out. After the weeks it took to get their work finished, I wasn't about to argue about it.

My friend K had called on Saturday to catch up, and I mentioned I was going to go out to the farm and get an axe from my brother to deal with the tree stump myself. On Monday morning, she called and asked whether I'd be home that afternoon and a couple hours later, she and her partner J arrived with a shovel, an axe, and a sledge hammer.  Before they arrived, I had moved the gravel out of the way and dug out some of the dirt around the stump. J got right at it with the axe while K and I retired to the deck (and out of the way of flying wood chips). He stopped briefly to take a break, and then went back at it; after chopping out most of it, he used the sledge hammer, and voila, it was as you saw it in the photo. I told J he's my hero!

When that bit of work finished, we went indoors to cool off in the a/c, it was about 32C/90F and I know J especially needed to cool down. We visited for awhile before they left. I'm so appreciative of my good friends. I know it would have taken a lot more effort on my part to get that stump out, had I even been able to swing the axe properly.

The heat has returned this week, so Tuesday morning I was out early to clean up the wood chips, to fill the hole - I used the soil from the planter I had harvested the onions from, and rake the rocks back in place.

This photo likely doesn't look any different than it did in an early photo, but just behind the left side of the arch is where the tree stump was causing me much annoyance. 

The weed spray seems to be working too, as I'm finding less each day. (And yes, the lawn needs mowing again.) I'm back to watering twice a day, as there are spots that are dying back, so I've spread some seed on those areas. I'm not sure why I'm so concerned, as the last sold listing in my neighbourhood that my agent sent me photos of showed a dead lawn both front and back. 

Later that morning, I took a run out to Costco. I wanted to pick up two things, a container of Mr. Clean and some smart plugs. I got both, plus a case Friskies wet cat food, and Eli's Christmas gift. Unfortunately, the smart plugs don't work with the 5G internet connection I have so I'll need to return them to the store. I did wonder at how inexpensive they were on clearance and discovered at home, they work with a 2.4 gigahertz something or other connection. This time, I'll go to the return desk and avoid the rest of the store. 

From there I did a quick trip to Dollarama to pick up a some garden stakes - my tomatoes are falling over as the fruit grows, even with the tomato cages, and I needed some burner liners for the stove. Walmart was next and it was a very quick in and out of the store. About a week ago, I'd found Ben's Original Smoky Flavour Rice and Red beans on sale. We hadn't tried before so I bought a package; we had it with grilled Cajun seasoned pork chops and it was a hit with both of us. I discovered the store had low stock, but managed to find three packages for the pantry. It's so quick and easy, it can be microwaved or heated up on the stove (about 5 minutes) with two tablespoons of water. I use the latter method, as I think it adds a bit more texture to the rice. My son adds hot sauce and is a happy boy. 

I'm aware I could make something similar - though I suspect without the smoky flavour - but at the moment it's nice to have something that doesn't heat up the house while I'm outside using the grill. 

Wednesday morning, I spent a lot of time on Ancestry. I'd had a message from a young woman from the States asking questions about her great-grandfather as he appears in my mother's family tree. I went through the information I had and was able to share the connection - her 4XGGrandfather was the brother of my 3XGGrandfather. Her great-grandfather was born in Ontario, moved to Alberta in the early 1900's with his family, and then made the move to Washington State when he was just 19. He married and had three sons. 

This brought more questions, as she was curious about her grandfather Tom. I had some information I was able to share and the plot thickened. Tom married in 1955, had two children with his wife, but by 1958 she had filed a suit for divorce (due to cruelty). Sadly, she passed away in August of that year as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident. It took a bit of poking around in Newspapers.com but I discovered that their two daughters were apparently adopted by their mother's parents as both girls used their mother's maiden name when they married in the mid-70's. (I had their maternal grandfather's name from their parent's wedding documentation) 

Tom had left Washington at this point, and it appears he lived for some time in California, then later moved to Nevada. I had found a possibility that he may have married again, and my correspondent confirmed he did indeed re-marry to her grandmother. Armed with that information, I was able to confirm that marriage was again short-lived, from 1962 to 1966, and three children were born of this union, one daughter and two sons. He married once more in 1987, and passed away in 1997.

