Lipstick and Shoes

Busy day taking Carm’s mom back to the city, and shoe & lipstick shopping – neither of which are favourite pastimes of Carm… so with husband and mother-in-law in tow we all lucked out at the first shoe store. A simple pair of white sandals that I may even be able to wear again (they look okayish with jeans on, a light colour dress pant would be good too). They should look great with the sequin dress. At the next stop I snagged some matching nail polish and lipstick that match beautifully with the sample of sequins that I had in my purse. I’m going to look like a girl (okay, not a girl, a fairly mature woman, but I can dream can’t I?). I’m ready now to dance away the night to celebrate Jennifer’s marriage!

We had a nice lunch at Carm’s mom’s place – she made us steak! and broccoli – it will just be a salad tonight for us…

Tomorrow we pack up for our third camping trip of the year – previous years we would be on our 6th or 7th – so much for the freedom of retirement. It will be really great to get away for a change of scenery – I think it will do both of us the world of good, but especially Carm.

I can, therefore I am.
Simone Weil

Healthy Meals? Not so much!

I guess it is time to come clean and post a diet update… I reached the -25 pound mark over a month ago but have since lost the motivation to keep at it. I am trying to keep with a healthy breakfast and lunch but suppers are where I’ve been falling down most (that and the odd snuck cookie). I get the odd healthy dinner cooked but lately there’s been pasta (with smoked salmon for omega 3’s – does that count as healthy?), hamburgers (I don’t want to waste the leftovers from our lunch on Sunday), and other such transgressions (cheese from St. Albert yesterday, tons of donuts when Carm’s dad was in the hospital, handfuls of cashews… oh my it looks bad when I write it down!). Regular exercise has also taken a hit – that I’ve got to get back to a.s.a.p.. The good news is that I’m maintaining a constant weight so I guess this is just practice for real life. In the fall we’ll get back to serious dieting and get that last 20 pounds off.

Today’s word of the day is amanuensis (uh-man-yuh-WEN-sis noun - : one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript). Writing from dictation is surely a skill that is difficult to acquire. I don’t imagine that there are as many people working as amanuensis as there were in the past – with desktop publishing most people must write their own prose rather than dictate it for someone else to type.

I saw this video on the internet today – yikes! Where ever it is we are NEVER going there!       http://www.wimp.com/zigzag/

 

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.
Salvador Dali

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Oh what a beautiful day… there is plenty of sunshine… what more can I say.

With the back deck mostly all done we finally have the swing out there to enjoy the mornings. It beats sitting at my computer all morning, but then how will I get my blog (partially) written? Problem easily solved! Bring my laptop onto the deck (which seems like a good idea, but it’s darn hard to see the screen, it might be better if I plugged it in).

Carm’s mom has settled in well – I think she’s looking well rested and relaxed – nothing like some peaceful country air to improve one’s countenance. The dogs love her – especially Bella who now thinks she has her own personal petter.

Today’s word of the day is hyperborean (hye-per-BOR-ee-un adjective - 1: of or relating to an extreme northern region : frozen ; 2: of or relating to any of the arctic peoples) but honestly, I don’t even want to think about anything frozen or arctic – in fact it is almost impossible to do so when I’m sitting on the back deck enjoying this day.

Carm got the camper washed so it is finally shiny white – if only we had of gotten it done before the rally! And the reward for all that work? A trip to St. Albert Cheese Factory for an ice cream cone and cheese curds. Now we are too full for supper! At this rate I’m not going to fit into my sequin dress by the wedding…

Family Fun Sunday

“There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.” – Alexander Woolcott

Today was such a day (not an unimportant one). Having Carm’s family gathered was a good thing (sorry Frank wasn’t here though). It was a fun afternoon with lots of eating – now I’m exhausted and full.

We have Carm’s mom staying with us for a few days. The poor dear has been shuttled from place to place every few days, giving her no time to settle in and feel like she’s home. It must be disruptive changing beds ever few days. She seems to love the dogs and Bella especially is thrilled to have someone who will pet and pet :-)

 

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. – Henry David Thoreau

Something We Get to Do

Think of every single thing that we 'have to' do to get through a day, as something that we 'get to' do... before our turn is over.
Everything is a gift.

Mike Dooley, Inspirational Author and Speaker

Today we were busy with house cleaning and food preparation for the lunch tomorrow with Carm’s family. The house was a mess cause we hadn’t had visitors for quite a while – that’s when it is most likely to get a good cleaning - so the something we “get” to do, rather that “have” to do was house cleaning … yeah (said with a tone of mild sarcasm)!

