Great pleasure for me

 Must tell you how much I have enjoyed the last few postings from you both. Memories and pictures and such a good feeling all around. I must learn how to post pictures to this blog as i would love to share some of the garden and special little areas where i seek solace from time to time. I shall prevail....

We are hot and humid but I dare say not as hot as you folks have been so perhaps the Heat Dome has dissipated?  

We survived the Car Parade we attended on Sunday to celebrate Harry's sister Donna's grandson Zander's first birthday. The family went "all out" for this poor little guy. But then that is their choice. The Facebook is always full of pictures of him and the events and I wonder at the correctness of parents doing this to their kids without their permission. Am i just an old fuddy duddy and not living with the times? 

Yesterday I was consumed with memories from our past prompted by both of your messages. I took a long time to try to reconcile my delight in those readings, with the reality of my today's life and to tell the truth i have not yet reconciled that. I have pictures of Pati and I sitting in the laundry tubs - i shall dig them out and send it I can.

I have had my hair cut as of Saturday and cannot described my joy with short hair. i had long hair for so long that at some point I had accepted my fate and resolved to keep it long but I quickly changed my mind when the hairdresser announced her opening. i cannot be more happy now. i am destined to have short hair for the sheer pleasure of being able to manage it without fuss! How about you folks? One thing is for certain though, my hair is turning grey rather quickly. I am not used to seeing grey in my hair and prided myself on still being brown for so many years. So if that is the state of affairs for me, i would like to be grey and NOT white. What are you hair current colours?

Well, time to put the house to bed. Like you have mentioned many times, both of you, I am not sleeping well at night. At one time I had pills to take to help me, but since they did nothing I stopped them years ago. I wonder if it is worth pursuing again?

Take care folks...i still follow all the guidelines for Covid even with my second dose of vaccination - my 14 days are up July 12 but we have so many summer tourist here in Sundridge that I really do not want to take a chance.What i hear on the news scares me with all the "openness" and people taking full advantage of it. Be safe...☺

Flowers and tortillas

I've now twice tried to figure out  how to make a dish I remember from the many pot luck lunches we had at work.  This was over 20 years ago, but was all the rage in the 90's.  It involves layering food on a 10" tortilla, and rolling it up tightly, in the fridge over night, and then cut into about 3/4" rolls.  I've used flavoured cream cheese (garlic and herb, in my case), and very thinly sliced Black Forest Ham, rolled around Gerkins. I quite enjoy it, but it certainly isn't Dr. Phil approved. Regardless, I plan to continue experimenting.  I just wish I could roll them more firmly.

I've been taking pictures in the garden.  The extreme heat has been hard on the flowers, but this is Manitoba, and it is only 13 degrees today.  Go figure.  Here are the Geraniums we took out of the hanging basket and planted in the old sink.

The Bleeding Heart in the hanging basket is just about done flowering, and has berries.  Who knew!  We know nothing about it, and I'll have to do a little research.  We're wondering if we could plant it in the garden and have it grow another year.

I have no idea what this might be.  It comes in white as well as the blue you see here.  I'm quite taken with it, and have figured out a method by which I might be able to re-create it in fabric using dye.

Unfortunately, the wild roses from next door are just about done.  The heat appeared to be very hard on them.

But the Mock Orange is an old reliable, and faithfully bloomed for July 1st, as it has very year since we moved in.

There is a down side to this.  The news and newspaper have been reporting that this is the worst year for Aphids in quite some time.  Absolutely everything outside is covered in Aphid droppings from the large Elm tree.  Evidently Elms all over the city are particularly badly infected.  We have to wash the tables and chairs outside very time we want to use them.  The umbrella is absolutely foul to touch and is probably ready for the garbage.  We keep the car in the garage--always.  After walking around taking these pictures, I was shocked to find the soles of both shoes heavy with grass clippings and discarded rose petals.  The only way to get them clean was to use a scrub brush and hot soapy water, over  a pail.  I thought I better keep the "stuff" out of the sewer system.

