What's Happening in YOUR neck of the woods?chat with friends

glad you have hi-speed, Ann - now, to high speed it back home lol

TGIF all .. hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ..

I am SO torn re my car .. the dealership is promising me a really good deal on a trade in (no $$ spoken of yet), and, I do have a possible private buyer ...
Soooooooooooooo .. do I do a 'seamless trade in' with Toyota, or, do I put in all the leg and paperwork required with a private sale. Hate feeling this 'clued out'.

Only 17C here today, and overcast .. tomorrow (a cousins wedding OUTDOORS) temps in the high 30s with thunder storms .. ought to be interesting .. luckily they have an indoor venue they can revert to should things get too crazy ..

TTFN

~M~

Worked from home today and did I work...got all the appliances washed,all out of date jars,boxes.tins thrown out..I'm now old mother Hubbard, kitchen is bare!! Floors and dusting on top floor done..not sure I like working from home..went into town, wanted new head board, no one had what I wanted..shoe store for Sanford, both didn't have them so home I came with allowance in my pockets.

With all th physical work I did this week think a hot bath and couch will hit the spot..

My youngest, Jeff and Julie left for the annual kayak trip this morning, perfect day to leave..while driving into midland horn was just a beeping at me, I was ready to say something when I realized it was Greg and family on their way to the movies..bought new escalade and I don't recognize the vehicle...everyone busy on a Friday night and here I'm almost ready for bed! I must be old..

ViolaAnn would you recommend the traveling by train..think one leaves from front street in Toronto to Montreal..imagine train having Internet hookup..

"m". Hard to know what to do about the car..aren't some dealerships known to give a good deal on trade in but up the price of the vehicle as not to have a loss..either way you get a new vehicle..exciting!

With the weather of late you couldn't possibly take a chance on not having tents..will be a scorcher...

Betty - train was faster than driving to Ottawa. We were in downtown Montreal at 4:50 and in Ottawa at the station by 6:45. Best I've been able to do by car is my house (east end Ottawa) to the Université de Montréal (on the north side of the mountain) in 2 hours flat and I don't often make it that fast. No check-in hassles like travelling by air - I had a couple pairs of very sharp needlework scissors with me. Price is reasonable too and it was comfortable. They serve meals and beverages although we brought some Sushi from the station with us.

Between Ottawa and Toronto, I have taken bus and it's faster than the train, but doesn't get as far downtown. Likely no Internet on the bus.

M- personally I would let somebody else do the paperwork and send the private buyer to the dealership!

Spent a bit of time this morning with an ex neighbor who bought an old but nice bungalow in one of the older neighborhoods- wanted to know what was growing in his yard, other than a lot of weeds!

New dog in today, got an email about the dog late last evening and it took a bit of scrambling but all worked out well and she was picked up this morning and in her foster home by mid afternoon. A nice 18 month old , a bit shy but foster mom says a lovely girl. It was urgent because the dog was about an hour north of here and if we could not get her before this evening family would have to take her with them to Edmonton and I preferred to keep her down here- thought at one point I would have to drive up and get her myself .

Owner died in the spring, caretaker ( a son who is a bit developmentally delayed) moving to a trailer park, silly rules about dog heights, nothing over 15 inches!I hate these rules - some of the biggest dogs I know are also the sweetest and most gentle creatures! And I have met many little dogs who are pretty nasty - owners fault of course but height is no guarantee of temperament.

I've been editing my pics taken at the Montreal Botanical Garden. Rather than repost them - you'll find them over on Coffee. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1196730/#new The Hosta or Shade Garden ones I'll get to tomorrow.

Carol - he wouldn't be moving to Midfield Park would he? I thought it was 18" height for dogs....... and yes, some nasty little dogs. btw - we have the height restriction, but there are some very large dogs here that were "grandfathered in" before they enforced the rules! There's always a way around it.........

I dont know Susan.

Morning all, just passing through, it's a gorgeous day out there, one could almost say perfect!! I want to take a run into town, saw 2 headboards yesterday, interested in either but wanted to do height measuring before buying.

