We Need An Ark

The most important news for today is the birth of Beckett, another grandchild for Lori and Frank.  A special event indeed!

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My intentions yesterday were to cut grass, but the third recent storm flood foiled those plans.  The flooding was the worst yet - even David's pond overflowed its banks.  These storms have dropped a total of 300 mm of rain (that's 11.8 inches in old guy talk - almost a bloody foot!).  So I gardened in the wet instead.  Sorry about the muddy clothes Mardi.

Now I hope that the wet, mushy conditions will improve so that the grass can be cut tomorrow.  I have other plans for Thursday (golf) and Friday (theatre) so it's getting a bit tense because we leave on our East Coast adventure on Saturday and I don't want to leave David and the boys in a mess.  

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Mardi's son Greg was in another band event recently.  He subbed on the Kingston Police Pupes and Drums as Bass player.  And he won Best Bass in his division of the North American Piping Championship.  

Congratulations Greg!

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Today we headed to Port Dover to meet Bonnie and Steve for lunch and theatre.  We ate at Callahan's on their deck....

.......and enjoyed "Liars At A Funeral" at the Lighthouse Theatre.  A nice day!

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The Blue Jays came out of the trade deadline with more starting pitchers than going in.  Didn't last long.  Yesavage came out of the game after just two innings with a knee issue.  They're losing as I write this and I think I'll skip the ending tonight.

Stay well.

Old Dirt

 A couple of years ago, a contractor installed a new drain line along the edge of the hill down front.  Unfortunately, after the drain line and a bunch of gravel went in, there was only room for the soil that came out of the trench last. 

So now, Trillium Hill has its own version of the  Cheltenham Badlands  - 450 million year old clay.  Even weeds can't survive in that environment.

As the trees along the driveway grow and I need to expand the footprint of the gardens, I use the sod that I remove to repair the wasteland.  Last year I fixed about 40 feet of the project.  Still have about 100 feet to go, but we'll get there eventually.

The clay is so hard that I had to use an adze to dig out enough to make room for the grass.  Worked up a sweat and the contacts for my heart monitor wouldn't stay on so I had to call it a day after a couple of hours.

 Pretty disappointing!😂😌

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The Blue Jays have now won three games in a row.  Just two days to the trade deadline and they could be buyers (if they have a lot of faith in the team) or sellers (to gain something from the players whose contracts end this season, if they don't have that faith).

Should be interesting.

Stay well.

Bird Of Play

 I headed to the greenhouse this morning, intending to cut grass.  But Mother Nature had other ideas.

And this gives new meaning to the words "loading dock".

Launch the boat David!

I did manage to cut the hill section of the grass, did some gardening, and moved some sod.  But the humidity was hard to deal with, so I decided to finish up by doing some work on the "cottage".

My new friend will let me know which way the wind is blowing.

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Blue Jays lost 8 - 6 to the Washington Nationals (formerly the Expos) but the result was set in the first inning when starter Shane Beiber was pulled after just two outs.  He had walked six batters and allowed 4 runs.  Not much fun to watch.

Stay well.

 

I Thought That 50 Was A Beer

 Mardi and I attended a special celebration today, marking 50 years that Rose has put up with Ed.

The theme was Caribbean, so most folks dressed up, as did Maureen and Matt.....

................and Mardi and me.

The three Strecker daughters did a marvelous job of toasting their parents.  It was a wonderful day.

Many of you may have heard this story, but I'm repeating it anyway.  Ed's daughter Christine used to run dinner/dances in support of Autism and my wife and I usually attended.

One day I took some laundry into Britannia Cleaners and Ed asked me if we would be able to attend the next dance.  I told him that I would love to, but Jean and I had separated, so I needed a date.......and if she could golf that would be even better.

He paused for a moment and then asked "Do you know Mardi Bullivant?"  I knew who she was but we had never had a conversation.  In any event I called Mardi, we golfed and attended the dinner/dance and she hasn't been able to get rid of me since.

Thank you Ed!  You and Rose are special friends. Congratulations on your amazing 50 years.

