Cleaning and a New Sign

It's Monday so that means laundry day at my house.  My last load is in the dryer and then I'm done.  In between loads I decided to take down and wash all the tea cups in the cupboard just to the left of the kitchen stove.  Got that done with no mishaps.

The grands are, of course, home from school. They came up earlier with those Lysol disposable towelettes and asked if they could wipe all the door and cupboard handles in my place. I was more than happy to say yes.  I find even kids are aware of the dangers of this virus and want to do their part to avoid getting sick.

My eldest daughter made me a sign to hang on the stand that DH made from a discarded  newel post. The sign is reversible. She did a great job.   Now if only the weather would warm up and we could actually gather on the porch!!   It's a chilly day and just a little while ago it was hailing.  Certainly not porch sitting time yet.

I hope you are all keeping safe and well and not getting too bored staying at home.


Thanks for coming by,

Granny Marigold  

Happiness and Beatrix Potter

Don't wait for some kind of future when you're going to have a different situation. Do everything you can to feel as happy as you can right now. 

The above quotation is from Gretchen Rubin's post this morning. Are you familiar with this author?  She first came to my attention when I read her book The Happiness Project. It's a great book, easy to read and full of good ideas.


I'm still watching a few Hopalong Hollow videos almost every day. I was watching one where Jeri  Landers created a Beatrix Potter tea. During the tea party she shared pages from her BP Journal and I realized I had that book and it had been too long since I has looked through it.  How could I have  set it aside and 'forgotten' that I had it?  Needless to say I have been enjoying looking through it again.

It's a chilly Spring day with showers. Not the kind of day to putter outside so I have done what housework I intended to do.We went for our 2 mile walk, carefully staying far from other walkers, not that there were many out and about.. The rest of the day is mine to do with as I please.
I hope you're finding pleasant things to keep you occupied as we wait this out.

Thanks for coming by today,   G.M.

 

Puttering in the Back Yard

Our old wooden arbour was leaning perilously and DH discovered it was rotting so he made a new one using plastic or vinyl (?) pieces of lattice that we found marked down drastically at the lumber yard.  He assures me that this arbour will outlast both of us!

It's a very simple one but I hope to cover it with Sweet Peas in summer.

As I always do in Spring I got out my tea cups and lined them up here...

....more over here....

...a few more...

Remember  when I bought this cute tea pot at the thrift store months ago?  Well, here's Miss Kitty all ready to pour into the pretty blue tea cup.

My day began very early ( 6 A.M.) because I wanted to get to the grocery store for the early shopping hours for seniors which are from 7 till 8.  Yes, it was crazy, busy and hard to keep  a proper distance between  us and other shoppers but we made it. Home shortly after 8 feeling somewhat frazzled but now we're set for at least 2 weeks if not longer.

I hope you're all keeping safe and well, maybe even enjoying some sunshine!

Thanks for visiting,


Granny Marigold.

My Day

The grands are not in school now as it is Spring break but after the break schools will continue to be
closed until further notice.  One benefit having all this free time is that old games that rarely get played come out, like Chinese Checkers.   M and his Grandad played a couple of games then I took over while Grandad had a nap. We also played Snakes & Ladders and tic-tac-toe.

We went on our morning walk and a house that was taken down just days ago is now all cleaned up and ready for a new one to be built.  No doubt it will be another huge  million dollar  home like the one next door to the empty lot.

We saw a few Robins and this one very obligingly let me take his picture.

I spent some time outside in the afternoon, just puttering. Came in and baked bread, made soup for supper.  I'm determined to use this time of  staying away from stores as much as possible to use up all the containers of this and that in the fridge and freezer. Also my cans of beans, soups, etc.. I think it's a good idea to use it all up and eventually, when we can go shopping again, to restock and put everything away in newly washed cupboards.  Hopefully that's how it will be. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for visiting. I couldn't resist this little sign...   G.M.

Tidying the back yard

The sun has been shining for a few days now and since we're not going anywhere due to Covid-19 we decided to tidy up the area behind the house. It faces South and mainly I have succulents there.  It hasn't changed much but to me it looks a lot tidier.

We have to hang the window tomorrow. Forgot to do that today.

Sorry about all the shadows .

