What's happening in your neighborhood today...pt3

yup!

Snail shell?

Lets try that again without the copyright.

Sofer I dont think that is a snail shell - porobably just a leaf -

So the mystery continues?

Just getting ready for the ride into the city, it's pouring rain here, calling for much the same all weekend so glad I have indoor projects all lined up...

Need to get moving, clock is ticking, be back to check out the mystery photo and gab...

A CARDINAL :-) Wooo hoooo .. amazing camouflage .....

Overcast here .. and as I watch the CBC news I feel thankful I don't live in in NB !!!! Holy doodle .. what a mess there !!
As well .. I am also hearing about a gas station in Mississauga that has gas on sale for .68/L !!! Apparently the line ups have snarled traffic BIGTIME !!

Trying to 'get it together here' .. my list is getting longer by the minute !!! Have to have all 'TOWN' stuff said and done before 2pm as that's when the fella comes here for me to sign the contract to have the Central Air installed .. have had estimators in off and on all week .. looks like SEARS won out though ... gads .. where is Mike Holmes when ya need him :-)

Take care everyone

~M~

I could DEFINATELY use Mike Holmes! lol...

Yes, was watching the A channel news, they were sponsoring along with Canadian Tire a price reduction in gas..would be from 7am - 9am this morning..can imagine the line ups..

Torrential rains all the way in, drizzling here in the city..

Wow to the flooding down east..hope all you easterners are ok...better check in - we'll be worrying..

Hopefully the rain you're getting Betty, and TBay as well, won't go further east !!! Looks like ours is going to be around into Saturday ..

Oh wouldn[t it be a perfect world if Mike Holmes could 'clone' himself !!
I stare at all the estimates .. and I ponder and I wonder and then I just say .. 'go with your gut instinct' (course price helps too) :-)
The contractor/salesman is running late .. but that's fine .. Lilly was a bit late ate the groomers.
When I picked her up .. the groomer had the most GORGEOUS Great Pyrennes on her table .. named 'Chaos' .. I swear .. this fellas head was as big as a Lions !!! What a dear heart though .. gentle as a lamb .. Lilly wasn't quite sure about that though LoL

Stay safe everyone ..

~M~

Nice day here - sunny but not too warm so a great day to be cleaning up the flower beds.

Ive needed my fences painted for a while and it happened that the fellows painting the new construction next door asked me about the fence and were supposed to come quote for me the day the big snow storm struck! Yesterday they were back next door so he came over and we agreed to go ahead. It needed doing quickly because there are perennial beds all around the back yard fence and if not painted now would have to wait until fall. Said sure they could do it next week depending on the weather but they phoned this afternoon and said coming over to power wash and back tomorrow to get started!
My neighbor is a bit ticked - white paint bits all over the grass and she had a flower bed seeded which she seemed sure we were destroying! ( But we just gave it a bit of moisture) apparently her husband had been chatting with them also - I explained I hadnt had time to come talk to them and that I would clean up the paint chips ( my back wont thank me for that) and she settled down. Funny I figured it would be her husband! Maybe he will too! Thank goodness nobody living on the other side! And of course their side is the one with the fence with gaps between the boards!

Ah well it will all settle down.Figured I better go over and sooth ruffled feathers sooner rather than later.

MERRY XMAS from Thunder Bay !! Our overnite rain has changed to wet snow :-( I don't think it'll last long .. but .. at the moment it sure looks Ikky !! Quite windy as well.
TBay has been chosen as one of the Canadian cities to try out one of those 'Wind Turbine Farms' .. we seem to get an inordinant amount of wind here .. has been that way for about the last 4 years .. we has 2 sessions of way bad .. and I am guessing at the term here .. 'down drafts' .. 2 Julys in a row .. the green sky phenomenon .. high winds for several hours .. ALMOST tornado like but not .. trees uprooted and blow downs .. scary is what they were !!

So .. today is recycling delivery to respective bins .. and MAYBE a stop off at a CKC dog show here .. altho .. I'm not allowed to bring Lilly in .. so that may not happen.