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Mardi's Drum Major son Greg participated in the Fort Henry Tattoo.  Good looking guy!

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Jays lost.

Stay well.

This And That

 Belated birthday wishes to Barry whose birthday was yesterday, the 24th.  And today it's Andrea's turn (Mardi's business partner).  All the best to both.

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I don't know how many of you tuned in to CNN's White House Correspondents Dinner, but it was worth the watch.

They honoured 8 media folk and I think it was 7 of them who got their award due to a Donald Trump expose.  The details were read by Wolf Blitzer who never cracked a smile while eviserating the President.

Fun to watch.

The Donald then took over and went on for an hour and four minutes.  The audience was dead silent for most of his tirade, bored and waiting for it to finish.  Very little applause.  And he threw out a "joke" that got no reaction and he couldn't believe it.  Totally out to lunch!

Nevertheless, I do believe that he will ignore the midterm results and begin his dictatorship at the end of this year.  A King will be born.

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Had my annual heart doctor visit yesterday.  Echocardiogram, EKG, and blood test.

Results good so far, but now I have to wear a heart monitor for 14 days just to make sure.

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Kathryn and Anna joined us tonight for dinner and cards.  Uno is easy, but can be nasty.  Especially when it's family 😉😇.

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Dylan Cease pitched another one hitter tonight, completing a nine inning shutout with 120 pitches.  And a few Jays scored runs!

Stay well.

 Birthday greetings today to Gary's daughter Jacquie.  All the best!

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Today was my weekly golf day at Chippewa Creek Golf Course. and the weather, cool at first, turned into a beautiful day.  Which we ruined of course by trying to golf.

Matt couldn't make it so we invited John Buckley.  He came with special muffins for us that Rada had baked (that's really the only reason that we invite him 😁😁).  Thanks Rada!

Besides the delicious muffins, I do have two special moments to savour.

On the par four first hole of the Red Falcon nine I scored my first birdie of the year.

And on the par three sixth hole - only 132 yards - I flubbed my tee shot and it went about 90 yards.  But, incredibly, my shot went further than the other three guys!  And I parred it!

They all beat my total score, but you have to take your victories when you can.

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One other odd thing happened today.  The Blue Jays won a game.  Amazing!

Stay well.

I'm Back

 Sorry folks, but your blog holiday is over.  I have my computer back.

Apparently, some malware was able to bypass the virus protection, but it's now fixed (and paid for).

But you didn't miss a lot.  Just digging in the dirt, cutting grass, watching the Blue Jays lose.  Exciting stuff!

But the Blue Jays did one really nice thing by recognizing the players from the 1992 and 1993 World Series champion teams.  A parade of those players who could attend preceded one of their games.  And "Touch 'Em All Joe" Carter had a monument unveiled......

..........and received his own home run jacket.

Nicely done!

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We did have some visitors along the way.  Kathryn made a visit on Saturday, and Mardi's son Greg took A.J., Michelle, Reggie, Mardi and me to dinner at the Powerhouse yesterday.

You know, I'm really beginning to like the kid a lot!

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Spent a couple of hours this morning at O.C.C., the eye clinic in Mississauga.  My eye pressure is where the glaucoma doctor wants it to be, and my reattched retina is holding nicely.  

Good to carry on.  Next visit in December.  Thank you OHIP!

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Closed out my day watching another Blue Jays disaster.  They'll be dismantling the team in the next couple of weeks before the trade deadline.  Hope they keep the good young ones.

Stay well.

Wind And Smoke

 When I walked out the door this morning, the escarpment had disappeared.  All that I could see was a grey wall of smoke.  

At Trillium Hill we were much closer to the escarpment and it looked like this.  Gray, not green.

The mask only lasted about an hour.  By then sweat was rolling down my cheeks inside the mask and it was hard to get air.  So, off it came.

The smoke is aggravating some braindead Ohio and Michigan Republican senators.  They want Canada sanctioned because we can't control our wildfires.  Meanwhile, the U.S. has had 39,764 fires that have burned more than 3.87 million acres.

