Bad Times

 Tonight's post should be edged in black.

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First, on the entertainment side, the Leafs have added another milestone in their futile bid to win the Stanley Cup.  They played one period of real hockey tonight - too late to make a difference.  Lots of giveaways.  Montreal wanted it more.

They last won the Stanley Cup when I was 30 years old.  Not sure how long I have to live to see them win another.

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The second reason is the 100th anniversary of the Burning of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  A  very successful black community was burned out and a genocide ensued.  The dead were buried in unmarked graves.

It was downplayed, hidden and denied for many, many years.  

Given the opportunity, there are lots of white folk today who would gladly repeat this atrocity.

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And, just to show that Canadians are no better, the unidentified bodies of 215 young indigenous children have been located at a residential school in British Columbia.  Just some of the hundreds that shared the same fate.

One hundred and fifty thousand young children were taken from their families and sent away by the government to Christian schools to learn to be "civilized".  Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and for some, death and anonymous burial with parents not even notified - by people of the church.  How civilized is that?

The last residential school closed when I was 59 years old - 29 years after the Leafs won their last Stanley Cup.  So this is not ancient history.

The Catholic Church was the most egregious, but all of the major churches were part of the nightmare.  Some churches have belatedly  apologized, but the Pope refuses to apologize for what members of his following perpetrated.  

I'll stop now, before I say what I really think.

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Tomorrow it's golf.  Maybe that will go better.

Stay well.

Versatility

 I am now a triple threat greenhouse employee.  Gardener, parking attendant, and now.....................

........dog walker.  Winnie is an exuberant, beautiful young poodle.  Her owner asked if she could go into the garden centre.  I suggested that it would be better if I looked after her while her folks shopped.  We had a nice relationship.

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My primary project today was to enlarge the space that my "Charlie Brown" spruce needed in its garden.  Removed at least a foot of sod from around the tree.

Four wagon loads of sod made their way back to my hill project behind the septic bed.

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Meanwhile, my "co-worker" was busy watering plants in the greenhouse.

And she was also doing double duty, checking in with Joyce who is recuperating very well from her partial hip replacement.

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Blue Jays won the first game of their doubleheader with Cleveland and looked, with a four run lead, like the second game would be an easy win as well......but then they decided to imitate the Leafs.  Didn't work out well.

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Don't forget to watch United Shades of America on CNN at 10 p.m.

Stay well.

Hibernation

 I basically just hibernated today.  Watched the rain, the wind, and the waves.  Stayed warm.

As I write this the Blue Jays are leading Cleveland by 11-2 in the 7th, and the game appears to have been called due to the weather.

And, I bet that Maple Leaf hockey fans are fretting a bit at this point.

Stay well.

A Good Day

 David has started work on the back field which will be another growing area.  This was the sight this morning when I picked him up for golf.

And, by the time we returned...

They've still got more sod to remove.  And David's compost pile has to be removed as well.  Then some drainage tile and bring in the gravel.  But next year there will be a few thousand hanging baskets taking up this space.

Meantime, I've got a lot less lawn to cut.

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So I mentioned golf.  David and I met up with Sven and Big Al.  A bit cool in the morning, but great weather for golf.

I reduced my score by three strokes from Tuesday's result.  Keep going one step at a time and I'll eventually play my age.

David impressed us with a drive on Gold Nine, the dogleg down the hill, that ended up about ten yards short of the green on this 322 yard hole (it's slightly less as the crow, and David's golf ball, fly).

Afterwards, we convened under the trees to enjoy a libation and to discuss world affairs.

A fine way to spend a day with good friends (and one of my kids).

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Blue Jays split a double header with the Yankees today.  Their rookie starting pitcher lived up to his reputation in the first game - outstanding!

If you saw the game you enjoyed seeing his mother in the stands as she ran the gamut of emotions while watching him pitch his first Major League game. A very proud mom!

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Stay well.

A Golf Hangover

 Mardi and I both got off to a slow start today - hurting a bit from yesterday's golf.

I eventually headed for the greenhouse, stopping at the John Deere distributor in upper Grimsby to pick up parts for the riding mower.  Did some gardening, watered the new baskets down front and replaced a dead Wisteria bush.

They've started to remove soil from behind the greenhouse, in anticipation of bringing in stone to create a new growing area for baskets.  Hopefully I'll have pictures tomorrow when I go to pick David up for our golf match at MontHill.

