Monday, July 31, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
PSH - 2nd Check In Reminder
Just a remind that our second check in for the Seasonal Photo Scavenger Hunt is next Wednesday, August 2nd.
There's no formal link in. Everyone is welcomed to join in for all the items, a few of the items or just to be a viewer. Hope everyone is having fun with the list. See you August 2nd.
The List:
1.
Something fuzzy
2.
Bubbles
3.
A web
4.
A zig zag
5.
A seasonal relaxing space/item
6.
A pipe
7.
The inside of something
8.
Rust or something derelict
9.
A kite or balloon
10.
Something Yellow
11.
A toy only found out during June to September
12.
A wedding
13.
A dome
14.
Someone fishing
15. Something
crafted from wood
16. A
baby (human or animal)
17. Circles
or crosses in architecture
18. A
fan
19. Feet
of man or beast
20. Something
found under ground
21. A
plaque
22. A
dial
23. Something
powered by wind
24. Seasonal
food or drink
25. A
hat
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Take Three Thursday - Lilies
In
an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have
noticed this week in Take Three Thursday. The idea is to take 3 photos
that are linked some how; by theme, by
colour, by date, by moment, by points of view. There is no formal link
in but please feel free to join in. What have you noticed this
week?
Have a peek at what others have found this week:
Maggie at FarmersWifeDayByDay
Karen's Random Reflections
This week my garden has been bursting with three types of lilies; daylilies (which are not true lilies); Asiatic Lilies & Oriental Lilies. The Oriental Lilies have the most wonderful strong scent & I grow them close to the patio so I can enjoy when having my morning or evening tea.
All kinds of Lilium are attacked in this area by a red insect: Japanese Lily Bug, which has killed several types of my lilies, it also attacks Crocosmia. I spray with a garden soap, but I find the most effective method is to squish the little buggers between two stones. I use two stones because these insects are tricky, if they sense danger, they fall off the plant on their backs which is then very hard to find in the dirt - smart. So I take one stone (flat) & place under the leaf as I'm about to strike from above. It falls on to the flat rock & well that's the end of the insect! This insect is also disgusting as it lays it's eggs in its own poop, which prevents other insects from eating them - yes smart but disgusting! Thankfully insect garden soap works very effectively on this phase of their life.
Now to the beauty of the flowers ...
I believe heaven will be scented will Oriental Lilies, Hyacinths; Gardenias & Lily of The Valley.
Have a peek at what others have found this week:
Maggie at FarmersWifeDayByDay
Karen's Random Reflections
This week my garden has been bursting with three types of lilies; daylilies (which are not true lilies); Asiatic Lilies & Oriental Lilies. The Oriental Lilies have the most wonderful strong scent & I grow them close to the patio so I can enjoy when having my morning or evening tea.
All kinds of Lilium are attacked in this area by a red insect: Japanese Lily Bug, which has killed several types of my lilies, it also attacks Crocosmia. I spray with a garden soap, but I find the most effective method is to squish the little buggers between two stones. I use two stones because these insects are tricky, if they sense danger, they fall off the plant on their backs which is then very hard to find in the dirt - smart. So I take one stone (flat) & place under the leaf as I'm about to strike from above. It falls on to the flat rock & well that's the end of the insect! This insect is also disgusting as it lays it's eggs in its own poop, which prevents other insects from eating them - yes smart but disgusting! Thankfully insect garden soap works very effectively on this phase of their life.
Now to the beauty of the flowers ...
 |
| Daylily-Hemerocallis: Pandora's Box |
 |
| Asiatic Lilies :Lilium asiatic: Eloise |
 |
| Oriental Lilies - Lilium Oriental: Golden Showers |
Monday, July 24, 2017
Memo, Mail & Me: It's Monday July 24th
Good morning & a big wave to all on this glorious Monday morning.
Happy Mail: I received a very kind thoughtful email note from Ruth. I also received some pieces of mail; a holiday postcard from Karen. The red plaid envelope is a piece of junk mail, but nothing says summer time like red gingham so I'm saving to use in my Summer Manifesto album. Frugal!
Reading: Celine, by Peter Heller, a recommendation through Karen's blog. Interesting characters, not finished as yet but so far I like, an easy read & I would not mind meeting Celine & her family.
