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

Omg. Forgot to say it was Jeff, not I who saw it..they were on their kayak when this happened

Be back to respond, must run to town

This message was edited Jul 25, 2011 6:32 PM

Poor Jeff and Julie .. must have been a real shock for them to witness something like that.

Betty, the Elvis wanna bes are handsome ^_^
We have a fellow from Thunder Bay who is quite good at it .. Dylan James ... I've never seen him do his act.

The Black Bear was back today .. i had pulled up the driveway, just ready to open the door when he peeked out from behind a shed at the back. I beeped on the horn, and he literally FLEW away ... had lots of yard work to accomplish yesterday, so, was armed with my cellphone and never went out towards the back forty.

WEEDING .. altho easier than shoveling snow .. I tend to dislike it .. I am NOT a spider fan !! The tomatoes are simply awesome this year .. no edible ones as of yet though .. cucumbers are getting there as are the peas, carrots and beets.
Have yet to find any BC cherries ..

Looks as though I'm up for a bit .. shoulders don't want to sleep like the rest of me does !!!

Have a terrific Tuesday

~M~

I'm up also. To keep you company "m".. Was almost asleep when Jeff called last night about his unsettling day and have been up down since..just read their daily blog, maybe now I'll doze off!

Maybe before someone gets hurt they should try and capture the bear, not good that you can't feel safe in your own backyard!

Got local corn on my way home last night, wasn't tasty..lots of yellow beans and cucumbers rare..almost bought cherries but the did not look fresh..

Best I try and grab some rest!

Not much happening here .. weather is beautiful .. some of that 'heat and humidity' stuff lined up for the holiday weekend.

Son and granddaughter were out for a visit .. Brooklyn will be 13 on the 29th .. I was a GOOD Gramma/Mom and held my tongue with regards to her choice of clothing ... call me a 'fuddy duddy but I do NOT think a young girl should be wearing what we used to call 'HOT PANTS' along with a bare midriff .. 'least said, easiest mended' ..
While they were here the bear wandered out .. took one look at the dogs in their compound (barking) and bugged off at a great rate !! Wish he would STAY gone !!

Hope everyone is enjoying the days of summer ^_^

~M~

bout a week ago I was deadheading some roses in hopes of getting more flowers.The ungrateful things attacked my leg.I bled like a stuffed pig all over the leg of my good yellow pants.I finally got it stopped and applied Polysporin and then some band-aids. All seemed to be OK. Then it started.....To make a long story.my ankle and foot are swollen and sore. My doctor is on holidays until August 15 so a trip to the after hours clinic tonight !! No ER for me after my last rather extended visit.Meantime I'm sitting in my lazyboy with my foot elevated and being waited on by my grand daughter.

"M" think you have a full time pet..the bear would not attack the dogs would they? Lordy, you are to be congratulated on keeping your thoughts to yourself on gd's attire, doubt I could do the same! See some of the girls around here and I think to myself how some might get wrong idea...we must be getting old.

Joy, are you back from the doctors..hopefully he's given you strong antibiotics! Are you easily infected? Guess the thorns dug deep

Cybercrone, I've seen those tomatoes, not sure of the name, are they sweet and seedless..not the burp less are they. Nothing more yummy than eating freak picked veggies and fruit! Your gardens have done well in this heat wave?

Mouth watering just thinking of the fruit you are munching on

Actually cool in the house..imagine thinking about finding a sweater..back on a warming trend tomorrow!

Off to read jeff/Julie's blog if they've posted then off to bed

Miserable day here, rained most of the morning a bit sunny early afternoon then another thunderstorm passed thru and another just a little w hile ago. Thunder does not bother Bailey ( deaf) or Abby ( maybe 1/2 deaf) unless it is directly obverhead but Sassy gets quite upset so I held her on my lap for a while.

I took Bailey to the vet this morning. He has what I can only - grossly - call ' a snotty nose'!!!
Mainly when he sneezes so I have to carry kleenex with me, like having a baby with a cold who does not know how to blow! Any way wondered if it was a sinus infection ( he was doing same thing this spring when his canine tooth was so badly infected) So he is on a good antibiotic for 15 days and then we will see.

So I thought Sassy had maybe lost a bit of weight and took her in just to weigh and turns out she has lost over 7 lbs since mid April. Not good since she was not overweight so I have to presume this is part of her cancer. I guess I will keep checking her weight every month.

Hope it does not rain tomorrow. The stump grinder guy is coming to deal with the stump and sucker roots of the Schubert Chokecherry we removed last week.

