Flowery Speech

There's always a sheet of paper on the go that contains my plans for changes to next year's flower beds. 

Last year I decided to let the shasta daisies go crazy in the main perennial bed this summer. They looked good, but the new plan is to dig them all out and make space for a shitload of giant zinnias next year. They're an annual that is large, bright, tall, multi-coloured, beautiful, and will bloom throughout the entire season if I'm lucky. 

I'm going to dig out all the pink speedwells; there are about a dozen bordering the curved front edge of the flowerbed, but they are now crowding the columbines behind them as well as the lawn in front, making it difficult for Scott to mow the grass there. Plus the flowerbed is so packed that I can't walk into it without damaging plants, and getting in there with my trusty horseshoe hoe is impossible. I have to do all the weeding by hand, and it's not a small area. 

The blue flax is coming out; I love it, but not there. It needs another location, which at this point I can't offer it without digging another flower bed and ending up with more than I have time to take good care of. If there is much more that requires weeding and deadheading and pruning, it will become a chore rather than a delight. Thus I limit myself to the flower beds that I already have, rather than taking advantage of the large farmyard that we have and creating a bunch more. 

The painted daisies planted in the same bed as my climbing rose are coming out because the rose needs the bed to itself, I figure; for the same reason (and because I have to weed out the grass by hand and can never keep on top of it), the pink dianthus are coming out of there too. 

Maltese crosses are also going to be removed. There are enough of them under the oak trees, where the daisies have also become plenteous in the dappled shade, where I didn't expect them to. Neither of these will be missed in the main flower bed because I will get my fill elsewhere. 

My only weaknesses now shall be brown-eyed susans and lupins, two perennials that I'm smitten with but haven't had much luck with so far. I won't go looking for them, but if they're spotted in a greenhouse, I'll buy. I know it. There are some flowers this girl simply cannot pass up.

The one remaining browneyed susan plant in the garden. 

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Lori on "Peaceful Mind": 

The Peaceful Mind blend...hmm, I could sure use some of that today. Did you make it yourself? I used to dabble in aromatherapy recipes years ago. Although I'm allergic to perfume, essential oils are O.K. 

A friend gave these bottles to me. The only one I mix myself is the Grief Blend (on my page Letter of Comfort; see above), which goes directly into the bathwater. 

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Lorna on "Peaceful Mind": 

I have had nothing but positive response to aromatherapy, but never think about it when I put drops of vanilla oil on my wrists and neck....maybe I'm being more affected than I thought. 

That's what they say: it's making a difference whether you're aware of it, or believe it, or not. 

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Peaceful Mind

One day I noticed the three small bottles of aromatherapy oils on a shelf above my desk and realized I have not been using them lately. I immediately chose “Peaceful Mind” and applied some drops to my wrists, temples and throat. 

Later while walking down the driveway there was this most sweet pungent aroma and I thought What is that?!, revelling in the scent of some as-yet-unidentified plant  … before realizing it was me with the oils on my skin. What a good laugh I had at myself!

The Peaceful Mind blend: chamomile, cedarwood, lavender, orange, marjoram.

If you're interested in aromatherapy, see LETTER OF COMFORT, my page about it.

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Maggie Turner on "Hello September": 

It was a perfect first day of September here in Ontario too Kate! The humidity was low, and the temperture reached 23C, and felt like it, the sun shone all day... perfect, first nice day of the summer as far as I am concerned. 

23 is a perfect temperature, I have to agree.

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Teresa on "Hello September": 

What a summer! Enjoy the long weekend. Hope it's nice. 

Coolish today and windy, but I'd rather that than the muggy heat we had yesterday. I like fall weather. I like all weather now that I've finally figured out how to dress for it! Took me long enough. 

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Hello September

It's the most beautiful September day ever.

I'm working, so can't be outdoors to soak in much of it, but I step out on my breaks and plan to walk later, once it's cooled down a bit. Didn't force myself out the door first thing this morning, as coffee beckoned and so did the armchair, a biography of Frida Kahlo, and Ducky Doodle, who needs his cuddle.

Just gorgeous though. The kind of day that makes life worth living. 

My purple coneflower crop. 

Workin' at Home

What makes a day start out tired? I was up by 7:30 and out the door for a walk after one cup of coffee, but had only gone two miles when I found myself exhausted. Granted, I hadn't eaten anything or taken a water bottle and was a bit sweaty, but it wasn't hot out there. Scott stopped to talk to me on his way to check cattle, and I asked him to drive me home. I don't think I've ever done that before. 

