June Catch-up

So here we are at the end of June.  It doesn't seem possible does it? The province has moved into Step 2 of the grand re-opening except where I live in Waterloo Region.  Our case count was 49 today but we have met all the vaccination targets (75% with one dose, 25% with two).  In fact, we've got 33% fully vaccinated so I'm not quite sure what the issue is.  

Speaking of second dose of vaccines, Himself and I managed to get our  AstraZeneca last week.  I was a little worried nobody would be offering that particular vaccine and I'm not too sure about the whole mixing of the different formulations.  Last week, the scientists said it probably was okay; this week it is definitely okay. It was only luck really that I got the AZ when I did.  I happened to be near the Shopper's where I got the first shot so I just popped in to make an appointment and lo and behold, they had a couple of cancellations and I could get it right then.  Which I did.  And I got Himself an appointment for later in the day.  Done.

HistoryBoy had his graduation from Hogwart's last week.  They were able to have it outside on the basketball court. It was a really nice evening; the school put on Town cars for the grads and their families (there are only 13 of them), the seats were all spaced out in little family groupings and they had hired a professional photographer so we got some nice family pictures.  I took some pictures of HB and his teachers and his friends as well. I'm glad he was able to have some celebration.  We were supposed to go for ice cream afterwards because there was nothing else open but the line-up was too long so we post-poned it until Friday.  We had a nice dinner for him on Saturday - LudditeGranny came and I bought him a shrimp ring which is a treat because nobody else likes it and I made him a lemon meringue pie. It went kind of weird though -  there was some kind of liquid in between the meringue and the lemon on part of it.  I don't know if it was the wicked humidity or what but that has never happened to me before.  It still tasted good.

I had to get the windshield of the van replaced; on one of my forays to pick up ScienceGirl, a stone came flying out of one the the many gravel trucks on that road hit the window right on the driver's side.  And it was too big to just do that filler thing they do. So that was a few hundred bucks and a day without the car.

We're in that lull time in the garden - after the irises, before the black-eyed Susan's and the coneflower. 

My little foxglove which I have let go to seed.  Last year, I dead headed a delphinium and nothing came up this year.  Lesson learned.  The lady at the garden centre suggested I save the seeds and plant them in the fall. Honestly, that just seems like too much work.  We'll see if my natural approach works.

This is one of three or four dianthuses I have.  I planted them as annuals about three years ago and they just keep coming back. My kind of plant.  I also have a perennial dianthus as well that I ignore.

This is either perennial salvia, Russian sage or larkspur (I really do need to be more careful with labeling my plants).  I'm pretty sure it's Russian sage because it smells sagey when you rub the leaves. I used to have larkspur but it's disappeared now too.  

The irises were nice.  I have to replant some of them because they didn't bloom and their little roots or corms or whatever they're called are buried too deep.  I found out on the gardening page that most of the thing is supposed to be exposed to the sun.  I was surprised at that considering how cold our winters can get but there you go.  

We've had some serious heat here the last week or so, not as bad as BC but enough to put me off going out gardening in it.  The week-end is not supposed to be as humid so maybe I'll get back at it. 

That's all for my June.

Until later.  Stay sane. 
 

Blue Light

Friday I drove to the nearest GO/VIA station which is about 35 minutes away, well according to SatNav Jane it is but  I got stuck behind every truck and slow poke driver in the world so it took about 50 minutes.  Anyway, I went to pick up ScienceGirl which has become the usual activity on a Friday afternoon. 

Sometimes, by the time I get there I have to use the facilities. They are very clean in this GO/VIA station but the lighting is very odd - it's blue, maybe UV I don't know but weird and kinda hard to see properly. I could never figure out why it was blue.

I mentioned this to SG one day and she agreed, after using the bathroom, that the light is indeed weird. A little while later she came to me and said, "If you're under that blue light, you can't find a vein."  Yeah, it took me a couple of minutes to process that too.

On a cheerier note, beauties in the garden.

I never remember the names of my plants so don't ask.  This is a lovely light pink.

I really like the colour combination of this one.

And the Mad Wee Dog observing Public Health regulations.

Until later.  Still stay sane.

