Monday 29 July 2019

Monday's Trivia

How are you, my friends, on this the 210th day of this year?  Here it is sunny and hot as July slides slowly into August. There's an early touch of almost Autumn in my house. At a garage sale on Saturday I got two bunches of artificial flowers ( paid a dollar)  and it seemed a shame to put them away for a month. So here they are....

DH and youngest son both agree that the long trailing things in this bouquet look weird. I'm not denying it but neither am I taking them off.



I already had both the striped jug and the quilted table topper. All I had to do was plunk the orange mums into the jug.  I really like this one better than the other.


The first tomato of the season.  I sliced it and had it on toast for my lunch. It was yummy!


Earlier today I was out watering my thirsty flowers when a Hummingbird came to have a shower in the mist.  I held my breath as it came so close to me. It was amazing!!  I've had this happen in other years but it never loses its charm.

In spite of the heat I'm making an oven supper so I thought I'd bake bread while the oven was on anyway.  By this time the breadmaker has probably done the dough so I better go deal with that.


Thanks for coming by,   G.M.

Friday 26 July 2019

What's new?

Did you notice that my blog list is back?  Thanks to my computer savvy DIL !!! 

Let's see, what's new around here?   A dear far away friend who knows I love Teddy Bears surprised me recently when she sent this adorable pair. It was like Christmas in July!!!



Another new thing is our washer. The old one had been getting very noisy but still seemed to work as well as it ever did ( which isn't saying much). Then it started leaking so we needed a new one. DS2  and his little family use it a lot more than we do ( we share laundry facilities)  so he chose it.I'm so happy this one has an agitator and hopefully will do a better job than the old one.  BTW, that scrub board hanging over the washer is the one my mom used many years ago.


We took a couple of large boxes to the thrift store today and I'm proud to say I came out with nothing but some books. No tea cups, no tea pots, just books.


I seem to have confused a few people with my last post.. My birthday isn't until next month but the 27,000 is the number of days I have lived so far. Well, actually today it would be 27,001.

Thanks for visiting and commenting so faithfully.

Granny M.



Thursday 25 July 2019

Pot holders and a bit of Trivia


One of my many collections is my collection of pot holders.  The prettiest ones are not actually used but I hang them in the kitchen so I can look at them. I had these crocheted ones ( thrift store... I can't crochet). I love the pink rose in the middle of each one.  But it was time to look in my box for something different.  Too early for Fall colours so I settled on.....




..this one 

...and the Lady Bug one.  The colours don't go together but the style is the same.  Someone spent time making these. probably for gifts that ended up in the thrift store.



My bit of trivia found on the internet:   On July 25, 2019 (today) people born on August 22, 1945 will be 27,000 days old.  Isn't that amazing?  I am 27,000 days old.

I'm still waiting for help in retrieving my widget. 

Thanks for visiting,

Granny M.

Wednesday 24 July 2019

Wordless Wednesday

        












                  Thanks for dropping by,  G.M.





Monday 22 July 2019

I Goofed.



I have done a dumb thing. Somehow I managed to lose my entire list of blogs I follow.
I have no idea how to get it back so meanwhile I will rely on your comments to get to your blogs.
 ( Hey, that gives you a good reason to comment, right?) 

It continues to be hot here. DH has gone camping with the grands ( just for one night).  I've been keeping the newly transplanted things damp.

Last week I found this pretty tea cup which has a broken handle.I liked the pattern so much so I bought it ( very inexpensive due to the handle being broken)



I have 2 saucers which have no matching cups and which look quite similar to this new one, don't you think?


                     And... a "new" tea pot. Cream background with brown toile design.



Thanks for visiting. Please leave a comment so I can visit your blog now that I've lost my list.

G.M.

Thursday 18 July 2019

Morning Walk


Our resident pair of Eagles managed to successfully raise a baby this year.  He can't really fly yet but he's seen exercising his wings in preparation for flying!!  I saw him but these pics were taken by my DIL.



As I have posted before, the lake is very overgrown by water lilies. The city has begun uprooting them with this odd paddleboat contraption. It rips them up so they hopefully die.  Don't worry, lots will have been missed and will clog the lake again next year!




                                       A gaggle of geese.


When I got back home I took a couple of pictures of the front flowerbeds which we knew very well was on city property but chose to make anyway ( many many years ago). Even the fence is over the line and may have to go because the city wants to put in some sort of big box for the new house next door which will have underground electrical services.  The excavator will be coming next week so we have until then to move the plants!!!



These pics will be my "before"  and I'll take the "after" photos once it's all done.


Thanks for visiting today.  GM


Saturday 13 July 2019

Baking and Books

I took advantage of  some cooler days this week to do some much needed baking. The Banana cake was sent along with DH for coffee time at his volunteer 'job' and the Bran muffins were for ourselves.



