access…

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

yesterday, a handyperson came over and was able to get access to an electrical outlet…

he had to cut a hole in the back of a dresser and make an opening so that we are able to plug things in…

I was very happy that this happened as we have a plan in the works for this area…

then he was able to re-level the front door and add weatherstripping which will keep out the cold and block access to any bugs who might want to enter the house…

for the last few days the ladybugs have been trying to get in through that little opening… hahaha, not anymore;-)…

afternoon…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

what a delightful afternoon yesterday

put out all the cushions and the umbrellas…

next I made coffee and had a few moments to read while I waited for my friends to arrive…

we decided not long ago to meet in the afternoon when it is warmer, as we continue to meet outdoors…

one had something else on, another connected by phone… the rest of us gathered in person…

it was a beautiful day and we sat close to the pond… both pumps were turned off to make it easier to hear one another, lol…

there were lots of visitors while we were meeting… a variety of sparrows, blue jays, squirrels, a cat and we even spotted a mouse racing through the grass… the fish swam around where we could see them as well…

strange to have such warm weather, but we certainly enjoyed it…

rebuilt…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

the umbrella for the fancy rocking lawn chair/lounger went in to be rebuilt as the fabric had disintegrated, lol…

the chair has been without the umbrella since spring…

I had been looking around for ages and was very happy that Murray Tent and Awning was able to do the job…

my grandson picked it up and brought it here yesterday so I was excited to put it up this morning…

it took a while to figure out how to get the ribs back into it, but eventually I sorted it out… lots of bending and stretching, lol…

it looks great… the colour goes well with the cushion and the other items in the garden…

I am very pleased;-)…

wash…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been thinking about the opportunities I’ve had to visit and spend time with family and friends…

one of the things I always do is wash up after meals… it started when I would visit my daughter wherever she lived… she has never liked doing dishes so it was a simple thing to do in appreciation for my time there…

whenever I have been camping with the kids, particularly when the boys were little, I would wash and have one of them dry… it was a great way to have one-on-one time and also get the job done quickly…

now, if I am visiting with friends at their cottages, it is one thing that I can do to be helpful…

one of my grandsons took this photo while we were camping this summer;-)…

winnow…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

been collecting seeds for the last week or so…

the morning glories are very simple… I just put one hand under the little pod and squish it with the other… then I winnow the part holding it together by blowing over my hand… the excess blows away and the seeds remain and can be popped into a container…

the datura are a bit more complicated… the seed pods are covered in very sharp spikes which try to hurt me, lol…

I now have a container for each of the two types I have grown this year… the lovely white ones and the smaller, but cute, purple ones…

it is best to wait for the pods to start cracking as they dry, which makes removing them slightly easier… the dryer they are, the easier to remove…

I have quite a collection…

mound…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

had a great time with Hilda the Gardener this afternoon…

we discussed plans for the next month or so, and for the spring…

she moved some soil for me and I finished filling up the new raised bed…

she also brought the mandevilla up onto the deck… it will be coming into the house before too long..

she moved baby’s breath, silver mound and milkweed to what I hope will be better spots…

and removed some of the weeds in the side garden…

it always makes me happy to see the difference once she’s been here…

songs…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

so blessed to get to spend time in the garden watching the birds…

yesterday, there were house sparrows, white throated sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, and even a couple of blue jays…

lots of chatter, songs, dust and water baths… also they are gobbling up the birdseed and had many trips to drink from the pond…

only saw a couple of squirrels, lol…

side…

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

busy time in the garden…

last night we moved the filing cabinet raised bed from the garage to the side garden…

today on this beautiful, mostly sunny, day, I lifted and repositioned a number of the rocks in that area to sit around it… some of them were rather large and heavy, lol… I have collected them from all over Manitoba…

I think the area looks good and plan on filling the raised bed with bits of wood and soil to get it ready for spring…

filing…

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

recently I’ve been on a roll with construction… yesterday I spent time in the garage working on the new filing cabinet raised planter…

I saw something on social media where someone used old filing cabinets to make raised flower beds… seemed like a great idea and I had a four drawer filing cabinet in the basement that needed to be cleaned out…

last week my grandson and his friend removed the drawers – which I still have to empty – and took the cabinet outside…

they put a number of holes in the new bottom to provide drainage… the metal was really thick and it took a while to produce the holes…

it was a very sad brown colour, so he spray painted it a lovely shade of gray and set it inside the garage to cure…

yesterday I dug out various bits and pieces of insulation which I cut to size and put all around the inside… and I knew where all the things I needed were, lol…

now it needs one more coat of paint before moving into the shade garden and getting filled with soil so it will be ready for spring planting…

the space in the garden is all ready… the guys had already removed the old leaking pond and filled that spot in with wood and dirt…

I am blessed…