Golden Marguerites

     It has been three weeks since I last talked to you. I was going to help a friend wash and hull 16 quarts of strawberries that weekend, which I did. We served up an amazing picnic dinner for our clients at St. Andrew's. We served 50 people, some seconds and thirds; but even so, there were still leftovers.  Ours was the last supper of the summer, so we took  food back home with us. I took a container of berries home with me and made freezer jam. 

     On Canada Day, myself and a group of friends celebrated the birthday of our country and one of our very dear friends. As we have done over the last several years, we went over to the Island to eat and talk and laugh, watch a parade, go to a strawberry social and watch the fireworks. It is always a highlight of my summer. The rest of the week flew by. I made a to-do list, which I haven't been doing in a very long time, and each day I worked to scratch things off the list...everything from baking dog biscuits to vacuuming to trying new recipes to cutting the lawns and weeding the veggie garden, to making more birthday cards. Then early last week, my daughter and my two grandchildren drove here to visit (and play in Grandma's sand box), and they took me back to their place in Oshawa. While others may have been glued to the World Cup, I watched my 4 year old granddaughter at her soccer game and practice twice last week, and I can tell you I was highly entertained. We planted both veggies and flowers in the back yard, and we weeded and mulched. We made strawberry freezer jam and did some preparations for the upcoming fifth birthday party at the end of the month. The weather was perfect, so we had a lot of great playing outside weather. We came back home on Saturday, and so Grandpa and I took the kids to the Odessa Fair. They are still young enough to be impressed by the small midway rides, the tractors and the farm animals.

     After they left for home, I was really tired. Monday morning I called to see how they managed the trip home, and found out that my daughter had been sick in bed from the time she arrived home. Well, I didn't have her fever, but I had the achiness, sore throat and general malaise. I couldn't stay up more than a couple of hours, until yesterday. It took me all morning, but was able to cut the grass. You wouldn't believe how long it had gotten in just one week. I am hoping to get out today to do some weeding. It is out of control. I don't know what the two of us "caught", but it put both of us out of commission. Fortunately, the kids did not get sick. I feel so fortunate to have this cooler weather with us this week. I couldn't imagine feeling ill and trying to endure the heat as well. To my family living in BC.....stay cool. Talk later.