A Life Sentence With Sven

 Congratulations to Jill for surviving 56 years of marriage to Gary/Sven/Andy/Ned/etc.  All the best to both of our good friends!

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I joined Mardi and Judy for their yard sale run today.  Slim pickings, but it was nice to spend time together with Judy.  We got caught up on her family highlights.

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Blue Jays 2 - Astros 1.  Another good game and another save for Jordan Romano.  George Springer got both Toronto runs - two homers.

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Why pay for psychotherapy when there are so many phone numbers to call where they play calming music and tell you every two minutes how important you are to them?

Stay well.

Red Dress Day - May 5

 It's getting to be that time of year again, and a Charlie Brown cartoon explains it eloquently.

Snoopy: Do all fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time?"

Charlie: No, many of them begin "If I am elected, I promise".

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They're grinding the new cement smooth on the balconies.  Lots of noise once again, but it's progress.

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Mardi and I attended Theatre Aquarius tonight.  Really didn't know what to expect.  The title was "The Hours That Remain" and the brief description in the program didn't give too many clues.

It started slowly and seemed a bit disjointed, about a husband and wife and her sister.  It wasn't until mid show that we began to realize what was going on.  A gut-wrenching experience!  I won't go into details because some of you may be intending to see it, but murdered and missing Indigenous women are the focus.  A "red dress" performance.  Left us emotionally drained.

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Speaking of emotionally drained, we got home in time to see the last three innings as the Blue Jays lost 10 to 7 to the Houston Astros.  

Nuts!

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Stay well.

Some Good, Some Bad and Some Ugly

 A happy day and a sad one.

First, happy birthday greetings to Julie Taylor who has reached a round number today.  All the best!

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The sad part is that this is also National Day of Mourning, respecting those who have been killed at work.  And just two days ago a man was killed at Janco Steel on Arvin Avenue, by a forklift (Bullivant & Associates does their safety training).

Fifty-two and a bit years ago our dad was killed at Dofasco when an underfloor oil cooled transformer blew up.  He and another man were covered in burning oil.  The other man died a few hours later.  Dad lasted almost two days.

Our mother had three kids to support and was five months pregnant.  I don't know how she held it all together.  And it was a rude awakening to manhood for a 14 year old.

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Saw a brown fox in the fields behind the greenhouse today.  My first sighting of one of those on David's farm.  But too far away and too quick for a picture.

Did some grass cutting cleanup while Mardi helped trim back the Passion Flower pots.  What a trooper!

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There is a bit of a (hopefully) well meaning backlash to do with Canada supplying arms to Ukraine, because one of the battalions is called the AZOV and it has a reputation of being antisemite and espousing nazi views.  The backlash is suggesting that we stop sending help to the Ukraine.

None of us are in favour of nazi beliefs, but let's give our heads a shake.  These people are trying to wrest their country back from the brutal Russian war criminals who are destroying it and killing civilians indiscriminately and deliberately.  We need to keep helping as long as the Ukraine needs us.

There will be time to sort the good guys from the bad when this is over.

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Blue Jays 1 - Boston 0.  Another well played game.

Unfortunately, the Raptors didn't fare as well.  They were eliminated by the Pacers 132 - 97.

Stay well.

The Rural Philosopher

 Happy birthday to Mardi's neice Dorothy who turned 9 today.  Best wishes.

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With my leg acting up I've spent more time doing easier things, one of which is reading a book that Joyce passed along, titled "Don Harron - A Parent Contradiction".

It was written by his daughter Martha, and based on the details I assume it was with his help, back in 1988.  Those who remember Charlie Farquharson, the rural philosopher, will enjoy this book.  About every second page I break out in laughter.  His daughter is every bit as funny as he was.  But there are some rough moments too.

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Optimist meeting tonight and after our election of officers we played progressive euchre.

Unfortunately, Mardi and I were not too progressive.  But it was a fun night.

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Red Sox 7 - Blue Jays 1.  'nuff said.

Keep breathing.

The Fern Resort

 More noise on the balcony, but we are making progress.  Today they poured cement to repair the sections that had been removed.

We may be able to use the balcony again by summer😎.

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Cut some more grass at the greenhouse resort today.

And, for the Boston Fern fans, here is how they are looking now.

They're hanging from the ceiling, on carts, on the floor.  Thousands!

I'll let you folks know when David starts to ship so you will have a good choice.  

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Blue Jays 6 = Red Sox 5.  A great comeback win - what a team!

Stay well.

A Winning NIght

 Baseball - Blue Jays 6 and Red Sox.  Grand Slam for Bo Bichette.

Basketball - Raptors 103 and 76ers 88.  A great comeback - down 3 games to none, now 3 - 2.  Keep it going!

Wordle - Bud 4😀 and Mardi 5😢.  Things are a bit "askew".

What a day!

Keep breathing!

Spring Has Sprung

 I forgot to mention Wayne's birthday yesterday.   Sorry my friend.  Hope you had a good day.

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Mardi and I headed to the greenhouse today.  I cut the grass, while she deadheaded the geranium plugs.

It was a beautiful day, and mother nature has noticed.  The Daffodils are opening up.

This Magnolia bush is showing colour.

We have two, same variety, Magnolias, but the older, bigger one always takes a week or two longer to get started.  Don't know why.

And the Dwarf Forsythia is starting to show colour too.

Forsythia can get away from you because it is so fast growing, but the dwarf variety only needs minor pruning each year.  The plants above have been there for several years.

The Tulip Tree that I planted last year is about to open up as well.  Should be a nice show!

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Blue Jays lost the game today in the bottom of the tenth.  Houston 8 - Blue Jays 7.  Jordan Romero's string of saved games has come to an end.

Tomorrow they're home to Boston.

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Stay well.