Oh the Mess That Is My Front Yard

Leonard and his trusty trencher get down to business.

One of the unpleasant and costly surprises that came with the GG Farm property was that the electrical setup wasn't safe or right, as we discovered over the past winter when a breaker went off and all the meat in the deep freeze thawed out. According to my old classmate Leonard, a main breaker was a necessity, which meant trenching from the power pole across the front lawn to the house. The job was done in a matter of hours, as Leonard somehow managed to put us up high on his list of priorities and get to us in a matter of days from the time the decision was made to go ahead.

Kate, a reader from the northeastern US, commented several days ago about workmen and the unwelcome sight of their buttcracks. So from the safety of my kitchen window I snapped this photo for her sake. The gentleman has gone the extra mile to avoid the buttcrack exposé by wearing suspenders and tucking in his long shirt, but alas it has not helped.

And here is the aftermath. It ain't pretty. All those rocks were dug up from underground. I found a few flat ones to use in the garden, should I decide to make a footpath. And I can't say as I miss the electrical wire that was strung from the power pole, across the lawn, to the top of the porch. Visually it's an improvement. It's coming up with the $2000 to pay for it that hurts.

On the Rooftop

Some of our wondrous wetland.

Devon thought the view from the roof was worth a photo, so up he went. They'd finished shingling one side of the roof by 4 o'clock and were tearing shingles off the other side at 6 this morning. No complaints from me! I am thrilled that it's getting done.

I was less thrilled to see our electrician friend arrive with two of his workers and a digging machine, and start trenching from the power pole in the outer yard to the house. Thank goodness they're nowhere near my garden, which is mostly in the back yard.

Time to get back to work; it's the first chance I've had to sit down since breakfast this morning. Tomato sauce is bubbling away on top of the stove and hungry boys will be here in an hour. They'll be hot and sweaty and won't eat the half of what I make. But leftovers are always better, don't you think?

Horny Ranch

The sign says "Morley's Horny Ranch."

I did a double take when we drove past it on the way to Yorkton, and determined to get a photo on the way back. Unfortunately, we were running late to get to Scott's chiropractor appointment and it was raining, so there was no stopping. Fastened to the top of the sign are several sets of deer antlers.

Scott has a good number of Pilsner beer t-shirts, which came for free in boxes of Pil. Good beer, if I who know nada about beer may say so. However, since Pilsner is no longer Saskatchewan-owned, my beer-swilling spouse now buys only Great Western, which is Saskatchewan-owned. We like to support our local businesses; it's a Saskatchewan tradition.

The fellas are shingling the roof today and I have my fingers crossed that Scott will also get a chance to put in the new, larger dining room window. I doubt it, but you never know. However, he's moved the kitchen table out of his way so I know the new window is imminent. I am more excited by that than anything.

The news today is sad. The remains of a child found in Ontario yesterday are confirmed to be eight-year-old Tori Stafford. I knew she was probably dead, but since there was no body there was still a glimmer of hope, even though the kidnappers claimed to have killed her. It's beyond understanding.

The Kittenfish

Two of the cats (Ralph and Michu) keep cool on top of the doghouse, beneath the lilacs.

From moist heat to grey wind, here in Saskatchewan we are experiencing our usual unpredictable weather.

I went to bed, thrilled that as I lay there I could see the stars through my window. At about 3 a.m. the wind started blowing and tore a chunk of tarpaper loose from the wall outside the bedroom. That frigging thing pounded on the wall all night, as if a man with two hammers was standing out there trying to make my life miserable. I, always lazy, tried to sleep through the noise. Instead I was awake half the night, until about 6 a.m. when I finally found the gumption to get dressed, search for the staple gun, go outside and climb a ladder. It took all of two minutes before I was able to return indoors, chuck off my clothing, crawl under the covers again and sleep till about 8:30, when real men with hammers started beating on the other side of the house.

I'm told they got the porch reshingled this morning. I came over here at 9 a.m. to do last night's kitchen cleanup (it was too hot and muggy after supper), drive to town for a couple cheap toasters and a few more groceries to make lunch with, and to work. And now, I must wash the dishes after the noon meal, and then go over there and see how the hollyhocks are standing up to this wind. I got some of them staked up last night, so can rest easier.

See? The bad hair, the yapping ... I am a lousy photo subject. Shelly was thirsty and waiting for rain.

Manservants

Two of my manservants on the roof of the porch.

The other one was on the ground, presumably doing the sawing, when I went out to inspect their progress. I was unable to get any of them to work without their shirts on. Hmph. Good help is hard to come by these days.

In the past week they have put a new beam under the porch and jacked the thing up. Even I can see the difference between how the porch sits now and how crooked it was before.

Here the other outlaw, Devon, and Scott's nephew Quintin are insulating and putting soffit up. It was pretty hot yesterday so they were all beat by the time they called it quits.

Today the farmerboys are moving the bulls out to the three different pastures with the cows, so the burly beasts can do their duty. There is talk of continuing to work on the house this afternoon after a trip to Kelvington to visit the grandmothers and haul construction materials (picked up yesterday by the outlaw Walter because the lumber yard isn't open Sundays) home. We shall see. There's some wind today so conditions might be slightly better for lifting and pounding.

Mermaid

When I was at Shelly's I took pictures, as you've seen, around her house and yard. She wanted to take a few of her own. Her son Greg had hauled rocks and built a gorgeous rock garden/pond just off the back deck, and photos of that would be essential.

