Trying times

 We're having a tough time getting through the days this week.

Our cat stopped eating and was getting very grumpy. She is diabetic so not eating is a big problem. I checked her blood sugar and it came up as severely hypo. She almost seemed comatose at one point! We made an appointment with our vet.

So, yesterday, Friday, we drove the 40 km. with her howling in the back seat. We were quite shocked that her blood sugar showed very high on the clinic glucose monitor.  A lot of labs were done. The vet told us to knock off the insulin as she might have reversed. Cats do that apparently. We were sent off with medication (they gave her some sort of injection there too) for her stomach and a very light purse.

Surprisingly, she ate a good meal when we landed home, but nothing since.

This morning we planned to hit garage sales as we're on the hunt for something. Just as we were ready to head out the door the animal hospital phoned with some scary news. Kitty has a serious kidney/bladder infection. We had to hop back in the car for another 40 km trip down the highway. She was given an injection of a long acting antibiotic that will last a couple of weeks. We bought special food for kidney disease and advised to buy some kitten food in an attempt to entice her to eat. When we arrived home she again ate a meal, then went to bed.

Late this afternoon she licked some butter off my finger so I went for the bowl and managed to get a teaspoon of food into her.

We can't go on like this. Hopefully she is going to improve the next few days. We love our pets but this health scare is really hard on us. 

On the positive side, the herbs I'd brought in are dry, rubbed and in their air tight containers. Next up are oregano a thyme, which grow  profusely around the yard. I don't know if I'll bother with the catnip. Kitty isn't interested in it.

This evening we ran another dozen bottles through the dishwasher. Tomorrow we are canning salsa! It's going to be a wet day, so good enough to get that done.

I've cut back on my internet time. I've cut all but a bit of local news right out. The stupidity of the outside world was doing my head in! I have preserves to make, knitting to do, books to read and trails to walk.

In the night

 It usually takes me some time to fall asleep.

I enjoy.having the windows wide open. The night breeze is lovely.

The night sounds are interesting. Depending on the time of year, there are lots of different bird sounds. The resident owls are my favorite. We usually have a whip poor will that flaps down the side lane and hollers it's head off. It has left for it's winter abode.

Tonight there are a lot of helicopters flying around. It's either military or search and rescue. Both services are frequent flyers in our air space.

As morning draws close I will hear traffic building on the highway, which is about three kilometers north of us.

We had loggers roaring up a week or so back, but it's pretty quiet this week.

Keeping busy

 I'm slowly cleaning up the garden. Today I pulled all of the herbs and set them up to dry.

The carrots and turnips in the back garden are all that remain. They can stay for weeks yet.

The garlic and onions are curing in a dark corner of the garage.

My friend around the corner gave me a grocery bag of wild plums. They were a devil to prepare because they are so tiny. I got two mason jars of "jam". M and I decided it is more suited to plum sauce for egg rolls than a spread for toast.

Early yesterday afternoon I drove the 20 km. to my Pal's new house to see how she was getting on. She was struggling to open a tub of yogurt and hadn't eaten in 20 hours! (She is diabetic!) I set her up with her yogurt and a coffee and made her a bowl of oatmeal. She had been waiting for her d.i.l. to come help. She was struggling to get her meds sorted. Her family make plans to support her then don't follow up. They live just up the street.

Tomorrow I'm off to "run around" with my daughter. I think some breakfast is part of the plan. She is enjoying being on holiday this week.

Update

 We had a lovely time with M family at the cottage on Round Lake. We were back to the farm stand too! M bought a bushel of cucumbers for a mere 10$. We have been really busy today "doing them up" as my Scottish grandmother would say.

M's mother took a bit of a turn and had to go back for medical attention. His brother and the children will close up the cottage.

My Pal is home from hospital and tucked into her new home. I think she was a bit perturbed that I hadn't been to visit her! I tried to explain that her family wouldn't give me an update. I didn't know if she was in ICU or in a coma even!! I asked if I could drop off her keys and parking pass tomorrow but she said she was busy. I'll try again for Sunday. I'm going to stand back for a bit. She will call me when she needs help.

Just some stuff

 The week started off with a bang.

