Still here

 Still alive, not much to say.

Will check in tomorrow.

Summer

Summer and it will feel like it today, hot and humid, we need a good rain, everything is so dry.  Our newspaper reports the monthly average precipitation for the current month and the actual for the month of June, we have not had even half of the average and only a few days left in the month.   The ground is as hard as cement, grass is turning brown and the garden is so dry I have given up on even doing anything about the weeds.  The established perennial plants seem to be doing OK without any intervention of hose pipe water.   Having just mentioned no rain, we are expected to have thunderstorms tomorrow, we shall wait and see.

Thursday night I attended my quilting guild annual pot luck dinner meeting, this was the last meeting until we resume in September.   I had a lovely time.   This year the host, she has a beautiful garden and lawns, so some of us, including me played Bocce (sp?) and corn bag toss, not sure what the proper name of it, however, the object of the game is to toss three bags full of corn or beans into holes of wood several feet away, getting points depending on which hole your bag went into.   I expected to be stiff and sore yesterday, but no, so must be more limber than I thought.  

The pot luck dinner was so good, appetizers, salads of several kinds, BBQ chicken breasts,  different kinds of breads and rolls, two rhubarb desserts, I love rhubarb, so I had to sample both.   Juices, tea and coffee, finished a delicious meal.   

We had a short meeting after dinner and some visiting, a nice evening as the weather and the bugs co-operated.  

My GD "K" needed to get her passport for a trip to a conference on July 7th, long lines and I mean LONG lines of people are waiting for hours, sometimes days to get a passport, so I was worried she would not get hers in time for travelling.  She was able to get an appointment on Thursday, waited 2 hours and she can pick up her passport next week.   

Hubby is now sticking to his diabetic diet, however, in my opinion he is loosing too much weight too fast.  He was not overweight to begin with so now, looking a bit too thin.   I am eating the same things as he does, so I am losing a bit of extra poundage too, however, I can afford to shed a bit of fat.

Laundry currently swishing around in the washer, some housework is on the agenda for today, then this afternoon I am in my sewing studio for a few hours. 

Dinner tonight pork chop, veg and salad, dessert jelly with fruit or maybe a chocolate mousse.

Steamy

Well! it is now Summer folks and the weather is hot, hot, hot and humid.  On the weekend it was 8*C when we woke, down right chilly to say the least.  Now a few days later just the opposite.   The A/C is on so we are comfortable.   

Back in 1954 my parents, sister and I arrived in Canada in mid June.  In July sometime, I don't remember the date, we moved to a farm in the country.  The house I believe had not been lived in for a little while, so no updated renovations had taken place.  Not even electricity or running water were in the house when we moved in, however, the power was installed very quickly.  The water, however, was still in  the well and brought in by a pail.  

Now, you must remember we came from England,  back then as a child I don't remember hot days, so being here in Canada in the Summer was a new experience.   Our bodies were not use to the heat and humidity.  We would swim in the creek to cool off, however, due to the heat and sun with little rain, it did not take long for the creek to become a paddling pool.  A paddling pool with a swishy muddy bottom, the water warm and obviously not very refreshing.   

A/C back then was a screen in the windows, they  had a wooden frame with a wire screen that allowed air to come in and keep the bugs out.  The screen could be adjusted to fit any window by sliding the two parts either in or out to fit tight against the window frame.  They we not very big in height, I would think less than ten inches, not much air moves in that small space.   The screen door helped with the air circulation and keeping the bugs out.  It was a wooden door, and banged every time it closed as it slammed against the frame when the spring would contract.  You wore just enough clothes to cover the parts that needed to be covered, but you were still hot not just in "heat hot" but it sure made tempers hot too.   Sleep was normally not a restful one.  

You prayed for a storm with some rain to cool things down for a short period of time, eventually it came with a vengeance.   My Mother hated thunder and lightning, she never said why, however, I suspect to remaindered her of the bombs during WW1.  She hated them even more when all three of the houses she lived in, in Canada, were struck by lightning.   

So, as I sit in my air conditioned house, I think back on those days when the heat was almost unbearable with nowhere to go  to escape it, and be thankful I can be comfortable now.

Summer, also bring out nature's light show, and the fireflies were performing last night around the garden beds  and bushes in our back garden.   When my children were small they would catch them in a jar just to watch them up close and then set them free.