I went on to start a batch of bread (Everett will get five loaves, we'll keep one), throw two loads of laundry in, and spend the day doing newspaper work from my home office. The day was gone before I knew it. There was no time to sit out on the back step and watch the clouds, but during short breaks from the computer I stood out there for a few minutes of fresh air. 

There have been frequent showers, enough to keep farmers out of the fields, and yet my potted plants were parched. I happened to notice and give them a drink. By this time of year I've started ignoring my flowers quite a bit. Shame on me; poor things practically have to fend for themselves lately.

Both these photos were taken at the same time.

Nighty Night.

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Lorna on "Just Hangin' About": 

I rush around in the morning---got a schedule, things to do, floors to sweep etc. but as I live in a small place, that leaves me hours when I can walk or read or shop or get my temper up on Facebook. On the days Dave works, that rush to leisure is sure to be successful. When he's home we often get sidetracked by things like money and politics. Today he's at work, I'm on my second coffee and planning to troll the internet in hopes of finding ideas about storage in small places. See, it's not that much to be envied. 

It sounds pretty good to me; a nice way to pass the day. 

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Teresa on "Just Hangin' About": 

Things have been full tilt here. Packed up the grand kids and Mom this morning. Home alone after 5 weeks of rotating guests. Looking forward to the calm. Well kinda, have to clean the house first. 

You need to sleep for 20 years!

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Just Hangin' About

You tell me ... how can a day off be so full all the time? You'd think a person would be looking for things to occupy yourself with when you've got four days off in a row, as I do, but that's not the case at all. You could be on the move constantly from one thing to another from the time you got up till the time you went to bed, if you let yourself.

I try not to let myself, but sometimes that's exactly how it goes.

A gal ought really, on her day off, to take at least a little time to chew her cud. Know what I mean? What's the rush all the time, I say. What's the rush? Take a lesson from these ladies of leisure:

Well howdy thar.

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Maggie Turner on "Lovin' Those Giant Zinnias": 

The couch usually turns my insomnia around Kate. I'm not sure what it is, perhaps the secure back, or the change of scene, or alternative micro-climate of noise and air currents... wish I knew.

That is great news about the migraines! 

Knock on wood eh.

Lorna on "Lovin' Those Giant Zinnias": 

Sometimes Karma just kicks in; other times it just kicks you in the ass. Hoping for more "in" for you. 

I've no serious complaints about my lot in life; it's a pretty damn good one and better than many. If those migraines would stop altogether ... and they will, I've always believed ... I will be just a-walkin' on sunshine seven days a week. I promise.

Thanks to your comment I've just been reminded to go make my herb tea for today. How could I have forgotten? Lawdylawdy.

Lovin' Those Giant Zinnias

 (I don't know why the date showing above is Aug. 27 when it's actually Aug. 29, but ... Blogspot has been particularly draggy for the last few days so something must be going on there.)

Oh lord love a duck, it is chilly out there this morning! Oh sure, maybe I was barefoot and still in my housecoat when I stuck my nose out the door, but was there really any need for the wind to be so nasty? I thought not and immediately retreated inside.

Why is it that if I lie on the couch late in the evening I can't keep my eyes open, but when I get up and go to bed I toss and turn for an hour or two before finally falling asleep? It's not like we don't have a comfortable bed.

Last night I thought, To hell with it, I'm going to stay right here on the couch. I slept so soundly that I didn't even hear the coffee bean grinder this morning when Scott got up, and it was basically in the same room.

My zinnias, planted from seed saved last fall, have only now begun to bloom. 

My garden will undergo major changes this fall and next spring. More zinnias, and sooner.

No Photoshopping; just natural light.

It has now been 25 days since I've begun walking almost every day again and already I'm feeling more robust. Three brisk miles four times a week, and one mile four times, will do that for ya.

My shiatsu therapist (I get one treatment every four weeks) recently asked how many migraines I've had lately. I replied that it was probably the usual (I have to take a pill six or eight times a month), but when I checked my calendar I saw that it has only been twice in August that medication was required. It's a small miracle, although it seems there is usually a month in the summer when migraines are less frequent. Still ... what is it, exactly?

