Philosophy Time

 Climate change is definitely upon us, and western Canada and the western U.S. are paying the price (for now - our turn will come).  Extensive drought, record heat, and forest fires all point to the same culprit.

When temperatures are higher in western Canada than they've ever been in Dubai and Las Vegas there is a message.  It's time we paid attention.

More people are dying from the heat as days go by.  All it would take is an extensive power outage and loss of air conditioning to make the pandemic death toll look mild in comparison.

An article in the Guardian breaks it down quite well.  The link follows.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/30/lytton-hottest-places-world-climate-emergency

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I don't like the burning of Catholic churches, but I can certainly understand it.  Maybe if enough are torched the church will finally "get it" and apologize, and pay up (which is no doubt why they wouldn't apologize in the first place).

For example, a Saskatchewan church agreed to pay $25 million in reparations.  Then they decided to build a new citadel which was going to cost $27 million.

They raised the money for the citadel, but only $34 thousand for reparations.  They claimed that they had made a best effort and brought in high priced lawyers to plead their case.  Judge let them off the hook.

One way or another, there is finally going to be some justice and finality to the residential school situation.

And, perhaps, Catholics who have been dismayed at the church's response will find another option.

I pray (in my atheist fashion) that the full accounting of how many children died will be determined, and that money will not be an obstacle to the ground penetrating radar, recovery action, and DNA analysis needed to bring this to a conclusion for the families and the other people who care.

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Obviously, I've had too much time on my hands today.  I only worked at the greenhouse for an hour before the rain chased me home.

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The Blue Jays weren't on TV tonight.  They were the "Game of the Week" on YouTube.  So we watched on my computer.  They lost.

Stay well.

Golf Chat

 Headed to MontHill today for our weekly golf challenge.  Sven and I each won a DogMeat and Sven had a birdie - Matt provided the birdie juice to our team so we could celebrate.  Thanks Matt!

Al Knapp pleaded to ride with me, but after I finished my butter tart he changed his tune.  Not sure why?

So Ron King was stuck with him again.  Sorry Ron.

After the game we enjoyed a beer on the patio.  And then the conversation turned to dental appointments, of all things!  Seems to me that hair salon appointments might have been more appropriate!

But what do I know?  My barber is located in-house.

Despite the heat and humidity the day was great.

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Blue Jays won again.

Stay well.

A Special Treat

 Didn't last an hour today at the greenhouse.  Managed to trim the grass around the basket posts down front. and did the watering.  Then smartened up and headed home.

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Barbara, Jo-Ann, Kathryn and Anna provided dinner for us in honour of Father's Day.  Kathryn and Anna got to deliver it and stayed for a card game (which Anna and I won, I want you to know).

Food was great.  Thanks ladies!

Mardi provided the dessert.  Lemon Meringue - awesome!

.........and Ginger Cookies.

What a baker she's become!

At the end of the card game we celebrated with fudgesicles.

These have become a nightly treat for Mardi and me.

It was nice to get together again.  Hopefully we'll be able to see Barbara and Jo-Ann too soon.

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Stay well.

Pumpkin Patch

 Another hot day.  Watered the baskets down front and did some gardening.  Then decided it would be more fun to go home and watch the Blue Jays afternoon game against the Orioles (which the Jays won).

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I'll explain the garden that I've been working on.  As the pine trees grow and spread out, it eventually becomes impossible to drive the mower through the gaps.

So, I remove the sod from around and between the trees.

Next step is to dig out the weeds and grass from under the trees.  Then spread mulch, and you end up with something that looks like this.

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My Trillium garden down front has been commandeered by the boss.  It's now a pumpkin patch.

By this fall, there will be at least three big dents in the Trillium.  The plants David has planted are supposed to yield pumpkins that weigh about a thousand pounds each.

I bet that at least one of them might have to be carved in place.  😖  Will probably be an "inside" job!  😂

Can't wait!  I'll keep you updated as they grow.

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Stay well.

A Hot, Humid Day

 Spent an hour and half digging and moving sod before the heat and humidity drove me home.

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Blue Jays won today, 12-4 over the Orioles.

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Hey Al, had some Snyder's Sweet Corn with dinner.  Still some left for July - we'll have enjoyed their corn in at least one meal every month.

