A-a-a-a-h. A chance to sit down

I have my Duchess mug full of one of my special teas.  The ones I haven't enjoyed since early April, when my caffeine allergy started acting up.  This one is a fruit tea, with about 1/2 the caffeine of other teas.  It's called  Fireside Chat, but different tea stores use different names.  To encourage customer loyalty, I guess.

Been thinking about what you said Beth, about letting your mind loose, when engaging in "donkey" work.  This is often how I function in the studio, especially when doing routine tasks.  This is often my most constructive, creative time.  Enjoy it.

This morning we were off to Selkirk to deliver two pieces to a gallery hanging.  The show will open on Tuesday, but I have no info about an opening reception.  If there is one, and I'm pretty sure there will be, I plan to go.  We stopped in Lockport for lunch, using some coupons that came in the mail a couple of days ago.

We also stopped for coffee on the way home, and I brought it home, with me, to enjoy in the back garden.  Sitting there, I noticed red in the Nanking Cherry bushes and suggested that we check it out.  That lead to a marathon of Cherry picking, with only the occasional quick gulp of the coffee.  We will prepare the juice today, and make jelly tomorrow.  Jelly and jam making has changed significantly recently, if the instructions in the Certo package are any indication.  The only jelly recipes there are Raspberry, Apple, and Cranberry-Claret.  Nothing I could bend to use with the Nanking cherries.  So I hit the internet.  Not only did I find the Pin Cherry recipe I used to use off the old Certo instructions, but I also found recipes that were specifically for Nanking Cherries.  These were very complicated, and used the Certo Crystals rather than the liquid.  I think we'll stick with the "old reliable".

Things are settling down here with my new drug regimen.  And I'm finding that over-eating fresh cherries is now over-kill.  "Nuff said about that.  But my weight is an issue, and there are now a couple of pairs of pants that won't fit over my corset ( If they ever would have)

Tonight is the one night I take over the tv.  But David has a football game to watch, and I want to do some studio prep work, so I may take mercy on him, and watch it downstairs.  Especially, as I can hear him snoring in his chair.  I guess the drive out and cherry picking has worn him out.

What a storm

Now, that was a real storm last night. They warned of severe thunderstorms and by golly they were not kidding! I eventually gave up worrying and covered my head with the sheets. This morning I handled the outcome - lots of muddy water at the front of the house, and several things blown over. Surprisingly the umbrellas we have in the tables around the yard remained upright.
I read in the Free Press of the torrential rains in your parts Cathy How did you fair? The Dauphin Music Fest was highlighted as experiencing the rains but the show went on...Here, there is more in the offing warned to come so i shall wait and see although right now the sun is shining.
I just made a batch of peanut butter cookies the whole time listening to The Beach Boys. Nothing to boost your spirits than to dance around in the kitchen to the music haha! We are going to Mikes tomorrow so i am preparing some treats and we shall take the makings for "make your own " sandwiches or bunwiches -whichever we buy.  Take care - let me know how you folks are making out with weather warnings? 

Happy Canada Day?

All indications of a very hot and unsettling weekend ahead with very high temperatures and threatening thunderstorms. We do need some rain badly, but not the kind that comes with bad weather and thunderstorms. I continue to water regularly and it becomes a routine starting in one corner and working my way around the yard. But it can also be relaxing as one's mind can wonder while still being productive. Sound silly?  I would love to get some pictures and see if i can send any via this blog or maybe the email. There must be some way for me to figure it out on my own. I just need some time at the computer to do so. Let me try...maybe I shall be successful and over the next few days you shall receive some of my pictures. Pati, you have the knack and Cathy you have also sent some so maybe it is just me haha! Or, I can always blame it on the computer. 
I have been able to do some before bed reading this week and this pleases me as I always did love to relax a bit before bed. i am into the novel The Marrow Thieves - one of the books from Canada Reads that Mike gave me. I like it when you folks tell me what you are reading as it gives me ideas to look into - the Library has eluded me for so long.
There is a little park ( a few vacant lots donated by an old established family for use by the residents) up the street where i walk Bailey and the village has not cut the grass yet this year and it is more like an overgrown field - higher than poor Bailey. I went into the Town office the other day to enquire as to when i might expect it to be done. yesterday i received a phone call back to say the Works department has been busy and has not been able to get to it yet but is aware . So who knows when it will be done but at least I feel I did my best as a tax payer and user of such space provided for citizens.
So onward with the day and coming weekend. Enjoy the time but take care with the pending weather issues. The celebrations for Canada day will take place here tomorrow with parades and pigroast and games etc. We do not usually attend and since it is Sat Harry will be off to garage sales and the like, so maybe not too exciting for us. i am just as pleased to stay home. By for now....

