LIFE is QUIET AGAIN

 

It's always a delight when the kids and the grandkids all visit at the same time. A little hetic but meals went well.

Frankie really enjoyed the porch swing and almost fell sleep as mom and dad gave her gentle pushes

At the park she showed no fear of heights.

Not sure if the kids were planning the next gathering or what we would have for lunch. Food is always  important when families get together and they are all excellent cooks.

While the older kids talked the grandkids played.

This pully system was too high for Owen to reach but he solved the problem and enjoyed the ride.

Penny and Kate checked out the garden beds. I was impressed with the variety of vegetables available for anyone to pick and enjoy. Bancroft does a great job making food available for everyone.

Penny likes to be friends with everyone and this large dog was very gentle with her.

The best part of any weekend is cooking marshmellows over the fire.

Weekends go by too quickly when we get together.

Stay safe and well Owen.

Thanks for stopping by.

FAMILY WEEKEND

 

It's been a long time since we've had the whole family up here for a weekend. 

Owen and Kate are looking forward to school starting soon and they had to show us the masks their mommy made them for school.

Kate wanted pink dinosaurs on her mask.

Sean, Maggie and Frankie arrived after supper and Leanne and Jamie will be here after lunch today.

It will be a fun weekend for the cousins as well as the kids.

Thanks for stopping by and be safe everyone.

Hi Owen!!!!

ELDERBERRIES

This morning Mary and Penny walked down to our elderberry patch. Elderberries are packed with vitamins and antioxidants which help support your immune system. They need to be cooked and never eaten raw.

Picking elderberries is easy as you take the whole bundle of berries once they are purple in colour and drooping down under the weight of their ripeness. 

Presently we only have four bushes producing fruit but each year they send out runners and our small patch continues to grow. This entire area we call the "pond garden" will eventually be one huge elderberry patch.

Can you see Penny? She thinks she is helping by staying close; in reality she makes manuvering around the bushes just a little more challenging.

Picking is the easy part. Once home we use a fork or our fingers to pull each tiny berry from its stem.

Mary picked 3.5 pounds or 1.58 kg. of berries in about ten minutes. We expect to harvest 12 pounds or 5.44 kg in the next week or two.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe everyone.

EXPECTING COMPANY

 

We have a bunkie that usually gets used as a storage shed but this month we need it for extra sleeping space.

This morning we removed all the stored items, vacuumed the place and cleaned the windows.

Now it's almost ready for company. We just need to make the bed and add some curtains.

A nice quiet spot for visitos or the grandkids to use as their own playhouse.

If everyone shows up we may need to use the trailer as it has a king size bed as well as two single beds. 

Tomorrow we will tackle this mess, clean, organize and be ready for guests or travel whichever comes first.

Looking forward to seeing everyone before school starts.

Stay safe and well

Thanks for stopping by.

COMBERMERE MARKET

 

This morning we headed north to the Combermere Farmers' Market our usual Saturday outing. We didn't get away until after nine but as you can see the traffic wasn't too bad.

This market is always well attended as it has an excellent selection of produce and crafts from talented and dedicated local farmers and businesses.

Since we now have Penny, our first stop was the "Dog cookies" tent. Yes, we now buy cookies for the dog rather than for ourselves. These treats are homemade and we use them as training rewards.

We also needed to touch base with the Schults Family Farm folks and see when our meat order for this winter would be ready. Fortunately it will be sometime the first of October which is perfect for us.

We then headed further north to Barry's Bay where Mary dropped Penny and me at this park while she went fabric shopping.

I don't think I read more than three chapters before Mary was back and we all enjoyed lunch. Penny was excellent, staying calm when folks walked past without jumping and barking. We plan to take her camping in a few weeks once we have done a few more of these short day trips.

The best part of the morning was a call from Mary's cousin out in BC. They chatted for an hour as we headed home. If all goes well and this Covid- 19 virus is under control we plan to visit together either here in Ontario or out west in BC. A lot can happen in a year so we won't get too excited until we are packing and hooking up the trailer.

Stay safe everyone and thanks for stopping by.

TOMATOES

 

Mary's tomato gardens are prolific this year. We've never seen so many tomatoes on a plant or such large tomatoes coming from our gardens.

She planted a variety; some a different colour as well as a mixture of sizes, all perfect for salads and sandwiches.

This is our largest tomato so far at 951 grams or just over 2 lbs.

We will be enjoying BLT sandwiches and home grown tomatoes for the next few months.

SUPPER ON THE DECK

 

Whenever Owen and Kate visit we use this table as their craft table. Yesterday we decided to have a picnic supper on the deck.

Owen washed the table off and then Kate helped her mom set the table while Oma prepared the food.

While we ate Penny slept which meant we could enjoy supper without her jumping all over us.

I see dessert is on the table, which brings a smile as Mary's cake with a cream cheese middle is so delicious. Thanks to Owen I finally got in a picture.

Owen and Oma checking out mosquito bites. Yes, mosquitoes are still around and protection is needed especially if you go for a walk in the woods.

Today the kids head home and we will miss them. 

Thoughts are turning to school and wondering how that will look. It will be an anxious time for everyone until we have a vaccine for this Covid 19 virus.

Stay safe and well and thanks for stopping by.

YOU DEAL WITH THE STINK

The "Honey Wagon" arrived the other day and it was a new experience for all of us. City kids never get such a visit so Owen was curious about the whole procedure.

Kate, never one to be left behind, made sure she had a good view of all that was done. Everything is very sanitized and no one touched any of the contents being pumped out. The truck does all the work.

 For her own safety and to keep her nose out of trouble, Penny was placed in her pen .

The whole process took less than half an hour and the truck was gone, never to return for another seven years.  When you live in the country, you deal with everything. 

 As soon as the truck left, Penny was back on her throne, delighted to have the place to herself.

Today it's back to watching videos and training Penny, a job she's not always happy about.

A DAY AT THE BEACH

Yesterday was the perfect day to be at the beach. It was also our first attempt to have Penny ride with company beside her. She did just fine spending most of the drive sleeping on the floor of the truck.

As you can see the beach wasn't busy no issue with maintaining our social distance between groups.

Kate and Owen had a fun time with the "noodles" The water was warm and shallow and they played for hours.

Penny enjoyed the noodles too. She was content to sneak one from the kids and hide it as far away as possible.

After lunch we set up the umbrellas so Kate would enjoy some shade while she made her sand castles.

Penny loves the water and could spend all day chasing the kids.

I don't think she's happy being forced to rest beside grandpa.

She would much rather play than watch. 

Another day of great memories with Oma and Grandpa.