And over the years we have put up with air pollution from Ohio and Michigan industries.  And they could have certainly controlled that!

How about they stop their tornados at the Canadian border and we stop our fires at the U.S. border. Fair exchange!

Or simpler still, those senators could stand outside and mouth off facing north.  I'm sure that those windbags could easily force that smoke back north of the border.

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Enough of that. let's get back to reality.  I weeded this garden about two weeks ago and look at it now.

Time for chemicals!

I weeded another area today and when I was taking the dirt and weeds back to the compost I saw a deer.  And I managed to get my phone out in time.  Look at the length of that tail!.

Life is good!

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This afternoon Mardi and I headed to the Lighthouse Theatre in Port Colborne to see "Crees In The Caribbean".  Most of the Lighthouse shows are comedies.  This one had lots of humour but it was a moving story about love and loss.  Bit of a tearjerker.

We can't get the Jays on TV tonight.  Some Fridays you have to pay to get it and we won't.  Just as well.  In the early innings they are down 5 - 0.

Stay well.

Two Glasses Of Wine

 First off, we send birthday greetings to Gary/Sven/Andy/Fudd and to Irene.  Best wishes.

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Yesterday, we ventured out to Stratford to see Guys and Dolls.  But first we headed to Lori and Frank's pool.

Remember the size of that glass that Lori is holding.

And most of you were on the mailing list last winter when she dared/cajoled me into going down the giant water slide.  Well, this time it was the kid's slide at their pool that was her target.  And, after two glasses of wine (the tumbler size above) I agreed to do it.

Fortunately, the video she took is too long to transmit 😬.

After I recovered we got dressed for dinner in theintimate wine room of her favourite restaurant.

Very special!

Following dinner, it was off to the Stratford Theatre for a showing of Guys and Dolls.

An intriguing set that changed amazingly, music that was memorable, and dancing that was incredible.  A wonderful show!

Mardi and I stayed over at their place and returned home this morning.  Many, many thanks to our hosts!

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We're on a culture tear.  Tomorrow it's the Lighthouse Theatre in Port Colborne for "Crees In The Caribbean".

Stay well.

Hot Stuff

 I didn't post yesterday so I missed Maureen's birthday.  Belated best wishes Moe.  We'll see you in Stratford tomorrow when we all visit Lori and Frank.

We had lunch yesterday with Jill and Ron, who were on their way to Welland.  We plan to head up their way later in the summer for a game of golf.

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This morning I cut grass at the greenhouse.  The first hour was great - comfortable temperature and a nice cooling breeze.  The second hour was hot but the breeze helped.  But the third hour was nasty hot and the breeze didn't help.  When I finished at 11:30 it was 33C.  Glad that I started early!

So the grass is all cut and I don't have to feel guilty about taking the next two days off.  We're heading to Stratford for a swim at Lori's and a play, followed by an overnight stay.  Looking forward to it!

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The Blue Jays players acquitted themselves well in the All Star Game.  Cease and Varland pitched scoreless innings and Clement made a couple of defensive plays, one of which was pretty spectacular.

I won't be reporting tomorrow night.  I'll fill you in on Thursday.

Stay well.

Mother Nature Was Busy

 Today was mostly a gardening day.  Cleaned up the Trillium crest garden and planted some annuals around the hydrangea tree.

When I was taking the weeds, etc. to the compost I stopped to admire the Black-Eyed Susans that Mother Nature had planted in the back field.

Very pretty!  And on the way back I stopped to admire a Snapping Turtle that had just vacated David's pond.  Not sure if she's looking for a place to lay her eggs but let's hope so.

Unfortunately, I missed the hatching of the Kildeer chicks.  The basket nest is empty and no sight of the family.  I'll probably see the babies when I'm cutting the lawn - they scurry out of the way and hide in the tall grass.

After I finished for the day I took a few minutes to cut a corner out of this pantry shelf for our new upstairs neighbours (many stairs - they're on the 12th floor).

Their fuse box is in the pantry and the shelf prevented it from opening, thus the surgery.