I was surprised this morning to see that I had a few new followers. Welcome to Merikay – she has a blog where she describes making pseudo big game trophy heads for the wall – I’d love something like that for the high triangle wall of the great room – maybe a poodle head, that would be a conversation starter ; John and Ellen who have a great blog with some fantastic photos as well as one that details their travels around the US ;  and finally Rick and Paulette who also have a blog – they live on Vancouver Island in BC but winter further south. I love how blog reading gives an insight to how others live and think – it opens up the world for me.

Today’s word of the day is pigeon-livered (PIJ-un-liv-erd adjective - : gentle, mild). I gotta tell you – the first thing I thought of (after scratching my head) was pate fois gras – I’ve never had it, and find the idea of it distasteful (force feeding geese). Perhaps pigeon liver is a milder version of it? Here we go with trying to use the word in a sentence … the delegation for the “Dump the Dump” committee is anything but pigeon-livered – they are actively getting the township residents on side by having “Dump the Dump” signs readily available.

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
Luther Burbank

All Fired Up–Its a New BBQ

Today we put together the new bbq – there were only two million parts and 100 pages of instructions… good news though… we were still talking to each other when it was all done. We christened it with some Italian sausages that we picked up at Costco – and washed it down with a cold beer – delicious but naughty.

One of the blogs I read is called “Cake Wreaks” – people send her photos of decorated gone wrong. Sometimes the decorations are weird (as in today’s post), sometimes it’s atrocious spelling, sometimes it’s all of the above. You have to laugh and wonder “what are people thinking” and “where did they go to school”?

Today’s word of the day is vituperate (vye-TOO-puh-rayt verb - 1: to abuse or censure severely or abusively ; 2: to use harsh condemnatory language). I tend to avoid movies and tv programs that are violent and use vituperate dialogue. It doesn’t make me feel happy.

A will finds a way.
Orison Swett Marden

Not a Shaggy-Dog Anymore

Today I did the job that leaves me itchy and prickly all over – clipping the poodles. Now they aren’t shaggy-dogs anymore - I even cut off their leg puffs. Being home all day (yeah retirement!) means they are outside so much more and thus spending time wading in the pond and just generally being dogs and getting dirty. I think (hope) a little less hair will help with the mess…

Speaking of which, today’s word of the day is shaggy-dog (shag-ee-DAWG adjective - : of, relating to, or being a long-drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an inconsequential happening that impresses the teller as humorous or interesting but the hearer as boring and pointless; also : of, relating to, or being a similar humorous story whose humour lies in the pointlessness or irrelevance of the punch line). Carm tells some pretty good jokes, but is also an expert at shaggy-dog’s. I don’t know if it is because I hear them over and over again but sometime… Some of our favourite TV shows have been shaggy-dog in their format – Corner Gas is one of these. It is a Canadian show that has its characters going through regular life, but it is a bit quirky and pointless and we find it funny.

I’m really getting the hang of making healthy soups – yesterday I made a minestrone that had: 4 stalks celery, 4 stalks bok choy, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 can white kidney beans, 1 cup dried lentils, bunch of thyme, 2 bay leaves and some chicken stock. After simmering for an hour I get out my trusty immersion blender and whiz it up a bit to make a thick broth – don’t make it smooth though. It was an easy and tasty “eat to live” soup – enough for 5 days of lunches (some goes right into the freezer for camping).

I keep forgetting to include pleasures in my post, which sort of means I’m forgetting to notice the small good things in life. For today: listening to the rain softly fall outside the bedroom window ; waking up to find Spike stretched out along side me – so cosy and warm ; getting the clipping done ; teaching Kabira to weave through me legs and having her go squirrely on me – she can be so crazy! ; re-heated soup – even better the day after it was cooked ; looking out at the deck – it doesn’t look like a giant job that needs being done anymore ; watching the dogs run around outside in their new “do” ;

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty out values all the utilities of the world.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Refection

Today’s word of the day is refection (rih-FEK-shun noun - 1: refreshment of mind, spirit, or body; especially : nourishment ; 2a : the taking of refreshment b : food and drink together : repast). We have invited Carm’s family over on Sunday for lunch – it will be time for both reflection and refection as we reminisce about their  father’s life and break bread together to reaffirm our connection with each other.