If I knew, I would keep it up, for sure. Could the walking be what makes the difference? No; I've done that before. Could it be the wild raspberry leaf and motherwort tea already, after only two weeks of daily intake? That seems unlikely but is possible. Or is it pure happenstance? I don't think so. There must be a reason. Maybe it really is the weather, as some suggest. As is often the case, I'm hornswoggled.

Ah, life. It's a mystery. You can never really count on anything: not from the world around you, or from other people, or from your own body with its unpredictable whims. They'll all let you down sometimes and leave you puzzled at the very least, if not disappointed. Thank goodness for the times when they treat you better than you expect, like my body is doing right now and so is the man in my life. There are bound to be tough times, or so my Pollyanna self has been forced to acknowledge, but it is worth remembering that they always pass and good times always come again.

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Lorna on "Two Days in Heaven": 

I haven't done anything like that since I was living at home and we used to go to the beach in Shediac every summer. 
Shediac! That brings back fond memories of my time in lovely northern New Brunswick, when Shediac was not so terribly far away from where I was living. I hope to get there again someday, as it was such a beautiful place.

Annette Erickson on "Perspectives": 

Beautiful pics! Love the moon. Can never get enough of her when she shows her whole self.

Hope you had fun with that baby. 
She was awake and happy to be held; what more can you ask of a sweet little dumpling?

Lorna on "Perspectives": 

Ah babies! We get photos almost daily of our great-granddaughter Lilly but it's not the same as holding her. It is however, better than living in another country, as we did when my two older kids were small.

And that photo of the moon!

Email has definitely improved the lives of grandparents and great-grandparents who wouldn't otherwise see their little darlings nearly often enough. Glad you liked the moon! 

Perspectives

This exact view has been seen here many times. Fortunately I never tire of it, as it's the road south of our driveway. The camera pulls the distant (three-quarters of a mile; it takes 15 minutes to walk there) yield sign close and makes a flattish road appear to undulate, which it really does only slightly. And another tree, killed by its floodsoaked roots, is leaning badly and will have to be removed:

Click to enlarge

Driving home from town one evening last week, the moon ahead insisted on my full attention. Most of the daylight was gone already and my camera doesn't have bells and whistles, but I stopped for this anyway:

Click to enlarge. Always!

Oh! Gotta go. Newest baby is at her grandma's just down the road for the weekend, and I requested a phone call when I could have a turn holding little Juliet. Her great-grandmother, who left here just a half-hour ago, still hadn't had the opportunity, so is clearly being very generous to me right now.

Bye!

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Julie on "Two Days in Heaven":
It was perfectly great and greatly perfect!

Yes indeedy. Sigh. It turned out that my appointment Tuesday morning (which was the reason I chose to come home Monday) was cancelled, so I could have spent another day and night there after all,. Oh how I wanted to! But maybe I wouldn't have been quite so content there, without your company. So all's well that ends well. I was left wanting more ... and that's a good thing, or so they say.

Two Days in Heaven

"It's so quiet out here," she said. "It's the first thing I noticed."

We were out at Fishing Lake on Saturday afternoon. There was quite a bit of weekend traffic on the newly widened road behind the row of lakefront cabins, and on the lake itself was a constant parade of motor boats and pontoon boats, with people fishing and water-skiing and joy-riding. Every passing vehicle disturbed the lake's glittering surface, radiating gentle waves to smash against the huge rocks (hauled in from some distance as a bulwark against flooding) below the cabin's front deck; occasionally it sounded as if we were at the shore of an ocean.

But quiet? I thought. If Julie thinks this is quiet — and compared to being in the city of Saskatoon, she must be absolutely correct — she would be astounded by the quiet out at Golden Grain Farm.

Julie

We spent the afternoon out on the deck, talking and admiring the water. It was glorious, the best word I can find to describe being there. The living water, with fish leaping out of it; the wide open space ... it satisfied something in me that has had this need or desire since I was a child coming out to this lake.

Oh sure, we could hear the neighbour couple chatting amiably on their patio next door, and that was a little uncomfortable for me, who prefers to have all the land all to herself (honestly, some of us are meant to be hermits!), but otherwise it was just me and Julie and the welcome shade of the privacy-lending poplar trees between our cabin and the one beside us.

I brought my sun hat from GGFarm, and am drinking motherwort and wild raspberry leaf tea daily to balance my estrogen.

