Listening to the night sounds.
I'm 2 kilometers south of the highway, but at this time of night, the big trucks rumbling through sound like they are on my road.
I live at the end of the road. There is a logging trail/recreational vehicle trail off that. It isn't maintained. We frequently hear vehicles roaring up there at 3 AM. Where do they think they are going?
The coyotes, owls and whip poor wills fill out the chorus as I make a feeble attempt to get back to sleep.
We had a fierce wind storm Friday. It came on at 6 PM today. FIFTY hours!
We have limited power with a generator.
We were looking after my Pal. Bringing her company, food and water. Another neighbour brought her blocks of ice.
We got through it.
Tomorrow I'm off to her place to do her gardening.
I'm keeping pretty busy doing yard work in the afternoon. Yesterday morning Pal and I finally got in for our lab work. The lab was BUSY but I said we'll wait, I'm not running 26 km again to just turn away.
The corner store by us was robbed Tuesday night. I know the owner has lots of security cameras so hopefully they can get the buggers. When I stopped in today I noticed the shop has a new door and there were security people working on alarms. It's heartbreaking for this young family.
Daughter and I got together for coffee and a bit of shopping. We hit the garden center and grocery store but we didn't spend much. She needed a few groceries because they are without a vehicle at the moment. The Jeep my grandson bought in March had it's transmission go! Apparently it's a known electronics issue so the warranty better kick in.
So, back to yard work....
I cut a bit of grass yesterday. It is so buggy right now and I hate wandering through knee high wet grass. I planted three tomato plants in the back garden, then ran in the house and hosed off with scalding hot water. I'm not taking any chances with ticks! Late afternoon I ducked out again to plant squash and zucchini in the front garden. I weeded and watered then ran in to hose off again.
I had a terrible sleep last night with the wildlife keeping me up. The coyote colony have been parading their rowdy youngsters up and down the road. They had me awake at midnight, then again at 5AM. I had just dozed off from the second choir practice when a @#$%& woodpecker started hammering on the house right at the head of my bed.
When I got back from my trip to the town I had some tea and toast and went for a nap.
After dinner tonight I planted beans and morning glory seeds. Doggy and I sat on the back porch for a short while listening to the wood thrush, song sparrows, a scolding pileated woodpecker and a panicked robin. The robins fly into a tizzy every time the dog walks through the back yard today so no doubt the young 'uns have fledged. Momma pheobe is still on the nest on my bedroom window frame.
I might go on the job with M tomorrow them hit another garden center. I need more flowers. 😁
I'm off now to slather my many black fly bites in calamine!
I wasn't feeling to great yesterday so didn't get up to much. I took some massive doses of Vit D and C in an effort to kick whatever was trying to take root in my body. Thankfully I'm just okay today.
A trip to the town early got those chores taken care of. After lunch we got our potatoes planted then M headed off to do service calls. I had a scalding hot shower in case any ticks decided to hitchhike indoors with me. There is rain close so I'll spend my afternoon doing some laundry and sewing. Those kind of chores tend to get put on the back burner this time of year don't they?
The sun is shining and it has warmed up. Gosh, the nights have been cold though!
My fur baby is improving by the day. Pain Meds, a stomach medication and a mild sedative are helping her get over whatever triggered this pancreatic crisis. I spoke with the vet yesterday and went over some more lab results. Her Pancreatic Lipase levels sure have been high.
I have added pumpkin and yogurt to her bedtime snack as recommended by the vet. I sprinkled the gabapentin on top and offered it up. Well my goodness, what a face she made! I could almost hear her saying "What the heck is this slop? I'm not eating this!" I topped it with some canned dog food and she changed her mind.
Today we puttered around the back garden. We are getting ready to plant potatoes. Puppy girl hung around with us. She rolled on the grass and rolled on the driveway. Last night M had to pick a tick off her. Those things have me so stressed.
My Pal and I had to go get some blood work yesterday. We arrived to find the lab PACKED to overflowing and their computers down. The receptionist said it would be hours, so we took our leave. We both had to do a bit of grocery shopping so we got that out of the way. When I got back to her place I pulled up to retrieve her mail and promptly knocked the mail box off the post with the mirror of the car. M went up to repair it after dinner. Then I unfolded her walker and pinched my finger badly. It was one of THOSE day, haha.
Today is my actual birthday. It was NOT a pleasant day.
