Happy Hallowe'en

 A few weeks ago, Trillium Hill had a student volunteer helping out.  Braden wanted to get into landscaping, but couldn't find a landscaping company that would take him on.  Probably because he was only available for an hour and a half each morning, and since they're all over the map with their customers, transportation would be an issue.

In any event, I explained to him what this layman had in mind when the various gardens were established, why I picked particular plants, and what mistakes I had made.

In exchange, he widened the perimeter around this tree line area for me.

Now, I need to remove the pile of sod and dirt.  It will be moved to the back field to fill in a couple of tractor ruts.

On the return trip I will pick up some broken bags of soil and use them to smooth out the swale that Mother Nature changed during the flood.

Before the strong wind finally drove me home, I completed about half of each task.

Fortunately (unfortunately for David) we have lots of broken bags available to complete the task.

----------------------------------------

Due to the congestion in the hospitals and the costs of medical tests, your alternative is to pee under a tree and wait for a bit:

-if ants gather, you've got diabetes.

-if the grass dries up, it's high salts.

-if it smells like BBQ, your cholesterol's high.

And if you forget to pull up your pants, you've got Alzheimer's.

----------------------------------------

Spent a few minutes in the lobby tonight watching the goblins come in.

This guy's cute.

And, so are these two.

Other than the high wind, the weather was great for tricking and treating.

Stay well.

Flower, Fern and the Fifth

 Finished the front corner today.

From this.........

................to this.

Spread some broken dirt bags of soil in the upper swale where the flooding took place.  Mother Nature carved out some different routes while we waited for the new drain lines.

While doing that I admired the Sun Flower crop next door.  They've harvested once, not sure if they intend to do it again - they cut them before they were open the last time.  But, it does make a pleasant sight for us.

Meantime, Sean and crew were hanging the Boston Fern baskets.

Still lots to go.

Monica, I saw your name on quite a few!

--------------------------------------

Wow!  What a World Series game!

The Yankees were dominant in the first half of the game, going out to a 5 - 0 lead.  Then, in the fifth inning, they decided to play Little League quality ball.

Three errors, a pitcher failing to cover first, catcher interference, hit batter, and a balk.

The Dodgers tied it in the fifth inning.  And they ended up 7 - 6 to win the series.  Well done!

-------------------------------------

Stay well.

My Hallowe'en Treat

 Rainy day today so I took the day off.

Besides, this is an important time in my life.  Twenty-one years ago I invited Mardi on our first date (thank you for the intro Ed) which was a golf date at Scenic Woods on Hallowe'en (the weather was warm that year too).  She let me win (I subsequently realized that was a trick), she made dinner, and I helped her hand out candies to the kids.  Then went home in a daze.

We attended a dinner dance to support autism two days later and I was hooked.  Never looked back!  Thank you Mardi!

Interestingly, I first saw Mardi across a room at a party at my secretary's home over twenty years earlier.  Our eyes met, that was it, but on our first date we both remembered that night and both remembered what the other was wearing.  You can't fight destiny!

---------------------------------------

This is my current project at the greenhouse.

Day Lilies in front, Sage behind, both fighting it out with field grass.  Weeds to the left.  That's tomorrow's challenge.

--------------------------------------

Watched Kamala Harris' speech tonight.  Powerful!  I think that she touched all the bases.

Then I watched the World Series game.  Although Freddie Freeman continued to set records by hitting a home run (that's six straight World Series games he's done that) the Dodgers got tromped.  Hopefully, they can complete the series win tomorrow.

Stay well.

Getting Ready For Spring

 Some of the annuals are still hanging in there......

.....but some are not.......

..........so it's time for cleanup.

There, that looks better.  One done, more to do.

----------------------------------------------

That's it for news today.  Spent the afternoon watching Blue Bloods reruns.  Sorry.

Stay well.

Odds and Ends

 Greetings go out today to niece Lynn as she celebrates her birthday.  Enjoy your special day Lynn.

---------------------------------------

Managed to remove the sod and earth from the drainage site this morning.  Once again it was a good cool day to do that kind of work.

More digging at a different site tomorrow, before it starts to warm up again.  Then it will be time to cut the grass.

And David, I cut the grass in the rink today.  But that's probably a waste.  With climate warming that rink may never again be useful for its intended purpose.  And I read today that they are renovating the Peach King Arena.  The Peach Kings will still play their home games there, but the lobby will be closed.  In any event, I assume that your old guys' league will still be able to skate there.

