The Party

Was a great success.   Admittedly I had a bit of a hangover the next day but it was worth it.   Some pictures of the decorating.   Unfortunately I never thought to take pictures of the guests and no pictures of the food that was spread out on the table.  

Just in case you were wondering, The two dolls you see are two that I painted up to look like ghouls and made a knife for one of their hands so she looked a bit more demented.  haha.  

Party time tomorrow.   Been busy getting prepared.   Lots of food and wine and a few laughs with good company.   It's quite a warm day for this time of year, +14C.  Quite a wind though but a warm one.   The leaves are flying off the trees.  I walked over by the stream and saw that the ground was covered.   The sweet smell coming up from the earth and leaves was heavenly.

I talked about the new shed in the last post but didn't put a picture on so here it is....10 ft. X 10 ft, and 8 ft high.   Hoping it will survive the winter with the great amount of snow that we usually have.

Once this weekend is over I have work to do ie:  check around the outside of the house to make sure it's secured for the winter.  Split some wood if I get a day with temperatures above +5C.   The splitter  won't work if it's below that.   Also want to paint the living room.   I have everything at the ready I just have to be in the right mood.  

That's about it for now.  There's work to be done!

New Shed.

So, I bought one of those sheds in a box!!    Because it was on sale and because I'd have a reasonably dry place to store the lawn mower, garden furniture, pots, ornamental stuff, saws, tools, shovels, etc. etc.   It's 10 feet X 10 feet, so a good size.   The only place I saw that was fairly level and sort of out of the way was a place that gets a wee bit wet in spring.   Had the fellow who was going to erect it come have a look and he said he could build a platform so it would be off the ground.   Good enough!!  He told me how much wood I'd need and nails too so I go to the hardware store.   It cost just over two hundred dollars for that lot!  It took him all day yesterday, with some cursing and swearing from time to time, to build the floor and erect the shed.   I have to smile because I could understand his frustration. .  

Four o'clock this morning I started taking a load of stuff out of the storage area in the house to get these aluminum shelves down and out to the new shed.   Well......four and a half hours later, back in pain and more than one expletive coming from me I start hauling the shelving out through one room, through the kitchen and out the back door.   I just get it down the steps with it when the rain starts coming down.  I'll tell you, I haven't sworn so much at one given time, ever.   So, I unzip the door to the shed and it's suppose to be rolled up then tied at the top.   One person can not do this....I am incensed at this point.   Calling the shed one nasty thing after another.   After many tries, I finally got some clothes pins and pinned it up.   I have two rooms full of stuff, tools, drills, saws and on and on that I have to wait til it stops raining to bring out and store in the shed.   I figure it will take me days to get it all done with what's in the garden to be put away as well.

Well, it finally stopped raining and I continued on with the job at hand.  I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.   Finally got it all done and that night I relaxed with a glass of wine.   The frustration is over with and I'm now pleased with the shed.   I try to do too much at one time, that's my problem.  lol

I don't know how long it's going to last especially because of our harsh winters and one must not forget the cats.....with claws........

Ahhh, Summer.

The citizens are happy, summer has finally shown it's face.  Lovely warm sunny days.  I suppose you can call it late spring cleaning but I finally decided to clear out my clothes closet.    The clothes were packed so tight that I could hardly move them and then there were five large plastic storage boxes stacked up on the floor of the closet.  I ended up with three large plastic garbage bags filled with clothes for the Goodwill so now I have a bit of breathing room.   I was going to start on the linen closet this morning but the garden has been neglected of late and the guilt is creeping in.   So, it's outside for me today I expect.

Here are a few pictures taken recently.

A Moth and other stuff.

The incredibly beautiful perfume coming from the Honeysuckle wafted around me as I walked outside this morning.   It's one of those scents that I wait for each summer.  The Roses, Peonies and Phlox are wonderfully scented as are some of the other flowers but I think the Honeysuckle tops them all.

We've had a few summer like days but now it's turned chilly again.   I'm debating whether to light the wood stove.   Seems a waste of wood as it is suppose to be summer after all.   Still, I'm feeling chilly. 

There have been some young Waxwings after the berries on the Saskatoon Berry tree.   I've tried to get a picture but the tree is only a few feet from the window and when they see me, they fly off.   The Black Currant tree is full of berries again this year.   I'm hoping to pick them before the birds decide to have a feast.   They're not quite ripe enough yet though. 

I noticed a lot of moths around the back door this morning.   Couldn't figure why until I remembered that I had left the porch light on all night.   Here's a big fellow with a head full of fur.

Some pictures of the garden.

Wet and Cold July.

It's July 24 and a balmy +8 outside.   Sorry to be complaining about the weather so much but really........it's suppose to be summer.   Didn't have one this year.   They say it's the worse July in almost half a century.   I've been burning wood all month and myself and everyone else are totally fed up.

We had heavy, heavy rain three days ago that lasted all one day and night.   It flattened most of my large plants to the ground.   I'm devastated.   My poor peonies as well.   They were looking so lovely with huge blooms.   This picture taken the day before. 

One of the rose bushes that's heavily laden with blooms and buds was brought to the ground.   Again this taken the day before.

All the plants that are on the ground, even when the sun does finally show its face and dries things up, won't recover.   Ah well, as my mother says, there's nothing we can do about it.   What amazes me is with all the cold weather the plants have been doing really well.

Here are some pictures taken when there were a few glimpses of sun.

Burnside.

This past few days I've had my daughter and granddaughter here once again but this time my granddaughters partner is here as well.  He flew in from Ontario last Wednesday.   This is the first time I've met him and the first time he's been to this province.   We're having a grand time.  They're been out and about each day coming back at supper time.   This past couple of evenings have been spent drinking wine and regaling each other with stories.   Great fun.   They're going back to the city this morning and flying back to Ontario on Thursday. 

The weather has been dreadful.   Cold and overcast.   No summer this year it seems.   I suppose we have to take it in our stride, not much can be done about it.

My daughter and I went off yesterday morning to take a few pictures.   We ended up in Burnside which is a community just a few minutes drive down the road.  

Burnside.