Well, I should get thinking about something to have for dinner.

So, stay cool or warm no matter where you are or what you are doing today.

Hold on to your hat

 It was so windy all day yesterday and into the night and again today, and down right cold compared to the 42*C temps we were having just a few short days ago.

Laundry, housework, sewing and watered the hanging baskets, they dry out so fast during the windy conditions we are having.  We did not sit out for our lunch today, even though where we sit was sheltered from the wind and on the south side of the house.  Even put long leggings back on , as the capri's did not keep my legs warm enough.  I know, complain, complain,  six months we will doing that again due to the really cold weather.

Hope my readers enjoyed my hay making memories,  I will have to have something else to uncover another memory and let you know a bit more about me.   

Tomorrow is Father's day here in Canada, and the city in which I use to live in has started again to have a car show, which were not held for the past two years.  We are planning on going with Hubby's old convertible, however, if it is as cool as it is today, I think we might just give it a pass.  Nothing for uncomfortable that sitting under a shade tree with the wind blowing, our old bones don't like it at all.

I took a new saddle of flowers to my Mum and Dad's grave a couple of weeks ago, as they are quite a long drive away from me,  I will not be going to visit again until later in the year.

Dinner tonight was mashed cauliflower, roast beef and brussel sprouts, with fruit in jelly for dessert.

Pleasant

 What a difference a day makes.

The heat and humidity yesterday was unbearable, even a brief shower did nothing but make the humidity even worse.  It hung in the air like a blanket, heavy and smothering.   Some areas received more rain and thunderstorms than us, but did not hear of any major damage done.  The air today is crisp and clear, a brisk breeze blowing in the kitchen window, so refreshing.   I am thankful for the A/C on days such as yesterday and days previous, but give me a nice natural breeze anytime.

I did some sewing yesterday, got a couple of quilt blocks taken care of for our potluck dinner meeting next week.  I put my name down for a salad so should get busy deciding what to take.   This will be our last meeting until September, so many people are on vacation during July and August, so not much sense having a meeting with very few being able to attend.   We might end up having a sewing day at least once during the Summer.   

We went for a ride in the convertible on Wednesday evening because it was so hot.   We usually go down roads that have little traffic, which of course, is in farming country.   With the top down you can smell all of the perfumes, some nice and others, well, there is no description for the smell of manure from  the cow barns and chicken farms.  We went past fields of freshly curing hay, I love the smell of hay in the evening, with just a touch of dew starting to gather on top of the neatly placed rows in the field.  It brings back memories of living on a farm for my first 16 years.   I remember being in the fields when loose hay was lifted with a fork onto a wagon with racks on the front and back to keep it all in place, and then being perched on top for the ride to the barn.   Then bales were introduced to farmers and my sister's and my job was to roll the bales (too heavy for us to lift) into groups of four or five as  they were dropped by the baling machine so it was easier for them to be picked up, with less stopping and starting at each bale.  It was a hot job, so we were dressed appropriately in shorts, however, when the day was done and it was bath time .....ouch, ouch.    The hay stalks were sharp and dry, so would scratch or lightly go into the skin, so when the warm water touched your legs and arms it stung.   Oh! the memories of the good old days.    We thought haying was painful but, the grain and straw, well that's another story for another day.

Tonight's dinner, salmon, mushrooms and a garden salad. Not sure what is for dessert, some kind of fruit sounds as if it might be good.

Have a great day.

Whew

 We are currently living in an oven, or at least it feels like it, due to the heat and humidity we are having at the present time.  Yesterday the temp went up to 34*C in the shade and it felt more like the low 40's*C very uncomfortable.  We are thankful for the A/C on days like this.  As I am writing this we have just had a shower, if the sun comes out now, it will feel like steam bath.  Some serious weather is forecast as a cold front starts in flow into our area later today, keeping fingers crossed it is not too serious.

Needless to say not much work has been going on around here for the last few days, just the basics and no more.  

Hubby has the plans and all of the wood cut for the shed for his daughter, now she has decided it is too big for the area where she wants to put it.   Trying to make adjustments for what she now wants throws all of the angles off, so not sure what the next plan is.  

Over the past week or more we have been taking his sugar readings and finally it appears as if we might have them under control, however, as a result of that he is losing weight, which he does not need to do, so we are between a rock and a hard place, keeping the carbs to a level appropriate for the diabetes and weight loss.   He does have a Dr. appointment next week, so hope he can sort it out.