Hope everyone has a splendiferous day ..
Growin .. your STARLINGS are back .. cocaphony (sp) of yakkin out there :-)

Fancy .. fussy neighbours can getcha down .. it was nice of you to offer to clean up the paint chips ..

Off and runnin

~M~

OMG 'M' more snow, it's so cold/windy and heavy rains here, but no snow..just means no working outside in the garden..can you imagine, I was in jammies last night from about 5pm, this morning I got up, went to town, came back and into jammies again and almost ready to call it a night..tummy not just right..I haven't had the flu or ill for years now, although I haven't been right (many would attest to that..lol) and going to see specialits on the 14th I don't think it's that..so, will enjoy..usually I'm non stop but something has stopped me....so will enjoy the evening resting...

Fancyvan..so now after all of those incidents, everything is back to normal? funny how neighbors can be...I got a letter from the municipality, there is a wide open space across the road from me and I guess they want to put a subdivision there so are having a hearing..no really sure what I think of that, think everyone should have a home, it's just that I think they are trying to squeeze too many in such a small area...so have till the 14th to write in or call..doubt I will..might be nice seeing kids running around and enjoying themselves...

Well, it's that time of night, let's hope tomorrow brings sunshine, at least to 'we' who have rain and snow..
Gab in the morning..

Good evening from the city of SUN (right now) !! What a difference a few hours makes .. but .. as it's later in the day .. enjoying the sun outside with a brisk Northwest wind is a bit of a stretch . Good enough for dog walking and that's about IT!!

Betty .. sorry to hear yer feeling 'a bit off' gastric upset isn't nice at anytime .. hopefully you'll have some tests run on the 14th or after to ferret out the problem. There are several Over the Counter meds you can take for it .. however .. they just tend to 'mask' the underlying problem.
As for the subdivision .. I guess we're 'opposites' in that area .. I'd be in the front row wanting to know about size, number, noise etc .. as you say .. projects such as that tend to be done as a money maker .. and as such .. well .. the contractor puts in as many units/houses as possible.

DS has a Boston Terrier, Molly, with a blister in her ear .. looks like a call for Mom to bail him out cash wise as I am sure the vet bill will be atrocious .. maybe not .. but years of experience lead me to believe I'm correct :-( Am thinking and incision and drainage of the blister and then antibiotics .. keeping her calm will be a real problem as there is another Boston Terrier (her brother) Winston .. at home and they are full of KABOING !!
Ahhhh well .. once a parent ALWAYS a parent !!

Callin it a day here soon ..

CIAO


~M~

It started out raining today - all gloomy but the sun finally came out. My neighbour asked to use my truck to pick up some plants from his mom's place with his daughter so we went for a drive. When we got there I noticed the 'Eddie's White Wonder' Dogwood along the side of the house. I commented how nice and large it was and he said the house originally belonged to Henry M. Eddie, the nurseryman who patented the tree. My mouth dropped. Some of the roses in the yard are also Eddie's introductions. I asked my neighbours mom if I could come back when the dogwood is in full bloom and she was delighted I was interested. Turns out she is a guide at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Wow - how cool is that!

We went shopping at Southlands Nursery and I had to hold myself back. Everything I really wanted had a sold to Thomas Hobbs tag on it. He's the owner. I just bought some large Coleus with vibrant colour. We just went driving around slowly going home and my friends 6 year old daughter was waving at everyone out of my vintage truck. What a great day it turned out and I've been picking palm seed inside since I got home.

Tom Hobbs was here a few years ago as a special guest speaker at the spring garden show and I was his chauffeur. Neat guy. I always had the dogs in the back seat and he loved them - told me the next year was his 50th brthday and he was getting a French bulldog! Dont know if he ever did. Have never seen his garden centre.

