What's happening in your neck of the woods friends, Aug/10

My sister brought me one of those card readers when she came. I had never seen one before but works really well. Today was beach time and the weather is amazing. On the beach till 8 tonight and didn't even need a sweater which is very unusual around the ocean. Whale watching tomorrow!

Laurie
I love whales!! We saw lots in Maui this April and it was great! I have some dandy photo's and it was such a thrill to watch them even from the shore. Please watch them for me too.
Ann

I now KNOW what 'perpetual motion' is .. a puppy when he first wakens and finds his favourite, and MOST noisy toy to play with !!!

Gonna have to see about doing some whale watching .. have seen so many National Geographic programs relating to it. Some were a bit scary .. I think I'd be more of a 'shore watcher'

COOL here this morning .. 6C .. will be a milder day today and then UP UP UP go the temps again, but, apparently NO humidity.

Best grab a coffee and try to wake up.

~M~

PS .. Betty .. my flowers are still doing OK .. gave them all a big drink of fertilizer the other day .. really worked well ..

The deck was finished yesterday.Looks good and he did a good job. He is coming back Labour Day weekend to put one on the front and and door step on the side.
Another beautiful day today, supposed to rain overnight and clear again in the morning. Perfect weather for being a tourist.

Laurie, will he get rid of the old deck or do you have a burning pit..see that the deck rail has no spindles, here it's mandatory that you do, think every 2 or 3"...won't it be grand to have the 2 decks done and still time to enjoy...so what do you and your sister have planned your tourist sightseeing?

How wonderful to see whales..I'm with the others, only on t.v. did I see such elegance in the breaking water.
I'm with "M" not sure I'd want to be on a boat close to them..yikes!

"M" you say your flowers are doing ok...what flowers do you have that are still nice, you might be able to lead me to what to purchase and plant so that next year at this time I'll have some pretties as well.

Ann,got my Better Homes and Garden magazine last night, have an article called 'queen of the shade' wow said it's called Empress Wu and it can grow 4' tall and 4 to 6' hight with lavender flowers in midsummer and hardy in my region...will be on the lookout for it..do you have it?

Betty - I don't have a lot of space; so I have very few hostas which will get really large. The nice thing is that they come in all sizes. I have one that is mature and is still only about 4" in diameter.

Maybe the ones I don't think are growing and not doing well are the ones that aren't suppose to be of any size...hmmm

Know on each side of my deck staircase I've ones that have to be a little over 2' by 2'..will have to move them come fall or spring

There ARE a lot of hostas in that size range. Do you know what kind they are or do you have pictures of them?

No names, most of my hosta's were purchased at the church plant sale since I've moved here..got many but they are scattered here and there..this is the one I have near the back steps..

They are dying off but it might show you the size

No whale watching today. We were just putting on ours shoes to go when they called and said it was cancelled. Combination of the tide and really high winds was causing rough seas. They had a rough trip before we were supposed to go and had trouble finding whales. So we are now booked to go Friday at 1:00. Friday is supposed to be nice weather - keep your fingers crossed.
Yes he will haul away the old deck when he comes to do the one on the front. Yes I do have a fire pit so I may keep some of it to burn. No spindles or anything - it is a bench across the front of it. No regulations here that say it has to have spindles and I would rather have it open so I can see out when I am sitting on it. Got new patio furniture today, nice glass table, 4 chairs and umbrella. Looks good!
Not sure where tomorrow will take us - depends on the weather, rain over night tonight but supposed to clear tomorrow morning. So far have just been doing a lot of beach wandering.
The hosta looks really nice at the foot of the stairs. I get a lot of afternoon sun on the deck so couldn't put them at the back but maybe the front.

Happy to hear and see the results for your deck Laurie ..
We live in a ranch style house,so, a deck is kind of not needed .. doesn't mean I wouldn't like one though ^_^

Betty .. I still have blooming Wave petunias (and petunias), sweet potato vine and pansies are flourishing, Rudbeckia, and Mums .. my Hostas are falling off now ..
HUMMINGBIRDS are nuts !! We have (think) 6 .. hard to tell ..