Here comes the sun!!

I am going to be in my sewing studio for the afternoon, have not done much in there for a few days, so in need of some sewing therapy.

Dinner tonight is a chicken stir fry, the recipe called for shrimp, but they were so expensive there are still in th store.   Dessert is a diet mousse, which I made yesterday, so an easy meal tonight.

Cheers, have a great day, if you are ill I hope you are feeling better soon, hot! stay cool, cold! stay warm.

Steamy

It is going to be hot and humid for the next couple of days, a heat warning is in place in this area.   Not much is going to be done outside, I have lots of things to keep me busy, so no worries about something to do.

Took my car in for a repair on the front driver steering section, it has a name but, it means nothing to me.  I have complete confidence in the garage where I take it, so don't worry too much about the technical words and descriptions of mechanical things.  It should be completed this afternoon, and some more of those $'s will fly out of my purse.   The repair is a lot cheaper than buying another car, so will continue to do minor repairs like this until it becomes a major issue that would cost thousands.  Then a decision will have to be made.

 Groceries bought this morning,  a number of products we normally buy were on special today, so stocked up on those.   We did not buy any fruit this trip as last week we cut down on the fruit we were eating and we decided that was where some of the additional sugar for Hubby was coming from.  I find it difficult to prepare a balanced meal for him, as he definitely does not need to lose any weight, but needs to eat the proper things for his calcium and sugar.   The book I used for my late husband was for both overweight and diabetic individuals, so not really appropriate now.  Hubby has an appointment with the Dr. next week for a couple of issues so hopefully we can come up with a solution.

Almost lunch time, so should get moving.

Have a great day.

Quiet Sunday

Not much on the agenda today, although Hubby is currently outside pulling the weeds from underneath the hedge, then it is done for awhile until they grow back again.

I did a lot of odd jobs yesterday, laundry, cleaned out the humidifier for the Summer, done some gardening, went for a walk and read some of my library book.   Did not have to prepare dinner, as we were invited to a B-day dinner for his GD.

Dinner...... we were asked to arrive at 6:00 p.m.  we were going to eat under the gazebo.  Sound nice doesn't it.   Gazebo half up, half still in the box, so we sat in the open on lawn chairs, done it before so not an inconvenience.  Appetizer, spinach and ham  encased in a ring of crescent dinner rolls and baked, not bad at all.    6:30 p.m. it was decided the tables needed to cleaned,  washed with the garden hose.     Time to cook dinner for nine people, burgers on the BBQ.,  bottle of mustard, one small tomato sliced and a small red onion sliced.  Quite tasty, can't do much to spoil a burger.   One each     Do you want a drink,? options coke, root beer, ginger ale, I drink none of those, I opted for a glass of ice water with lemon, please.   Coffee mug of water delivered shortly.   B-day cake, I will have a small piece, please,  thank you, as I was given a dinner plate, where's the cake,  Oh! right, I asked for a small piece. 

It is now cooling down, no... getting cold,  as we had been forecast rain, clouds were gathering and the wind getting up.   Still we sat, B-day girl opened some gifts, its getting COLD, so time to call it a day.

I am thankful we were invited, don't get me wrong, it's just.....well not my way of  doing things.  I was taught to do things right or not do them at all.  Different strokes for different folks.

We did gat rain overnight, cloudy still with the occasional ray of sun getting through, so maybe we are not done with the rain.   Forecast is for a heat wave mid week.

Have a great day,

I can see clearly now

 Yep,  I can see out of the windows in our living room as they got the vinegar, water and cornstarch treatment to clean them.  I don't use commercial cleaners on my windows they always make it streaky.  This home made cleaner works well, I found it on the web, so a  good job done.  All the other windows in the house I can't reach, so a job for Hubby.  I use to be able to do the kitchen one by climbing on the counter and the sink,  can't do that anymore.  That window along with several others in the house open inwards, to clean them which is a blessing, as they are almost impossible to clean from the outside.  Plus the bug screen makes it even more difficult.

We had a big thunderstorm last night after dinner, with more rain and some high winds, today is nice and bright sunshine which has a bit of warmth in it.  My kind of day.

Not much on the agenda today, can't believe it is Friday again.   