The main public beach is where my sister and I took swimming lessons one summer; she went on to become a lifeguard, and I never got over my fear of getting water in my face. That beach is where I took my young cousins on summer afternoons; they swam while I sunbathed. That beach is where I first remember meeting Scott, who says we met before, but I don't recall it because I was probably surrounded by so many young men in those days that he didn't stand out. Ha! Just kidding. And that beach, though it's gone now, flooded out completely along with its huge campground and all the barbecuing facilities, is where I go in my meditations — a favourite place that is still there, in my imagination.

What is left of that generous expanse of sand now is a mere band of land not even wide enough for a small whale to beach upon. Julie and I walked down to it and sat on a swing someone has put there.

No more beach playground: monkey bars in the water, and a monster in the lake. 

It hurts my heart every time I see what it is now. The lake has covered it all up, leaving only water and reeds. So many very fond memories of the main beach as it was: As schoolchildren in Margo we went there to spend the last day of no-classes before summer holidays; I tented in the campground there with my friend Kim, and also with my friend Shelly; we had the Engdahl family reunion there, back in the trees, at "the circle" where we could all camp together for a weekend. A lot of good times.

The cabin was lacking a few amenities (hot water, lights in some of the main rooms, a working air conditioner, a few bits and bobs that we expected in the kitchen, like tea towels and pot holders) but none of this dampened our enthusiasm. We were both just plain happy to be there. Without a kitchen or living room light, we lit candles in the evenings and went to bed early. That meant, for me, being up early too, usually around six.

Sunday morning dawned cool and grey and drizzly, giving me the perfect opportunity to light a fire in the pit outside the back door.

It was a nice small fire, as Julie wanted to make breakfast on it. 

I left her happily preparing food in the kitchen, while I tended the flames and putzed around outside.

I had packed along three books, my laptop, and a newspaper for every decade since 1916, in case there would be oodles of time to read for pleasure and scan the newspaper archives for the historical Looking Back page we print every week. I'd brought along a deck of cards and a cribbage board. There was none of any of it. We talked, we gazed at the water, we talked, we gazed at the water. We sat outside at this green picnic table to chop vegetables for supper. We talked.

It was my kind of holiday.
For Scott, a holiday is visiting family.
For me, a holiday is a couple days at a lakefront cabin.

I was sorry to leave on Monday, believe you me. One more day and night there would have suited me just fine. But ... maybe next year. I will be doing everything I can to arrange it.

Bye for now, beloved lake!

And Julie, thanks for joining me here. It was great, wasn't it!

Here is JULIE'S ACCOUNT. 

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Teresa on "Back from the Lake": 

MMMMMMMMMM pie!!!! I saw rhubarb strawberry pie at the Costco the other day and boy did I want to buy one. Making pie was my mom's thing. Making pastry is my least favorite thing to do. Have loads of fun with your friends. Might just have to buy that pie next time I hit up the Costco. 

I'm not a pie-maker either, though my sister Karen, who is, spent a couple hours showing me how it's done. I never followed up. To get a homemade one at the farmers market once in a while is a treat, and that's good enough for me. In the winter I might get a slice of pie when I visit Karen. It's all good!

Back from the Lake

But no time to resize and upload photos or sit and write yet. 

This was taken when Cathy and Jo Ann were out and we went for a walk under the big sky in the big fields.

My walk to the north. 

Here's something we tucked into when the girls were here:

Saskatoon pie, rhubarb strawberry pie

After they left and I dropped Emil off at Aylesbury House, the group home, this is what the kitchen table looked like when I got back around suppertime:

Picked up a burger and fries for Scott

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Secret Agent Woman on "KitKat": 

Cats are such fierce hunters! 

If only they would take direction ...  !

Secret Agent Woman on y"Luciano Rosso": 

Okay, that was weirdly mesmerizing. 

I posted the link to a discussion list and a friend remarked that it didn't tickle his funny bone, which made me think about what it is I like so much about the video. It delights me with its goofiness. 

Lorna on "Luciano Rosso": 

Have a great time!

I did: glittering, glorious lake; big deck overlooking water; good company; no pressures; perfect weather. Sigh ... I hope to do it every summer from now on. What has taken me so long to do this for myself?

Luciano Rosso

This makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it -- which has been three or four times over the past week. So if you're not connected with me on Facebook (what?) or didn't see it there when I shared it, here it is.