My annual trips to all the local garden centres starts today with Rundlewood Gardens.
This is a small property in an old neighborhood, pie shape lots which the current owners turned into a wonderful garden. The front is a great shade garden, the back has shade, a bog, a rock garden and a few tons of rundlestone rock! They operate a small nursery selling a lot of plants they grow themselves but also bring in nice things. They are clematis experts among other things.

My neighbor is very nicely doing some patch up on the south fence which in truth is pretty rotten and wont last more than a couple years and then paint. The flower beds on the south are covered with tiny white flecks. Too bad I had already cleared the leaves off! I will cover it with mulch - maybe !

Foster sheltie Angel went to her new home in Edmonton yesterday. She was sweet and easy to look after but it is nice to have the house to ourselves for a few days!

Sunny day here in Thunder Bay .. as always though , that north west wind .. however .. I have two loads of laundry on the line and they're almost dry :-)

Can't say as I have ever heard of 'Tom Hobbs' or 'Henry Eddie' .. but .. in this part of Ontario Dogwood grows wild .. and the MOOSE love it .. I find it adds colour to a drab winter with its red stems .. I'm sure it isn't any kind os 'special Dogwood' ..

I'm holding off on the Greenhouse(s) visit for a bit. I still have my Hydrangea plant hanging on .. and the Hosta I pre planted are coming along gangbusters!!

Enjoy your day :-)

~M~

I was hoping on a bit of sun but it was a cloudy bright day. I rototilled for quite a few hours in the community garden and my arms are hurtin'.

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

ROTOTILLING .. whoosh .. gonna be a while here before the vegetable garden can get turned .. the side gardens and other accent gardens got turned by hand .. and I would SO like to plant .. but must be diligent re the drop in temps overnite here .. one thing I kinda don't like doing is covering stuff with plastic in the evening .. then hauling it off in the morning .. have broken the tender stems on way too many plants (mostly tomatoes) doing that .. and so .. we wait ..

Our 'lovely cat' Smokey (tongue in cheek) had us all up at 5am .. gonna be a LONG day here!! It`s just past 6 and the sun is coming up .. that`s a BONUS !!!!!

Lots on my plate today .. a mix of cooking and vets appts .. so mayhaps it wasn`t a BAD thing I was up so early :-)

Enjoy everyone



M

up early also - 4:30 here - Czar loses his manhood today

Been MIA for awhile. This week is a bit quieter and it looks like a wonderful day today - sunny and 19.

Ann

Sounds as though we all have 'sunshine' today...wouldn't you know, work today and I'm feeling much better..perhaps I'll get the grass cut tonight..takes about 3 hrs so I'll try to divide it between tonight and tomorrow night before I have to start raking grass..lol..

Sitting here looking out of my office window..lordy thos dandelions are out in full force..can remember when I was a little child, now that's going back some, grandparents would make homemade dandelion wine..remember liking the taste...lol

Hope Czar does well -

Poor Czar no longer a tenor.
Get ready Thunder Bay spring is happening here on the west coast. Lots of sun and warm in Seattle yesterday and today. You should have it about Wednesday. Birds are singing and the bloom is on.

Oh Jargon .. it's a stressy thing when it's happening (the whole event) .. but so worth it in the end (no pun intended)

My son's Boston Terrier, Molly, rung up a $666. vet bill today (HELLO MOM) an ear infection undetected and gone bad .. so spent some time at the vets myself today .. a 'sad' .. and a 'happy' place depending on your visit.

Our sun remains .. but that darned WIND won't stop howling .. directly from the NW ... my big stainless windchimes are 'bonging' away ..
Not much grass here Betty, cept for over the septic field and the south part of the property near the house .. but slowly it's creeping in .. as I mentioned .. the cold temps over nite are not condusive for growing.

Thanks for the 'heads up' Soferdig .. I'm counting on some warming trend of some sort or another ..

Heading out with Lilly ..

~M~

Got home from work and was disappointed that I'd not accomplished anything over the weekend so I immediately changed clothes and headed outside..lordy that couch looked good, but I managed to mow the back yard, burn some brush and plant 38 pkgs of seeds and water..now I'm in for my 'dancing with the stars', hot bath and bedtime..

