Oh Monday, you & your six sisters are some of the best company I will keep all week.
Meeting this new character over the weekend ... a groundhog. Wikipedia says about groundhogs; they prefer open country & the edges of woodland, & is rarely far from a burrow entrance. This chubby little guy, of a dozen we saw, lives on the grassy knoll (not THE grassy knoll) beside one of the many paved parking lots on campus. Students often feed campus groundhogs their apple cores from lunch. Quite adaptable is the groundhog.
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| Ground Hog (George Henry) living near west campus parking lot |
Spring's arrived in this part of the world is quite chilly & wet.
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| Tulips in garden beside the patio |
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| Edible |
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| Eating |
In the mail this week there is evidence that most businesses are ramping up to July 1st, so nearly everything is themed in red & white with the maple leaf . Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, you all know me to be a very proud Canadian. This week's mail included the Canadian Tire's spring catalogue. Not that anyone other than my fellow Canadians will know their spokes person, Gary; he is the funniest man - they chose well when they hired him. I have never known how to describe a typical Canadian, but Gary I think in a comic way, sums it up. And no we don't all say eh ...
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| Canadian Tire spring catalogue |
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| Gary - Canadian Tire's spokesperson (source) |
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| Tim Horton's special up - Timmies is a national treasure (source) |
Work Memo; my job, has been consuming & eating into a lot of my time again. Unfortunately one of the two persons we hired a month ago was not working out, so we had to let her go. It is such a difficult decision to make regardless of the justification - this is someone's life, someone's paycheque. The new person starts today. The photo below I believe says more than words could describe how it affects me.
Ode to May ... welcome, please be good.
Yes, the groundhogs are definitely out! I sincerely hope your coworker will be good (and tolerable!) -Jenn
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenn - I too hope this one works. Groundhogs as you know are not widely well received by the farmers, those deep burrows are deadly to cattle & horses.
DeletePlease make time to take good care of yourself - I speak from experience here!
ReplyDeleteI love your groundhog. Will we be seeing more photos of him?
I am hoping to be visiting that campus parking lot a little more often in the future. I am not a good one about dealing with stress,I often feel like I care more about the clinic than the owner & I have to stop that! Thanks Eileen.
DeleteHooray for tulips, and for Lindt bunnies. Boo for destroyed hellebores. When I saw that groundhog I had one of those "oh, foreign country" moments!
ReplyDeleteCOL "foreign country moments" ... ah yes the chilly weather makes the tulips last longer - so good for the weather ...
DeletePS. Just read that Tim Hortons is set to launch in the UK. First branch in Glasgow, but there is a big rollout happening at the high commission in London. Not due to come to London any time soon, but I'll let you know when I spot one!
ReplyDeleteTim's does tea; one is called steep tea which can be good if bought when freshly made. Their baked treats aren't bad either. I often wonder if this is how Canada will expand its territories - through conquering all the world's coffee shops!
DeleteI'll be sure to try! Funnily enough there was a bit tagged on the end of the article, saying the company is owned by the same company that owns Burger King (I think it said) which is jointly owned by Brazil and the US (again, I hope I am remembering aright). However the high commission is getting behind the launch because it has such a Canadian identity, employs so many Canadians (HQ in Canada) and will help to promote Canada abroad. Made me laugh that they sell the bit supposedly from the middle of a ring doughnut - a "Timbit"? I have just tried to find the article and can't... :o(
DeleteIt has been very upsetting (years ago when it happened) that SUCH a Canadian icon as Tims was sold to a USofA company, then it was bought out by a Brazilian company ... proof we are a global community worldwide! Ah yes the variety pack of either 10, 24 or 65 TimBits - now you are talking truly Canadian treats, that & our Beaver Tails (pastery)!
DeleteOh, sorry to hear about the work situation. Remember all too well times when I required the same help as you have pictured! And for bunnies and groundhogs---both cause problems in our yard and garden. They may be cute but their nibbling, and digging are not appreciated! I do love seeing all the signs of spring. A friend and I walked this morning and the trees and flowers are so cheerful, even in the rain.
ReplyDeleteAt the farm with the horses, we dread the groundhogs & I cannot be there when they "remove" the groundhogs. They are a pest when living anywhere other than roadsides & campus parking lots. Another chilly wet day, but it helps the tulips & daffs last longer ...
DeleteGolly, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that that last photo doesn't make an appearance again in May! When I think of the Canadian accent I still remember that tv series "Kids of De Grassi Street" (or something like that?)
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best with the week ahead!
Thanks Sian. I am working on my exit plan, it involves one of those doors closing, window opening type of prospects. Canadian accent?! Kidding, I know to others we do, I just think we are accent-less (lol). Ah De Grassi - I'll say no more.
DeleteYou're a kind and sweet person, so understandably it's a difficult decision, but in the long run it's the right one. Here's to May being a great month xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra. My boss says that I am too nice & that's why the F/D staff walk all over me. These days I am asking myself "can you be too kind?"
DeleteTough decisions to make and I'm sorry it's impacted on your health. Better have another one of those gold bunnies to cheer yourself up! I've never heard of Tim Hortons but maybe they'll make their way over here sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteOh Deb no more chocolate or any sweets for me. I understand that Tim Hortons is making its way to GB - Scotland first. I bet the Canadian embassy in London has Tim's coffee on service.
DeleteArgh, I'm sorry to hear that the stress from work has impacted your health.
ReplyDeleteI hope the new person is the perfect fit!
You have a lot of cute furry animals I see...we've had bunnies in the back yard for a couple of years but what I'm most excited by is the daily visit of Cardinals.
Love to see how Canada is getting ready to celebrate!
Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you Alexandra. I am working on letting go of my worry about the clinic. I do not get regular visits from the Cardinal pair but when then do visit, I just marvel at the brilliance of the red. Oh there is going to be lots about the build up to July 1st :)
DeleteI was going to say . . . I've never seen a groundhog at THE grassy knoll! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I do hope things settle down at the job so you won't need those "work aides."
Thanks Melissa, I was hoping someone would get the reference about THE grassy knoll. Things are work have settled a little & I have made some hard decisions ... stay tuned :)
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