Stay well.

Golfing Again

 We had another shot at starting our 2021 golf season today.  The weather was ideal for the first half of the round.  Although it did get a bit warm toward the end, it was, all in all, a fine day.

Except!  The scores weren't too impressive.  In my case, I had lost three balls after just four holes.  The first one I drowned, but the next two must have pulled the sod over themselves because we saw where they went but they just disappeared.  The rough was just long enough to hide the balls.  The good news - we found more than we lost.

The front nine was not pretty but I managed to pull my game together over the back nine and finished at 100 even.  

Interestingly, the bar was open but there were no tables and chairs in sight, so we kept the golf carts and sat under the trees to enjoy some camaraderie and to dissect our games.

I took a picture of our gathering but my phone and Gmail are not cooperating right now.

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The following comment is for Al Knapp.  On the way home I noticed that Snyder's farm's first planting of sweet corn is showing green sprouts.  Less than three months to wait.

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Blue Jays broke their six game losing streak by beating the Yankees tonight.

And the Leafs also won, going up 3 games to 1 over the Canadiens.  Will wonders never cease?

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Ignore my rants.  Be well.

No Coyotes Seen

 On May 6, I published a picture of the cactus piece that I stuck in a pot.  No roots, just a broken piece stuck in the dirt in a broken pot.

Eighteen days later, Mother Nature has not only rooted the piece, but several new sprouts have appeared.  Magic!

The mother cactus in the front garden has lots of new shoots as well.  Should be some nice flowers again this year.

How does your cactus look Monica?

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A mixed day today.  Cut grass until a mower belt broke.  John Deere is closed today, so that's a job for Wednesday (golfing tomorrow).

Then, checked with David and he wanted the baskets that we put up across the front pruned to promote more growth so did that (you were right Sue).  

Weeded a garden, spread some broken bags of soil in the back field and worked the parking lot again.

Mardi spent those five hours helping out in the garden centre and the greenhouse.  What a woman!

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Blue Jays blew an extra inning game again.  Crap!

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Stay well.

A Mixed Bag

 Sven advised that he arrived early at Trillium Hill yesterday and got in and out with his loot with no issues.  Glad to hear that we didn't have a "Parker parking problem".  

Thanks Gary and Jill.  Sorry that I missed you.

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Sarah-Jean has been working at the greenhouse since she finished her school year, but she now has a second job - helping with the Grimsby summer camp.  I got off the fork lift long enough to take this picture of her promotional message.

Well done Sarah-Jean!

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Jays lost another close one today - the relief pitchers have lost several recently.  This is getting really painful.  I'm beginning to realize how the Leafs fans have felt for the last 54 years.

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Watched United Shades of America again tonight.  We're not perfect up here, but I'm certainly glad to be a Canadian.

Next Sunday at 10 p.m. it appears that they will be featuring veterans on the show.

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Happy Victoria Day.  Stay well.

Get Smart

 I pounded five of these basket holders into the baked red clay (the five straight ones at the other end) before I got smart.  See, even at age 84 it's never too late to learn!

I asked David for help and he sent down these two young lads who completed the job for me.  They were fulfilling school volunteer hours - bless their hearts.

And this is what it looks like now.

There are a few more on the other side of the driveway and a couple at the top of the hill.  Given a bit of time they'll be overflowing with colour.

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And, even at my advanced age I've been able to dodge the cars that I've been trying to get parked and then get them back out of the lot.  Most people are great - but the odd one is really scary.  Passed their driver's test at Costco I think.  Actually, more likely at Woolworth's, Eaton's, or Kresge's.

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Blue Jays lost again 😢.

Maple Leafs won 5-1 to tie the series with the Canadiens.  But, before Leafs fans get too excited, remember that it's been 54 years since they managed to win the cup.  I was just 30 years old.

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Stay well.

Golfing Again

Running late tonight.  Stayed up to watch the Blue Jays lose to the Tampa Bay Rays in the 12th inning.

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Our friend Joyce, who was burned out of her apartment a couple of weeks ago, has been living in the Sandman Hotel.

Today we got word that she has suffered another blow.  She fell and broke her hip.  Operation tomorrow (today).  Best wishes don't quite cover it!  Get well Joyce.

