Rain... Then Flooding

Last Wednesday - Canada Day - we had a lot of rain here in Ottawa.

My son took these pictures when he got off the bus after work, to walk home...

Then he saw security tape - the ceiling in a nearby passageway was already coming down!

As the song goes: "The rains came down and the floods came up..." in a large number of buildings - homes and public places, like our local library. 

We had a flooded basement, and have been cleaning up ever since... Eight or more homes in our block have water in their basements. Some also have no hot water or AC. Fortunately we have both.

At our end of the street, people have been very kind.

When the time came to open our freezer - which Terry had unplugged when the water was rising - our neighbours Mary and Earl found room in their freezer for the things that we couldn't fit into our fridge.

Another neighbour offered us a pump to help remove the water that was covering the basement floor. (We had two pumps of our own, but a third made a big difference.)

Our older son took 2 days off work to help us move things out of the basement. Our younger son brought over 2 dehumidifiers to help dry the carpet and floor.

When it is all over - and the cleanup done - I hope that these kindnesses will be what we remember most.

My Favorite Blooming Seaso

Flowers in our front garden bed reach their peak in early July.

There's a mix of orange lilies...

 

... white daisies...

... yellow coreopsis...

... and mauve-blue flowers that seem to grow wild - making the front flower garden look like a giant "bouquet."

I wish this mix of flowers would last longer.

But like most perennials, they move on - replaced by a new wave of blooms. 

The coreopsis do continue to bloom a bit longer...

... together with the blue geraniums that grow near the overhanging pine tree. They lie closer to the ground, so they are not as noticeable as the taller flowers.

Two Tomato Plants

A week ago, my older son and I optimistically planted two cherry tomato plants.

It was HIS idea!

I've given up on vegetable gardening...

I've been defeated by squirrels too many times!

Friends of his had an abundance of tomatoes last year. He credits their success to daily watering AND spraying with hot sauce - diluted slightly with water... just enough to make it spray-able!

I hope he succeeds! I hope the squirrels don't plant their own seeds in the mulch we put down.

So much depends on the sauce - to keep the squirrels away!

"Cat Food"!!

Here are two Pinterest photos that give new meaning to the term "cat food"!

Food in the shape of a cat!! The orange segments on top - and the tomato slices (bottom left)!

Now I don't know about you - but I've never had the urge to shape food into animals... except perhaps "ants on a stick" when encouraging my kids to eat healthy snacks.

But I'm sort of glad none of my kids were "food artists" either! Could you imagine them slowing down supper because they wanted to create a masterpiece with some dish before it was served!!

I wonder... Were adult food artists - as kids - children who enjoyed eating - or kids who liked playing with their food?!!

Open Windows, Open Doors

Now that summer is here - with all its heat - I often get up at daybreak...

I hate to miss the sunrise...

But I also like to open all the windows and doors - all that have screens, that is. For several hours, I cool off the house - before closing everything up at 8 AM, to conserve the cooler air.

Fresh, cool air: natural "air conditioning"!

Canada Day Thunder Storm

Yesterday - Canada Day - was hot and muggy. 

Then, in the afternoon - a thunder storm rolled through.

I decided to take a nap! (What's the point of worrying?!)

When I got up, the main storm had passed, and I could see two "streams" in the nearby college grounds.

Terry headed over to dig trenches - to keep the water running to lower ground. It seemed to help.

Glad we were here at home - not getting soaked downtown, where all the festivities were occurring! 

Then it started to pour again... 

And then the basement flooding started!!

(To be continued... we're in the middle of it now...)

Canada Day!

Today is Canada Day - the day I traditionally take time to reflect on how wonderful it is to live in this country and to be Canadian!

Last year we had a Canada Day dinner with friends...

The salad (before dressing was added) resembled a Canada flag - thanks to radishes, tomatoes - and strips of red pepper (to make the shape of a maple leaf). Real food artistry!

Then we played a Canadian trivia game!

Fun!

This year, the weather forecast is for extreme heat - so we may stay indoors - which is fine with me, too.