We had to drive to Renfrew in stifling heat and humidity.
Why?
Our poor dog is very sick. I can only describe that she seemed to be suffering from advanced dementia. We've had quite a few nightmarish nights. Some of you will be familiar with the term sundowning. As the light fades the behaviour becomes quite erratic. My girl has suffered with uti in the past. When older humans have a uti, it sometimes manifested with dementia like symptoms. The vet clinic got us in right away. I managed to get a urine sample from her as soon as she got out of the car. They also did bloodwork. Her urine came back okay but trouble showed up on the blood screen. Her pancreatic enzymes are HIGH.
We came home with four different medications. One is gabapenten that will calm her down at night.
We picked up special food for digestive health as well as a couple of cans of wet to disguise her meds.
We took a four figure hit today! This girl sure is expensive!
I'm checking out early this evening. Tomorrow is a new (cooler) day and I'm looking forward to getting some gardening started.
Canadians are celebrating an ancient British Queen named Victoria. Yes, she is long gone, but her birthday holiday persists. A lot of Canadians call it the May Two Four Weekend. It's the start of holiday fun. (I think I'm repeating myself aren't I?) My birthday always falls in there somewhere. Rarely on the actually holiday, but there it is.
M is really good at organizing surprises and does he ever like to surprise me. This weekend was no exception. I had a bit of an idea that my grandson was coming out with his little ones for a romp. They all piled out of the jeep with gifts, flowers and a BIG birthday cake. I was kind of confused because we had planned to have a bbq with family on Sunday.
We were sitting on the back porch having a laugh, drinking tea and playing with the dog. The little ones rip and tore around the house and field. Grandson M kitted up his son B and took him for a tour on the back roads on the ATV. Little S was quite put out and came to Granny (me) or their stepmother ML for snuggles and hugs. (The great grandies call my daughter T "Oma. They also have a Nanny and a Nanna). My daughter told me to close my eyes and prepare for another treat surprise.
I was SO HAPPY to see my daughter C and her partner P come tripping up the stairs! C has not been home in TWENTY years and I've never met P. I last saw her at my sisters place two years ago last fall. I'm so happy that M and daughter T got the family all together this long weekend.
M made a lovely birthday BBQ. Everyone got along, no squabbles - no, that's a lie - the littles threw out a few!
C and P tried VERY hard to make friends with Kitty. To be honest, I'm surprised Kitty even stuck around with all the activity. She hates strangers and hates noise. She usually goes downstairs and into her favorite hidey hole under the hot water tank.
We were out the door early today.
My Pal had her monthly hair appointment. I visit (gossip) with her stylist while Pal is under the dryer. This is an in home salon in our area where we all know each other.
When we were done there we were off to the Big Cat. Pal was still looking for cotton summer PJs. We went in for those and toilet paper and came out with a full cart!
Our last stop was Tim Hortons drive thru for coffee, a donut, muffin and am Ice Cap. We like our once a week treats!
The weather was pretty ugly for most of the day. It was so cold and wet. Riding on the coat tails of this low pressure system is a big turn around though. It's about to get down right HOT by Tuesday.
It's a long holiday weekend for us Canadians. We're cleaning house and hosting a BBQ for my birthday next week. I have a new bed coming so we have to hoof out the old one and clean the room. I have yard cleaning to finish and the bugs are starting to come out. Welcome Spring!
We have had a long, cold spring. This week I'm trying to get ahead in my game as warm weather is about to come charging in. Each morning I haul potted plants out as they get hardened off in preparation for planting.
The downstairs front porch is all glasses, so flowers are hanging out there, in wait.
It looks like last night was our last below freezing threat, but I'm still being cautious.
We went to town yesterday and bought more garden stuff. I still want more annuals!
This morning we were on a house cleaning frenzy. I had planned to do an intensive vacuuming this afternoon, but put that on hold until tomorrow. I got out and did more transplanting and soil remediation. I took 8 packets of mixed annual seeds and scattered them on a fresh swath of good earth across the front field. What survives, survives and flourishes. It is supposed to give us a good rain over the next couple of days so I was anxious to get that plot going.
I had a mishap with my laptop last week so my time online has been kind of restricted for a few days. Perhaps a sign to leave it and get things done? A new laptop has arrived but I just don't have the time to really set it up right now.
