Simple Sunday

When I have a day, as I had today, I hope this is what my retirement will look like.  It's been such a good day, waking later than normal, but still early enough to enjoy morning sun.  Throw in a few chores, time for a visit with family, and lunch outdoors in the sunshine and I feel so rested and relaxed!

I woke about 8:30 this morning to two sleeping cats on the bed.  It was immediately obvious my son was awake ahead of me, since they were letting me sleep. What a treat, as he had fed the cats and made a pot of coffee.  (The third cat was downstairs convincing C to let him go outside.)

I putzed around the house, loaded the dishwasher, put away some paperwork, folded laundry, and cleaned the cat litter before hopping in the shower.  Then I took my coffee and a book out to the sun room, (it was still a little chilly outside), and simply relaxed.

My brother, Deniece and Denephew showed up mid-morning to check out the new patio.  We had a short visit before they headed out to run some errands.  During the visit, we discovered Denephew is a mere quarter inch shorter than I, and Deniece has less than two inches to go to catch up.  They are 12 and 10 respectively and it has been their goal to be taller than aunty for some time now.

After they got away, I made some lunch and decided to enjoy the sunshine on the front patio.   I'd like to say it was much like sitting on a patio at a bistro, but neither the service nor the view was quite as nice. ;-)

There was a robin on the lawn next door, so I took my camera with me.  When I tried to set the custom white balance, however, I discovered my camera doesn't have the proper f stop setting.  I tried a couple of pictures, but they were so badly washed out, I went back to the auto setting.

The robin was gone by then, but I can't complain as it was so wonderful to sit out in the sun. The gazania enjoy it too!

Gazania are one of my favorite flowers, I love the different shades of color in the petals, and the sunny centre.  If it is a cloudy day, or daylight is limited, the flowers close up.  This is the first year I was able to find the pink ones, and I'm so pleased with how well they are doing.

As I write this, the clouds are beginning to gather so I suspect we'll be getting some rain tonight.

Since coming indoors I've put a roast in the oven for dinner, and boiled up some eggs for tomorrow's lunch. I plan to finish my book, have a glass of wine on the deck, and enjoy the rest of the day.

What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!  I hope you've had a great day too!!!

Is it summer yet?

June 1st already?  We had a lovely day today, no wind to speak of, the sun shining and temperatures near 20C.

Today, I took the car in to change over the tires from the winter to summer set.  It might seem a little late to be doing it, but in my defense we did have our last big snow storm on April 30!

When I picked up the car I went to visit a friend from Saskatoon at the ice rink.  Yep, you read that right!  Her son was playing in a tournament here; they'd lost their first two games but won this game 9 to 3.  According to a four year younger brother of another player, "we kicked their arses".  Despite the difference in scores it was truly a fun game to watch.  They play with intensity and heart, every second they are on the ice.

From there it was a trip to the grocery store.  When I came out with my bags, I found my car was blocked in by a police car with lights flashing.  The officer was out of the car talking to the fellow from the car across the way.  I didn't hear much of what they were saying but it had something to do with his licence plates.  By the time I'd put the groceries in the car and put the cart away, the police officer was preparing to leave.

After an afternoon nap with the cats on the couch, I  went out to water the containers, and have settled in for an evening of watching....,..more hockey!  Even when summer is at hand, I can't seem to shake winter.

Hope you all had a marvelous Saturday, with sun shine and warm breezes.

Friday Funny

When Love Fades...



 Bill was sitting on the sofa watching TV when he heard his wife's' voice from the kitchen.
 
What would you like for dinner my Love? Chicken, beef or lamb?
 
He said, "Thank you, I'll have chicken."
 
You're having soup, asshole. I was talking to the cat.

Easy on Sunday

Today was a pretty much do nothing day for me.  We got a good rain last night, with a few flashes of lightening accompanied by thunder, so everything was wet meaning outdoor work was out.  I had planned to weed the back lawn of its carpet of dandelions and then mow but it never really dried up enough to allow me to pull out the electric mower.

It stayed gray and overcast until an hour or so ago. I did go out and plant some seeds into a three containers.  If the rabbits don't get to them I'll hopefully have radish, spinach and carrots to enjoy later this year.  I've never grown anything but tomatoes and herbs in containers so we'll see how this experiment ends.

That makes a total of 27 containers; there are 17 in the back yard and 10 in the front.  Darn, I exceeded my goal of twenty but I'm still one less than I had last year.  That is, assuming I don't buy any more. ;-)  It's so hard, I love the color they bring to the yard and house, and I don't mind the watering, weeding and deadheading.

Yesterday, I took the remaining plants and planted them in the front flower bed.  I think it is going to look wonderful in a month or so when everything fills in.