Carol .. Calgary has sure had some crummy weather this summer .. guess all you can do is hope for an 'Indian Summer' that is gorgeous and warm.
Sad re Sassy .. at least she isn't in pain ?

Cloudy here today .. and cool .. have 2 baskets of strawberries to deal with .. I think perhaps either a coffe cake or a pie should make a dent in them.

I would imagine Susan is still off camping ... wonder if they got to rise horses this year ?

Betty .. seems the bear is a bit afraid of the dogs .. and .. from what I have heard from other folks, the 2 species do not get along .. I would never let the dogs OUT to test that theory though !! I'm happy he bolts away when they start barking ..

Joy .. take care of that foot !! Dang thorns anyway ..

Off to read some recipes

~M~

Marilyn: Karelian Bear Dogs:
The Karelian Bear Dog (KBD) is a Finnish or Karelian breed of dog. In its home country, it is regarded as a national treasure. They will hunt any kind of animal. Bear and moose tests are conducted in Sweden and Finland to determine an individual's ability as a bear dog and weighs heavily in the dog’s breeding potential. This dog will put a bear to flight or attack it with great pugnacity and will sacrifice its own life for its master. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have also made it very popular for hunting other aggressive game, such as the wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt and offer protection against a bear that earned the breed its name.

( from Wikipedia)

Gord had a hunting buddy who had a KBD .. 'Jake' made them succcessful Moose hunters several times .. we had a Norwegian Elkhound. I preferred the Elkhound over the KBD .. they both have curly tails, but the Elkhound was a bit more handsome .. Gustav was a treasured pet .. still miss him.

So .. one strawberry coffee cake made .. and hopefully later this afternoon a strawberry rhubarb pie .. I saved 3 cups of rhubarb from the Elephant Ear plant.
Then the ages old dilemma will ensue .. 'WHERE do I put all this baking' .. doubtless I'll be sharing it ..

Going for a short walk around the property .. WITH the dogs LoL

~M~

Afternoon all, been a busy morning for me, but here I is..you won't believe this, actually thinking of going downstairs to Zellers in the mall here and get a light sweater..blooming cold in this new office..lol

Last night was the 1st time in weeks that I turned the a/c off, got into bed and the fan above my bed was giving off such a breeze that I got up and turned it off so the temps were much more enjoyable..we only got rain early morning the rest of the day was sunshine...was sunny when I came in this morning, hard to tell when your office window is looking inside a mall..everything looks sunny, rays coming in from the rood but have no idea what's happening in the real world.

Breakfast television is calling for an almost perfect long weekend..wonderful..going to spend time in the gardens..not sure why as it won't be many weeks before fall sets in.

Are you all eating your tomatoes/cucumbers yet??? even the garden centers don't seem to have quantities..perhaps after the 2 nights of rain it won't be long they will..

looking at the clock..40 minutes left before I get to eat..wonder what I can have just to take the edge off my hunger.

You know, I was so excited about my little travel trailer, got everything I needed and haven't gone anywhere, not even for a night..what a waste..hmmm maybe it means I'll take it south at Christmas time..

Carol, poor Sassy, is it a fast growing cancer? That's a lot of weight to lose in such a short time.
AHHH my Sailor girl sure gets upset when there is a storm, pitiful, no way of calming her down..one year she headed out, we found her miles/miles away from home, just running..don't let her out anymore!

Pass the strawberry cake "M" mouth watering here, having had lunch and I'm hungry!

Never heard of that breed of dog..agree with you "M", keep them and yourself inside..better be safe than sorry! What has Lorna been up to?

Joy, are you feeling any better this morning..

Susan must be having a good time, she and Bob sure did need a break..hope when she gets home she'll tell us they both got call for new jobs. wouldn't that be something!

Went to read Jeff/Julie's Kayak 2011 journal, Julie posted, had a bad day yesterday but nothing from Jeff..wonder if I should be worrying.

What do you all have planned for this long weekend...Kempenfest on the Bay in Barrie has about 400 vendors..always purchase metal garden art from one of the men..that's early Saturday, should be back around 1:00..think I just want to relax..now by relax that doesn't mean I'll just sit..
want to do a back deck floor cloth on the underside of linoleum..thought I might pick one up on my way home tonight, get it sealed so I can base coat and have fun designing one this weekend..that my kind of 'rest' lol

Joy ditto on the " are you back from the Doctors"?
"M" you are making my mouth water and encouraging me to look for pie!!
Sounds like you easterners will have some more comfortable temps for the weekend.