Up early

Had a good sleep last night, after using the Lyrica instead of T3's.  I'm now hoping that I can do without the T3's totally.  But the timing of the pills meant that I was awake at 5:00 am.  lol  That  I can deal with.

Getting out early to run our errands is working well.  It meant that when we got home before 10:00, it was still cool enough that I could sit in the garden to read my book, and drink my coffee.  This meant that I was able to finish the book--"I'll Keep You Safe" by Peter May.  This is a lengthy novel that starts with the death of a woman's husband, in a foreign country, and then follows her as she returns to their home and arranges a funeral.  Sounds awful, I know, but every person she interacts with during three days brings back a memory of how that person had interacted with the couple in the past.  A secondary plot starts with the police suspicious that she might have been responsible for his death. Still sounds awful, but I just couldn't put it down.  As things progress, there is a niggling thought that who ever was been responsible, just might be after the lady herself.  A good read.

I'm hoping that I will be able to spend the afternoon in the studio.  I have so many ideas.  I am so very relieved that there are ideas, as last time I was taking pain killers my creativity vanished.

Morning read...

Just reading all the messages from yesterday early this morning. And I am so sorry Pati that you had this mishap but good that you went to have it checked. Sounds as if you will be out and about to Pan Am Clinic now? Were you there before as it sounds familiar? Take care of yourself - they always say that "at home" accidents are the most prevalent. 
We went shopping yesterday to Huntsville which took up most of morning and early afternoon. I hAD BEEN GETTING POP UPS TO UPGRADE TO bITDEFENDER 2018 BUT WHEN I TRIED IT WOULD NOT WORK. tHEN I GOT A MESSAGE FROM BANK SAYING THAT IF I DID NOT HAVE A CERTAIN BROWSER SECURITY APP THAT FROM jUNE 28 I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS ONLINE BANKING.( Just noticed i had uppercase key activated but i am not going to retype so bear with that last few sentences please.) To continue then.... So I called the Geek Squad to help me. it took from around 2 pm to about 6 pm for the installation process and other things to be done. The fellow said because it was so slow to install. Anyway this disruption did not go over well in this house - the Geek Squad had remote control and no one else could access the computer to play games while the procedures were ongoing. C'est la vie!
Now I am going to have some breakfast and think about the day to come. Hope all is going well for you Cathy, and i agree with Pati - enjoy a little pleasure for yourself while there. For me it would be to have a wonderful long shower. But to each her own haha!
So long for now.....

Frequent flyer miles

My concerns over my fall continued today, and by about supper time, we decided to go to urgent care.  I asked the nurse about frequent flyer miles, and he thought for a minute and then asked what sort of shape would they take--maybe a free xray?  Then he looked at me sideways and out of the side of his mouth said "but they're already free".

Anyway, the doctor decided that there was no break, according to the x-rays, but there is a mild rotator cuff injury, and I've been referred tot he Pan Am minor injury clinic for follow-up.  The doctor was also quite happy with my current medications.  I was just happy to have checked things out.

And now to bed.

Not lasting long

The flowers I spoke of in my last post were seen today for the first time.  By the time I got out to take a picture--about 10:30--they were already starting to fade.  Probably because of the heat.

The top picture is of the "mother" bush in the neighbour's yard.  Since the house changed hands a few years back, the entire yard--and it was magnificent--has been just left.  All they do is hire someone to come in and cut the grass once in awhile. 

The bottom picture is the tiny bush on our side of the fence.  David now tells me that there is a second "volunteer" rose bush growing close to the first one.  He has cleared out all around the area to encourage both of them to prosper.