ViolaAnn, I'm going to do some research on train to Montreal, have some holidays coming and a friend Dannie lives there so might go spend a weekend later in the year. There is a reunion just outside of Chicago I am trying to get to in August so can't be before then!

Thanks for the link, going to view when I get back from town ..

"M" what did you decide, picking up a new vehicle today?

Carol, that's some quick moving on your part! Amazing about the restrictions for dogs.bet her son was distraught at having to let his mom's dog go..terrible!

Years ago I was purchasing a tombstone for Roger and bought quite a tall one, 7', had it shipped in from Italy, stone had concave area with cross set inside..when it was being delivered to cemetery lo and behold I was told of height restriction, drats and more drats..had to have it cut down by 2 ft..who would have thought of checking that, certainly not me!

At one time you could have had anything you wanted in a cemetary, but then it got to where they wanted conformity. I suppose it's right that some don't feel they "love less" (I used to work for Memorial Gardens, and it was almost a competition within the families to prove their love for their departed ones.......and they couldn't all afford the best, plus some salespeople are rather unscrupulous) and it's amazing what happens in a family during this time of high stress.

Monday is 'car day' .. I have a meeting set up for 10am .. the dealership is falling over themselves as I complained (and rightly) re the poor service I rec'd on my initial and subsequent visit in March .. I straight out told them I was not being taken seriously and was VERY disappointed .. so .. they are promising me the MOON at this point in time, but, as I said, we'll see.

Carol .. my 2 Terriers are YAPPY .. not all the time, but, if they are out in their compound and a loud vehicle passes by etc .. you can assured of a 5-10 minute 'serenade' .. I usually go out and clap .. that stops them, so, I think the height restriction is kind of unfair .. any Sheltie I have know has been NON yappy !!!

What a sad tail re the grave stone Betty .. Lorna worked for the "Memorial Gardens' business Susan, most of their stones are plaques laid on top of the ground .. called Bronzes, they have just started to allow a few Granite upright stones.
The cemetery my parents are buried in has some FABULOUS Memorial stones, one in particular almost looks like a Lladro sculpture .. 2 angels in the air clasping hands .. I should get a pic ..

Was in town early this morning (8am) 2 movies to return .. came around a corner and the OPP were flagging me down .. a vehicle had hit (and killed) a calf moose .. car was in the ditch .. calf on the shoulder of the road .. no human injuries .. thankfully.
Came home the same way 40 min later .. all the tow trucks and ditched vehicles gone, but, the remains of the poor moose were left cast onto the shoulder of the road .. would have thought someone might have pushed it into the ditch .. kind of upsetting to look at !!

Time to do laundry .... OH .. one of the movies we watched last night was called 'Company Men' .. Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, .. a very good movie .. lots to learn !!!
The other was 'Kill the Irishman" .. violent and lots of vulgar language ..

OK .. off I go ...

~M~

If I lived in a trailer park I think the yappiness of so many little dogs would bug me a lot more than big dogs!

I have a yappy sheltie- Abby whom I adopted last year is pretty bad, if she was young I would have her debarked. She has no idea what she is barking at either - hard to teach a 14 year old dog not to bark! At least with Bailey before he was deaf I knew exactly what he was barking at. Fancy also was quite a barker but had been debarked when young so it did not bother anybody. Sassy barks a fair bit but is easy to stop. Abby just gets put in the house which really ticks her off if I am still out in the yard. If I go out to work in the front yard everybody is fine but if I am standing out there talking to somebody Bailey lets loose!

Another nice day today weather wise and nothing on the agenda so far! Better rest up for next week I work at LH regular shift tomorrow, 2 special tours on Tues and Thurs and all day Sat at Ride Thru Time- their all day summer event. Hope Sat is not too hot - it was brutal last year for those of us in costume! We shift back and forth from inside to outside which helps.

Actually, Carol - the big dogs that get loose are worse - and it's always true that the owners are the ones who are responsible for a dog's behaviour, small or large.
There's one family that lets their small children take out large dogs (GS and Lab) and the dogs literally run away with them, so if they see someone walking you can be sure they're trying to run the person down!
Hadn't thought of debarking for years, so forgot it was an option! Interesting.......

