Summer Arrives! Bill Returns Early, Anniversary and Garden Work

On Wednesday, June 28^th is offering all good things with one sad memory. I’ll start with that memory now. It was 22 years ago today that we lost Daddy. He was still young at 70 but of failing health with emphysema. Although we think of him often and miss him always we know he is in a much better place with no discomfort now. The memories, dreams and spiritual moments with him are awesome!

My handsome, quirky Dad

Clemson and I are turning into nighthawks thanks to my late-night reading! We didn’t get to bed until 11:10 last night which meant sleeping in again until 7:30 today. Wow! The sun was crying for me to open the blinds and let it in. Still a cool morning at 12C but with no wind at all it felt wonderful out there. Clemson soon found his morning spot in the sun filled recliner.

It was the perfect morning for coffee in our King chairs and admiring the view

I had my chat with Bill and wished him a great morning. He is done working and will be on his way home after lunch. He had some things to take care of first. I had my tea, finished my post from yesterday and marveled at the blue sky. Finally!

I had to rush to grab Clemson and get seated within the 10 second timer..........and it shows!

Ahh, that is much better

It was around 9:30 that I was ready to go outside and get to work. I have a few things in mind so we’ll see what I complete today. First things first. I removed my two hummer feeders from their trees and cleaned them out. Ants get down in the bottom of the one so had to multiple rinses.

The next project was my makeshift bird feeder on the cedar rail. I’ve been thinking of how to do it and then I found a frisbee at a yard sale. That was Bill’s suggestion. So, I got Bill’s drill out and screwed it onto a flat square piece of wood that I could act as a base. This way, when we go south in the winter, I can just remove the whole thing since I won’t be here to feed them anyway.

Getting down right serious here

To protect it from some rain and wind, I nailed a flat piece of paneling on the top of the cedar rails. Now it has the look of a car shelter so not too appealing to birds. I had a flat old wicker basket ready for the burn pile so temporarily attached that to the top of the paneling.

Hey, it just might work!

At least it looks more natural out here in the country. I still don’t have any bird seed but my sister, Wendy, recommended shelled peanuts to attract the blue jays. I hope it works so I can start doing some more organized bird watching. I do have to pick up more feed next time I’m in town.

Clemson is finally warmed up

The next project is the flower garden which means weeding and mulching. I pulled my wagon with the 3 bags around to the garden’s edge and gathered my hoe, shovel and clippers. First things first, I snipped all of the bright spent yellow flowers off the Ladies Mantle. I don’t need them dropping and rooting when I already have plenty. My, what a lovely basket these clippings make!

A 50 cent birdhouse

I was pleased to see that I am finally getting ahead of the Gout Weed but as persistent as it is, I am stronger, more persistent and more determined to win! I think we have been given some wrong information regarding the name of this plant. I think we misinterpreted it when our forefathers really called it “Getout” weed.

I think our 'cup' runneth over = enough rain!

So, in sections I hoed, pulled and removed every little green and white monster plus other weeds and then opened and spread the Black Beauty mulch. It only took me 3 hours! 

Let's begin

At one point, I took a break and walked down the lane.

My work in the garden is done

Clemson was quite comfortable on his stool while I worked. I knew he’d had enough when I found him wandering and standing in front of the door. Rather than having him wander off, I put him inside and warmed up some of my stew for lunch. I was starving and it was very good.

A bouquet of Ladies Mantle clippings

Back at it after I ate, I finished my chore around 2. I took my camera down the lane to get the mail by myself this time. The mail lady had stopped. As I’m walking, I start pulling some of the tall weeds getting too close to the laneway. These become a nuisance if we let them grow, especially when we want to take the Suite out.

Even a bit for the other side of the fence

I walked through the front field, checked out the turtles on the tree branch while getting wet feet in the rain-soaked grass. Yeuch! I was just heading through the gate when I saw my little Ptooties drive past. Yay! Bill neglected to text me when he left Stratford, on purpose, so succeeded in surprising me. He turned in the lane and stopped so I could catch up.

The mailbox had no flag so I knew it would just be the flyers and grabbed them before hopping in with my sweetie. It is always nice to see him and when it is an earlier surprise than expected, all the better! This was the best day we’ve had in a while full of sunshine and I’m glad I had the opportunity to complete some things before he got home. Time to sit and relax.

In case you missed the turtles, here are a couple on the tree branches

He unloaded the car and came inside for a bite to eat before he and Clemmy went to lay down. No doubt he was tired, he can fill you in on his ventures today. I took my new James Patterson book outside and sat for a while on the patio and then gave in and moved to the hammock. It felt good to just lay and read. My man is home safe and sound. This book is called Kill Me If You Can. Yah, I’m kind of hooked on these mysteries.

I caught him as he was blowing out a big breath of air

Bill lit the Weber Q and barbecued our sausages while I made up a salad for each of us. We were eating shortly after 6:30 and they were good, as usual. After dinner, Bill made a call to his Dad since he missed stopping today on his way home. Dad sounds good and we had a nice chat.

A nice little seating area

The clouds have moved in and our sky is gray from east to west and north to south. You know what that means! More rain tomorrow and the next day and possibly Canada Day. Whoopee! One day soon we will get more than one beautiful day in a row.

We cleaned up dishes and settle in for the evening. Bill noticed the gray water tank was full so went out to pull the plug. We have a hose connected to it that allows the water to drain slowly over the edge. Maybe not the most appropriate but Gerry is the property owner and gave us permission.

I hope you’ve had yourself a great day. I know I did. 

Not sure what this weed is, but it is pretty

Thank you for reading today. If you feel like leaving a comment, please do so.