One of my great ideas was to get a legless photo so that it would look like there was a mermaid lounging on the rocks. Alas, no one's buying a mermaid wearing bluejeans and with short hair. Also, since I am always yapping or making faces (according to Shelly; who but good old friends will say these things to you and get away with it?), I rarely look half-decent in a photo. Thus you're seeing the back side of me.

Unfortunately the light wasn't right to do the rock garden justice, so this is all you get.

Construction Zone

The birch laminate flooring that will eventually go into the kitchen, dining room and hallway.

I've Never Ridden in One of These

Mustabin a vintage car show in the area, or Ken Jones was just out for a drive down Main Street.

It is f-f-f-freezing here today.
The wind yesterday blew down a caragana branch at GG Farm, and branches of a maple tree back at the old place.
But my hollyhocks are still standing, out in the garden. Go, flowers!
I should be baking in this weather, but I am too lazy. I mean, I'm working, and baking takes me away from it when I have to measure, mix and then clean up afterward. To hell with food; who needs it. Besides, it's begun to bore me.

Mountains of Saskatchewan

Who says Saskatchewan doesn't have mountains? See those white ones in the distance?

The dogs and I walked on the road north of our place one evening last week. There are fewer trees along the edges of the fields in that direction, so one can see for miles. I should be able to tell you what is growing in this photo, and probably could if I could see the field again, close up. But otherwise I'd be guessing. Might be wheat, rye, canola, barley, oats ... all common crops in this area. I'll need to take a second look.

We've had the rain we need; next we have heat on order. It's cool and grey today though and the forecast is for another inch of moisture. Scott and Devon got new insulation and soffits up on a gable end of the house yesterday; two sides done, two to go. I ended up missing the Re-mains concert because it was necessary to take a stronger pill and relax so that it could do its job. I was able to putz in the garden a bit but drive anywhere or sit in company, no, it couldn't be done—not when nausea is hovering above one's consciousness. I was on my feet again in time to make a bare-bones supper for the hungry workers but that was the extent of my accomplishments for the day. I'm not moving too quickly today either.

The three cats that we took over to the new place spend almost all their time hunting in the long grass outside the farmyard. The two young ones, which were skinny, now walk towards you with their bellies bulging. The rodent population must be taking a beating. One night the pup, Chloe, had a dead mouse in her mouth and played with it for hours, tossing it into the air and chewing on it. We figure one of the cats must have left it for her so that she'd stop trying to play with them, for a change.

Three bulls were unloaded into the pasture a couple weeks ago and when Chloe caught sight of them for the first time, she took off at full bore in the opposite direction. She made it to the front step and then sat there craning her neck, pretty worried. Scott's got names for all three of them: Bennet, Knut, and Eugene. He may find them friendly pets, but their presence keeps me out of the pasture. I only go as far as leaning on the fence to chat with them when they're up by the barn.

Visiting the Grandmothers

The evening light as we left town about 8:30.

We went to see our grandmothers yesterday and when we came home Scott wasn't feeling well, so wanted me to spend the night here, which I did. Thus I am still in my pyjamas and have been eating puffed wheat cake, which I'll blame for the headache I'm starting to get, though I did have oatmeal for breakfast. I made a double batch of puffed wheat cake, which is disappearing fast.

It's been cold and rainy for several days, thus cold at the other house, since the new oil tank was leaking and so the furnace has also been shut off. Imagine needing the furnace in July! Ridiculous.

There is a house concert this afternoon, The Re-mains, from Australia. If this headache doesn't go the other way I'll have to miss this one as I did the last one, and Don (the super organizer) will have my head. Apparently it's warmed up outside, at least that will make it pleasant if we're outside. This one is at someone's farm.

Before seeing our grandmothers, Scott was getting a headache because he needed to eat, so, because no nearby restaurant was open, we nipped into a bakery to see if they'd serve a small meal. The kitchen was closed but we noticed the clerk's tight orange blouse had a couple buttons open and a boob was exposed. We left and looked at each other and I said, "I wonder if I should tell her or if she'd just be mortified." If I was in her place I'd want to be told, so I decided to go back, buy coffee and a muffin, and I'd try to let her know without drawing attention from the three men at two tables who obviously hadn't informed her of the state of her blouse, though Scott was certain they would have noticed and appreciated it.

Scott got the coffees while I paid for them and the muffin and caught her eye, pointed surreptitiously to the front of my shirt, and then to hers. She looked down, gave a horrified gasp, and ran into the back to fix it. When she came out, redfaced, she thanked me for telling her and hoped the buttons hadn't been open for too long! I told her that at least her flesh looked good and she had nothing to be embarrassed about. When wearing this new blouse in future, she said, she'd know enough to put a couple pins in it.
























We also went to the local furniture store and ordered a set of microfibre-covered stuff: couch, loveseat, recliner. The set contains five reclining seats, so when all three of our boys are home there will be one for each of us if we want to watch a movie together. The display set in the store was a light almost-white beige, but we ordered a darker set, a sage green, from the catalogue. Scott figures the living room walls are too light so we need something dark for contrast, and I let him have his way as he may well be right and I am, believe it or not, not that fussy as long as the upholstery is solid and not patterned, and not leather, which I find too cold to sit on and never really do like the look of. We decided against the sectional containing the hide-a-bed we'd been considering, because our options for changing things around in the living room would have been severely limited with a hunk of furniture that size. Although, Scott said, in his opinion furniture is meant to be put in one place and left there. Hee! It must drive him nuts, living with me. What am I saying; I know it does. The number and variety of my shoe pairs alone make his head spin 360 degrees.