Turn up your volume. Ah, the simple pleasures of life ... plain old silliness to the extreme! Thanks to Little Kath (whom I've known since she was 11 and I was her dad's girlfriend, Big Kath) for spreading this around FB so that I got to see it.

Enjoy! I insist.



And now I must get my ass in gear and pack up my stuff. In a couple hours a friend will arrive from the city, meet me in town and follow my car out to the lake, where we are going to spend two nights at a rented cabin. I will be dipping my toes into the cool waters and, with luck, doing lots of reading.

See you back here next week. I hope you're doing something nice with your weekend, too.

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Wisewebwoman on KitKatAugust 19, 2016 at 9:21 AM

There's a book by Bill Rowe I'm reading which I think you'd enjoy called "The confessions of a grossly misunderstood dog" which also features a pair of cats. Light but oh so funny.

Compelling title! Right now I've got two or three bags of books lent to me by my book-loving, book-collecting friend Bev, so I won't be ordering anything from the library for a while, but when I do, I hope to remember your recommendation. Thank you!

KitKat

Scott tells me that our "new" tomcat/barncat caught "the rabbit." Which rabbit? The leftovers in the barn were those of an adult, that's all he knows. I haven't seen the squirrel again, and it's the squirrel that motivated me to get moving on acquiring a cat.

KitKat, or so I call him, is starting to own the place. I've seen him twice on the front lawn, and hope he'll start hunting the mole(s) that pushes up mounds of soil on the grass.

He's looking much better nowadays; lost his "hair saddle."

WisewebwomanAugust 18, 2016 at 10:29 AM

Love seeing the inside of your office, that's a truckload of papers, you guys are doing well!!

The newspaper has been serving this area since 1908 so is well established. The number of subscribers has decreased over the past decade as the rural population is less concentrated than it once was. There used to be "a family on every quarter-section." Now you can drive for miles without seeing a farmyard, as the size of farms has grown and so has the size of machinery. We often blame newspaper troubles on the internet but the fact is that specifically local news here isn't to be found on the internet, so we still have our faithful readers.

LornaAugust 19, 2016 at 4:46 AM

you had me at 'a sweater and a down vest on the chair!"

Absolutely makes sense to me that a gal needs to keep warm when sitting much of the day. And both front and back doors are often open so there is a draft, to which I am susceptible. I'm the Princess and the Pea of breezes. 

Friends Galore

"Ha!" She laughed. "Of course that's your desk! Look ... a sweater and a down vest on the chair!"
Oh, how well she knows me.

We were at the News office and my high school friend Cathy was having a look around while our friend Jo Ann was with my other friend Alison, who owns the newspaper. They were digging around for letter sets that went with some of the old presses.

I love Alison's naturally curly hair. It's the cutest. Behind her are the stacks of Wadena News ready to be sorted for mailing.

Jo Ann is an artist who has been searching for these letters "to make things with," and Alison has been slowly but surely de-cluttering the large office building that has been in service for many, many years.

Jo and Cathy get a tour of other press-related stuff in the office.

Jo Ann got her letters and an old compartmented drawer like the one they came in, and went off home to Regina with visions of art projects floating in her head, I'm sure.

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Wisewebwoman on Dish Driers' DelightAugust 15, 2016 at 4:11 PM

If it's micro fibre I can't stand the feel so I'm with your aunt lol. I've got guests who are bugging me at the mo so would trade my house full for yours!!!

Nothing worse than bugs for house guests, Mary!

CrystalChick on Dish Driers' DelightAugust 17, 2016 at 8:01 PM

Those are great gifts! Ooh, cranberry almond chocolate… that sounds delish!
My dishtowels are a mess right now. Old, new, soft, scratchy. I'll probably do some replacement closer to the holidays.

CrystalChick on Luther ChicksAugust 17, 2016 at 8:04 PM

An afternoon with friends… wonderful!

CrystalChick on PlaceholderAugust 17, 2016 at 8:06 PM

Nice photos. You are lovely. :) 

Are you having some eye troubles, CC? Hee!!
Yes, I enjoyed that afternoon; it was just right. Of course one wishes they could stay longer, but it was just right anyway.
Get yourself some new dish towels, stat! It's the little pleasures that give a lift, isn't it.

Dish Driers' Delight

Guests come bearing gifts, a lovely practice that I rarely remember, myself, in spite of my intention to do so. 

