The Christmas Cacti

Both cacti have been blooming for weeks and this is the first time they have bloomed right through Christmas. 

November and December were both very chilly months making it perfect blossom-setting temperatures in the sunroom. 

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings

From all of us to all of you, the very best in the New Year!

Finally, Someone Listened

to The Geek. 

Science Fiction and Fantasy are separated on the bookstore.  

Cavorting Marzipan Pigs

Are not unusual... If you are From Germany. 

Many different types of marzipan pigs are there for the taking. 

Many types. 

Manitoba Saturday Night

All ages and sizes on the ice. 

Yoga Blocks

A piece of scrap wood from the "community" box at Assentworks + the use of their tools = yoga blocks. 

Yes. I am spoiled. 

We Remember

The Pembina HIlls- Four Years Later

 Last Saturday The Geek and I went on a hike in the Pembina Valley...

...with Sister C and her boys and some of J's family.


It was much muddier than last time we went but the colours were just as lovely.

It seems I have more pictues of the scenery than of the people.

Maybe I should have given the camera to N2 again.

Oh, wait! Here is one of The Geek and Ribbet and the boys. Poor C has not been captured for posterity.

I'll try to get two of her next time.

Official Contradictions

Winnipeg tries to be bilingual, but it has trouble some days. 

Take this sign. The 'Killarney' side is correct with the matching Rue and Street but the Glen side dies not. Is it a street are an avenue? At this corner, it's both.

The Percussion Section

For the last three weeks or so we have been listening to a constant tap-thump-rattle-rattle-boom-pop-bam. The sounds are even more noticeable at night when it is quiet.

The acorns have been falling like mad; you cannot walk down the sidewalk without being pelted by them and they leap into the car with you when you open the door. 

I hope the squirrels are happy. 

Morning Glories

I don't remember planting Morning Glories along the side of the house, but shortly after we finished filling the moat, I found this one growing beside the path. I moved it closer to the trellis, and forgot about it until I saw the first flower on Monday.

The plant grows several inches each day -I guess the last burst of warm weather has been great for it.

There are other Morning Glory plants struggling to stay alive in the grapevine. At least I have a vague memory of planting those ones. I'm not totally to the point of hiding my own Easter eggs.

Smaller and Less Hardy

Last spring I moved the Delphinium to a sunnier location. They did not bloom last summer at all. 

One has started blooming now , even tho' in their previous spot they didn't bloom until much later in the year.  

The plant is not much taller than the dandelion in the foreground. ( yes, I am a lazy weeder. )

Maintaining Order

We have dozens of keys. I don't know why, but we have accumulated many sets in our travels. We even know what they are all for.
The old key rack had two pegs and a couple of hooks and keys kept falling off and getting lost. Ok, not lost, but misplaced in the shoes kept underneath it.
So the Geek made this. Spaces for all our keys, locks and lanyards. Plus a little shelf for all the extra stuff that doesn't hang. It didn't take long to fill it up.

Sour Cherries

Mom and Dad have had this cherry tree for years but this is the first year it's done anything like this. 

A bumper crop for sure. P

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Kitchen Countertops

The new countertops were installed on Friday.
The Geek filled both sinks with water and let them sit for awhile hoping they would seat themseves. It worked, except for one corner, so she stood on the counter and pressed with her foot to complete the seating.

This is not the best of pictures-here it looks more grey than the blue it really is.

They seem to make the kitchen seem bigger. Or at least until we fill them with our usual clutter.

In The Garden

The tomatoes are doing their thing, the tomatillos are doing theirs, there are ground cherries on the ground and hollyhocks blooming in the lane. 

Fort Walsh and the Conglomerate Cliffs

Vacation Skies

Cow Town

And proud of it. 

Welcome to Maple Creek Saskatchewan.!

Inconspicuous or Not

Ours is the only tent in a sea of RVs. And these you see are the little ones. 

After One Watering

 After all the hole digging, we kept forgetting to water the pipes, so on Saturday The Geek ran about 10 minutes worth of water into each hole. There was a bit of seepage into the basement, likely from the hole in front of the door.

May 20

 We're not sure if we can see a difference in the outside crack, but the back door does not close properly and but her bedroom door does not stick as much. The cracks in the ceiling seem slightly smaller.

July 1

I'm running water now. We'll have to see if there is a real change later.

Tout Fini

 

Progress

We came home Thursday evening and found ladders and other stuff in the backyard. Yesterday the roofers arrived. The south side of the roof is pretty much done. 

The north side has the waterproofing. Moving forward!!