Monday, July 2nd - What a great Canada Day Weekend!

It's a beautiful sunny morning with 18' and the promise of 24' later, that will feel like 29' - almost like Ontario weather - but not really! We have a lovely breeze most of the time so it's never that really hot, humid weather that feels like 40' that Toronto has experienced lately. It is early in the year for us to have this kind of heat though. But we're not complaining. It's been a glorious long weekend.

Saturday morning Brenda popped in nice and early for a coffee before her exercise class (she knew I'd be up). After some breakfast it was in to town to drop off some garbage ( a whole trailer load) and pick up the vanity I'd purchased for the upstairs bathroom and then some groceries. (I had previously picked up the lobsters at the neighbours on my way home Friday night.)  Then it was home to finish off the last of the tidying and cleaning of bathrooms, kitchen, etc.

Patti's friend Katie and her family - husband Joe,  daughter Jessica and son Joseph - were arriving by ferry at 7:30 Saturday night. We drove over to Wood Island to meet it and had no trouble connecting. They followed us home and as they hadn't eaten yet, and neither had we, we quickly made some spaghetti and meat sauce and garlic bread. It wasn't fancy but it filled everyone up before it was time for bed. It was 10:00 by the time we finished eating and everyone was tired from a long day on the road.

Sunday morning dawned hot and sunny again, and as soon as the 'neighbours' in the RV were awake I whisked them away - some still in their pj's -  to visit the spirit spring down the road. It really is an impressive sight and the mosquitoes really don't care how your dressed. I know that Katie and Joe will go home with a new appreciation for Ontario mosquitoes - I'm sure more than one conversation will start with "remember those wicked mosquitoes in PEI?"

They planned to do the Tip to Tip drive on Sunday but it was a little later by the time they got on the road so they only made it to North Cape and back. Of course I had told them to be back between 5:00 and 6:00 for supper so that may have factored into their day. The idea when they got home was to go out to East Point this morning to complete the tour, but further consideration during the evening dictated that perhaps this might be a better beach day. That only means they'll have to come back another time to do the eastern leg of the journey.  They will be more than welcome at any time. It would be really fun if they came back some time and Patti and the kids could plan to be here at the same time. The kids all go to the same school and are good friends. This trip was rather spur of the moment for them coming to visit us but next time it will be better planned.

Before they left, I took the kids next door to see the new calf. On our way back we stopped to chat with Laurie, who mentioned that Frank has been fishing mackerel off the dock in Georgetown. When I got home Lloyd was on the computer just finishing the online purchase of a fishing license. I told him Frank was going fishing and he was across the yard like a shot. A few minutes later he was back, fishing pole in hand. He had lots of stuff to get ready before they left at 1:00. Now he knows exactly where to take James and Tristen when they come to visit. No stocked ponds for them - it will be straight to the ocean to catch some fish.

So now I have my work all done, and Lloyd's gone fishing, what to do! I called Brenda, who was busy making rolls, and we decided to go for a little bike ride. It was much too fine a day to waste not doing something fun. We headed out about 1:30 and took a drive into Montague, where we parked and sat on a sunny patio overlooking the river. I'd already eaten before I left so I just had iced tea and some ice cream while Brenda opted for the iced tea and some bruschetta.  Then a rather scenic route home, one I'd not been on before.

I was just getting home when I heard a bike coming down the road and it was Bernie on the Indian. He was on his way from  getting gas in Mount Stewart.  He was wondering what Lloyd was up to but he was still out with Frank.

I was only home about 10 minutes when people started arriving. First Lloyd and Frank, with a bucket full of fish, came in and had a beer. Then Katie and her crew arrived shortly after. Brenda called to say they might be a bit late and go ahead without them but we were a little behind schedule as well. I tried a new idea for lobster stuffed mushroom caps and they turned out not too badly.

We were just getting the mussels ready to go into the pot when the Van Gaals  arrived so it was all good! We ate our mussels in the house then took the salads and lobsters outside and ate in the tent - a  little more room and no worries about the mess.

Happy Canada Day Patti and Greg - sorry you weren't here to enjoy it with all of us!