So we Canadians have our first long weekend of the "summer" approaching. The campers and holiday makers will be out in force enjoying cottage country. We are staying home to host a bbq for family and friends because my birthday is later this month.
The restless nature caught up with me this morning. After a quick cup of tea and bowl of cereal I marched out to the garden boxes and got things stirred up.
The price of "tapes" of small things like carrot and beet seeds just baffles me, so I make my own. I cut organic paper towels into one inch wide strips. I soak these and lay them out on a board. I can then control the spacing of the seeds on the wet paper. When that's done I cover it with another strip that soon absorbs even more of the liquid. Out I marched to lay the strips and label the rows. I have beets and turnip on the outer edges of the big box, then carrot seeds just broadcast willy nilly across the soil. Then I lightly sprinkle the top with a thin layer of good soil compost. I watched a video a couple of years ago by a fellow who is a commercial carrot grower. That's how he "planted" his carrots. I tried it last year and it worked out just fine. Don't fix what's not broke, right?
While doing some cleanup in a rogue flower "bed" I found a chunk of lupin trying hard to take hold. I pulled it out and took it out across the front field where I'm trying to get some flower beds established. There are already "ditch" lilies and daffies there so the lupin will hopefully join the crowd. There are tulips and a couple of iris coming up in grass that are going to need moving too. I'll have to wait for them to bloom though.
We are having plumbing issues. It started when our pump switch had to be replaced. The new switch and adjustments increased the pressure into our cold water line that soon sprung a leak. There have been so many water lines cut out and replaced over the years that M has a virtual spider web of a nightmare to fix. He's making his third trip to the town for Ts and connectors now. Since this house was built 40 years ago the water heater has been changed/moved three times. The laundry facilities have been moved twice. A bathroom was added on the top floor and one was removed in the basement. The kitchen facilities were moved from a central wall to a west wall. The dishwasher was moved over 12 feet. The laundry was moved from the downstairs bathroom to the pantry. Every one of these functions made the plumbing down there a nightmare. We just hope and pray there are no more leaks showing up when the water is turned back on!
It's a coolish, sunny day. I'm going to finish a cup of tea then head back out and do some more gardening.
I was off to town under heavy overcast sky this morning. I picked up my Pal first then headed to the big town to get dear Daughter.
We all had banking first on our agenda then a run to the post office. Next stop was Giant Tiger aka The Big Cat. This is a small Canadian department store chain. There is messy road construction going on further east where the mall, Canadian Tire and Walmart are. We are avoiding that as much as possible. When we were done our bit of shopping we retired to Tim Hortons for coffee and a snack.
It poured rain in buckets while we were in GT! Thankfully I got parking right at the door so we didn't get soaked. By the time we got home the rain was done and the sun was trying hard to break out.
I'm getting so very restless. Every day I haul plants outdoors, then back in by evening. The diningroom table is covered with seed packets. The garden boxes are beckoning! The nights are still to cold.
sweater for a greatgrandson
here we are!I have been sort of planning this trip to "The Bay" for awhile. I had a shopping list in my head. There are no big box stores in this small town. The biggest of the lot would be the Metro grocery store. All the rest are locally owned and operated retail outlets. I needed yarn and new shoes. M. was thinking about coffee from the local roaster and a couple of things from Metro to round out the afternoon. We planned to finish up with a nice meal at a restaurant called Vito's.
I had spoken to my dear son on the phone just before we headed out. Mike told him we were going to B.Bay for a meal, hahah. DS told me his standout memory of B.Bay was a smash up meal they had there. I asked him if it was Vito's. Yes it was Momma, yes it was, haha.
The drive there was lovely. The distant hills have a pale green hazy over them announcing the leaves are starting to pop. We were disgusted by the amount of trash in the ditches along the way as usual. As we approached the little hamlet of Round Lake Center we saw full trash bags lined up, so a community cleanup had been underway earlier in the day.
I spent some time in the yarn shop. It was nice to visit the proprietor Teresa who I've known for some time. Their family had a tragic fire last year so we commiserated over the length of time it takes to get remediation after that catastrophe.
