enchantless

Our property is no longer enchanted, at least where ticks are involved :-(

With shorter and warmer winters the ticks have been slowly moving into the area - at Kirsten's, just an hour away, the ticks are thick and it's not a surprise to pick one off a dog even though they have tick protection. Here at home though… I've seen one in all our years of living here… until a few days ago… Carm got in from cutting the grass with a little bugger just latching onto his leg. I got it off him right away so no chance to spread Lyme (we hope), but I've got it saved in a bag just in case.

And now we are fully in tick land… we arrived at the Ti Rally just before 1pm yesterday after an uneventful drive. Even the 401 was okay with hardly any traffic. I stretched the preparations out over a week so there was no stressful last push, in fact, even the last minute fridge stuff was loaded on Wednesday so it was an easy morning with just the tires to check before we hitched up. Oh sure, there were little odds and sods, but there was enough time to relax with coffee and have a good breakfast.

The dogs were excited and a bit energetic on their leashes for the first walk around the lake loop, the second time out was better, this morning was great, and this afternoon in the heat was even better. However we didn't pass any other dogs this morning - that is our challenge with Lupa! She did stand around with another dog yesterday without making a fuss so I take that as a win! Neither dog has had any training or even leash work since last summer at Kirsten's and I don't feel that walking down their road is much of a challenge - there are rarely other dogs.

Of course it's great to be here after pretty much missing two years! The crowd has thinned noticably and there are only 2 titaniums so far - there used to be close to 40! Most people have traded in - some for class-B’s (easier for travelling), some for giant new trailers, and some for smaller more mobile units. The last year titaniums were built was 2010 (which is when ours was built) so they have pretty much aged out. Ours is still in pretty good shape but we do have some delamination (a leak in the wall) and it needs a really good cleaning. I hope it will be our villetta for many years yet!

We took a chance this morning and left the dogs locked in the bedroom while we ventured out for some retail therapy! Carm scored a nice summer shirt and another golf shirt. Oh, and some badly needed sandals. I got a totally unneeded bathing suit! Well, not totally unneeded 😉 I'll wear it on our November DR vacation! We might have to make one more trip to the outlet centre to check out the Laura store :-)

Last night everyone went to Raxx for ribs - I stayed behind as I wasn't sure about leaving the dogs just yet. Tonight I joined everyone at Raxx (again!) for their banger steak special! It seems to me that they have an excellent wing night on another night…. who knows, maybe all the food I packed will stay uneaten!

Awesome!

“getting here in one piece!”

“spending time in the villetta”

“visiting with everyone”

“a beautiful morning walk”

“giant flock of Canada Geese with dozens of little babies”

mornings

My mornings have started by stepping out the front door, into a virtual bowl of potpourie scented with lilac and honeysuckle. Some mornings I wander out with just a light sweater - this morning I put on my puffer coat! It's been blowing a gale for over 24 hours now! Yesterday though, I couldn't remember the last day that I had to put on a coat - how that can change in an instant! 

After a wander down the laneway to check out the apple blossoms (which are all gone now), I head back into the house for a coffee. I have been taking a detour to the back deck to check out all the little seedlings that we've planted.

I've been slowly dragging myself out of the pit I've been in… getting the garden planted and the deck outfitted with plants has given me a bit of a mental boost. Carm wrestled the plants from the living room and basement over a couple of days - some of those pots are big and heavy! The plants don’t look that great but a few weeks of real sunshine should perk them up. Last year I was pretty sure we should get new coleus, but all three plants made a miraculous recovery… I don't think that will happen this year so I'll keep my eyes open at the nursery!

Pat came for supper on Monday… she'll be back here for a week while we go to Kingston for the annual Ti Rally at the beginning of June. She'll take care of Grace and the plants. We've missed 2 years of the rally - 2024 because of my cancer surgery; in 2025 Mom was in the hospital. The dogs are out of practice being in social situations so it might be a bit challenging at times! I should be practicing ‘mat’ so they can sit outside with us without being a pain!

The trailer prep is going well but it seems as soon as I check something off my task list (hurrah for Google tasks), I add 2 more! Still, most of the work has been done… I did some cooking today, and there are a few odds and ends, but the important stuff is done. 

This morning I got up early so that I could get through the first part of my task list before my walk with June. So by 10:30 I'd made a rhubarb cake, airfried 3 blocks of tofu, made a giant pot of caramelised onions with red peppers & cherry tomatoes. When it started to ‘dry up’,  I tossed in some Thai basil and then put it in a few jars for the freezer. I'll be able to use it on pasta, with beans, or spread on naan for a pizza… After all of that I even managed to bath the dogs as well as a few other tasks! It was a busy day 😀 

The weather has been nice, but not particularly hot so pool use has been limited. We've been in a few times but it hasn't warmed up beyond 68F/20C… the other day when I went in it was 66F! That is a literal DIP, not swim! I did swim to the middle of the pool (not all the way across!), but then was out warming myself in the sun on my little deck chair.

Awesome!

“morning wander”

“lilacs”

“the grass is so green”

“fresh rhubarb”

“jars of rich tomato & peppers”

splash

Summer has been slowly creeping up on us… the other afternoon I was soaking in the tub and noticed for the first time this year the sun dappling through the leaves of the hawthorne tree just outside of the window. The greenish yellowish light brought on a ‘peaceful, easy feeling!’ I watched two bright yellow goldfinches flit around the purple cones of lilac flowers that brush up against the south window. It's weird though - I feel distanced from these sights as if it's happening on a screen and not real life.

And this afternoon, we had our first chilly dip into the pool for 2026 :-) The water was cold - just barely 68F/20C and very refreshing!

I've been dragging myself around mentally and physically for over a week now (or is it two weeks?)… every day is getting a bit easier, but I'm not running any marathons yet, nor am I even walking for an hour on the treadmill… I totally skipped 5 days last week and have now done a few 30 minute walks as I start to gear myself up. 

I think it's all a delayed jet lag reaction which triggered not only physical effects, but also my mood has been really crappy. I suppose it's the price that I have to pay for 8 fantastic nights in Rome! I think it's worth it!

Carm has been busy cutting grass and I've slowly been starting to get the camper ready for our trip to Kingston in a few weeks. I've only made the tiniest of starts but every little step is a step forward. When my brain is misbehaving, I find that I have to break down tasks into the smallest actions as anything else is just too overwhelming… 

Awesome!

“first swim of 2026!”