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root…

19 Monday Oct 2020

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today I spent some time in the garage working on the dahlias…

I took out each of the pots which I brought in a few days ago to thaw, and removed as much soil as I could…

it took a long time, mainly because the plants were packed tight in the pots and were root bound…

now I’ve brought in one pot which all the tubers fit into…

after watching a few videos last week, the next job, in a week or so, will be to separate the tubers into ones that have eyes and package them up for the winter…

tripod…

18 Sunday Oct 2020

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yesterday a lot of time was spent at the front window with the camera on the tripod…

first up was this cute downy woodpecker… often hard to get a photo as they move fairly quickly, but caught this shot…

the gray squirrels have been busy at the base of the feeder… their tails are so pretty…

and finally, the red squirrels were around… they are very cute but not too friendly with the rest of the critters…

such fun to watch all of these visitors;-)…

winter-proof…

17 Saturday Oct 2020

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yesterday Hilda the Gardener came to winter-proof the garden…

she trimmed back ferns and hostas; emptied pots in front and back; brought all the dahlia pots onto the deck and cut them back; pulled weeds and trimmed the wild rose in the front flowerbed…

my job will be to remove the dahlia tubers, separate and pack them up for the winter… I’ve had to bring them in to thaw so that I can break up the soil, lol…

we are not raking up the leaves, but will have my grandson do one last mulch in the garden once the furniture is put away…

happy and sad that the garden is nearly prepared for winter…

still a few fish to catch and furniture to move…

tea…

16 Friday Oct 2020

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the tea is here, the tea is here;-)…

the parcel arrived a couple of days ago and I didn’t get around to finding a place to store a dozen boxes of blackcurrant tea until today…

I’ve never had that many boxes at once but I wanted to be sure to get multiples as it isn’t available anyplace in Canada or the UK…

cleaned off a shelf above my mugs to fit them in…

this should last me at least six months…

so delicious;-)…

stuck…

15 Thursday Oct 2020

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after the boys left yesterday, I brought in the plants which they had removed from the pond…

took a while, but eventually I got them all into the tank in a way that made me happy, although the tank looks very full…

not sure if they will last the winter, but it is worth a try as they are expensive and the lilies produced a number of blooms which doesn’t always happen, lol…

once the two pails of fish were in the house, I waited for a number of hours so that they could acclimate to the water temperature in the house…

when I finally poured them into the tank most of them did fine… but one of the biggest ones got stuck between a plant and rock and didn’t seem to be able to get out from the spot… I was very worried and it took about half an hour before it moved out from the tight space…

today they seem happy, but maybe a little crowded;-)…

and I enjoyed having company to talk to throughout the day;-)…

mulching…

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

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what a lovely afternoon… my son-in-law and youngest grandson came over with lunch… we had burgers and subway sandwiches in the garage…

then my son-in-law installed a new security light and camera on the garage… biggest issue was getting it to connect to the app, lol…

while he was doing that, my grandson took on mulching the leaves in the front yard… it was his first time mowing… he is getting big…

and the two of them caught eleven of the nineteen fish in the pond… it was great fun to watch them work together to capture the individual fish…

they also pulled out the plants that I am going to try to overwinter…

what a treat;-)…

panels…

13 Tuesday Oct 2020

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this afternoon I spent three hours outside with the hot tub technicians while they emptied, moved, opened all eight panels, filled, found two small leaks, repaired them, emptied, replaced the panels, moved back, refilled and turned the tub on… it was cold and windy…

now waiting for the two days it will take to heat the water and hoping that this has fixed the problem…

since then I’ve been trying to warm up… finally, about half an hour ago – after five hours – I don’t need any additional blankets and have taken off my sweater…

duo…

12 Monday Oct 2020

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yesterday I prepared a lovely chicken dinner, one of my favourite meals… set up a time and had dinner via Google Duo with the kids in Ottawa…

it was delicious… mashed potatoes and cauliflower, turnip, green beans, stuffing, gravy, cranberry jelly and roast chicken… I had tried a few new ways to prepare and everything turned out well… for a change I added mushrooms to the gravy and really enjoyed it…

although it was as much effort as when the family comes over, it felt less stressful as I worked to produce this dinner… and I really enjoyed eating it, lol…

set the table with a leaf tablecloth, a few decorations, and the laptop, lol…

had a great meal together and then I tidied the dining room… after that a nap may have been involved, lol… put away the leftovers and enjoyed my dessert – a chocolate covered caramel from Hummingbird Chocolate…

this morning I started the chicken stock and enjoyed the aroma of soup throughout the day…

thankfulness…

11 Sunday Oct 2020

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our lives have changed so much in the last months… and I’ve spent time considering many of the things I am thankful for…

my retirement at the end of December has been a huge change… I had worried that if I retired I would turn into a hermit, lol… and so I did…

during these crazy covid times I have been able to find businesses that deliver groceries, books, technology, plants, meals…

I am in touch with friends through various applications, and have enjoyed many garden visits during nice weather…

I have found help with projects and my neighbours are available if I have issues…

my grandson has my car and picks up items on a regular basis when I can’t find them any other way… the younger ones have looked after maintaining the grass and helped with the pond…

time spent in the garden, following the shade, soaking up the peace and serenity has been amazing… watching flowers bud and open, birds and squirrels at the feeders, and fish, frogs, plants and blossoms in the pond have whiled away the spring, summer and now fall…

how blessed I am;-)…

usual…

10 Saturday Oct 2020

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the usual family dinner is not happening this weekend…

this year I decided to cook a special dinner just for me;-)… will use some technology to eat with my Ottawa kids…

today I made stuffing muffins for my grandsons… one of their favourites… the smell was delightful and a reminder of what makes a meal special… the eldest grandson will pick them up…

I also prepared potatoes and cauliflower for cooking… I tried something different as I prepared them because, if it doesn’t turn out, I’m the only one eating it, lol… I also cooked a small turnip and made fresh cranberry jelly…

usually as I am preparing for a special dinner I am thinking of those who will be enjoying the meal… today I thought about what a sunny day it was outside, even if it was chilly… and how blessed I am to have the food I want and a place to eat it safely…