In the garden

I spent another three hours outdoors today. I planned to clean up our gravel driveway, but I didn't have the proper tools for the job. So I started to pull weeds around the backyard pond instead. I haven't finished yet. It is a huge job and I also need to pick up more vinegar to make my weed-killer. I also helped my Sweetie with putting together a metal frame for a gazebo we got from "Dee" last year from one of the Elliot Lake yard sales. We didn't get that finished either. Hopefully, tomorrow will remain clear and sunny.

I hung out a load of wash I did last night. I washed another dishwasher load of dishes since last night, and I cleaned the filters of the fish aquarium this morning. Three hours pulling weeds in the bright sun has tuckered me out. I will show you the garden spaces that I worked on yesterday in the front yard.

Pasque flower in the foreground and blue windflowers to the back.

This area still needs me to clean out the dead twigs of last year's growth of beebalm and common primrose, but the area is green with narcissus and allium. 

These daffodils are surrounded on one side by blooming aubrieta deltoids and later blooming lavender. 

I have both white and pink bleeding hearts . To the left you can see some globe thistle coming up. I want to thin these plants soon, and move some to the back. These are self-seeding and will soon take over this flower bed if I don't get rid of them. 

I have blue forget-me-nots growing in the lawn and in my driveway that I need to transplant back into my garden

Golden alyssum and blue deltoids

Grape hyacinths among the large spiky leaves of the yucca plants. 

Mother's Day and Elliot Lake yard sale

I got two of these hanging planters for my veranda on Mother's Day. 

Things are not settled down yet

I got home Wednesday afternoon and caught up on some phone calls to friends and family to let them know I was back and asked about the events in their lives. A very dear friend had surgery scheduled for while I was away and I was a little surprised to learn that she was still in hospital. Thursday morning I went to visit her. I came home and crashed. I guess I was recuperating from the long days of travelling across the country.

Yesterday morning my Sweetie and I left without coffee or breakfast for the hospital in Napanee. My husband had a terrible night. He had pain in his foot that started in his ankle and spread halfway up his calf and all the way into his toes. His foot was swollen twice its size and was red and hot. While in the waiting room, he had chills so bad that the warmed blanket they gave him was not enough to warm him. I retrieved a wool blanket from the van to wrap him in. It turned out to be gout, but they couldn't take a chance that it might also be an infection; so, we had to wait for the results of the blood work from the lab. They prescribed a higher dosage of prednisone and percocet for the pain. We were gone from home from 7:30 'til after 4 p.m. It was not the way either one of us had planned to spend our day.

 Today I did my first shop at a grocery store. I had to drive into Kingston anyway to pick up a part we ordered for our dishwasher, and car parts needed to get one of our vans certified before we can buy Ontario plates. I knew I needed a couple of things without taking a shopping list, or deciding what the menu plan will look like this week, so I went to the nearest grocery store (Freshco) and picked up those items and their weekly loss leaders. This is what it looked like.

Bread cost $8.11

Three loaves of brown bread were $1.94 each and hot dog buns were $2.29  I will never get the deals that Nathalie does in Central Florida. 

Proteins cost $16.99

This was not a great deal. This is the result of not having a shopping list and just buying what looked good to me.

Produce cost $23.57

Red seedless grapes at $1.99/lb. were $5.84,  3 frozen juice concentrates cost $3.53, frozen stir-fry veggies were $7.99, frozen peas and carrots cost $2.49 and two peppers cost $1.73 I also bought a 3 pound bag of fresh carrots for  $1.99 (not pictured) 

Dairy was $5.76
The margarine was 97 cents and the cheese was marked down to only $4.79

Pantry items cost $7.72

The multi-grain Cheerios are a favourite. The large 560 gm box was on sale for $3.99 with a coupon for a free 2 litres of choco milk next time I shop. Sugar is $1.97 and the tins of diced tomatoes were only 88 cents a tin. 

Sundries cost $3.96

These also were not great deals, but these are the items (vinegar and tin foil) I needed this week. 

