Day 113 - 22nd April 2012 - Gloves, Tulips and Leaves

Daylight is slow coming this morning, I can hear the rain on the kitchen window. The temperature is way up there at +12.8, guess that's what you call balmy! Today is definitely an indoor, work around the house kind of day. There are lots of things  to do before I head back to work tomorrow and the old routine. There is an old saying that goes "If it rains on Monday, it will rain three days that week", or something like that. This is a week to test out that old folklore as they are giving rain up until Thursday.

Yesterday started off fine and lovely but by early afternoon the rain had started. We did our shopping, stopped at the garden centre and used some of a gift certificate I had and picking up a few things, which I got in the ground when we came home. Dug a few more weeds out, Larry worked on splitting some wood and putting it in the building - next winter! In the country most of us use wood; we either have wood stoves or furnaces. As great as the heat is, it's a 12 month of the year job. It comes [some go out and cut their own trees we order ours in long lenghts], you block it,  cut and split, put it away, then it's time to burn it, from there you start all over again. I think some of the other neighbours were working on wood piles as well, I could hear a few chainsaws and woodsplitters going when I went for  a walk. We love it and I can't imagine heating this big old ark with anything else. We do have oil as well but at the rising cost of that we use it sparingly.

Darling Lexi with my garden gloves, they are really too big so I bought myself a new pair Saturday........

....my new gloves and my precious Lexi. They are great, have some elastic type material in them that actually means they stay on your hands and you can feel what you are pulling. She's not so bad, doesn't chew them just likes to carry them off!

I was lucky this tulip fully opened up before the rain and I was able to get some photos. The colors are really pretty.

This is what the inside looks like, pretty cool I think!

Thought I better take a walk through the hood before the rain started. These leaves are popping up and unfurling all through the woods. Soon we'll see flowers coming from them, maybe star flowers?

Further along the path they are opened a little more; there is less  tree cover here and the sun comes through much brighter.

My favourite feathered friend was munching away  at Lois and Danny's. Lois was painting the deck and we both got caught in the rain. It was time to head home. Tucked my camera inside my hoodie and off I went.

I suppose with rain this week I'll be running to photograph between rain drops or I'll have my ziplock bag out to keep my camera from getting wet. You may just have a few taken on previous days to fill in the gaps.

All is still quiet here this morning, but I've had my coffee so should at least get something started.

Enjoy your day!

 

Day 112 - 21st April 2012 - Birds, Tulips and Clothes on the Line

Another very warm morning at +8. It's pretty foggy though, hope that's going to disappear shortly. I slept in this morning, go figure! Will run in town and pick up the bare staples; bread, milk and eggs, then back home to hopefully do some work outside. I know Larry wants to work in his wood pile. Perhaps the rain will wait until this evening and we can get a day outside. From now on it's only the weekends. Of course he and Lexi are still in bed, and I get my "quiet time" Rah!

So blogger has changed their format, for a newbie like me this is not a good thing. I'm just figured out some of the old way and now they do something new. The new format is only on my end as far as I know. Hopefully in a few days I'll have it sorted out. Oh well here we go again!

Another beautiful day yesterday. I did some light housekeeping early, read another chapter in Water St. and then Lexi and I pretty well goofed off the rest of the day. Karen stopped for coffee before lunch time and we sat on the deck, enjoying the sun and chatting. I was glad she came to visit. She's a great person and easy to talk to. Although I think I probably talked too much, must be spending time with Lexi, she isn't big on conversation and it's usually one sided with us. Spent some time doing some more weeding after she left, then decided that deck chair was really comfortable earlier....... took my book and headed to the deck! The sun nearly put me to sleep, so I closed my eyes and could hear the sounds of Spring - the ducks flying overhead talking from one lake to another, the loons in the lake. It was heaven.

I looked out in the morning and there was a Flicker in the yard. He blends in somewhat with the grass. Had to stand on a chair so I could take photos through the window. Figured if I opened the door he would be gone.

Wish I could have gotten a little closer. He's rather attractive with his bars and spots of black and little red patch on his head. 

Mr Woodpecker had moved from the telephone pole to the apple tree - hanging upside down hunting for bugs.

Lexi, cooling off and get a drink. She's not a water dog, doesn't like to swim, but will play and wade in the lake.

It had opened up a little more by the morning........

and a little more after supper, hope it opens up all the way before it rains. I went out for a walk after supper, it was a nice evening, cooling off a bit though or the wind was making it a little cooler.

A great day for hanging out clothes, hope she remembered to bring them in last night.

I got really close to him this time, I was almost sitting under the feeder. I've discovered if I just plunk down on the ground and sit there quietly they often just ignore me and don't feel I am a threat. Then the neighbours finding me sitting under their feeders but..........I think they are starting to ignore me too!