Quiet life continues.  David has finally got an appointment for a haircut-tomorrow.  Me not yet.

The Spinsters

The Spinsters coming, once a year, was probably one of the most exciting things that happened around our house. The house cleaning frenzy in the days before they arrived, and trying to find "the tablecloth", the only one, for the kitchen table.  Then one of us was sent to the bakery on Osborne St for the Cherry bread, that had been ordered.  The only time it was in the house, as it was considered too expensive for us kids to eat.  But I remember us quickly eating any that might be left over the next morning. After David and I moved back to Winnipeg in 1975, I became involved with both Lorraine Iverach and her husband Bill Brereton, her through the Embroiderers' Guild, and him through work.  Her Mother, Mrs. Iverach had given me a Bridal Shower with all of the Spinsters in attendance, as well.

This warm weather has also given me  a faint memory of her dealing with hot weather and small children was to bring the two laundry tubs she had outside, filling them with water, and letting Beth and I sit in them, wearing only our panties.  She put them on the east side of the house, which was usually in the shade. I was about 5 and Beth two.  She and the mother of the family living in the house next door at the time, Mrs. Frick, would sit in lawn chairs watching us and sip on some sort of beverage, possibly beer.  The Fricks had two young girls as well.  I know that there is/was a picture of this somewhere.

You remember her rubbing your chest to help you breathe, and I remember her softly blowing in my ear, to warm it and help the pain of recurrent ear infections.  And making all of us lemon and honey to ease sore throats, even if sometimes she knew we asked for it just because we liked the taste of it.

She was a caring and devoted mother to all of us, but had a rough time with Post-Partum Depression after Beth was born.  That's when Auntie Lorrain and Grannie had to step in to help care for us.  I wonder if that might have been the beginning of her decline, or if it started when she had to go to work, and needed to get sitters, mainly for you, Cathy.  I know she was highly educated, and had worked in very responsible positions before getting married, but married women just didn't/ weren't allowed to work in those days, so it was almost social suicide for her to take a job, and a terrible admission that a man wasn't capable of looking after his family.  I remember the family joking about Uncle Mernie saying publicly that his wife would never have to work outside the home, and all the while she was working her butt off at dressmaking and alterations, in their bedroom, while he was working elsewhere.

The other memory I had was of the time the next door neighbours went on holiday, and the Crabapples on their tree ripened.  Beth and I picked them all, and Mom made Crabapple jelly. We had no idea that they had arranged for someone to come and pick them.  These people arrived and no apples.  We were sworn to secrecy, and never spoke of the event to anyone--ever.

One of my fondest memories, and one that tells us much about her, was when Grandpa Hughes came to live with us, after suffering a stroke.  It seems that his wife wasn't capable.  Mom cared for him for several months--total care.  The only assistance was once a week, when he needed a bath.  With his bad back, Dad couldn't help, but the next door neighbour would come over and assist Mom.  Now, given my training and work, I know what a burden that must have been for her, especially with two young children, and might even have caused the lengthy time between Beth and you Cathy.  I have also often wondered if that might have been behind the rift that developed between Mom and her step-mother.

Well, I don't know if this is of any interest.  I'll keep trying to come up with memories

Memories

 Thanks for that memory Pati. I have very few good memories of Mom. I remember lying on the couch and her rubbing my chest for hours to help me breathe. I also remember one day when the “spinsters” were over  and i ran outside so excited because I had farted and I proudly announced to every one present that I could “pop” out of my front bum. The things we remember!! I really love hearing stories about Mom since I really never knew her. 

A memory

 Cathy, your post brought back a pleasant memory of our Mother, in the early days, insisting that a sprig of mint be added to the potato pot.  She grew it in a very small area just to the left of the back door, as one stepped out.  By the time I started doing the cooking--when you were a baby--the tradition slowly disappeared.  But I remember that patch of fresh mint still being there by the time I left home.  My memory says that I didn't taste much difference with the added mint, but the potatoes were often boiled to death by the time we ate them, and had no taste that I can remember.