Hope to go camping on the 22nd. We got our passports in the mail yesterday, so can visit Montana - maybe this time?

Here's our new girl Annie.

Awww, I would love to have her...she's gorgeous!

So hoping tomorrow brings rain!

She looks like a happy girl!!

Here's hoping for rain for you, Betty!

A day late, but the wishes remain the same .. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ViolaAnn ...

~M~

Carol .. Annie looks 'picture perfect' .. I doubt it'll take long before she has a 'forever home'.

It was HORRIFYING here yesterday .. 39C with the humidex !!! Actually could not breathe effectively as the air felt thick.
The wedding went well .. didn't stay long.
Promise of rain today .. if none arrives I am on my way to Canadian Tire to purchase a couple of sprinklers to handle the gardens.

Enjoy your day everyone :-)

~M~

Thanks, Marilynne. Had a fairly quiet day - we have grand-twins here. But we met their parents for an early dinner before they went to Bluesfest and then I went to a concert of the Music and Beyond Festival that I wanted to hear. Have missed the rest of that festival as we either had the kids or were in Montreal..

Afternoon girls..yikes it's a hot one and no sign of rain for the next week.."m" did much the same, went and got another sprinkler and new garden hose..was up extra early and got everything watered but you'd never know it!!

It's like living in a ghost town, even in town there was barely a person ot shopping..home depot is closing their garden center at months end if they survive that long..I did manage to purchase 4 wreigelia's yesterday and another 2 today that look quite healthy dor $5.00. My thoughts are to keep them in the shade, leave them in their pots and plant when weather is cooler and we have rain... Perennials at HD are all but dead, most should be thrown away!

Sat on back porch last few hours with Sailor, did the rug in living room so thought if I sat out shed sit out but too hot for her..I went and deadheaded some flowers, gee whiz, worked for about 3 hrs. Taking seed out od pods, no wonder buying seed is so expensive.


violaAnn it's be hot if it's an outdoor event..

Marking this on my calendar .. it is 43C with the humidex here !!!
When you walk out the backdoor from the AC into the heat, well, it's like walking into a wet sheet .. breathing is difficult .. am SO glad I don't have asthma or COPD.
Take the dogs out every hour or so .. soon as I see they have done their deal, back in we come ..
I did manage to get some watering done .. never did go to Can Tire .. just way too hot.

Gosh I hate complaining, seems the WINTER months are reserved for that .. right now I wouldn't mind a flake or 12 LoL

Sandwiches for supper .. if that ..

Keep cool all

~M~

Much the same here "M", 10 minutes outside in the gardens and back in to wipe the sweat and have a sit down, lordy I've even purposefully ran through the sprinkler to cool down..don't know why I don't find some energy and go to Greg's for a swim

Thinking of Jeff and Julie kayaking for a few weeks on the Rideau Canal, must be hot for them

Bought Chinese yesterday for supper, was too lazy to eat it, think I might warm some up tonight..

Hi All
VAnn Have a super BDay, I'm sure with your twin blessings in your home it will be a great day.

Wish I could send you some rain but we finally had warm day, I think it hit 29 or so.

Don't know if you will be able to access this but here is a link for buy one get one free at HDepot.
http://click.email.homedepot.ca/?qs=af5a937f68b1e51cb95ac626ca85b879e13df205926916d80a9f5e1a0983

I don't get their Hosta's but my HD has some Jack Frost Brunnera and some cool Huchera's so I may just go and get some.
I hope it works for you!
Alberta Ann

YIKES that's hot, Marilyn!!

Yikes, did I miss your birthday VAnn..ahh my apologies, must start watching the sidebar more..today would have been hubby's 68th..I'll go put flowers on his grave..not a good way to celebrate but it's a way of showing he's NOT forgotten!

I thought of you this morning when the news came on to say that Ottawa got hit by a terrible storm...at the concert a few were hurt..know you were talking about going, sure hope you were not there but safely at home.

Alberta Ann, over the weekend I picked up 6 (or was it 8) went back several times..bought shrubs for great discount but got to tell you 98% of their fowers/hangers should have been put in he garbage or a sign saying 'free to a good home'..why do you not buy their hostas?