I thought we were going to Vito's for DINNER but M announced we were going right now for a late lunch. We got settled into a corner booth by the window to watch the people coming and going. It was a hopping place on a Saturday afternoon. M raised his hand at one point to wave. He doesn't know to many people in B.Bay so I wondered who had caught his attention. As I turned in my seat I just about hollered, as approaching our table were my SIBLINGS! We haven't seen each other in a year. None of us are able to drive far anymore, but meeting half way seemed to fit just fine. M and my sister D cooked up this plan to help celebrate my birthday later this month. We had a great meal, a good catch up and then hit the street to do some shopping. Sis hasn't been in a Stedmans store in ages so she was chomping at the bit to get through those doors. She was just thrilled to get a big supply of a specific yarn that seems to have gone away in her community yarn shops. I bought a cute tshirt for my youngest great grandson who is turning one next week. His Da is quite a fisherman, so the design on the shirt is a week fisherman with a whopper of a fish. M got some nice RealTree shirts on sale. He isn't a retail person but he was quite pleased with his purchase, haha. Sister D and I then went back up the street to hit the yarn shop AGAIN. She and Teresa chit chatted over knitting and people they both knew back on home turf. (T is from the same area) as well as some movie many knitters are twittering over.
So that was our day. It was just so nice to spend time with my sister and brother. Thank you M for making it all happen.
Side Note: There is a best selling author named Carley Fortune who has set at least two of her novels in B.Bay. If you can read situational romance novels, check her out!
First off, we were not at risk with the latest fire. It was further up the highway.
We had a busy day on Wednesday. Firewood got tossed into the basement, vacuuming got taken care of and a planter box or two got prepared. I unloaded about a dozen BIG bags of soil. It all went well. MAN! AM I regretting that today. I'm itching to get the root crops in the boxes, but the soil is just to cool yet. I'm going to look for some black plastic to cover it until the weather turns more favorable.
We didn't get much rain yesterday. It didn't hit until dinner hour and was more or less just a heavy drizzle. Still, it dampened down the ground. Some areas close to us got more. It will help with the fire situation.
There are busy days ahead. Tomorrow I'm on the road for a good part of the day with my Pal. We are going to the church for a lunch, then we head to the hospital for a test for her. When that's done we need to do grocery shopping and banking. We will both be knackered after all that running about.
In the coming days M and I are going to visit the sweet little hamlet of Barrys Bay. I want to hit the shoe shop, the yarn shop, the Metro grocery store and Stedmans. Do you know Stedmans? They have been around as long as I can remember. They sell an eclectic lot of clothing, household items and craft stuff. I'm pretty sure yarn will be going home with us. (Not that I NEED it, but what dedicated knitter can resist squishy beautiful yarn?) We will wrap up the afternoon with an early dinner at a popular Italian eatery called Vito's.
I'm going to be on the job with M in the coming days too. (Waiting for a warmer, sunny day) I'm the helper at this campground job. At another I visit with the client while he works. She and I always have a great visit. This client breeds dogs and horses and loves to take me on tours if the farm and talk about her "family".
I'm down to the wire on a knitting and hemming project(s) so I need to keep my head in the game and get things done TODAY.
Holy Moly there are so many grass and bush fires the last couple of days.
This afternoon M could see the "big one" up the "mountain" from his job site. Lots of smoke.
There is now one burning not far up the highway from us. Rosalea I hope aren't getting smoked out. It's a juicy one!
I finished raking and picking up the rubble around the yard today. We are in for some cooler wet days so I was wanting to get it all done.
The pheobes have decided they are going to nest in our garage. We have to get them shooed out before they hunker down.
It felt like June!
We spent most of the day outdoors.
I finished cleaning the east side flower bed. I sure wish I knew how to get rid of rogue brambles. Even with gloves on my hands are a wreck. We got the back bushes cut back and the rubble on the burn pile.
The garlic is starting to peek out. The tulips are popping up in clumps here there and everywhere.
M had to take the big tractor up to the village to fix the neighbours lane. Things have been sinking over there!
The muscles on the back of my thighs are aching. I can't remember the last time I did any squatting, haha. But my feet aren't hurting!
I spent almost the entire day outdoors. I had some "fun" at times.
I had errands to run in the town. First stop was to drop a bunch of stuff to donate at the thrift shop. Next was a quick trip through Tim's drive thru for first coffee of the day. A quick pop into the grocery store for bread and potatoes. Then it was off to the garden center for ten bags of potting mix. All that was pretty flawless.