Me and Miss Helen

An evening with Helen in St. Albert.

While I'm showing off my dearest friends, here's another photo taken during my trip to Alberta.

I've written about Helen before. When my former husband and I moved to the small francophone village of Legal (pronounced leGAL), just a half-hour north of St. Albert (a small city bordering the northwest edge of Edmonton), we were soon fortunate enough to strike up a conversation from the back yard of our new home, with a lovely couple strolling down the alley one evening. That was Helen and her husband, Joe, who lived two doors down.

To my young children, they became Auntie Helen and Uncle Joe. They were there whenever we needed them and, as Helen likes to say, their door was "always open." Joe was a handyman carpenter who could build and fix anything, and since the boys' dad was a city boy who didn't know the right side of a hammer (sorry Gord! you have many other fine qualities!), we called on Joe pretty often. He built a small ramp to make it easier for Emil to get into the front door with his walker, which he used outdoors in winter. He built dividers for our kitchen drawers. He rigged up a system of lights for me to plant my seedlings in the basement in early spring. He built a shelf for the window above the kitchen sink, for my houseplants. Oh, he spoiled me. Even said once that if I got a little bit of land in the bush, he'd build me a cabin. I mean it: spoiled!

Joe's gone on to that great workshop in the sky, but Helen is looking better than ever and spoils me just as well as Joe ever did, in her own way. We have lots of laughs together.

***

Gotta bolt. Another batch of bread dough is sitting on the counter waiting to be shaped into loaves ... got busy writing and forgot about it.

My Dear Dear Dear Dear Dear Dear Friend

Catherine the Beautiful, inside and out.

We were just leaving her place in Saskatoon, both of us in the driver's seat of our vehicles, when we pulled up together at a red light. It reminded me of a time many many years ago in Regina, when she'd been a passenger in my olive green Toyota Corona and we'd stopped behind another vehicle waiting at a light. A young gentleman slowing to a stop alongside us was staring so admiringly at Cathy, his head swiveled our way, that he bumped into the rear of the car in front of him. There was no damage, but the man looked pretty embarrassed.

Cathy and I have known each other for more than 35 years. Whoa. We went from neighbours in the girls' dormitory at Luther College high school in Regina, to roommates in two small apartments in Saskatoon, and then never shared a dwelling again but she has always made me welcome in her home. I even have my own key.

One of our few disagreements— this was in our younger and more silly days— was over the correct way to cut up leftover boiled potatoes for frying. Our mothers each had a different method. We chuckle over it now, but I read in a book that this is the exact argument that monks sharing quarters often have in the kitchen. Imagine that.

Our little spats never lasted long because one of us —probably Cathy, the more sensible of we two— would simply open her arms to the other, and any hard feelings would disappear. That simple act has been an important lesson to me and I thank her for it: we can get past a good number of our problems with others if we drop our attack stances and defences and allow ourselves to be vulnerable and approachable instead. We don't have to be tough and hard, and actually, I don't think any of us really are. We just pretend to be.

Good Grub

Fresh oatmeal bread for supper.

Yes indeedy. Hot buttered crust, and a soft inside slice with strawberry jam that He Whose Name Must Not Be Mentioned made in foods class at school. Delicious. I took this photo to send my boy, to tease him, because he loves the homemade bread so and won't be getting any till he gets home at the end of the month.

I like the aspect of middle age that has reduced my appetite. An orange was my dessert. 'Course, I'd been sitting on my ass most of the day, maybe that explains it.
Still, I eat more at a sitting than either of my girlfriends Shelly or Cathy. Can't imagine how those two stay alive. I feel positively gluttonish when sharing a meal with one or the other of those birds.

But geez, what's with my neck in the picture? That must be the side of my hand. Just sayin' -- I haven't turned into a monster yet.
And I am getting really grey! Or silver. But I like that all right, too.

We got plenty of rain. The garden is soaked. I wore my little red rubber boots to hand-weed in it this morning.

It's time to get back to work.

Fart Saskatchewan

The water tower at Fort Saskatchewan.





















On the way to Shelly's the boys and I drive through Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. I make a point of calling it "Fart" Saskatchewan, for Emil's amusement.
He'll giggle and say, "Not Fart Saskatchewan. Fort Saskatchewan."
I'll reply, "That's what I said: Fart Saskatchewan."
He'll giggle again, and on it goes.

Email:
Dear Boychiks,
1. Got a couple strawberries from patch the day I arrived home, and every day since. Delicious! Merci to the weeder-man. Ate two with my granola this morning.
2. Chloe chewing and digging up flowers. Brat.
3. Met a kid from your math class, Everett. Shane Something? He got a recommend in it too.
4. Doing the turd tour. Casper left a nice pile right by the passenger door near the maple tree, for when I was unloading grocery bags. I need to believe she and Muttsky will figure it out eventually.
5. Doing the trash tour. Someone said buy chew toys and your puppy will learn to play with those and not your flowers, trees, etc. So I bought two today. A ball that holds water and a bone-ish thing with a treat in it. She was thrilled.
Another person advised me to tire the pup out by playing with her, walking with her, etc.
Thought I had more to say but can't think of it now.
Oh! I knew there was a reason I sat down to write. I ordered satellite internet today and we'll get it sometime in August. Woo hoo, eh?
Mom

***

We've got a light rain today so I am putting a batch of oatmeal bread together and washing my clothes next door (at the inlaws') and intend to get started my work a.s.a.p.

