Franktown's Lilac Festival

The village of Franktown (near Ottawa) is known as the lilac capital of Ontario.

Every year they host a lilac festival. Terry and I had never been so this year we decided to go.

We wandered up Lilac Lane...

(Horse-drawn wagon rides were also available.)

Opting to walk, we got closer to the lilacs...

















... and the bees!












 

Later we bought snacks and a bedding plant at the craft fair. I entered a quilt raffle. (Not sure what I'd do if I won!)








 

Wandering past lovely village homes, we admired this updated log house...








 

... with its log garage.

We can't do this too often, I told Terry, or I'll want to move into the country!

A lovely, peaceful place to be!

Barbecue Day at My Mother's Residence

In summer, Fridays lunches are barbecues in my mother's residence.



Residents can eat indoors in the dining room or outdoors - where family and friends can join them.

Last Friday Terry and I joined in.








Sue, the nursing home director (on the right) was busy at the barbecue.













Volunteers manned food stations. Staff were kept busy taking hamburgers into the dining room.







 

Everyone wanted to be first to get their burgers and hot dogs!









 

They smelled and tasted so good - I don't blame them!

Everyone Needs a Toy

Stopping for coffee on our way to Toronto, we saw a Jag enter the parking lot. I walked over to admire the car and ended up talking to the owner... a retiree.

Everyone needs a toy! he commented, obviously enjoying his summer vehicle. (With no windows in the doors, it was not made for Canadian winters!) The 1937 car was a real conversation piece. Checking prices online later, I realized it was probably a replica. An original would probably not be parked in a crowded parking lot where it could easily be nicked.

A week or two later, I saw this old truck, again in a coffee shop parking lot. The 1951 Dodge was an original that had been modified. (The truck's maximum speed had been 37 miles an hour, so the owner had to upgrade it in order to drive on public roads.)







Inside it was still the original - bringing back memories of trucks various family members had during my childhood... My grandfather and Uncle Erhardt, both carpenters, drove similar vehicles. Peering inside brought back memories of many rides - a familiar sense of the way life had been.

Toronto Harbor Front Action

Whenever I go to Toronto, I like to wander around the downtown harbor front area, bordering Lake Ontario.



I come for the beauty and tranquility of the water - but the place isn't always peaceful and quiet. It was bustling with tourists and residents.










The place was a hub of activity!

The Calgary Stampede was being featured. We wandered around their displays...

... stopping to listen to old-time fiddling music.







 





Nearby a giant cowboy was floating in the water.














Stampede representatives had been giving out cowboy hats prior to our arrival - so we saw them everywhere. Unfortunately, we were to late to get one!










We paused at this little public pond - where children were enjoying paddle boat rides.

This is where we skated last winter, my son commented. I'm glad to see the spot is used all year long.






Another display - sponsored by the parks department - provided camping information.










Terry wandered over to check it out - posing for a "fishing photo."

(The only fish he has ever "caught"!)






 


Later, we continued on our way - to St. Lawrence Market and then back to our son's home.

The day was perfect for walking - not too hot.

We've walked about 14 kilometers, Terry later commented. (Almost 10 miles.)







Nothing like running a marathon! But enough to make me feel I deserved this delicious cup of hot chocolate to strengthen me on my way!

Lilac Season

Lilacs are currently in bloom. We have a lilac bush on the west side of our yard. When the wind is just right, their lovely smell wafts towards the house.










Walking around the neighborhood, I am awe-struck by the sight of lilacs and other flowering trees. So large! So amazing!

I wish they would stay in flower all summer long!









But of course, they don't! These giant lavish bouquets only add joy to spring!

More Flowers in Blooom!

My favorite new blooms this week are the white anemones in my front garden bed.


They are spreading - a sign that I can take a few and move them to another area.












I also love the pinkness of these late blooming tulips, surrounded by blue forget-me-nots.













I'm not sure what to do about this lonely white tulip in the back yard... It's hardly visible above the plants around it. Time to put down newspaper to smother out the green and white gout weed here, too! It's covering everything!

Gardening - always something to do!

An Interesting Poem About Prayer

I recently came across this well-known poem about prayer - more specifically, about the mystery of unanswered prayer.

I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

The unknown person who wrote this prayer was stronger than me!

If I think about my life, I would have to say: "I have received many things I prayed for. (Hardly ever in ways I expected!) But not everything I had hoped for."  

At times, I still ask God: "Why?"

But if I think of my childhood dreams and all I hoped my life might be... I would have to say that I have received more than I ever dreamed possible. God's plans were much bigger than mine!

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for,
but eveything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered;
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Gratitude/The-Blessing-Of-Unanswered-Prayers.aspx#THgpWI0Y2YJMwJeK.99

Suddenly... in Bloom!

It's such a welcome sight to see the trees bursting into leaf! Every day a few more!


















Of course, not everything that buds and blooms is a welcome sight!















Dandelions in our neighborhood are suddenly blooming too - totally out of control!

Hard to believe they are not native to our area. Apparently the early pioneers included them when they brought seed for farming. They used dandelions for medicinal purposes.