The board isn't solid wood, it's basically glued sawdust with a veneer so I warned them that the edge would not look the same after the cut, but I was told to go ahead.  Mardi dabbed white shoe polish on the cut to make it look better.

They took the board and we subsequently got this.

Welcome to the Shoreliner!

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Jays have lost the last two games in the last inning.  Hopefully, the All-Star break will help them to get straightened out.

Stay well.

Two Long Days

 I didn't publish yesterday, so I missed mentioning Lori Misuraca's birthday.  But I can make amends next Wednesday when we head to take in a show at Stratford and visit with Lori and Frank.  We're staying overnight - so that's why I can't golf on Thursday guys.  Sorry 😏.

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Yesterday, after I did my dig in the garden and cut the grass gig we watched some of the Calgary Stampede.  Had fun watching the kids ride wild ponies.  These young ladies were successful, sort of.

First, it was all that they could do just to hang onto the rope as the pony dragged them around the arena.

Somehow, one of them made it onto the horse.

But it didn't last long.

Tough young ladies!  Fun to watch.

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Then, I stayed up late to watch the Jays win their third game in a row.  Maybe we shouldn't give up on them yet.

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Today it was yard sale day with Mardi and Pat.  I bought a $2 hat that said "Canada Strong - Elbows Up".  It remains to be seen if I'm stupid enough to take it to Florida.

Then it was on to the greenhouse for more weed digging and lawn cutting.  A cooler day but I still worked up a sweat.  More digging and some planting are on the agenda for tomorrow.

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Just 5 hours sleep last night and tonight's ball game featured two inept pitchers.  Ten walks in two innings!  The game didn't start until almost 9 p.m. and looks like it will go on into the morning, so I'm calling it quits.  Tomorrow's recap will have to do.

Stay well.

Quoits Anyone?

 Today we enjoyed our annual Quoits Day at Gary Parker's home in Burlington.  He is a great host, providing our meal and hydration liquids.

Quoits partners were drawn for and the challenge began.  In the picture below you can see Gary's custom quoits pitch and yours truly trying to throw as far as the other end.

If you weren't playing you took to the cheap seats on the sidelines to cheer on the other teams (and hydrate).

Lose twice and you were eliminated from the competition.

In the end, possibly due to his acquaintance with the pitch, Gary and his partner Wayne took home the trophy.

It's a day we all look forward to.  Thanks partner!

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And, later in the day, the Blue Jays surprised us once again.  They beat San Francisco Giants 10 - 1.  Pitcher Dylan Cease took a no-hitter into the ninth inning.  And, most unexpected, Vladdy hit a home run.

If only they could play like this on a consistent basis!

Stay well.
 

 Some digging and lawn cutting today.  And I noticed a change.  The baskets of annuals that had been lined up beside the driveway are now mature enough to go on driplines, so they have been moved.

All but one.

I don't know what's taking those Killdeer chicks so long to hatch, but I'll keep watering that basket so that their camouflage doesn't die.

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So, the Blew Jays lost 10 - 1 last night.  Quite a showing these last few days (actually for quite a while).  So what has happened?

Last year they were arguably the best team in baseball and could/should have won the World Series.  After the season ended they made some trades that strengthened the team.

And now this.  Sure they have had a string of injuries, but those were mostly to pitchers, and pitching isn't the issue.

There are a couple of changes that I can think of.  

First, last year they had the all-time best first baseman, Don Mattingly, as a bench boss.  This year Don is interim head coach of the Phillies and they are having a renaissance.  

They miss him.  Could it be that simple?  I wouldn't be surprised.

Or, maybe it's the pitching coach.  David Popkins is the current hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, "known for revitalizing the team’s offense with a creative and individualized approach".  So what happened to the revitalizing?  The only guys who are hitting decently right now are the newbies whom he hasn't had enough time to screw up.

Having wisely figured that out, I stayed up till midnight to watch tonight's game and, lo and behold, they won 9 - 3.  Looked like the old team.  So I have no idea what's going on.

Stay well.