God Always Gets Ya

Had to make a run to the chiropractor this morning for Scott's back.

I always tell him, when he has pain of any sort, that God is getting him for something or other he's done wrong. It's BS of course, but I say it anyway.

All the poor lad did this time was push a lawnmower whose handle was about a foot shorter than it should have been for someone his height. He's paying, bigtime. Suffering considerably. Wailing, gnashing his teeth, whining. You know what men are like when they don't feel well.

I'm joking (well, sorta). I feel sorry for him. Back pain is something that keeps you from getting comfortable, even to sleep. My personal experiences of it have been rare and long ago, but I remember them well. It wasn't pretty.

In the van, I listened to a talking book (The Lie) in front of the building for an hour-and-a-half before walking to a yard three blocks away where a gentleman, presumably retired, builds and sells willow lawn furniture, flower planters, birdhouses, etc. Will have to have a second look next week, when I drive Scott for another appointment if he still needs it.

We stopped in Margo for lunch on the way home, as there'd been a voice message that brother Buttski would be travelling through from Edmonton. But we missed him; he'd been and gone, apparently with Bruce and Shirley. (That's my uncle and aunt, for those of you who aren't from home. I nicknamed my brother Cameroni Bumboni and taught my kids to call him Uncle Bum. Which he claims to hate, particularly in crowded restaurants where single women might be within earshot.)

And now, since my morning and half the afternoon's been spent roaring down the highway, I had best go earn some moolah.

Shelly's World

Shelly's zinnia.


Shelly's landscaping:
























Shelly's slave... er, I mean husband. (who needs a cabana boy when you've got beefcake at home?)



Shelly's pad:






And last but not least, Shelly!

Think I'll Go Out to Alberta

Weather's fine there ... etc (thank you Ian and Sylvia)

Got the boys to Shelly's, north of Edmonton, and their dad picked them up. The next day she and I took a tour of the local sights (actually a reconnaissance for free perennials left behind by a greenthumb who moved; highly successful) and in the evening we went to see my old neighbour and friend Helen in the city. We spent the following morning in coffee and chat, and then I headed for home again.

It was an eight-hour drive each way, smoothed by listening to John Grisham's novels: The Firm, The Client, and A Time to Kill. Before the last leg of the journey I stopped and spent one short night with Cathy in Saskatoon. With luck I'll be seeing her again in a couple weeks when we go back into the city to meet with friends coming out from Kelowna.

Finally it feels like summer. There's heat and at least a hint of rain. Mom's roses have begun to bloom.

Luscious Lovely Lilacs

If you have no lilacs outside your door, I pity you. Poor baby.

I've got your share. There are two long rows of mature bushes lining the lawn and garden and one single fancy lilac tree next to the back door. The yard is fragrant with them right now, such that I have difficulty tearing myself away when it's time to go to the office. The blooms won't last long. Thank goodness the evenings have been warm enough to open up all the windows and breathe deeply.

This year I didn't get sweetpeas planted. They are another of my favourites so I hope I am able to pick a few in bloom from someone else's patch. They smell divine.

The boys are getting their laundry done in preparation for packing. We'll be heading for Edmonton within the next day or two and they'll spend the month of July with their dad.

Work in Progress

Boys sure know how to make a mess.

They have to keep an eye out for their hammers though, because Puppycakes gets bored with no one to play with.

See that scaffold? It's not very high, but if I had to climb up on it I'd break out in a sweat, and if I had to work on it I'd work with one hand only, as the other hand would be hanging onto something for dear life.

Yesterday Scott and Devon put in a long day and were at it again early this morning. They've got good weather for it— sunshine with breeze, so it's not too hot.

When Devon first came down from the north (Flin Flon area) where they don't have woodticks (yet; we never had them here 40 years ago either), he did quite a bit of that little jig that my sister Joan was doing when she visited. Now he's used to it and takes it in stride; probably because the ticks don't seem to like him anyway. Lucky b__t__d.

Emil is shaving so he can be ready to go with me to the house concert in town this afternoon at three o'clock. I'm going to do some work on the computer and a little kitchen cleanup (neverending) and start a chicken cooking before we leave, so the men will have something ready for supper.

He Who Must Not Be Mentioned on My Blog figures it's time he bought a razor, since his chin is covered with peachfuzz. Cute.

Re-roofing Begins

He looks so sexy when he's working.

What am I talking about...he's always working. And I do find him sexy. (More than you wanted to know, sisters-in-law?)

This morning Scott and Devon started preparing the roof for shingling. They were tearing off the eaves or something when I made a mad dash for Wynyard to pick up a part, before the John Deere dealership closed at noon, for the riding mower.

Was worried I might not make it in time when a local RCMP officer stopped me just north of town to advise detouring around the main street, where the annual country fair parade had just begun. I took the long way through residential streets to the other side of town, and passed groups of people sitting on the grass or parked in lawnchairs in their front yards, waiting for the parade to come by. I waved and smiled royally as I sailed on by.

First Rain, Now Heat - Everything is Growing

We've got bloomage!

I'm about to visit Marilou at her greenhouse down the road and see if she has any portulaca left. The hail pretty much tore mine all up and I doubt it will come back. But I love the bright colours of portulaca and must have some in my garden.

This little one is growing like a weed.