Digging them out takes up so much of my gardening time these days. Gardening would be so much more fun without them!

Toronto Street Art

I enjoy decorated outdoor spaces.

Last weekend, we visited Toronto for Victoria Day Weekend.


I couldn't help but notice a few outdoor murals.










Were they all painted by the same artist?
Planned? Or simply doodling that got out of control?!










(Personally, I can't imagine working on a canvas that large!)












Later, we came across this giant spider, hovering overhead in the Distillery District. It reminded me of the giant one outside Ottawa's National Gallery!

Nearby, a play structure looked like "art"!













(Was this sculpture built as a play structure? Or had children simply decided to make it into one?!)

Artistic designs can serve a useful purpose, too!

Thursday Morning Fun

These days my Thursday mornings are spent in the pottery studio - this time in the hand-building room.


I have been working on heads...


And birdbaths - the rectangular one was my first. Some of the "waves" broke off when I was trimming it last week, so I added a few "branches" - with turtles climbing on them.







My second attempt is a bowl-shaped one I plan to set in the metal frame I made it in. I had to take it out while the clay is drying as clay shrinks when it dries. I'm currently drying it upside down.
 
Now that summer is here, birdbaths could be useful additions to the yard. I'm not sure where I'll put them, though. Maybe on a tree stump or even a chair - someplace where I can see them.

Playing with clay! Such a natural thing to do! (Reminiscent of the fun I had as a child, mixing soil and water to make "mud pies"!)

Our Changing Neighborhood

Our neighborhood has been undergoing changes ever since we moved here, The old homes that have been here since the 1940s and 1950s - similar to this one - are slowly disappearing.

At first people simply renovated them, adding rooms, replacing windows. Most of the people who moved to the neighborhood liked to garden. In fact, one of the neighborhood's names was "St. Clair Gardens."

But more recently, builders have been buying small homes on large lots, removing the houses, dividing the lots, and building two large homes where one small one once stood. These new homes take up the whole lot, leaving no room for gardens.









Here is one empty lot where a house was recently torn down. Now the surveyor's markers indicate the lot has been divided in two.

For those of us who love the neighborhood's gardens and trees, it is a sad change...








I suppose we should be thankful that the neighborhood is being fixed up, not run down. But before long, it will no longer be known for its gardens.

Ruthless Gardening: Smothering Invasive Plants

Spring is a busy gardening time - if it doesn't rain. To add to the pressure, work in my perennial beds needs to be done before the plants grow too big, so they won't be trampled down.

My aim? To get rid of a patch of gout weed that has grown - and expanded - under the snow fountain cherry tree in our front yard. Slowly but surely it is taking over!


 My first thought was to try to dig it out, but I didn't know how I would manage to weed crouched down under the tree, now in bloom and full of bees!

A few days of rain gave me time to think about it - and look through some old gardening magazines.






There I found a photo of a professional gardener creating a new flower bed by smothering grass with layers of wet newspaper. Would that work with the gout weed?! I looked for information online. One website said to cover the ground with 10-15 layers of newspaper. That is a lot! Another website says 5 is enough. I began, the wind ruffling the paper, making it hard to lay flat. I watered the paper, but didn't finish the project before running out of paper...




Every day, I plan to quickly read the day's paper, then add it to the garden! Hopefully I'll get it done before the other plants grow too big and get in my way.

Eventually the newspapers will need to be covered with wood chip mulch. But for now I'm holding the paper down with bricks and stones!

Aloe Vera As Food?!

I usually take my camera everywhere - in case I happen to see something I'd like to post on my blog.

That's just what happened the other day. I was "only" going to pick up some milk at a nearby supermarket, but when I arrived, the first thing I saw in the produce department was this aloe vera - large leaves reminiscent of plants I encountered in Hawaii.

I've never seen aloe vera in the food section of a Canadian supermarket before! (Or any supermarket, for that matter!)










My own aloe plant is much smaller. It shares a pot with a small palm tree and another fragile plant. I find they do better together, for some reason.

I have the plant in case I want some fresh aloe vera gel to use as a lotion on a burn. I used to break off a piece and squeeze it to get the gel out - then rub it on the sore area. But I haven't used it as medication in years. Mostly it's just another indoor tropical plant I enjoy having around.

When aloe vera gained fame as a natural skin cream in North America in the 1960s and 1970s, my mother went to the health food store and bought some pure gel to rub on her skin.

My father, intrigued by all the health benefits aloe reportedly possessed,  poured himself a tablespoon and swallowed it: If it's that good for the outside of the body, imagine what it will do for my insides, too.

Are you sure you are supposed to eat that stuff? I remember asking. Not everything you rub on your skin is edible. (I have no idea if he continued to take a daily dose!)

I didn't buy any aloe vera at the supermarket, but I was intrigued: Is it used as food? I did a google search and came up with this website with recipes.

Hmmm. Should I begin to think of my little plant as something to add to my salsa? Would it make a difference to my health? (I think I'll read a bit more about it before I try.)