Hubby is currently getting our lunch so will call it a day for now, maybe back later, might be a bit busy.   

Have a great day 

 

Rain

 We are getting our share of rain these past few days, and the forecast is predicting more in the days to come.   The garden is looking quite good with the nice long drinks it is getting, however, the weeds like it too, as does the grass which will need it's haircut when the ground is drier.  It is cold this morning, only 12*C when we got up and the wind is also coming from the north which makes the air feel colder, an inside day for me unless the sun comes out and it warms up somewhat.

That's all for the weather report today, on with the news.

Not much happening on the estate today. 

Hubby is currently at an appointment to get new glasses, he has been waiting for the frames with the clip on sunglasses in come into the optician's.   It's been a long wait, due to supply and shipping issues. Late this afternoon he goes for his regular monthly visit to the chiropractor.   

Sometime ago he was diagnosed with the onset of diabetes, I have mentioned this previously, he has been taking his A1C reading for the past few days and not happy with the readings, so we are in the process of changing our eating habits.  It's difficult for someone who is not overweight and active who ate whatever in the portions he wanted.   A big learning curve, I still remember a lot of the things from my late husband who had very serious diabetes, however, I am sure things has changed since then.

The fluffies are still flying fast and furious from the tree across the street, we can't do anything outside without them getting on our face and in our hair. 

We are invited to Hubby's granddaughter's birthday dinner on Saturday,  "dinner" is really not a word to describe the previous dinners we have had there.   Really can't seem to find a word to describe the meal, so will leave it at that.   GD was 14 years old earlier this week, she is on the Autism spectrum, and going into secondary school in September, again in a special class.

Well, I should do a bit of dusting, we have had the windows open and the pollen has been coming in and settled on the surfaces close to the windows.  It is a good thing, neither one of us is allergic to this kind of thing.  Even our cars change to a yellow colour due to the pollen, thank goodness for the rain washing it all off.

So with that, I am off down the yellow brick road of dusting.

Have a great day.

Blue skies smiling at me

We have a lovely sunny day, not too warm, no wind and no humidity, perfect, if they could all be like today  I would be happy.   However, we are forecast some rain overnight, which is just fine with me.

Have no idea what I am going to do today, not much really needs to be done, except prep for dinner, and I have no idea what we are going to have, so should put my thinking cap on.

There is always some housework, pulling weeds in the garden, going for my walk, sewing, reading, give myself a manicure or just doing absolutely nothing.  Maybe I should do a little of each one of the things listed, that should fill my day.

Also, need to call the garage to make an appointment for a small repair on my car and also call my sister to see how she is doing.

I don't see much spare time if I get to all those things.

The fluffy bits are still coming off the tree, we had hoped the rain was going to put a stop to it but, it didn't.

Well, no much to say today, so have a great day, must tackle the list above.

Nothing doing

 Overnight we had an inch and a half of rain, and showers forecast throughout the day, so all outside work has halted for the moment.  Too wet to garden, our soil has a lot of clay in it, so it sticks to shoes and tools, it has cooled down somewhat too, so not a pleasant day to be working outside.  I am sure to find something to do inside, housework, reading, sewing and preparing lunch and dinner, sounds as if I am going to be busy. No!  not busy as I will pick and choose what I want to do.

Groceries bought this morning, the bill was quite high as we got multiples of the specials.  It took a little longer than usual as we were reading the labels, Hubby has decided he should pay more attention to his eating habits, and it won't hurt me to follow his lead.  He does not need to lose weight, just eat the proper food in the portions that he is allowed.  Two days done and we are doing better than I had expected, hoping we don't slip off the healthy eating bandwagon in the future.

Yesterday, I sent an e-mail regarding a magazine subscription, which stated my fist issue will start with the January 1970 copy.  What????  A reply e-mail was in my box this morning, they corrected the mistake, it will start with the July/Auguest issue.

Registered for the Masters next year, fingers crossed.

Lunch time, have a great day.

Monday....again

 That weekend went by very quickly, however, have very little to show for it.  

We both slept in a little bit yesterday, due to some early mornings previously, the rest of the day was very lazy for us.  Hubby is having issues with his feet, not sure why  and therefore we don't know how to treat it, it could mean a trip to see the Dr. if it does not improve.