Lordy that was a lot of money for Molly's vet care..
How is Czar doing this evening...

This message was edited May 6, 2008 11:06 AM

LOL .. you make me want to crawl back into bed Betty !!! You certainly accomplished a lot !!
I so want to put in my Morning Glory seeds .. but the fencing fellas will no doubt be disturbing the dirt in that area when they put in Lilly's enclosure (whenever that will happen) ... seems 'we'll be there in 2 weeks' translates to 'we'll be there in a month to 6 weeks' here in TBay ..

Molly is doin OK .. Murray says she looks so 'forlorn' (as only a Boston can) with the 'Halo collar' on ..

Hope Czar is OK ..

I'm out to cruise the yard with Lilly :-)


~M~

Another nice one in Ottawa. Will be getting together with Sandy (Sanannie) as she's coming in to Ottawa today and we'll try to figure out where in my new garden to put the hostas which have to be moved. Dunno that we'll move them, but maybe we can get it planned. :-)

ViolaAnn, hostas...I'm sure you'll find the perfect place...have fun with Sanannie...

our little town has a 'plant/shrub' sale 1st Sat. of June each year..guess who is their biggest purchaser..if you said yes, you were correct..must have bought at least 30 or 40 plants last year..this year I will purchase as many hosta's as I can to border the front garden where it's really quite shaded..they always open at 8:00 a.m. but I'm sitting in the car at 7:30 in order to make a made dash..lol

Was sunny when we drove into the city this morning but about 1/2 an hour or so ago it clouded over and it's now sprinkling..rather have rain during the next few days and have it nice for the weekend, especially for Mother's Day..don't need anything to discourage the "task list" I've prepared for my boys from being done!!!!

Betty tell Sanannie hi from me. I haven't planned any garden heists in her neck of the wood for a while. But tell her to look out in early June. I will be on Drummond Island in a cabin for a week. I may take my DW and go and lift some specimens for my SW Canada garden. Note Betty and Lynn we Veterinarians appreciate your contributions for your most valuable asset in your life.

Well now why did the weather have to change this week? I am glad to see some rain but during the week when my fences are being painted?
Sprinkles yesterday so they were able to get a fair bit done but not sure if they will be able to do anything today.

Ah well off to another couple of garden centres. Here's part of what I bought yesterday

Here's the rest of it.

Soferdig, I'm so laughing..you should meet my mother..she has spent my inheritance tripple fold...lol..between funerals in the pet cemetary, glass eyes for blind dog, auspice care...she'll be broke...just kidding, her pets are her constant companion..she and step father would go without food in order to make their dog's life a little easier..we just enjoy kidding her...told her if 'I' was blind and needed care I'd be 2nd on her list....ah for the love of animals..all joking aside, you must actually get so must satisfaction out of helping the sickly animals...


Fancyvan, wow, now you've been shopping...is your garden pretty well planted?

It's cloudy & overcast. Yesterday it started out this way and got sunny. I was at work and walked into a greenhouse to smell the Star Jasmine that are in bloom and almost fell over from the sauna-like heat.

Tulipa 'Abigail' @ VanDusen Botanical Garden

Clunkety BOOM :-( fer cryin out LOUD .. would the weather PULEEZE make up its mind as to what season it wants to be !!! An hour ago I had Lilly out on a walk about .. it was WONDERFUL .. sunny .. actually warm enough in a TShirt .. I cutback my SIlver Mounds .. de twitched my Oriental Poppies .. and POOF .. bye bye sun .. hello overcast and threatening rain ..

Laffin here Soferdig .. our neighbour (well 2 miles down the road) is a vet .. he's allergic to cats !!! Says everytime he takes call on a weeknd it seems ALL the cats in TBay come in for care !!!
My Granddaughter wants to be a vet .. well this week anyway LoL ... she's 10 and has been quite entranced with all that has transpired with Molly and her ear.

Guess I may as well water House plants ...