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Corey Conners had a difficult day at the PGA Championship, but he's still just a few shots off the lead.

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Speaking of golf, Sven has booked our Tuesday group at MontHill for Tuesday and again Thursday.  We'll see how long it takes to shake the rust off our games.

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And more golf, Kathy Gruhl has arranged a couples' golf excursion to Pike Lake for the folks who usually went to Byrncliff in New York State.

Mardi and I will participate in two trips to Pike Lake this year.  Matt is arranging the other one.

That will likely be the extent of our 2021 vacations.

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Get well Joyce.  Stay well everyone else.

Wildlife Catch

 This morning, Sarah-Jean found a baby snapping turtle inside the garden centre - probably looking for water.

I took it back and dropped it in between David's pond and the neighbour's pond.

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You'll remember that I said the Korean convenience store people would be back when wholesale supplies petered out, prepared to pay retail price plus tax in order to get planters and baskets to sell in their stores.  Well, David says it has started.

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Canadian Correy Conners (nice alliteration) is leading the PGA Championship by two strokes after the first round.  Let's hope he can keep it up.  He's finished top ten twice (more alliteration) in the Masters so he's used to the pressure.

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Blue Jays lost their game in the 9th inning tonight.

Leafs lost too - not just the game, but John Tavares went down with a serious injury.  

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Stay well.

Special Day

 Today is David's and Sue's 31st wedding anniversary.   Best wishes!

It's also Wacky Wednesday at the garden centre, but those two events are unrelated.  Just thought I'd throw in a commercial while I had your attention.

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Did the usual today - spread wood chips for mulch and, as required, played traffic cop.  I'll tell you what - after several days of watching incompetent drivers come in, try to park, and then try to leave, I'm almost afraid to go on the road.  It's scary out there!

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Blue Jays lost tonight but they are in second place in the toughest division in baseball, so they're doing just fine.

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Mardi has fixed up our planters for the balcony.  According to the construction schedule, we can enjoy them until August when the railings come down.  Then I'll really be taking Steve's advice.  I'll stay off the balcony - don't want to get pushed!

She got the plants at Trillium Hill.  Great spot!  But if you go, please be nice to the traffic cop!

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Mardi also did some shopping for clothes - on line.

Turned out well.  Looking good babe!

You can see her latest jigsaw puzzle on the table behind her.  Making progress.

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Stay well.

An Interesting Day

 Cogeco is installing a new 5G system in our building.  Any current customers (like us) had our TV and Internet shut down while they did their work.  We're back on track now, but tomorrow promises to be more of the same.

It caught Mardi in the middle of a Zoom meeting with her friends and she had to go to her telephone and be satisfied with just audio.

The good news is that when the work is done Cogeco will be paid by the condo corp for everyone's system.  And the hit to our condo fees will only be about half of what we are currently paying.

We also had a fire alarm test, and it too occurred during Mardi's call.

Add the noise from the grinders removing balcony railings and it was certainly an interesting morning.

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Our afternoon started by meeting with Al and Liz at Gage Park.

Mardi brought ginger cookies, Al brought Apple Muffins, and Apple Cinnamon Raisin muffins.  A good trade!  Nice to be able to meet friends even though it was at a distance.

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A couple of days ago I mentioned that I was waiting for the Mockingbirds to arrive.  When I headed out to cut some of the back field this afternoon I was greeted by one of those songsters.

Music to my ears!

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Parking was not an issue today so I actually got some work done!

Stay well.

A Mixed Schedule

 I thought that the garden centre parking wouldn't be an issue today, so I attended Bullivant Health and Safety to get fork lift training.

Now I'm qualified until I'm 87 years old.  Can't wait to reup in three more years!

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Then Mardi got word from A.J. that the parking at Trillium Hill was a zoo again, so we headed to the garden centre.

Helped to park cars in between talking to sister Judy and my David.  Also got some wood chips spread.

But the most exciting part of my day was when two lovely ladies tried to entice me to help them with their planting, claiming that they had lots of beer and wine (white and red).  I mentioned it to Mardi and she told me to "go ahead"...😏.....but then I remembered that tomorrow we're meeting Al and Liz to sample some of Al's muffins, so that clinched it.  I stayed put.  I'm not as dumb as I look (I hope).