Spending $: had to have a sick tree cut down & removed. It was an ash tree that was attacked by the invader, Emerald Ash Borer. North American Ash trees have been destroyed in the millions. So sad. Thankfully we had the two big beautiful Ash trees in the back garden inoculated to help slow the invader.
Wondering: when the two arsonists will be caught. In our region there have now been 21 suspicious fires, mostly of abandoned buildings but late Thursday they have now moved into sheds in residential areas. It is very scary.
Making: menu plans for the last two weeks & I have found that this really works for me as it cuts down on stress of last minute dinner decisions, especially when I have been working. It also has cut down on waste in the frig & I think we have been eating healthier. Mr Man likes the variety of all the new recipes I have been trying from my stash of recipes ripped from magazines or printed from the internet. It just requires 30 minutes of planning & writing up a shopping list. Speaking of shopping, we were in another town on Saturday & decided to stop at their big grocery store (change & variety) & we were greeted by 3 storm troopers - not sure what the connection was. They seemed to be checking every ones receipts & bags when they left but by the time I was finished the stunt was over ... darn I was ready with the prefect exiting line!
Wanting: more & much better quality of sleep. I have had several weeks of nightmares & wakefulness. Not only am I feeling it, I know I am looking like I need a good night's sleep. I have taken a sleep hygiene workshop, twice, so I know what the things I'm suppose to do before bed. Not sure how to monitor/control what I dream about! Any suggestions most appreciated.
Planning: the last few items that I need on the Photo Scavenger Hunt. For me, wedding was/is the hardest one to capture, but happy surprise as the church bulletin announced on Sunday that next Saturday there is a wedding at our church! Score!
I leave you with lots of happy thoughts for a great week ahead & this inspiration poster I found on the internet.
I leave you with lots of happy thoughts for a great week ahead & this inspiration poster I found on the internet.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Take Three Thursday
In
an effort to notice more of the ordinary in my life, I have decided to share what I have
noticed this week in Take Three Thursday. The idea is to take 3 photos
that are linked some how; by theme, by
colour, by date, by moment, by points of view. There is no formal link
in but please feel free to join in. What have you noticed this
week?
Have a peek at what others have found this week:
Maggie at FarmersWifeDayByDay
Karen's Random Reflections
This week my noticing was around the crops of some of the local farms. There are 3 major, but not exclusive crops grown in the area; corn, soy & winter wheat. Most of the fields are rotated in crop production year after year; corn, next year soy, next year winter winter & then back to corn. They all grow at different times & all have different weather requirements. Corn loves heat & humidity with lots of rain. Last year it was a horrible year for corn, lots of heat & humidity but no rain. Most of the soy & corn are grown for livestock feed.
Corn, you can almost hear it growing, so far it's been a perfect year for it: (I think this is such a gorgeous farm).
Winter wheat is just about ready to harvest. This year there are fields & fields of this crop.
And soy, which always seems to be like the youngest child of a large family, it has to grow through the stubble of last year's corn crop.
Have a peek at what others have found this week:
Maggie at FarmersWifeDayByDay
Karen's Random Reflections
This week my noticing was around the crops of some of the local farms. There are 3 major, but not exclusive crops grown in the area; corn, soy & winter wheat. Most of the fields are rotated in crop production year after year; corn, next year soy, next year winter winter & then back to corn. They all grow at different times & all have different weather requirements. Corn loves heat & humidity with lots of rain. Last year it was a horrible year for corn, lots of heat & humidity but no rain. Most of the soy & corn are grown for livestock feed.
Corn, you can almost hear it growing, so far it's been a perfect year for it: (I think this is such a gorgeous farm).
Winter wheat is just about ready to harvest. This year there are fields & fields of this crop.
And soy, which always seems to be like the youngest child of a large family, it has to grow through the stubble of last year's corn crop.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Five In Five On The 5th - July
Five In Five On The 5th is Sandi's lovely meme, please join with me in seeing what everyone else has shared at : itchifingers
I finally have something to share & I am just squeaking in with my July submission for Five. I had taken lots of photos in the garden on the 5th, but I felt I have shared so much, BUT finally I did something off the patio. I had an afternoon adventure, which became a rather spontaneous time for me. My friend & I did have plans for lunch, but locally as I had to be in to work & as always she had several other things to take care of in that time frame. She is one of those ladies that believes she can accomplish so many things within a shortage of time, but that is a whole other blog post. I believe the Universe has sent me her to help me with being spontaneous, because she is that & more! I was late to work ...