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In other sporting news, Donald Trump coerced the FIFA folks to overturn a red card that had been issued to the U.S. star player.  So he was cleared to play against Belgium.

But justice prevailed.  The Belgians were incensed and managed to use that emotion to defeat the U.S. 4 - 0 and eliminate them from the tournament.  YES!!

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After a couple of very far left candidates won Democratic primaries, the Republicans have begun fearmongering about Communists.  I'm surprised that the Democrats haven't returned fire to castigate Fascists!  The midterms should be very interesting (and a bit scary).

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Beatles Music

 Finally, a dry Monday so we could golf.  Unfortunately, I've forgotten how.  'Nuff said!

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My daughters gave me a gift certificate to the Innsville for Father's Day, and tonight we used it.

Mondays in the Innsville pub are Beatles music nights.  Liz and Al joined Mardi and me to enjoy their music.

As you can see, we were pretty close to the stage, and they were LOUD!  Mardi had an advantage - she could take out her hearing aids.  But it was a fun night.  Thanks girls!

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It's 11 p.m. and the Blew Jays just gave up a third run.  It's also 27 innings (equal to three games) that they haven't scored a run themselves.  So I'm off to bed.

Stay well.

Birthday greetings today to grandson Yancy, and to Bonnie and Steve's grandson Jonah.  Enjoy your day!

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Yesterday, I spent an hour or so of slugging, with first Mardi and then Sean helping, to get the wagon back in action.  We had to separate the box from the base to access the bolts, two of which had to be ground off.

But that was enough sweating for the day, so then we headed home for a refreshing drink 😉.

Today, I used it to take a load of weeds to the compost.  We seem to have a wheel wobble issue - maybe there is a reason that the wheels were so reasonably priced!  Have to drive slow I guess.

Then I cut grass for about three hours.  I don't like to cut grass on Sundays, but the flat tire, incessant rain, and my golf game tomorrow, gave me no choice.

Some areas were still pretty wet.

And one area couldn't be cut.

I got stuck there the other day - that's how I know.  See the ruts?

One other thing that the rain has affected is the cactus plants.  They're not flowering the way they normally do.  This one would normally have more than a dozen flowers by now.........

...................and the one in the front garden has just one bloom.

How has yours made out this year Monica?

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We watched the Blew Jays implode yesterday.  An 11 - 0 drubbing.  And today guess what?  Much improved - they only lost 4 - 0.

Hard to watch!

Stay well.

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Wheels

 A couple of days ago the front wheels on the wagon finally gave out.  They're not happy with the heavy dirt loads that I inflict upon them.  So yesterday, I assumed that I would just stick with lawn cutting.

But, fate intervened.  A flat tire on the mower.  So my job switched to taking the mower tire for repair.....

..... and purchasing new front wheel assemblies for the wagon.

Why not just buy new wheels you say?  I did that once before and paid over $50 for one.  Believe it or not, these complete, revolving assemblies cost just  $38. each at Princess Auto!  (The boss clued me in.)

Today, I started to take the wagon apart to replace the assemblies but ran into a snag.  I need a second person to help and decided that with the heat and the Mum planting in progress this might not be received favourably 😓.  So I did the honourable thing - I took the day off.

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Yesterday afternoon, Mardi and I headed to our MP's office to fill out applications for passport renewal.  I chose the ten year option - now I don't have to worry about reapplying until I'm 99!  It's important to plan ahead!

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I stayed up late to watch the Blue Jays game in Seattle.  Worthwhile decision - they won 2 - 0.

Stay well.

Happy Canada Day

 I decided to take the day off today and celebrate Canada Day.  Of course we had to dress for the occasion.

We headed to the "vista" and joined many other owners.  Elizabeth asked us to get on our feet at 1 p.m. to sing "O Canada".......

...........following which we lined up to enjoy cake and ice cream, which the group below dished out.

Fortunately, we were able to find shade under a big tree, and with a strong breeze we lasted outside for about an hour.

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Then, this afternoon we, along with Matt and Maureen, were invited for a swim and BBQ at Ed and Rose's.

I found two new friends in the pool.

