MISCELLANEOUS

An equine afternoon -- After mowing the last section of yard, I watched the CN Reliability Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows, Alberta followed by the Belmont Stakes in New York. Ian Millar was one of only four riders (2 Cdn, 2 American) who managed to have a clear ride on the first round of the Grand Prix. During the jump-off, only the Americans managed to jump clear. In New York, my favourite, Shackleford, was in the lead for the first part of the race but couldn't sustain that pace to the finish line.

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Sometimes it pays to procrastinate -- not often, but sometimes ;-) I had been planning for the past two weeks to go shopping at local garden centers to look for 2 or 3 cedars to plant in the low wet portion of the back yard. Yesterday, when I bought groceries, I found some damaged cedars in front of Your Independent Grocer. They were at a greatly reduced price so I bought two.

They're much taller than I expected to get and cost perhaps a quarter of what I'd pay for undamaged cedars at a garden center. Next door neighbour's son is planting them for me because I have enough to do just trying to get the grass mowed before it rains. Photo: Flower inspects a new cedar.

There is a sad element to this event. Just before the first cedar was planted, I inspected it and removed some of the brown bits. I discovered a tiny robin and egg :-( hidden in the branches. The parents had chosen a bad place to build a nest. Fatalities from poorly chosen nest sites must happen quite often for birds that lay their eggs in or near towns.