These small memories give  me comfort.  Having Lily-of-the-Valley, in  the garden, is another one, and I still have had some in every garden we've ever owned.  Another would be the Christmas Cactus.  Ours had out-grown its pot this year, and when David tried to re-pot it we discovered that there were two plants in the clump, so re-potted only the small one--still from the house on Maplewood.  The other one went into the garden, in full knowledge that it wouldn't last the winter, but a young man who was working in the yard fell in love with it.  David told him he could have it.  He returned a couple of weeks later, having bought planting supplies and a pot for it.  Maybe another family's traditions are going to be focused around it.

We haven't ventured out since David went for a type of foot care on Wednesday.  I haven't left the house since then either, even to sit in the garden--and it looks like today, and tomorrow, will be more of the same.  The small whitework quilt that I have been working on, has been judged a failure, and won't be used as a donation quilt, but when given a second look, was judged worth being finished to be re-purposed in some way. (See other blog)  So it will be finished.  But I've committed to, at least, six charity quilts, so must find yet another one for that. In all of this my secondary goal is to find an excuse to be in the basement, where it's much cooler than the rest of the house.

You're right, Beth, about the laundry.  We had a conscious discussion about it, and decided to wash Saturday instead of Friday, this week, and then revert back to Friday next week.  That way nobody has to go beyond a week in the same sheets.😏😈  

While I can laugh a bit about that, these routines become important when one gets older, not so much because we're creatures of habit, but also to give some structure to our time.  When we spend so much time in the same place doing the same thing, as life has been the last year plus, that structure keeps us oriented to time and to healthy hygiene routines, both of which can slip away, all too easily.  This is also a facet of life that I control, in a small way, by using a bullet journal.

And now we face another day of isolation, well aware that tomorrow will be more of the same, given a predicted temperature of almost +40.  And while that makes me sound quite blue around the edges, I'm still looking forward to more creative activity.  Since I have access to the washing machine, maybe some fabric dyeing, or even some fabric painting and printing.  Perhaps even a trip to Starbucks, now that their patio is open and one can sit and read.

Draining heat

 It is only 9:00 pm but I am exhausted. I was up early and took Lucky around the trail( only 1/2 a mile…. Too little for him but the best I could do if I wanted to do anything else before the heat hit). I weeded in the garden for a while but it heats up so fast!  We got my small pool set up a couple of days ago and today I just sat in it for about 1/2 an hour!  I need the pump and filter set up but it was so hot I didn’t care. We did go to town and had a “round table” (legion round table people) visit for a couple of hours. So nice to see humans again. Today was the 14 days from my second dose so I got my immunization card. I have no idea where I might need it but I have it!  The farmer’s market was today and I got a small bag of new potatoes. Jim’s mom always put a couple of mint leaves in the new potatoes so we will try that tomorrow. You are never to old for new experiences. 

July 1st already?

 Good Morning,

Not sure if it is politically correct anymore to offer greeting for Canada Day but it is July 1st and so here we are.

A quick note to start the day. I just made my breakfast and I must tell you both how much I have been enjoying a variety of home made quesadillas - prompted by Pati mentioning them. This one had been made with eggs cooked in micro, sliced mushrooms, sliced tomatoes and sliced cucumbers and of course grated cheddar cheese on the top and bottom of two 6 " whole wheat tortillas. I also topped the cooked tortillas with a dab of mayonnaise. once cut onto the serving plate.  It has been great fun to create these new dishes and a hit with us both although I have to admit I am way ahead of Harry in consuming same. 

Another cloudy/sunny/rainy day forecast so I guess I take what i get today. Hoping against hope that the Heat Dome does not hit you folks in full force. Cannot believe the destruction and chaos in BC I hear on the news.

So have a wonderful day and be safe.... now to eat my meal haha!