I had to take my Pal for a dr appointment then we were grocery shopping. Before we even got into the exam room she was in crisis. Her dr called for an ambulance! She wasn't in imminent threat of dying so we had a wait. Clinic hours were over by an hour and a half but the dr stayed right with us until the paramedics finally arrived. They sent an suv! The dr and paramedic got her belted in, but I wasn't allowed to accompany her. I called her son, who told me he was already on his way to the hospital because his son had a motorcycle accident! The lad is okay but my Pal is tucked up being treated for who knows what now. Her daughter in law  told me to sit tight and she'd call me when my Pal is ready for visitors or whatever. 

Yesterday we went to the nearby lake where M's parents are at a cottage resort for a week. We had a lovely visit and went for a swim. His dear mother is in very poor health so every bit of time we have with her is a gift.

Tomorrow his entire family is getting together for a picnic. We have been busy slamming the pots of pans, haha. I made a potato salad enough for a crowd. M was busy making relish with all the over ripe cucumbers were were given. It sure is yummy! We will be taking a jar along with the brats we picked up to bbq.

On the wildlife front, the neighbours are reporting the bear is still hanging about. We haven't seen it yet. I'm surprised it hasn't come by to forage the compost pit! The little fox still shows up every evening. The owls chit chat to each other across the yard. Most evenings the coyotes get out on the road for choir practice. I'm sure some folks find the racket quite annoying but I love to hear them sing.

M got the last of the load of firewood into the shed today. I should have been helping, but just wasn't able. I get these annoying sinus headaches that keep me from bending over. (I've been waiting to see a specialist about it for months)

August weather is just about the best! Sultry days give way to cool nights that make sleeping a lot easier. We are rushing toward the end of the month when the weather could throw some surprises at us. September is going to be busy for us. Following the long weekend I'm going to my old home town to visit family and friends. The week after that my daughter and I are going to gather some friends to head off to a fiber event. That throws us into the middle of September! Gosh, time is flying when we have things to do and places to be. To bad winter didn't do the same.

Another rainy day

 Early this morning we stepped out to get started on this mess.

We need to get it into the shed before to much rain falls on it.

My youngest and her youngest are coming to town for a couple of days. They will come to us tomorrow and have dinner. DD is fond of M spaghetti so we needed to get a pot of sauce stewing. I had to run to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things for the meal.

On my way home I had to pick up more boxes for my Pal to pack her house. I was surprised to see the big moving trailer there and her house almost empty. She has lived there since building that home with her late husband in 1963. It's very hard for her to leave.

I saddens me to realize she is now palliative and is not going to be with us much longer. My daughter and I will be going to spend our coffee dates with her as long as we can.

The front garden is booming. I pick zucchini every day. There are some other unidentified squash in there and one watermelon. I'll soon be harvesting the herbs in the middle box. The far box had garlic and onions that have now been harvested. It's replanted with radish and lettuce. The box in the foreground is all flowers.

And then there is this.

I make use of containers! My neighbour is giving me four recycled dryer drums to plant in next season!

Sunday drives photo dump

 Last week and this

Thursday already

 

Gosh this week is flying by! Monday was a holiday of course, which threw us out of sync.

It was some sultry today. It felt like 35C though it was only 26 with a high humidex.  I finally put the AC on at dinner time. We just couldn't take the humidity. My poor old power bill has taken an awful hit with this constant AC running.

I popped up to have a visit with my pal early this afternoon. She has had a visit to the hospital with a variety of problems. She is hoping to get moved to her new place in the town no later than the end of the month, where she will get more support services for daily living. I took her a bouquet of flowers from my garden. 

Sunday drive on Monday

 We finally got rid of the rain clouds. It was shaping up to be a gorgeous day. We put the dog cover on Ruby's back seat, boosted up the dog and headed north east. We crossed two bridges and ended up in Quebec.

 Highway 148 is a lovely drive. We meandered off the beaten track into a wee village. I don't know the name unfortunately. On a cottage road we spyed an older lady sitting under a sunshade selling blueberries. Her "quart" certainly was bigger than the grocery store quart! They are so yummy!

We saw a doe and fawn attempting to cross the road in front of us! We waited for her, but she chased her youngster back the way they came.