My sister was attacked last week by two " Bear Hunting breed" dogs as she walked down the road by her friends house in Montana. Making a long story short these dogs had been rescued and have slowly become more aggresive. She didn't get taken to the ground because a two ladies in a small car came at the frackus honking their horn. She has puncture wounds to her thigh and brusing from the bites. She said she had met these dogs previously and they had been happy tail waggers. Even the owner yelling didn't get them off the attack. They have been taken to a rehab facility for evaluation. It scared her big time and she said she was gratefull it was her and not the 84 yr old lady who walks past that home every day and that a car had come by.
It seems to be nice again here and the sun is nice to see. Another 20 ml's yesterday of liquid -----.
Only had to water in the G house and a few pots under trees this year.

Tomatoes have started to ripen and have had a few SunGolds to pop in my mouth but not a big yield yet.
Weekend should be very casual.
Alberta Ann

Alberta Ann

OMG, what a fright..something that even the owner could made them listen.. 84 year old likely would not have survived, she'd have a heart attach for sure!!! Thank goodness for the car horns..did she go to the hospital to be checked for rabbies, do they even make you go anymore..

Talk about mouth watering, salibating here, what I wouldn' give for an almost green tomatoe sandwhich.

You sure are getting your share of rain.

Let's hope no rain where Susan is..guess she'll be home by the weekend?

I took Bailey to the pet store today and got him a coat- it is fleece lined.

He is not impressed!

Betty, these guys had valid rabis shots as they were rescues and all vet stuff was up to date. She went to a nursing station?? and the wounds were flushed? They didn't want to stitch as puncture's need to drain. Anyway a week later when I saw them they looked angry but not infected. She is watching them closely.
Yes rain and more rain here.
Carol I can just imagine his discusted look to you. I remember when I tried booties on Cleo and she was very funny she picked her feet up like she was in a circus. He will get used to it and maybe even like it when it is wet or cold outside.
Alberta Ann

What a scare for your poor sister Ann .. punctures can be nasty simply because of the depth of the bite .. am hoping she keeps a close watch on the wounds .. good to know the dogs were up to date re shots.
I guess you can never second guess an animal when you are on or near their turf .. some breeds are very posessive of their property.

According to our 'wanna be TV meteorologist', Thunder Bay is headed back into the depths of a warm and humid front that will sit above us STATIONARY for a few DAYS !! AKkkkkkkkkk .. now, this may not all pan out .. we'll see.

Dogs and coats .. Lilly >> not a problem, pop it on and off we go, but, Piper .. grrrrrr .. catch me if you can, and, if you do .. you are gonna have your hands real FULL !!!! Have yet to get a jacket on him LoL

Off to watch the continuation of a movie we were watching last evening, 'The Green River Murders' .. nobody famous in it .. acting is so so .. but it's a good story.

Take care all

~M~

M I've never had to put either coats or booties on my shelties since they are double coated breeds and even in the coldest Calgary winters they are fine - I have seen them lying out on the snow on sunny -20 days!Not so much now they are older!

Neither Lilly nor Piper wear them in their enclosure in the winter, they're far too taken with rolling in snow. That said, if it gets frigid Ms Lilly will let us slip a jacket on her. piper is pretty much his 'own man' .. MY BODY, MY DECISION LoL.

Brilliant sun and encroaching humidity this morning .. have to go to town to do a few things. Lorna's parents 60th wedding anniversary was July 21st .. we arranged for congratulatory messages from the Premier, the Prime Minister, the Governor General and the Queen. All arrived in plenty of time, except the Queens, which arrived here yesterday. I must say it is beautiful ... will scan it before I pass it along (via UPS).

Hope everyone enjoys their day ^_^
I see there were some brutal storms around London ON

~M~

Morning all,
A rain day but who is complaining, softly falling and the gardens are saying 'thank you', storms perhaps later this evening and then a sunshine long weekend to follow..my thoughts is to work from home tomorrow so 4 days off..gardens need tending, Barrie Kempenfest Waterfront celebration with about 400 vendors going on so I will be attending early Saturday morning before the crowds come out..then I must have a project or two just to keep me busy!

Never had a coat for any of my pooches either, Sailor loves to roll in the snow, prior to that had a St. Bernard and a Akita. Bailey looks pretty spiffy in that new coat.

Now that I'm in the new office, my windows facing down into the mall I get to watch shoppers and look at shops..omg, I can't look to the front left..pet store, the kitties are just too adorable..yikes, almost wanted to take home a loppy eared rabbit.. sooo it's a must that I close my eyes as I pass by..of course the store has the entire front window set up as a play room and the kitties are jumping/rolling and with head bent when you watch they are saying..pick me/pick me..not good

What do you all have planned for the weekend, is it a long weekend for all?