Stay at Home Chapter 3 - Day 42 + 13

 Wednesday June 2

Another nice non-humid day.  Still planting. 

 I would have had it done this morning but I got interrupted by the gas man who showed up wanting to change the meter.  Apparently, I was supposed to have received a letter about it but I did not.  Good thing I was home because he did need into the house to do something to the gas-run hot water heater afterwards.  I hadn't picked up poo yet so I had to scurry around to do that so the guy didn't have to tip-toe around the patio.  The disruption put me off the planting.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

The never-ending Stay at Home Order has been lifted.  Well, whoop-di-fucking-do.  There's still nothing open, nowhere to go.  I think we can have 5 people outside.  I'm not really sure because I stopped paying attention weeks ago.  The schools aren't going back until September which is the stupidest thing although I think I heard that schools would be allowed some kind of outdoor graduation ceremony which would be nice.  If it's allowed Hogwarts (what we call HistoryBoy's private school) will be all over that. 

Since we've come to the end of the Stay at Home order, we also have come to the end of my daily posts. I have enjoyed posting every day but honestly, it was hard some days coming up with something to talk about.  I will be back though to my usual sporadic postings.

Until later. Still stay sane.

Stay at Home Chapter 3 Day 42 + 12

 Tuesday June 1

Beauty day today.  Sunny, 25.  No Big Walk though because I wanted to get more planting done. 

Oh my God, I'm sick to death of it.  I planted the last 3 ferns and about 10 or 12 impatiens.  I was planning to plant 2 flats of 12 but I got pissed off with the landscape fabric.  It didn't help that I lost the good scissors, well I didn't lose them, I just don't know where they are.  Well, I do know where they are but I can't find them.  I had them for most of the planting - I was down to the last 3 impatiens and boom! they were not any where to be found.  I looked in the grass, I looked all over the garden and I even looked under the mulch in case I had buried them.  Gone.  It was most annoying, not only because I had to scrounge around for another cutting tool but also because I wonder if I'm going bonkers or blind.

I just have 2 more hostas to plant and the petunias I bought ages ago and the rest of the impatiens ( there are only about 6 left).  I'll have to get that all done before the week-end because it's supposed to be 500 degrees again for a week or so. 

Our Stay at Home Order is to be lifted tomorrow.  Hurrah!!  Then we go into a 6 week re-opening schedule. So by the middle of July things should be back to normal, fingers crossed.

Until tomorrow.  Stay sane. 

Stay at Home Chapter 3 Day 42 + 11

 Monday May 31

A bit of a busy day today.  Well, as busy as it gets these days.  

I got my groceries done in record time this morning.  I noticed that they had taken the plastic away that had been wrapped around the clothes and the housewares at the Zehrs.  I also noticed that people were buying stuff like blankets and cushions for your patio chairs from that section so I'm not sure what is going on there.

I had to take HistoryBoy for his vaccine late in the morning.  It was in the same place as LudditeGranny got hers, an old Rona, and it was much quicker than hers.  I guess they've had a couple of months to figure it out. He was very nervous that it would hurt.  I pinched him in the upper arm and told him that's how much it would hurt.  He got an appointment for his second dose in September.  That surprised me a bit - I thought with all the vaccines in the country they were reducing the time between each shot down to 8 or 10 weeks. Right now, it's a bit of a problem since he'll be 3 hours away at university on the date.  I'm sure, if the past is anything to go by, things will change again before September.

This beauty showed her lovely self today.

I'm not sure if it's one of my reblooming irises.  How can you tell?  Anyway, I'll enjoy her while she lasts.  The rest of them should bloom in the next couple of days.

While HB was getting murdered  his jab, I had time to run to the Canadian Tire centre just to see what was there and if anything was on sale yet.  I picked up a couple of hostas but they didn't have much of a selection of perennials.  I nipped across the road to the Lowes to see what they had but I ran into my hairdresser so my shopping time was lost to catching up with her.  She's having a really hard time with this current lock-down, to the point where she might not be able to afford to rent the chair in the shop where she was working.  She'll be setting up shop in her house.  The lady she rents the chair from is willing to forgo the rent until they can open up but if things go to plan, that's only a month away. It's too little too late.  But we'll see.

Until tomorrow.  Stay sane.