Fascinated with Glasses

My granddaughter has been fascinated by eyewear from a very young age...

Here she is, age about one, not so much listening to the story I'm reading - but staring at the speckled frames perched on my nose!

Fast forward a year or two. Whenever I wear my glasses (to read) she wants to try them on, too - grandma-style.

She's a little older now... And she still wants to wear glasses! 

Maybe you could get me some fake ones, she suggests... 

I make my own "fake" ones by removing the lenses from an old pair.

She can have fun with those! 

Hmmm. What do we have here?! Upside-down glasses?! Maybe the beginning of a career in eyewear design!

Apples... With Worms!

My father grew up on a small farm in Poland, when times were hard. To make matters worse, his own father had died in World War I when he was four. I never asked him how his mother managed - though I know grandparents and other relatives lived nearby.

My father never forgot those hard times.

When I was a teenager living in Kelowna, BC, with all its fruit trees - we had several in our backyard. My mother harvested the fruit and filled our freezer with pies.

Occasionally, I'd find an imperfect apple - one with a worm or earwig in it.

"Yuck! I don't want to eat that!" I remember once telling my dad.

"Oh, that's the sweetest one," he replied. "When I was a boy in Poland, we'd say: The worms know which apples are sweetest - so those are the ones we'd really want to eat!"

Refreshing Treat

The weather has been hot.

After day camp, one day this week, my granddaughter and I tried a new Ikea treat when I picked her up. They call it vegan plant-based soft serve. I call it delicious raspberry sorbet!

Perfect for a hot summer's day!

Play!

I recently came across an article online about the importance of PLAYING EVERY DAY.

As I browsed the article, it occurred to me that we all "play" differently. For some people I know, board games are an important kind of play. For others, like Terry, watching sports - and getting excited about who's ahead - is play. For me, knitting - as well as writing blog posts - are play because I enjoy them. 

Play relaxes us.

It also occurred to me that I should - unapologetically - be playing more!

Good Food!

Terry is allergic to most fish... (Though, for some unknown reason, he can still enjoy canned tuna!)

So our daughter sometimes invites me over when she's cooking fish... Like this fried trout and potato salad dinner that she made a few days ago. (Terry didn't join us. The mere smell of fish can set him off...)

It so happened that, the same day that I had fish, Terry developed a bad toothache. He couldn't eat anything...

My daughter suggested a replacement meal for him... which he really enjoyed!

We both had great suppers!

Setting the Bar High!

I recently read about a woman who is turning 101 today - and she still works 4 days a week in a sewing and crafting store! This is a picture of her when she turned 100 last year!

She does not look 100!

She credits her long, happy life with staying active, having a schedule (by going to work) and enjoying the people she works with.

There's a lot of wisdom in her words! 

For women my age, she is an inspiration. She has set the bar very high...

(Maybe I need to get a job!)

Lily Season

"Lily season" began several weeks ago in our garden.

Now, a few weeks later, only a few orange lilies are still in bloom. At their peak, they were so abundant that their colour dominated the yard.

But we still have a few lilies - like this yellow one with brown in the centre, blooming in the back yard.

And the beautiful yellow bearded lilies in the front garden bed are just beginning to bloom!

The lilies that don't do well in my front garden are the yellow day lilies. I'm not sure why. I didn't notice them in bloom at all. Maybe I should move them to a new location.

But other beautiful flowers...

... like the phlox and the daisies...

And the tall "outhouse flower" - are just beginning to bloom.

Veggie Garden Update

I haven't had a vegetable garden in years, but I planted some "three sisters" vegetable seeds this year. The three "sisters" are: corn, squash and beans.

The pole beans seem to be doing well. 

In fact, I've just harvested two beans! This is exciting! 

It may inspire me to start planting veggies again!

I have a few squash flowers... which will hopefully develop - though I don't know if they'll be pumpkins or zucchinis... I planted both.

The corn isn't doing well! I'm blaming the squirrels!

If I get a reasonable harvest, I may be tempted to try again next year!

Outdoor Potted Plants

I have more potted plants outdoors this year than I've ever had.

A neighbour was getting rid of some large ceramic pots, so I took them to hold potted geraniums that I wanted to bring outdoors. 

I enjoy the flexibility of pots - they can be moved around easily into different arrangements.

I wasn't planning to bring out the pepper plant - in the purple pot - but it needs a lift. I hope being outdoors revives it.

I don't plan to bring most of these plants back indoors for the winter. Instead, I usually take cuttings to propagate indoors - to bring outside again next spring.

A seasonal cycle!

Changes

Neighbours who have been living across the street for two years are moving...

And we hear that two new families - with young children - will be moving into the houses.

Life will definitely be different!

As my mother used to say: Life is a constant change!

Andrew Haydon Park In July

A few days ago, I drove over to Andrew Haydon Park in the early evening.

I hadn't been there in a while.

The air was a little cooler than it had been - with a slight breeze - so there were lots of people out walking, enjoying picnic suppers, or sailing on the river.

A perfect summer evening. I'm so glad we have public parks by the river to enjoy!

Birthday Fun

Today is my youngest son's birthday!

We celebrated with him - and the whole family - a few days ago.

The day was perfect for a dip in the pool.

Our older son prepared brunch...

So glad we could all be together.

Garden Surprise

I've planted a lot of flowers 🌸 over the years. Some find a happy home in our yard. Others don't.

Maybe it's the soil - made acidic by pine trees overhead. Maybe I've planted it in a place with too much sun, too little sun, or maybe too many strong plants that choke it out. In any event, some don't thrive.

But I'm sometimes surprised to see some long-lost flower bloom - after I thought it had disappeared!

Like this echinacea that is suddenly back - in bloom - a few feet away from where I remember planting it.

Did I plant another one? I don't remember! (I really should keep a garden diary!)

Day Away

The weather has been hot for quite a few weeks now - or so it seems.

Not ideal for walking outdoors - or day trips.

A few days ago, Terry checked the morning temperature and concluded: If we want to go walking somewhere outdoors, it should be doable today...

So off we went for a drive to Merrickville, one of the beautiful towns along the Rideau Canal.

There were lots of tourists out and about...

Had they - like us - been waiting for perfect weather?!

Not only did we walk...

But we had a lovely meal in an outdoor patio...

No wasps! (That may come later in the summer!)

And ice cream - a perfect end to our day away!

We Saved the Day!

One of my grandson's favourite TV programs is an animated show about some helpful dogs who always come to the rescue of someone in need.

The program always ends with the words: "Good job, pups! You saved the day."

Recently Terry went over to help our son (our grandson's dad) set up the barbecue. The job involved figuring out where to put the patio stones the barbecue would sit on - then moving the patio stones and the barbecue into place.

Our grandson was interested to see it all come together...

When it was all over, he happily announced that he had helped grandpa and daddy "save the day"!

Moving Technology!

It's not the first time neighbours have packed up their belongings in "pods" and a truck has hauled the pods away - often into storage.

But this must have been the first time Terry and I watched it happen...

We watched in fascination as the driver, controlling the lift with a small hand-held device, moved it over to pick up the heavy container.

Again, using  the remote-control gizmo, moved the pod onto the back of the truck.

A few adjustments to tighten the straps - and off they drove.

Amazing!