Hallowe'en Anniversary

 First, a question from yesterday's blog to David.  Al wants to know if you got charged for swimming too fast in the Venice canals?  

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Birthday greetings to Mardi's grand nephew, Lincoln Brownell, on his 10th birthday.

And today is also a very special day for me.  It was nineteen wonderful years ago that Mardi and I had our first date.  And I've still got her tricked!!! 

You've made me a very happy man Mardi.  And our Christmas Cactus has even revised it's blooming period in honour of our love.

It's now our Anniversary Cactus.

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Another picture of David and Sue from Venice.

Looks like a beautiful city!  Good looking people too!

Then, I got another email, with this message:

                8 oz orange juice $20, a gin and tonic $33,
                My lovely wife, priceless!

He's a romantic, like the old man!

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We had a full crew at the greenhouse today and made excellent progress.  Ewen and Charlie looked after loading the dirt machine.

I was on hanger duty.  Mardi planted.

We're over halfway done.

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Enjoy the goblins and stay well.

Almost Hallowe'en

 Nursing a sore foot from all of the walking I did while placing Fern baskets on the greenhouse floor.  And a sore shoulder from yesterday's booster shot, so I'm taking it easy today.

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A couple of pictures from David:

First, a speed trap on a waterway in Venice.

And the view from their Venice apartment.

Their trip is nearing its end.  Looks like they've had a really good time.  A well earned vacation for Sue and David.

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And, in other news, the Optimist Club is running its Turkey Roll again - on Friday, November 25.  Chances cost $3 each or 7 for $20, but my rule is that I only sell the 7 for $20 option.  Let me know if you would like to participate.  Thanks!

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Tomorrow is an important day in my life.  More about that later.

Stay well.

Hurting a Bit

 Took it easy today as we both recovered from the Boston Fern planting.

But we did accomplish one important task.  We each got our 5th Covid shot.  Three weeks from now we get our annual Flu shot and we should then be good to go for our winter vacation.

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Photo below shows two Davids - one dressed and one not.  Both fine physical specimens😏.

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And, on that note I'll say good night.

Stay well.

Ferns, Food and Fans

 Back to the greenhouse today.  We quickly finished up filling two houses on the east side.  And then the line was shifted to the west side.

You're looking at the full complement (including the photographer), although Christine from the garden centre did a couple of stints to help out.  Even though shorthanded, we nevertheless made good progress today.  A real team!

Here's a picture that Brooke took of Charlie before the last of this year's Boston Fern crop was shipped.

He's getting to be a big jungle boy!

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Sue and David are still in Florence.  They sent a picture of the oldest restaurant in the city, serving since 1820.

But they weren't impressed with the menu and ate elsewhere.  I guess that after 202 years the food may be a bit stale.

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After dinner we headed to Theatre Aquarius to see "Serving Elizabeth".  It was about Elizabeth's visit to Kenya and her father's death during that visit which made her the Queen.  At the time, Kenya was dealing with the Mau Mau terrorists and ended up leaving the Commonwealth eleven years later.

The writer, according to the theatre, challenges us to consider the power of stories to influence identity, shape stereotypes, and build paths to empathy.

Unfortunately, that doesn't translate into a good theatre experience.

Five minutes before the curtain raises, this is the audience.

The absentees obviously knew something that Mardi and I did not.  We're rethinking our subscription to Theatre Aquarius.  This is not the first time we have been disappointed.

It's a lot more entertaining at Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover and Port Colborne.  We'll limit our future Aquarius visits to just a few special events.

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Stay well.

Old Guy Stuff

 Apparently, Sue and David are in Florence because I got the following message from him today:

"If things don’t work out for you at the greenhouse we could get you a corner in Florence."

I bet that would work in Florida!

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As I mentioned yesterday, I scheduled a golf game today so that I could avoid working at the greenhouse.  Maybe it wasn't such a good idea!

Temperature was 6C.  Chilly enough that we were blowing fog.  I'll be glad to get back to the warm greenhouse tomorrow!

I'm not sure what Calvin was up to.  Looks like a gun in his back pocket!

 But we ignored that because he brought some treats to help us celebrate Matt's birdie.

Matt also got four Dog Meats, but Calvin and I chose to ignore that.

Nevertheless, we are a good team - we stick together, even in the sand traps.

Actually, a very enjoyable day - if you could ignore the chill.

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Stay well.

From Boston to Mexico.

 This afternoon we started to plant the Boston Fern baskets.

Sean set up the line.

Donna ran the dirt machines, Brooke loaded the baskets, Mardi stuck the fern plugs and the old guy, with some help, attached the basket hangers.  A few of the baskets had Monica's name on them!

Sean moved them all to the floor (those baskets without hangers were fixed).

And, despite being short staffed, we finished over 1,300.

Just 13,700 to go!

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A quick shower after work and then off to the Banana Leaf for dinner with Gillian and Scott, followed by an Optimist fun night.  Rose and Ed joined us for Mexican Train.

A fun, relaxing night with good friends.

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Unfortunately, I won't be able to work tomorrow.  I have to golf.

😢

Stay well.

Stay Awake

 Despite a somewhat sleepless night, Sean successfully managed to ace the CFIA greenhouse inspection today.  Well done Sean - now your mom and dad can continue to enjoy Italy!

Spring plantings should begin later this week.  Boston Fern baskets are first up.  Mardi and Irene can hardly wait.

I finished the front garden that I was working on.  It's now ready for spring.  

And I finished cutting the grass, including inside the rink.  It's now ready for David to flood when outdoor hockey begins this winter.

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Came home to be greeted by this wonderful scene.

 Mardi said that the date squares in front weren't going to be frozen.  So I have very little time to eat them before they go bad!  She later asked me how they tasted, but I had only eaten four at that time so the jury is still out.😋😋  

By the way Al, you wouldn't like them 😞😞 so don't ask!

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Thought that I should enlarge on the "woke" and "anti-woke" issue that influenced my school board vote yesterday.

The official Wikipedia definition of "woke" is: Alert to injustice and discrimination in society, especially racism.

However, the far right also claim that it includes more far left stuff: Intent to dissolve the nuclear family, abolish capitalism, eliminate religion, rewrite the constitution, and raise children gender neutral.  Sounds pretty crazy and extreme, but the majority of U.S. Evangelicals do think that is what the far left want and therefore they perceive that the "woke" folks are a great threat.

Let's delve into that a bit.  The part that worries me the most is the gender neutral issue.  They believe that the solution to LGBTQ children is conversion therapy.  In other words abusive brain washing to make them "normal"!

And those are the folks who are trying to get on, and eventually dominate, our school boards.  Please, please, spend as much time next election on your school board choice as you do on your ward representative.

I don't want to get too deeply into religion right now, but it amazes me that U.S. Evangelicals, who supposedly believe in the Bible, can be so astoundingly inhuman, and they also applaud Trump and the evil that he stands for.  

That's not what I remember being taught in Sunday School!  I am not a believer, but I do think that most Christian principles are worth fighting for and trying to meet.  And I think that Wikipedia's definition of "woke" is part of that worth.

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On to better things.  We got the following picture from Yancy with his teething daughter, Rowan.

What a cute pumpkin!

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And a question.  How many of you have wine with your mac and cheese?

One of my favourite meals.

And, on that note I'll say good night.  Stay well.