Betty, thanks. The birthdays are posted really late in the morning now on DG which doesn't help.

The concert where the stage collapsed was Bluesfest which I don't generally attend, but DD and DSIL were there. The concert I went to was on Saturday, my birthday, and was inside a church. We had DGTwins at the end of last week and end of this week after we got back from Montreal so their parents could indulge themselves at Bluesfest. We decided we'd take them home to their own beds last night and wait till parents got home which they did somewhat earlier than planned because everything else was cancelled.

As we approached the west end of the city, the power was out affecting major traffic lights. We figured it would be out at DD's house as it was a block away, but on their street there was power. When we headed home around 10, power was still off along the way and some areas of Ottawa were still w/o power today. We saw one tree down across power lines on the way there. Probably there were many more.

Betty I believe that there is concern with the Hosta Virus X problem at the supplier for HD. I have a couple from before knowing about the virus and I am suspicious of them and will be ordering a test kit so I can be certain.
I have been very happy with the Huchera, brunnera and some sedums though so there is still opportunity to use the coupon,

We had a major wind at 530 am today and then a quick storm that had left us by 8 am. These big winds are very dangerous and you really need to be undercover when they hit.
Alberta Ann

It's so hot out there, wouldn't you know today is the first day in our new office in Koslov Centre and no a/c...could hardly breath..not nice because the reason we found alternate accommodations was because of the heat in summer, and cold in the winter.

Called maintenance and they have a/c repairman..he thinks that the heat section of the unit was stuck on..let's hope by the time he leaves we'll be nice and cool..boss BIL (Paul) said it was probably because I was having hot flashes..kidding of course because he left early, reason 'too hot'!!!

AlbertaAnn and ViolaAnn, you have such great knowledge concerning hosta's..I have a large pond, put in a secondary pond that will look like 1 waterfall falling into the other..in order to do the changes I need to move hosta's..nice and healthy ones...must I wait until spring or could I do it in the fall and at such time can I divide???

ViolaAnn, glad that you and yours are safe and that you've hydro..

Happy Belated Birthday, Ann!! Hope you had a super terrific day!!!

Hostas - I planted 3, 3 years ago, and only one came back this year. Too dry I suppose.....

Went to hilltop to see fireworks last night, so we didn't get to see the "low ones" but the high ones were awesome. Wish they didn't have so much time between bursts, cuz we thought they were doing the "windup" and then there were bigger ones almost 5 minutes later, which meant we were about 20 blocks away when we heard the last Booms of the big finish. Ah well, we'll have to find a better spot, bring mosquito repellant and chairs LOL They we could stay a little longer!

Betty, I surely do hope the AC gets repaired .. I have left the house 3 times today and will not do so again unless there is a drastic drop in the temps. And, today .. we have the extra added aroma of forest fire smoke .. none near us, but, the smokey air moves about.

Susan, were the fireworks for the Stampede ?

Read about the Ottawa Bluesfest stage crash .. scary video .. one thing about weather, it can change in a nano second !!

TTFN

~M~

yes, Stampede fireworks - last night.
Weren't too great, cuz we were on a hilltop far away, so didn't get to see the ground level ones, and thought they were done in a flourish, but 5 min later there was the big finish we missed......

Already comfy on the couch, wicked out there, should go out and get something accomplished but won't!

A/c repairman came, believes he's fixed the problem..heat system on and jammed..disconnected it so tomorrow will tell!

Susan, don't you feel just like a kid watching fireworks..if the Mosquitos are kin to those in my neck of the woods I can imagine you need a blood transfusion..they sure are out for blood!

I stepped off the grass to pavement to avoid some of the mosquitos, but They Followed Me!
not as nasty as those in Manitoba, but then it's not usually as wet as it has been this year, either.
Glad the A/C guy came by - you needed some relief!

Betty thank you kindly for your accolades on the Hosta's but I must admit that I fly by the seat of my pants and with help from V Ann as she has been very kind with sharing her seeds and her knowledge.

We could use some air conditioning here too as the heat has just shot up. We are still getting the rain too. And the mossies are the size of horses!