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Mardi appears to be back to near normal.  Moving without pain.  Beating me at cards.  Same old, same old.

Stay well.

Forty-six Cemeteries To Go.

First the good news.  My sister Judy has matured one more year as of today.  And my second cousin, Rose-Ann Boileau shares the day.  Best wishes to both from Mardi and me on their birthday.

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The Missionary of Oblates of Mary, who ran the Kamloops and Marieval residential schools, has agreed to turn over all of their records.  A good first step.

Of the total of about 80 residential schools in Canada, the Missionary of Oblates of Mary ran 48.  So we probably have at least 46 more killing fields to uncover.

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They've apparently found a new ancestor of ours in China that dates back 300,000 years.  Adam or Eve?

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Blue Jays relief pitchers blew tonight's game.  So we end with bad news.

Stay well.

Residential Killing Fields

Pruned the Pine trees as far up as I could reach.  Too windy for ladders, so the tops will have to wait.

Then cut about an acre of grass, watered the baskets and gardens down front, and called it a day

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So now they've found 751 unmarked graves at Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.  The school apparently had only reported 49 deaths and the church had removed any headstones.

There will, no doubt, be hundreds more discovered at other residential schools.

 What the hell were those Catholic xxxxxxxx thinking?  How could they do this to other human beings?  And they weren't alone - other churches have admitted and apologized for the abuse that occurred.  We don't know yet if they too buried children anonymously.

And Conservative leader Erin O'Toole wants us to ignore the anguish about the unmarked graves and celebrate Canada Day as if they never happened.  Politics and religion - shameful partners.

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Mardi and I met a residential school survivor in the Yukon and listened to his moving story.  He was removed from his family at age six.  Became an alcoholic until recovering in his sixties.

I just can't stay silent anymore.

So, if I have offended anyone and you want to be removed from the mailing list because of my ranting about the above please let me know.  No argument.

Meantime, stay well.

House Calls

 A cool and windy day, which is the excuse for our poor golf scores.  We won't talk about that, but we did have a nice after golf experience.  The patio and the balcony were open - nice!

Matt had to leave early.  He had won the Honest John money so maybe he was in a hurry to spend it!

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Soon after I got home, Mardi had a house visit from her favourite hairdresser.

Lookin' good babe!

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Blue Jays won 2-1 in a game well pitched by both sides.  Well done.

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Stay well.

Thunderstorm Warning

 Started the day with my monthly visit to LifeLabs to see if the rat poison was doing its thing.  And it is - we're in the zone.

Then, headed to the greenhouse intending to move some sod.  But the area that I wanted to work on was hard as a rock.  It's going to need a good soaking before I get back to it.

So I did an hour of weeding instead before the sky started dripping.  A short day!  After I got home the thunderstorm warning was dropped.  Darn!

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Tomorrow is a golf day, first time for me in two weeks.  I'll need strokes.

Stay well.

Father's Day

 Coasted through Father's Day. 

Watched the Blue Jays come from behind and win their second in a row.

Then we headed to the greenhouse for a family dinner on the patio.

Sean treated me to my favourite beverage, Crown Royal's Northern Harvest.

Mardi hung in there despite her bruises.

Thanks Sue and David for a very nice evening.  And thanks to Sean, Sarah-Jean, Ewen, and Malcolm and Esther for sharing the day with us.  And to Jake for "doing" the dishes.

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Stay well folks.

Father's Day Cactus

 Headed to the greenhouse this morning to cut the grass before the forecasted rain.

Checked out the cactus plants.  The original plant is looking good.

And lots more florets to open up yet.

The baby that I planted this spring looks good too.

More florets to open up there as well.  They're called Canadian Cactus, but I think Father's Day Cactus would be an appropriate name as well.

And the florets that I stuck in earth last year have all now started to sprout.

And the Smoke Bush is starting to smoke as well.  It's a great time of year to enjoy the gardens.

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Mardi and I were out this afternoon and arrived home to find out that the Blue Jays were down to their last out in the 9th and were losing 7-4.  Here we go again!

But, they filled the bases, got a walk and some hits and ended up scoring 6 runs.  Fun to watch - glad we didn't see the previous 26 outs they made.