Ed fired up the BBQ, but before the food was ready he had to deal with some heavy rain and strong winds.

The food tasted great.  But we moved inside for the feast.  A good time with good friends.

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We only saw one inning of the Jays game before we left for the pool party, so Mardi taped it and we enjoyed the rest of a good game after we got home.  They're "Blue" again.

Stay well.

Mums and Bums

 Birthday greetings today to Roy Lougheed, Mardi's nephew.  

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We had a good day of golf yesterday, although the grounds crew at Cambridge tried to mess us up.

The 18th hole is a short par 4, pond on the left, trees on the right, but lots of room down the middle.  A drive and a short iron gets you to the green.  But, that's when the trouble started.  The green has a very  narrow, mostly level, section on the right, but then everything drops to the left.  And yesterday the crew placed the flag at the edge of the drop-off.

So, this is where most of the balls ended up...........

..........and if you didn't hit it hard enough to get to the pin, you don't have to move.  Just stay where you are, the ball will return.

I got lucky - landed and stayed on the flat part of the green and, two careful putts later, I had my (only) par.

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This week Trillium Hill is doing Mum baskets and a crew of temps is braving the heat to get the job done.

By the end of the week, the front field will be full of thousands of Mum planters.

My interaction with the heat today was to ride the mower for two hours.  That was enough!  But I'll be back tomorrow.

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The Blue Jays looked like a real team last night as they beat the Mets.  But a return to recent form tonight - no offense.

Stay well and enjoy Canada Day.

Blue Or Blew?

 I haven't published for a few days so I missed sister Judy's and second cousin RoseAnn's birthdays on Thursday and Judy Rivers yesterday.  Today it's Liz Knapp's turn.  All the best!

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On Friday, Mardi and I headed to Port Colborne to join Bonnie and Steve at the Smokin Buddha for a nice lunch, followed by "The Beaver Club" at the Lighthouse Theatre.

Four women head to Dildo (so you know what kind of a play it is) Newfoundland.  Well done with lots of laughs and some moving moments.

Last night, after my usual digging and lawn cutting we headed to Burlington to fill in for a euchre night with long time friends.  We may not be invited back - Mardi won the money for most lone hands.

Today I dug for a couple of hours and cut grass a bit.  Then, headed to the Optimist Park where Mardi and Pat were looking after the booth for a T - Ball tournament.  Bought a coffee from the ladies and watched a bit of a game.

Lots of hits and good play.

Then headed home to watch the Blew Jay's game.  And sure enough, they blew their sixth game in a row.  I should have stayed with the little guys and their T - Ball game.

Fortunately, I had time to switch to the FIFA game and watch Canada beat South Africa 1 - 0 to advance to the round of 16.  So the afternoon wasn't a total loss.

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Stay well.

A Wildlife Day

 Last night was Kathryn's actual birthday so the family headed to Moxies to celebrate one more time before Barbara and Jo-Ann leave for Ottawa.  A nice time was had by all.

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In recent days, when I water plants at the "Cottage", the Killdeer do their wounded routine to draw me away from the nest.  Both the male and female got into the act this time.

They usually nest by just laying their eggs on gravel - no real nest per se.  When we find a nest we mark and protect it so that the eggs aren't stepped on.  But I couldn't find the nest anywhere in the gravel near the shed.

Sean figured it out when he was watering the baskets on the ground.

That basket won't be sold anytime soon (or later).  Maybe after the birds hatch I'll keep the basket as a souvenir for the cottage.

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And I saw a young deer cross the back field this morning while cutting the grass.  Sorry, no picture.

And I was treated to another Swallow ballet.  But, each year there seems to be fewer birds showing up.  Today there were just three - not a good sign.

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We've done a bit more thinking about our summer trip and have decided to put Newfoundland off until next year.  We'll concentrate on P.E.I. and Nova Scotia this August.

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I think that we've had more golf games cancelled than played so far this year.  Rainout forecast again for tomorrow and next Monday doesn't look very promising either.  How will I ever get better at the game?  Be quiet Al!

Stay well.