Bev never shows up without a bottle of wine in hand. 

Jo Ann and Cathy delivered a basket full of goodies: teas, chocolate, a pineapple.

Aunt Reta brought a dishtowel that is the best I have ever used — one swipe and the surface of an item is dry; none of this wiping the same area several times before a plate or spoon or glass can be put away. This cuts down dish-drying time and frustration considerably; a lot of tea towels don't absorb worth shit. 

Reta had gotten it from Wal-Mart and didn't like the feel of the fabric on her hands, so gave it to me to try. Now I'm on the lookout for more. With any luck, places other than Wal-Mart sell them. And then there is always online! I think of that last.

Now THIS LINK goes to a photo of what looks like it but is listed as 100% cotton, which this tea towel is not. 'Mainstays' is the brand, all right, but the towel in my hand is 88% polyester and 12% polyamide.  

I'm not on a serious hunt right now, but when I find these things there will be a dozen coming home with me, and all the terry cloth and cotton tea towels will be pressed into service somewhere else. They cannot hold a candle to this towel.

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Wisewebwoman has left a new comment on your post "Luther Chicks": 

Enjoy☺☺☺

I sure did! They were here for at least four hours and there wasn't one moment of silence. Non-stop talk. Lunch. A walk in the sun. And a trip to pick up something old that will be recycled into art. More about that later. 

Luther Chicks

"We're in Wadena! How do we get to your place?"

Go straight, I say, then left, then right, then left again, then left one last time into my driveway. Voila, you will be here!

It was a beautiful day so I lit out down the road on foot to meet them, and was about 10 minutes from home when I saw Cathy's car slow for the corner:

I allowed myself to be picked up by these two strangers:

If there is anything better than spending an afternoon with two longtime friends you haven't seen in a long time ... do tell. What is it?



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Early Risers

1. 1. LoriAugust 11

      Combining "early risers and house cleaners" I've been retired a few years now and have enjoyed no pressure waking up around 8:30 am. Once every two weeks the cleaning person comes at 7:30 am. We whine and set the clock for 7:00 am. You'd think it was a really big deal! But then, I think of the alternative.... I actually like early mornings. What happened?

      That's exactly right! Someone is coming over in the morning of a day off or I have to be somewhere, and suddenly it's an appointment I don't much want!
   2. 
      Ralph GoffAugust 11 Those mosquitos really are a curse on our otherwise beautiful summer weather. I guess on the positive side you get extra exercise swinging your arms swatting mosquitos.

      Bastards. On the plus side, I haven't seen a tick for a while.
   3. 
      WisewebwomanAugust 11 I love the photo. Oh boy it now rains on perseid night. I'm finding it so hard to get back into rigorous train. Well any kind of training. Well walking I bow to your superiority.
   4. Three miles first thing in the morning on days off.  If I keep this up I'll be bowing to myself too.
   5. 
      TeresaAugust 12

      I prefer the early morning walk too. No mosquitoes but tiny little fruit fly type bugs swarming the face and the ears. Terribly annoying. I have fallen in love with wildflowers this summer. Especially the Scottish Thistle, technically a bush but what a beauty. The days are getting shorter at a rapid rate, and we are in the midst of a heatwave 40+. Have a great weekend.

   Scottish thistle! You DO have unusual taste in flowers!

   
   

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   That is a great picture Kate! I can see why your visitors have no problem taking you as you are. Yours is a wonderful face to have looking at you from across the table! Cheers! Maggie Turner

: )

1. 
   WisewebwomanAugust 13 Love the pic of you 

   you remind me of another fierce warrior friend of mine. And nothing like good raucous girlie time. Enjoy the hell out of it.
2. We were fairly well behaved. 
3. 
   Sharyn Mallow WoerzAugust 14

   I'd know you anywhere :)
4. : )
5. joaniejoanjoanAugust 14, 2016 at 10:17 AM

   You are pretty:)
   Lucky to have your friends coming to visit - so nice to spend time with old friends ( much like sisters........)
   Miss you guys.
6. Karen and I will come out before long. She's not ready to commit to a date yet. 
7. For me with only four days off, it's either rush around catching the earliest flights out and the latest flights home and you're beat and have to go to work the morning after you get home, or it's only two days in Kelowna and you feel gypped! I don't see a perfect solution here ...

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