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And then we find out that Canadian Mackenzie Hughes is in a three way tie for the lead in the U.S. Open after three rounds, at 5 under par.

A good day for Canadian sports.

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Stay well.  Happy Father's Day to the dads on the list.

An Off Day

 I don't think that Monica shared the following picture with everybody.  Classy meal that Jim prepared.

We are in a league of our own Jim!

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With the rain this morning I decided to stay home.  Hard to watch Mardi gimping around though.

Broke my word and won a hand of SkipBo today.  I have a substantial lead in this game and no conscience issues (she's so far ahead in total games and score that I have to take advantage of any opportunities, even the unfair ones).

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Hard to watch the Blue Jays right now as well.  They went up against an Oriole team that they should have demolished and got handily beat.

Stay well.  Stay positive. 

Cooking 101

As a follow-up to yesterday's blog, it should be known that the menu I provided to Mardi was her choice!  Of course, she could have been playing to my culinary strengths.

 Her request for today was junior bacon cheese burgs and fries, which I managed with the help of my friend Wendy.  This is getting really exciting!

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Wayne sent me the following.  It has a lot of truth!

The founder of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid, was asked about the future of his country, and he replied, "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I ride a Mercedes, my son rides a Land Rover, and my grandson is going to ride a Land Rover…but my great-grandson is going to have to ride a camel again."

 

Why is that, he was asked? And his reply was, “Hard times create strong men, strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men, weak men create difficult times.  Many will not understand it, but you have to raise warriors, not parasites."

 

And add to that the historical reality that all great empires...the Persians, the Trojans, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and in later years, the British..all rose and perished within 240 years. They were not conquered by external enemies; they rotted from within.

America has now passed that 240 year mark, and the rot is starting to be visible and is accelerating. We are past the Mercedes and Land Rover Years….the camels are on the horizon.

Since the U.S. doesn't have camels, nor does Canada, we could be in for some interesting times.

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Mardi and I headed to WalMart this morning to pick up our online order.  She managed to walk to and from the car, so things are progressing.

And she then allowed me out for a couple of hours.  I watered the baskets down front at the greenhouse, moved some skids from the driveway, dug a little, and pruned a few Pines.  Progress!

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As I'm writing this, the Blue Jays are losing their third game in a row to the Yankees.  Depressing!

Stay well.

Cooking Skills

 Mardi is moving somewhat better today, to the point that she gave me a couple of hours off to go to the greenhouse.  Watered and weeded there.

The Pine trees are just about ready for their annual pruning.  Back at the beginning of May the new shoots had not yet started to grow.  Now some of them are more than a foot long.  If pruned now they'll have a chance to regenerate their buds for next year.

The purpose is to keep them full and balanced.  Also to delay the day when we'll have to cut off the top of the trees to avoid conflict with the hydro and phone lines.

I've got one more garden space to clear between two of the trees and then for a few of my days I'll be alternating between cutting grass and pruning pines.  May climb a ladder - don't tell Mardi.

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The growing area down front is full of baskets - actually starting to empty.

Now, the guys have the production line filling up the field between the front area and the greenhouse with pots.

The picture that follows is of my "dry" garden.

Most of the plants here don't require watering.  Centre left you can see the cactus, which has started flowering.  It's offspring, which I removed and stuck in a pot this spring is also in this garden and looks like it will have a spectacular flower show that I will bring to you when it happens.

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Blue Jays lost another game tonight.  Two fielding errors by Panik, a running error by Guererro, and an umpiring error that could have won the Jays the game in the 9th.

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And a P.S. to my friend Gary.  Mardi doesn't like peanut butter sandwiches - she eats it off a spoon, which is what she had for breakfast.

Then I summoned my culinary skills.  For lunch I got her a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.  For dinner, a warmed up bowl of leftover chili.  Simple!  This cooking thing is overrated!

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Go ahead and laugh.  It's good for you.  Stay well.

The Queen Bee Is Buzzed

 For several years now, Mardi has been bothered by an occasional pain in her abdomen.  At its worst, it had her doubled over.  We had  figured out that the pain in her ass was me, but this one in her abdomen had everybody stumped.  

Two doctors misdiagnosed it as a "fat globule" so she carried on.  She finally convinced our family doctor that it needed to be sorted out and he sent her for an ultrasound.  What we had suspected all along was confirmed - she had an abdominal hernia.