Take care everyone


~M~

Mostly cloudy again today with a few blips of sun here and there. I went to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden - a place I've been meaning to go for some time. Beautiful!

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum'

Rain .. I am sorta falling in love with the word .. I seem to hear it so often .. literally and sensorily .. right now it's coming down steadily .. and my mantra is .. 'Green up the woods' :-)

Heading into the big city to look at countertops for kitchens .. gotta do it .. have put it off too long .. course, DH, can't figger out WHY I want GRANITE .. I think by the time all is said and done .. with the amount of space to be covered .. GRANITE will be on the bottom of the list ..

Enjoy

~M~

Good luck 'm' with your shopping..who knows maybe there will be a 75% sale, don't we women tend to find those..No? geeze if I don't I just have my trused red pen and make the discount allowances myself ..not in the store of course but before I hit home...lol..all kidding aside, DH has long since passed on and even to this day with me being home alone and no one to answer to, I'll often tell the kids when the visit, my very discounted purchase price...

Growin, you have such beautiful gardens you can visit..that photo is spectacular...

Thanks Betty. I got a volunteer pass to a few of the other places in the city for this week. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden was on the list so had to go. If you volunteer at one place for a week they give you this pass to visit places where other volunteers work. I might hit the Vancouver Art Museum later today after pulling ivy at VanDusen again.

Cercis chinensis, Metasequoia & some azaleas.

Wow growin, and that's a water feature correct..place looks so inviting! Now that a nice way to repay your volunteers...don't you have a special day coming in what 1 day? 2 days?

It is but don't ask how old I am 'cause I can't add. I found the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden to be very inviting, tranquil and enjoyable.

Pinus nigra

Beautiful Gardesn growin .. makes me feel calm even 3,000 miles away !!!

Rain has been a semi constant here today .. all the better to be in Home Depot .. have estimates and decisions and a few more places to go .. but .. I am going to go with granite ...

I was looking at my west garden .. AND ... the Tiger Lillies are pokin through as are the Purple Iris .. WOOO HOOO !!!
And .. the grass is greening up quickly !!!

Love it :-)


~M~

Growin - I checked your profile and see you are about to have a birthday. :-) We must celebrate. Actually I looked because I wondered in what part of Vancouver you live. (I think we may have discussed this by D-mail before, but I've forgotten.) Anyway, we will be in Vancouver for a week in early July. DD is expecting a baby in mid June and we will be initially in a B&B near her off Commercial Drive, and then in a downtown hotel for a conference. But maybe we could meet during that time.

We now have rain in Ottawa. Of course! I had to work all day, my evening violin student cancelled and now I can't work in the garden! Oh well, when Sandy and I were working yesterday, I felt the front lawn was VERY dry. With all the snow that melted I wonder how, but ...

We had a good session yesterday. Moved a few plants around and talked about where a few others would go. Planted a few bright pink flower pots where some Hosta varieties that I have on order will go. Also one that is a late comer and hasn't yet made an appearance but which needs to be moved.

Nice pics, Growin. That's a place I've not yet discovered in Vancouver. Will have to fix that.

Ann




This message was edited May 7, 2008 11:10 PM

well so much for neutering making a guy a little more mellow - Czar is about to kill anything that gets in his way today - down right cranky (i think the stitches must be itching) took his halo off this morning to go for a run - if i leave it on my left leg is black and blue and green the next day - that thing is a lethal weapon
also can't lift his leg now so he peas on his foot everytime - i try not to laugh

planted 200 strawberry plants yesterday at the stables and my great nieces (3 and 4) helped mulch them with straw in the afternoon (great fun) hope that will keep them warm over the cold nights coming, keep the weeds down and the water in (that's expecting a lot from a few forkfuls of straw now isn't it)

had our second set of twin calves this morning - hope this time both of them make it
looking better as i think we got to them within an hour or so of birth. separated mom and both calves in a private pen and she is at least licking both of them instead of bunting one around like the last momma did with her second one (it didn't make it despite our tender lovin care)