When I Was Gone

While I did manage a few posts during both my sickness and the computer's, there seems to be a big gap. So, here we go with some updates, muchly in pictures.

Although my computer had been acting up for several weeks, it really went AWOL a few days before our long weekend on which we celebrate Victoria Day, which is celebrated on the Monday before May 25. For this reason, it has become known as May 24th weekend although I can't seem to remember it ever occurring on May 24th. At some point in time, the kids took to calling it May two-four because they like to go camping and drink cases of 24 brewskies.

Back in 1969, we got married on the Saturday of May 24th weekend: on May 17, with Victoria Day being on the 19th that year. So, we try to do at least a little something to commemorate the weekend every year. This year, we went to the cottage — for just a day because with both blackflies and mosquitoes in their ascendancy we would be kept indoors, so a day to catch up was all that was needed.

It was Heather with whom we wanted to catch up. You may recall that she is my soon-to-be-published, sister-in-law author. She had just attended the big Booksellers Convention in Chicago where her book received quite a lot of buzz. It is almost unheard of for a new Canadian author to get invited to this major America trade show, but she was and while there, received many invitations to visit American cities once the book comes out.

Here we are, Heather and me on the tiny screened-in sunporch: open to breezes but barricaded from the bugs. I am holding her publisher's fall catalog where her book made the cover. Good stuff.

Occasionally, I stuck my head out the door, just long enough to snap a few photos. I pretty much take these same shots on every visit, but it was certainly all I could get to this time. You just don't want to mess with blackflies. For those who don't know about blackflies, they come out in spring by the ever-luvin hordes, and they are small enough to get everywhere such as in your eyes, ears and mouth. They can bite too.

Garage/Repair Shop with the red barn in the background. We did see an unusual sighting in the area to the left in the photo, just across the lane from the sunporch. A moose visited for a little nibble. Sadly, we didn't get a photo, for a passing truck soon scared her off.

Another standard shot: pretty much out the back door, looking past the back yard to the old barn.

The red barn again, through the gate.

We went on Saturday, and came back on Sunday, and that's when I first felt a twinge in my back — while unloading the car. However, the next day, holiday Monday, is traditional gardening day in these parts as you can almost be sure to escape a late frost. Almost. It worked out this year.

We did our bit by going to the garden centre — two garden centres actually. I and my back stayed on the sidelines for the most part (but probably not enough) while Sue searched giddily for flowers for her pots.

Sue looks happy enough on this winter's over weekend.

This is what our front garden looks like on May 24. The tulips are still blooming, the forget-me-nots are flourishing, and the ground phlox are in full vigour. Of course they are all well done by early June, and we wait for the early summer flowers to bloom. They're a bit slow coming this year because after one hellishly hot weekend, it has been rather chilly around here.

As an afterthought, I add this photo of the backyard. It has always been such a mess back there, that we have covered the whole yard with layers of cloth superimposed by mulch. It's a small yard, and with a tree, lilac bush, birdbath, flowerpots, chairs, deck and some rock arrangements (not seen in photo), there is enough to make it interesting.

The kids had a PD Day somewhere in there, with their main activity being learning how to make a lunch at the local grocery store. They seemed to enjoy it. Sue took this pic when she dropped them off. We had some of JJ too of course, but this one of Danica was the best photo.

Along with my previous posts, I think we are more or less up to date, but I will post this one photo strip which was taken on an outing to Montreal with their dad. They found an old-fashioned photo booth that seemed pretty doggone awesome when I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and this is the result.


What a pair of monkeys!