Weather here is OUTSATNDING .. what a summer this has been, could sure use some rain though ..

Off to walk the poochies

~M~

Calling for a nice weekend here "M"it has been a great summer..it rained all last night, everything is turning bright green that had been almost hay..have a b.b.q. to go to Saturday so it will be great for all who are attending seeing as they have a pool/hot tub!

Maybe that's where I make my mistake, almost all of what I plant are perrenials, little to no annuals..have to keep that in mind. Annuals bloom much later right?

I've got decks all over this house and never seem to find the time to sit on any of them..tonight I came home after going to Fabricland, omg, they were originally closing mid-September but think by the weekend nothing will be left..with all being 75 to 85% off I managed to pick up quite a bit more fabric, buttons etc. couldn't resist, anyway, got lost in thought, back to decks, lol...with the weather we've been having my deck vines 'silver lace' have gone crazy, I've got feelers from one end of the deck to the other, they must grow 2 to 3' a day, no kidding, almost every morning I work them into the rails and by the time I get home there are 20 more that need done..can't wait until the flower..I'll take a photo in the morning to show you how crazy they are...


Tonight after shopping, put Sailor into the tub and gave her a bath, lordy she's pulling out her hair like crazy, shouldn't be lifting her as she's quite a size but thought warm water might feel nice against her rash, with that behind me and looking at how late it is, it's time for din/din..picked up chinese food..shouldn't be eating so close to bedtime but mega things to do!

Hope you've all enjoyed your day,

Betty all I have is perennials - that is a lot of what the nursery business we were just getting going was - my echinacea are still going like crazy, crazy daisies are just dying off but if I had kept them deadheaded they would still be going, blanket flower still blooming, false sunflower and sneezeweed and blackeye susan and mums just getting going. The last blooms coming off the lilies now really sorry to see them go. This is my Casa Blanca lily - it is well over 5 feet tall and had 27 blooms this year. Smells amazing.
Whale watching tomorrow - calling for good weather this time.

Oh my Laurie .. what a gorgeous Lily !!! Will have to keep it in mind.
Good luck with the whale watching ^_^

Betty, I have perennials, but always like to do pots/planters/urns whatever .. with pansies and petunias ..
The Silver Lace vine sounds lovely .. I am OFF vines after having tried to get shed of a Virginia Creeper .. took me THREE years to get it out of the garden it was in !! AND .. I had carted the wheelbarrow full of it back into the brambles, and it is now growing up a Birch tree .. one tough vine that's for sure.

TGIF ... going to go and do some shopping today .. weather is supposedly going to be VERY nice if you like heat and humidity, up until next Tuesday .. but we so need rain !!!
Lorna's folks arrive from down east on Sept 10 .. so am hoping Piper will have come around. He is getting better by the day !!!

Take care

~M~

OMG just love that lily and to have 27 blooms, must be a record, absolutely gorgeous photo...how are things going with your sister, has she ever been whale watching? glad weather is co-operating for you? Bet you've had breakfast on the back deck right? Have fun today..

"M" am sure Piper will be on best behavior! Seems like yesterday when Lorna's folks were visiting, guess it's last trip until spring? Does Lorna come down to spend Christmas with them?

Weather will be absolutely spectacular for the next 4 days..hoping we're off at1:00 today, would love to get the weeder out and tidy up corners..Cathy and her dad were over yesterday and got my yard all cut but they don't do weeding so it will be a good time to prepare earth near the flower shed I built, clean out weeds, thought about going to purchase containers of mums and place them here and there for color and get the most out of what's left till the snow falls.

