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.

MOLES

The moles are back. Somekitty killed one and left it under a large shade tree for me to find when I started raking freshly mowed grass. There are three suspects that I know of: Flower, my own lovely kitty; the cat-next-door, a pretty outdoor cat; the beautiful but horrid male purebred that still comes into my yard to chase Flower (Terri is in charge of chasing him out of the yard).

It appears to be a star-nosed mole which is known to inhabit the low wetlands of eastern North America. They dig shallow surface tunnels and forage for insects, worms and molluscs. So there you have it -- proof that moles consider my yard "wetlands". That reminds me -- a few days ago, a toad jumped out of the way when I was clipping grass next to the bottom step of my deck. No wonder that I usually end up mowing wet grass.

LOVE MY YARD

I love my shady yard in the afternoon. Terri can play there without getting overheated while I relax on the deck. Mosquitoes aren't quite so bad there as in the grass. On the hottest days we stay indoors, though.

Today it's 33°C and humidity makes it feel like 40°C. That's too hot to move! No wonder I tend to stay up after midnight to get anything done during weeks like this.

From Environment Canada:
Ontario heat breaks records ... Humidex ratings for southern Ontario are expected to reach as high as 42°C for Windsor and 43°C for Ottawa. That's 108°F !

At 3 PM radar shows a line of scattered severe and non severe thunderstorms from just south of lake Simcoe to vicinity of Bancroft and northeastward. This line is moving southeastward at about 60 km/h. Conditions around and ahead of this line of thunderstorms are favourable for the thunderstorms to persist and become severe with hail up to golf ball size, wind gusts to 100 km/h and torrential downpours up to 50 mm in half an hour.

LILACS !

What a great week of sunshine we've had! Although the first couple of days were too hot to do any yard work, it cooled down so I was able to mow, snip, clip, rake and haul hay for a few days uninterrupted by rain. I finally managed to catch up on the grass since the lack of rain meant it didn't grow (much) from my first day of mowing to my last day of raking.

Whew! All that exercise helped me lose a couple of lbs too :-)
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I'm enjoying watching my little lilac bush bloom this year for the first time. I should have cut down that smelly old evergreen and replaced it with a fragrant lilac the first year I was here. A second lilac will certainly be on my planting list.

Due to the high rainfall in April/May, the low lying yard near the back fence is impossible to mow. The Toro just fills up with grass and dies every time I try to mow a little closer to the wet area. I think 2 or 3 thirsty cedars in the middle of the "swamp" may soak up the spring water. I should spend some time this weekend shopping for shrubs.

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When not mowing, I've been sitting in the shade of a spruce and reading Peter Mayle's books describing life in Provence. His books are perfect relaxation for summer days. In "A Good Year", a man inherits his uncle's house and vineyard and travels to France to decide whether to live there or sell the property. Much tasting of wine ensues.
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Terri's energy level gets a boost when we move to the shade and she keeps me busy tossing her ball with one hand while holding a book in the other.

[The obligatory portrait of Terri]

INSANITY

Temporary insanity -- obviously what I was undergoing when I made my joyous remark about fresh new green grass (April 29). I enjoy live through four seasons each year: snow-shovelling, mud-mopping, grass-mowing, leaf-raking. Which one creates the most work? Grass-mowing. We have such great annoying abundance of rain and sunshine in Ontario, that grass grows lush and high every week.

That wouldn't be such a problem if my lawnmower weren't such a wimp. It refuses to cut grass when it's wet; and with the frequent rains we get, the grass is often wet. Finding a day when the grass is dry enough to satisfy the fussy mower isn't easy; especially when frequent rains keep the grass from drying out. Let's hope this summer isn't so wet!

SUMMER 2011

I believe it's summer now and I have proof:
(1) I turned off the furnace yesterday when the temperature outside turned warmer than indoors :-)
(2) The grass is growing so thick and fast that I can't keep up with it. I need to mow in stages because it's too hot and sunny outside during daytime until 7 PM!
(3) Terri is quite happy to take breaks from the heat and follow me indoors for a rest in the cooler house
(4) Windows are left open -- even at night!

On the other hand, one could argue that it is still spring; my neighbours' apple trees are just blossoming now. My baby lilac tree is getting ready to bloom in the next few days.

APRIL SHOWERS

... BRING MUD PUDDLES

It seems like a long spring this year, waiting for drier weather so the mud puddles don't last so long. I mustn't complain -- it could be much worse. People in more northern parts of Ontario and in the west have been getting snow. No, I wouldn't trade places with them.

In fact, I think that eastern Ontario has ideal weather for people like me who prefer sunshine to days and days of rain (Vancouver), sudden snow falls in the wrong season (Alberta), rain and floods (Manitoba), or some very short summers (Maritimes). Winter snowstorms often pass by south of us and we don't get the snow squalls that make areas near the great lakes so dangerous for driving. When it comes to location, I'm a happy camper :-)

COUNTRY LIVING

Terri has been enjoying her home in the country for 3 1/2 years now. I love to see her race around the yard, enjoying the freedom of all that space. Herding dogs need room to stretch their legs and half an acre is as much as I care to mow -- any more and I'd want a little goat to keep the grass short.

It's funny how my attitude has changed over time. When I first moved to Orleans after living in areas closer to downtown Ottawa, it felt too "remote". I felt I was out in the middle of nowhere. That idea changed when I quickly learned to appreciate the 5 minute walk to acres of unused grass & woods for my Labrador retriever to romp in. During the years in Orleans, those acres provided many hours of quiet enjoyment for both of us.

Chimo died in 2005 when Terri was 9 months old. Around this time, the grassy acres I had delighted in started to be built up. There would be no romping room there for Terri. While some people were enjoying the proximity of the big box stores, I felt hemmed in.

By 2007 it was definitely time to move to a quieter, more relaxing neighbourhood. I found just the kind of place I wanted: not too far from civilization (shops) with neighbours neither too close nor too far away and with active farms in view instead of construction sites. It was the right move at the right time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

I had no plans to create a blog. Then, somehow, it occurred to me as a good way for friends to contact me if they aren't on Facebook. NOT on FB?!? Strange to say, not everyone is on FB ... yet.

The yard has a very peculiar look for January 2nd -- more grass than snow.

At least the weather turned cold enough to harden the ground again so Terri didn't get muddy. If you'd like to contact me or bark at Terri, use the comment space.