 Some pots may or may not have anything growing in them eventually. I must do a better job of labeling them this year.  The Clematis on the arbour hasn't greened up yet so it looks ratty.

The Crocus are loving the sunshine and finally opening fully.

So that's what we've been keeping busy with.   Stay safe and well!!     G.M.

St Patrick's Day #2

I couldn't resist posting this picture that I took this morning of son2  who 'dressed for the day' !!

In the midst of all the fear of Covid 19 it's nice to keep our sense of fun.

G.M.

St. Patrick's Day

Do you make any fuss at all celebrating St. Patrick's Day?  Here at our house the celebration will be all about  our youngest granddaughter who turns 17 on this day. It's Spring break so no school for her and her brother.  I think Winter has given its last gasp and the sun has begun to shine. If the forecast can be believed the fine weather will last all week.  

Have a Wonderful Day.



Granny M.

Wind Storm and Baking

We have had 2 days of strong gusty wind which did some damage including break off the top of a very big old tree on the lot behind us. On its way down it broke another tree which will allow much more light to shine on the "wild area" at the very back of the yard.  So what might have been an unfortunate thing turned out to be good. IF the tree had fallen our way I would not be saying this but it didn't do any damage even to the fence.

You can see the broken remains here. The tree that broke was about the same diameter as the one behind it.   Both are full of Ivy as you can see.

I wish this scrawny one would fall as well!

Pie Day... and here's my rustic cherry pie. No use having the oven on for one thing so I made a date and raisin square ( matrimonial cake to some).  DH loves dates but until I started using raisins as well in the filling I was not terribly fond of it. Now I like it as much as he does.

 That's my day so far. It's just after lunch and the rest of the afternoon is mine to do as I please.
I've been watching You Tube videos with Jeri Landers  of Hopalong Hollow and enjoying every minute of them. One of you dear ones brought her to my attention. I can't remember who it was but Thanks!!

Granny Marigold

Wordless Wednesday

(The lambs were too far away for a good Picture )

Granny Marigold

Primula Obconica

I bought three small pots of Primula , a different kind than I usually buy at this time of year. These are not winter hardy here so I'll enjoy them as long as they last.  I put them out on the porch for night because they like the coolness. As you can see I chose a white, a dark pink, and a blue.

Mine are not as full of flowers as the ones below ( image off the internet)

It's a sunny day and when my laundry was done I went out to look for weeds. I want to get them before they bloom and set seed. I'm hoping for a few more days like this. Although it's cold and the ground in the shade is still frozen it's nice to be puttering and slowly getting everything ready for Spring.

Thanks for visiting,

Granny Marigold

A Bit of Trivia

March 7, day 66 of 2020.
 This is the weekend we in Canada go on Daylight Saving Time.
It is also the week of the full moon and, for those who are just a tad superstitious, we have Friday the 13th coming up.
Then, next Saturday, March 14 is Pie Day ( pi 3:14, get it?)  I for one will bake a pie. It's all in fun.


It's damp day here. Yesterday it didn't rain and the temperature was reasonable so I cleaned up the area where I do any transplanting etc.  It's under the roof overhang of my garden shed so unless it rains with a wind it stays dry.  It's nice to get out and putter a bit, even if it means wearing a warm jacket.

Other than that it's a very ordinary Saturday. I hope yours is a good one.


Thanks for popping by,

Granny M.

Morning Walk

Not much to blog about today. I did go for my 2 mile walk around the lake ( actually remembered to wear my pedometer).  It's a cloudy day but a pleasant 4 degrees C  (39F).

As I walked by myself ( DH was volunteering) I dawdled more than I usually do and took the time to read the inscriptions on various park benches. This pot of Daffodils was on a table whose inscription indicated the today had been the birthday of the loved one.

This pink bench remembers a little girl who passed away aged 4. It's the only bench that is painted.

Assorted ducks, geese, and coots.

Cormorant

This weeping Willow just beginning to show a hint of green was full of tiny birds that I couldn't see well enough to identify. Most flew away before I could get out my camera.

Now that I'm back home there's a bit of housework to do. DH's 2 sisters are visiting from out of the province ( I may have mentioned this in a previous post) and they're coming for supper. That means I must smarten up and make a nice meal instead of the slapdash  usual fare.

Thanks for visiting,


Granny M.

Snowdrops are the first to bloom in my garden