There will be 25 of us for lunch If everyone comes – yikes! I’ve started my planning with menu plans, grocery lists and to-do lists – I need these tools to keep me organized and on track. I use my Advanced Diary software to help – it has my life in it, including planning sheets that I can re-use to help me get started – I’m an IT girl all the way through!

Today we got a few more things done on the deck – including pressure washing the worst of it. It is slowly becoming presentable – nothing like company coming to motivate!

Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart.
Mort Walker

Deck Levelling

Yesterday afternoon we got out the tools and starting levelling the deck. Over the last few years the footings had settled and now it was all out of whack. Carm pried off a few deck boards, put the bottle jack underneath and  shimmed under the posts. It is not 100%, but a heck of a lot better.  Now there are a few boards  to replace and then the pressure washer comes out for a good cleaning. Finally, in a few days the patio furniture will come out of the basement. We’ll have our deck back – then it will really seem like summer.

Today we headed into town to visit Carm’s mom and help her out with a few things. We did some running around and then got her safely back at Joe’s place by 3:30 – time for us to start working our way out of town before rush hour. One of our grocery stops was Costco – I treated myself to a chocolate soft serve cone - YUM. Salad for supper tonight!

There have been a few weeks of busy days now – I could use a day just reading and puttering around.

Today’s word of the day is decry (dih-KRY verb - 1: to depreciate (as a coin) officially or publicly ; 2: to express strong disapproval of). Can I decry the lack  of camping? I’m pretty certain that all readers will decry my use of the word! I’m just not feeling that creative today…

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.
Mark Twain

Hey Hay Hey Hay

Tedding and then baling day today. Tedding is when they fluff the hay up into rows that the baler can then gather into squares. The fluffiness allows the grasses that were laying on the ground to dry as well. We have perfect drying weather, although it was starting to cloud over around 1pm. No rain though so the hay should be good.

Haying time was always laden with worry when we had horses . The sky would be checked often for signs of rain. We needed 3 good dry days to get the hay in safely – a bit of rain would make it dusty, a lot of rain and you risked mould and degradation of nutrition. Hay time is when I first started praying to the earth gods – I remember one time in particular that that the hay was cut and still lying in the field. We needed one more day for it to dry. There were thunder clouds to the north of us and thunder clouds to the south – I stood in the middle of the field and asked Mother Nature to spare us – she did – she left a strip just a few miles wide dry. We weren’t always so lucky.

The day the hay was baled was sure to be the hottest, most humid day of the summer. The first several years we had small bales, each of which had to be stacked by hand. First bales would be tossed to the ground from the wagon, then they’d have to be carried to the barn and then stacked. Carm and I did it ourselves a few times, but it was a pretty big job for two office workers. For a few years we hired some boys from the local group home, and then we had a friend and my sister help. Finally we went to large – 650lb square bales that would be stacked with a tractor. That left us with some heavy  work in the winter but in much more manageable chunks.

Today’s word of the day is ritzy (RIT-see adjective 1: being, characteristic of, or befitting a snob : snobbish ; 2: impressively or ostentatiously fancy or stylish : fashionable, posh). Carm’s niece Jennifer is getting married in a few weeks. Since Italian weddings are often quite ritzy I have decided to wear my coral sequin dress. I can finally fit into it again! I thought that would never happen :-) Anyway, it is an over-the-top shiny, sequiney dress that is this beautiful orange pink colour. Swish! But hopefully not too eye catching – I’m hoping that Jennifer’s friends will be  dressed to the 9’s!

Happy Father’s Day

Reprehensible (rep-rih-HEN-suh-bul adjective : worthy of or deserving blame or condemnation).  In the paths through life that we travel we rarely see any reprehensible behaviour. This wasn’t always the case for me, but I find it better to forgive (well, maybe) and forget than carry on remembering these events. I’m sure everyone has had contact with those of low moral character and perhaps it is these contacts that help shape us into better, more compassionate humans. How you might ask? I’m not sure, but surely something good has to come from these reprehensible encounters.

It was a beautiful sunny day again – but I feel discombobulated. Maybe because it’s Fathers Day and I know Carm must be feeling particularly blue, or maybe it is the week or two of disruption to my sleep patterns. I think I need to get out camping – where we walk for an hour or two everyday. That would help settle me.