I spent most of the day reading, playing on the computer, doing Sudoku puzzles, and watching television.  I just finished watching a movie, "Bringing Ashley Home" the true life story of Libba and Ashley Phillips.  Ashley suffers from bipolar disorder, becomes addicted to drugs, and goes missing.  This is story of Libba's search to bring her sister home, which eventually leads her to form the Outpost for Hope organization to help other families in similar situations.  It was an interesting story though it creates more questions than it answers.

I did make one trip to the grocery store, as we were low on eggs, sugar, and few other baking items.  My daughter has been on a low-carb diet, so I think she was craving some homemade goodies.  This was the result.
From left to right are chocolate chip mocha muffins, brownies, banana loaf (two are missing...hmmmm do you suppose she already ate them?) and cinnamon buns.  She's promised to take the majority to work, as I don't want the temptation.  I've had a cinnamon bun thus far...but those brownies look very good.  Maybe a little piece for a bedtime snack!

She even cleaned up after herself, which is huge treat in itself.

I'll probably spend the rest of the evening channel surfing or maybe reading.  The weather forecast is for another thunderstorm tonight, perhaps I'll get to watch Mother Nature's fireworks instead!

Hope everyone had a wonderful easy Sunday.

Sunny Saturday

The morning started out gray and overcast, I was sure we were in for some rain.  Even so, just before 9 a.m. the crew showed up to complete the work on my front yard.  Hooray!

A friend came to pick me up just before 10 to go check out some garage sales.  We were back by shortly after noon and within a half hour, the yard looked like this.

 I love the new patio.  It is going to be such a lovely place to sit and relax with a coffee or a cold drink, especially on the days when it is too hot to be on the back deck.

It all looks very bare though doesn't it?

Not for long!  The sun came out just as the crew finished and then it was my turn to get to work.

I planted containers, the front flower bed, put out the furniture, and cleaned up my mess.

By that time the sun was shining brightly.

In late afternoon, this will be a sunny place for an hour or so.

Out in front of the tree are the two large planters I purchased a couple of weeks ago.  I had thought I'd like a third one, but this looks okay.

The blue container I picked up at a garage sale today for $4.  Score!

It stills needs something else for interest but I'm in no hurry.  I'll know it when I see it.

This is what we now see when we walk up the driveway to the house.  It would be nice to hide the neighbour's airconditioning unit.  Maybe a screen?

This is my favorite view from the front door looking out towards the street.

I can't believe how different it looks in such a short time.  And I know I'll enjoy the space far more than I did when it was a lawn full of weeds.

Hope the sun was shining on your Saturday too!

Friday Funny

Truths for Mature Humans

     1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

      2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

      3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

      4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

      5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

      6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

      7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

      8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

      9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

      10. Bad decisions make good stories.

      11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

      12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

      13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

      14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

      15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

      16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

      17.  I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

      18. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

      19. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

      20. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. (I don't agree with this one!)

      21. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

      22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

      23. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974.That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

       (Ladies... Quit Laughing)

Tooting my own horn

Come to think of it, I really can't take credit for this....but I will!

I fixed my garage door opener.  The stupid thing had been acting up, it would open just fine, but to get it close I had to use the controls by the back door and hold the button down until the door closed entirely. At least it closed but I was starting to think I needed to call in an expert.

For those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile, you know I tend to call in people to do things for me.  Especially if it is a heavy job. So I was quite prepared to hit the phone book to find someone to fix the darned thing!

And then I saw an advertisement on television for Ask.com.  Yeah, I know, it's been around for a long time, I just hadn't seen the need to ask anything before.  So I asked "how to fix a garage door opener" and whole bunch of stuff came up, including some YouTube videos.  I figure what the heck, maybe I'd learn something.

So I watched the first one, and while it was funny, it merely proved to me I wasn't ready to tackle the garage door opener.  There is electricity involved folks....

Then I watched the second one.  They should have called it "garage doors for dummies".  It pointed out nine things to check for including looking to see if the garage door opener was plugged in.  I knew that wasn't the problem since it opened and closed (grudgingly).  I knew it wasn't the batteries either, nor had I locked the control panel.   I was pretty certain it wasn't an issue with the remote as the problem happened even when I used the exterior key pad.

Then they suggested cleaning the eyes of the sensors with a damp cloth.  In fact, they recommended doing so every season.   Hmmmm...we've been in this house for 11 seasons and I've never cleaned the sensors....could it be that easy?

Turns out it could be!  I cleaned the sensors and watched in amazement as the door opened and closed easily.  Who knew a little dust could be such a nuisance?

And do you know what I just realized?  Since I saved myself $50 for a service call, I have money to go shopping!

Have a great day everyone!