I take so many different concessions home that it gets confusing as to where I saw what..remember thinking one day last week that there were shutters, old window and other junk at the roadside and a sign that say 'free' ahhh found it this morning but only thing left was some kind of folding rack, turned around and went to get it..at the end of my hard is a 4' drop into back bushland, I picked up an old metal headboard and at the time thought between 2 trees I'd cement it in for people to look down from it into the ravine (only in the spring is there water) so I thought I could come up with something crafty with this piece so it my car it is..put that on my agenda this weekend as well..lol..

Brought in some squares for another rag quilt, although I purchased the accuquilt and it does the ragging I still prefer to do it by hand JUST to keep myself occupied here in the office so off I go, play for awhile..

So hope you are all enjoying your day!

Back from the foray into the city .. good grief, I do think a goodly amount of Thunder Bayites were out and about today .. as well .. road construction kind of had us taking mini detours .. mind you .. gave us a chance to ogle some gardens we would never had seen before. One person had some absolutely STELLAR clematis .. a white and a deep purple interwoven ..

Betty .. Lorna's folks were here in June .. I am kind of thinking that they came so close to losing her they will be coming more often.
We were actually going to go to them .. but .. we sat and considered the equipment we would need to take .. wheelchair, rolling walker, canes, prosthesis, bath bench .. the list just kept getting longer .. PLUS .. it's 6 steps up to her parents door, then 3 more to get into the house. They love Thunder Bay, so that makes it a lot easier, and, hopefully we will have good weather (fingers crossed on that )

I really always wonder where the heck you get your energy Betty .. I seem to live vicariously through you :-)

Laurie , hope you and your sis had a knock down gorgeous and exciting day .. enjoy ^_^

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh .. one thing ... got Piper his little ID tag that hangs from his collar .. now .. you all know how the lil guy feels about COLLAR .. COLLAR is a boogie Dog to him LoL .. but .. DH got it off, got the tag on .. and as i sat holding Piper getting MUCHO GRANDE puppy kisses .. Lorna was able to slip it back on and clip it closed. He now would like to CATCH the wee dingly dangly tag .. but is sleeping on my foot instead.

Off I go .. supper to create .. hmmmmmmmm .. M&Ms LoL


~M~

just time for a few pictures.. Motherhood is really a lot of work... But sooooooo worth it
jen

another

another one

last one

sorry forgot the pic

Jen she really is a sweetie (but you know that). And so bright for her age! Enjoy her. she'll be big before you know it.

Jen
Ditto for me , I can almost smell the baby smell they have!! Great shots.
Ann

Oh Jen she's gorgeous, what a cutie pie and yes, lots and lots of work...but as you say, so worth it..

Right now it's all new to you, once you are in a routine it will be a piece of cake..did I say that?

You are just too talented with you photo's..wow..maybe that should be a new at home career, do albums for people, bet there would be a demand..

So glad you had a few minutes to post..

"M" never thought about all the equipment she's have to bring along with her, not thinking is what I am..it would have been nice though as you could have visited with me and spent a few days..drats...

Did get off at 1:00 and home by 1:40 and just came in..had the weeder out, got the yard looking spiffy and even did some weeding..lot more to go..hoping that tomorrow before the heat I'll do some deadheading..couldn't believe all the butterflies and bees out, guess all are trying to get nutrition before fall.

I'm hoping to be outside at the crack of dawn and get pressure washer working and wash down the house, sure does need it..can't believe the spiderwebs..wow..

Did stop at a garage sale on my way home, a farmer had a little stove of some type, says it works, rusted so will look nice with everything in my garden that's rusty, rather than use it with coal oil I'll put a candle inside..will look pretty lit up!


Washed down all the decks, that was quite an undertaking, probably would have done more but I got a call from my insurance company, a pre-warning as to the increase, not sure if she said house insurance was going up 26 or 28% and then we got on the subject of the new automobile insurance for Ontario, talk about losing ground, mine went up and I lost 1/2 the benefits that normally came with the auto policy under this new plan, if you want to increase it then it's mega $$$...did you all get notification about it? I'm not a happy camper that's for sure! Put that along with the new HST and I'm broke..funny how our pensions won't go up!!!!