Today that has been operated on and resolved.  Nurse Mardi has returned home to the care of Nurse Bud.  In four weeks she can resume golfing, but I'm sure that she will be well enough to play cards by tomorrow.  I will "let" her win of course, to help speed up her recovery. 

My ultimate sacrifice was to give up golf today so I could look after my love.  Probably saved me a lot of money!

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After I dropped Mardi off at the General Hospital, I headed for the greenhouse to keep my mind busy.

The first thing that I noticed was that some needy souls had taken four baskets from the front.

So I replaced them.

Not sure that I would want the thieves to recommend shopping here!

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Yesterday, David had to put more skids in the way to block the back field.  Despite the ones that were there before, a lady chose to head past them into the back field to turn around.  When David quizzed her about why she didn't turn in the loading dock area, she said there wasn't enough room (but tractor trailers manage to turn around there ma'am).  Maybe she doesn't have a reverse gear!  More likely she's missing brain cells.

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Cogeco has "updated" the system in our building.  At the moment that means that we don't have TV reception.  Might have to listen to the Blue Jays on the radio tonight.

Sleep well Mardi.  Everybody else, stay well.

Caught In The Rain

 Spent some time cutting grass in the light rain this morning and then cleaned up a garden.  Ended up chilled so I called it a day.

Sure enough, by the time I got home the sun was shining.  Missed the best part of the day.

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Yesterday the Blue Jays won 18-4.  Today the Red Sox turned the tables and won 2-0.  Quite a different game.

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Stay well.

Played Hookey

 I took the day off.  Or, I took 2 or 3 hours off if you consider my normal working day.

Mardi and I went for a walk along the shore.  The small beach nearby had several folks, all properly social distancing.

A very nice day, but a bit humid.

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Watched the Blue Jays demolish the Boston Red Sox, beating them by 2 converted touchdowns, 18-4.  The Sox used a position player to pitch the 8th inning and he got the Jays in order, throwing everything from a 43 mph blooper to a 90 mph fastball.  Fun to watch.

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Tomorrow it's back to work.

Stay well.

M & M Day

 Today's notable event is the 17th wedding anniversary of Matt and Maureen.  

We both knew Maureen, me through Optimists and the bowling alley, Mardi through politics.  Their wedding was special for both of us.

We have spent a lot of good times together on golf courses, and in New Bern, North Carolina and Kissimmee and Davenport in Florida.  May our very good friends enjoy their day.

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Watered baskets and cut grass at the greenhouse.  Raked some of the cut hay.  The lawns have mostly recovered from the mower absence.

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Blue Jays won today.  Five home runs.

Stay well.

Today Was A Good Day

 As advertised, I stayed home to greet the Shipton's technician who was checking out the A/C unit.

Turns out that an internal circuit breaker had been turned off.  That could only have been done by a Shipton's technician, presumably during the winter system checkup.  But I'm not going to argue about the $79 service call - it's about $12,000 less than I was afraid we would have to pay!

He arrived earlier than the estimated time and was gone within 15 minutes, so that gave me an opportunity to go the greenhouse.  Watered the baskets and gardens down front for a half hour and then took Jake for a walk back to the escarpment.

David has found a solution to the cars turning around on his growing field.

The red Trilliums are long gone, due to the invasive garlic mustard, but I discovered a nice plant in the shade at the base of the escarpment.

Not sure what it's called - looks like a clematis or wild rose on a grape vine.

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Had a call from Holiday Inn Club Vacations regarding a couple of  complaints I had about which points they had used for our 8 weeks of 2022 vacation bookings.  They conceded on the bigger issue so now we can do the 8 weeks again in 2023.  Great value for our two week investment!

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My third highlight today was at the card table.  Mardi and I didn't play so I didn't lose.  Always look to the positive!

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Unfortunately, I should have posted the blog before the Blue Jays game.  They blew it tonight.

Stay positive.  Keep well.

Tender Arm

 I only worked for two hours at the greenhouse today.  Of course I had a sore arm 😢 as I'm sure Al will understand.  But it was a beautiful day.  Watered baskets, spread some bags of broken soil, and did a bit of weeding.