On the highway very close to our turn, there is a hill with a bend right at the top. Imagine our surprise to see a flashing police cruiser on either side of the road! Oh boy, some truck driver missed the bend, crossed the southbound lane and ended down the steep embankment into the woods! It will take a bit of work to get that vehicle up and out, as well as closing the highway for however long it takes.

We had a nice bbq for dinner. I took the corncobs up the path for the raccoons. I swapped out the card in the trail camera. A young coyote came by for a visit!

Wet

 We sure haven't experienced any dry spells this summer.

I might have had to water the gardens three times this season.

This is one of six garden boxes. I've had to do some trimming since this photo.

This weekend has been a washout. We were supposed to have guests but that plan washed away.

Our neighbour across the road called over to report a bear! I put another trail camera up with hopes it will wander through here. The wild berries and chokecherries are so abundant this year! Ol bruin will be well fed in preparation for hibernation.

Door in old wood houses

 Door is in but awaits trimming. 

It was like a sauna outdoors all day, then the rain came. 

It roared and poured pretty much all afternoon so M quit for the day. He is not happy with the look of gaps in certain places, though the big patio door IS square and level. This old wood house has settled and twisted, hahaha. 

I had a laugh with my neighbour who had a nearly 150 year old log house. He told me a story about trying to install a door with his f.i.l. When Poppa and B were here yesterday she was telling me about their basement door starting to sag. They live in the original homestead dwelling in their hamlet. It's one of the oldest in our township.

Old wood houses throw up some frustrating challenges.

I'm not taking any photos until it is all trimmed out and the glass washed. It sure is a lot brighter in the kitchen, compared to the old clouded up French doors.

Messy messy messy

 We are having (exterior) French doors replaced today.

Why does a simple "pop the old one out and new one in", have to get so complicated?

Porch boards and floor boards are being torn up. yucky yucky.

And to further complicate things

I started vacuuming up dead bugs by the thousand, and sawdust, but forgot to put the replacement filter back in the vacuum, which is now probably buggered for good because it is barely sucking. (Yes, I did put the new filter in)

And it's going to get hotter than haddes this afternoon and this gigantic hole in the south facing wall is letting in the heat.

What a day....

My Old Ladies

 I've been thinking about the elder women in my life lately.

My mother was younger than I am now by several months, when she passed over. She developed a rare disease as a result of being a long term smoker. She worked until she was 73 though! (I left work at 46 due to my fibromyalgia). Despite my disability I've managed to stay quite active and relatively physically fit. This summer though, I'm finding my body trying to kick me down. ( Which might be why I'm thinking more about my elders?)

My good friend Pal was a real power house until she was about 85. She developed diabetes with all the complications that really knocked her for a loop. She was widowed with a small child shortly after I met her. She always worked without social supports, until she was pensionable age. Even then she still did baking for special clients. She really has been my role model, though I don't care for her old lady pincurls. Hahaha

So, old lady hair styles! How they have evolved. My grandmother and her pals all had that pin curl thing going on. My grandmother went to the salon every Saturday morning for a shampoo and set. She touched the stragglers up with her own clamps, pins and nets at home. I was always fascinated with those odd things as a youngster. That drawer in her bathroom was dusted with scented powder. I love the smell that arose when I dug out those funny clips. Once a month my grandmother had a blue rinse put in her hair. Ladies of my generation are more variable with their color choices. Pink and mauve are popular. My eldest daughter frequently goes for green or a brilliant saffire blue.

My maternal grandmother was a prominent role model in my life. My mother was a surprise "change of life" baby, so my grandmother was pretty old when I was born. My mother married in her 30s after my father returned from the war. So, my grandmother was really elderly forever. Still, she had lots of time for us and taught us great life skills. My grandparents were master gardeners. Grandmother had an amazing knowledge of natural herbs and remedies that she learned from her mother, who in turn learned from the First Nation Matriarch's. 

As the much younger baby of the family, my own mother had no interest in any of these skills, so it all came from Grandma. Mum graduated high school just as the second war started and went to the big city to work in a munitions plant. I had visions of her all dolled up like Rosie the Riviter, but she was an office worker. She stayed at work after the war, after my Da convinced her to marry him, and after she had me. She was a modern woman!

Now I'm an old woman, sitting here ruminating over the changes in each generation.

 I still can't get over that blue hair business though.