Tired, when I'm tired I gab a lot and also get cranky lol so off to bed I go, know it's only 7:16 but hey, 5:30 comes early...

If I don't get back, enjoy your evening!

Got everything washed on this deck and the other 2 decks..talk about dirty..

Said I'd show you the vine..from 2 little strands coming from the ground look how it's grown on the decking

Whale watching was amazing! Saw three different kinds, humpbacks,finbacks and minkes along with lots of porpoises and seals. Really hard to get good pictures took 65 and only kept about 7 - the rest were sky or water. Tried to enjoy seeing the whales though and not get too caught up in the picture taking. The weather was great, we had lobster dinner after the boat trip then wandered the beach picking up shells and sea glass till almost dark, wearing only t-shirts. A wonderful day.

Betty that would be great only problem is i get all the peices form a daily site that has free downloads.. All the pieces are made by others i just add them together to make the page.. There all under copyrights and I cant sell them unless i buy a licences to use there products.. It fine for me though, I just want the memories and the nice albums... Plus if i wouldn't of spent most of my pregnancy making pages for future use, i dont think i would of had time to even make one.. Somedays it takes 10 min and i'm done other days i could spend hours to get it just right.. Guess it depends on my creative level that day..

Yes it does go by fast i cant believe its almost been a month

Well .. my Saturday started at 4am with a nice wake up call from PIPER .. so .. out we went, Lilly, Piper and myself .. business done and SURPRISE .. back to bed and sleep with a MINIMUM of fuss.
COurse he was hungry by 6:30am .. but that's fine ..
TONS of stars at 4am ^_^

Jenn .. Alison is so precious, and, as Ann mentioned, BRIGHT .. I do hope she sleeps well for you .. my son was NOT a sleeper .. maybe that's why I'm not bothered too much by this puppy .. (did I say that) !!

Laurie .. GREAT pic of the whale .. awesome in fact .. happy to hear the visit is going well .. enjoy :-)

Betty ..LOVE the deck photos and, of course, the infamous 'OUTHOUSE shed' .. the vine is just SO perfect for creating privacy .. looks like the Virginia creeper I ONCE had .. and had to take away.

Saturday .. which means perhaps a trip to the dump, plus I just realized I have 3 blue bags of recycling that should be taken as well .. kinda spoiled here as we are not expected to seperate the 'stuff' .. would not want the job of having to actually DO that, but, I guess it's a job for somebody ..

Enjoy your day everyone

~M~

You are indeed up early "M", did the same, Sailor was clawing me at 5 a.m. thought I'd put her out and back into bed but once up and seeing what kind of day it will be, decided to get all the inside work done.

"M" I'd be afraid to go to the dump in fear I'd come home with more treasures than when I went..lol. do you not have large object and house pick - up or is it just more convenient for you to make a dump trip?

Drying the last of the bedding, going to dust and wash the floors, so far I've just finished giving a green coat of paint to a changelier I bought for $3.00 yesterday, think it will look nicer over the table in the secret garden than the one that is there, it has amber glass globes, would rather they have been clear but hey, for $3.00 what do I want. I'll simply sand the green when the paint dries to give it an antique look then I can hang it..the metal one that is there well, let's just say I've an idea what to do with it..lol

so I'm well underway to being able to spend all day outside without worrying about the inside.. made a few birdbaths last Friday, cured and sitting for pick up, that might be the break I need when Darlene arrives.

Bought a pressure washer a couple of years ago, never did use it, am hoping the connection to cleaner is easy, want to wash the house down and then do the windows ..learning my lesson, you can't wait until it's cold weather or wait for someone to have a day to do it for me so hoping today is the day..