Happy Father’s Day

Summertime Hay

This morning our neighbouring dairy farmer cut our hay field – I love the smell of freshly cut hay as it starts to dry in the summer sun. The only thing that makes it better is the sweet smell of horse manure mixed with it (honestly – that is the smell of summer to me). Today it was hot and sunny, the birds were flying around gathering food for their young, the dogs were hunting frogs by the pond, we were lazing in the pool, the smell of cut grass was in the air – truly summertime – or even possibly heaven.

 

I love the long, languid feeling of this version with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – it really evokes the feeling of a hot summer day.

It is time to get back to the Merriam Webster's word of the day. Unfortunately today’s word is one that was hard to incorporate into my blog post so I won’t – I’ll just add the word.

Temporize (TEM-puh-ryze verb 1: to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion ; 2: to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time).

Blogger has been screwed up for quite a while – I haven’t been able to leave comments on anybody’s pages. I don’t know what is wrong (others have been having the same problem) but it may be IE? I don’t have plans to move to a new browser anytime soon, but maybe I’ll have to rethink this.

I have been using Windows Live Writer to compose my posts which allows me to do so off-line. I really like this software.

This morning I caught sight of the kingfisher diving into the pond after some fish. They are such an unlikely looking bird with that huge head. I do love watching him though. The one bird we haven’t seen this year at the pond is the Great Blue Heron. The grass and weeds have grown up so thick between the house and the pond that it is difficult to see it. The horses used to do a fabulous job of keeping everything trimmed. The original riding mower!

I found a new website called Brainy Quote. It has a quote of the day that I have been reading lately. I love these thought provoking quotes as they cause me to think and ponder if only for a moment.

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
John Lubbock

Swallows Swooping

I love watching the barn swallows swoop and deke and dive – they are such incredible flyers. It seems that they are performing their aerial acrobatics for the pure joy of it. We always have a few families living in the barn which used to be interesting when their babies were in the nest. They would dive at my head as I went to and fro from the barn to do my chores. I’d wear a baseball cap so they wouldn’t get tangled in my hair! I didn’t mind though – their appetite for mosquitos gives them a free pass to the airways.

The dogs made their 3rd kill yesterday – we think it was Spike again as he had the body. I don’t know where they are finding these groundhogs – we hadn’t seen any around the house until they rooted out the first one. The tall grass is keeping them very close to home so these groundhogs have to be direct neighbours.

The peonies are almost finished their glorious display. We divided and moved some plants last fall so the mass of blossoms was even more luscious than before. I’m sure I’ve said it before but they are my favourite flower – they are so Rubenesque with their voluptuous petals.

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
James M. Barrie

 

What are my pleasures for the last few days? Well, today it was watching the swallows do their aerobatics ; smelling the peonies ;  watching Carm balance on the edge of the pool as he vacuums it ; waking up late ; Spike on the bed cuddling against my legs ; listening to Grace talk and chatter (and call for breakfast).

Pleasures for yesterday and the day before were harder to come by, but they were there – seeing my honey in a suit – he looked so handsome I could hardly take my eyes off him ; spending time with Carm’s family – I feel much closer to them after the last week ; seeing his relatives from Toronto – I like them but we never see them – out of sight out of mind I guess ; watching from behind as Carm held his arm around his uncle Joseph (his dad’s brother) – seeing the two of them sitting side by side was heart warming – Carm a bit taller and with his back straight and strong – his uncle shorter and more frail looking with slumped shoulders – he took the death of his brother very hard – if I was an artist I would paint it (alas they would be stick figures with my skills) .

Old Wild Men

I’ve been thinking a lot about mercy the past week and this song, with its refrain of mercy has been replaying itself in my mind, over and over again. I listened to this song first at Christmas in 1974. We were living in Winnipeg and for Christmas that year my parents got me a little cassette player and a few tapes to go along with it. The album was Sheet Music and I listened to it over and over again (the other one was a K-Tel compilation that I also almost wore out). I’m sure my parents were happy my bedroom was in the lower level of the house, away from the living areas! I had just turned 13 years old and was probably the only 13 year old in Winnipeg listening to 10cc!

“Old Wild Men” was one of my favourites, with its haunting melody and touching lyrics. I remember re-winding the tape and playing it over and over again, singing the chorus until I couldn’t sing anymore.

“Lord have Mercy upon the many, Lord have mercy upon the few, Lord have mercy on me and on you”

Looking back on it now, “Old Wild Men” was a pretty morose song for a 13 year old (it might explain a lot about why I am the way I am now!).

