Tag Archives: grandsons

stronger…

07 Tuesday Jul 2020

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another busy day…

up early, put out all the cushions and had my breakfast in the garden… lots of visits from the house finch couple and the chickadees…

went into the pond to clean the pump and filled half a pail with string algae… waterfall is looking better now and the flow is much stronger…

then a good friend came over for a garden visit and we had a lovely time… the garden is looking nice and there are still five or six caterpillars to search out on the milkweed…

she had just left when the lawn mowing service (the middle grandson) arrived… we had a visit before he started and just as he was done the chauffeur (oldest grandson) arrived with a new umbrella which will provide shade in the afternoon sun… we couldn’t put it up as we are waiting for the base to arrive…

then, before I knew it, they were all gone and I was back in the peace and quiet;-)…

lots of reading and nature watching for the rest of the day…

dredged…

31 Sunday May 2020

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sitting by the pond after my visitors have left and enjoying the last bit of sunlight…

my water shoes are on the deck because I went into the pond once again and dredged up another pailful of leaves… the fish are still not coming out, but I did see the frog hop by earlier in the day…

all three of my grandsons came by just after noon… I made them grilled cheese sandwiches with the wonderful La Belle Baguette whole wheat sourdough that was delivered yesterday…

the oldest left, the middle one mowed the grass, front and back, while the youngest watered plants and pulled weeds…

some days it is hard to realize he is eleven and can reach and do more things…

after the work was done, relaxing happened and visiting took place…

this was the first time I’ve had people in the house and the system was they had access to the basement for cooling down and using the washroom and I had the main floor… worked perfectly…

we ordered Chinese food for supper and it arrived just before the daddy, who had been at work all day… afterwards my downspout got fixed, a stair board tightened and then off they went…

it was a treat to see them and I enjoyed every minute… I missed my nap, but plan on making it an early night;-)…

trepidation…

25 Monday May 2020

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with a bit of trepidation, a couple of days ago I put on my water shoes, climbed into the pond and removed a pail full of leaves and debris from around the sides and bottom…

I was worried about how slippery it might be and hoped I wouldn’t fall and bash my head on the rocks, lol… of course I didn’t, but I was also careful to move slowly and take breaks where I stood still, before moving on to the next area…

I cleaned around the pump and then added water to fill up the pond… it is still losing water, but at a much slower rate… now the problem seems to be the waterfall… it is not flowing as well as previously… possibly when I added the rock, the levelness might have changed, sigh…

the pond looks much better and I decided to try catching the fish in the tank and moving them outdoors… this isn’t a job I have ever done, as usually my beloved did it, with the help of the grandkids… since he’s been gone, my son-in-law has taken over this task, lol…

last night I caught one, and put it outside… took a while for it to find the hiding spot under the bridge, so I stayed and watched until it made it there… didn’t want a raccoon to come along and eat it…

today it took three tries to get the rest moved… when it came to the last, and largest, one, I got the big net from outside… when it was finally in the pail, it couldn’t swim straight because it is so big…

they are now all ensconced in the pond and I may not see them all summer if they decide to spend it all under the bridge…

had quite a mess to clean up in the house after the complicated catching process…

here are the last two joining their pals…

the pump stopped working so tomorrow I will have to pull it out and wash it down to clear out any bits and pieces… hopefully when it goes back in the waterfall will be stronger and fuller…

changes…

23 Monday Mar 2020

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I’ve noticed a few things during this time of social isolation…

but I do think that sheltering in place – words used in the US by many – feels like a kinder description, although maybe not as clear for those who are not paying attention to the seriousness of the situation we are all in…

I have been isolating since I returned home from Ottawa in January as I recovered from a very intense final six months before I retired… of course I was still able to go out, but mostly I stayed home…

I did get to see my boys a few times, so that was lovely…

one of the things I’m pleased to see is a family that has been playing street hockey in front of my house a couple of times… haven’t seen kids (and their parents) out on the street getting some exercise for years;-)…

the other thing is about being told to stay at home and how it makes you want to go out… this reminds me so much of times when I’ve been told what I should and shouldn’t eat, and how all I could think about were those things!