And I headed home, catching the sun setting behind the trees over Beaver Farm Lake.

Must finish my coffee, grab another, check out Facebook and see what interesting things are happening there and it will be time to wake the rest of the household and begin things.

Enjoy your day!

Day 111 - 20th April 2012 - Sunrises and the Lake

Temperatures are still pretty good this morning at +4.2. I certainly got my quiet time as I woke up at 4am. It's been a while since I've done that so I can live with it every now and then. Again we have made it to Friday. Where does the week go? Suppose to be another fine day then we will be plagued with the much needed rain for a few days. Just too bad it'll happen on the weekend. So, if that's the case I'll put off the bulk of the inside work until Sunday and do some outside stuff today. Maybe Lexi and I will just have a fun day, who know! Not sure how much weeding I can do today, my right thumb is somewhat swelled and throbbing, and I think it's related to that pulling motion. Why do weeds and grass have such long roots?? I'm not whinning about it, just stating a fact, and not going to let it get the better of me.......suck it up Princess, right?

Yesterday was another fantastic day! Sun came out - a little slow mind you, but the temperature went up to +21 in the afternoon. I read through another chapter of Water Street in the morning, went through my folders of photos, did some dreaded housework, made muffins and before lunch was ready to head out the door to my weed gardens! And I'm making headway with those, I think I've now got room for the bulbs I've ordered from Vessey's which I hope will soon be here. Did I mention that I hauled myself down to the lake through the neighbour's backyard in my pj's at 6:20am and took some photos of the sun rising? Best of all I didn't get caught. I'm considering sending out a bulk email or flyer notifying the neighbours not to call the RCMP, send out their dogs or get out their guns if they see a strange woman lurking around their yards at odd hours of the day/night. After lunch Lexi and I walked over and had tea with Lois on her deck. Lexi of course had a few dog treats, she loves Lois and I don't think it's just for the treats.  It was a beautiful afternoon, quiet and serene sitting in the sun.

Early this morning - Panorma view

The colors in the sky were soft pinks and blues. Sunrises are like classical music you have Swan Lake, pretty tame and soft or starts of quietly and becomes more intense like In the Hall of the Mountain King [one of my favourite pieces, by Edvard Grieg].

The pink  from the sky reflects in the water.

I took quite a few pics this morning, but had to make it worth my while in case I ended up in jail!

Later in the morning........ you can see the rock way from island to island now.

The sky is blue with just a bit of cloud.

I like the way the sun sparkles on the lake, just a little of natures bling!

A little reddish tip on the tulip.

As the afternoon went on, it opened a little bit more.

Lexi enjoys wading in the lake. Something has caught her attention. She's always on the alert.

This was a fun pic, I was laying on the dock and she came over sticking her tongue out at me!  Once I got home of course I picked a tick off me, with the warmer weather comes the bugs.

Day 110 - 19th April 2012 - Old Buildings, Birds and Blooms

Another mild morning, temperature is +5.2. So I got up 45 minutes earlier than the rest of the house just to have my first cup of coffee in peace and a bit of quiet time. Yes I am truly a morning person, but I like a little bit of that on my own. I like getting up early, enjoying watching the sun rise. I'm sure as a teenager I never had to be woken up to go to school or work, and I've rarely used an alarm clock. Larry always sets one, but I don't often hear it ring. That little time in the morning allows me to put my thoughts together, plan out my day and enjoy my coffee.

What a beautiful day yesterday was and where was I - in town! Oh well I did accomplish quite a bit, more in the cleaning and organizing department than anything but needed to be done. And I opened the windows to let a little of the fresh air in. Nothing like it after a stuffy winter. Had my normal lunch at the Bean Dock, and didn't even have to work for it....... yes some days I actually work lunch time when it's busy. It's rather fun since it's not my business! Occasionally it confuses people who have been doing research at my office and then go there for lunch. A couple of years ago someone asked me if I had a twin sister. I just laughed and said yes, but should have replied "do you think we wear matching outfits at our age?" Took a few photos in town this morning.

The blue building is the Masonic Building on Water Street. It's a lovely old building. The Masons use the 2nd floor and the ground floor is normally rented out to other businesses. The Masons are an organization that have been here since the time of the Loyalists in 1783. At that time they didn't have a formal building but still met on a regular basis.  The yellow building was the former Robertson's Home Hardware. Originally built in the early 1900's by Cliff Robertson who was a tinsmith and several of his brothers. Cliff had the tin shop on the second floor, brother Stan [my great grandfather] had a shoe store and Cliff's hardware on the ground floor.  Cliff's son continued the hardware business for many years.