 

Where are my boys?
They are in deepest water
Where are they now?
They are over the hill and far away
But they are broken men who lie low
Waiting for miracles
Old men of rock and roll
Came bearing music
Where are they now?
They are over the hill and far away
But they're still gonna play guitars
On dead strings, and old drums
They'll play and play to pass the time
The old wild men
Old wild men
Old wild men, waiting for miracles
Lord have mercy upon the many
Lord have mercy upon the few
Lord have mercy upon the many
Lord have mercy on me and on you

Our Fathers Are Not Infallible

in·fal·li·ble

adj \(ˌ)in-ˈfa-lə-bəl\

1: incapable of error : unerring <an infallible memory>

2: not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint : certain <an infallible remedy>
3: incapable of error in defining doctrines touching faith or morals

As we grow up our fathers are there for us, they read us bedtime stories, they play games with us, they are our providers … our heroes. They are infallible in our eyes. It is such a shock when they are proven mortal. It seems impossible but yet it is…

Preghiera di San Francesco

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon:

where there is doubt, faith ;

where there is despair, hope

where there is darkness, light

where there is sadness, joy

O divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Il San Francesco preghiera per compassione
O Signore, fa’ di me uno strumento della tua Pace:
Dove è odio, fa’ ch’io porti l’Amore.
Dove è offesa, ch’io porti il Perdono.
Dove è dubbio, ch’io porti la Fede.
Dove è disperazione, ch’io porti la Speranza.
Dove è tristezza, ch’io porti la Gioia.
Dove sono le tenebre, ch’io porti la Luce.
O Maestro, fa’ ch’io non cerchi tanto:
Essere consolato, quanto consolare.
Essere compreso, quanto comprendere.
Essere amato,quanto amare.
Poiché sì è
Dando, che si riceve;
Perdonando che si è perdonati;
Morendo, che si risuscita a Vita Eterna.

 

Ciao

Visitation Today

 

Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.
Zhuangzi

Carm was away all day yesterday with his siblings to make the arrangements for the visitation and funeral. The church for the funeral is booked for Friday, so they have had to compress everything down to 2 days. The visitation today will be 7 hours in total – no breaks. I think everyone will be totally exhausted at the end of it – especially Carm’s mom – I’m a bit worried about her. The funeral is tomorrow morning at 10am. Everything seems so rushed… and final…

The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Mercy

The word “mercy” is foremost in my mind today as I contemplate Carm’s dad’s dying days. He is in a coma and seems unable to hear or see. Is it God’s mercy to have him linger so that family members can make their peace and come to an easier acceptance? Wouldn’t it be more merciful to him to hasten the end? Only God knows and decides.

These quotes don’t speak about the same mercy but they touched me nonetheless.

Without Mercy

Do not judge yourself harshly.
Without mercy for ourselves
we cannot love the world.

Buddha, 563-483 B.C. (The Enlightened One)

The Quality of Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
When mercy seasons justice.

William Shakespeare 1600

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope.

Winston Churchill

O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.

Anne Boleyn

The angel of mercy, the child of love, together had flown to the realms above.
Fanny Crosby

Fireflies Light the Way

I was surrounded by bright spots of flickering light as I walked down the dark laneway last night. Fairies with their lanterns lighting the way. We were heading back to the hospital to spend the night with Carm’s dad and welcomed the special magic to show us on our way.   Pa had a massive stroke on Wednesday night with fatal brain damage and is now in a coma - we are making sure that someone is with him at all times, just so he doesn’t feel alone.

I hope that the fireflies with their fairy lanterns are there to accompany Pa on his journey to heaven.

On an unrelated note, one of the good things about cancelling this weeks camping trip is that we are home for the peonies. The first few buds have blossomed, with many more to come. Peonies my favourite flower – I love the lush, sensuous, fragrant blooms.

More poppies were in blossom. These beauties show up in different locations every year as they self-seed. The usually grow on the gravel path around the garden, and of course we can’t risk damaging them so forgo the path.

 

Carm opened the pool the other day – we had hot, humid weather, but the opening of the pool assured a change to cool, cloudy…

The dog’s made their second kill on Wednesday. We think it was Spike as he was found chewing on the body. Yes, cute, fluffy, little Spike who was once an office worker is now a real dog. We feel a mixture of pride and revulsion. I don’t think there are any groundhogs left down by the barn as the dogs all run down there to check it out but quickly return to the house.