S told me, that her mother and uncles did not know their father and she was hoping to find more information. I pointed out that he had served in the U.S. army in the Korean war and perhaps the Veterans Affairs department might be able to provide more information. Her inquiries piqued my interest and I started looking at the other two brothers. Although I'd been able to find a fair amount of information about Tom, these two are far more enigmatic. I love a good mystery so made a note to return to this branch to do some more research another day.

Wednesday afternoon was stitch and chat, with just B and I in attendance. I do enjoy these one on one opportunities as we learn more about our lives. She mentioned living in a small town outside of Saskatoon when she was a young girl. Well, my oldest brother's first wife was from the same community - did she know her? It turns out she was a couple of years younger than my former SIL, but knew the family. It definitely is a small world. 

Thursday heated up quickly (34C/93F) by mid-afternoon. The next door neighbour was having their roof re-shingled that morning, and the noise was annoying. To get away from it briefly, I headed out to the thrift stores. D had mentioned that Eli was short of sweat pants. I found a couple of pair at Value Village and another pair at the Salvation Army store. I also scored another large plastic tote at the SA store. All in all, a good bit of thrift shopping. Better still, by the time I arrived home, the crew were cleaning up after themselves. With four guys on the roof, they made short work of the job.

On Friday morning, after my call with my daughter, I spent my time outdoors. The lawn was mowed, I spread some soil in the dying patches, added grass seed and gave it all a good watering. I quite enjoyed the watering time, with a good book and a cup of tea. Next up was trimming the edges of the lawn, deadheading the containers and cleaning up debris on the deck (from the flowers and the evergreen). After lunch I went out front and did the same, including sweeping the driveway. By the time I finished there was about a half large garbage bag full. The city is rolling out compost bins in the next few weeks and I'm planning to fill it up!

Today started off cool, at about 14C(57F), but it should reach 30C(86F) later today. I've been lazy this morning, in fact I'm finishing this post as I relax in bed....and it's after 8 a.m.! I did get up earlier to feed the cat and make a cup of tea. I'll head out soon to water again this morning, and my other big goal for the day is to go through the house and put things away. Like the toaster that sits out on the kitchen counter, the cat treats that can go back into the cupboard, the books and crocheting/knitting projects that are stacked on end tables, and the pile of items I've gathered up for D.....the list goes on. All of those things need to find hidey-holes to ensure the house looks uncluttered (it isn't really) and impersonal so that home buyers can imagine themselves living here. At least that's what the television programs tell me. I have to laugh, because the house I purchased before this one, had a tenant living in it. When we went for the first viewing, the small living room was crowded with oversized furniture, the laundry room had a pile of dirty clothing about 3 feet high, and the kitchen sink was piled with dirty dishes. I could see past all that stuff, and by the time the home inspection was carried out, everything was cleared out.

Anyway, rant over (at least for now - we'll see how the upcoming week goes). It's time to go out and enjoy a cup of tea on the deck while the water bill goes up. 

Perhaps I'll have more visitors to the bird bath to watch. There were two robins yesterday - they reminded me that it needed filling.

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Catching up and lazing about

Speaking of curling, the one event ended on Monday and the second started on Tuesday. But the channels that carry the curling didn't actually start airing it until Wednesday.  I'd like to say that I got a whole lot of housework done as a result...but that would be a lie.  

On Tuesday morning, I happened to look out the front door while I was walking in the house and spotted this robin in the remnants of the snow fall from last week.  It's not a great shot - I was shooting through the window of the door and the screen door.  

Instead of housework I caught up on the television that I'd PVR'ed last week and did more research on Ancestry.  I've been working on more current members of the family, mostly cousins of my grandparents and great-grandparents.  It was a pretty lazy day around here.  

On Wednesday morning before the curling was televised, I headed out for a walk.  It was just above freezing but the wind was quite cool so I did my 30 minutes and came home.  Here are few photos from that walk.

I might be wrong, but it appears the geese are starting to nest. 

As I was focusing in on the goose, I could hear the song of the red winged blackbird.  I headed across the street and followed the music.

I thought the cattails made a pretty picture.

At the pond there were a pair of geese grooming themselves along the path.  This one is quite the contortionist.  I almost wish I were that flexible.

Back in the park on the way home I spotted five rabbits. There was a couple with a dog coming towards me, and they startled all but one. It's still not quite brown yet, but it's getting there.

Thursday morning, I went to the tire shop to have my winter tires switched out for summer, only to learn that I'd made the appointment (on-line) with another location, same company but this location didn't have openings for the morning.  So I cancelled that appointment and re-booked for next week.  Reminder to self pay attention to the confirmation e-mails.