Alberta Ann

ABAnn - you're doing just fine with the hostas. We all have to start somewhere and we learn by experience as well as by sharing here and on other sites.

Am going to get out into the garden today as it will be mid-20s and not too humid. By Thursday they are calling for 37 BEFORE adding the humidex. Will be a good day to find some AC in a mall. We're trying not to use much AC in the daytime as we are on Smart Hydro billing - more expensive at peak hours. We keep it set around 27 (but may boost it a bit higher on Thursday) and at 7 pm start turning it down to 23 at which point we find we can sleep.

Shoosh .. am fed up to the teeth and beyond with the heat and humidity ..I feel I am true to my Smart Meter insofar as laundry and dishwasher, but, am willing to pay the penalty for the AC. We are again in the high to mid 30s and we now have smoke!! Hazy lazy days of summer ?

I went out and hooked up the soaker hose in the veg garden .. Gord is on a fishing tournie in Wisconsin (where the temps are even HIGHER) so .. I get to get my feet dirty for a couple of weeks, have been avoiding it, but, it HAS to be done .. the tomatoes are lookin mighty droopy.

Lorna has been out on the rider cutting our lawns for close to 3 hours .. she sure is tenacious, I'd have lasted a half hour and 15 minutes of that would have been complaining LoL

My Hosta seem to thrive on neglect .. must get at them today if I can .. not pushing ..

Off to switch soaker hoses

~M~

ah yes - hot and humid - will try to keep this in mind this winter during the blizzards lol
We're unpacking out storage shed of all the camping gear so we can head out on Friday am. All the empty boxes in the shed (we were holding onto them should we move) have been broken up and sent to recyling. Stuff in the porch now moved out to make room for the camping gear and then we'll put "porch stuff" into the shed..... do si do and round we go LOL When we're ready to go, the camping gear will go in the truck. Thehe porch will be EMPTY for the 1st time since Bob lost his job and brought the "stored stuff" from work back home!!!!!!
We have 2 camp fridges and two coolers that we need to air out. We were lucky enough to get a whole whack of freezer packs they were giving away at the lab last year, so we've got them in the freezer now.
Perhaps we'll head down to Montana during our "tripping" and I've called our camping buddies so see if they will meet us for a few days duing our week. That would be nice :-)

Guess we are all having the same kind of weather, crazy, yet hotter days to come! Best enjoy because you know what is coming..

Think I'm spending more time inside because if weather than I do in the winter..Lorna had best watch she doesn't get heat stroke.

Cannot believe how quickly grass is growing, must be due to humidity.
Have my grass cut Thursday's but will call and say 'no' to this week...much too hot to attempt it.

ViolaAnn, my youngest is traveling by kayak in your neck of the woods, he blogs some of his travels..quite impressed with the Rideau


http://2011summertrip.blogspot.com/

Betty .. Jeff and Julie seem to be having a good time ... feel bad she has a shoulder that 'acts up' .. the thoughts of me paddling anything right now makes me ill as my shoulders are so incredibly painful.
Anyway .. nice blog :-)

Susan .. do hope your camping trip to Montana is wonderful. It's a beautiful State .. BIG sky country :-)

Lorna LOVES the heat and humidity .. thrives on it .. I went outside a grand total of 5 times today to muck about with the soaker hoses, and I felt I would faint !! Plus .. the smoke (which never bothers me) is now making my eyes burn a bit .. can't imagine what those firefighters go through !!!
We have rec'd over 300 evacuees and 1000 more are expected who will be shared with other communities ..

RAIN is promised tonight .. but .. my computer says ... NOPE .. so .. we'll see who's wrong!

Off to finish my tea

~M~

We've reserved a campsite in Pincher Creek, Alberta, but may take a day trip to Montana's Glacier National Park. Not sure if we will, as most of the towns are 5-6 hours drive away, and we're not moving our campsite from Alberta, nor can we afford to stay in a hotel overnight........

We've been invited to come stay at a friend's overnight (they're 2 hours from Pincher Creek, and we met them first while camping there, last year - we've been to their home a couple of times).