when our girls were little I had to have access to the car, although I rarely went out in it… just knowing I could made being at home much easier…

we must stay home to protect everyone…

sipping…

16 Sunday Feb 2020

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this morning I had some leftover popcorn from yesterday’s movie…

reminded me of what a wonderful day I had with the boys yesterday…

and today I spent time with my oldest grandson… we shopped, made spaghetti and meatballs for our supper, and watched some tv shows before he headed off with the car…

also had a surprise visit from a dear friend… lovely catch-up from a busy week…

had hoped to pick up fresh flowers but the options weren’t great so I didn’t being any home… but there are still a few blooms floating around the house…

sipping tea and realizing how blessed I am…

movies…

15 Saturday Feb 2020

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what a fun day… my son-in-law called fairy early, dropped off the younger boys and headed to the gym…

my grandsons helped me make Thai Curry Shrimp Soup and we put some games on the tablet… once my son-in-law returned we had lunch at Applebee’s, wandered around the mall where I picked up some new tea and got an excellent deal on a pair of leggings… and went to the movies at Landmark…

when we got home my son-in-law fixed my thermostat so that it won’t keep going down to 18 degrees Celsius in an effort to save energy… but freeze me, lol… he also fixed the toilet paper holder so the roll doesn’t fall right off…

they left and I put on the tv and warmed up some of the soup…

pretty excellent day…

dimsum…

16 Saturday Nov 2019

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fun day with my grandsons…

met the three of them for dimsum… we haven’t been for ages so it was a great treat… felt a bit sad that their daddy was working so couldn’t come because he had mentioned it just last week, lol…

from there the youngest and I ran a few errands… we picked up fish food, birdseed and a few groceries… we also found a wreath for the front door;-)…

once we got home we put everything away and then he filled the reindeer Advent calendar with chocolate covered raisins… that was a lot of fun, and every drawer is jam packed…

we made nachos with bacon for supper and watched a few episodes of the Holiday Baking Championship…

his big brother came and picked him up and I am recovering in front of the tv;-)…

transfer…

01 Friday Nov 2019

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this morning I came across these pictures on Facebook…

they are from eleven years ago… before our youngest grandson was born…

a reminder for me that the boys have helped transfer the fish for many years…

I am able to enjoy these memories most of the time now when I come across them… not nearly so difficult to see photos of my beloved, which is a good thing…

searched…

27 Sunday Oct 2019

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all the boys came for dinner tonight…

they searched for fish in the pond, but the fish are trying really hard not to be found… wish we could tell them they are going to freeze if they don’t come into the condo;-(…

my son-in-law is much more patient than the younger boys although he only caught a few… two more of the babies and one bigger one…

we talked about catching the fish with grandpa and how the three biggest ones have been in the tank and pond since before he died…

we will continue to see if we can find more… still time before the pond freezes over…

why…

15 Tuesday Oct 2019

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what a busy day yesterday… I’d prepped everything for our dinner ahead of time… good thing…

my three grandsons and a friend arrived at 1:30 and we were busy until around 7…

the younger two shovelled the driveway and the older two started working on getting the condo ready for the fish… they cleaned the tank, washed the gravel and rocks, spent time placing the rocks and then put in pond water and tap water…

all of them worked on catching the fish in the pond… that didn’t go so well as they only caught seven and one of the teeny babies… there must be another fifteen still out there, lol… hoping that the daddy will be able to collect the rest…

my beloved was always very patient in the catching process, although sometimes in the spring we might find one that hadn’t made it inside…

at about this point we discovered that the pump in the tank wasn’t working so the two older boys ran out to the Pet Store and were able to get a replacement…

then we finished getting supper ready and on the table… it was fun because I gave each of them a task to complete…

the middle grandson wanted to know why I did this every year because it was a lot of work, lol… he was stirring the gravy;-)…

supper was delicious and we had great conversation… they headed out shortly after we finished and I had a rest before starting on the disaster in the kitchen;-)… seems like the more helpers you have, the bigger the mess…

finished cleaning up this morning and had a very tasty plate of leftovers for my lunch…