Doesn't she have a pretty face? I don't think she's going to be a small dog either, judging by her paws. Here Chloe lies in the dirt hole left by the back step when it was dragged away from the house. I don't know why the ladder is there because we just use the front door now.

Cute Calves, Damn Mosquitoes

Cute little jiggers, these twin calves.

It's June 25th, Emil informs me. His teacher and I had a meeting at the school this afternoon and she admits she uses him for a calendar whenever possible, as do I. He's also very handy at telling me how old any of my nieces, nephews, sisters, brother, uncles, aunts or various other people are turning on their birthdays.

His teacher, the best in the west, tells me that when Emil's not at school it's noticed, because he fills up a room. Probably because he's so busy talking to people. Mr Social Butterfly, that boy.

We're getting some heat. The nights, when not windy and cool, are mild and fragrant. Evening-scented stock blooms in the garden outside my window, and the lilac trees have cast their intoxicating aroma upon the warm breezes today. It was hard to tear myself away to come over here to work this morning.

Don't ask me about the mosquitoes. You do not want to know. Little bastards. We're still picking half a dozen ticks off the dogs every day and I'm counting the weeks till tick season supposedly ends. But the mosquitoes— they're even swarming in the middle of a hot, windy day.

Yesterday a female yellow warbler was killed when it slammed into the picture window. Its mate will be doing double time to feed babies, now. An upset and anxious duck woke me at 4 a.m. and was still sqwawking several hours later; something must have been hunting near its nest. That's no surprise, as the cats we took over to the new place after I got the puppy are already fattening up visibly. We feed them dry food of course, but they appear to take their hunting seriously. I hope it's the rodents they're cleaning up on, and not the birds.

Too bad they don't eat mosquitoes.

Emil, age 21

#1 Son at age 21, with his "Grandpa Benson haircut" for summer.

Emil says "I'm 21. I'm an adult now."

Drywall Boy

Scott, having a little refreshment.

I was in town this afternoon for a massage (my turn to be spoiled) and afterward spotted Devon, my fellow "outlaw" (our sweethearts are brother and sister), coming out of the liquor store. So after picking up groceries at the Co-op store I stopped in where the boys are working.

"A ha!" I exclaimed, walking into the house, "so this is what you guys really do all day!"

I stayed long enough to have one beer with them—my limit before driving, and even at that I wonder if I should be getting behind the wheel— and came to the house to deliver the shopping bags and whip up a pot of chili. They were going back to work when I left at nearly 6:00 so they'll be ravenous when they get here.

***

I recently read The Lincolns, Portrait of a Marriage and have rambled on about it at the Stubblejumpers webpage if you're interested. Link at right.

Northern Lights Frame

Waiting for the northern lights to appear.

I know, I know ... I have to wait for night. This window in the living room faces north and when the northern lights come a-calling, guess who's gonna get a headsup and will know it's time to get outside? Moi! I can hardly wait. Been too long since I've seen the aurora borealis.

This row of mature caragana trees divides the front lawn from the driveway. Right now they are in bloom and buzzing with giant bees, and visited by large yellow butterflies with black borders on their wings.

The lilacs are thinking of blooming, because if they don't get a move on, my flower garden will outshine them. Since the rain, I can almost hear the perennials singing; can almost see them growing. They are as happy as can be. My columbines, a variety of colours, have burst into elegant display across the wide arc of garden, and the oriental poppies, bright orange, have begun to open up one at a time. The painted daisies may be dancing about, by the time I get home this afternoon.

Norwegian Whist

An evening's entertainment at the nursing home in Kelvington.

Grandma, on the far left, is playing Norwegian whist with her girlhood friend, Esther, next to her. The lady in the pink sweater is an observer, as was I.

Esther said that it used to be common to get a four-day stretch of rain, but that one never sees that anymore. After the past few days she may be withdrawing that pronouncement. It rained off and on all day yesterday, thundered and rained all night (Casper ripped the screen off the door, trying to get into the house), and is carrying on today. Which is why I'm over here, baking bread. Might as well make hay while the sun shines, or in my case, bake bread while the heavens empty.

The motor for my kneading machine has finally been repaired so it's getting a test run. It saves me huffing and puffing (and giving my pecs a workout) for 15 minutes over a huge hunk of heavy dough comprising 15 cups of whole wheat flour and six cups of oatmeal. I love my kneading machine. In four hours I will be loving fresh, warm oatmeal bread slathered with butter.

Esther reminded Grandma of their schooldays, when together they walked more than three miles to attend the one-room schoolhouse with about 60 other youngsters of all ages. When it was raining, they'd arrive soaked and cold and would stand by a furnace trying to get warm. I asked, "Didn't you take umbrellas to keep dry?" Esther said they wouldn't have been caught dead carrying an umbrella; you had to be tough, in those days.

I can't imagine myself letting my kids out the door in pouring rain to walk three miles without an umbrella. She's right; kids must have been far tougher.

***

Speaking of kids, Emil turned 21 today. It's still hard to believe that my three-pound baby is now a young man who weighs more than I do. At his request we have a storebought birthday cake and he hopes to go to my sister Karen's this evening to share it with her and Uncle Dick, as Emil calls my brother-in-law. If we can catch them at home and if they're willing. Nothing like waiting till the last minute to plan things, although I ordered the cake on Friday.

