Some Early Sunday Shopping, Investigation, Family Birthday, Flower Power

The Ridge

Sunday, May 24^th  we woke to a surprising sunny sky. I’d expected clouds to fulfill the forecasted 80% precipitation requirement. Don’t get me wrong, it was pleasant to see clear sky. We got up by 7 and I was in the shower immediately. 

Last night, our solar lights around the tree were pretty
against the sunset

How nice not to worry about wet hair when I walk. Our thermometer was reading 14C/57F. With just my light hoody over a sleeveless top, I slipped my bug hat on and headed out. I didn’t need the screen down as there wasn’t a bug of any kind in sight.

  

Morning walk and the second picture in two days
with a ghostly spot
Daddy? Dad? Bruce? Mark? .............. George?
I find this extremely interesting.

It was another beautiful walk and I contemplated the things I’m grateful for with each step. Sometimes (I’m glad no ones sees me) I just raise or stretch my arms out and say “Thank you!” Do you ever feel like that? Back home, I sat with Bill at the table and started reading blog posts. He is on the hunt for a laptop, I might have mentioned it, so was doing some online searching. He has pretty much decided what he’d like with very little assistance from the peanut gallery. (me)

In Foodland, this is at the bakery/deli corner
How many people can't walk by these sweet cakes?

There was a 'hot dog' cake but this 'hamburger' cake was my favourite
No, I didn't buy it

After my tea, I brushed my teeth and drove into Durham. I went straight to Foodland’s Garden Centre and made some more choices. See? Never enough flowers! This time, I bought 2 more hanging baskets and then some perennials. Different ones and I’ll have to read the labels to tell you what they are.

This is my own perennial garden
Phlox

A brand of Poppy

I forgot this plant  had a surprise

These little grape hyacinths are fuller than they've ever been
They must like the cold late spring

We have a rusted old dozer bucket up on the hill that I started planting in last year and thought I might put some perennials in there. Maybe. Enough $$ was spent there with no begrudging and I walked into the grocery store. We have a big shopping trip planned this week one day but need milk and a couple of other things now.

So, I bought a couple more hanging baskets

I picked those up and it was when I was walking back to Ptooties that I recognized the young gal who sprayed my hands, on entry. I’m a tad embarrassed that it took so long but soon dismissed that feeling when she couldn’t easily place me either. We laughed about that. It is Emma, Jamie’s daughter. I went back in and caught up on what she’s been up to since March when this pandemic started. It was nice to see her and hear about things. I miss seeing and chatting with her Dad, so easy going.

Not much mist this morning
but a pretty pond in the sun

Back home, time was flying by and although I thought I’d cut grass when I returned, I easily got distracted. The clouds and rain moved in while we were eating our lunch but if that was 80%, I’m a monkey’s uncle. LOL It lasted all of 15 minutes, perhaps, and I’m sure my vegetables are still thirsty. I was counting on the rains to save me watering. Gosh, am I complaining about that already?! Bill was involved online so I washed dishes up to get them out of the way.

A very gentle breeze this morning
provokes ripples on the pond

He’d made his phone calls to his girls so I wanted to do the same. After a phone call to Staples in Owen Sound, we got the answer we wanted. Their store is open now for customers to walk in. Tomorrow morning that is where we’ll be headed. Bill is excited and ready to buy. Once we had that done with, he went out to the Hangar. We’d had a little rain but not much so I filled the two watering cans from the hand pump and went up to water my vegetables.

The skies were unpredictable occasionally

There is quite a strong wind today and that not only kept the humidity to a comfortable level but it also sent the black flies off into another county. Hopefully. I didn’t see one today. This encouraged me to stay outside as the sun was wonderful and with the breeze (27 mph gusts!) I wasn’t hot. I figured that I may as well get dirty so removed the 6 petunias from the store container and put 3 in the shovel on the hill with some blue grass.

Rustic Daisy
Hmm, looks interesting

Ruby star cornflower
This one I'm quite anxious to see bloom

I planted the other 3 with more grass in a clay planter that we have. I’m trying to remember if I got it from Pat and Rob or just where I got it but it was one of our only ‘big’ pots left. Two large plastic ones finally cracked last year and had to be tossed.

This was the only big pot we have and that's a good thing
since I ran out of flowers!

Lastly, I planted the cornflower and daisy plants in a flower bed along the corral fence and then I split the lobelia into two and planted them by my garden bench behind the Restroom. I’m liking the idea of having more perennials so I can lessen what I spend each year to add colour to the Ridge.

Queen Victoria Lobelia

They went here with the rhubarb and my moonflower
IF (big if) rhubarb grows here, I'll move the lobelia

Some of these perennials I’d never heard of so it is a learning experience for me to see what works well and what I wouldn’t do again. (Like I’ll remember!! LOL) By this time all I had to do was take a hanging plant (that I don’t know the name of) down to Bill’s area. He will place a bracket on the porch post for it. This way it won’t be sitting on the porch where he walks. 

And the bucket on the hill has petunias
and some perennial blue grass

The old tree log I set at the point of the corral fence
houses a plant or two every summer

And Bill's hanging plant has the rest of the verbena

I went into the Bunky to put the cloth things away (my stool, gloves and apron) just as Donna texted. She is doing well and very happy to be home on their porch. 😊 

This is the first planter I bought but I didn't realize there
was a purple flower in it too

They get the ‘weather’ first and then it moves this way so she told me about black clouds coming and a big show of threat that will amount to huge drops, some thunder and then it will move on. She was exactly right. I could see the clouds coming and I timed my work just right.

The geese hunker down in the rain

Here I go: what are they thinking?

Inside the Suite, the windows facing west were closed so I made myself a tea and relaxed. It didn’t last long and the winds had calmed when the rain finished 15 minutes later and the heat returned. It feels like summer and I’m loving every bit of it. There was no rainbow though things sure look green after a nice rain. My planting is done for now until I get some dutch sets, pumpkin (?) and now I’m thinking lettuce. Shirley, you have encouraged me.

Weird clouds this afternoon

The awning is partially open to keep the rain off the door and my side window
Look at the black cloud coming from Hanover with blue sky following

I checked the back window often but no rainbow today

Bill came in around 5 and turned a Jeff Dunham special on that I don’t remember seeing. Even if we have seen them, we love watching him and laugh through the jokes his ‘puppets’ tell. This is turning into a novel and I apologize. So, I’m going to just inform you that supper is going to be simple. We feel like something summery so we’ll have toasted bacon tomato and cheese sandwiches. Yum. Nothing would be better than cherry pie for dessert, so that’s what we had.

The bread doesn't look toasted but it was
It tasted quite good for a 'spring' meal that tasted like summer

Today, is Bill's oldest daughter's birthday. He talked to her to send wishes along and caught up on her family news. We hope she has had a wonderful day.

Happy Birthday, Yvonne!

Who knows what the evening will bring but I’ll wish you a good one and close this off.

We're expecting more rain this evening
good night!

Thank you for stopping by!