Went for a walk after supper. I'm getting a little concerned about our power pole and this little feathered friend. When I looked at him the first time all I could see was the tip of his tail sticking out of the hole, the rest of his body was in side and he was drilling away!

Found some ducks in the lake.

And another pair.

The lake was nicer last evening, no grey fog, just lots of shades of blue.

Rather pretty with white petals and a yellow cup. Then my camera batteries died and I headed for home. I can hear the peepers peeping away, the loons were in the lake talking up a storm. Spring has officially arrived in my mind. The days are warm and getting warmer.

I guess it's time to get the day underway, Larry and Lexi are mobile, quiet time is over. Enjoy your day!

Day 109 - 18th April 2012 - A Day of Fog!

The temperature remains mild for early mornings at +7.1. It was one of those mornings that my brain was telling me, just another half hour in bed which is unusual for me, must have been all that work I did yesterday. Of course today is Wednesday and I'm off to town, but the sun is rising in beautiful reddish hues over the lake and I don't have time to go skipping through the neighbour's yards this morning. I guess there won't be much fog today, figures!
It was a foggy day on the lake yesterday. The temperature was up +19 but it remained hazy and dismal. Wonder what happen to the sun that the weather man promised. I made great strides in the work department this morning - four rooms cleaned, some office stuff, lots of laundry and turned the mattress [oh my back!]. Lexi and I went for a walk on the path through the woods. When I got to the lake, I could hear the Loons but they were too far off, no ducks today. But  a Canada Goose flew by, close enough for a photo if I had been on my toes! In the afternoon we spent some time out weeding one of the flower beds. Am making some headway there too. Need to have room for some new bulbs I have coming.

Some of the islands in the lake were suppose to have been used by the Mi'kmaq many years ago. They travelled along the water ways - streams, rivers and lakes. I think they wintered in the woods and summered along the shores of the sea.






Lexi checking out the lake from the dock.

Near shore, we will soon be able to walk to this little piece of rock island.

 

A spot of foam along the beach.

The foam along the lake is alot tamer than that on the ocean. The beach is showing, early this year.

My new tulips will soon be in bloom. This is one of the bulbs I planted last fall and it kept trying to break through most of the winter.

The Solomon's Seal is poking up through the ground, they will be in bloom before you know it!

Sorry but no birds today and not a lot of color. I am getting use to sharing my mornings with the rest of the household, can't say I like it much but oh well, that's life!

Enjoy your day!

Day 108 - 17th April 2012 - Blooms, Blooms and More Blooms

Can't believe the temperature this morning it's +10.1, now that's warm at 5:30am. Today is an adjustment day, I no longer have my quiet time in the morning since Larry is back to work and everyone is up so I'm a bit out of whack to say the least. I rather enjoy that time in the morning when no one else is around. Lexi was out of sorts this morning, as the paper doesn't come quite that early and she looks forward to bringing it in first thing in the morning. It did come around 6am so out she went for it again. It will take us a day or two to get back in to the swing of working days. But that's ok, before you know it all will be smooth running again!

Yesterday was another beautiful day, took a long time for the fog to burn off and get there but by afternoon it was +22.8 with the sun just beating down! I spent most of the morning reading through a couple of chapters of our upcoming Water Street publication before Karen fired me as co-author or editor. I also need to start getting photos put together for this. Photos are my favourite part, love trying to dig out old ones that people either haven't seen or it's been a long time since they've been around the public. It's a lot of work layout out a book, getting things just where you want them - page breaks, photos, etc. but it's the part I like the best. I made a batch of cookies after lunch then did some more weeding in the flower beds - or I tried to figure out what where weeds and what were plants. It's been quite a while since I've found time to really dig in the dirt so they have run a muck! 

I went for a walk before lunch. The path through the woods was really quiet, not a bird singing nothing, the lake was empty of ducks and still a bit foggy.

The Forsythia is pretty, bright yellow like the daffodils and sunshine.

The Lungwort is in full bloom now, even though there's been some odd blooms over the last few months.

Another guard kitty, not sure what he's going to pounce on, guess that squirrel better not mess with him.

This are the tiniest daffodils I've ever seen. Hard to tell from the photo but take my word for it, miniature versions.

The purple and white wood hyacinths are now in full bloom and it looks like the one in the foreground will be pinkish.

I found these little beauties in my yard this morning.  The small flowers always amaze me - all of a sudden they are in bloom and you don't even see buds most of the time. I think they are Scillia.

Wild violets on my front lawn. I'll be glad when some bigger flowers come in bloom, I seem to be spending a lot of time crawling on my stomach over the ground. It's really the only way to get up close and personal with small flowers!

If today turns out anything like yesterday I may have to find a pair of  shorts to wear while I'm out doing my weeding. Might as well take advantage of that sun while it's there!

Enjoy your day!