***

Email~

Hi Cath,
We've had rain for several days in a row now; thunderstorm so loud and continous last night that old Casper tore the screen off the door, trying to get in. TWO dogs scared shitless of thunder; oh goody. Hope Casper doesn't pass it along to the puppy, who at this point seems to be wondering what all the fuss is about. I need to get to a pet store and buy some kind of sedative to calm these animals when they get into this state of hysteria, before one of them goes into shock and dies on us. Apparently it can happen.
Emil goes to camp on Sunday Aug 16th so that's our night for a sleepover. I haven't booked us a room yet.
I'm over here to bake bread, since it's cooler than we're used to lately. But it's still quite balmy, rain or no rain, and it's thundering again dammit so I suppose I should shut down my computer. I'm about to use the kneading machine but the repair guys didn't fix the break in the electric cord so Scott suggested I wait till he gets back here with some electrical tape. Unfortunately he went to his parents' to put in a load of clothes (told you the washer has been leaking here?) and his sister from Denare Beach is there so obviously he's not hurrying back here, aware that I am w.a.i.t.i.n.g. He's accustomed to making me wait, I guess!
It's Emil's 21st birthday so he likes the idea of me and he being alone here all afternoon, anyway. Still his mama's boy. If he had his way we'd go out for supper and leave Scott and Everett at home. Brat.
Don asked who was with me at the concert; he didn't recognize you. I said I'd tell you that you were looking so much more gorgeous than the first time he met you, if that's possible, that it's understandable he wouldn't be sure who it was. He said yeah, tell you that, and insist that you come out for every house concert from now on. There is one on the 28th, a bluesy band with a female lead. I forget the name at the moment.
Oh here's Scott, will go see if my machine works.
Say hi to Sue-Q for me when you see her,
Kathy

Bare Essentials

Freshly painted cupboards, old windows.

I'm really only half-assed moved over to the new house. I've unpacked my new dishes (when I turned 50 my two sisters spoiled me by gifting a wad of cash, which I used to round out my Princess House collection to my heart's content) and there is only a skeleton kitchen setup, since the stove isn't usable because the electrical outlet isn't ready for it.

I've got an electric kettle, an electric griddle, a plunger-type coffee pot, an electric theatre-popcorn maker and an electric rice/vegetable steamer. Between these and a fridge, what more does a gal really need? I've got two comfy rocking chairs, low to the floor (just the way we average-height women like them), my houseplants, and my bass guitar. I'm as snug as a bug in a rug.

The window to the right of the cupboard in the above photo is the only thing that drives me crazy. When I sit at the kitchen table, the lower window-casing is right at my eye level, so I can't see out. The window that is going in there will be deeper and wider and I can hardly wait. That's the only thing I'm impatient about. Bedframes, couches— who needs 'em? I'm making do just fine. But to be able to see outside when I'm at the kitchen table; that will be a luxury.

It's rainy today so I'm over at the "old" place, baking a giant batch of granola and some chocolate chip banana bran muffins. Gotta use the oven when the weather suits.

On weekdays I come over here to work for several hours and usually pack up another box of dishes and take them back with me. It'll be less to do later on.

Dogbones

The baby is never far from the old one.

In town the other day I was buying a flea and tick collar for the big mutt Casper and decided to get treats for the hounds: a large one for the large one, and a wee one for the wee one. Here they are giving the rawhide bones a gnaw. Doesn't Casper look happy? She's smiling.

None of the tick repellants can be used on a pup that is under three months old, and Chloe is only about 10 weeks, so there was nothing for her and instead I am pulling ticks off with my bare fingertips every day. It is so frigging gross, especially when they're already swollen with blood. But it must be done. The little sweetheart just sits there and lets me do it; she appears to need all the attention and cuddles she can get, as neither Casper nor the cats are letting her snuggle up or play with them. They're still growling and snapping or swiping at her face when she gets too close.

Each day I take my freshly brewed coffee outside to the front step right after doing my Tibetan Rites in the living room. "Good morning, my girls! How's it going?" They mount the steps to be petted and have their ears scratched, and little Chloe puts her head on my lap. She wants to chew my sweater sleeves and bite my fingers with her razor-sharp baby teeth, but is quickly learning what "no" means.

Sometimes the three cats are there, also desiring some human affection, and I am sorely lacking enough hands to satisfy them all. The two year-old kittens have a bad habit of jumping up and digging their claws in; they're learning not to, though. I hope. In the meantime they seem to be excited about all the long grass to hunt in; I've seen two of them eating mice. Ralph, Grandma's big black half-Himalayan that has been with us for three years, has been a bit more scarce. Unfortunately he is a bird-hunting cat that is quite successful, even without front claws.

*** I've always been bored when people ramble on about their pets too often. Now I'm one of those people, eh?

Thunder and Lightning, Oh Yeah!

Watching the rain and hail come down, from the bedroom window.

And what a storm it was. Within a half-hour the yard received more than an inch of rain. Hail was the size of marbles and hit the garden so hard that after the first few minutes I, downhearted, couldn't watch anymore. The rain was so heavy that a river rushed through and over my flowers like a raging torrent and I feared they'd be washed away.

This morning I was delighted to discover that damage was minimal. A few annuals are broken and the leaves of some perennials have taken a beating, but overall the plants are looking fairly happy.

The leaves of the three burr oaks next to the front lawn have doubled in size overnight and are a richer green. They took a licking but protected the ferns and hostas beneath them.

Guess I won't have to water for a few days.

Yesterday Sun, Today Thunder

Yesterday's view from the drive-thru in town, where we celebrated Son #2's raft of recommends.

