58 Years!

 A significant event to celebrate today - the 58th anniversary of Jill and Gary Parker.  Awesome!  First of all, you have to live a long time, and then you have to stay in love as well (of course Jill had to be a saint to make that possible - nuff said).  

Most of the world can't duplicate that achievement!  Mardi and I are happy with just 20 and counting.

Our dear friends are celebrating with a family vacation in Portugal that includes their kids with their significant others, and their two beautiful granddaughters.  Well done my good friends!

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Despite the overnight rain, I was able to cut the grass at the greenhouse today.  While I accomplished that, Mardi was tending to Boston Fern baskets, which are now ready for sale.

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Tomorrow I plan to book our Florida vacation for 2025.  Don't know which President will be in charge by then.  Should be interesting.

We also have cards and dinner planned with Maureen and Matt.  And I will try to squeeze a massage at the Ontario College of Health and Technology somewhere in that time frame.  Boy, it's difficult being popular!

Stay well my friends.

Mixed Feelings

 We had a quiet weekend.  Yesterday we attended the visitation for Lona Dykshoorn, a close friend of Mardi's since their children were young.

A beautiful lady both inside and out.  She was slowly taken from us by Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Paul and Lona were also members of the Optimist Club and we spent many enjoyable hours in their company.  She has been, and will be, missed.

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Today was a more positive one.  I got to golf with son David (and my friends) for the first time this year.  And they paid me to play with them!  

We pay for Dog Meats (land closest on a par three green and make par) which I somehow did twice today, while no one else managed to even hit the green.  Not a normal result for sure.

Then, I came closest to my predicted score.  These two feats let me come home $32 richer.  

Thanks guys 😊!  See you next week!

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And tonight, the Blue Jays won, looking like a real team for a change.  After a couple of recent debacles I was ready to give up on them (I don't have the blind patience of a Maple Leaf fan who is prepared to keep taking it on the chin - sorry Steve).  Exciting and fun to watch tonight.

Tomorrow it's back to cutting grass.  Stay well.

Gardening

Back to work today.   Mardi was with me and spent a couple of hours cleaning and rewinding Passion Flowers in the greenhouse, while I worked outside.  'Twas a cold but sunny day.  Worked in a parka.

My routine these days, when the lawns don't need attention, will be to dig up and move a wagon load of sod from the tree line, and then work on the gardens.

That's what happened today.  And this is the garden that got the attention.  A wagon load of weeds, grass and debris removed, and two bags of mulch added.  The Day Lilies are coming along nicely.

More of the same planned for tomorrow.

Stay well.

Beautiful Scars

 I took the day off today.  Spent a sleepless night with nerve pain in my right arm and then got up to a cool, wet day.  So I vegged out for most of the day.

But not all of it.  Headed to the bank to pay the balance of my income tax and it was really amazing!  By the time the cashier had hit the entry button, Trudeau had already spent it.  Can't wait to get rid of that meathead!

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Tonight we headed to Theatre Aquarius to see Tom Wilson's musical, "Beautiful Scars".  Well worth seeing!

It's a moving recount of his search for identity after being adopted.  Well written and very well performed.  He eventually discovers his Mohawk ancestry and the mother who was forced to give him up.

I expected it to have a dark side, but it was well balanced and, in the end, positive.  Powerful music and excellent voices.

I bought a copy of his book before we left the theatre.

The show carries on until May 11.  Check it out.

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And we enjoyed a full moon on the ride home.  Sort of capped the night off properly.

Stay well.

Steaks and Sod

 For her birthday, Mardi and I enjoyed dinner at Chuck's Roadhouse last night.  Chose that spot because their steaks are the best tasting beef that I've had in years.  Worth checking out!

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Managed to put in three hours at the greenhouse today, but only one of those hours dealing with sod - the old body has its limits.  My agenda for this year includes a lot more sod removal, but I've got the rest of the summer to pick away at it.

And, if I complete the agenda, it will be another three or four years before it needs to be done again.  That's fortunate because, although I hate to admit it, this is probably the last year that I will be interested in digging and moving sod.   

Fortunately, there's lots of lawns, gardens and odd jobs to keep me busy.

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Back at it tomorrow.

Stay well.

 Tomorrow is Mardi's birthday.  It's hard to believe, but we've now been together for just over one quarter of her life (of course, she's still a spring chicken).

When I pointed out the above fact to her, Mardi said "it seems longer than that" 😕

We laugh together, make life easy for each other, and stay positive.

I'm a happy man!  Thanks my love!  Enjoy your day.

And thanks to Ed (the matchmaker).

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Gardening

Enjoyed some cake at the greenhouse to celebrate the birthday of Allison, one of David's young ladies, .  Her actual birthday is Sunday, which happens to also be the birthday of another famous lady, whom I happen to live with.  But you'll be hearing more about that later.

Then, I did some miscellaneous jobs at the greenhouse.  Took a cart wheel to Ace Tire for a new tube (Barbara and Jo-Anne, I had a nice chat with Gary while I waited for his guy to do the work).

Monica won't be happy to hear that I broke up a Cactus plant and created eight new ones.  Used thick gloves and a wrench to separate them so I didn't suffer Monica's thorn fate.  They'll be ready for next year's sales.  

And finally, went back to the sod moving project.  Once I get to the other side of the trees I'll be ready for the spent Tulip plants.

A later project will be moving the Daffodils when they are finished for the year.  They're slowly being surrounded as the pine trees spread, so I'll widen the gardens and move them out a foot or two.

That should last maybe four years before it needs to be repeated, which may not be my problem to worry about😴.

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If we can stay awake we'll watch the Blue Jays play in San Diego tonight.

Stay well.