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Saw Bob Harrison at the garden centre, a colleague from my Dofasco days.  He asked to be remembered to our mutual friends.

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Yesterday, David shared the following pictures.  That's an Asparagus sprout in the lower middle of the picture.

And the tall sprouts out in the open are also Asparagus.

In a former life, the south-east quadrant of David's farm once contained an Asparagus garden.  There are a dozen remnant growths that still return each year and David loves to eat them raw - very tender.

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No Blue Jays game tonight, and I just can't get into (roller derby) NHL hockey.  Might have to watch a movie with Mardi.

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I'm not going to ask if you watched United Shades of America last night because you probably didn't.  But it was another reminder of how sick the U.S. (and Canada, given a chance) has become.

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Tomorrow will be exciting.  A fire alarm test at 10 a.m.  Muffins with Al and Liz at 1 p.m.  Probably parking at the garden centre after that. And, finally, the Blue Jays take on the Red Sox at 7 p.m.

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Just think how protected we will be with our delayed second shot (four times as good as if we had followed the manufacturers' recommended schedule).

Stay well.  

Birds

 Jim went back to the greenhouse yesterday morning to have another go at the Killdeer chicks.

While he was waiting for those pictures, he also got some good pics of the adult that was trying to lure him away.

Using good equipment, constantly working to improve, and having lots of patience, pays off.  Well done Jim!

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The next birds I'm waiting for are the Mockingbirds.  They dance on top of the hydro poles and serenade the garden centre with their remarkable songs.

Then the Swallows, who swoop around me to get the bugs I disturb when cutting the back field.  I feel like the Pied Piper! 

Red Tail Hawks are common, and a couple of times I've seen American Kestrels.  They're the smallest hawk, about the size of a Blue Jay, and they can hover.  But they fly about 100 feet above the ground and my camera isn't up to the job.  Can't focus on those little guys in time.

And, of course, there are the Turkey Vultures gliding overhead waiting for me to fall off the mower.  

Don't you just love nature and the outdoors?

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I was an intended victim of Elder Abuse today.  Mardi, after working yesterday as parking lot attendant and then greenhouse deadheader (a fine word!)  said that she wasn't going to the greenhouse today because she felt like 10 miles of bad roads.

In an effort to be supportive, I told her that she didn't look like any more than 8 miles of bad roads.  And then she took a swing at me,  but she missed!

I just don't understand women!

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Blue Jays won another series - this time against the Phillies.  Well done.

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Al Knapp has been busy making muffins.  I think he's invited us to share some, but I'm not sure.  When are we meeting Al?

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Worked the parking lot for over four hours today.  It's a challenge!

Enjoy the weather.  Stay well.

No News

 Spent four hours at the greenhouse today.  The majority of it I was directing traffic, but I did manage to get the lawn cut.

Stay well.

A Quiet Day

 A quiet day.  No photographers showed up.

Managed to mulch a garden in between stints controlling the parking lot.

Mardi deadheaded geranium baskets.

Stay well.

More Killdeer

 

How about this new invention!

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/molson-canadian-introduces-the-brewmboni-part-vacuum-part-cooler-all-hockey-826978248.html

Mentioned it to David and he immediately started to rig up the greenhouse sweeper.

Got the Moosehead on board.  Now we just need to work on the cooler part.

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Blue Jays wiped out the Braves again today, sweeping their season series.  They're now four games over .500.  Pretty awesome.

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After I included the picture of the young Killdeer in the blog, Jim asked if he could stop by and get a picture.  My picture was taken with a phone camera.  Jim's pictures were taken with a camera that was about ten feet long (OK, so I mildly exaggerate).

Jim added the following message:

The focus on the young killdeer is poor for a couple of reasons:  they're quite fast-moving (and I was shooting at 1/1000 sec.), and because they're so small the autofocus is confounded, trying to balance focus on the bird with the surrounding grass and dandelions.  That's a consequence of my trying to get as low as possible to take the shot, which I'm told by my bird group that I should do.  In one shot the baby killdeer is dwarfed by the dandelions.  Who lets their dandelions get that big, anyway?  So in a way my lack of success is your fault!

Jim, I left that part of the grass uncut just so the size of the bird could be fully appreciated!  But they are certainly cute aren't they?

