Category Archives: retirement

spitting…

23 Friday Jul 2021

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a few days ago, I spent the day in the house, other than a few short walks around the garden when it wasn’t raining…

I was happy to find one of the tomatoes starting to turn colour… there are a lot, so it is going to be fun to snack on them as they ripen…

the water lily opened again, even in the rain… I took this picture from upstairs…

and I brought in the Mick’s pepper dahlia bloom to enjoy inside…

seemed odd to not be outside much… but, every time I stepped out the door it was spitting…

activity…

22 Thursday Jul 2021

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hot and partly overcast today, but not nearly as smokey…

and lots of activity in the garden…

must have counted six squirrels at one time and took a few pictures of different ones eating… none of the gray squirrels wanted to have their photos taken, lol…

there was also a great deal of bird action… dozens of house sparrows, numerous finches and chickadees, as well as at least one nuthatch…

such a wonderful way to spend the day;-)…

the water lily bloom continues to open with the light and close as the evening arrives…

lilies…

21 Wednesday Jul 2021

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was very surprised to see a water lily flower in the pond a few days ago…

I’d been watching for buds, but hadn’t spotted any… these two lilies had overwintered in the aquarium so I wasn’t sure how they would do, which made it even more thrilling…

I took many, many pictures trying to get just the right one… it is difficult to take one that shows the yellow in the centre of the flower correctly…

eventually, I put down a cushion and laid on it taking pictures and then watching the fish…

the waterfall has been off for a few days and they seem to come out from under the bridge more often…

I must have laid there for half an hour watching to see if I could spot the babies…

so far, I’ve seen two shubunkins (the multi-coloured ones) and at least two goldfish… the goldfish (yellow) are hard to spot as they look black… I tried to get pictures but they hide really well and are also very quick…

but what a fun time watching…

pool-net…

20 Tuesday Jul 2021

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my net for cleaning out the pond is a bit short so I ordered a pool-net from Krevco and had my grandson pick it up…

it is 8 feet long and can extend to 16 feet… perfect for a pool, but a tad longer than I need…

I have put tape on the one piece as I try to figure out the best length for me…

as my son-in-law pointed out, once we cut it we can’t add any length back on…

vegetable…

19 Monday Jul 2021

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I’ve been watering my neighbour’s vegetable garden when they are away, since it has been so hot…

it makes my few tomatoes, cucumbers and basil look like a joke, lol…

there are raised beds filled with beans, dill, cucumbers, peas, beets, carrots, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes of all kinds…

it has been fun to watch the growth when I am giving them a drink…

and look what I received;-)… a bag filled with beans, ready to cook… they will be tomorrow’s supper along with some new potatoes and chicken… yum…

they have shared cucumbers and tomatoes over the years, but it was a lovely treat to get the three types of beans…

bated…

17 Saturday Jul 2021

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I’ve been watching the monarchs fly around the garden for the last while…

I sit with bated breath, hoping they will find the rather puny milkweed supply… and occasionally they do find it…

I’ve moved the planter, with the milkweed, and a very fast growing morning glory in it, so I can watch from my favourite spot by the pond…

now there are a few eggs on it to watch;-)…

they have even found the butterfly bush…

I have had so many opportunities to remember how blessed I am as I sit and enjoy the nature around me…

closer…

17 Saturday Jul 2021

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another great day in the garden…

it always looks particularly nice after Hilda the Gardener has been;-)… she spent a few hours in the morning weeding and trimming…

she also helped me move one of the bird feeders to a new spot closer to the pond where, just possibly, the squirrels won’t be able to get to it…

I am hoping that it isn’t so close that sunflower shells find their way into the water…

once she left, I watched sparrows having a garden party, testing out the feeders and enjoying drinks from the pond…

after a short nap, through the hottest part of the afternoon, I finished my book on the deck…

clap…

16 Friday Jul 2021

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I was laying on the bed upstairs yesterday watching the end of a movie when I heard a huge clap of thunder…

jumped up and ran outside to put away the cushions… I don’t like it when they get wet and they were on all of the chairs…

almost got the last ones into the garage when the downpour began… I stood in the garage doorway and watched rain and hail pelt down for a while and then, when it slowed down a little, made it into the house…

all of the windows were wide open as well as the screen door, but luckily only the kitchen and bedroom had issues…

had to take up the rug at the door and wipe up the water in the kitchen… the other rooms were pretty good… thankfully, the blinds were down in the bedroom so the water only came in a bit in one corner of the frame… once I wiped it up it didn’t take long to dry…

it remained overcast for a while, but then the sun came out and it was beautiful…

brought Barbie the barbecue out and grilled a steak for my dinner to go along with the potato salad I had made earlier in the day…

then I sat on the deck and read;-)… crazy weather…

motorcycle…

15 Thursday Jul 2021

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yesterday I went for a short motorcycle ride with my grandson…

he got his licence last summer, but just recently passed the test which meant he could have a rider behind him…

not too long ago he said he would give me a ride, after he practiced a bit more with friends…

today he dropped by and told me to put on jeans and a jacket so we could go for the ride…

I had a bit of trouble getting up behind him… the backseat is much higher that the one on the motorcycle I rode on when I was sixteen, lol…

the funny part is that the young man I was going out with at the time, and who had the motorcycle, lived down the very street I currently reside on…

took a few minutes to get up… felt a bit like getting onto a horse, and I was worried I would pull him over if I held onto him tightly…

eventually I made it and off we went… it was a short ride and it felt like he was speeding like crazy, but at most he was doing 55…

I am pretty sure my thighs are going to be aching because I was gripping the sides of the bike hard, lol…

maybe we will do it again… I think it was fun;-)…

beach…

14 Wednesday Jul 2021

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I spent five glorious days with friends’ at their beach cottage…

the first thing I always do is jump out of the car and run down to be sure the beach and lake are still there, lol…

what a wonderful time it was… delicious food (that I didn’t have to prepare); wonderful conversations, stories, and laughter; listening to birds and the waves; lots of time on the beach and in the water; relaxing, reading and sleeping…

what more could you ask for;-)… I am restored…

such a gift…