I did my grocery shopping for the week and picked up dry cat food at PetSmart.  When I got the counter, I asked about the particular variety I buy because I hadn't been able to find it.  The clerk was great and checked for me and I learned that they've changed the packaging - I just didn't read the fine print.  My next stop was Pet Valu for a replacement pump and filter for my cats' water fountain.  They had none in store, so when I got home I ordered the pieces on-line along with a large bag of cat litter.  The total of the purchases gave me free delivery to my home.  And yes, I checked the confirmation e-mail carefully. :) It all arrived on Saturday morning along with a package of dog wipes.  Nice to get a freebie but you would think it would been cat related.

Friday was a cool morning; I awoke to my cat alarm at 5:30 and the temperature was a mere -10C (14F). In the middle of January I would welcome such a temp but not in late April.  My Bergenia was just starting to show some signs of life but after this hard frost all the leaves were crumpled and lifeless. (Later in the day they were back to looking healthy and perked right up.) I did get out and feed the birds, and the squirrel - who I've named Hoover for its ability to clean up the bird seed.

Today, I've been catching up on a bit of housework this morning and getting the bedroom ready for Monday.  I got a call from the contractor and the windows in the living room and bedroom will be replaced that day, barring any rain or that s word....the weather forecast is for neither.  He asked me to ensure the curtains were removed which I'll do that morning.  I did need to clear the night side table and remove a couple of other items to give them more room to work.  He told me to simply cover the bed with plastic - I have a roll from when the kitchen was redone so I've pulled that out of the garage. 

I'm off to watch the tie-breaker before I tackle more housework.  Have a great week everyone!

Week 7 - Survival of the fittest

After what has seemed to be a never ending winter, spring has finally arrived in earnest.  This week had temperatures that made my heart sing.  It was cooler on Tuesday but only because it was overcast and raining.  Yes, rain not snow!  Even though we didn't have much snow this winter I'm glad to see precipitation I don't have to shovel.

At the bird feeder, the juncos appear to have moved on.  The English sparrows continue to feed, along with finches, and those darn grackles.  There's also the neighbourhood squirrel who makes an appearance once or twice a day.  Unfortunately the Merlin falcon is back, actually there are a pair of them, and sadly that means there are less song birds around.  

I've been walking every second day though I don't always take my camera with me.  Since you've all seen photos from the pond, I won't bore you with a separate post this week.  I will, however, share a couple of ones I thought were interesting.  

Based on the Ducks Unlimited website, this appears to be an American Wigeon.  The duck had a very interesting call, more like a peep than a quack. 

I believe this may be the female of the pair.  She was busily finding something to eat and paid me no attention.

I spotted something in the grass but wasn't sure at first what it was.  I didn't get too close and with my zoom lens I was able to determine it was a hare. I didn't realize there was a difference between the two but after a Google search, based on the length of the ears I'm guessing it's a hare.  Thanks to those who pointed out what the appropriate term for the rabbits I was seeing in the park.

On Friday I woke to rain, but it cleared up by mid-morning and was a lovely day.  Just before noon I heard a loud bang from the sun room, and when I went to check I found a robin doing circles on the deck just outside the door.  I left it be, hoping it would recover or alternatively die without me watching.  Well, it was tough bird, although at one point it had dropped onto its belly and the tail feathers were fanned out, because every half hour or so I would check and it was still alive. Most of the time it was sitting still with its eyes closed, but occasionally I would see its head move and the wings ruffle. This went on for hours and finally when I checked again just around 6 p.m. it had flown off.

This photo was taken about 3 p.m. As you can see I've got some cleaning up to do, as it pooped several times during its ordeal.  I didn't know if it would survive, but since it was safe from any predators while it was on the deck I was prepared to leave it, overnight if need be.  

This photo was taken about 5:30 so shortly before it flew off.  It has its eyes opened and while it didn't try to fly away while I took a photo, it was definitely aware I was there.  

Isn't nature amazing?  Although it took about 6 hours, what must have been a horrid concussion, the robin's system allowed it to recover sufficiently to fly off.  By the way, I do have stickers on some of the windows that are meant to be a warning to the birds but unfortunately every year I have a few bird strikes.  Usually it means a certain death but this time both the robin and I were lucky.