In truth, in a few days David plans to have several inches of stone dropped on this whole area (it will be a planting area in future) so I've been ignoring it.  But in future years the Killdeer, who typically lay their eggs in stony areas, will love this major expansion of their nesting area.

Jim also included a picture of an adult bird associated with this little one.

Nicely done Jim.

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While that was going on, I sprayed some weeds that were invading some of the gardens, spread wood chips over the latest garden to be brought under control, cut the grass in the rink, tidied up the skids of soil along the driveway with the fork lift, and got a bit of a sun burn.  A good day!

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Enjoy the weather.  Stay well.

Minimum News

 Sarah-Jean picked a safe parking spot for her new car.  No chance to get a dented door here!  I spiffed the spot up a bit with a couple of baskets.

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The first broods of Killdeer chicks have emerged.

So far, I've discovered three batches while cutting the grass.  Fun to watch them twitch their legs a mile a minute to run away - they're not flying yet.

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Wednesday is usually David's slowest day, but the parking lot was full again and people were opting for driveway spots.  I think I'll be a parking lot attendant again this weekend.  A good problem to have!

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Blue Jays won again tonight.  So far they've taken all five games they've played this season against the Atlanta Braves.  Last meeting between the two teams is tomorrow afternoon.

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Stay well.

Proud Grandpa

I've mentioned that David calls himself "semi-retired".  He put out this post yesterday:

16 hour day -  Sure glad I don’t have to work as hard as I used to. 

In his business, May is almost a 24/7 situation, shipping a full greenhouse out and filling it back up at the same time, all the while trying to keep everything alive and looking good.

In my case, I tried to stay out of everyone's way and just worked for two and a half hours yesterday.  Seemed like long enough!  That's the "semi-retired" that I like.

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Here's a thought.  Folks in the Rebecca Tower apartments are coming down with covid.  It's up to 103 cases now, with one death.  They're blaming "community transmission" as the cause, which makes it sound like folks are partying together.

But then you hear that there is just one elevator working in this 164 unit apartment building.  The other(s) have been out of commission for months despite the residents' pleas.  There is a limit of two people at a time on that elevator, so obviously there will be groups of people lined up and waiting together on every floor.  

This appears to be one of those buildings where the owner is trying to get people to leave so that higher rents can be charged, which may explain why the elevator hasn't been fixed.

How about charging the building owner with manslaughter over the covid death that occurred, presumably due to his negligence?  Do you think that might help to fix the problem?

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Yesterday we featured John Buckley's vintage Mustang.  Today it's Sarah-Jean's brand spanking new Hyundai Kona.  Well done sweetie!

Nice car for a nurse-to-be.

And, not to be outdone, Ewen (who is sitting beside Sarah-Jean in the above picture) got word today that he has been accepted at Guelph University.  Congratulations Ewen!

I always thought that he was destined to play football or soccer.

But it turns out he's built more for basketball - tallest in the family.

Two great kids, finding their way forward.  Makes grandpa proud!

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One more thing to be thankful for today - we don't live in the Middle East.  Rockets are more dangerous than covid.

Stay well.

Wild Mustang

 Tuned in to United Shades of America on CNN again last night.  For Mardi and me this is must see television.  It opens your eyes to what the coloured community has been, and still is, dealing with in the U.S.

But it should come with a disclaimer: "This show may be offensive to Evangelical white supremacists."

Tune in next Sunday at 10 p.m.

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Our excitement today was being on hand as John Buckley retrieved his Mustang from winter storage at Bullivant Health and Safety.  It started up with no problem and ran nice and smooth, albeit a little throaty.

And it does attract good looking young chicks!  

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I moved sod and cut grass again today.  My associate wasn't needed for parking duty so she planted Million Bells cuttings.

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No ball game tonight.  Might have to watch a movie.

Stay well.

Mother's Day

 The Gmail thread of my golfer friends is still delving into our collective memories.  We've recently gone through the horses' names of our cowboy and cowgirl heroes.

Al Knapp posed this question to us today:

"I remembered that Roy Rogers had a buddy who drove a jeep. I remembered the jeep was named Nellybell but I couldn't remember the buddy's name so I googled it. Can anyone remember his name without googling it?"

Anyone on this mailing list up to the task?

That golfer thread now has over 50 messages.  Hopefully, golf courses will open up soon so that we can move on from memory lane!  