 

I'm sure Brenda has dishpan hands this morning from all the dishes she washed last night. By the time we got the dishes done it was time to head to Stratford for the fireworks. Brenda was left in charge of serving the dessert and tea so many thanks to her this morning. We piled everyone into the car and were almost there when they started so we didn't miss much. We found a parking spot right away and we couldn't believe our good fortune.  After enjoying the fireworks, and a few bites from the city mosquitoes, (as opposed to the country ones) it was time to head home and get everyone to bed. Both kids were sound asleep by the time we got back.

 All in all, it had been a great day for everyone.

Friday, June 29th - hurry up long weekend!

I know I had 4 days off last week but it was such a busy time that I'm ready for some more time off. The weather on Thursday was better than anticipated so let's hope that the weather man keeps his promise and gives us the sun and warm temperatures we're all so looking forward to.

"COWS" in Niagara on the lake

Patti and I are still investigating days camps for Tristen to attend when he comes to visit. He may be there only three days or it may be four, we're not sure just yet. Then again he may end up spending the month of July, depending on everyone elses schedule, and that would be okay too. ha ha

I'm hoping to have some lobster on the weekend but it's not looking good. I talked to a local fisherman Thursday afternoon and because of the high winds we had earlier in the week, the traps are all full of mud and there are very few lobsters. But that could change by Friday. I'm to call him again and see if things are any better today. I hope so because I promised Patti's friend Katie some lobster when she gets here. I'll have to call Mr. Seafood to check their supply as a back up.

Well, the house still looks like a bomb dropped into the middle of it but there is now a bit of order to the chaos. We spent Thursday night going through the boxes of electronic 'stuff' and Lloyd sorted that all out from the airplane 'stuff' and the other miscellaneous 'stuff'. Now all the 'stuff' is almost ready to be transported out to the bunky for temporary storage.  With any luck, we'll get  a lot of that done tonight. Some of it may well be done before I get home from work. Lloyd took the bike into work this morning at 5:00.  He's working on waxing the floors and wants to get several more coats on it before the day starts so it has time to dry. They should be receiving some orders of supplies today and he wants his floors done before they start arriving. The up side of that is he'll be able to leave around 1:30 or 2:00 to go home. So he'll have a bit of a chance to get some things done around the house.

The computer thing is going a bit better as well. I had a bit of a tutorial on the apple last night so it's going much better this morning. I just might be able to learn this system after all.

Well, time to get going, so have a great weekend everyone and have a Happy Canada Day!

Thursday, June 28th -the computer saga continues

It started out beautiful and sunny at 5:00 am but now it's 6:00 and the clouds have moved in. It's a balmy 15' right now and will climb to 19' later.

So I'm not off to a great start this morning either. You know what they say about the shoemakers children??? Well, I have multiple computers sitting around the house and none that I can use. One is having some technical issues that make it non functional, the very large apple one in the kitchen  required a password that only my sleeping husband knows, and the third one on the kitchen counter is an ipad and I didn't know how to navigate around the screen to get to the internet. So again this mornings post will be very short as I have to get going soon.

We cut some more lawn last night (well, actually Lloyd did) and I cleaned out the bunky. The 5 million dead flies in there needed sweeping out. It's now all ready to receive the excess boxes of stuff until we have somewhere to put them. We were having dinner a little late and Brenda and Bernie stopped in for a drink. We had a lovely visit and while they were here I chatted on the phone with Patti's friend Katie. She and her family should be here sometime Saturday or Sunday. We'd already decided to have our lobster on Sunday and that works on many levels. There are a couple of things going on Saturday night that we have to decide about. There's a motorcycle ride across the bridge as there are possibly going to be 10,000 bikes on the island over the weekend. The Canada Day concerts are also on Saturday night so what to do?  It will depend on the weather of course but so far it should be nice.

Lloyd had another great day at work and Patti and the kids spent the day in Niagara at Fort George. They're planning to visit Fort York as well as Fort Henry, all in support of James' project on the War of 1812 he did at school this year.
Patti sent me a photo of the kids standing beside a large black and white plastic cow with ice cream cones in their hands. It looked suspiciously like a Cows Ice Cream Shop. Sure enough it was. I seem to remember hearing that there was one in Niagara on the lake. The kids said it wasn't the same as in PEI. Well, of course it's not! It's not in PEI and there was no PEI Grandma with them!

Wednesday, June 27th - it was a dark and stormy night!