David reported today that he was enjoying a glass of wine outside the Alpenrose Hotel in Germany, where he worked one summer as a teenager.  Nice spot!

----------------------------------------

On a couple of occasions lately, the Stipley Lions Club (they're located in the Hamilton city centre) have joined up with our Optimist Club to support kids' acivities.  This morning, Mardi headed over to Little League Park to help set it up for a kids' Hallowe'en party.

The Stipley folks used to use Gage Park, but experienced poor support.  Gage Park's loss appears to be Stoney Creek's gain.  Thanks to the Lions Club for working with us in our joint youth work.

-------------------------------------------

Stay well.

Drains and Banes

 I finished the stone stage just as the rain started today.

Some of that soil will be put back on top of the gravel, but any grading changes will have to wait until spring, when the disturbed ground has settled.

----------------------------------------------

I'm including a download that John Buckley sent out recently.

I don't know about you folks, but I find it incredible that Harris and Trump are still tied in the polls.  Hard to believe.

But, if you think about it, it can be understood.

Compare it to our situation here in Canada.  I think it is pretty obvious that Pierre Poilievre shares some of the far right idiocy that Trump expounds on.  Yet, the polls show that a significant majority plan to vote for him.

The cause?  We see our country spiralling into a deep debt crisis with a grossly expanded bureaucracy that seems incapable of running the country properly.  So a term with Pierre Poilievre might break that cycle and get us back on better financial ground.

I count my self as a Progressive Conservative, progressive on social issues and conservative on fiscal ones.  Unfortunately, that party no longer exists.  We are faced with the choice of a left wing party or a right wing party, neither of which will run the country the way I would like to see it run.

So, I along with a lot of others, will vote Conservative in the next election to try to break the current cycle.  And then we'll see.

And I think that's what is going on in the U.S.  They are deep in debt and have to keep expanding the debt limits.  The left leaning Democrats don't seem to know how to change that.  So, the electorate will hold their noses and vote for Trump, hoping that somehow he is kept from destroying democracy.  

Cross your fingers!

-----------------------------------

Stay well.

Ditches and Banks

 I finished shaping the trench this morning.  Then Sean helped me uncoil and connect the drain line.

Next step is to cover it with gravel.  I got as far as the T junction today.

I should finish that stage tomorrow.  Then it will be time to cover it up with soil and sod.  A longer term reshaping of the landscape so that there won't be any areas where water can pool is the last step.

I'm sure glad that I took that ditch digging course that went with the bank robbery doctorate.  Don't know where I'd be without it!

----------------------------------------

That's enough silliness for today.

Stay well.

Finding Treasures and Making Them

 I've been working my way along the approximate path of the drain line we removed last year when it got plugged.  Up until a new drain line was installed in another location recently, this area was flooded and in the meantime Mother Nature had filled it all in and we couldn't get at it to make repairs.

So, I've been searching for the  upper end of the old drain line..........

......and finally found it.

So, tomorrow I will clear a path for the replacement line.  When Sean has a moment he'll help me unroll the new line so the job can be finished.

-----------------------------------------

In the meantime, Mardi was golfing with her friends.

You'll remember that I said she and Maureen were working on decorations for the final game of their league year.

And, here is the final result.

There were other crazies dressed up as well.

And, friend Rada's group was also dressed up.

A good time was had by all!

And, while we're talking about Rada, we should mention that, as of tomorrow, she has been putting up with John since 1982.  I hope that there is a medal on that vest she's wearing!  Drink up my friend!

--------------------------------------------

See you again tomorrow.

Stay well.

Turkey Roll Time

 Did some more digging today.  Made progress, but it's going to take a bit longer than I thought.  Misplaced Optimism I guess.

Then, I bought some gas, cut some grass, and went home to my lass. 😎

I took this picture of the sunflower field next door.

Somehow, the work crew cut the stalk (on a 45 degree angle yet) and grabbed the flower with the same hand.  Then put it on their shoulder where the other hand held on to an armful before taking it to the wagon.  And they did move fast!

The remaining flower heads that you can see were apparently too open to harvest.

----------------------------------------

It's that time of year folks, when our Optimist Club holds the annual Turkey Roll.  

 Same format as  before.  Seven chances for $20.

Love to have your support again.