We ended up having lunch at a little inn in a small village east of where we live. Both of us have eaten at the inn before but not since the new owners took over. It once had very formal flower beds & was known for its afternoon tea. Now it has been re-invented as a international fine dining establishment with an overtone of Italian Renaissance, well that's what the menu says.
Oh what the heck, I'll break the 5 photo rule & show you the dining room & what we ate ... the bread was worth all the carb breaking rules.
I finally have something to share & I am just squeaking in with my July submission for Five. I had taken lots of photos in the garden on the 5th, but I felt I have shared so much, BUT finally I did something off the patio. I had an afternoon adventure, which became a rather spontaneous time for me. My friend & I did have plans for lunch, but locally as I had to be in to work & as always she had several other things to take care of in that time frame. She is one of those ladies that believes she can accomplish so many things within a shortage of time, but that is a whole other blog post. I believe the Universe has sent me her to help me with being spontaneous, because she is that & more! I was late to work ...
We ended up having lunch at a little inn in a small village east of where we live. Both of us have eaten at the inn before but not since the new owners took over. It once had very formal flower beds & was known for its afternoon tea. Now it has been re-invented as a international fine dining establishment with an overtone of Italian Renaissance, well that's what the menu says.
 |
| Looking In |
 |
| A once formal pond |
 |
| Looks like "he" belongs in Beauty & The Beast |
 |
| A formal fountain within the wild pond |
 |
| Looking out to the car park |
 |
| Main Dining Room |
 |
| Quiche with salad & cheese stuffed crepes |
Monday, July 17, 2017
Memo, Mail & Me: It's Monday July 17th
A big good morning wave & hello to any of those
still doing a Monday check in.
CURRENTLY:
 |
| Male Yellow Finch |
Mail: a reminder for a check up; made appointment which is a 6 week wait!
Wearing: this weekend it was all about the white jeans; which leads me to my thankfulness of Resolve Laundry Stain Remover. White jeans on me are like a magnet for slobber, dirt smudges & food drips. I like the look of white jeans but sometimes the work involved to keep them clean is not worth the bother. I know, first world problems.
Wearing: this weekend it was all about the white jeans; which leads me to my thankfulness of Resolve Laundry Stain Remover. White jeans on me are like a magnet for slobber, dirt smudges & food drips. I like the look of white jeans but sometimes the work involved to keep them clean is not worth the bother. I know, first world problems.
Reading: continuing on with my Summer Reading List I'm now reading "Thank You For Being Late". I find it a slow, difficult read, although there are some interesting stats within. I may not finish before it's due back at the library & I'm ok with that. In between I am reading the 3rd book in the Harry Potter series, The Prisoner of Azkaban (my favourite book & movie).
Watching: the TV is getting turned off more & earlier these days - not a lot of new. I watched the mini series; Prime Suspect - the early years. I found it slow. I do like the Prime Suspect series with Helen Mirren (the original). Game of Thrones, new season started Sunday, we will have to wait for the DVD copies at the library starting in September.
Inspired By: a F/B page "Bash Your Stash" lots of layout ideas.
Inspired By: a F/B page "Bash Your Stash" lots of layout ideas.
Making: I am working on my Summer Manifesto album. I had purchased this 6X8" album a couple summers ago & wanting to keep the spine colours in similar colour range. I didn't do a 2016 summer album & it is now that I am missing it, so this year's is in full swing.
What Made Me Chuckle: This is so my thought this week reading Sanditon on a tablet.
 |
| Source: Internet |
Drinking: a drink called An Arnold Palmer; 1/2 lemonade, 1/2 ice tea. I must admit I do about 1/4 lemonade & 3/4 ice tea to cut the sweetness of lemonade.
Planning: for another week of training a new staff member. Last week's training went really well, she caught on brilliantly & I didn't have to observe with her on Thursday, she managed a shift entirely on her own. Yeah!
Hope everyone has lots to look forward to this week.
Hope everyone has lots to look forward to this week.