Buds are opening!

Saturday morning I headed out for a walk, but left my camera behind. Of course, that would be the day I saw the most wildlife.  Over in the school yard were two gophers.  Actually they are Richardson's ground squirrels but we call them gophers. The two were sitting still as can be while a Merlin circled above.  Apparently it didn't spot them as it eventually flew off.  It flew right over my head at a fairly low altitude ...darn I wish I'd had my camera.

As I walked through the park, I heard the song of the blackbirds but wasn't able to spot them in the trees nearby.  I did see a magpie and later it flew across the field as I walked by.  There was a rabbit running about (not a hare this time), and several robins. In the creek were a pair of mallards.  I made my way over to Riverbend where I spotted another new duck, this one with a white bill, which I believe was a coot.  There were a few geese, some ducks, and a couple of gulls but not nearly as many birds as I often see there.  

On the home front, I did a bit of shopping on Friday and placed a small order for items that weren't available for Monday.  I cannot find yeast in any of the stores unless I want to pay $10 for organic yeast.  I think not!  I have enough left for one more batch of buns so hopefully I'll find it again in a couple of weeks. The regular household chores were done this week and I continue to work on my knitting.  I started on a second knitting project, a balaclava (ski mask) for my brother for Christmas.  It should be complete by the end of day Sunday and I'll post a photo next week. A memory: when my son was about three years old, he wanted a "warm facer".  I had no idea what he meant until we were shopping at a local store and he spotted one in a bin.  Aha!  It is now a inside family joke.  

Speaking of three year old's, I have to brag a bit about my grandson Eli.  His mom bought him a couple of apps that help him to learn English and French. One of the games is to match letters to spell certain words in English - he's able to do so with up to eight letter words.  The other evening she posted to Facebook "he was using his French app on his iPad. It kept saying “le poulet est en colere”.  She asked him if he knew what this meant and he said, the chicken is angry.  AND yes, that is what it means.
She is functionally bilingual and I'm sure he will be too.

Of course he's not perfect and can be a naughty child.  Later in the week, he opened the fridge and changed the dial to freezer.  D was definitely not happy with him, as by the time she realized it, all of her fresh vegetables were frozen solid. Oops. He is so curious but sometimes it doesn't work out all that well.

On that note, I'll wish you all a good weekend.  Back to my knitting.  Take care and stay well!

Before the wind blew

The sun is shining on this Sunday afternoon and the wind is a'blowing with gusts anywhere from 20-70 km/h (12-43 mph). This wasn't unexpected so I decided to walk earlier this morning. I'm grateful there is a great walking paths nearby and especially grateful for the wildlife that show themselves to me as I walk.

These two headed my way as other walkers were headed their way so they were caught in the middle. I'm sure they were wishing we'd all go away!

I walked over to the creek hoping to find some red-winged black birds.  The city has obviously cleared the banks and removed all the plants that were there.  It is very disappointing as the birds won't have places to hid their nests or the reeds to sit and sing from. 

This bunny was keeping an eye on me as I skirted past him.  

I heard this gull before he flew over me. (I won't tell you what my brother calls them, it isn't polite)

Why did the goose cross the road?  Well, based on these next few photos it was all because of a female.  She stayed on the shore and let the guys duke it out.

I've never seen these ducks before; I believe they are canvasbacks based on my internet search. I've sent the photo to my brother for confirmation. He was a conservation officer before he went into policing.  

Along the way there were a number of pairs relaxing in the sun.  These two didn't even budge as I walked by.
Finally, what a difference a week makes.  Last week the pond was still mostly covered in ice.  Not today!

There didn't seem to be as many birds around either, but our local man-made lake a few kilometres away is likely open as well. Hmmm...maybe it's time for a walk around the lake!

Take care and stay well everyone!

A walk to remember

When I went for a walk on Friday, I made a point to walk around a nearby urban pond.  It's called Riverbend but there is no river, it's a low spot between two condo developments.  Regardless the birds enjoy it and I love watching them. 

I'm not sure if the goose below was one-legged or if the foot was cold!

On the way back to the house I spotted a robin in a tree.  Seeing them makes me hopeful spring will be here soon.

I spotted this display in a neighbour's window to show support to all of our essential workers.  I didn't realize there was a little guy looking out the window at me. 

At the mailbox someone has placed this gentle reminder.

Take care and stay well!