A Room with A View

We bundled some quilt batting around one of the pond pumps to clear up the gungy water and speed up the water-clearing process.

That was our plan, but we forgot to consult Esterwilliams the frog.



She settled into serious nesting and I'm reluctant to clean the batting. Esther has a pretty stern look.

Here she is sitting on her front porch.



Listen, Esther, couldn't I just get in there to clean the sheets?

Now This Is Ugly

I swear some evil alien dropped this from a UFO this morning.



One thing I'm sure of--I'm not eating it.



Any takers?

Harvest Time

My most pressing question was, will I know when the cantaloupe is ripe enough to pick?

I was never astute enough to figure out how ripe it was in the supermarket and I wasn't doing any better as farmer- of- the- minute.

The advice I received wasn't too helpful: thump the end, smack the side, listen for,you know- that sound or, does it look ripe?

My advice- givers apparently are not gardeners and are probably also confused in the supermarket.



It's no longer a problem because when I checked, the oldest of the three melons had broken loose from its moorings and is now declared ripe for eating.

The tomatoes and pepper represent the morning harvest and now they're simmering on the stove in salsa mode.



The most fertile part of the garden was originally a hump of grass sitting higher than any other part of the back lawn and now it's the veggie garden. My daughter jokes about what might be buried under there and we're cautious about checking too carefully.
Acquaintances in a nearby town dug into the garden at the back of their newly-purchased century home and unearthed some early settlers, with some of their clothing intact. This can cause serious problems with the government so its better not to get too curious.

But I digress.

All we now for sure is that anything planted there grows with amazing speed and strength. The tomato vines got so hefty that they turned their cages into corkscrews.



A visit to the junk yards unearthed this racoon boot scraper; my cats are dying to make his acquaintance but he stands guard on the back deck and they don't.

The Dust Bunnies Are Gathering

I can't stop to dust if there are things to see and do.

This planter on the deck is at its best right now. I brought the geraniums along from previous winters (stored in plastic bags in the garage).



A friend's hundred-year plus barn is on its way to being dismantled. It was constructed entirely without nails and there would have been a barn-raising when it was built.



Then there's the corn. I'm originally a city girl and I've passed a zillion corn fields on my travels but have never closely inspected the mechanics and this was my chance. isn't that clever? The corn fastens onto the stalk and remains safely intact until picking time.



The cactus is settling in nicely and so far no one has stepped on it while viewing the pond.



The surprise about the roses is that my garden is pesticide- free and look at those leaves--not a sign of a bug. It's just luck but I'm happy.


Everything planted in the berm has thrived. I love the pumpkin and envision a jack-o-lantern at Hallowe'en time and a pumpkin pie to boot.



Now you see why there's no time to dust.

A Junk Yard In The Making

I'd be content living in a ramshackle house on the main drag, peddling antiques/junk from the front yard.

In the meantime I keep thrift shops shops in business.

This lantern on its spiky stand was a rusted mess, its unlit candle still in place. A judicious spray of black paint and now it stands guard over the fish (and the cactus I don't want anyone to step on).



Then there was a round piece of glass framed by a strip of aluminum; something from an industrial site. I sprayed the aluminum trim black and then looked for a use for the new find.

The cannibal pot has been with me for years and years. It's probably a maple sugaring kettle. Presto--now it's a table.



Here it is from overhead, looking down on an old light globe I peppered with flat marbles.



It could be worse--what if I loved collecting scrapped cars or tractor parts?

August

The sky looked amazing yesterday morning but for all that beauty it delivered more of the same, high heat and humidity. Nice sky just the same.



I found a great new junk shop and lugged home the sign and the flowerpot soldier. Sadly, a gust of wind toppled the soldier and offed his head. There's a new winter restoration project for me.



The chandelier is happy in its new place. I found it at a Habitat Re-store on half price day. No, I didn't wire it up. I'd probably take out the power on the entire east coast.



Frog is happy to quietly supervise the yard and the cow seems compliant.

Intolerance is Becoming A Hobby

I received the following E Mail this morning.It was written last month.

"Hi Everyone;

I just had to write this to get it off my chest. You may or may not agree with my sentiments however they are my opinions.

I was watching CBC news coverage this morning of the events concerning the returns of Lebanese-canadians. You'll note I did not capitalize the word Canadians when referring to these people as it was evident by their comments that they consider themselves to be Lebanese first and Canadians second. The more I watched the madder I got and I ended up turning off the television.

A host of the returnees to Canada were complaining about the Canadian Governments and it's slow response. Some of the returnees commented that Canada should be ashamed of itself for it's slow response in getting them out. One person complained about taking 11 hours to get to Cyrpress and also complained about the sandwiches that they were given. I was stunned at the ingratitude of the people being interviewed. Considering the logistics involved in getting thousands of people out of Lebanon I think the Canadian Government and other governments did well.

I got to thinking about the situation and came to the conclusion that Canada now seems to be a land of opportunists, not opportunity. The only two people in my family who got a free trip to Europe were my dad and my uncle Charlie who were shipped overseas to serve in World War 11. No-one asked most of these people to go to Lebanon so a free trip back with minor inconveniences is a good deal. Better than being dead I suppose.

Here is the deal. I will arrange to pay for a trip back to war torn Lebanon for any Lebanese- Canadian ingrate who agrees to the following. If you feel ashamed of Canada and it's response you should renounce your Canadian Citizenship, pay back the government of Canada for the free services you received when you came here such as medical, dental, education, job start programs, housing, ESL classes, business venture grants etc. and for those going back to live in Lebanon give up your CPP benefits ( a great many Canadians are ignorant about the programs your tax dollar is paying for). As I stated earlier Canada seems to be the land of opportunists. I wonder what the percentage would be of these ingrates serving in our Armed Forces?

Now, you might view me as a radical and a bigot. That is your opinion. The above is mine. I am one of many CANADIANS who are just fed up with the ingratitude of some and the milking of our government by others. It's about time that people stood up and said enough is enough. Political correctness is a way to stifle people from speaking how they feel and in some cases speaking what is the truth. Affirmative action is nothing more than reverse discrimination. As I stated earlier I am fed up with the hyphenation of Canadian citizenship. You are either a Canadian or you are not one.

I intend on sending this letter to my M.P. and anyone else I can think of. If you agree with me please pass this on, if not, then press delete."

I have omitted the name of the writer, from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I have never been bombed or shot at, my relatives are living in safe territory and no one has ever shoved a microphone in my face when I was scared and tired so I don't know how I would behave.

Here is ny response to this E Mail.

"The “Canadian” tradition is one of tolerance, even of those whose views are narrow, ill-conceived, incendiary and deeply offensive. I for one will defend, to my last breath, the right of Mr. C., and any other ignorant bigot, to make an ass of himself."

Enough Of the Heat !

We are into record-breaking hot weather along with other parts of the hemisphere.This was taken in early afternoon yesterday and I stayed out just long enough to take the picture. Factor in the humidity and it feels much worse, like getting locked in a sauna with no rescue in sight.



The horseradish seems to be happy and I'm happy for it.



The berm had been flourishing but this morning all the leaves are mildewed.



I guess that's what happens when you live over a swamp. Kind of reminds me of the times I've driven past miles of bleak stagnating water with forlorn dying trees on either side of the road and now I live over one of those.

What does living over a swamp have to do with the heat wave? Nothing really, I just feel cranky so I might as well blame the builders.

At least we don't have alligators. Not yet.