Have an afternoon b.b.q. - would rather stay home but no can do...would rather stay and play here...after all the weeding and trimming I did yesterday afternoon..didn't even realize I had spent 5 hours outside, the yard looks so neat and tidy and pretty that I just want to enjoy! Ever feel like that?

Off I go, see you on a break...
Hope weather is great for you all and you get to do what most pleases you...

Enjoy

La Dee DA !! We are/were the hotest city in Canada today .. BOY did we feel it !!!
The pups a dogs enjoyed being INSIDE as opposed to being OUT ..

Betty .. our dump (Municipal Landfill Site) has a NO PICKIN policy .. used to be that there were folks crawling in the garbage to ferret out a treasure they saw .. I guess the liability became too great.
I have often thought I'd post a pic of the 'dump' so y'all would know what I am talking about .. it ain't purdy that's for sure !

BBQ'd some burgers .. jsut cleaned up and am about to take the dogs out .. likely just within their compound .. still too warm to walk them about the property .. just want to wear Piper out a bit more .. !!!

Sleep well all

~M~

Quiet day today, stayed at home and talked and ate, out for breakfast this morning then brought home Chinese food for supper, cookies and fruit all afternoon. Lazy day but I think we needed a day of rest. Brunch tomorrow at the Fairmont Algonquin in St Andrews then we will probably spend the afternoon wandering their gardens and relaxing down there. Then Monday will be our last day and Leigh goes home Tuesday and I am back to work on Wednesday. The time has really gone fast!
Amazing how the weather is staying so warm. Still 20 now at 9:30.

Just got back from a b.b.q....although I said I'd not stay late I stayed well past my bedtime...

Read to post above just to make sure you are all ok, now it's jammy time and I'll respond in the morning...

Hope you all enjoyed your day!

WAHOO!!! Piper let me sleep until 5:45am !!! I know tha that is early, but a lot better than 4am ^_^

Glad to hear all is going well with your cisit Laurie .. a day of rest was likely just the BEST kind of day .. I must say .. your sisters visit and the end of your holidays certainly has come quickly !!!

Hope you got a good nights sleep Betty ..

Had a LARGE Porcupine waddle by the enclosure last evening, luckily I watched it from INSIDE the house so the dogs weren't even aware. Lordie was he/she a bruiser !! It toddled on down the driveway headed west .. good place for him/her :-)

Laundry is on todays agenda .. going to be well over 34C .. because of the humidity I'll likely just put everything but the sheets in the dryer.

Enjoy the LAST Sunday of August everyone ~~

~M~

Last Sunday of August, omg, isn't it hard to believe, seems like yesterday that we were thinking of getting our gardens planted..

"M" I had a dog that forever had porcupine quills in it's mouth, Roger always said he loved the meds the doctor gave him, gave him a high..lol but the vet did say a dog will either shy away from them after having quills or they'll hunt porcupines, mine did the hunt..

Good for you, perhaps Piper's bladder is getting larger and will soon make it to 7am..won't that be a treat.

With being such an eager beaver on Friday and Saturday, there's nothing except dusting the downstairs to do, that will take all of 5 minutes and the day is mine...

You just got to know it won't be a sit down and rest kind of day but it will be relaxing..those 5 birdhouses I made a few months ago still sit unpainted so I'll set up a table outside, get the paint out and once they are sanded I'll give them a coat and with the light breeze might get them completely finished if dry.

Had coffee on the back deck this morning, so many butterflies out there, wonder if it's because the butterfly bushes are all in bloom..lordy, the front one must be a good 8-10 ft. seems each year I cut it down to about 1' it grows twice as high..


I only had about 4 things in my laundry basket but I'm a fanatic for laundry so did the 1/4 wash cycle, won't be long and it will be dried and hanging in my closet.

Laurie, wow, I'm with "M" your week is almost done already? Bet you loved having her visit with you..don't let going back to work spoil the next day or so...did you get whale watching?