Fun number one was when I got locked in the post office! I went to mail birthday cards to three of my offspring who have their big day coming up. There was no longer a post box in front of the place. The outer door was open, so in I went thinking there must be a slot or something in the vestibule. No such luck. The inner doors were locked and no lights on, so I figured I'd pop back later. That's when I discovered the outer door had slammed and locked behind me! I was trapped! I looked around and realized there were cameras in that cubby hole so I started waving my arms with a worried expression on my face. A fellow eventually came out and asked me how the heck did I get in there. He checked the main door and found it was not working as it should. He released me from my prison, oh yes, and took my cards in to the mail room.
On the way home I stopped at the corner store to check some scratch cards that had been sitting on my desk for four or five months. I was well chuffed to discover I'd won $20! I was so excited I forgot to buy gas!
Once home I threw on some grubby pants and started unloading my dirt. In typical Karen form I tripped over my own feet and fell, rolling down the slope....laughing my a$$ off all the way. I've perfected the safe technique of stop. Drop. And roll. It was all fun until I discovered I'd rolled in dog poop. I had to change clothes again and run a load of laundry.
After that adventure I had a cup of tea and a sandwich. About one pm I was back out the door puttering around. My eccentric neighbour popped over and threw a bag of potatoes at my feet. He often brings offerings like that when he finds extraordinary deals. A month or so back it was a cauliflower, another time a cabbage.
I'm getting so anxious to get planting but have to bide my time.
I spent about an hour just sitting in the sunshine listening to the call of the wild things in the woods behind my house. The pileated woodpeckers are back squabbling over territory! I had a book in my hand but couldn't keep my mind focused on it with all the wonderful things happening around the yard. The poplar trees across the front field are getting a hazy look about them. Bring on the allergies!
I'm at a point where I don't want to be indoors!
I had a whole lot of hurtin' this morning but that wasn't going to put the brakes on. I actually found sitting still more painful than standing.
We raked and scooped up garden debris. We picked up flostom and jetsome that grew out of the snowbanks. We got the trash and recycle out to the curb. There is a lot more cleanup to do in the garage, but it is still pretty wet. It flooded pretty good this year.
And we went for a walk. The township finally graded the road so it's in decent shape for another week or two. M put new brakes on and replaced the winter tires.
The wood frogs are singing away in Eric's pond but the peepers are still quiet.
I'm off to the town in the morning for more garden supplies.
Now that the danger of nasty cold has passed, I am opening my bedroom window a couple of inches at night. (If it's a nippy one I throw a wool blanket on top of the duvet).
I hear the wind speaking in the big pines on the east side of the house.
In the dark hours, I hear the coyotes and wolves calling their family together. The owls across the road seem to tell them to shut the heck up.
As the sky starts to brighten, the roosters crow and the forest birds sing their morning song. If I'm really lucky, a sunbeam hits my face as a wakeup.
I woke up to sun on my face! I'm loving that.
Daughter and I had planned to run around today, but I was worried to see she had sent me a message in the wee hours. She has been admitted to hospital with uncontrollable vomiting. She's on an IV with meds for it, but they are keeping her there. She had many many tests today but nothing is showing. My sister in law has been experiencing the same nasty bug for a week and is in the care of her Dr in Barrys Bay. The doctors don't have a clue what is causing it.
It was a very nippy day so I got busy doing things indoors. A cupboard got emptied for Value Village. The rugs have all been taken up. The entire downstairs got a thorough vacuuming and floor wash. I was very glad to have that done. Anyone with a 🐕 knows.
We might go to the town tomorrow. M thinks we might have to buy a couple of new summer tires. I need to get more potting mix and pick up our prescriptions.
The weather is still looking grim so there isn't much I can do outdoors, but Wednesday is looking like the turn around. M has been busy throwing next winters firewood into the basement while it is still cool and bug free. Once the shed is empty he can haul the stuff from the field into it. I hope to get my potato patch back after all! Thursday he is back to his work "work". The phone has started ringing with appointments. He has to prioritise his campground clients first though as they are gearing up for the anticipated busy season. Sometimes I go with him to lend a hand. Just being the gofer lightens the load and saves time. I enjoy getting out near the water too.
Friday was a magnificent day. It was warm and sunny, and felt like May.
My old friend of more than 40 years was up this way showing one of her beautiful dogs at the Champlain Dog Club spring show. We spent the afternoon at the arena watching the coming and going.