What a wild and windy day yesterday. It rained most of the day once it started and the wind was wicked. When we got home from work, the lawn was littered with leaves off the trees. But this morning it's much calmer although there's still a bit of a breeze and 16' with lots of cloud cover. We should reach 21' later with a mix of sun and cloud.

This morning's post will be extremely short because when I came downstairs, there's this huge apple computer sitting on the kitchen table and my old laptop is having something done to it. Let me tell you, 5:00 in the morning is NO time to be trying to learn a new operating system. The interface is different, the keyboard is different and I kept losing things, or getting things moved around on the screen and it wasn't a pretty sight. But then Lloyd  switched it into windows mode (whatever that means) and now I can at least type, but I've run out of time. There's really nothing to tell anyway. The saga of unpacking boxes is continuing and the goal is to have it all done by the end of the week. The trouble is, once a computer geek, always a computer geek! We have so many monitors and boxes of computer 'stuff' and no where to put them, that we decided last night that for now it can all be stored in the bunky. We really have too much stuff so it's going to take some editing to fit it all in which, realistically, isn't a bad thing.

Work went well for him again yesterday and he'll have Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. I'm going to take Saturday off as well so I also have the three days. That will give us a chance to really get some work done around the house. I think we'll plan to have our lobster feast on Sunday, that way we have Saturday to prepare and Monday to just enjoy the day off.

Brenda was back home last night after her aunt left yesterday. We'll have to get together soon because we're not accustomed to going this long without any nachos and wine!

Tuesday, June 26th - Still so much to do

It's a pleasant, sunny 15' this morning but we're supposed to get rain this afternoon. Not to worry, my little garden needs it. It's looking a little pathetic right now. It was covered up for the past 24 hours with plastic sheets to protect it from the weed spray but when I took the plastic off, it's kind of flattened and not looking too healthy. But some bright sun this morning and a drink of water this afternoon should make it bounce right back.

Yesterday was Lloyd's first day on the job. He originally thought he wouldn't be working until next week but Tony called and suggested that he had work for him this week in spite of not being open yet. So they spent the day cleaning, and cleaning and more cleaning and they also made some sausages and I'm not sure what else. He was tired and his muscles were a little stiff at the end of the day but he was happy. It had gone very well.

We took one car yesterday and he dropped me off at work. Not sure that's going to work. I feel slightly stranded at work with no wheels at lunch. That's when I usually do my errands. We'll have to switch it up and I'll drop him off and keep the car with me. I don't think he really needs the car. He thought that he might only be working part of the day but it turned out to be the whole thing.

We didn't do anything special for our anniversary. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a few things, then went by the dog kennel so I could pay Darlene. Because it was a nice day the decision was made to cut the grass as it was looking a little shaggy. So I cooked supper and Lloyd cut the lawn - or some of it anyway. It's a project that's to be continued but probably not today, if we get rain.

Tonight I'll tackle some more of the stuff that's hanging around and try to find space for it. None of that got done last night. After supper we went over and took the plastic off the garden then stopped in at Brenda's to pick up a loaf of bread (she baked yesterday). They were just heading over to visit her aunt, visiting from Halifax, so it was good timing on our part. And that was pretty much the evening.

With luck, and some effort, I'll get more inside work done tonight. It's feeling pretty cramped in here right now so I really want to get it out of the way. But that will come.

Monday, June 25th - can it really have been 23 years?

It's an overcast 13' right now but heading for 23' later with a mix of sun and cloud.

It's good to be back home, although I still don't know where we're going to put everything but that will come. Friday was a busy day, with a couple of last minute get togethers with friends. I was at Nancy's in Rockwood at 8:00 am and then back to Patti's to change in time to meet Jana for lunch at the Boathouse. From there out to the airport to drop the car off to Lloyd just in time for Greg to pick me up for a ride to the funeral. It was a jam packed house, a true testament to the impact Jean had on so many lives. The parking lot was packed and cars were lined up a great distance down the road in both directions. It wasn't as warm as it had been the previous two days which was a good thing with standing room only in the church. It was a lovely service and Patti and her cousin and sister did an amazing job with the eulogy. After the grave side service, it was back inside to have something to eat and socialize with people I hadn't seen in a number of years. I was a little disappointed my good friend Cathy wasn't there but she was away for work. I did get to talk to her mother and brothers so that was nice. Another old friend, Judy, and her husband were there and we spent a few minutes reminiscing about her annual Valentine's Day luncheon that was always such a beautiful and festive occasion. I think of her every year on the 14th of February.