Total expenditure on groceries was $66.11

My Sweetie was feeling so much better today. He didn't get out of the van, but he came with me on my errands. Once home, he installed the small part needed to fix the dishwasher. I have done two loads of dishes so far today. He tuned up the lawnmower for me so I cut some of the lawn but not all of it. The grass was so thick, the mower kept stalling on me. I have the worst of it done. And I have made up more of my homemade laundry detergent and  washed two loads of laundry which I have hanging outside on the clothesline. Tonight's supper will be an easy pasta bake. 

I'm home again.

But just barely home. I arrived early this afternoon;so Nathalie, don't expect any comments on your blog because I won't be doing that until tomorrow. I haven't even unpacked the car yet. We made the trip across Canada to Northern Ontario in only four days. We spent the weekend at my Dad's house and rested. But I have to tell you about some "gifts" I received while I was there. On Friday night, we attended a trade show where I received a $10 gift certificate to Shoppers Drug Mart that was good only on Saturday. I used it to buy some food items. Free stuff.

Ten dollars bought this and a bag of potato chips which we ate the first night. 

I entered a few draws and was lucky enough to win a $25 gift certificate to another store in town. On Monday I went in to spend it all on merchandise. More free stuff. 

While I was away, I received my Sample Source package in the mail, filled with more freebies.

One Melitta coffee pod. large 90 gm Brookside dark chocolate, raspberry lemonade drink you mix with water for a full days multi vitamin, sample of dog food, two new VH sauces to make butter chicken and teriyaki, Qia protein bar, samples of breathe right strips, coupon for free box of Catelli super green pasta, and a few high value coupons . I love getting free stuff in the mail. 

And need I remind you all that my husband received my son's Dodge Caravan to drive us home. Today, he got a list of what needs to be changed out before it can be certified and the emissions test before licencing. And I received my Dad's Dodge Caravan for myself. The appointment for my emissions test and safety is next Tuesday. Two free vehicles came at the best time, as our Jeep finally gave up the ghost just before I left for my trip to Egypt. It is only costing us the price of registering ownerships, the emissions tests,  the cost of parts and labour to certify the vehicles, and new plates. They should last us for several more years.

While in Elliot Lake, I went to a few yard sales as well. I will share my treasures with you later in the week, after I have unpacked.

Good-bye Vancouver

My hubby and I left sunny Vancouver yesterday morning after two weeks with the family. We drove through BC and just past Calgary to Strathmore, Alberta yesterday. Today we got as far as Brandon, Manitoba. Why the rush? Well my hubby has always assured me that this drive back wasn't going to be leisurely. And as it turned out, there were not a lot of photo ops. First we ran into rain and fog as we drove into the Rockies. Then today, we drove through snow. I guess April is not the month for touring Canada. Here are a few photos I did manage. 

Sent from my BlackBerry® PlayBook™
www.blackberry.com

Vancouver flowers

I am only one week late in updating my blog. We have been busy playing "shop", cooking in the play kitchen, playing games on the BlackBerry, and reading story books. It's been fun. The weather this past week has been mainly overcast with sunny breaks, but summer-like weather. It has been really nice. This week temperatures are expected to get even warmer under sunny skies.  The cherry blossoms were done, but the dogwood trees are in full bloom. The dogwood is BC's provincial flower. I have also included photos of rhododendrons , tulips, and lilacs.

• 
  

Sent from my BlackBerry® PlayBook™
www.blackberry.com

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So I was not able to cover my entire Egyptian trip before I left for another trip. This time it is across country to the West Coast to see our oldest son and his family. I will have my Blackberry with me so I may be able to post occasionally from Vancouver. I will wait until I am back to finish up my Egyptian trip. We are flying out from Toronto today, but we will be driving my son's van back. We don't expect to be back until around the beginning of May. I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures. They have been enjoying summer weather for over a month now, while in Ontario we had snow flurries this weekend. When we get back, there will be grass to cut and flower and veggie beds to prepare. So, talk to you tomorrow.