An Anniversary

 We attended an Optimist meeting today.  The City still won't allow us access to our building, so we had an outdoor meeting.  Members brought food and personal items to donate to the food bank.

About twenty Optimists showed up despite the cool weather.  That's our new President, Al Wood, with the blue and white hair.

He wasn't the only one who dressed up for Hallowe'en.

We're going ahead with a virtual Turkey Roll for Christmas.

Each card wins a turkey.  Circles are $3 each (or $20 for 7 and I will throw in the extra $1.)  If you want your circles spread over more than one card I'll look after that.  E-transfers can be made to Mardi's email account. mardi@bullivant.ca 

Sorry about the commercial, but the Club still needs to help the community.

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Optimist Ed Strecker and wife Rose were there.

And afterwards the four of us headed to the Powerhouse Restaurant for lunch.

I actually think he looks better in the first picture.

This was a special get-together for Mardi and me.  Seventeen years ago today Mardi and I had our first date, and Ed was the matchmaker.  And this is the match he found for me.

We were still two days away from the dinner/dance that was to be our first date, but the weather on Hallowe'en that year was beautiful so I invited Mardi for a game of golf at Scenic Woods.  Towards the end she eased up and let me win.  Never eased up since though!

I was invited back to her house for dinner and helped hand out treats to the kids before heading home - in a daze! (Seventeen years later I'm still dazed!).

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The Powerhouse Restaurant was originally a coal-fired steam electric generating plant that powered the Hamilton, Grimsby and Beamsville Electric Railway from 1894 until 1931.  It ran up Ferguson Avenue to Lawrence Road (which the railway cleared and built), crossed Red Hill Creek and then ran along King Street to the junction of Queenston Road (highway 8), and from there to Beamsville.  Our house in Fruitland was half a block from Stop 69 (it wasn't a rude number in those days).

There were passenger street cars on the line but it was also used to transport the peninsula's fruit crops, including the products of E.D. Smith.  It connected to the TH&B in Hamilton and the Grand Trunk Railway in Winona.  

That's your history lesson for today.

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Stay well.  Get some fresh air.

Bobby Orr - Fallen Hero

 Same as yesterday, only with a parka and a toque.

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Looks like Bobby Orr got hit in the head too many times playing hockey.  He's taken a full page ad out to praise Trump.  

Jack Nicklaus likes Trump too, but he was never my hero anyway.

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Tomorrow it's an outdoors Optimist meeting and a special commemorative day.

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Stay well.

October 29

 The usual.  Worked on a couple of gardens.  Cut grass.

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Back to the greenhouse tomorrow.  Saturday should be a more newsworthy day.

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Thanks to those who told someone they love them, including my brother!  Stay well.

The Mum Show

 Took advantage of a nice, sunny day and headed for the Hamilton Mum Show at the Gage Park greenhouses.

That's my sweetie on the other side, taking the following picture of me, standing in line.

This year you had to book a time (they're all booked up).  We weren't aware, but they also allow ten other people each half hour, so we just had to wait about 20 minutes.

The theme this year is appreciation for the Front-Line Workers.

They always have lots of exotic Mum varieties.

As you can see, some varieties look more like Dahlias than Mums.

This display might be good for Trillium Hill.

After a half hour tour of the Mum displays we headed to the Tropical Garden building.

Turtles and Koi, and a few birds inhabit the Tropical Garden.

A great way to spend an afternoon!  And it's free!  They could easily charge $10 or $20 and still keep the place full.  Well worth the time.

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Then we headed for the storage room at Mardi's business.  It's official - golf season is over!

Other years we would, just about now, be heading for two weeks of golf in North Carolina.  Not this year!

Nor will we be going to Florida at the first of the year.  So the clubs won't be going anywhere until next April.

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While there, I picked up the winter wheels for the van.  Will have them mounted soon.  First time I will have installed snow tires in several years.  What does snow look like again?

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Cut grass for an hour and a half to finish off the afternoon.  A satisfying day.

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Stay well.  Tell someone you love them.

Dodgers In Six!

 Matt forwarded the following screen shot that is very topical given my technical difficulties with the TV.

Hopefully, the election will reboot their system!

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Started out the back door of the building heading for the greenhouse this morning, realized it was raining, turned back.  End of story.

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Dodgers are World Champions!  Best team in baseball came through in game six.  A good series to watch.  

Now I can go back to cheering for the Blue Jays, who will be in the playoff mix again next year.  Not saying they'll win the World Series, but they'll be fun to watch.

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Stay well.

Trilliums and Grandkids

 First off, a picture from yesterday when we welcomed Sarah-Jean and her friend home for reading week.

Proud Grandpa!  And as you can see, Sean and his brothers dressed up especially for their sister and the occasion.

Malcolm was sporting an appropriate Trillium around his neck.  Nice touch!

Happy times at Trillium Hill.

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Today, I got another garden spiffed up and then went back to cutting grass out back.  On the way back to the greenhouse I checked out the swimming hole/fish pond.  The water has dropped about four feet over the summer, but the fish still have twelve or thirteen feet to enjoy at the other end where the escape ladder is located.

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After a frustrating time trying to get the TV to unfreeze, Mardi called an expert.  Finally discovered that it was not the TV at fault but the cable box.  Shut it down and disconnected everything and when it was reconnected it behaved properly.  A pretty cheap fix.

Now we're ready for tomorrow's ball game.

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We've both given up on golfing tomorrow - perhaps for the rest of the season as well, unless we get a heat wave.  So, I'll be back at the greenhouse for my usual two to four hour stint, continuing to get the lawns and gardens ready for winter.

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Trump is correct about turning the corner on the coronavirus - except that the corner is bending uphill, not down.  We're experiencing the same rise in Canada, but from a much lower base.  Keep wearing those masks and keep your distance. 

Summer it over

Short and sweet tonight.  Did some cleanup on the work bench at the greenhouse and then got on the mower in the back field again.  Orange toque in place, coat and gloves - cut for about an hour before the wind and cold chilled me through.

Home for a coffee and Baileys and a nap.  

Now our living room TV has frozen and we haven't been able to get it going again.  So the game will be watched in the bedroom, and I'm still tired.  Therefore the blog is going out before the game because I'll probably be asleep by the end.

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Stay well. Enjoy the roses Rada.