-----------------------------------------

Mardi and I headed to Maureen and Matt's for dinner and cards.  There was also a top secret activity by the ladies to create something special for their end of year golf outing.  Can't show you until Tuesday when it gets unveiled.

Stay well.

I'm A Lucky Man

 Today, I cut the grass from the road to the back of the greenhouse (I don't like to run the mower down front on Sunday - I'll do the back half tomorrow).  And, I cleared out half of the trench for the drain line (David, I got back to where the short downhill hose joined in).

Tomorrow should complete the trench.  Then, I'll wait until Sean has a young gaffer on staff to help me uncoil the hose and make the connections.  After that it's just landscaping to make sure the elevations are correct and water doesn't collect anywhere.

------------------------------------

While I was working on this for the past two days, my sweetheart was spending time in hospital looking after a friend.  She's my Florence Nightingale (coincidentally, my maternal grandmother was born a Nightingale).

I am lucky man, but I've told you that before.

So, I took her out for dinner to acknowledge what she has done for her friend.

--------------------------------------

Stay well.

Hosers

 Today's "day" lasted just an hour and a half, and it wasn't the weather's fault.  It was a perfect day to be outside, but after an hour of watering and weeding I decided to start work on replacing the drain line that had caused the flooding recently.

The new drain line that was installed coming down the slope has resolved most of the issue, but the old line still needs to be replaced to complete the fix.

So, I dug up the last broken section (Al, that is a shadow on the left, not a dark pit).

The next step is to re-excavate the rest of the route so that this replacement can be installed. 

But, that's a whole new deal and I decided it can wait for another day.

---------------------------------------------

Stay well.

Que Sera Sera

 I finished this area yesterday, but it looks like a coyote or skunk decided to dig into it overnight, perhaps to find a mole.

So, my first order of business was to put the mulch back where it belonged.

Then, I wondered what was under this mess.

Imagine that!

And that.

And a third one, like the first.  Job complete.

It might have been a bit easier if it had been done some time ago, but there are only so many two hour days in a week.

My "day" at Trillium Hill ranges between one hour and four hours, depending on the temperature, weather and the particular activity.  I can sit on the mower for three hours, but for heavy physical work my body rejects me after two hours.

Fortunately, that was enough time today to complete the job.  Que Sera Sera.

------------------------------

Is anyone out there interested in sharing the drive to Florida with me, in exchange for a free vacation at Orange Lake Resort?

Mardi does not like the drive and would prefer to fly down.  Assuming that I find a willing participant, my current plan is to leave January 3, drive ten hours to Statesville, North Carolina.

January 4, drive 9 hours to Daytona Beach.

January 5, enjoy Daytona until it's time to pick Mardi up at either Sanford or Orlando airport in the early afternoon.  Check in to Orange Lake, then head to Miller's to celebrate granddaughter Anna's birthday.

Significant other could fly down with Mardi.  If you're interested, please let me know. 

--------------------------------

That's it for today.

Stay well.

Manana

 Today's project was to weed this area............. 

..........and then do some mulching.

I managed to get the area around the septic equipment area mulched, and rebuilt the frame around the water pipe, but ran out of steam part way through the weeding process.

Manana!

But Sue, I did fix the bathroom mirror as promised.

-------------------------------------
Stay well.

Back To Work

 OK.   What did you folks do to the weather while we were away?When we left it was shorts weather.  Today I cut the lawn while layered up to a parka and gloves.

At the farm next door, a crew was harvesting the sunflower seeds.

It was impressive to watch the speed of their work.  On Thanksgiving yet!  

-----------------------------------------

That's all that happened here today.

Stay well.

Home Again

 It rained all the way home, which took some of the vitality out of the fall colours, but it was still a pretty trip through Pennsylvania.

Another interesting conversation at the border.  Coming back into Canada in the Nexus line you talk to a remote speaker and they see you on their screen.

- Anything to declare?

- A total of $265 U.S.

- What are you knitting ma'am?

- A toque for the homeless.

- Good for you (chuckle).  Have a nice day folks.

--------------------------------------

All in all we had a great week.  Sunny and warm, with just one windy day.  Met some good folks.

We were surprised that we saw hardly any election signs.  Just two private, overdone Trump displays and one billboard sign for Harris.  You wouldn't know that they are just days away from possibly destroying democracy.

On one hand, it doesn't matter who wins.  Both sides want to renegotiate NAFTA, which will hurt Canada to some degree.  But the loss of democracy will end up hurting all of us a lot more.  Fingers crossed.