Kathryn saw me working on the front gardens while on her way to the chiropractor and stopped.  First hug in eighteen months.  Nice!

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Tomorrow I'm staying home.  The Shipton's technician will visit and advise us how much it's going to cost to fix/replace our 50 year old air conditioning system.  While I'm absorbing that news Mardi will be enjoying herself on the golf course.  What a partner I am!  A Saint for sure!

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The Blue Jays game doesn't start until 8 so I'll send this out first.

Take care.

We've Been Shot

 John Deere finally got us the correct part and David has rebuilt the mower deck.  So I spent four hours today cutting the grass/hay.  Could have been longer if the field behind the greenhouse hadn't been graveled over!

My arms, legs, face and neck are currently somewhere between the colour of oak and walnut.  Wore a long sleeved shirt today to slow that process down.

Correction:  Mardi tells me that the oak/walnut thing isn't skin related, but it describes my head.  I suppose that's better than poplar or birch or plywood.

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Gary and Jill dropped by the garden centre today to enjoy Wacky Wednesday bargains.  Nice to say hi.

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Mardi and I got our second shots of vaccine tonight.  Got home in time to have popcorn and a drink while watching my Blue Jays.

Hey Al, the arms are working.  Got the shot in my right arm and was still able to trust it with my drink.

Mardi got hers in the left arm.  Same result.

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Blue Jays beat the White Sox, but the Sox basically beat themselves with errors and a wild pitch.  We'll take them whatever way they happen.

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Tomorrow it's watering, weeding and ground work.

Stay well.

Thunderstorms Threatening

 Despite the dire warnings from Al "Thunderstorm" Knapp, four of us made the trek to MontHill today.  Al couldn't make it, ostensibly because his arm hurt due to his second vaccination dose, but maybe because he's not sanforized.

We avoided rain, other than some mist like droplets on the second last hole.  However, it was not a memorable day unless you were me.

I golfed terribly, but the other three took pity and golfed even worse!  Even though I was five over my "Honest John" forecast, I was closer than the other three.  Perhaps a couple of pictures will help you to understand.

This is Calvin making his second shot from behind the tees the rest of us used.

And Sven, playing his second shot on a later hole.  His first was from the tees to the left, hit a tree down the way and came back about 75 yards to this position.

Ron King was his usual down the middle self, but he's lost his fringe and putting game so he got crushed too. (It's a real joy being able to frame these results in the best possible light for me!  Not very Saintly, but fun.)

So, I won the Honest John money and Ron and I shared the Dog Meat money.  A good day!  We celebrated, as usual, with a beer. 

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Mardi and I signed up for vaccination shots at Food Basics where they were offering Moderna.  We got an email saying we were "on the list" and they would let us know when we would be able to book an appointment.  So, on the way home I checked (it turns out that we both did) and discovered that they have a clinic on Thursday but it is full and will use up all of their Moderna supply.

So Mardi quickly got us booked at the Winterberry Clinic for tomorrow evening.  Might have to have a drink to celebrate that as well.  The light at the end of the tunnel!

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In the middle of watching the Blue Jays.  Chicago White Sox just tied it up, so I'm publishing before I get depressed.

Stay well.

47 Buds

 Hockey season isn't over yet, so the Zamboni (actually an Olympia) got into action.

Actually, David was trying to wet down the gravel to help the roller pack it down.

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Mardi and I spent five hours at the greenhouse today.  I was mostly watering trees, shrubs and plants.  Plus a visit to John Deere for parts for the mower.  Mardi was cleaning up Palms and Diplodemia, and some watering and deadheading.

She brought home an Orchid that Sean, her Personal Orchid Support Worker, had tended for the past while.  

It's the purple one.  It has at least 47 buds!  Great work Sean!

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No Blue Jays game tonight, so I lost at cards again.  I know I'm in your thoughts.

Stay well.

St. David's

 We met Gary and Jill this morning at the St. David's Golf Course.  It's a bit of a funky 9 hole layout, but we had fun and will repeat again in the future.  That is, we will repeat a visit, but not necessarily repeat the same quality golf game.  It was a struggle for me.  Not so much for Mardi.

Mardi and I are going with the funny money bets again this year.  One dollar for winning a hole plus 25 cents per extra stroke the opponent takes.  At one point she had me by $5.00 but I recovered a bit and "only" lost $3.00.  Did I tell you we had fun?  Not!