Today's the last day of school till the end of August.

Little Old Lady from Past Wadena

Go Granny, go Granny, go Granny, go!

Just showing you the deep white crescent under my chin where the sun don't shine. I end up with a pale white patch there, while the rest of my neck and face tans.

When I was a kid, my neck turned almost black, so that Mom would think it was dirty and try to scrub me clean.

Nowadays I cover up and wear a hat, but even the odd 15 minutes in the sun without protection changes my colour pretty fast. It's already begun, and we've hardly had any heat at all before the last couple days. Now it's sweltering and we're crying for rain.

I know, I need to take the camera outside. The above is a webcam photo, all I have.

And We're Off and Running into a New Week

How bad is this? I have to steal a picture from the front of a greeting card. Or maybe it was a magazine.

Quick Notes:
a. I brought Chloe home Friday and as of Saturday morning the old girl Casper did not even think about following the van when I drove out of the yard. Problem solved. Chain may see no action for the next many years.
b. Rosalie you are the second person who has suggested Casper is a Great Pyrenees. Maybe she is crossed with one, as her fur is shorter than what I see in pictures— it sticks up, more like the hair of a husky or shepherd. She also has small dark brown spots on her ears and a curly tail and she's very big-boned. She's also not one of those waggy-tailed friendly dogs if she doesn't know you (and even sometimes when she has met you before). She's standoffish and would (and has, before she came to live here) give me pause if I was thinking about getting out of my vehicle in her yard, with her back-hair up and her looking at you over her shoulder. She's never bitten anyone, to my knowledge, and that's good, but I like this watchdog in her. Especially when I'm staying there alone; not that there's anything to worry about in these parts. After two weeks there I could pretty much be comfortable leaving the doors unlocked all night, although it wouldn't be my habit.

Emil and Everett have just arrived from school so I'll visit with them for a while before heading back "home" where I have had the stupendous good fortune of being able to sleep with the bedroom window open for the past two nights. It's been horribly hot today (not complaining, not complaining) and the sky has just darkened over and a few sprinkles have come down. We need a serious rain.

So far the house at Golden Grain Farm remains cool during the day. Whether that continues once there is more coming and going remains to be seen. Right now it's quiet except for the birds all around the yard and the old dog barking at the young one to tune her in or scare her from Casper's space. Otherwise Chloe would jump on Casper constantly, to play. I haven't turned the radio on once in the two weeks since I started staying there; a rest from news and noise. I could get accustomed to it, though I'd soon miss other bodies in the house. Everett spent the weekend over there with me and it was much appreciated.

He and his classmates made jam at school so he is giving me a sample on toast. Delish.

The boys were over for supper last night but unfortunately the step that had the handrailing has been dragged away from the house, so Emil has to crawl up and down the steps leading to the front door. Hate to see him doing that, at his ripe old age of almost 21, but he's heavy enough now that it's dangerous for me to try to support him as he walks up. We could both end up on the ground.

Yes, he'll be 21 on June 21st. He has only two more days of school for this year. Everett starts exams this week, and is hoping for a couple recommends. I'm glad I don't go to school or take classes anymore. Who has time? Who wants homework, and study? Not this gal.

Starburst Quilt

This handmade quilt was a yard-sale purchase when we spent nearly a year in Kelowna.

Mom nearly had a conniption when I showed her the embroidered dedication on its underside: "To my beloved granddaughter...."

I had asked the seller if she was sure she wanted to part with the quilt, and said that she would regret doing so, one day. She insisted that no, her grandmother gave her quilted items every year.

When I told Mom I thought I'd go back to the house and tell the young woman how to reach me if she ever changed her mind, Mom advised me not to, because "That girl doesn't deserve to have a quilt like this."

Mom knew the hours upon hours of time that went into the making of the quilt, and was incensed that anyone would sell it at all, let alone for $20, which is probably what I paid.

As a bedspread in the master bedroom at Golden Grain Farm, it barely covers the kingsize mattress I had been sleeping on till this weekend, when I ceded the bed to Everett and moved onto a single mattress on the office floor. We'd been considering keeping the kingsize bed in there but this has made me realize that if we did so, I wouldn't be able to use the quilt Mom gave me as a bedspread. So we'll be keeping our queensize.

Garden Gnome

He Who Must Not Be Mentioned On My Blog planted his garden last weekend: sunflowers and peas.

Today he'll sow radishes, spinach and green onions, and transplant the lonely canteloupe. He thinks it won't bear fruit without another plant of its own kind though.

***

Casper didn't even think about following the van when we drove out of the yard a few minutes ago. Looks like the pup for company has done the trick. Fingers crossed.

I put a cardboard box on its side near the house and plumped an old quilted blanket, one used to cover garden vegetables in the fall, inside it, and Chloe was immediately contented and spent the night there. Not far from Casper, but not too close either or Casper growls and barks at her. At first I was a little worried —Casper is scary when she snarls—but she doesn't bite the pup, only gives her fair warning that her chest is not to be jumped upon and her territory is her own.

The Coming of Chloe

This is as close as the puppy can get to Casper, so far.

Well, it's her own fault. When we arrived at the farm she herself growled at the big dog first.

What I then had was a baby feeling sorry for herself, howling and whining, and dogging my footsteps. She even yipped and trotted back toward the van, twice, turning to me as if to say "How 'bout taking me back where I came from?"

She's no dummy, but she is younger than I realized because she has been mournfully crying a little.