Only downer I'll have today is thinking about going to court tomorrow morning re Jury Duty, not looking forward to that experience..wonder if I tell them I could not possibly sign the fate of someone , too much responsibility for me..not trying to get out of it just find it would be too overwhelming!

Well, time for another coffee and get the painting area set up, could do it inside where all the tables are but being in the sunshine would be nice.

Enjoy the day!

We decided being INSIDE was a better thing than being OUTSIDE in the 35C heat !!!
Watched some absolutely STUPID movie .. (I rented it) .. 'The Cry of the Owl' .. would suggest NOT renting it even if you're desperate LoL
Tidied up/out Pipers crate .. he has what is called a 'Sherpa Pad' on the bottom , brown fuzzy thing, I thought all that was that was the matter was that it was covered in dog biscuit crumbs and some shed fur .. but .. seems he must have slept in today as there was a 'piddle' spot on the pad :-( Here all along I have been told, and have told people that dogs do not do their business wherein they sleep .. guess I'll have to revise THAT statement .. ahh well .. it was a simple fix ..

Hope you did OK with the bird houses Betty ... re the 'jury duty' .. have heard that one of the questions asked of a prospective juror is "have you heard of this crime, and, have you formed an opinion' .. guess you could just say 'yes' .. that way they'd dismiss you?

Am stunned to be reminded that today is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina .. several programs on TV dealing with the aftermath ..

Best get on with supper preps ..

Toodles

~M~

WELL......... I'm back from my solo - singing went well (although my legs were like Rubber!)
Afterwards my previous boss took my voice coach, my DH, and I out for lunch. It was very nice.
One....... disappointing part of the singing.....
I had someone use my camera (she'd used it before) and well, I read the scriptures today, then she shut off the camera to let the congregation sing something. When she turned the camera back on for my solo, she forgot to press "Record", so I have a recording of my scripture reading, but Not the solo......
I spoke to the keyboardist, and she will play again for me on Tuesday @1pm, and get someone to record me then. I already called my mom and told her that the solo was missed, and that I will get it recorded again. It's not quite the same, though....
I Will Not tell the lady who was doing the recording, as I don't want her to feel badly, but I AM disappointed....... siiiiiigh........

I got so many people who were impressed with my singing, including our pastor, who said "Now that we know you can Sing like that...!!!" I had others say that they want me to sing again! :-)
As soon as I get it recorded, I will post it on a picture site, and send links to those that wish it. Just PLEASE do not post it on YouTube, k?

Susan, know I posted a comment on another thread, but just got to acknowledge your disappointment in the solo not being recorded..what an angel you are not to tell the individual taping that they didn't get the solo...another time perhaps..

Muggy here as well "M", as for the birdhouses got 1 done then been having company come in and out all afternoon..friends are more important than birdhouses..omg, Ann brought me 2 bouquets of flowers as a thank you for my kindness to her and hubby as they go through 'cancer' fright~

Then, we're gabbing at the driveway, young oriental girl comes over, looking for accommodations for 4 months..will do her co-op at the Municipality which is 2 blocks away, less than a 5 minute walk..she doesn't drive..she mentioned twice that she didn't have a lot of funds so told her she could have the back bedroom and use of the house for $300. heck, got to help young ones now don't we..I'm always here,there and everywhere so it doesn't much matter. Pretty young girl, her parents were thrilled with her staying here..so Sunday or Monday she'll move in..not quite sure where I'll put a closet full of Christmas gifts that are boxed but will have to find a home somewhere ..

Think I'll go outside and put the birdhouses in the storage area under the deck and put away my paint..all this excitement has tired me out..

I will get it (re) recorded on Tuesday afternoon, Betty.
I know that Kay would feel Awful if she knew, and I wouldn't feel good about that, so there's no need for her to know that she didn't record it.

Your kindness says something about you Susan..we often speak before we think and yes, had you done so Kay would have felt just terrible...easy mistake to have been made..yikes, something that I would have done unintentionally!