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I needed to get the grass cut today so I brought along a special traffic cop in honour of Mother's Day.

Great job Mardi!  The traffic eased in the afternoon so we were able to head home in time to watch the Blue Jays (who lost).

I also cleaned up a garden and moved a wagon load of sod.  A good day!

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Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers on the list.   Stay well.

What a Day

 I arrived at the greenhouse today to see this scene....

The parking lot was full and they were parking down the driveway.

I got the riding mower out and filled it with gas, but then noticed that there was a traffic jam down the driveway.  So I became traffic cop/parking lot attendant!  What a zoo!

Watched for empty spaces and directed incoming cars to them.  It got to the point that I was letting them park in the driveway and then directing alternating one way traffic.  Kept at it because if the driveway had been left full people would have just turned away.

You'd think it was Mother's Day coming!  

Had fun chatting up some customers while we waited for spaces to clear.  Despite the congestion, no bad tempers showing, and lots of hand waves and thank yous.    A satisfying day!

But I didn't get any grass cut.  Put the lawn mower away with about two minutes total on the mower clock.

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And I found another business that was benefitting from the pandemic.  

Retrieved the repaired TV today and the owner of A-1 TV Repair told me that he can't keep up.  People are watching TV all day and the TV sets can't cope.  They're breaking down and it's hard to shop for new ones, so he's run off his feet.

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Blue Jays won tonight.  Great game.

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Be nice to your lady tomorrow (and every other day too).  Stay well.

HELP!

 My luck at cards has taken a turn for the better.  I have won the last two games and have a big lead in the game currently under way.

As a result, Mardi has threatened, if this continues, "I'll have you put down".  So, this blog is an appeal to my friends to watch out for me.  If I should mysteriously disappear please send out a search party!  Or, better yet, have a party in my memory👻.

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The weather was a bit chilly for outside work today so I joined Mardi and deadheaded some geraniums.  The greenhouse is a bit of a zoo.  David is loading and delivering, outside trucks are coming in to pickup plants, and Sean and the rest of the staff are trying to prepare loads and keep up with all the other demands.  Fun to watch if you are a bit of a sadist!

The lady from Forest dropped in yesterday after I left, looking for more Boston Ferns.  She has sold her 450 and was, fruitlessly, looking for more.  On the ferns that David delivered, she made more money on those plants in 10 hours than he made after the 10 months it took to grow them.  I never did understand economics!

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On a separate thread, my golf buddies have been reminiscing about the early TV shows and the radio shows that preceded them.  Lots of fun.  This virus thing has done one good thing - it's made us look back and value the times we have lived through.

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Jays lost to Houston tonight.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Stay well.

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Life

 As a follow-up to yesterday's blog, today I was cleaning up the front garden that includes the cactus.  One of the "branches" was growing toward the border of the garden so I removed it and stuck it in a pot.  Ignore the broken pot - it is just a vehicle to the next destination for the cactus and I didn't want to waste one of David's good pots.  I plan to eventually put the cactus in it's own feature garden (location unknown at this point).

I also got a reminder that the spines (actually very tiny hairs) can penetrate gloves.  Don't know how they do that, but it sure hurts.

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Yesterday's Blue Jays game was a real treat.  They had a five run inning that only had three hits.  A walk, a bunt, wild pitch - lots of excitement.  Final score 9-4 in favour of the Jays.

This afternoon's game was more of the same, plus homers, for a 10-4 victory.  They're back to two games over .500 and fun to watch.

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If you get the Spec and saw the front page yesterday, the man who has been in a covid coma for some time is Steve and Bonnie's nephew.  Sad and scary.   Hopefully, there will be a happy ending.

On that note, take care of yourselves.  Life is sometimes fragile.  Stay well.

Fern Stampede

 David sent me the following email this morning.

"Just delivered 450 Fern baskets to Main Street variety in Forest. Half the town was waiting for me, not me the ferns to arrive. She had 100 of them sold before I got back in the truck. She must want me to come back next year because I got a coffee lunch and snacks for the trip home."

Apparently, the lady put it on Facebook that the ferns were coming and people who bought David's amazing ferns from her last year were anxious for a repeat.

For several years we headed to Forest for a golf weekend, and Mardi's friend Sandy lives there.  We'll let her know the ferns are in.

Mark and Doc live in that geographic quadrant of the province but it may be a bit of a drive for them.

