Jul 20, 2021

Fire and Water

One of the pitfalls of having central air conditioning . . . it’s grey and dismal outside, and it’s nice and cool inside, so it’s easy to assume that it’s cool outside. So when you set foot out the front door the humidity hits you like a fist in the gut.

And here’s something new . . . I was sitting in my office yesterday and thought I smelled smoke. It was a little early, but probably one of the neighbours was burning garden detritus. But no, it was not. It was hazy all day and I later learned the haze was smoke from the fires in northern Ontario. Seriously?

It kind of boggles the mind that we could be so divided, weather-wise. The west (and apparently the north) is on fire and here in the southeast we’re drowning. We’ve had so much rain the hubby has had to take water out of both the pond and the pool a couple of times.

But while I might not be enjoying all this wet weather, the gardens sure have. Every gardener I know is amazed at how well their gardens are doing – how prolific the blossoms, how big and bushy the vegetables. This is the snow pea fence, the snow peas my neighbour plants along the fence so we can pick what comes through on our side.



The picture was taken last week, and already the snow peas are done. Because of the rain I wasn’t able to get out and pick them, and now they’re too big. All we can do is let them go to seed for next year.

This picture of my vegetable garden was taken last week as well.



Everything is even bigger now and I’ve already picked enough beans to last us a couple of weeks. Not only are the tomato plants covered in blossoms, I’ve got tomatoes forming. Who knew my neighbour (who generously planted the garden for me while I was in the hospital) gave me roma tomatoes as well as several other kinds? And tucked under the tomato plants are peppers, with actual peppers on them!

The valiant little cherry tomatoes the hubby likes to plant on the deck are starting to show fruit as well.



So if nothing else, we’ll be eating well on beans, peas (the kind you shell that are also growing on the fence), tomatoes, and peppers. That is provided I don’t mind harvesting in the rain.

How is your garden growing?

Jul 5, 2021

Double Happy Holiday!

Okay, so I’m a little late with Canada Day, which was Thursday, but Independence Day was only yesterday. There were a few fireworks Thursday night, not a lot, just a few, which was okay. But Saturday night the idiots behind us were setting off very loud, very bright fireworks at 1 a.m.! This is a quiet neighbourhood, and there are a lot of retired people and people with small children. There’s also a by-law making it illegal to set off fireworks after 11 p.m. I’m sure I’m not the only one who was annoyed by it.

I’ve been trying to get out at least once a day, but it’s not easy with the weather. While western Canada is so hot it caught fire, we’ve been pretty much grey and damp. On Friday we had a thunderstorm that lasted for hours – very unusual for us. The last couple of years our thunderstorms would be a couple of claps of thunder and that would be it.

The grandbaby graduated from senior kindergarten and in the fall she’ll be starting grade 1. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was changing her diapers.

At least I get to see her a bit more now. Things are opening up a bit in Ontario. We got together for a barbeque on Father’s Day, and she and Grappy had a swim in the pool. And I got to babysit her while her mother waiting in line at a pop-up clinic for her second COVID shot – the hubby and I got ours the day before at a different pop-up clinic.

And even if things get locked down again, the grandbaby won’t be too bored. Is it only a week ago? her parents took her for a drive to see a litter of kittens and let her pick one for her very own. Meet Spectre, or as he’s usually called, Spec:







That last picture is taken through the door to the daughter’s home office, where he stayed the first couple of days to keep him apart from the other animals until the vet can check him out. He’s a really mellow little guy, and really sociable. And really LOUD. He’s got the run of the house now.

I give it a week before he’s running the house. LOL