But there was definitely a highlight!  Gary and Jill shared butter tarts with us.  Al Knapp please note.

My friend Wayne told me that there is a great fudge outlet in St. David's, but after Gary's butter tarts and Mardi's brownies we had no room for fudge.

A great day spent with good friends.

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David has had to put up barriers to the back field.  Apparently, some customers think it is a great place to turn around.  They're the ones that seemingly can't handle reverse!

I think we'll end up with a gate of some kind across the driveway and barriers to prevent folks from churning up the growing area.  Stay tuned.

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The bad Blue Jays showed up today.  Thankfully, golf kept us from seeing most of it.

Stay well.

Happy Birthday Wishes

 Today is extra special....it's daughter Jo-Ann's birthday, and niece Robin shares it with her.  Best wishes to both.

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Spent my time at the greenhouse watering. Mardi and I will be golfing tomorrow with Sven and Helga (Gary and Jill) and with the forecast I wanted to help the plants and trees survive while I'm away being "busy" in the heat.  We're playing nine holes at the St. David's course near Niagara Falls.  May break open a bottle of wine after.

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Our air conditioning gave up the fight yesterday.  In this heat it's bringing back my childhood memories.  Survived it then.  We'll survive until Monday when Shipton's is open.

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The good Blue Jays team showed up today, making spectacular defensive plays and showing lots of offence.  Much better than yesterday.

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Stay well.

Blue about the Blue Jays

 As fast as the greenhouse is emptied, it is filled up again.  The production line is currently working on the next round of Million Bells baskets.

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Mardi was cleaning up geraniums today.  I was cleaning gardens, moving sod and using up broken bags of soil.  I mentioned to Mardi that you can't see what I do, but if I don't do it that 's when it shows,  e.g. the mower is out of action and the grass is going to seed.

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Blue Jays got demolished tonight.  I'm not happy.

Stay well.

Stoned

The forecast called for rain, but in our part of Stoney Creek we got nothing but damp air.  However, the greenhouse had experienced a downpour before I arrived.

Work continues on the field behind the greenhouse.

 Yesterday, 30 truck loads of gravel arrived.  Today it continues.

They are currently working on the driveway.

The driveway goes all the way back to the escarpment.  There's 480 feet of drainage tile under the gravel, going back to just past the pond.  That's as far as David is going at this time.

The soil that was removed from the field has been dumped back here.  In the future, Sue and David will have a house somewhere in this picture.

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Anybody want some Star of Bethlehem spring bulbs?  I've planted four trays, but I've still got a pail full, available to a good home.  

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A follow-up on the residential schools subject:

In 2019, the Federal Government "admits the schools were meant to assimilate Indigenous people, but denies the federal governments of that era sought to destroy the ability....to speak their Indigenous language or to lose the customs and traditions of their culture". 

Well, somebody sought to destroy it!  Amazing that every church took the same approach of punishing children who tried to speak their own language!  What a coincidence!  What a travesty!

The United Nations is now telling Canada to clean up its act.  And while Trudeau is all apologetic on TV, I'm betting that the government will still fight all efforts to compensate the folks whose families suffered through this nightmare.

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No Blue Jays game tonight, so Mardi and I played cards instead.  I don't want to talk about it!

Stay well.

Another Good Day

 The weather beat the forecast today and I got a lot done at the greenhouse.

Work on the field behind the greenhouse is progressing well (you wouldn't believe how many big truckloads of gravel have been coming in).  I'll provide an update tomorrow.

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And the Blue Jays had a come from behind, walk off ninth inning to beat the Miami Marlins.  A fitting end to a fine day.

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Stay well.

A Better Day

 Today was indeed better.  Weather was perfect.  

And Big Al had a birdie on the second hole, so we had to celebrate.

Faces are in the dark to protect the guilty.

Al also had a big influence on his good buddy Ron King, who had a DogMeat and won half of the Honest John pot.  It's the "odd couple" but it works.

I chopped another three strokes off my previous score.  If I could only keep that up I'd be able to play my age by the end of the month.

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Just finished watching the Blue Jays win their "home opener" in Buffalo.  They are certainly fun to watch.

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Stay well.