First Kill or Natural Born Killers

This morning the dogs made their first kill… a little groundhog that has been living around the barn with it’s mother. I’m not sorry to see it gone – they can be destructive (it had already made tunnels under the floor of the barn). The dogs are full of themselves and feeling very doggy and proud of themselves – they are not poodles but mighty wolves taking down fierce bears.

We were in the city today and I was struck by how lovely everything smells this time of the year – the flowers are so fragrant. After a visit with my parents, Carm dropped me off downtown and headed out to lunch with some work buddies. I had 45 minutes to burn until my doctor appointment so I grabbed some Korean food at a little dive. The food was good but the place was strangely empty.

Today's word of the day is banshee (BAN-shee noun - : a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die). Do you remember the Disney film called “Darby O'Gill and the Little People”? Like most of Disney’s old movies it was a charming story set in Ireland. A fun movie for the whole family. I miss the old Sunday night Disney hour.

RV Shopping?

Huh! Are we crazy or just insane… Spending all that time at the Titanium Rally has given us a case of twofootitis (or in this case threefootitis). There is a model that we have always liked – the 32e37SA which has 3 slides (we have one slide) and is a few feet longer. It would give us a bit more room for Grace’s cage, the dogs and us. Especially if we end up south for a few months.

We saw a few 32’s at the rally (thanks to those who let us tour), and then headed to Cornwall on Friday to see a used one – it had few options and did not appeal to us. Then yesterday we headed to a big RV sale put together by a whole bunch of dealers. We were particularly taken with the Bighorn’s – pretty lux with lots of room. The models we liked were another foot or two bigger than the 32 though. But the kitchens – wow! As you might guess they were worth a pretty penny – if only those speculative stocks would come in big!

Today's word of the day is pomaceous (poh-MAY-shus adjective - 1: of or relating to apples ; 2: resembling a pome). Our apple trees have finished blossoming and now the tiny buds of apples are forming. This is the time we should be spraying but honestly we are both too lazy and also environmentally aware (let’s go with this reason rather than the lazy one). The pomaceous areas of our property will remain pesticide free. Sure, some of the apples will have worms, but we have been able to harvest more than enough apples for us.

I’ve been forgetting about my pleasures lately – time to get back to it. The last few days has been filled with pleasures from the sweet fragrances and beautiful colours of the flowers in my garden ;

Having the dogs listen when I called them off a little groundhog that they had cornered. In the old days of Pan and Grizzle they would have made short work of it, but the current dogs are more curious than killer ; walking into our RV and still loving it (even if it is a bit “small”) ;

Last night - killing that last mosquito that had been keeping us awake – how can something so tiny cause such disruption? The mosquitos have been brutal lately ;

Helping Carm plant some Oak seedlings that he has grown from an acorn picked up at one of our favourite campgrounds.

 

A quote from Inspiration Peak:

We are perfect, not because we’ve reached a certain point in our lives, but because we are reaching.

Mike Dooley (Slightly Adapted) (Inspirational Author, Speaker and Friend)

Last Days at the Rally

The weather turned sunny and hot on Sunday going into Monday. It was just beautiful, and the walks that we took in the mud were now lovely dry walks with pretty vistas – everything looks nicer without a layer of mud and bagpipes.

There is a little used road at the back of the park that winds along the water – it is very pretty. Once the mud was gone we walked along here at least a few times a day.

Wednesday the wind came up, blowing awnings and dust everywhere. Same wind for Thursday which made for an uncomfortable drive home – that big RV is like a giant sail…

We made more acquaintances and got to know more people better. Being there for the whole week really helped. Lots of the people travel from rally to rally, so they know each other quite well. A lot of folks travel south for the winters, some to Florida and even more to Texas. It sounds intriguing – something we may try for a few months this next winter.

We didn’t get out and about as much as we thought, but we did find a very nice dog park less than 10 minutes away. The dogs are exhausted from lack of sleep, and perhaps even the exercise and heat.

The photo below is Carm on the phone to an RV dealer in Cornwall with a camper that we might be interested in – it’s a 32’ Titanium, so a few feet bigger, but with 3 slides instead of just the one. There would be more space for all of us which would help if we were away from home for an extended period of time.

It was bitter sweet to leave for home.

We did get home to a lovely display of water Irises that my Mom had given us years ago. They have naturalized themselves around the pond – very pretty.