Hokey Doodle, I do believe everyone in our fair city was 'out and about' today getting ready for the long weekend ..
Thunder Bay is hosting the (I think NATIONAL) HOG rally HOG= Harley Owners Group, as a result there are hundreds of motorcycles flitting about the city roadways .. a conservative guess has been an expectation of 3,000 bikers .. most of whom are over 50/60 years old and they just happen to like riding Harleys :-)
Lots of events planned re that venue.

The Italian community is holding their yearly 'Festa Italiana' .. food, drink, cultural events etc .. always a crush of folk there.

Not sure if we are doing anything but keeping cool .. temp today is already 35C.

Betty .. I would find being able to look down into a Mall to be way too distracting .. I am an AVID people watcher .. I can imagine it'll be so nice at Xmas though :-)
I also would think the kitty population in the house would increase as well LoL

Neighbours down the road who run a large Silviculture operation (they grow the trees that get planted in the forest) have family visiting from the Netherlands, so I know we'll be going to say hi .. wonderful people .. and am hoping some 'Oliebollen'(sp) has been made .. kind of like a donut .. yummy !!!

Off to play a couple of games of cards

TTFN

~M~

Dang me .. scanning documents is NOT my forte .. turn out WAY to big .. so .. I took a pic of the congratulatory letter from the Queen to Lorna's folks .. I am sure you may have seen someone else with one if they have celebrated a 60th (Diamond) anniversary. I'm surprised more people aren't aware of what is out there in so far as letters and documents celebrating milestone BDays, anniversaries etc.
Anyway .. here's the pic of the letter .. I think it is a wonderful pic of the Queen ^_^

~M~

Long weekends dont mean much to me anymore other than remembering that other people do have them and might be away!

Working at LH tomorrow and not much else planned.

Have been helping an ex neighbor do some planting in his new/old house, took over some shade plants t his morning and we got them in the ground and discussed what he could do with the old peonies and daylilies and what he could grow on the chain link fence which totally surrounds the back yard. He want to plant things that dont require a lot of care - I am still trying to persuade him not to put lily of the valley in one corner of the shady front bed. The other is full of goutweed which is fine as it cannot escape and looks nice. I took over some pulmonaria, Fleece flower for the back of this shady bed because it will spread nicely and lamium and creeping jenny for the front of the bed.

Next week my monthly visit to the cancer clinic.

Carol, bet you are not looking forward to that visit! The fleece flower, does it grow tall and white wide?

"M" that is probably one of the nicest plants I've seen of the Queen! Were you not considering coming here for their 60th..should do now that you have new wheels!

Betty:http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/3083

Couldn't open it Carol, mine is about 4' high and almost same wide..do the also call it goatsbeard?

No goatsbeard( Aruncus) is very large

The Polygonum is a shady ground cover, about 10-12 inches high with spikes of pink flowers., spreads easily by root.

Morning all, torrential down pour with thunder/lightning..my plan for the day, working from home was to work in the gardens, long extension cord lol but no can do..poor Sailor girlmis jus frantic..once I settle her down it will be a trip to Home Depot for linoleum, I can work on a linoleum floor cloth for back deck!

Going to check the plant, sounds lovely..

What do you have planned for today?

Poor Sailor .. hope she is more settles now .. I now know what 'Storm Jitters' are because of Piper .. not nice ..

RAIN!! Need it here bouts, but, not a chance .. very high temps for the next few days.

I meet with one of the nursing profs from our University today. I have been asked to mentor 2 students once again this year .. my last 2 have graduated and are working, one locally and one in Kingston.
I'm still not 100% sure I want to do this again .. it's a 'catch 22' .. some days are so fullfilling .. the student all of a sudden 'sees the light' and is over whatever stumbling block was keeping them back .. 60% of the time it has been establishing an IV line .. their first couple of tries have been tough patients, and they become afarid to do it .. as I said, after a couple of good starts, they are off to the races.
Gonna have to have a BIG THINK on this.

My Fleece plants THRIVE on neglect LoL .. they really are a wonderful addition in an area where growing may be a bit difficult.

Off n running

~M~

Whoa .. another scorcher here .. but .. LOW humidity.

Saturday = laundry day now, so, I best get at it.

Enjoy your weekend ^_^

~M~

Morning all, as usual much to do on a long weekend, although it's wonderful for all those out and about to have sunshine but the humidity is too much.

Saturday I was at Kempenfest on the Bay, thousands of people, luckily I got there, walked and bought what I wanted and quickly got out of there..too hot to brave the crowds..can't understand why people insist in this heat/humidity to bring their dogs..poor things!