I watched the pageant on Youtube yesterday, as it was not on TV, skipped through some of it, as it seemed to be moving slowly.  Prince Louis, enjoyed himself watching it all, sitting all that time for a youngster is quite difficult, however, he did very well.

Cooler yesterday with a brief afternoon shower, more rain is expected this afternoon and tomorrow, should be a couple of good days to do some sewing and also start reading the two books I have.  I used to do a lot of reading when I was living alone, have not done any for quite a while, life got in the way.   Now, age is telling me I should do a bit more, so that is on my agenda during the Summer months when it is just too hot to do much of anything else.

Should get myself moving by going to get the mail,  won't misplace the key this time.

Have a great day.

Well rested

 Had a great sleep after two short nights, well short for me, now feel ready to start a new day.  

The sun is shining and the sky is a beautiful blue this morning, however, it is only 13*C at 10:00 a.m.  Back to the normal temps for this time of the year, which suits me just fine.

Going to make a trip to the garden centre sometime today, the hummingbird feeder I have leaks, so time for a new one.  Also going to the back to get some cash, Hubby's granddaughter's birthday is this weekend, and then will also stop at the library,  want to get back into reading again this Summer.

My youngest granddaughter C is having her 20th birthday tomorrow, Mum and Dad and her sister will be getting together for dinner in Ottawa to celebrate.   C is now back in college after 6 days at home due to the storm taking out the electricity two weeks ago.  She goes up flying almost every day and loving it. Granddaughter K has just received her key to her apartment a couple of days ago, so I am sure they will all lend a hand in getting her settled.   K is into politics at the present time due to the recent election, the candidate she worked for, won in his riding so I am sure she is very happy about that. 

There is some colour starting to show in the garden.

Yellow Iris, clematis, bird bath rock garden just outside the back door and one of the many pansy's, which is now see has some of the petal missing.  

Well, time for me to move on, have a wonderful day.

It looks like snow

No... not the weather kind but the seeds from a poplar tree.  The one across the street from has long strings of fuzzy white stuff, very much like dandelions but, 20 times as bad.  When the sun gets high enough in the air it heats up the fuzz and it falls, then get caught in the breeze and blown over to us.   It only started today, and usually before it's all finished, there are piles of the fuzz everywhere, so thick in places it can be swept up.  

Morning came early again for me this morning, up to see the service from the UK.  Unfortunately, the Queen was not able to attend after all of the activities from yesterday.  Hoping she is well enough for the concert tomorrow night.  I will be watching it.

I have an uncomfortable feeling, now she has reached this milestone, introduced to her great granddaughter Lillibet, had all or almost all of her family attending the festivities,  she will be in declining health.  I hope I am wrong.  Many times you hear of people fighting for their life until a certain date or seeing family, then finally giving up.

We collect our mail from a module of mail boxes down the street from us and we need  a key to open our slot.  I collected the mail yesterday, and went to retrieve the key today to get the mail.   The key was not in it's usual place, where is it, what did I do with it.  I looked everywhere several times, no luck.   It upset me, as I could not remember the sequence of things I did after getting the mail.  I know I walk down the street and back again, wander through the garden in the front and sometimes in the back, so searched. No luck.  One last ditch effort and I walked in the back garden again and finally found it.  Felt a lot better.  But still upset about the memory thing, then I realized I do this on a daily basis and it becomes a routine and never think or remember if you did or didn't.  The key is now on a lanyard around my neck when I get the mail.

Spoke to me sister today, she is feeling a little better, but still can't do anything.

Early night for me tonight.

Only in Canada

Yesterday morning, shorts and the coolest top I could find was the apparel of the day, when I went for my walk after dinner, cold weather gear was changed into.   We had an afternoon thunderstorm with rain which was the forefront of a cold system coming into the area.  This morning it is considerably cooler.

Today, I got up at 5:00 A.M. to watch the Trooping of the colour from the UK.  Tomorrow, will be a 5:30 A.M. alarm set, so I can see the church service.   The time difference sure does make an early morning, I can see an early bedtime tonight.

 Today, is also election day here too, so will go an cast my vote sometime today.  Don't know if will do any good but, if the candidate of vote for does not get in, at least I know I voted.   People who do the most complaining are the ones who do not do their duty to vote.   The news a couple of days ago reported a very low percentage of eligible voters actually do cast a ballot. 

Well, I should get moving or I will end up having a Nana nap.