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It's good that stuff is shipping out, because new arrivals are coming in fast and furious.

Mardi was there once again to deadhead geraniums.  I stuck to grass cutting.

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Saw Kathryn today.  Her Kia was in for some warranty work so I picked her up there this morning (we're both vaccinated) and we went to McDonald's drive through for coffee before I took her home.

A nice visit.  And just prior to me seeing her, she had been to an interview that led to a job offer.  A good day for Kathryn!

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Blue Jays lost again last night.  Hope for better tonight.

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Tomorrow it's gardening.

Stay positive (not for covid - for life's experiences).  Stay well.

Deadheads

 Blue Jays lost by a run last night in Oakland.  But, while I was watching the game I was reminiscing about watching the Jays in Oakland six years ago, while we were on our West Coast swing with Reggie and Sarah-Jean.  Fond memories!

I've been in four big league parks - in Detroit when I went to a game with my dad and his friends (probably 8 or 9 years old), Exhibition Stadium and the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and Oakland.

No desire to do any more parks, but I do have good memories about the above events.

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I spent another two hours in the drizzle today cutting grass, and raking and dumping two wagon loads of grass cuttings on the compost pile.  While I was doing that, Mardi continued to deadhead geranium baskets.

These basket are for an order that is to ship in a couple of weeks.  By then, the flowers that are blooming will be dead, so the baskets are brought down, anything that has opened up is taken off (Mardi says taking off the beautiful flowers feels like performing an abortion).

The baskets are then rehung.

Growing plants is at times complicated and the work that has to go into them isn't always apparent.

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Tomorrow, Mardi and I will be back at the greenhouse.  See you then.

Stay well.

A Greenhouse Day

 Did anyone else watch United Shades of America on CNN at 10 p.m. last night?  It was sobering and somewhat depressing, but important to watch so that we can better understand the violent news cycle that surrounds the police actions in the U.S. and to a lesser degree in Canada.

Next episode Sunday at 10 again.

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David tells me that I shortchanged him with my hours estimate for last week.  It was apparently closer to 75.  Thank goodness he's semi-retired!  

Before he stepped back, he often blew past 100 hours in a week and when he first opened the garden centre, and I was running it for him, I was hitting 70 per week.  In stark contrast, today I cut the grass in the drizzle for two hours and then called it quits.

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The greenhouse is really full right now, and activity is at a high.

That's my lovely wife and beautiful granddaughter on the right, deadheading geranium baskets.

The cutting benches are full as well.

But, as this month progresses, things will rapidly get cleaned out.

There are thousands of Boston Ferns hanging and on the floor, but they are a mirage.  The wholesale component has been presold and the Korean convenience store folk who didn't preorder are being turned down right now.  But, historically, they don't take "NO" for an answer and soon they'll be back, willing to pay retail price and clean the place out.  So, if you want Boston Ferns................just sayin'.

As you can see from the picture above, the garden centre is well stocked and it's been very busy so far.  Shaping up to be another good year.

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The Blue Jays are in Oakland for four games and then Houston for three.  Late starts for us in the east so I will be reporting day after for most of the week.  I know you care.

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Take care.  Stay well. 

Happy Birthday David

 Today was David's birthday, so I took the day off.  That's how it works isn't it?

David on the other hand, who claims to be "semi-retired", hung about 400 baskets in the greenhouse on his birthday.  As a semi-retiree he now only works about 60 hours a week!  Apparently, even at age 61, my boy still has things to learn!  Or, maybe I've been a poor role model!

But he's having a good start to his garden centre year, so go with it David!  The pandemic dealt him a severe blow last Easter, but it was also a positive factor.  People are staying home and working on their gardens, and his Easter giveaway last year bought a lot of loyalty.

Happy birthday David!  We'll be able to hug soon (David and Sue got their vaccine shots two days ago).

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We've been subject to a lot of nasty noise as they remove the balcony railings.  The railing removal on the section below has been completed.  Looks a bit scary!

That section is on the opposite corner from our unit, but the noise sounds like it's right next door.  According to the schedule, work on our unit will start in August and the total project won't be completed until at least October.  It's going to be a long summer!

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Blue Jays won again today, completing a three game sweep of their series with the Atlanta Braves.  Fun to watch!

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Stay well.