I love roasted tomatoes ( DH does not so these will be all for me).
One Banana bread will go into the freezer ( maybe) and the other one went home with youngest son when he left earlier today after doing some digging for me.  I had a very large patch of Sedum "Autumn Joy" which needed to be lifted, divided and 2 clumps re-planted. All done now.  A job well done deserves a reward, right?


              My lunch of leftover homemade pizza and tomatoes with basil and Feta cheese.


Well, that's what I've been doing in the kitchen.  Now for what I'm currently reading.....

                                My library books


                              A thrift store find
 

                                  My latest Miss Read



Thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post.
Debi asked what I planned to do with the berries. Most went into the freezer but we're enjoying lots just as they are.

The last chapter of my Miss Read book is awaiting me so I think I'll go sit on the swing
 on the porch and finish that lovely book.  I know many of you also enjoy her and this book is autobiographical so to me it is doubly enjoyable.

Hope you're having a good day!!    GM




Friday 12 July 2019

How to make a Small Boy Happy


DH volunteers with an organization that accepts vegetables that are for one reason or another not saleable. ( Think truck loads of onions, cabbage, carrots...)  Most are past their prime and volunteers come 5 days a week to sort through them, send through a chopped and then through a dryer. The resulting dry soup mix is bagged and when a sufficient number of huge containers are ready that are sent to impoverished countries. Today M decided to accompany his Grandad and from the excited report he gave me when they returned it was the highlight of his week.  He was allowed to do various jobs such as turn the chopper on and off and even carrying large trays of cut-up veggies. He thoroughly enjoyed "coffee time" which for him was hot chocolate time ( with cake and brownies to munch on).
 But that all paled when he got the chance to ride in one of the volunteer's car. Now, this was no ordinary car... it was M's favourite! A red Mustang convertible.  He has well over a hundred "Matchbox" cars but the Mustangs have always been his best ones so this was a dream come true. I do wonder if the kind-hearted man who gave him this all-too-brief chance knows how happy he made one little boy.
Too bad no pictures were taken.
On the way home DH and M stopped to pick Blackberries at a U-Pick, another first for M who was very impressed by the size of the berries.  Here you can see how they compare to raspberries.





Thanks for stopping by,  GM

Tuesday 9 July 2019

Teacup Tuesday


Some days teacups just seem to jump into my shopping basket.  And if they're priced right I let them stay.  These first two were just a dollar each. The one on the left was made by Colclough, the other one by Sutherland ( in case you're interested).



These were a little more ( $4) . Still a good deal. The left one made by Elizabethan, the right one Cotswold.


             I saved my favourites for last... Queen Anne on the left, Phoenix on the right.


Do you have a favourite?

Thanks for visiting today and letting me share my pretty additions to my collection.  And, before you ask, yes, I do have a tiny bit of space left to put them.


Granny Marigold


Sunday 7 July 2019

An Owl and a Birthday

This morning when we walked along the path in the park we heard the sound of alarmed birds so we stopped to see what might be happening. The birds making all the noise were a pair of Western Tanagers and what they were objecting to was a Barred Owl.  Seeing an Owl is not something that happens very often and we were thrilled to watch it and take pictures. It was watching us too....



...probably wishing we'd move on


...and finally just turning his head around and ignoring us.  Maybe it even went to sleep. After all, isn't that what Owls do during the day?


In the second and third photos you can see one of the Tanagers ( probably the male with his reddish head) right above the Owl.  No, he isn't sitting ON its head, it just looks a bit like it.

Besides our interesting walk, this day was a day to celebrate M's 10th birthday. He's the youngest of the grands and a real sweetheart.  We're so blessed to see him every day and watch him grow up.

Thanks for visiting,  GM


Saturday 6 July 2019

Seen on our morning walks... and a question answered


On one of our walks we saw more ducks than usual. These are half grown ones probably a second batch for Mrs. Mallard.  There were two female Wood Ducks among the bunch but I don't think  they made it into the picture.



Great Blue Heron looking for breakfast. I took this photo from the internet because the day we saw it I didn't have my camera along.


Here is a turtle coming up from the lake most probably to look for a place to lay her eggs.


And of course there are rabbits around. This little one thought if he held very still I wouldn't see him.


We're hoping to get more rain this coming week. Since the Hydrangeas are still hanging their heads down they won't be any worse off. The little bit of rain we did get wasn't nearly enough.

On the subject of Hydrangeas,  a few posts ago Connie asked me if I ever dried my Hydrangeas and I've been meaning to answer.  I used to dry them, then spray paint them. A couple of years I used them at Christmas poked into fake pine garland which went up, over, and down a 6 foot opening into the living room from the front hall.  It looked great but every time someone brushed against it even lightly dry petals would fall. 

I hope you're having a pleasant weekend.

Thanks for coming by.  GM