Karen said that when she and her siblings were picked up, the little girl who lived at their birthplace had names for them all, and this one was Chloe. That seemed a silly name for a dog, but already I find it suits her.

Sweet Little Kitten Fish

Cuddles' kittens begin to make their way out into the wide world.

All four of them had their heads in the door opening when I arrived this morning.

Usually I'm almost obsessive about my keys and always check my purse to be sure they're there before I go out and lock the door. Yesterday after working in the garden for an hour-and-a-half I went indoors, got an apple, grabbed my purse off the table and headed for the van after locking the door behind me. Unfortunately the house and van keys were unseen on the table next to my purse rather than inside it.

(Yes, I have had a key made that I could hide in the yard for just such a situation, but the original key is so banged up that the copy wouldn't work in the lock. So much for that plan. We will be changing the doors anyway so I'll just wait.)

Fortunately it was a gorgeous calm day and there were still vegetables and flowers to transplant, so I did that for two-and-a-half more hours until a friend stopped in and gave me a ride over here, where my computer is. I was tired and sore, but had enjoyed sticking those flowers into the ground. That's part of the fun—figuring out where to put them, imagining how they'll look when they bloom, how high they'll get—in a way it's like creating a living painting. You dab the colour onto a certain spot and then the flowers do what they will. They're never exactly the same from year to year. One might almost think the flowers have a mind of their own, but I guess it's the different weather conditions each summer that are partly responsible for the variations.

Tonight Scott and I are off to the community hall to set up for the Grade 12 graduation banquet tomorrow night. Parents of Grade 11's help with the planning and decorating as well as the meal and exercises the next day and the cleanup after the dance, so that the parents of the graduates can relax and celebrate with their kids. Everett, who is in Grade 11, will be working at the banquet tomorrow night.

***

Alex, I can't watch the Youtube video you left the link to in yesterday's comments, because We.Are.Still.On.Dialup. It would take 45 minutes to download the clip and listen to it. But from what I can see, I agree: The word is the bird.

Update us on your mom's health, would you?

Casper Doodle the Dumpling Dog

Can anyone identify this breed?

Miss Casper refuses to remain at Golden Grain Farm when I leave during the day to work at my computer. If I don't let her up into the back seat of my van, she'll walk the mile "home" and then bark to return in the van with me later. Last time she followed me she arrived with a pronounced limp. This morning she waded through a water-filled ditch while I weeded a flower patch at the end of the driveway, so there was no way I was letting her in the vehicle.
Alas, I have to play hardball with her.

She is much more active at Golden Grain Farm than at the old house, where she usually just lies about. At GG Farm she is walking all over the larger, more open yard, exploring or perhaps inspecting. Today she flushed a duck (northern pintail perhaps) from its nest near the wishing well behind her. No hatchlings, just eggs there.

The nest Scott found nearer the water now contains only a couple broken shells. Something must have taken the eggs because the shells from the nine eggs that were there are not around.

There is no owl report from Karen yet today so I offer my own:

At 5:30 yesterday I was standing at the edge of the wet garden, when a small light-brown owl, its body no more than a foot long, made its way past the poplar trees on the south side of our property. It got chased by a small bird or two, or it chased them— I'm not sure who was the aggressor. It floated past the slough and then came past me again and turned back once more to sit on a fencepost, swivelling its head, near the slough. Suddenly it flew up and dove into the long grass beside the water. I thought, "Oh no! I hope it isn't taking baby birds," and watched closely as it came again my way, carrying something in its claws. It flew right over the garden in front of me as if to show off the nice fat mouse it would have for supper in a few moments.
At 9:30 I went out again (the air was totally windless and smelled like heaven; blessed rain) and a small owl with slightly different markings and colouring flew past me a couple times, making me wish I'd taken the binoculars out in order to have a better chance of identifying it. Probably I am seeing a male/female pair hunting to feed their young.

In Keeping With the Bird Theme

Everett holding a hummingbird nest that was found when the raspberry bushes were pruned.

Doesn't he look thrilled? This is his face of choice when anyone looks in his direction lately.

From Karen yesterday:
"The owl seems to be doing o.k., but I don't think he's eaten since I got him. The vet says to feed dog or cat food because he needs the calcium that's in it. He is sitting in a kennel on the table today just to try to get him used to humans, he's still a bit nervous."

The sun's coming out. We've had a grey and rainy couple of days; it smells divine out there. Aunt Shirley says it's not going to freeze again. I want to believe her, and will stick the rest of my bedding plants in the ground as soon as the ground dries up a little.

Sister Karen, Rescue Princess of the North

A long-eared owl at my sister's house.

We went to a house concert (transferred to the village hall due to cool rainy weather) yesterday afternoon. The performers were Alison Lickley and Sheena Grobb; fine voices, both.

This morning I received these photos and email from Karen:

"I found the owl on my way out of town. It was caught in a trap so Dick and I removed it but its leg is badly broken so now I have to nurse it back to health...imagine that!"

Knowing you, Karen, that is not remotely difficult to imagine.

My sister's had an extremely soft spot for animals in trouble for as long as I can remember. As well as the above "accidental tourist," she brought back four puppies rescued from the north and has already found homes for a couple; these two are left:
I am tempted by the little sweetheart on the right, but not anxious to raise a puppy, what with all the digging in my flower garden that it might do. I'm thinking an older dog would suit me better.
Unfortunately, our old Casper dog is getting more crippled up every day and I'm starting to worry that she may be suffering.