--------------------------------------

That's all folks.

Stay well.

Reporting From Mercer, Pa.

 Looks like we will be the last guests in C building for a week or two.

They've blocked off the parking to make room for setting down appliances.  Every seven years, Holiday Inn Club Vacations will update their units.  This time, for this building, they will install new appliances throughout.

If we hadn't stayed at their Oceanfront Resort for those two days, we would have probably been happy with South Beach.   But we had to drive to the beach, and the pool was not heated because of a pipe break.  Disappointing, but we didn't let it ruin our vacation.  Had a great time!

-----------------------------------------------

Ok, so we're on our way home.  Didn't go quite as planned.  We encountered an hour long delay at a road construction site where there had been an accident.  Another construction site delay later.

And then!  No hotels available!  Apparently the University of West Virginia football team has a game this weekend.  There are no hotels available all the way from south of Beckley, West Virginia to north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!  Stupid football fanatics!

We finally found a bed in Mercer, Pennsylvania, just three hours from home.

If it wasn't for the Crown Royal Northern Harvest and water, I would be a raving lunatic.......shut up Al, it takes one to know one.

-----------------------------------------------

The good news I suppose is that we'll  be home much earlier than planned.  There's always a silver lining!

Stay well.

My Mermaid

 A shoutout today to our neighbour Pat, who is looking out for our place this week while we're away.  Happy birthday Pat.  Hope that you enjoyed your day.

-------------------------------------

We're really, really, glad that we didn't schedule much activity for today.  We're both hurting.  Eighteen holes of golf, in strong wind conditions, wore us out yesterday.  Four consecutive days with lots of walking.

So today, the only item on Mardi's list was to sit in the ocean.  Well, the ocean waves helped with that.

Meanwhile, the old guy just took it easy.

I didn't need the excitement!

-----------------------------------------------

Tonight we headed out for dinner and then on to 88Keys.

There were different performers on tonight, Kin and Drew.

They did a good job of interacting with the audience.  But we only lasted for about an hour before heading back to the resort.

Tomorrow we start our journey home.  It's been a good week.

Stay well.

Old and Hurting, but Relaxed

 Two old people played golf today.  Both hurting.  But she let me win again!

Our partners today were two young guys.  One of them, Patrick, is a Tampa area resident.  When the evacuation order was issued, he and his wife relocated to her parents' house in Murrels Inlet.

Patrick knows that the power is out in his area, but doesn't know what kind of damage his home may have received.   Makes you stop and think and sympathize.  Life altering situation and nothing much that can be done right now.  Play golf and pretend that things will work out.

After golf we headed back to the condo to have a drink and give our aching bones a reprieve.

Tomorrow is a relax and recovery day.  Beach, pool and hot tub time.

Stay well.

David's Golfing Buddy

 Today we headed back to Brookgreen Gardens.  

We spent a few minutes listening to an author talk about his book, Raptors In The Ricelands, a fictional account of the slave contribution to the riches of the plantation owners.  In this case, he uses the word Raptors, not just to mean birds who eat other birds and animals, but to depict beings that use other beings for their own benefit.

Following that, we took the pontoon boat ride through the rice fields.

The Carolina Gold Rice is no longer grown, but wild Rice is present, and surprisingly, it smells like popcorn.

Following the boat ride, we toured the "zoo", which features local birds and animals.

A nice relaxing way to spend a day!

---------------------------------------------

Last night we ate at Bubba's Fish Shack in Murrell's Inlet.  Good food and, since we were outside on the second floor porch we were able to enjoy the female singer at the bar next door.  A nice evening.

Tonight we headed to 88 Keys, a nightclub with piano player entertainment.  

Dany is from near Asheville.  His home was saved but his village was wiped out by Hurricane Helene.  He put on a pretty good show.

However, the most interesting part of the night for us was........... 

when we arrived outside we were required to show I.D. because it was a nightclub.  Apparently, a customer was having a smoke and overheard that we were Canadian.

There were only a half dozen customers in the bar, but a while later one of them came over and said, "I hear that you're Canadian.  I'm from Grimsby."

To which I replied "Grimsby!  My son owns Trillium Hill Greenhouses in Grimsby."

"No kidding.  I'm Ron and I play hockey with David!"

I guess that I'll be seeing him at David's games.  What a small world!

-----------------------------------

Tomorrow it's back to Whispering Pines for a game of golf.

Stay well.