While everyone was inside, they church people completed the burial, under the close supervision of the younger children who were intruqued by the equipment being used. When it was complete the kids spent considerable time arranging the flowers on top of the freshly packed earth. It provided an impromptu photo opportunity that I couldn't resist capturing. The funeral home had put together a hard cover book with the photos the family provided and Dorothy, Jean's sister in law, wants to use this one at the very end.

Some of Jean's grandchildren, great nephews and niece.

When everything was done, we headed back to Guelph. Lloyd and I were meeting Heather and Kim for supper and Patti and Tristen were heading to Lacrosse. So I suggested that James and Meghan could come with us for supper (it did give me a little more time with them but didn't give me much opportunity for visiting with Heather and Kim). Tiny and his wife, Bev, from the airport also joined us. It had been a busy day for all of us and it was off to bed pretty much as soon as we got home.

Saturday morning dawned clear and warm and we were on the road by 6:20, pretty much on schedule for the final trip to the island. We had a good trip. We had planned to stop somewhere over night but neither of us were particularly tired so after stopping in Edmundston, NB to buy a new tarp and more tie down straps (the load had shifted and the original tarp was badly torn) we re-secured everything and decided to just keep going. We arrived home at 5:00 am on Sunday morning. After 4 hours sleep I was up to go and get the dog at the kennel. The rest of the morning was spent having breakfast at the Van Gaals.

Once we got back home, we set about the task of unloading the trailer. It's now empty and the boxes are in the house. Some are empty, others are still waiting but we will get there. We're having everyone over for lobster on Saturday night so that will give us a deadline.  I do seem to work better under pressure!

Lloyd's job was to start full time today but due to some order scheduling conflicts they won't be up and running until next Tuesday but he is still going to be doing some hours this week although we don't know yet how many.

It's good to be home and together for our 23rd anniversary today, that we will properly celebrate on Saturday with friends and the last lobster feed of the season.

Friday, June 22 - a little more livable weather today

This morning it's 17' and headed for a high of 25' - much better than the sticky 34' we had yesterday. It was a busy day.First we took the kids to school and then stayed to attend a 'graduation' ceremony. There are 5 kids at the school who will be going on to middle school next year, and leaving their Montessori family behind. I'm sure it won't be without some challenges along the way.

Then it was off to the Guelph Airport for James,  who was going to help Papa for the rest of the day,while the other two remained at school to enjoy their last day of class. I, on the other hand, headed out to meet my friends Fran and Katy, at Katy's house. We stayed there chatting for a while then headed out for lunch. The meal was less than spectacular at the restaurant we chose, but the company was great, and that's really what it was all about. It was so nice to catch up with the two of them.
Then it was back into town to pick up the kids at school and connect with Patti at the airport where we all headed out to Greg's office so he could drive James and I to the ball game in Kitchener. Unfortunately by the time we got there, there was heavy rain and lightning so the game was cancelled. Not to worry. I had another sporting event to attend as a back up. Tristen was being graded for his orange belt in his karate class but first we stopped in at Shakespeare Arms to visit with Papa

and the airport folks. We got there just as they were finishing their meal and they presented him with an absolutely wonderful gift that is irreplacable. They had a local artist (who, coincidentally happens to live next door to Fran) paint a picture depicting the hangar at the airport. Using photographs she was able to put the airplanes that each of the guys own in the picture with the hangar in the background. It is absolutely incredible and there couldn't have been a more perfect gift.

I know he will be missed there and he is certainly going to miss that group of guys. They've become a very important part of his life, especially over the past three years.

After spending a bit of time there, it was off to Karate. Tristen was quite visibly tired, too many late nghts in a row, so he didn't have quite the energy he usually has in his class but fortunately his

evalation wasn't based solely on last nights performance. He was very proud to receive his orange belt.  Then it was back to Patti's where Lloyd was hooking up a computer for James and Patti and I did a little bit of tidying and getting some stuff ready for today.

This morning James is off to the airport with his grandpa again and I'm off to visit my friend Nancy early and then later try to catch a bit of time with Jana before getting ready to go to the funeral. It's been another whirlwind tour and I'll be glad to get back home.