I managed to buy 3 more pieces of garden art..big flows, one opening, a daisy and the other a bud..of course I like the rusted look, by next spring they will be as I wants the...that being said they were shinny as can be, just these two days of humidity and my watering them has already stated the resting process.

They had a lovely metal chandelier for use with does, had to have that for my secret garden..few pieces for swaps I'm in and I was happy to leave with my treasures.

Early Friday morning I was at home depot to purchase a 6' x8' linoleum so I could paint for back deck floormat..pused 4 of the large tables in craft room together so I can paint it..although I've the dehumidifier on it's still humid and the painting process is taking forever, paint just won't dry

I worked a bit in the gardens but got to tell you much too humid to be out there for any amount of time. Kyle was over yesterday afternoon, cleaned my car like a pro, one would almost think I had it detailed...he sure is special to this grandma, so took him out for supper and a movie.

As it sit here this morning and look out at front gardens I'd love to get out and clean spent flowers but know I'll not do it..more painting I guess..

Have to pack a bag, off to Chicago Thursday!

Hope you've all had an enjoyable long weekend doing something that brought a smile or two

Better get a move on or I'll never get off this couch..just soooo comfy

we're baaaack!! Lovely weather! Thoroughly enjoyed our time camping and will post pictures...

have to go unpack, so will be on later.

Welcome back Susan .. good to hear you had a great time ^_^

Betty .. your metal pieces sound wonderful .. can imagine the humidity is going to speed along their rusting process.

We are in ANOTHER heat wave here .. much needed rain might arrive tonight .. but I am not getting my hopes up that's for sure.

Has been a busy weekend, tomorrow back to running about .

Take care all

~M~

Thank you, Marilyn :-)

Pretty quiet weekend with nice weather. On Friday ex-neighbor and I went out tree shopping and I came home with an 10 foot Amur Cherry.( He has a truck so that is why I co-opted him for the trip!) He g ot a rose and a couple of Virginia Creepers.
Worked at LH on Saturday, busy day and having a bad day with my hip so did not enjoy that but Sunday and today were almost pain free. am beginning to think it is the drug I am taking that is causing this. Will discuss with oncoolgist tomorrow- a regular checkup.
Did nothing much on Sunday, today Brent( ex neighbor) came over and dug the hole to plant the tree. I could not have done that myself! Now I have to replant the perennials I took out when the old tree was removed.
Also met and got paperwork done for a senior sheltie we are accepting for an emergency fostering - owner has left an abusive situation so ASR is looking after the dog until she gets settled. A nice old fellow- 13 years!

Hope your physicians visit was a good one Carol, and, that your hip has stopped giving you grief.
Also fingers crossed that the new Sheltie rescue is able to get back to his owner when things get set straight.

We had 1.5" of rain yesterday..what a blessing for the parched gardens ... things have again 'come alive'.
Dug a hill of potatoes on Saturday, and the potatoes were wonderful. Peas are filling out and should be ready maybe today or tomorrow for a first picking.

Other than that we are all keeping busy with 'summer stuff' :-)

Take care

~M~

Morning all, lovely light rain most of the night, humid, thank goodness for a/c and de-humidifier..it's that kind of day where the sky is heavy and dark and you know that it will be. Rain off and on all day...like you say, gardens sure are enjoying it..means to watering for me!

Decided to work from home today, not sure you can call it work I'm here taking calls regardless.Paul is on 2 weeks holidays, Suzanne taking a few days as Paul interrupted her holidays several times last week sooo very quiet!

Besides, I leave for Chicago tomorrow afternoon for 4 days..one of the dg members I gab with is having a reunion so decided to go..this will be my 3rd year in a row I'll have visited her ..next year my place!!!

Must go out into the gardens and see how my metal art is doing..been working on a floormat for back deck, got the last coats of finish on it, would love to set it out but too damp, rather let it cure one more day.

Carol, how did you make out at the doctors? Was he able to provide you with answers? I also am hoping things will somehow come together and the sheltie can go home.

"M" Wish I could have a feed of your fresh veggies..perhaps nect year I'll find a little corner somewhere and do one....yikes, torrential downpour going on here

Doc agrees problem may be caused by meds as it is a known side-effect, curious that it is only affecting one leg though. Anyway changing my meds to Tamoxifen for 3 months to see what happens. I was on Tamoxifen for 5 years after breast surgery so it is 3 years from time it was discontinued to reoccurence of the cancer last Dec. We will see! Life carries on!

Carol - yes,life goes on, but I hope things improve for you soon.

Sure hoping meds out, been raining heavily these past few hours, tempting to close my eyes and have a rest except I'm working from home and might not hear the telephone ring!

Feel guilty from working from home when others are in the office

Phone working